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New Day Sunday

Hostage Safe, Suspect Dead After Stand-Off At A Texas Synagogue; Djokovic Loses Visa Appeal, Won't Play In Australian Open; More Than 80 Million People Are Under Winter Weather Alerts; Senate To Take Up Voting Rights This Week, Despite Grim Odds; Restaurants Struggle To Stay Open During Pandemic; Hospital Chaplain Helps Patients, Families Dealing With COVID-19. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 16, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:14]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Buenos dias. Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Boris Sanchez.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Boris. I'm Christi Paul.

Listen, a nearly 11-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue, a suspect holding four hostages as part of the ordeal streams live on Facebook. How officials rescued the hostages and what we're learning about the suspect and his motives this morning.

SANCHEZ: Plus, tennis star Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open and on his way out of Australia, after a court upholds his visa cancellation. We'll explain the reasoning and how Djokovic is now responding.

PAUL: And listen, cities across the east are on alert this morning. You know it if you are in them. A powerful winter storm is plowing through. More than 80 million of you under winter weather alerts. Where and when you can expect to see what's happens.

(MUSIC)

PAUL: Welcome to Sunday, January 16. I hope you have power. I hope you can see us. We want to make sure you are informed and safe. Just something we're going to be doing for you all day today as we watch this crazy storm.

But we do want to begin with the hostage standoff in Texas because this morning, we're so happy to say all four hostages are safe after that nearly 11 tense hours at a synagogue near Dallas.

SANCHEZ: Investigators say that a suspect entered the congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, during its Sabbath morning service and took the rabbi and three others hostage. The services were being livestreamed at the time, so some of this incident wound up on Facebook. One hostage was released several hours into the standoff and after hours of negotiations, an FBI rescue team breached the synagogue and freed the remaining hostages.

Authorities say that the lone suspect is dead. He has been identified, but authorities are not releasing his name. They're not revealing his identity as the investigation continues.

PAUL: CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell is live in Colleyville right now.

So, Josh, obviously don't know the name of that suspect, but what more do we know about him?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, authorities are keeping that close to the vest right now. They say that that investigation remains ongoing. They're not releasing a lot of information as they try to get to the motive of this suspect.

Law enforcement sources tell us that they believe that one driving motive here for this individual was an attempt to try to secure the release of an extremist who is actually here in prison in Texas serving an 86-year sentence for attempting to kill U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Sources are telling us they believe that is what this person was trying to do as he stormed the synagogue yesterday. A tense, a frightening nearly 11-hour standoff brought to an end by an elite FBI hostage rescue team.

As you mentioned, this happened as Sabbath services were under way. Some of the congregants could see on the livestream the suspect coming in taking the rabbi hostage, as well as three others. Now, the FBI set up a line of communication with the suspect and those negotiations went on throughout the day.

But it was around 9:00 p.m. last night that this elite hostage rescue team decided to move and stormed the building. Those additional three hostages, one released earlier, got out safely, the suspect guide in that encounter. Now, that investigation as I mentioned continues as we speak right now. The FBI's evidence response team is behind me inside the synagogue sill processing the scene. Many questions remain.

Take a listen to what the head FBI agent said after that incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW DESARNO, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, DALLAS FBI: I do not have any information right now that indicates that this is part of any kind of ongoing threat. We obviously are investigating and will continue to investigate the hostage taker, we'll continue to investigate his contacts. Our investigation will have global reach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Well, now as far as that global reach, we know that the FBI's offices in London as well as in Tel Aviv, Israel, are now also assisting with this investigation. Again trying to identify anything they possibly can about this suspect, so much remains unknown at this hour. But again, a frightening, a tense several hours here in Texas coming

to a relatively peaceful end. The suspect deceased but the hostages thankfully got out alive. It's worth noting that our heart has to go out to the Jewish community. They are still obviously, mourning today that this doesn't would happen inside a house of worship. Although the hostages were not physically harmed, we expect this will take an emotional and psychological toll -- Boris, Christi.

SANCHEZ: And can't say enough about the work of law enforcement to ensure that no further violence was perpetrated and that the hostages are safe.

[07:05:07]

Josh Campbell reporting from Texas, thank you so much.

So you've probably been following this story with us and now it appears it's finally examine to a conclusion. Tennis star Novak Djokovic is not going to defend his title in the Australian Open. He's now on a plane headed to Dubai. This is video from moments ago in Melbourne, Australia. Remember, his visa was originally revoked because of his COVID vaccine status.

The court ultimately siding with Australia's immigration minister who canceled the visa for a second time because of concerns that the unvaccinated star's presence could trigger a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment.

PAUL: CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Melbourne.

You told us last hour within the next 30 minutes he would be deported and boy, Paula, you had that down to a T. What do we know about what's next for him?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Novak Djokovic has left Australia. He's left behind his dream of defending his title at the Australian Open. He's also left behind a very messy and quite frankly embarrassing visa fiasco. Nobody came out of this well.

We don't know what exactly is next for Novak Djokovic. He did say in a statement that he was just going to be taking some time to rest and recuperate. He also said, quote, I am extremely disappointed with the court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the minister's decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open. He also went on to say, I respect the court's ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.

S, we know that within the last ten minutes his plane took off from Melbourne airport. He is heading to Dubai from there. We don't know where he will be heading, to his home country of Serbia, potentially to Spain where he started this journey to the Australian Open from. It's simply not known at this point.

But from the politician's point of view, Scott Morrison, the prime minister, has given a statement and you can imagine he would be extremely relieved this Sunday evening after having lost in court Monday last week. Now he has said, strong borders are fundamental to the Australian way of life as is the rule of law. Our government has always understood this and been prepared to take the decisions and actions necessary to protect the integrity of our borders.

The fundamental argument from the government was that if Djokovic stayed here, it could incite anti-vaccination sentiment -- Boris and Christi.

PAUL: Paula Hancocks, we so appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Listen, there is this wicked potent storm system that plowed through the central U.S. and now it's already kind of edging into the southeast. This morning with snow and freezing rain, think about it, yesterday, when we were talking about this, Boris, we said 65 million people are under some sort of weather watch. This morning, it's 80 million. They're talking about this crippling ice event. They're talking about the fact that there could be literally impossible travel for the next few days.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, they're specifically focused on parts of the Carolinas and Virginia and if you remember a few weeks ago, I-95 in Virginia was a total nightmare. You talk about impossible to travel.

CNN's Allison Chinchar is live in the CNN weather center.

Allison, do you think we're going to see similar conditions to what we saw in the storm just about two, three weeks ago?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. I mean I hope not, but I feel like the keyword is hope. I think the reality may end up being something different because remember for that system, the vast majority was snow. You're talking ice. Look, people who are used to it, they can learn how to drive in snow. No one knows how to drive on ice. It's just impossible for a reason.

That's going to be the biggest concern going forward, especially across the Carolinas and areas of northeastern Georgia. That's where we're seeing the ice really take hold now. We do have some places that still have rain. Atlanta, Huntsville. Those are going to gradually transition into snow. The same transition we're seeing now across Nashville and Memphis, that will take place once that colder air begins to push back in.

But again, as you said, 80 million people. Look at how many people are going to be impacted by this particular storm at some point over the next 24 to 36 hours. Again, down to the south, this is where the system is itself. The low pressure system centered over the southeast. You've got that transition in states like Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, that will shift off to the East.

See that purple and pink for Charlotte and Columbia, that's ice, folks, and the unfortunate part it's going to keep staying that way for hours. So that ice will accumulate to dangerous levels. We're talking as much as three quarters of an inch of ice that not only causes problems on the roadways but widespread power outages too. But that system again will continue to slide off the East Coast --

D.C., Philadelphia, New York, Boston -- all likely to get impacts from this system by the time we get through Monday.

[07:10:08]

SANCHEZ: Yikes, be careful out there. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

Many states are already preparing for what experts are warning could be a dangerous storm, potentially causing power outages and, as you've heard repeatedly, travel concerns. So far, airlines have canceled more than 2,000 flights as some southeastern states are already beginning to seat rain, sleet and snow that Allison was referring to.

PAUL: Well, CNN's Nadia Romero is live from Buford, Georgia, right now. She's in what we're seeing at the moment.

Nadia, I got to tell you, I was here in 2014 for snowmageddon, it wasn't pretty. I do believe that Georgia is more prepared this time.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is what they're telling us, Christi. We have to cross our fingers. Look at the budgets, right, because we know throughout Georgia different municipalities have spent more money to get ready for snow.

This isn't something people would have thought about 15, 20 years ago. We remember snowmageddon in January of 2014 when we had almost 100 school busses that were stranded throughout Fulton County on different roads. You had 2,000 kids that had to spend night at the school.

So that's worse case scenario. They're hoping that doesn't happen this time. One big part because we're in a three-day weekend and so kids and parents don't have to necessarily go to school or work, but right now we're already seeing the impact of the storm, though it's still on its way. It's here. It is worse now than we spoke about an hour ago.

Definitely, the winds picking up and could be part of the reason we're seeing 46,000 Georgians already without power and mass power outages is a big concern. If you're from the Midwest or the Northeast, you think a lot about snow accumulation, how many inches are we going to get with the storm. But in this part of the country it's about ice that can cause the power lines to come down, the power outages that can accumulate and the roads turning into skating rinks.

So, Georgia Department of Transportation says they went out starting on Friday brining the roads some 20,000 miles have been treated, but we're also seeing the concern in the Carolinas as well. A state of emergency here in parts of Georgia and in South Carolina as well -- Christi and Boris.

PAUL: All right. Nadia Romero, you take good care out there, you and the crew.

As the winter storm approaches, Duke Energy is expecting about 750,000 customers to lose power in the Carolinas over the next couple days. Let's bring in the assistant director from North Carolina Emergency

Management and meteorologist Katie Webster.

Katie, so good to have you with us. First and foremost, talk to me ain't the situation where you are right now.

KATIE WEBSTER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Well, thank you for having me. So good to be with you guys.

Yeah, I mean the winter storm is taking over North Carolina as we speak, but we're not surprised. We've been tracking this for almost a week now thanks to our meteorologists and our partners at the National Weather Service. We are prepared. The governor issued a state of emergency a few days ago and because it will be such a statewide impact we've activated our state emergency operation center, along with our state emergency response team partners in preparation for this. So, I think if we can be ready, we are ready for this storm.

PAUL: So what are your two prime concerns going into this?

WEBSTER: Obviously travel. When you talk about accumulating snow and especially ice, travel will be a major concern. We've got DOT trucks along with the North Carolina National Guard, the governor activated 224 national guardsmen to help our partners, including the National Guard and the North Carolina Forest Service, to prepare for transportation issues, debris clearance, cut and shove operations.

So, transportation will be a key thing. The National Guard is activated trucks, Humvees and four-wheel drive ambulances to prepare for some of the response operations. The second concern will be power outages. When you talk about ice and you talk about power going out and, of course, that winter wearing is going to bring cold temperatures, so we are concerned about areas losing power and being without power for several hours to days, in fact.

So, our partners are prepared for that. Duke Energy, along with our other utility partners, are activated. We've brought in some shared support from other states so that we are ready for those restoration activities to happen quickly once the weather allows.

PAUL: So you mentioned the National Guard soldiers. I know that Governor Cooper said that the Duke Company -- Duke Energy, excuse me, also brought in some crews from Florida. So you've got the extra manpower, we know that.

The state transportation secretary, I saw, Eric Boyette, pointed out that Department of Transportation and contractor services have been dealing with labor shortages because of COVID.

[07:15:04]

What is your expectation of how that could affect any response today and in the next few days?

WEBSTER: Well, I think as we've seen for state operation across the board COVID affected so many, labor shortages is one of those. I think one good thing about North Carolina we are no stranger to winter storms and even icing events. Our DOT is prepared, in working with the National Guard and partnering with some outside mutual aid entities, they are bringing in and prepared to bring in and use teams from areas that aren't so affected and be able to push those to areas that are more so impacted and need that quick restoration. DOT has been out for days brining the roads, major highways.

We are seeing impact to interstates, primary and secondary roads as the weather has moved in this morning, but we've done what we can to get ready in terms of the brining operations. With the North Carolina National Guard bringing in those trucks and Humvees and forest package teams, I think we're prepared to do that.

Additionally, the National Guard partners with DOT to form what's called hot spot teams, and those are targeting those mountain areas for those areas where it's difficult for trucks and other travelers to get up the mountain grades. So, focusing on what we've learned in the past from other storms, helps to narrow our focus for where we put resources when talking about labor shortages and we need to make that manpower count.

PAUL: Katie, you sound so prepared. And I know in North Carolina, you all are. This is not your first rodeo by any means.

Katie Webster, we appropriate it so much. Take good care.

WEBSTER: Thank you. You, too.

PAUL: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come this morning, the Senate getting ready to take on voting rights, but two Democrats are standing in the way of the party's plan. A look at the uphill battle on Capitol Hill.

Plus, struggling to stay open. Restaurants and some mayors sounding the alarm asking lawmakers for help. What they say needs to be done.

We're back after a quick break.

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[07:21:11]

PAUL: Well, relatives of Martin Luther King were with activists on the late civil rights birthday in the latest push to protect Congress for right to vote. They marched yesterday in Phoenix, Arizona, the home state of Kyrsten Sinema. She's one of two Senate Democrats who won't support changing the filibuster rules to pass voting bills.

Now, tomorrow, the King family is taking their fight to the nation's Capitol. They're going to turn up the pressure on lawmakers with a march through Washington, D.C.

Now, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will take up voting rights this week, even though both bills protecting access to the ballot box are facing grim odds at this point.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, it comes down to resistance by two moderates that do not want to change the rules of the Senate and they've become a major roadblock for Democrats. They're hoping to advance a top priority for the party.

CNN's congressional reporter Daniella Diaz joins us now live from Capitol Hill.

Daniella, walk us through the timeline here. What are we going to see play out in the Senate this week?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: You know, Boris, it's exactly as Christie said. Originally, they were hoping to have a sort of vote by Martin Luther King Jr. Day tomorrow, that is not happening. They had to push that vote for voting rights legislation in the Senate because of scheduling conflicts and they were scheduled to be on recess this week.

Well, they're coming back on Tuesday where they will debate the voting rights legislation in the Senate and then try to have a vote as soon as Wednesday. But the problem here, of course, is as you said, these two moderate Democratic senators who do not support a rules change in the Senate, so that they could try to pass this by simple majority, 51 votes, instead of the 60 needed to break the filibuster because remember, no Republicans support this legislation and there's that 50/50 split in the Senate, 50 Democrats, 50 Republicans.

So, either they try to win over some Republicans to support this, which is not happening. Or that rules change has to happen. But, look, the pressure is on. Of course, as you said, activists, even Democratic leaders have been meeting with Sinema and Manchin to try to convince them to change their minds on the rules change.

But, really, the bottom line here is, Christi and Boris, is that they are not changing their mind and supporting the rules change to pass voting rights with a simple majority, this legislation is dead on arrival in the Senate. They can have their debate but they can't pass it -- Boris and Christi.

SANCHEZ: Although President Biden has vowed to continue fighting to pass that kind of legislation.

Daniella Diaz, thank you so much.

Some of those who helped Democrats win control of the White House in Congress say they are fed up with those they put in power. They're frustrated by a lack of action on this issue, voting rights. Some voting rights activists showed their displeasure last Tuesday, staying away from President Biden's speech on voting rightness Atlanta. Even some of those who actually attended the speech are letting it be known they want to see more action from the administration.

Listen to this, shortly after Biden's speech, the president of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, issued a statement. It read in part, quote: While President Biden delivered a stirring speech today, it's time for this administration to match their words with actions and for Congress to do their job. Voting rights should not be simply a priority. It must be the priority.

With us to talk about what should help next is LaTosha Brown. She's co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

LaTosha, thank you so much for spending part of your Sunday with us.

Your group was part of a coalition that stayed away from Biden's speech. I'm wondering if you've heard from anyone in the administration? Have they reached out to you?

LATOSHA BROWN, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK VOTERS MATTER: The White House has reached out and, you know, we expressed what we expressed at the moment that we are sincerely focused on we want to get this legislation passed. You know, when we think about the work we've done for voters, I understand how challenging it is to get your party in line or to get votes that are not there.

[07:25:07]

But that's not work. That's what we do every single day, the same kind of standard of going out and making sure that we get it done, this is game time. So, we also expect that. That we expect that the president, we expect that Congress, we expect that the Democratic Party, but we also expect Republicans.

There were 16 Republicans that voted for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. What has happened between that time and now that they don't have the courage to stand up? We're going to hold everybody to account, including corporate America.

So on this moment right now, we're talking about voting rights which should not be seen as a partisan issue, this is a democracy issue. We believe that everybody should be held to account, that the same kind of standard that we have for voters, that we expect that they show up and show out, and literally be able to lift up their voices in this process, we also have that same standard for the president, for the U.S. Senate and for Congress.

SANCHEZ: Well, LaTosha, I can sort of figure out how you might hold lawmakers accountable, but you mentioned holding corporate America accountable and responsible as well. I'm wondering what you might be planning?

BROWN: Well, listen, corporate America has also been supporting these voter suppressions. We are going to call them out. Here it is we know that democracy is good for business.

If we don't have a democratic nation right, if we don't have free and fair elections, there's no need of sitting and having a, quote, about on Martin Luther King holiday to come out with these statements and not stand for what it is that he believed in. All we're asking is that we have free and fair elections by making sure that we have access to the ballot. There are corporations that are actually supporting those who are standing in the way and we're going to hold them account. We're consumers and workers but at the end of the day what we're

saying is, we are serious about this issue and we're going to expect that they also stand along with us, that they stand on the side of right on history. We're going to hold them to account.

SANCHEZ: I want to point out to our viewers you were in Arizona yesterday and we showed video of those marches a few moments ago. Part of that was trying to pressure Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She supports the voting rights bill but is one of two Democratic senators that believe changing the filibuster. Her and Joe Manchin, they believe that changing the filibuster is inappropriate, that they could backfire.

Right now, though, that is the only way to pass the kind of legislation you're talking about. So what is your message to Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin?

BROWN: So, the bottom line she does not support voting rights. Manchin does not support voting rights. So, here it is that we're saying you're going to -- you're okay with the Senate, you're going to protect the voting power of the Senate but you're going to protect the voting power of minority but not going to support the voting power of people?

That is -- that's inconsistent. That's not true. They're being dishonest. They're being uncourageous and we're going to hold them account.

That's why we're in Arizona. That's why we're going to West Virginia. We're going to continue.

The bottom line is, if you look at when we're talking about celebrating Dr. King's legacy and birthday this weekend, if you look at the first line of demands on the march on Washington, it was literally calling to account around the elimination of the filibuster.

Here we are right now in 2022 and we have elected officials saying they're more attached to the filibuster than they are the sanctity of the vote and we're going to hold them to account.

SANCHEZ: LaTosha, we should note that your work and the work of our activists in Georgia is largely credited with turning out enough voters in the last election to elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and flip the state's Senate seats, not to mention to help Joe Biden win the peach state, the first time that's happened for Democrat in a long time.

If these new voting restrictions in Georgia are allowed to stand, what's going to happen in future elections?

BROWN: Yeah, it's going to have a devastating impact, not just on Democratic voters but voters of all nation. I'm hoping that people understand, I'm hoping that there are good people of conscience, you know, whether they attach themselves or see themselves as Democrats or independents or Republicans, to recognize that whenever you have people who are being punished because of who they voted for or how they voted for that's a slippery slope down a road of what we're saying the death of democracy.

We need to recognize that this is not a partisan issue. If this was just around a policy difference, that's one thing. But we're literally talking about having access to the ballot, free and fair and equitable access to the ballot. Why would we not want every single American to have that? Why would we not hold our elected officials to account, that those who take a oath to say they're going to support and they're going to protect democracy foreign and abroad, where this is the moment. It's game time.

SANCHEZ: LaTosha Brown, thank you so much for your time. Keep us up to date with what we're going to do next. And I should note, it looks warm and cozy in your home. Atlanta is going to be pretty cold. I hope you stay safe from the storm.

BROWN: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

PAUL: Listen, they are like gold in the age of omicron, aren't they? These at-home tests. Well, the Biden administration now is trying to get free at home COVID tests to you. When you will be able to sign up for those, next.

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PAUL: Well, the Biden administration now is trying to get free at home COVID tests to you.

[07:30:02]

When you will be able to sign up for those, next.

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PAUL: Thirty-three minutes past the hour.

And this week, you will have more ways to attempt to get free at home COVID testing kits.

Wednesday, the federal government is launching a new website, COVIDtests.gov where you can sign pup tests will be limited to four per household so you know, and they are expected to ship within 7 to 12 days of your order. New rules requiring insurance companies to pay for tests purchased through pharmacies and retailers went into effect yesterday, above an effort by the Biden administration to increase access to testing.

The White House is expected to roll out a new plan to make high quality masks available.

You know, across the country restaurants have been hit so hard during this pandemic.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. And now, a lot of restaurant owners are calling for relief, saying that without help from the government, they will be forced to close their doors.

[07:35:06]

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINE STYNE, CO-FOUNDER, INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT COALITION: We have been warning about this moment for a long time.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Restaurants across the country, quiet, facing uncertainty and many on the brink of closing again.

Caroline Styne, LA restaurant owner and co-founder of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, saw it coming.

STYNE: We knew that it just was one more wave, one big variant, one bad winter away from disaster for a lot of restaurants.

YURKEVICH: Omicron has crushed restaurants. This week, diners dropping by an average of 28 percent nationwide compared to 2020, according to Open Table.

The $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund, or RRF, saved many restaurants from closing last year. But with nearly 300,000 applications, only about a third got funding before the money ran out.

STYNE: The only reason I'm not closed at my restaurant right now is that we did get a -- we got a grant and it's helped us get through this moment.

YURKEVICH: In a letter to Congress, the Independent Restaurant Coalition, along with about 30 mayors, are sounding the alarm, calling for the RRF to are replenished for the nearly 180,000 applicants who missed out. Without it, they say it will be catastrophic.

STYNE: The financial hit to the country is huge when you lose restaurants, to the neighborhood, to the community, and to the job market in general.

YURKEVICH: In New York City, Gotham Bar and Grill has survived 37 years. But with reservations down 80 percent, managing partner Bret Csencsitz says he doesn't know how much longer they'll last.

BRET CSENCSITZ, MANAGING PARTNER, GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL: It could be the end of January. It could be into March or April, but it's not very long.

YURKEVICH: A bipartisan Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act was introduced last year but stalled in Congress. It would bring $60 billion in additional grants to restaurants like Gotham, who say they missed out last time.

CSENCSITZ: It was incredibly frustrating. YURKEVICH: And in a move that seems counter intuitive, restaurants like Gotham and City Winery say they're still paying staff even on days they're closed. Workers are in such high demand, it pays to keep them.

MICHAEL DORF, CEO, CITY WINERY: I have no business, but, please, come work for us and we'll pay you. You know, that's not normal logic in business.

YURKEVICH: With 12 City Winery locations across the country, Dorf says money from replenishing the RRF would help cover staffing, rent and other lost revenue.

DORF: We didn't receive a penny of the restaurant act.

YURKEVICH: Could you have used that money?

DORF: Yes. Pre-omicron, I -- I feel -- we would have been fine. Now that we've lost $2 million in the last three weeks from operations, yes, we could have used -- we can use that money.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Thanks for that, Vanessa.

Virginia officially has a new governor. The snappily dressed Glen Youngkin sticking to themes from his campaign. The executive orders he signed and what he said at his inauguration, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:52]

SANCHEZ: There is a funeral scheduled for later today held to remember more than a dozen people killed in a Bronx apartment fire just a week ago. Officials say the fire was sparked by an electric space heater that flooded the 19-story building with smoke.

PAUL: Authority says several space heaters had been running for days inside the apartment before that fire started. Now, eight of the victims were children, that included a 2-year-old boy.

And Bob Saget's widow is opening up about what it has been to lose her husband. In a tribute yesterday, Kelly Rizzo wrote on Instagram: I'm trying, really trying, to not think I was robbed of time. But instead, to think, how lucky was I, that I got to be the one to be married to the most incredible man on earth.

Remember Saget died in a Florida hotel room last week while on a stand-up comedy tour. The cause of his death hasn't been determined. He was 65 years old.

SANCHEZ: Republican Glenn Youngkin has now been sworn in as the new governor of Virginia. He's the first Republican elected to the position since 2009. Youngkin's campaign focused heavily on so-called election integrity and criticism of how the impact of racism is taught in public school, and he carried that message at yesterday's ceremony. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA: We will remove politics from the classroom and we will focus on essential math, science, and reading, and we will teach all of our history, the good and the bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: The Virginia governor's race was one of the most closely watched in the country back in November. I'm sure you remember. President Biden had won there by 10 points a year earlier. Republicans are now hoping to maintain that momentum as we head into the midterms this year.

At least 17 Union Pacific trail cars derailed yesterday. This is in downtown Los Angeles. Officials say no one was injured thankfully. The incident is, of course, being investigated, but this happened near the site where cargo thieves have been ransacking freight containers filled with packages from UPS, Amazon, and FedEx.

What you've seen there is all the boxes those things came in that they discard.

[07:45:04]

Shipping companies say they've seen a dramatic rise in theft over recent weeks.

You know, it's a place that's bared the brunt of the pandemic. How a volunteer chaplain has made it his mission to offer comfort, comfort to people at a Houston hospital. He's got such a story. Stay close.

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[07:50:07]

PAUL: Listen, from nurses and doctors, to orderlies., the pandemic has hospital staff orderlies. The pandemic has hospital staff stretched so thin, you know that.

One Houston man, Thomas Tucker, made it his mission to bring relief for those suffering the last two years. "The Houston Chronicle" this about him, writes Tucker, 82, he's a chaplain, wears a cross and jacket that reads chaplain and carries anointing oil and a small box of Kleenex as he makes rounds.

He never feels defeated if a patient turns down his offers for prayer. Instead he replies, no problem, can I bring you a cup of coffee or a glass of water?

Well, Reverend Thomas Tucker is with us now. He's a volunteer chaplain at HCA Houston Healthcare. And I should point out, he's also the author of this book, "A Conduit: Diary of an Emergency Department Chaplain."

Reverend Tom, thank you so much for being with us. The work you are doing is so, so important. Do you see changes in people when you are their bedside? What do they want to know from you most often?

REVEREND THOMAS TUCKER, VOLUNTEER CHAPLAIN, HCA HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE: Well, thank you. It's a privilege to be with you this morning.

The first thing I observed with my first patients was the relief of their tension. Their shoulders relaxed, their head went back into the pillow and they realized that there was a person present who cared for them and their well being and was going to give them spiritual care and comfort, as well as assisting the medical team to get the services they needed.

PAUL: I know in this pandemic, a lot of the people that you have gone to see are people who are unconscious, they're on ventilators, you can't speak to them. But you're there for their family members. I don't want to compromise anything that anyone says to you, but what can kind of conversations do you find yourselves having with them? What do they need to hear from you?

TUCKER: They are very concerned about their loved one. They're concerned about the volume of treatment. They're having multiple drugs fed into IV to attempt to not only treat the disease but prevent organ damage. So, it's a big mystery all of this is going on, number of technicians.

And my job is to encourage them to lie on the skill, God's going to be districting these people to give the best to believe skill to their loved ones. And that gives them a bit of comfort and strength to encourage them to continue to pray for the best.

PAUL: You know, I call you reverend tom. You are called Dr. Tom by the staff there because I know that you're back at the hospital after a seven-month furlough due to this pandemic and the medical teams were cheering for you when you came back. I know you have a particular concern for the medical staff, particularly the nurses there. And again, don't want to compromise confidentiality you have with your teams but we know the fatigue, the emotional well being of frontline workers is real, it's something a lot of people are concerned about.

What do you see at their most urgent need and what conversations do you have to help?

TUCKER: They're always in a state of urgent care in the emergency department in the ICUs. But the pandemic has increased that by ten- fold. They have more patients to deal with, patients need more care. It stresses them very much.

And you don't have facial recognition anymore because we're wearing our masks. And that puts a little bit of a barrier in the personal care. But they're constantly giving so much of themselves, the extra effort, the extra hours. And then they will contact the disease -- breakthrough disease, even though we're vaccinated, they will be out for ten days and that means other nurses have to pick up double duty and that just stresses them further.

PAUL: Well, Reverend Thomas Tucker, you're a man helping so many people in ways you probably will never even see come to fruition. Thank you so much for what you do and thank you for taking time to talk with us.

TUCKER: My pleasure, and continue to pray for all of the staff and patients as we go through this pandemic. There is a lot that they need of care.

PAUL: We absolutely will. Thank you so much, sir. Take good care.

Thank you so much for starting your morning with us. Be safe today, and we hope you make good memories.

[07:55:01]

"INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" with Abby Phillip who is back is next.

SANCHEZ: That's right. She's back. Look forward to that.

Also forward to this, discover the life and legacy of Marilyn Monroe in a new series that premieres tomorrow on CNN.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn Monroe was more than a pretty face. She wanted control of her own destiny.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's frustrating that people can't think about her in terms of her intellect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn challenges what it is to have agency as a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see a woman so in charge of her sexuality is extremely empowering.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This woman was so comfortable in her skin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was rolling the dice with her career in very real terms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn would have been the biggest influencer of all time, creating her own production, getting films made.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn Monroe is a mirror for people's idea about women's sexuality and women's power.

MARILYN MONROE, TV STAR: It's hard to know where to start if you don't start with the truth.

ANNOUNCER: "Reframed: Marilyn Monroe", tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)