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Rep. Jordan: Special Counsel Hur Will "Definitely" Testify Publicly Before House Judiciary Committee; House Intel Chair Announces "Serious National Security Threat" Sources Say Related To Russia; Alaska Reports First Fatal Case Of Alaskapox; Rare Case Of Bubonic Plague Confirmed In Oregon; Travis Kelce: Bumping, Yelling At Coach Reid Was "Unacceptable". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 14, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:17]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This just in to CNN. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan tells CNN that he expects Special Counsel Robert Hur to definitely testify in public about President Bidens handling of classified documents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Jordan, do you expect the special counsel to testify before your committee?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH) Yes.

RAJU: In public?

JORDAN: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Always chasing him down the halls to get those answers. We love that.

But in deciding not to charge President Biden with any crimes, Hur wrote in his report last week that in a potential trial, quote, "Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury as he did during our interview of him as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

We have CNN's Annie Grayer on Capitol Hill for us.

Annie, what more are you hearing?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Boris and Brianna, the two sides I'm hearing are still talking and no date has been set yet. But this could happen quickly. And Hur could be coming to testify on Capitol Hill as soon as the end of this this month.

On top of that, Republicans have issued a number of document requests for Hur, including transcripts of his interviews with the president and the audio recordings of those interviews.

Now that is -- that has a document deadline of February 19th, which is fast approaching. So we'll see what happens there.

This is all part of Republican's full-court press, trying to hold the president accountable and hurt him politically as a result of Hur's final report.

Of course, there were no charges against the president, but Republicans have seized on the parts of the report that question his age and his memory. We should expect that to be a big part of their questioning when Hur eventually does come and testify.

SANCHEZ: Annie Grayer, live from Capitol Hill. Thank you so much, Annie.

We want to now get to a developing story regarding national security. The House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner says there is a, quote, "serious national security threat". And he's requesting the president declassify all known information about it.

KEILAR: Two sources and a U.S. official telling CNN the threat is related to Russia.

We have CNN's Kevin Liptak following this. He joins us now on this story.

Kevin, what is the White House saying, if anything, about this at this point?

KEVIN LIPTAKE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they're not saying much about this very cryptic statement from the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, reviewing this serious national security threat and telling all congressional lawmakers that they are to be briefed on it on Capitol Hill.

Now, in a letter to lawmakers that was obtained by CNN, Turner said -- describes this threat as a de-stabilizing foreign military capability. And he didn't specify from where it originated. But sources are telling CNN that it is very sensitive information related to Russia.

And he is calling on the Biden administration to fully declassify that information so there can be a fuller debate about what exactly is going on.

Now, we did hear from the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who was briefing at the White House just within the last hour. He expressed some surprise that Turner came out with this information.

Sullivan saying that he had offered and, in fact, plans to go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to brief members of the so-called Gang of Eight -- that's congressional leaders -- as well as leaders of the national security committees about what exactly this intelligence is.

And he expressed some surprise that Turner essentially preempted that briefing before he was able to go over to Capitol Hill. But Sullivan also not revealing exactly what this threat is or from where it originates.

And in fact, when he was asked specifically whether this is cause for Americans to worry, he said he wasn't able to answer that with a straight yes, but he did emphasize that certainly President Biden will be you making decisions that would place the safety and security of Americans at the forefront.

And he also emphasized the Biden administration's record in declassifying certain information in the past. And you'll remember, particularly when it comes to Russia, that is something that they have not hesitated to do, if it doesn't compromise the so-called sources of methods of gathering that intelligence.

So it's certainly a developing situation. And a lot of questions still to be answered about what exactly this threat looks like.

KEILAR: Yes, it sounds like something that could, indeed, be very worrisome.

Kevin Liptak, thank you for that. We appreciate that report from the White House.

A newly discovered virus has turned deadly. Ahead, what you should know about Alaskapox.

Plus, one state is reporting its first case of the bubonic plague in years. Where officials say it likely came from.

We'll have those stories and more on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[13:39:29]

SANCHEZ: Health officials are emphasizing that the recently discovered virus, Alaskapox, is extremely rare in people after one case turned fatal.

The infected person, who passed away, is described as an elderly man with a weakened immune system. The virus is often seen in small mammals. Officials say the man may have been infected after caring for a stray cat that frequently scratched him.

Alaskapox was first discovered back in 2015. And since then, six other cases have been identified, mostly in the area of Fairbanks, Alaska. The virus has not been found anywhere else, fortunately.

[13:40:05]

Let's discuss with Dr. Megan Ranney. She's the dean of Yale's Public School -- Yale's School of Public Health. Yale, not the public school.

Doctor, Alaskapox, what exactly is it? DR. MEGAN RANNEY, DEAN, YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: So Alaskapox is an Orthopoxvirus similar to smallpox or Mpox. We'll all remember that monkeypox or Mpox outbreak of the last couple of years. It's the same general kind of virus.

It's usually found, as you said, in wild animals. And this is the seventh known case in humans. The first one to cause death.

I will tell you, as both an emergency physician and as a public health professional, I see this not as cause for alarm amongst Alaskans or Americans, or the globe, but rather as a shot across the bow.

A reminder that if we are not careful, we are facing another potential huge animal-to-human transmission event like what many of us think caused Covid.

And that this is a moment for us to shore up our interdependence between health care and public health so that we can detect these quickly and respond appropriately.

SANCHEZ: We do want to let our viewers know, if you're squeamish, we're about to show some pictures of lesions that are associated as symptoms with Alaskapox.

Aside from these kinds of lesions, what are the symptoms?

RANNEY: So it is usually this type of a pox-like lesions. So it might look like what you think of as chickenpox or surrounding cellulite cellulitis or redness and warmth of your skin. We can sometimes find infected lymph nodes as well.

In this man, as you reported, he was immunocompromised. So it spread much further and faster. It caused fevers and muscle breakdown. And eventually, unfortunately, full body shutdown and death.

But in most people to date, it's not as serious. It's just one or two of these little blisters on your skin that then go away.

I wouldn't worry too much if you're not out there in contact with wild animals in the Kenai Peninsula or surrounding regions.

But it is a reminder to get checked if you have strange skin lesions. And particularly, if you are someone who's handling wild animals, to let your doctor know so that they can test for Alaskapox, for Mpox, or for other things that are often carried by animals.

It's a chance for us to take better care of you.

SANCHEZ: Potentially, get checked for the bubonic plague as well.

We want to ask you about that because there was a case just confirmed in Oregon. The CDC says there's an average of seven plague cases reported every year.

The bubonic plague in 2024, Doctor? RANNEY: I mean, bubonic plague, anthrax, Mpox, again, Alaskapox, these

are all diseases that are carried by animals and can be transmitted to humans.

Unfortunately, with climate change, frequent air travel, mass migration, thanks to both climate change and war and political instability, were going to see more and more of these incidents going forward.

So it's why it matters so much for us to have good public health monitoring systems, a stable supply of medications and protective equipment for physicians and other health professionals.

And most of all, functioning public health system that can partner with those frontline clinicians to help keep Americans safe.

SANCHEZ: So just in -- in typical cases of bubonic plague spread, how does it get moved from animal to person or person to person?

RANNEY: So it's often through flea bites, actually. So fleas kind of on rats and other rodents that will carry bubonic plague. You can also get exposed by direct touching. If you're skinning animals or things like that.

Again, not something for the average American to worry a lot about. But if you are in a place where you're working a lot with wild animals are exposed to flea bites, that can be of risk.

SANCHEZ: Yes, beware of the flea bites.

Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much.

RANNEY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Now, to some of the other headlines that we are watching this hour.

Security cameras captured the terrifying moments when a car plowed into a hospital emergency room in Austin. People inside scrambling to escape as smoke filled the area. Many initially thought that this was an explosion.

Five people were hurt, including a child, who has life-threatening injuries. The driver died at the scene. And police say the crash does not appear to be intentional.

Also, an active barricade situation is happening right now here in Washington, D.C., after three Metropolitan Police officers were shot while they were trying to serve an arrest warrant.

D.C.'s police chief said the warrant was obtained by the Humane Society for cruelty to animals. Officers tried to enter the home where the man was located after he

refused to come outside. And that's when police say he opened fire. The suspect continues to periodically fire at officers on scene even now.

[13:45:03]

A source telling CNN that there are nearly a dozen pit bulls inside of this home.

The three officers' injuries are non-life-threatening. We have learned a fourth officer was also injured, but not shot.

And NASA's second attempt to soft-land its first U.S. spacecraft on the moon since 1972 did not take off today as planned. SpaceX scrubbing this morning's scheduled rocket launch due to sub-optimal methane temperatures.

The spacecraft, named Odysseus, will be headed toward the moon's South Pole looking for signs of water ice that could possibly be made into drinking water or even rocket fuel. The next launch attempt is set for early tomorrow morning.

And coming up, it's the emotional moment off the field that had people talking about Travis Kelce at the Super Bowl. Now the Kansas City titan says his behavior was, quote, "definitely unacceptable" in his new podcast. We'll have more on this ahead.

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[13:50:36]

KEILAR: New today, Travis Kelce opening up about this tense moment that we all saw during the Super Bowl, right, when he got in the face of his coach, Andy Reid, and it gets -- bumped him on the sidelines --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- yelling at him.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes. The Kansas City chiefs' star now admitting that that outburst was unacceptable. He says his emotions got the best of him, as we take a live look at the parade downtown in Kansas City, Missouri.

CNN's Don Riddell joins us.

Don, Travis added some important context to what we all saw on the sideline on Sunday.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. So obviously, he had a great weekend. He won a third Super Bowl? His girlfriend flew from Tokyo back to see him. And everybody, by all accounts, adores Taylor Swift, except perhaps for one or two people on the extreme right of the political spectrum. But kind of hanging over the whole thing this weekend was this exchange between his coach. He clearly was in his face. He bumped into him and knocked him off balance.

And Travis Kelce has now been talking about that with his brother, Jason, who's also a former NFL player on their "New Heights" podcast.

And this is how Travis explain what went down and how he feels about it.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TIGHT END: Sometimes those emotions get away from me, man, and I've that's been the battle of my career. But everybody else, I don't I don't give him what anybody else says.

I talked to Coach Reid about it today and we kind of chuckled about it. It's definitely unacceptable. And I immediately wish I took it back.

He actually came right up to me after that and didn't even have harsh words for me.

(END AUDIO FEED)

RIDDELL: For a bit of context, guys, Travis Kelce did not have a great first half. He had one catch and one touchdown. That's why he was pulled off the field. That's why he was so upset.

Different story after the halftime show by Usher. Nine catches, 93 yards, and he played a key role in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a third Super Bowl in just five years.

A lot of other players have been weighing in on this as well. Tom Brady says that he's been in similar situations. And he says, you are definitely not in a meditative state during games like this where the emotions are running so high.

KEILAR: Like you said, they turned it around after the Usher halftime show. I think that's what inspire them, clearly. The roller skating, the sequence --

RIDDELL: Yes, yes.

KEILAR: -- that really is just what brought it round.

Right now, though, Don, its, its celebration central in Kansas City as the parade is making its way through the city, right?

RIDDELL: Yes. Look at that. They're having a great time. The weather is great as well.

This city seems to have just shut down for this. There was some talk that the schools couldn't afford to take another day off because they've had so many snow days recently. But in the end, it was just decided they just had have to shut the city down and allow this parade to happen.

Of course, they are no strangers to this, right? Third time in five years, they've celebrated. They're going to try and do it again, going for a three-peat next year.

The weather is great. Everybody is clearly having a good time. I would imagine the bus driver doesn't need to use Sat Nav anymore. They know the parade route because they're now doing it seemingly every single year.

And everybody absolutely loving every minute of the success of this, too.

KEILAR: Yes, very, very fun.

All right, Don, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

Good context to have there.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: So coming up, we're getting new details from Brian Laundrie's parents about what happened after he told them his fiance, Gabby Petito, was, quote, "gone," and whether they thought he'd killed her. We'll have that ahead.

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[13:58:45]

SANCHEZ: A razor-thin Republican majority in the House getting even thinner as Democrats pick up a seat from New York's special election. But that razor-thin Republican majority just voted to impeach the first cabinet secretary in almost 150 years. So what happens next in the Senate?

Plus, he's back. Former President Donald Trump returning to South Carolina to meet voters for the first time since going after the deployed husband of his rival, former Governor Nikki Haley.

KEILAR: And when can an engagement ring mean more than marriage? Maybe when it's part of an alleged bribery scheme involving a U.S. Senator.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL

Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson shot go to work with a smaller Republican majority than the already slim one he had yesterday. It now stands at a mere six seats after Democrats flipped a vacancy left behind by disgraced former Republican Congressman George Santos. So how tight are these margins and what are the implications?

Yesterday, the Republicans historic impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas passed by a single vote.

Today, though, House Speaker Johnson and other Republicans downplayed the consequences of this Democratic pickup, making it clear they still.