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New Day

Gun Rights Rally in Richmond; Chiefs and 49ers Head to the Super Bowl; Temperatures Plummet across U.S.; CNN's Democratic Panel; NYT Board Picks Candidates; Prince Harry on Cutting Ties. Aired 6:30- 7a ET

Aired January 20, 2020 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[06:30:33]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking overnight, authorities say two people are dead and 15 others hurt in a shooting outside a bar in Kansas City. Officials say three of the injured victims are in critical condition. According to the bar's FaceBook page, it was hosting a party celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs AFC championship win. Police tell CNN they believe there was only one shooter and that the shooter is one of the two people killed at the scene. Authorities say people were standing in line waiting to get into the bar when the shooter showed up and opened fire.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of protesters are expected in Richmond, Virginia, today for a massive gun rights valley. Virginia's governor declaring a state of emergency as the FBI and local police say they're responding to threats of violence. White nationalists and far right militias from across the country are expected to attend.

CNN's Nick Valencia is live in Richmond this morning with more for us.

Nick, good morning.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica.

There's certainly a lot of concern here. Of course the biggest worry is that this event could turn into something similar to what we saw in Charlottesville in 2017. You mentioned that state of emergency announced by the governor leading into this event. He also announced a temporary weapons ban on state capital grounds because of what he said were credible threats against law enforcement.

And, indeed, there were arrests leading into this event. Seven suspected neo-Nazi members arrested across a variety of states, some of whom the FBI said were on their way here to do harm.

And, over the weekend, I spoke to a source with the Virginia State Police who said that there were increased threats on law enforcement, particularly on their social media pages. I also talked to some officers patrolling the area who said it appeared that some individuals over the weekend were actually conducting counter surveillance on them. That's their characterization, not ours.

We should mention, though, that this event takes place every year, though it's taking on a new level of significance because of the threats and also because for the first time in nearly a quarter century, the state legislature is controlled by Democrats. And many Second Amendment supporters here in the state of Virginia and beyond believe that their proposed gun control legislation is a step towards taking away their guns. So that's why they're showing up today here to protest.

John.

BERMAN: It could be a tense day, Nick. We'll be watching it very, very carefully.

Some other news.

Super Bowl LIV is set. The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers and former New England Patriot Jimmy Garoppolo.

Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Good morning, Andy.

These teams are good.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

They are good. And it's going to be an awesome matchup on paper, you know, John, you've got the best team in the NFL in the 9ers on one side taking on arguably the best player in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. And, you know, the Chiefs have been waiting 50 years to get back to the Super Bowl. And, once again, they had a slow start, falling behind by double digits in the AFC championship game with the Titans, but Mahomes just would not be denied. Look at the determination on this run. He just would not go down, 27 yards in for the touchdown there. Mahomes and the Chiefs, they come back to beat the Titans 35-24 to win the AFC.

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PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: It's amazing. Obviously being able to do it at home, being able to win the Lamar Hunt Trophy here and do it for the fans and everybody like that was awesome. We fell short last year and we learned from it. And we built every single day and now we have the chance to go to Miami and get the ultimate goal, which is the Super Bowl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, for winning the AFC, the Chiefs get the Lamar Hunt Trophy. Hunt founded the Chiefs and the AFC trophy was named after him in 1984. And it's going to stay in Kansas City for the first time ever. Hunt's son Clark and widow Norma were on stage to accept the trophy. Some fun facts for you. Norma is the only woman to have attended every single Super Bowl, and her late husband Lamar, he's the one who came up with the name Super Bowl.

The 49ers, Meanwhile, they're now going to be looking for their sixth Super Bowl title. They haven't won it since 1995. They just dominated the Packers on both sides of the ball in the NFC championship game.

San Francisco, get this, only attempted eight passes in the entire game. That's because Raheem Mostert was just running wild in this one. He's the first player ever to run for 220 yards and four touchdowns in a playoff game. The 9ers would win 37-20. Quite the journey there for Mostert. He was cut by seven teams before finally finding a home there in San Francisco.

But, Erica, like you said, great matchup. February 2nd in Miami 9ers/Chiefs. The Chiefs opening up as 1.5 point favorites for the game.

BERMAN: I think that's probably accurate. I don't know how a running team necessarily can beat the Chiefs because the Chiefs can score so quickly.

SCHOLES: Yes, but keep the ball out of Mahomes' hand. Just run the ball the whole game, John.

BERMAN: We'll see. We'll see if they can do that.

HILL: That's what I would have said, just for the record.

BERMAN: The Titans couldn't do it. The Titans couldn't do it with Derick Henry, as you were telling me.

[06:35:00]

SCHOLES: Very true.

HILL: I was telling you that. Yes, thank you for recognizing that.

Andy, thanks.

So will the upcoming impeachment trial hurt or help the president heading into the November election? Alisyn posed that question to a group of black Democratic voters.

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Show of hands, how many people are optimistic about the upcoming election and think a Democrat will win?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The pulse of the people, next.

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[06:40:00]

BERMAN: Arctic air gripping much of the country this morning. In Iowa, a state trooper and a motorist were nearly crushed by a truck that lost control on the ice on I-80. Look at that. Windchill advisories across the northern plains and upper Midwest, temperatures could feel like 25 to 35 degrees below zero.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers with the forecast.

And, Chad, that seems to me to be pretty cold.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, that's 50 degrees below freezing. So I know we use the zero number, but you've got to think about 32 too. It is one, the feels like temperature right now in Syracuse, 7 in Nashville. It is cold all across the northeast.

This weather's brought to you by Celebrity Cruises. Go to celebrity.com and book your award winning vacation today.

It is 71 right now in Miami. Temperatures are going to be cold all across the Northeast for the next couple of days. The southeast too. Right now it's 50 in Orlando. But we will see temperatures in the 30s and 40s warming back up.

Today technically should be the coldest day of the year as we bottom out and the sun gets a little bit higher in the sky. We begin to warm up. So only two or three days' worth of cold air. Temperatures will be warming up nicely.

Not like yesterday. We were 15 degrees warmer than yesterday than we are right now in many spots, but at least 30s and 40s and even into the northeast, all the way to about 40 degrees by Wednesday and Thursday.

Erica.

HILL: All right, Chad, thank you.

Remembrances are scheduled across the country today to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. On Friday, Alisyn introduced you to a group of black Democratic voters from South Carolina, discussing President Trump's impeachment and the issues that matter most heading into the election year.

Here now is more with the "Pulse of the People."

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: What a lot of people say is that it's the economy stupid, as you know. And so the economy is going well for the most part or that's the impression and that unemployment has gone down and that people have jobs and the stock market is soaring. Do you all feel that way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

BENNY STARR, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: No.

CAMEROTA: What do you feel about the economy? STARR: I grew up in a very small, rural town. I seen what happened

when plants or corporations come in. I seen what happened when they leave. When we talk about rural America, we often erased that there is a very prevalent part of the country that is black rural America.

ALEX BELK, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: I have a lot of tenants who work two and three jobs just to make ends meet, just to pay bills.

STARR: I feel like, again, the wealth gap is growing. Growing, growing. People are making not a lot of money. We look at wages. Wages have been stagnant for a lot of people. I mean, in a place like South Carolina, come to South Carolina and tell people the stock market just hit 29,000 and see what they tell you.

CAMEROTA: What would they tell me?

STARR: What does that mean for me?

BELK: Well, it has no impact.

JENNIFER WINSTON, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: For me, Trump cannot take credit for anything that may be good going on in the economy because jobs, President Obama's administration, the parts of things that they did, we are reaping the benefits now, if we are seeing any wage increases or things like that.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about impeachment. Show of hands, how many of you -- I haven't asked the question yet, Cassandra.

BELK: You already know, right?

CAMEROTA: How many of you think it will hurt President Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurt -- well.

CAMEROTA: No.

DARION MCCLOUD, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: Hurt or harm?

CAMEROTA: Well, that's it. I mean how many of you think, show of hands, it will help President Trump having been impeached?

MCCLOUD: It's the law. He, by any interpretation, has broken the law repeatedly. If he was my favorite person in the world, he is still accountable. To a large swath of the country, he is unaccountable.

CASSANDRA WILLIAMS RUSH, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: Right, I agree wholeheartedly. I just think that with his continuous lies, every time he gives a speech there has to be a fact check because everyone knows that nothing in his speech has any validity. You know, they are lies. He tries to create an environment of confusion. I mean he's just not productive, especially to the benefit of the country at all.

CAMEROTA: Would you like to be hearing more right now from President Obama? Do you feel that during these past three years he's been too silent or he's played it right?

BELK: Well, I feel like he's doing it because he does not want to divide the party right now. So I think that that is a calculated move by Obama.

MCCLOUD: It's wisdom.

BELK: Right.

MCCLOUD: You spoke to the past three years. We have one president at a time. I think it is unwise to have a former sitting president, especially the immediate president, come out publicly and challenge him.

CAMEROTA: Are you surprised by how often President Trump invokes President Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all.

BELK: No. Not at all.

RUSH: Not at all.

BELK: I think there is a -- there is a major jealousy there.

VANITY DETERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRAT: That was the most vicious white lashing a nation could experience.

CAMEROTA: And what do you mean by white lashing?

DETERVILLE: I mean the emblazoned racism that Mr. Trump's campaign was predicated on.

[06:45:02]

And to use that to mobilize himself and to get himself into the office, I don't think that -- you know, nothing about that was passive.

WINSTON: Making America great again, I mean, what does that mean? Was it not great before you got into office, you know? We're not going back to any of our countries that we came from. We're all here.

CAMEROTA: Do you all feel that race relations, racial issues have changed in the past three years?

WINSTON: Yes.

BELK: Yes.

CAMEROTA: How?

BELK: I just think that people are more open to discriminate now. And I think his whole platform is to divide the country.

CAMEROTA: And that's had a real effect? BELK: And it has a major effect on employment, on just walking in restaurants and stores, just dealing with people on a daily issues, you see it.

CAMEROTA: You walk into a restaurant and you feel differently today than you did four years ago?

BELK: I do to a certain extent. Just people are more aggressive.

WINSTON: I feel like I'm always having to prove myself and prove my competence wherever I go. And also as an educator, to be confronted by some of my colleagues that may be white that, oh, I didn't know you could do that. I didn't know you could write an email that well. Or I didn't know that you could coordinate these services in that regard.

MCCLOUD: For me personally, I feel like we're seeing what happens with the wrong president right now. Decency is on the ballot. It literally is.

CAMEROTA: Show of hands, how many people are optimistic about the upcoming election and think a Democrat will win? OK. Five of you. Optimistic.

RUSH: You have been to be -- you know, try to be positive and optimistic in order to have a positive effect. So I feel as if, if we band together in the right manner, select the right candidate, we can win. I just think that there's a good possibility that we can and we will work really hard to get everybody registered, transport them to the polls, and ensure that we elect a Democratic president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: So important to hear directly from the voters. Those are South Carolina voters. They'll get their chance in just a few weeks.

Prince Harry speaking out for the first time since Buckingham Palace announced he and Meghan are no longer working members of the royal family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY: I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It's a really interesting statement. We'll bring you Harry's new comments, next.

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[06:51:27]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In this perilous moment, both the radical and the realist models warrant serious consideration. For this reason, we are breaking with convention and putting our support behind not one but two candidates, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, each of whom articulates a different path forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: "The New York Times" editorial board going out on a limb there announcing that they're endorsing two candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Joining us now, CNN political correspondents Jessica Dean and Ryan Nobles.

This reminds me of when "Time" magazine says that you, as in all of you, are the people of the year. We're not actually going to decide who to endorse.

HILL: We all are. I felt great that year.

BERMAN: We're going to -- we're going to pick -- yes, I know, congratulations on winning.

All right, everyone can make fun of "The Times" for what they did here. I think the bigger issue, Ryan, and both you and Jessica have spent plenty of time in Iowa and New Hampshire, these early states that will be voting, how closely are the voters of Iowa reading "The New York Times" as they weigh these final two weeks who to vote for?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. I don't know if we can overstate it more. I mean I've talked to dozens of voters in Iowa. I've never once had one say to me, well, I'm waiting to see how "The New York Times" editorial board is going to weigh in on this conversation.

I don't think it matters all that much. You know, there's a level of momentum associated with it. You know, a lot of times you want to, as a voter, you want to stick behind the person you think is going to win. And so perhaps that lends some credibility to the idea that one of these two candidates has a shot at winning.

I will say, I -- "The Times" will probably get a lot of criticism today because they didn't come out and actually pick someone. But in Iowa of all places, who comes in second does matter because you can pick first, second, and then after the first round of caucusgoing, you can then, if your choice doesn't make it through the first round, then you go and support someone else. So there is some value in picking two candidates here. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't really think this matters all that much.

HILL: Well, I think the criticism has already started. I mean --

BERMAN: Really? You mean just like right now? Right here?

HILL: There has -- no, but I will say -- no, there's a -- there is some of it online. Just saying, you know, the fact that they couldn't choose just one. And they make the case for why they're choosing two -- these two candidates. But it is fascinating to watch.

And while it may not be -- you know, in Iowa, they're not holding their breath waiting to see who "The New York Times" may pick. It does raise a serious question, Jessica, that a lot of Americans have as they're watching what plays out when -- in Iowa and New Hampshire and further on down the line, South Carolina as well, how important it is this year and how different it is with this field, Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erica, I think that's exactly right. I agree with Ryan, there's not that many people that are waiting for this endorsement in Iowa or South Carolina, or New Hampshire. But to your point, it does illustrate just the big broader discussion that is going on within the Democratic Party as to how to best move forward as a party and, more importantly, for these Democratic primary voters, how do you best beat Donald Trump in 2020? And this gets at the heart of which direction do you go in order to achieve that goal? Is it big, broad, structural change or is it trying to work within the system to make these progressive moves but working within the system that exists?

And that's what voters are going back and forth over. And that is a debate that is going on within the Democratic Party that primary voters are going to have to sort out in order to get to a nominee.

BERMAN: What is interesting in these final weeks, and "The Washington Post" notes this this morning, as we are getting closer and closer to Iowa, two weeks away now, Jessica, the candidates are starting to really go after each other about issues, about very serious things.

HILL: Yes.

BERMAN: And one of those issues is now Social Security. And you've been at events with Joe Biden where he is accusing Bernie Sanders of twisting the truth about his record. Let me play a little bit of sound of that.

[06:55:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is simply a lie that video that's going around. This is a doctored tape. And I think it's beneath and I'm looking for his campaign to come forward and disown it. But they haven't done it yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, what the former vice president is talking about there, Jessica, is the Sanders campaign put out a video of Joe Biden talking about Paul Ryan and Social Security out of context. It wasn't doctored, per se, but it was way out of context because Biden was criticizing Paul Ryan for his stance on Social Security, not endorsing it. It is now an issue the Sanders campaign is trying to put front and center, though, in these closing days.

DEAN: Yes. And, look, the Sanders campaign has been wanting to have this exact debate. And I was actually at that event from that tape you just played there. It was interesting, a voter actually asked him about his stance on Social Security. And it was really the first time we had heard Biden go after the Sanders camp in that way.

As you said, this video certainly taken out of context. If you watched it, you -- just the way it is clipped, you would walk away with a different impression than if you watched the broader context. That's why context is important.

But certainly a fight that Bernie Sanders wants to have. It is something that he went at Hillary Clinton about back in 2016. We're seeing that replay out now in 2020. And the Biden campaign and Biden himself, you heard him, pushing back saying this is a lie. He went on to say, I'm a big supporter of Social Security and laid out what he wanted to do to make sure it was solvent moving into the future.

But, again, John, as you pointed out, as we get closer and closer to Iowa, the barbs get sharper, the lines become more crystallized. And again, Biden pushing back furiously at Sanders. And, Ryan, I know you're following Bernie Sanders and have been for months now. This is a fight they've been wanting to have.

NOBLES: Yes, and I will say to that point, I think this was kind of an unforced error on the Sanders team --

BERMAN: Right.

NOBLES: To use this video in this context because they actually do have an argument here. Even if, in this particular moment, he wasn't necessarily siding with Paul Ryan. There's a pretty lengthy track record of Joe Biden at least suggesting some sort of fundamental reform to Social Security.

BERMAN: Being open to change in Social Security.

NOBLES: Exactly, would could include some level of cuts.

DEAN: Right. Right.

NOBLES: And so, you know, there is a conversation to be had about this. But what this does is it puts Joe Biden in a position where he can push back on the video instead of pushing back on the substance of the argument surrounding the debate about Social Security. So I think the Sanders campaign wishes they could take that back because they do want to have this conversation. They don't want to be talking about the video and really Joe Biden hasn't clearly, you know, made a stand exactly where he is on Social Security at the point.

HILL: Ryan and Jessica, thank you both.

Much more to come on 2020, of course, throughout the day.

Right now, Prince Harry breaking his silence about why he felt there was no other option but for he and his wife to cut their royal ties.

CNN's Max Foster live at Buckingham Palace with more. So what are we learning from the duke?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the new Prince Harry. It was interesting. I was told this speech was happening last night but no media were invited to it and it was posted on his Instagram feed. So this is how they're going to be operating from now on. But it was deeply personal and very telling.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.

What I want to make clear is, we're not walking away. And we certainly aren't walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth, and my military associations but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Which is very sad for him. He says he's sad because he wanted to retain some of those royal roles and he didn't get what he wanted. So this is a sad moment for Prince Garry.

But, ultimately, he got what he wanted, which is his freedom. Very interesting for him to say it was his decision to reach this deal. Also pointing out elsewhere in the speech that Meghan's the same woman that he married. Doesn't explain why the duchess has been over in Canada, why she didn't dial into that meeting. Prince Harry is trying to undermine this narrative that's out there that the duchess is behind this, she's manipulative, she's made it all happen. Harry saying that's not the case, it was me.

HILL: Max Foster with the latest for us.

Max, thank you.

BERMAN: All right, this is an historic week. The president is on trial. So how will it run? No one has any freaking idea.

NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump officially begins tomorrow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that a fair trial involves witnesses, it involves evidence, it involves documents.

[07:00:00] SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If we call one witness, we're going to call all the witnesses. There's not going to be a process where the Democrats get their witnesses and the president gets shut out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time

[07:00:00]