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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Interview With Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY); Officers Attacked At U.S. Capitol Testify At Emotional Hearing; Source: President Biden To Announce Vaccination Requirement For Federal Workers On Thursday; CDC Urges Masks In Schools And Indoors In COVID Hot Spots; Chicago Police Superintendent Blames Shootings On Courts "Releasing Murderers"; Jet Fuel Shortages Could Cause Canceled Flights, Extra Stops. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 27, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And then, those officers themselves imploring the lawmakers to get to the bottom of exactly what happened, who was behind this effort, the effort by Donald Trump and his allies to rile up his supporters to come to the National Mall that day and then go to the Ellipse then later to the Capitol, all that they want to be part of the investigation that the officers made that clear to the members. The members have made that clear that that's how they plan to pursue this going forward.

And Jake, watch for the -- some of these early decisions to be made in the days ahead. Potential subpoenas coming soon, according to the chairman, Bennie Thompson. He told me they want to move quickly on this. Potentially a second hearing could occur in August. Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Manu, thank you so much.

And joining me now for her first national interview since today's hearing is Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who's one of two Republicans serving on the January 6 select committee.

Congresswoman, good to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. What did you think was the most important part of today's testimony?

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Well, thank you, Jake. It's good to be with you. I thought the most important part was the opportunity for the American people to hear directly from these heroes, these men who fought for us, for them to hear firsthand accounts, some that they hadn't heard before, to see footage that we hadn't seen before, in some cases of exactly what they face that day. The fact that these officers, particularly those on the west front, were fighting to the death. And they had said that they frankly understood that they might die.

And to hear, you know, the rioters and those in the mob in one instance say to these police officers, you're going to die tonight. I think those kinds of facts are so important as we are discussing why this can never happen again, and what we need to do to ensure that people who did it are held accountable.

TAPPER: You said today, quote, "We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House, every phone call, every conversation, every meeting," unquote. Why is that? What do you think we could learn?

CHENEY: Well, we need to understand the planning, we need to understand the financing, we need to understand, you know, how it was that we ended up with a group of people who clearly were invading the Capitol, who were attempting to have us stop counting electoral votes, who are conducting this exceedingly violent assault on the Capitol.

We need to understand what their connections were. We need to understand what the organizational structure was. And we know some things already, obviously. We know that that while the attack was unfolding, President Trump did not send help. And so I think if you look at the things that we know, if you look at the things that were in the impeachment brief, there's a lot out there already. But there's a lot to be filled in. And the details really matter here.

TAPPER: You said this afternoon that the subpoenas for the committee should be issued quickly. Who do you think should be subpoena?

CHENEY: Well, that is something that is going to be determined based upon where the facts lead us. Chairman Thompson, as you just reported, has said that he believes that subpoenas should be issued quickly. We need to move quickly to enforce subpoenas if people choose to contest them.

But it's really important that we have transparency, it's really important that the American people know exactly what happened, and that we make sure that it can never happen again. You know, we owe that to the democracy. We owe that to our constitutional republic. And we owe it to our kids.

TAPPER: Should the committee be willing to go to court to enforce subpoenas if necessary, even against members of Congress if they refuse to testify?

CHENEY: Absolutely. I mean, I think the committee is going to make those decisions about who will be subpoenaed and what documents we need. Those are decisions that will be determined based upon the facts. And we have to be willing to sit to go to court to enforce those if people contest them.

TAPPER: One of the things I find so troubling about all of this is you and Adam Kinzinger and others are saying that they tried to steal the election, these MAGA forces tried to steal the election once and they're going to try again. And we don't hear Kevin McCarthy, and Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik, say, no, no, no, we would never do that again, there is zero attempt at reassuring people that what you are suggesting is not true.

CHENEY: Look, you know, in some ways, I think it's actually even worse than that, Jake. I think that we're in a situation where the people that you mentioned seem to view this as some sort of a partisan political game. And you know, as every American who watched, saw this morning, this is really deadly serious.

This is a situation where the institutions held but it was a close run thing. And as the chairman said, we didn't have a peaceful transfer of power. You know, we had an insurrection, we had an assault on the Capitol.

[17:05:09]

And today you had members of Congress, Republican members of Congress actually protesting in front of the Justice Department on behalf of the people who were here and who've been arrested because they participated in the riot and in the insurrection. I mean, that is -- that's a stunning and indefensible turn of events.

TAPPER: That was going on in one end of Washington. On the other end, on Capitol Hill, the strategy from House Republican leaders McCarthy, Scalise, Stefanik, was to counter the committee hearing with their press conference, where their basic message was Speaker Pelosi is to blame. Take a listen to this from Congresswoman Stefanik.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY), REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIR: The American people deserve to know the truth that Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility as Speaker of the House for the tragedy that occurred on January 6.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I mean, that's obviously nonsense. Speaker Pelosi is not in charge of security in the House anymore than then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was. What's your reaction when you hear them try to blame Pelosi for an insurrection incited and inspired and even directed in some ways by Donald Trump?

CHENEY: Well, I would say a couple of things, Jake. Number one, this committee is going to investigate every aspect of what happened. The planning, the financing, the preparation, the motivation, what was happening that day in the White House, what was happening here at the Capitol, the security breaches at the Capitol. So, for anybody to suggest that we aren't going to be conducting a complete investigation is wrong.

Number two, if I were saying the things that you just played, I'd be deeply ashamed of myself. What happened is absolutely clear. We had, as we heard this morning, just intolerable cruelty. A mob that was assembled by President Trump was provoked by him, he lit the flame for what happened, we've seen that not just in the speech on the Ellipse, but throughout.

What this committee needs to understand is exactly what the details were of the planning and the financing. But for anybody to be suggesting that somehow he wasn't responsible, I just I -- think it's shameful.

TAPPER: You didn't know Speaker Pelosi particularly well before this. You are a very conservative Republican. She's a very progressive Democrat. You're both fairly partisan. What's it been like working with Pelosi?

CHENEY: You know, I've been really impressed with the professionalism and the commitment to the truth from the Speaker and every member of this committee. I think that you know, as I said, this morning, this is a moment that has to be above politics.

It's a moment where we all need to say to ourselves, are we going to abide by our oath? And are we going to put politics and partisanship aside and get to the truth? Or are we going to go down a path that fundamentally threatens the rule of law?

And that's just -- that's not something I'm willing to do. And I think it's crucial for the country that we all conduct ourselves that way.

TAPPER: At the end of today's hearing, one of the four officers, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said this about you and your fellow Republican on the committee, Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFC. HARRY DUNN, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, are being lauded as courageous heroes. And while I agree with that notion, why? Because they told the truth.

Why is telling the truth hard? I guess in this America, it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What were you thinking when he said that?

CHENEY: I was thinking that Harry and the other officers there, they are the heroes. They're the ones who saved likely our lives, many of us, they're the ones who protected and defended this Capitol. They are heroes.

And that as elected officials, as I was sitting there, I was reminded that our job is to conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the sacrifices they made, and their willingness to fight, as I said, to the death. They believe they might die, and they were willing, Officer Gonell, Sgt. Gonell said, you know, I knew I might die, but I understood that that might be something that I just have to face in order to defend the Capitol building.

And so, as elected officials, we all have to conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of them, and worthy of the Republic that we've sworn the constitution that we've sworn to defend.

TAPPER: You've said that some of your Republican colleagues are actually saying one thing publicly and quite different things to you behind the scenes. What are they saying behind the scenes?

CHENEY: You know, I think we've seen since January 6, certainly, concern among, you know, a number of Republicans that public actions could either you know, bring political consequences or could bring, you know, real security threats. And so, we've seen people who, in private, will say that they recognize and understand the necessity of the truth and the necessity of getting to the truth and are, you know, trying in public not to draw the wrath of the former president, frankly.

[17:10:27]

TAPPER: Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said yesterday that the committee is a sham. The outcomes predetermine, that you and Adam Kinzinger are quote, unquote, "Pelosi Republicans," although we should note, he votes with Pelosi a lot more than you do. How do you convince the Republican base that this is a legitimate investigation?

CHENEY: Well, I think today was a real start. I think that today and the broadcasting of the testimony of these witnesses and beginning to help to get the facts out is really important. And that's the beginning of this process.

I think that that Leader McCarthy, and every leader has an obligation to the truth. Some of us feel like, you know, we got to conduct ourselves accordingly. I think Leader McCarthy is continuing to demonstrate that, you know, he views this as some sort of a political game. It's not a game. And it's deadly serious when you're taking action to try to divert attention away and distract from an investigation like this one.

TAPPER: What does it say about Kevin McCarthy that he's more offended by you and Adam Kinzinger than, you know, for standing up for the truth for being part of this committee than he's offended by, for instance, Congressman Gosar who openly flirts with white nationalists, white supremacists? Not to mention everything that Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene stand for.

CHENEY: Look, the structure of our Republic, the foundation that the framers laid out in our Constitution depends upon elected officials abiding by their oath. It depends upon us understanding when the time for politics is over. It depends upon us all making a decision that we love our country so much that we will put partisanship aside.

And I wish that Leader McCarthy would do that. I think that's what his job requires. And I think that the Republican Party, and frankly, the country deserves leadership who will do that.

TAPPER: Lastly, how afraid are you that we are within years of American democracy being over?

CHENEY: I am not willing to, you know, stand by and let us continue that drift. I think that we are at a really important and frankly, quite perilous moment. If we look the other way, if we accept what happened on January 6, if we accept what people in my colleagues are saying that, you know, we should somehow look at this as a bunch of tourists, they're trying to whitewash it, ignore it. If we go down that path, then we really are abandoning the rule of law. And we are abandoning what is one of the most fundamental elements of our Republic, which is the peaceful transfer of power. And so, I know that there are millions of people around this country who won't let that happen, who will stand up and do what's right and reaffirm our commitment to our Constitution.

TAPPER: Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney from the great state of Wyoming. Thank you for your time.

CHENEY: Thank you very much, Jake.

TAPPER: So what needs to happen to make sure there is not another attack like the one that happened on January 6, we'll talk to our national security experts next.

Plus, the CDC is mask changes this afternoon that you and your kids need to know about. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:18:09]

TAPPER: Back with more in our breaking news story. The first witnesses in the first day of the House select committee's investigation into the January 6 insurrection, four officers who live through that awful day testifying about the horrors they witnessed, the verbal attacks they've suffered since that day because some Republicans keep trying to whitewash and lie about what happened.

CNN's Manu Raju shows us now how close to death these officers believe that they and members of Congress were that day. We want to warn you some of what you're about to hear and see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RAJU (voice-over): In chilling testimony, four police officers offering the most vivid accounts yet of their near death experiences on the front lines of January 6, battling a Trump inspired mob determined to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory.

DUNN: There was an attack carried out on January 6, and a hit man sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that.

RAJU (voice-over): D.C. Metro Police officers Daniel Hodges and Michael Fanone and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, all taking strong exception to the efforts by some Republicans and former President Donald Trump to whitewash the tragic events of that day.

OFC. MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room, but too many are now telling me that hell doesn't exist, or that hell actually wasn't that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.

RAJU (voice-over): Detailing the brutal injuries they suffered and the struggles they continue to deal with nearly seven months after the attack. OFFICER DANIEL HODGES, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Directly in front of me a man sees the opportunity of my vulnerability, grabbed the front of my gas mask used to beat my head against the door. He switched to pulling it off my head, the straps stretching against my skull and straining my neck. He never end or uttered any words that are recognized but opted instead for guttural screams. I remember him foaming at the mouth.

[17:20:06]

RAJU (voice-over): Mincing no words about who was responsible.

CHENEY: When you think about that and share with us the vivid memory of the cruelty and the violence of the assault that day. And then, you hear former President Trump say, quote, "it was a loving crowd." There was a lot of love in the crowd. How does that make you feel?

SGT. AQUILINO GONELL, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: It's upsetting. It's a pathetic excuse for his behavior for something that he himself helped to create this monstrosity. I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day that he claimed that so many rioters, terrorists were assaulting us that day, instead of sending the support or telling his people, his supporter to stop this nonsense. He begged them to continue fighting.

RAJU (voice-over): Officer Fanone says he nearly died.

FANONE: They ripped off my badge, they grabbed and stripped me of my radio. They seized ammunition that was secured to my body. They began to beat me with their fists and with what felt like hard metal objects. At one point I came face to face with an attacker who repeatedly launched for me and attempted to remove my firearm.

I heard chanting from some in the crowd, get his gun and kill him with his own gun. I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted again and again and again with a Taser. I'm sure I was screaming but I don't think I could even hear my own voice.

RAJU (voice-over): And Officer Dunn testifying he has never been called the N word while in uniform until confronted by the mob.

DUNN: One woman in a pink MAGA shirt yelled, you hear that guys, this nigger voted for Joe Biden. Then the crowd, perhaps around 20 people joined in screaming, boo, fucking nigger. No one had ever, ever called me a nigger while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police Officer.

RAJU (voice-over): The testimony clearly moving the members of the committee.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL), SELECT COMMITTEE ON JAN. 6 INSURRECTION: I never expected to date to be quite as emotional for me as it has been. You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with. And you know, you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys want help (ph).

(END VIDEO TAPE)

RAJU: Now, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said he did not watch today's hearing because he said he was in, quote, "back to back meetings."

Now, asked about that by our colleague, Daniella Diaz to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi responded to her saying anytime you mentioned his name, you're not getting an answer from me. Don't waste my time. Jake.

TAPPER: Manu Raju, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Let's discuss with our national security experts here. Josh, I want to get your response to a powerful moment at the end of the hearing from Officer Harry Dunn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUNN: Telling the truth shouldn't be hard. Fighting for -- fighting on January 6, that was hard. Showing up January 7, that was hard. The eighth, the ninth, the 10th, all the way till today, that was hard. When the fence came down, that was hard.

We lost our layer of protection that we had. The fence came down and still nothing has changed. Everything is different, but nothing has changed.

A hitman is hired and he kills somebody, the hitman goes to jail. But not only does the hitman go to jail, but the person who hired them does. There was an attack carried out on January 6, and a hitman sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: And based on what we've heard from Congresswoman Luria and Congresswoman Cheney on the show today and what they've all said publicly, that is what they want to get to the bottom of.

JOSH CAMPBELL, FORMER FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: That's right. And each of those officers to a person, you know, they asked them, what are you -- what do you want us to accomplish? And they said that very thing, we want you to get to the bottom of what transpired.

And I think it was Officer Hodges who said it so eloquently, he said, look, we can't investigate this. We would if we could, we're police officers, but you are the only ones that can do that. So, they are obviously looking to this committee to actually conduct that investigation.

It's also important to note that those four officers, although they were compelling, and they obviously -- we heard the gruesome physical anguish, the mental anguish, there were hundreds more that they were representing and that is what we cannot forget. That these four powerful stories are multiplied over and over and over with all of the officers that were there that day and we talked to a lot of them regularly who say that they want answers. And that's what they're looking to this committee to do.

[17:25:08]

TAPPER: And we heard from an Officer Daniel Hodges of the Metropolitan Police Department here in D.C., Carrie, he called the insurrectionists, the rioters, he called them terrorists. And when asked about it, he had the definition right by his side.

CARRIE CORDERO, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: He was absolutely right. That day when I was watching what transpired on television, that was my immediate reaction, as someone who knows national security law is that this was violence for the purposes of effecting a political outcome. It is straight forward terrorism. And I noticed that Officer Hodges, he used that word deliberately, he used that word repeatedly. It is the right word.

There are people there who were there that day who committed crimes. There are also people who were there who engaged in violence, because they were there to prevent the certification of the election, the counting of votes. It was straightforward, a political purpose that they were engaged in violence for. And he is absolutely right to use that phrase.

TAPPER: And yet, there's his attempt by MAGA politicians and MAGA media to downplay this, to talk about this being tourism. It's just trespassing. The media is making too big a deal out of it. I saw one Trump supporter referring to one of the police officers as a crisis actor.

I mean, it's really disgusting. And these are the first people out there to tell you that they back the blue.

CAMPBELL: That's right, so they say. And also, if you look into that crowd, they actually had these blue line flags that they were waving as these officers were being beaten. So I think we can set that argument aside, you know, they are pro law enforcement through and through.

But to get to the question, you know, I guess the most important thing here about where they go from here is it comes down to again, if you look at the totality of how many officers were there that were beaten, what they saw, what they were going through as they tried to push back these insurrectionists it was so important today to have this hearing. And I think that's why the committee came out of the gate laying the stage here, setting the stage about what happened.

The next steps we'll get to, well, how did it happen and why did it happen, which are very important questions. But today, as you look at that powerful video is hard. Even if you have been downplaying it before, it's hard to say that nothing happened here. When you see the physical language, when you hear the mental language, when you hear Officer Dunn talking about being on the receiving end of racial epithets, you can't look at all of that and say that this was nothing.

TAPPER: Josh Campbell, Carrie Cordero, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Breaking News, President Biden is set to announce a new vaccination mandate for some Americans who, I'll tell you next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:32:09]

TAPPER: Breaking news in our health lead now, President Biden on Thursday will announce that all federal employees must get vaccinated against coronavirus or undergo regular testing for COVID, a source tells CNN. CNN's Phil Mattingly is live for us at the White House with this news. Phil, tell us more about this mandate?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is something the administration has been leaning into over the course of the last several days as a possibility and President Biden is going to officially put in place, a vaccine requirement for all federal employees and contractors according to source familiar with the process.

Now, this will be basically an effort to have those employees in a test to whether or not they are vaccinated. If they choose not to be vaccinated, they will likely be subject to regular testing, possibly other mitigation efforts as well.

And, Jake, when you put all of this together, not just on the vaccine front, obviously, the administration doing everything it can to try and counter the rise of the severe Delta variant. And it's not just on vaccines, it's on mask as well where there are now new changes and a shift on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Our goal is to save their lives.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): For President Biden's number one priority in office, defeating the pandemic a stinging setback.

PSAKI: We are still in the midst of a once in a generation pandemic battling an ever evolving virus.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Just two months after this milestone moment.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you've been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A clear step backwards.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL: In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends fully vaccinated people, wear masks in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of the Delta variants and protect others. This includes schools.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Underscoring urgent concern across the administration as the Delta variant ravages parts of the country.

PSAKI: The reality is we are dealing with a much different strain of this virus than we were, even earlier in the spring.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The new CDC guidance targeting areas with higher substantial COVID-19 transmission, which encompasses roughly two thirds of U.S. counties.

BIDEN: We've already learn about this virus in the Delta variation. More we have to be worried or concerned.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And with summer break coming to an end recommending everyone, K through 12 schools wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. An announcement, officials say, that has been debated behind the scenes for days, and one that makes clear the urgency of the moment.

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: We could see as many as 200,000 cases a day, four times our current rate within another four to six weeks.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The Delta variant made up just 1 percent of cases when the CDC released its masks guidance in May. Today, 83 percent. The White House taking pains not to cast blame, but officials say there is clear frustration what is viewed as an entirely preventable backslide, officials tell CNN.

[17:35:04]

DR. JEROME ADAMS, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: We know, Jeff, from looking around us and communities, that there are many more people out there who are going without a math than the statistics suggest are actually vaccinated.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The administration now struggling to dole out doses to tens of millions who remain unvaccinated.

PSAKI: We are still going to be sending a very clear message to the public that in order to protect yourself or save your life, save the lives of those around, you need to get vaccinated.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Now, with tangible repercussions, vaccinated (ph) are not around the country, potentially, even in the White House itself.

PSAKI: We will be prepared to wear masks again, if required, as would the President and that will continue to be the case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And, Jake, that specific issue has occurred already. All White House staff getting a message just a little while ago that regardless of vaccination status, they will be required to wear masks indoors. Obviously, the CDC guidance now out and the White House is following suit on the masking front, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Phil Mattingly at the White House, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Dr. Megan Ranney she's a professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University.

Dr. Ranney, thanks so much for joining us. The guidance is changing fast, masks are now required for White House staff even if you're vaccinated. Biden, the President's going to announce a plan Thursday to require federal workers get vaccines or regular testing. Do you think that most employers or at least some major employers might quickly follow suit?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: You know, I do. Just yesterday, we saw a consortium of medical organizations say that really all healthcare facilities should be mandating vaccination. We've seen a number of large corporations start to follow suit.

I think that now that health care and the federal government have both come out very clearly on the side of mandating vaccines, we'll see a lot of other workplaces do the same. And it's really make sense. You want your workers to be able to come to work healthy. And if they're not vaccinated with a Delta variant, the chance of them getting sick and absenteeism and have major disruption to work, never mind that the chance of loss of life is too high.

TAPPER: I hate to say it, but often our society doesn't do nuance very well. I think that people are going to hear this and they're going to say, I don't understand. I thought the vaccines were good. You're telling us the vaccines are good. And now you're telling me even vaccinated people that they need to wear a mask, doesn't that basically mean you're saying the vaccines don't work? Please explain.

RANNEY: So let's be clear that there are some parts of the guidance that have not changed. The first is, if you are not vaccinated, you are supposed to be wearing a mask already and you still should be. The second is, if you are fully vaccinated, and you're around other people that are fully vaccinated, you are safe to take your mask off in those private settings where you know that everyone that you're with has gotten the vaccine.

What has changed is that because we have such a high number of people who are unvaccinated, because the Delta variant is so transmissible, and because we are seeing that when it does get transmitted, in those rare cases, to someone who's vaccinated, they have the chance of spreading it. That's what's changed these recommendations. It's trying to stop these surges now, so we can get more people vaccinated. And we are hoping to stave off a repeat of last fall in winter.

TAPPER: 49 percent of the United States got their shots. They did their part, they're now fully vaccinated. Do you worry there's going to be a lot of resistance from those vaccinated Americans who don't want to put their masks back on even in hotspot areas? Because they might say -- and I want to make very clear here, I am not advocating this as a point of view, but we have heard frustration increasingly in this last few weeks.

Are you all worried about people who are vaccinated who say, I'm sick of this, I'm vaccinated, I don't care about infecting unvaccinated Americans who are only holding back because of ignorance. Again, I'm not saying that, but are you worried about some people saying that? RANNEY: You know, I am sick of it, too. I am so sick of this virus, filling my emergency department and those of my colleagues around the country. I am sick of watching sickness, severe illness and death.

And to the folks that don't want to put a mask back on for a short period of time until we get these surges under control, I would ask them, do you live with anyone who's unvaccinated? Do you live with anyone for whom the vaccines might not work perfectly? Do you have kids? Do you have elderly parents? Do you have friends who have cancer or on immunosuppressants?

Wear a mask for them for the short term to keep them protected. Wow. We try to get this back under control.

TAPPER: And of course the other message, if you are eligible for a vaccine, please get vaccinated.

Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much. Appreciated as always.

[17:40:01]

A surge of crime in Chicago --

RANNEY: Thank you.

TAPPER: -- but the city's top cop has someone else to blame, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our national lead, Chicago's police superintendent amid a surge of shootings in his city, directly blamed courts and judges accusing them of releasing murderers back into the community. There's no doubt about the shooting surge as of this past weekend. Nearly 1,900 shootings have been reported in Chicago this year. That's an 11 percent increase over this point last year and 63 percent higher than two years ago.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Chicago. Omar, why is the police superintendent blaming this on the courts?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake. So in short, he's blaming it on the types of offenders that are being released on bail pretrial or what's being put are the types that are being put on what's called a home electronic monitoring system.

Now, in conversations I've had with the sheriff's office going back to last year, they've told me that the number of people on the system has increased dramatically but also the types of offenders as well and specifically saying that the system wasn't designed to monitor violent offenders.

[17:45:13]

And for context, in 2010, there were about 500 people on the electronic monitoring system. As of yesterday morning, that number was 3,400 with 72 percent of those on the system charged with violent crimes, or at least gun offenses, 3 percent for murder. And that is what the Chicago police superintendent says is contributing to what he calls an environment of lawlessness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN, CHICAGO POLICE: Can the courts hold people in jail, who are violent, who have been arrested, who have been charged with murder? Murder. I don't think there's another city in this country releasing people charged with murder back into the community on electronic monitoring. What we can do different is challenge the courts to render Chicago safe by holding violent offenders in jail longer, not releasing murderers back into our community. That's what we can do different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now the question is whether this dynamic has contributed significantly to increases in violent crime. Now, when you look at data released by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, they say since September 25th, 2020 through mid June this year, there were 705 total arrests of those in electronic monitoring, 278 of them were gone offenders.

Nine were alleged non-gun offenders coming in accused then of murder. Eight alleged gun offenders coming in then accused of murder and zero alleged murderers coming in then accused of murder on a rearrest. Again, according to Cook County State's Attorney's Office numbers.

And at least between Chicago, New York and LA, it does seem that Chicago is the only city that allows for a pretrial release when murder is one of the conditions at least in some cases. But even still, these numbers are a small percentage within the total amount of people on home monitoring and loyal (ph) a study in 2020 cited that over years, 97 percent of those release don't end up committing new violent crimes.

And the chief judges office told me just today that those facts continue to stick. But as you can see, a dispute among public officials here in Chicago.

TAPPER: All right, CNN's Omar Jimenez in Chicago, thanks so much.

Coming up, two of the biggest sports stars shining a spotlight on the Olympic pressure. We're live in Tokyo next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:52:00]

TAPPER: In our sports lead today, two of the biggest Olympic stars struggling to cope with the intense pressure. USA gymnast Simone Biles bowing out of the team competition earlier today in a move to protect her mental health and also help her team, Japan's tennis star Naomi Osaka citing her loss with not knowing how to, quote, cope with the pressure. CNN's Will Ripley's in Tokyo for us. And Will it was an unexpected day at the Olympics, what reaction have you heard in Tokyo to Biles withdrawing from the team?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot more conversation right now, Jake, about mental health, about mindfulness, about the importance of giving athletes the space to focus to clear their minds and to compete, because a lot of these people are often surrounded by not only entourages, but they're getting calls from agents.

There's social media pressure, there's advertising, sponsorship pressure and all of these things combined and can really get in the head of somebody who's supposed to be here and supposed to be able to channel and focus on the competition. That's what Naomi Osaka said, that's what Simone Biles said and the athletes who are succeeding, like Tom Daley, who won gold in diving. He said he meditates every morning, visualizing the perfect dive.

Same thing with Carissa Moore who won surfing gold for Team USA who we, you know, showed on your show yesterday, Jake. She meditates every day.

TAPPER: And now a lighter, more positive moment. Last night Alaskan swimmer Lydia Jacoby's fans back home, watch her win the goal. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Cheering and Screaming)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Definitely different than having those fans in the stands. But wow, you can feel the excitement.

RIPLEY: Yes.

TAPPER: It's such an amazing celebration. How are the athletes dealing with the celebrations being so remote feeling so isolated?

RIPLEY: It's interesting because Simone Biles actually said, you know, when she was giving her comments that she did feel supported, even though her family is far away, even though the fans are not in the stands, there are some athletes who've said it's been a struggle to play in these empty venues.

But when you look at that video from Seward, Alaska, population around 3,000, and you see that entire town erupting, and you as you said, Jake, you can actually feel the energy through the screen. And so, it's those moments and those connections virtually, that we've learned or rely on during the pandemic that are helping athletes get through these moments.

There was a similar reaction when Tom Daley won gold and they showed his husband and his mother like jumping up and down. I mean, you can still get that sense of connection with your family. The athletes are saying thanks to modern technology, frankly.

TAPPER: I could watch that video all day, the Alaskan celebrating --

RIPLEY: Yes.

TAPPER: -- Lydia Jacoby. Will Ripley in Tokyo for us, thank you so much. Good to see you.

There's a new problem that could threaten your summer vacation plans. We'll explain next.

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[17:59:15]

TAPPER: A new shortage could disrupt your summer plans and that's our money lead today. Airlines are facing full seats but some empty jet fuel tanks, that could mean canceled flights or extra stops to fuel up. The problem is especially bad in popular western vacation spots, such as Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

The shortage is blamed in part on a lack of truck drivers which we told you about months ago, pipelines also stopped carrying as much jet fuel when air travel plummeted during the pandemic. Plus, some of the fuel is also going to planes that are fighting the wildfires.

American airline says it's working around the clock to try to minimize the impact of all this. Delta Airlines is taking, quote, extraordinary measures to maintain supplies.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the TikTok at JakeTapper. You can tweet the show at TheLeadCNN. We actually read them. Our coverage continues now with one Mr. Wolf Blitzer right next door in "THE SITUATION ROOM." I'll see you tomorrow.