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Repairs Being made on Water Main Break in Atlanta; Fauci Set to Testify on Capitol Hill; Biden Expresses Support for Son; Harry Dunn is Interviewed about Trump's Warning; Boeing's Starliner Launch Scrubbed. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 03, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Talked to the mayor and he was telling you that both of these water mains were quite old, before the 1940s. And anyone who lives in the city understands the fact that there's been major work done over the years to try to get all these water mains fixed. But at the same time, that hasn't happened fast enough for all the expansion that's going on in this big city here. So, between Google, between the Marriott Hotel and all the high-rises that are going on around here, they've definitely dealt with some water pressure issues.

I talked to one guy today who was saying he was going to have to drive to a friend's house to get a shower because all weekend long they've been experiencing issues with trying to take a shower or having to boil water.

Now, this only had a - not only had an impact down here, but there were concerts that got canceled. Meghan the Stallion was supposed to have a performance on Saturday and Friday. That didn't happen because of this.

Residents have been walking out and asking the folks here, when was this all going to be done? So, you see the work is being done behind me, but up the street here they're also cutting the street. And we've had residents walking down to ask us that same question.

The mayor himself has plans to be down here around 10:30 to try to figure out exactly where the progress is. We believe today that this will be sort of taken care of.

But think about the hospitals as well. That was impacted. We're told the flow there at Grady Memorial Hospital has been taken care of. They're back fully operational. They brought tankers in to actually put water into some of these places to make sure they stay functional.

This has been a big unconvinced for the folks in midtown. Hopefully this will be all over a little later today. But when you talk about infrastructure and the need for improvement, this really sums it up when you think about the impact to residents when it comes to driving and in terms of water pressure. And all the small businesses that were shut down this week around this

area, because you can't really cook and clean the right way if you don't have that water pressure.

Guys.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: No, a huge impact. Let's hope it all gets taken care of soon.

Ryan Young, great to have you there. Thank you very much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Next hour, Dr. Anthony Fauci will be back on Capitol Hill for what is sure to be a grueling day of testimony. Republican lawmakers are holding a hearing on the origins of Covid and are expected to grill him. Fauci is a celebrated scientist, no doubt, but became the perfect villain for Republicans to target over the nation's response to the pandemic.

CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill.

And we are likely to see that on full display today.

What is expected to happen in this hearing, Lauren, and also what's expected to be learned from the hearing.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you can expect that this is going to be once again a battle publicly between Republicans and Democrats about how Dr. Fauci handled the coronavirus pandemic and what his message to Americans was at the beginning of that pandemic when it came to the origins of the coronavirus. One of the things that you can expect from Democrats this morning, they laid out in a press conference that they are releasing their own report debunking Republican claims that Dr. Fauci, in the words of Democrats, was somehow the responsible for the coronavirus pandemic. They say that that is a lie.

Here they were just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RAUL RUIZ, MD (D-CA): There is absolutely no evidence that the viruses studied under the NIAID grant funding to EcoHealth Alliance sparked the Covid-19 pandemic. And there is no evidence to suggest that Dr. Fauci lied about funding, gain of function research in Wuhan, China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: You can also expect that Democrats today are going to be arguing that the 15 months that this select committee has been investigating Dr. Fauci and NIH was time that could have been better spent preparing the country for the next virus that could potentially befall the country. They're going to argue that this is time that could have been spent

securing, you know, supplies for the next pandemic. This is time that could have been spent researching vaccines. We can also expect that Dr. Fauci is going to defend his time at NIH.

This is the first time that the committee is going to hear publicly from Dr. Fauci since he retired from NIH a few years ago. They did sit down with him for 14 hours behind closed doors back in January. So, this is going to be sort of a public conversation that will be happening instead of that behind closed doors interview back in January.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

FOX: Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, we will see. Let us see what happens together, even though I know you know exactly how this is all going to play out.

It's good to see you, Lauren. Thank you.

So, Donald Trump warns, if he goes to jail, it will be a breaking point for the nation.

And Simone Biles says she's having fun again, and it clearly shows, taking home a record ninth U.S. gymnastics all around championship. And what this now means for her Olympic plans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:39:22]

BOLDUAN: We do have some breaking news coming in.

President Biden has just put out a statement about his son Hunter's trial as it is getting underway right now.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House to bring us more on this.

Arlette, what is the president saying?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, President Biden is trying to show support for his only living son, Hunter Biden, as those - trial into those federal gun charges get under - gets underway in Wilmington, Delaware, today. Now, the president says he's approaching this from the perspective of a father and not commenting on the legal matters at hand. But in this lengthy statement, the president said, quote, "I am the president, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our sun, but we are so proud of the man he is today.

[09:40:03]

Hunter's resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean. As the president, don't and won't comment on pending federal cases. But as a dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support."

It's worth noting that First Lady Jill Biden, whose birthday also happens to be today, is actually in attendance at that courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, as this trial gets underway. Now the president really has not distanced himself in any way from Hunter Biden as he has faced multiple legal issues that have played out over the course of the past year.

In fact, the president spent time with Hunter Biden at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, over the weekend. He's had him here at the White House for official events, including that state dinner for the president of Kenya just last month.

But what the White House and the president have repeatedly said is that the president is - continues to approach this matter as - from the viewpoint of a father, that he is not concerned about the political fallout that could come from some of Hunter Biden's legal woes at a time when Republicans have tried to make that an issue heading into the 2024 campaign.

So, once again, we are hearing from President Biden, offering a fatherly perspective, saying that he supports his son as this trial is getting underway and stressing that he will not comment on the actual legal issues at hand.

BOLDUAN: Arlette, thank you so much for jumping on to bring us that this morning.

John.

BERMAN: So, fresh off his conviction on criminal charges by a New York jury, Donald Trump is predicting what might happen if he is sent to jail when he is sentenced on July 11th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It could -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you face what that could look like?

TRUMP: I'm OK with it.

I don't know that the public would stand it, you know? I don't - I'm not sure the public would stand for it. With a -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you could try house arrest or -

TRUMP: I think - I think it would be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point there's a breaking point.

BERMAN: California Democrat Adam Schiff told CNN's Kasie Hunt that Trump's language is, quote, "another dangerous appeal to violence."

With us now, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. He and other January 6th officers are campaigning for President Biden in swing states.

Officer, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

When you hear Donald Trump say breaking point, what do you hear in that?

HARRY DUNN, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: Yes, you can't - good - good to be with you. But I can't - I immediately think back to what happened on January 6th. It's like a subtle but not so subtle call for action, talking about the public - the people won't stand for it. Yes, it's kind of like saying the quiet part out loud.

BERMAN: Now, we've had Republicans, including Republicans on this morning, say, no, no, no, no, he's talking about a political movement and going to the ballot box. What do you say to that?

DUNN: No, no, I don't believe it. I mean how many times do - does he have to explain what he said? I mean this isn't the first time we've heard Donald Trump speak. You know, I think the benefit of the doubt of his words and his rhetoric, that's worn out. We've already seen what he's capable of, what - what his followers and supporters are capable of. And I think that's what we need to listen to. Like, the benefit of the doubt, talking about what he really meant. No, he said what he really meant.

BERMAN: So - so, Harry, you actually have been involved in - in politics yourself. You are not just campaigning for President Biden, but you ran for Congress yourself. So, it's in that spirit I ask you a political question now.

Mitt Romney, the Republican senator from Utah, who's no supporter, by the way, of Donald Trump, is not supportive of the criminal case in New York. He said that - that Alvin "Bragg should have settled the case against Trump, as would have been the normal procedure. But he made a political decision. Bragg may have won the battle, for now, but he may have lost the political war. Democrats think they can put out the Trump fire with oxygen. It's political malpractice."

Putting out the Trump fire with oxygen. So, to what extent do you see as that being what's happening here?

DUNN: Well, if - if that's what Mitt Romney thinks that is happening, I mean, it sounds like - with that statement alone that Mitt Romney has lost faith and doesn't believe that the criminal justice system - that no one individuals is above it.

Just look - just compare the two statements that - that the rhetoric that Donald Trump has been saying since his trial and look at what Joe Biden just said about his son. He's there to support his son and he's not going to comment about the criminal justice system because he believes in it. He's going to let it take its course, period. For Mitt Romney to say something like that, it - it suggests that individuals are above the law. And I think what New York - what happened in New York showed that nobody is above it. Whether it's - somebody can say that it's politically motivated or not, I don't believe that.

[09:45:04]

I think these institutions - the American people aren't counting on the institutions to save us, so to speak, in November. I think what it's going to come down to is the American people getting out and finally rejected Donald Trump once and for all at the ballot box.

BERMAN: How much do you intend - because you are going to be traveling to swing states. You already have been.

DUNN: Yes.

BERMAN: How much do you intend to talk about the guilty verdict in New York on the campaign trail?

DUNN: Not - not much. You know, I - to be - to be very candid and honest with you, I haven't followed that trial at all. I mean I - I, obviously, am following the January 6th hearings and what's happening at the Supreme Court. I have more personal stake in that, so to speak. And that's my lived experience, what I - what we and my coworkers went through on January 6th. So, I've been following that one a little more closer. So I'll probably have a lot more to say once that decision is rendered by the Supreme Court. But to be very candid, I haven't been following the hush money payments trial to - very - very much.

BERMAN: Got it.

A lot of Democrats are focused on the issue of democracy being in parallel. And there are questions to what extent that well have political residence.

You ran for Congress. You did not win the Democratic primary that you ran in. Does that show some kind of limitation about that discussion?

DUNN: No, I don't believe so at all. I mean to - and even, honestly, some individuals that I talked to, even in the district that I ran in, people that were - that voted for, you know, one of my opponents said that they definitely believed that democracy is in peril. You know, that's one of the - the number one issue that I heard while I was out there, obviously in addition to, you know, the high kitchen table issues, gas prices, codifying Roe v. Wade into federal legislation. All those are very important.

But I think the overlying theme that was very resonant out there was democracy. We don't know what - well, we do know what a Donald - another Donald Trump presidency would look like because he's told us. And that will be one that - that - that places a dictatorship over democracy. And that's one of the reasons why we have to elect Joe Biden in November.

BERMAN: Harry Dunn, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for speaking with us.

DUNN: You too. Thanks, man.

BERMAN: All right, still grounded. This morning, the Boeing Starliner is stuck on the launchpad. What needs to happen to complete the countdown sometime soon.

And Simone Biles. What complete domination. On her way to the Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:16]

BERMAN: This morning, a 46-year-old man is in the hospital after he was attacked by a shark. That's off the coast of San Diego County. He was bitten on his torso and his arm. Del Mar Beach lifeguards say his friends helped save his life. Shark attacks are rare, though this is the second such incident in Del Mar in two years, both involving great whites.

Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee says she is being treated for pancreatic cancer. The 70-year-old member of Congress says she may be absent from Congress at times, but will be present for critical votes. She says she is confident that her doctors have developed the best plan for her treatment.

And just total domination. Simone Biles now has nine all around U.S. titles. She broke her own record yesterday at the U.S. Gymnastics Championship. Biles took home gold in all four events. It's hard to do better than that. Biles says she was proud of her showing. She probably should be. The next stop before Paris, Olympic trials in late June.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: That is just a marvel to watch her. It is remarkable. That is - I mean, it's perfection. I know you can - you come close when you're doing your bar routine, but, you know, Simone Biles.

BERMAN: I like almost fell over standing up, let alone like all the twists and turns.

BOLDUAN: On - on floor markings that are just tape. Yes, I -

BERMAN: Exactly. I stumble on the flat ground. I couldn't do that.

BOLDUAN: Four-inch wide. That's how wide a beam is, John Berman, and she's doing that.

OK, let's move to this. NASA and Boeing are back to the drawing board, kind of, sort of. The long-anticipated and closely watched launch of the Boeings Starliner's first crewed test flight was aborted again. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were just under four minutes from takeoff when it was scrubbed.

CNN's Kristin Fisher is following this one.

Tried and scrubbed again. What happened, Kristin?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, believe it or not, Kate, the reason for the scrub actually wasn't caused by Boeing or its Starliner spacecraft, which sits on top of the rocket. And the rocket itself was actually fine too. That's a rocket called the Atlas Five. It's built and operated by the United Launch Alliance, a different company.

So, Kate, the hardware was actually fine on Saturday for this second launch attempt. The issue was with a ground computer. The computer that is supposed to give the rocket the automatic command to launch. And so they essentially, over the last few days, have gone out and replaced some of the cards that are in this computer. They think they've fixed it. And so now they're going to try again on Wednesday morning, Kate.

BOLDUAN: That is brutal. They just needed to control, delete on a computer and there's none of the - I mean, after all of the work?

FISHER: I know.

BOLDUAN: Oh. OK, so this one I'm confused about so I need a little bit of help.

[09:55:02]

The Parade of Planets, a lot being made, highly anticipated. It was going to be bananas to see it. And then not so much. What happened here?

FISHER: Yes. So, Kate, it's an issue of, yes, there are six planets perfectly aligned in the sky right around this time, but NASA says, you're only really going to be able to see two of them. And here's why.

If we can pop up this graphic, you'll be able to see right at the bottom love the horizon you've got Jupiter and Mercury. They're too low to the horizon. They're too bright. Basically, they're going to be drowned out by the sun. You're not going to be able to see them.

And then Neptune and Uranus are too faint in the sky. You're not going to be able to see them without a telescope. So, NASA says really the only planets you're going to be able to see are Mars and Saturn. And, hey, we can kind of see two planets in the night sky all the time. What's neat about that?

So - but, Kate, all is not lost. They say try again on June 29th. Saturn, the moon, Mars and Jupiter will all line up. So, that is your best chance to see an actual parade of planets.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Perfection. Calendar marked. Good to see you, Kristin. Thank you. BERMAN: To bad it's not coming sooner because I love a parade. I have to say.

BOLDUAN: You do. You really do.

BOLDUAN: I do. I do. I do love a parade. I like the music. You know. Parade marshal.

BOLDUAN: All right, moving on.

BERMAN: Thank you all for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

You've got a real treat coming up. "CNN NEWSROOM" with special guest star Alisyn Camerota up next.

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