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Sen. Ron Johnson's Remarks about Capitol Insurrection; Record- Breaking Blizzard Slams Colorado; Oscar Nominations Announced. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 15, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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


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[08:31:27]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Ron Johnson with a racist interpretation of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. We're played it three times already this morning, which is as much vial as I can handle, frankly, so I'm not going to play it again. I am going to paraphrase it, though. He said, roughly, he was not scared by the folks who invaded the Capitol. Those were the ones who were chanting "hang Mike Pence" and one guy wearing a Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt. He wasn't scared of them, a largely white crowd, he said, because, he said, because those protesters love America. But Black Lives Matter people, he says, would have worried him.

Joining me now is Jemar Tisby. He's the author of the new book "How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice."

Jemar, thanks so much for being with us.

Look, from where I sit, what Ron Johnson said looks like a single entendre, to me it really only means one thing. I mean how do you see it?

JEMAR TISBY, AUTHOR, "HOW TO FIGHT RACISM": It is racist for sure and -- but there are multiple layers. So on the surface, of course, if anti-Democratic, violent, white supremacist extremists don't see you as a threat, then what do they see you as? They see you either as an ally or irrelevant. And when it comes to injustice, I wouldn't want to be either one of those.

But then Johnson went on to say that if it had been Black Lives Matter protesters, ostensibly a crowd that is more racially and ethnically mixed, he would feel threat. And black people and I, as a black man in America, know that we are stereotyped as people who are threatening by some white people, which is a racist dysfunction.

BERMAN: What -- so what did it feel like to hear that spoken out loud by a U.S. senator?

TISBY: It's absolutely chilling because there are multiple messages here. So we focused on the racist part, but what is Ron Johnson saying to these white supremacists, extremists who are willing to break the law and break into the Capitol to get their way based on a conspiracy theory about election fraud. It sends, to me, echoes of the stand back and stand by comment that we heard from the previous president. It's a wink and a nod to these forces that says, whatever you do, you're not going to face strong repercussions, at least from politicians like Johnson and those who agree with him. And then it's chilling because it opens up the pathway for more incidents like we saw on January 6th.

BERMAN: He said out loud -- he said out loud that he saw them as people who love this country. I mean if that's not a permission structure, I don't know what is.

TISBY: Exactly right. Exactly right. And I'm not sure that we understand as everyday Americans the critical juncture that we're at. We are at a crossroads between a multi-racial democracy that attempts to live up to the aspirations of the foundational documents or an autocratic, authoritarian style governance that works for a very, very few wealthy and mostly white people. And we need to act with urgency right now.

BERMAN: I'm going to play some sound from a Wisconsin member of Congress, Representative Grothman, who was also talking about Black Lives Matter.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GLENN GROTHMAN (R-WI): I know the strength that Black Lives Matter had in this last election. I know it's a group that doesn't like the old fashioned family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Just your -- OK, but you -- the head twist there. Explain.

[08:35:00]

TISBY: So I think he's alluding to something on the Black Lives Matter platform that talks about the nuclear family structure. And basically what they're getting at is this mythical idea that the typical family structure throughout history has been two parents and kids, one parent, typically, the male working outside the home, the mother working inside the home. And what Black Lives Matter and other groups and individuals are saying is our families are broad and it takes a village and there are fictive kinships. And so what they're saying is that, you know, we want everybody on board for the flourishing of black people.

But for him to mention this, this is used as a talking point among anti-Black Lives Matter people to say that they're not for the family, that they want to break up families and they don't think it's important. And so these are some of the tropes, these are some of the strawman that people build up in order to build opposition to black civil rights and the freedom struggle more generally. BERMAN: So Ron Johnson, in the radio interview, he had this one line

where he said, I know I'm going to get if trouble for this. But, in his mind, not so much trouble that he didn't say it. And part of the question that nags at me, Jemar, is this, which is, why does he feel empowered to say this out loud? What is it that he sees that is welcoming for this message?

TISBY: That is such a critical statement. He said, I know I'm going to get in trouble for this. So, number one, he recognizes the controversy of his statement, racially speaking in particular. And, number two, he said it anyway, because he knows that he's not going to face repercussions or any sort of meaningful consequences from his own party, which is really the issue here.

There's no reason that Democrats or anyone else should have to call Ron Johnson to account for these statements. His own party should do it before him. But the sad reality is, we have half of our two-party system that has made room and space for white supremacists and for people who would make racist comments like this one.

BERMAN: Jemar Tisby, author of "How to Fight Racism," we appreciate you being with us this morning. Thanks so much for this discussion. Grateful.

TISBY: Thank you.

BERMAN: So, as we speaks, Oscar nominations being announced. There's that.

Plus, Beyonce now has more Grammys than any woman ever. Much more on this coming up.

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[08:41:44]

BERMAN: All right, a powerful record-breaking winter storm blasting Colorado with heavy snow this weekend. Whiteout conditions, travel at a standstill. Nearly 25,000 customers without power this morning.

CNN's Derek Van Dam live in Boulder, Colorado.

Derek, give us a sense of what you're seeing there.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John, this storm took a while to get here, but once it arrived, it made its mark, setting records. In Cheyanne, Wyoming, 36 inches of snow, their large two-day snowfall total. Denver International Airport, 27.1 inches. That's their second largest storm on record. You can imagine how impactful this storm was, shuddering the interstates and highways, parts of 25, that north/south corridor, through Denver, parts of that is closed down. East of the Denver International Airport, I-70 towards Kansas, that's also shut down. And parts of 76 as well.

Let me show you why it's such an impactful event. Not trying to be dramatic here, but this was a very heavy, wet snow. So what it did is it stuck to all of the trees, brought down some of these tree limbs. That's why we have the power outages. You couple that with the wind and the dangerous blowing and drifting snow and it is a tricky, tricky morning.

Avalanche threat is extremely high. You remember we've got all this snow in a short period of time. Lots of people racing to the mountains. Don't go if you can -- if you can avoid that.

And then also this has impacts on COVID vaccination centers as well. They're working on delays this morning in and around Denver, as well as Denver. I just talked -- authorities there saying that some of the testing sites for COVID have been completely cancelled today for Monday. So this is a high-impact event.

But talking to some of the locals here, they welcome the snow because 88 percent of the state of Colorado under severe drought conditions right now. So this is going to help alleviate some of the fire risk going into the upcoming summer season.

So welcome snow for local residents.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, at least some good comes of it.

VAN DAM: Right.

BERMAN: All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you very much for that.

All right, waiting by the phone. Why? Because the Oscar nominations are out.

I'm sure it's going to ring.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Are you -- are you getting a call? Is this the year you get the call.

BERMAN: I'm sure it's going to ring any second.

We're going to tell you who the nominees are, next.

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[08:48:00]

HILL: Oscar nominations just coming out a short time ago after a jam- packed night at the Grammy Awards.

Joining us now, CNN contributor and "Entertainment Tonight" host Nischelle Turner.

I'm always so happy to see you in the morning.

Good morning.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. I don't know what day it is, but I'm here.

HILL: I -- yes, I don't think you -- you likely have not slept since you were up late with the killer Grammys and now you've got Oscar nominations.

TURNER: Yes.

HILL: So let's start with the new stuff first. Oscar nominations. What's really sticking out to you?

TURNER: Well, a couple big things. I mean I think the supporting actor and actress categories were a bit of a surprise this morning. First of all I'll start with the supporting actresses. Maria Bakalova was nominated for her work in "Borat." And, you know, there was a lot of conversation going into, would she be, would she not be because the type of movie "Borat" is, would the Academy embrace it? But, this morning, she was nominated. Now, I think one of the interesting thing is, Jody Foster was not. Jody Foster won the Golden Globe for her work in the "Mauritanian." And so to see her now not be nominated for an Oscar when she just celebrated a win for the Golden Globes is a really big surprise this morning.

Also in the supporting actor category, Chadwick Boseman, who has been nominated through this award season, was not nominated for an Oscar in this category. It looks like he was replaced by Lakeith Stanfield, who was nominated for "Judas and the Black Messiah." It will be a very interesting race because his counterpart in that movie, Daniel Kaluuya, who won the Golden Globe for that, was also nominated.

Now, it's kind of interesting because throughout this awards season Lakeith Stanfield was entered into the lead actor category. So I'm not sure where the shift came. But it worked out for them both to be in the supporting actor category and just to mention about Chadwick Boseman. His work for the film the five bloods is what most people thought he may be nominated for. It was a little bit of a smaller roll, so I do understand why the Academy didn't nominate him here. Of course, he was nominated in the best actor category for his work in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," and he was the favorite to win the Academy (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Well, let's talk best picture quickly.

[08:50:00]

TURNER: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean I don't know if you have that list I'm going through.

TURNER: I do.

BERMAN: What was nominated here.

And just also a reminder. And this is hard for, you know, I -- there were movies that were released in the last year, which I think sometimes people forget given the pandemic.

TURNER: Right, because no one went to the theater really. But, yes, there was a lot of movies.

And, John, I have to say, it was a good crop of film this year.

A couple big surprises, though, for me this morning. No "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," when both of the lead actors in that movie were nominated for Academy Awards this morning. Viola Davis as actress, Chadwick Boseman as actor. And no "One Night in Miami," which has really kind of been on the tip of everyone's lounge. We thought maybe Regina King would also get a best director nomination. She did not this morning. So that was a big of a surprise.

"The Father" did get a nomination. The Academy only nominated eight movies this year. They can nominate more. But then they always, you know, tell you it's kind of how the numbers shake out for them. So they did only nominate eight films, but I think that it will be really interesting.

Going into this, I think "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Nomadland" are probably leading the pack.

You know, it's always interesting, it's kind of my Monday morning quarterbacking, but I think that there's a couple really interesting races shaping up. I'm glad to see two women nominated in the directing category, Emerald Fennell and Chloe Zhao, both nominated. Chloe Zhao, of course, for "Nomadland." She's been winning a lot this awards season. And up until now we really knew Emerald Fennell for her work as an actress. Right now she's playing Camilla Parker Bowles in "The Crown" on Netflix.

So it should be a pretty interesting night.

HILL: It certainly will be. I'm looking forward to it. And as John said, there was a moment were I was like, oh, yes, there were a lot of movies that were released and I really need to get up to speed on a lot of them. So I have a lot of homework cut out for me, which I'm not upset about.

TURNER: Yes.

HILL: I do just want to touch on the Grammys, quickly, too.

TURNER: OK.

HILL: That was a big -- you talk about, you know, we were just talking about women and female directors. A big night for female musicians, song writers and singers.

TURNER: Absolutely. And just to kind of straddle both sides of the line on that, you know, the musician, H.E.R., she's waking up this morning really happy because she was nominated for an Oscar for her son for "Judas and the Black Messiah" this morning and last night she also had a powerful performance and won a Grammy for song of the year. So it was a big night. She is, you know, an artist that blends her art and her activism. We saw that on display throughout the Grammys last night. We saw girl power on display throughout the Grammys last night. Miss Beyonce took home her 28th Grammy. That's making her the most decorated artist of all time, male or female. That was a, you know, a really big moment for her and she was there to accept that Grammy in person.

You know, I love to see when artists really put their, you know, their artistry on display. And I think we saw that last night in so many different ways.

BERMAN: Let's listen to Beyonce, who I'm pretty sure --

TURNER: OK.

BERMAN: I think she's going to amount to something. Let's listen to what she had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEYONCE, MUSICIAN: I am so honored. I'm so excited. Oh. Thank you, guys. OK. As an artist, I believe it's my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times. And it's been such a difficult time. So I wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Her daughter won a Grammy also, Nischelle. You know, she's already the most decorated artist ever. I mean she's just going to -- this isn't done. I mean I can't imagine how much more she's going to do.

TURNER: No. Well, I mean, yes, Beyonce is just getting started. I mean, listen, we've got her for decades to come. And I can't wait to see what she does next because as great as she was when she started to see her evolution and where she's become now that she's become a mother and she's a wife and she's really kind of come into her own and found like her grounded and rooted voice in her music, I mean, get ready because I don't know what we're going to get from her next, but it's going to be a while.

And, like you said, her daughter also won a Grammy last night. So Blue Ivy is one of the youngest to ever win a Grammy award. So I think there's a little talent in that house.

They also have two other children that are starting to grow up. And the father's not doing too bad. Jay-z is nothing to sneeze at. So, yes, there's a lot of -- a lot of talent in that household.

But I really did appreciate the artistry on display last night. I do, guys, have to tell you one of my all-time favorite moment was Lionel Richie paying tribute to Kenny Rogers, singing "Lady." I just thought it was beautiful. Lionel Richie wrote that song for Kenny Rogers. They were friends for decades until Kenny Rogers passed. And I just loved to see that.

And I really thought the inmemorium (ph) last night was beautiful. Brittany Howard is one of my favorites. So to see her just really dig deep and sing one of my favorite song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and have Chris Martin on the piano, just a real poignant and beautiful moment.

[08:55:05]

It was nice to see.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) that song never, ever gets old to me.

TURNER: No.

BERMAN: Nischelle Turner, thank you for being with us this morning.

TURNER: Sure.

BERMAN: Always great to see you.

TURNER: Good to see you guys, too.

BERMAN: So, time now for "The Good Stuff."

Folks at a vaccination site in Massachusetts had quite a surprise over the weekend when cellist Yo-yo Ma was there to receive his second vaccine dose.

So you know how they make you wait 15 minutes after you get the shot before you leave? Yo-yo Ma, this is how he chose to spend his 15 minutes, giving a mini concert during that waiting period. He told the local paper in the Berkshires he wanted to give something back.

HILL: I love it. I was reading another account that it was the same nurse who gave him both shots. And she was just saying how wonderful he was and how grateful and appreciative he was.

BERMAN: We've had a chance to talk to him a couple times during the pandemic and he's doing so much and working so hard to give back to make sure music and musicians persevere through this crisis.

We'll leave with you this.

CNN's coverage continues, next.

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