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Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson Only Two Republican No Votes from Losing House Speakership in Next Congress; Loved Ones Remember Victim of New Orleans Terrorist Attack on New Year's; New Orleans Police Increasing Security after Attack; Funeral Services Begin This Weekend for President Carter; FBI Seeks New Leads in Unsolved DNC and RNC Pipe Bomb Case; Surgeon General Sounds Alarm Over Link Between Alcohol and Cancer. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 03, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Vocals are first. Nihan (ph) is up for lead vocalist.

(SINGING)

LAH: So is Xiu (ph).

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LAH: Most of the trainees also perform a rap.

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LAH: Dance is next. There are a series of solo performances. And then the group dance, the final act of the day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to be maybe the last time some of you perform all together. So let's just have fun.

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(SINGING)

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Two votes, just two votes. That is all it could take to strip Mike Johnson of the House speaker title. And one Republican is already a definite no. So Johnson's job hangs in the balance this morning. We've got a brand new whip count.

This morning, investigators find chemicals typically used to make explosive devices inside a home as they piece together a possible motive for the horrific terror attack in New Orleans. And breaking just moments ago, the U.S. surgeon general issues a new

advisory warning that alcohol, the drinking, could increase your risk of cancer.

And feel like your iPhone is spying on your conversations? Turns out it could be. Apple now shelling out $95 million to settle a privacy lawsuit.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. Kate is out this morning. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

So Mike Johnson is the speaker of the House this morning. The question is, will he be speaker tonight? We are standing by for the vote that could cost him his job. His biggest problem is math. Republicans hold one of the slimmest majorities ever. And if two Republicans vote against him, that could cost him everything and cost President-elect Trump something too.

One Republican has already said he is a hell no, that he would still vote against Johnson even if you pulled out his fingernails, which seems like a pretty serious political position there.

Let's get to Lauren Fox live on Capitol Hill counting the votes this morning. Jim Jordan right there behind you, smiling to our camera. So where is he? Where is everyone on this vote this morning?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John. I mean, we are waiting to see what this vote count is going to be in just a couple of hours. But you can expect that Speaker Mike Johnson is going to be working the phones, working members in his office as he is trying to get the votes, secure the votes that he needs in order to clinch that gavel, once again, just after noon today.

Now, we expect that there could be a series of holdouts, and allies of Speaker Johnson have been preparing for the possibility that this could go multiple rounds. Just remember, back in 2023, two years ago, then Kevin McCarthy, who became the eventual speaker, he had to go 15 rounds to get that job. It was a five-day battle to get the speaker's gavel.

But we are waiting to see whether or not Speaker Mike Johnson is going to be able to do this in the first round. Yesterday on FOX News, around 4:00, Johnson was being pretty optimistic, saying he thought that they could get there in a single round of votes, saying he thought that he would be OK today. But we should just note there is already one hard no, and that is Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THOMAS MASSIE, (R-KY): I am the one hell no. They say there's up to five or six who may be voting no. You can count on me to be a no. You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them, you can start cutting off my fingers, I am not voting for Mike Johnson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And a couple of other Republicans to watch really closely this morning, Representative Chip Roy, who is Republican from Texas, he has been demanding some structural changes to how Johnson does business in the House. We are also awaiting whether or not Representative Victoria Spartz would get to yes on Speaker Mike Johnson. She's another one who says she wants concrete demands to be answered from the speaker of the House.

[08:05:04]

I should note that earlier this week, Donald Trump, the incoming president, made clear that he is standing with Speaker Mike Johnson, and that is weighing on some of the remaining holdouts. I talked to Representative Tim Burchett yesterday, who still had not made up his mind definitively, but he made clear to me that Trump's support for Mike Johnson was not something that members could simply ignore. John?

BERMAN: Yes, we will see if anyone joins Thomas Massie in the fingernail caucus this morning. I mean, even one, even one member joining him on the first vote could cost Johnson the job, or at least make it deeply uncomfortable for him. Lauren Fox being photobombed by Jim Jordan and others, we will come back to you as soon as we can.

And of course, stay with CNN all morning long. We're covering the ins and outs of this vote. Coverage continues afternoon as well.

Sara?

SIDNER: All right, this morning, Bourbon Street is back open as serious questions about security measures in the French quarter loom after the deadly New Year's Day terror attack that left 14 people dead. A 2019 report by a private security firm warned there was a need for an immediate improvement on security barriers, flagging the potential for terrorism involving mass shootings or car attacks was, quote, "highly possible" in that report.

Authorities also trying to answer questions as to how several warning signs were missed. And footage obtained exclusively by CNN, a ring camera captures him just hours before the attack loading several items into his truck. A remote detonator was found in his vehicle, as well as multiple coolers loaded with explosive devices in two other locations in the French quarter.

CNN's Ryan Young is live for us on the scene with the latest on this investigation. What are you learning this morning as Bourbon Street is back open for the public?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, back open, Sara, and of course, there's a lot of questions about this. The fact that so many people even interacted and passed those coolers that were on the street, that explosion could have happened, and it could have rocked the street even more than what it already has been.

I want to back out of the shot here and actually show you, as they did a security sweep here, they were checking out everything down the road, including all the trash cans that were placed here, because they wanted to make sure there were no IEDs left behind.

Now, we also know they've added hardened security to the area. Just down the street here, there are police patrols still ongoing. But here's the thing. We actually walked with the police chief yesterday, had a one-on-one conversation about improving security, the steps that they were going to do moving forward. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: So what we're doing right now is were hardening the target. And that's the term we use for bringing in heavier equipment. And we are also putting what are called archers on the sidewalk, if you can see that. And that will give protection for anyone who would, again, try to access via the sidewalk.

That more lives I know were spared and saved. It's not a takeaway at all from those who lost life, but our officers were the ones who stopped this terrorist. I'm so proud of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Sara, so the two officers who were shot, who were injured, are now been released from the hospital. The chief talking about the fact in the next few days, we will probably learn their names. They still surged in hundreds of officers into this area. We saw families walking down the street, sometimes especially for funerals and for weddings. They do what's called a second line. So they have the jazz music that plays, that kind of opens up. Anyone who has been to the city gets a chance to enjoy and watch that. That's what we watched yesterday as they open the street.

But a big focus, of course, is the Super Bowl that's coming next in terms of trying to make sure this place is ready. From that standpoint, we know some of those security improvements will be put in place. There will be hardened. Of course, you talked about that other report, so there'll be plenty of questions about why it wasn't done before now. But New Orleans says it's going to be getting ready for the big events they do.

But of course, a lot of pain and a lot of feelings for the people who've already lost their lives. Sara?

SIDNER: Ryan Young, thank you for your reporting there. Really appreciate it.

This morning, we're also learning more about some of the 14 victims of the New Orleans attack, including 25-year-old Matthew Tenedorio. His cousin telling CNN that on the night of the attack, he had dinner with his family before heading out to ring in the new year with his friends. His heartbroken parents spoke with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOU TENEDORIO, FATHER OF NEW ORLEANS VICTIM MATTHEW TENEDORIO: This morning I, the gravity of the situation really hit home, and I just realized that I will never see my son again. And I just I just broke down. And, honestly, my heart is broken, and --

[08:10:00]

CATHY TENEDORIO, MOTHER OF NEW ORLEANS VICTIM MATTHEW TENEDORIO: For everyone, not just for us. For all of the families that lost their --

LOU TENEDORIO: It's just overwhelming.

CATHY TENEDORIO: Family members and friends.

LOU TENEDORIO: When it happens, you know, when it happens to own, you, me personally, I start thinking, Lord, what did I do? Why? Why this? Why? It questions everything. You know, you question everything. And I just, it's just so hard for me right now to live with --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: For all the families this is such devastation. In addition to Matthew, and you saw his parents, the Tenedorios there, we've learned the names of some of the other victims, including Reggie Hunter, Hubert Gauthreaux, Drew Dauphin, Billy DiMaio, Nicole Perez, Tiger Bech, and Kareem Badawi. We'll hear more about them from their loved ones later on this hour.

All right, ahead, brand new video evidence in a four year old mystery. The FBI once again asking for help to track down the person who planted pipe bombs in D.C. before the January 6th insurrection.

And remembering Jimmy Carter, we'll take you live to Plains, Georgia, where ceremonies to honor the former president begin this weekend.

Also breaking health news this morning, the surgeon general warning about the link between alcohol use and several types of cancer. Those stories up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:24]

SIDNER: Funeral services for President Jimmy Carter begin this weekend. The week long farewell starts Saturday and ends with the state funeral in Washington, DC on January 9th. He will then be laid to rest in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, a town so small it doesn't even have a stoplight.

CNN's Eva McKend is live in Plains this morning. Eva, what are you hearing about the plans that the people of Plains may have and the tributes that will be coming in?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, as you can imagine, the people in this small community have been girding themselves for this moment for quite some time and time and time again, I hear them describe this period as bittersweet, that now so many Americans will be able to reflect on the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter, even though that they have lost their hometown hero. Things will kick off tomorrow in nearby Americus at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. That is where members of Carter's Secret Service detail will usher his body into the hearse. These, of course, are members of the Secret Service that have served with him or served under him for many decades.

Then here in Plains, what we are going to see is the motorcade pass through and members of the community.

And we know, of course, it's not only going to be people from here in Plains, but people from all over the country will be able to line the street to say their final goodbyes before Jimmy Carter ultimately heads to Atlanta, Washington, DC and then, true to form, back here to his hometown of Plains for his final resting place.

I caught up with the former head of the Boys and Girls Club, the local organization. Take a listen to how he's thinking about this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARVIN LASTER, CARTER FAMILY FRIEND: I want everybody to understand that, you know, the grave is only getting the body. His spirit will live on forever. And the legacy that he left behind will live forever. And it's incumbent upon each of us to live the type of life that Jimmy Carter did not focused on self, but trying to do the best that we can do for all of mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, Sara, starting tomorrow, this will be a multi-state affair, but it will all end in Plains, right where it began, where a former peanut farmer ascended to the governorship and ultimately to the presidency. And it still means so much to the people here -- Sara.

SIDNER: And certainly his legacy with things like Habitat for Humanity, people still living in those houses, still so appreciative of the work that he has done. Eva McKend, thank you so much. Appreciate it -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning. The FBI has released new surveillance angles from the night before the attempted insurrection on January 6th, 2021, trying to solve the mystery of who planted two pipe bombs near the RNC and DNC headquarters.

CNN's Evan Perez has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Four years after someone placed two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, the FBI is hoping that allegiances have changed and that someone who knows the would-be bomber is ready to talk.

Despite a $50,000.00 reward and conducting 1000 interviews, the FBI has so far still been unable to solve the mystery. Who placed the bombs blocks from the US Capitol on January 5th, 2021, the night before President Donald Trump would make his last ditch effort to overturn the 2020 election.

The bombs were found just before a pro-Trump mob arrived on Capitol Hill, drawing police away from the Capitol before the first wave of violence began.

The FBI has released these new video angles of the suspect near both locations, as well as a new height estimate of the suspect five feet, seven inches. In one video, the person stops on a residential street, putting down their backpack, and appears to put on a pair of glasses before scanning the surrounding area.

Another video shows a previously unreleased footage, with a new angle of the person placing a bomb under a bench near the DNC.

Now, I walked along some of the route the suspect took as they placed the bombs, with the man leading the investigation, David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office. And he says that they're hoping to generate more tips from the public.

DAVID SUNDBERG, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI: The tips from the public really have been very helpful. But as I mentioned, we were still trying to identify the suspect. So were trying to release a little more information. Such that maybe it will jog someone's memory. Maybe allegiances have changed or relationships have changed and it's time to report.

PEREZ: Now, Sundberg says this is not a cold case. The FBI will continue to try to find the bomber, no matter how long it takes.

[08:20:08]

SUNDBERG: The FBI has got a long memory. It's got a long reach, and we will work these cases to their logical conclusion.

PEREZ: Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Our thanks to Evan there.

All right, the US surgeon general is sounding the alarm about the link between alcohol and increased cancer risk.

In a new advisory, he is linking alcohol consumption to seven types of cancer and is calling for warning labels on alcoholic beverages, just like the ones you see on cigarettes.

CNN's Meg Tirrell is joining us now with the details. This is quite something. I'm very curious to hear what these links are.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sarah, I mean, this is the direction that the scientific research has been headed for some time. We've increasingly been hearing that no amount of alcohol is really recommended for your health. And that really goes against the suggestions we've been hearing since the 90s. That maybe alcohol, at in moderation, maybe red wine, maybe it's good for you. Increasingly, that's been going in the opposite direction.

And so today the US surgeon general is issuing this advisory, noting that alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, and notes that even though this scientific research has been emerging, the majority of Americans actually don't realize that risk between alcohol and cancer.

In their release, they're noting that alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven different types of cancer. And as part of this advisory, the surgeon general is also calling for an update to the health warning labels on alcoholic beverages to include this link to cancer.

He notes that there are 100,000 cases and 20,000 deaths associated with cancer that are linked to alcohol in the United States every year, and so those seven different types of cancer that have the link to alcohol consumption are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophagus cancer, liver, mouth, throat and voice box cancer.

He notes that more than 16 percent of breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption, Sara. So, this is something that's trying to raise awareness to make sure that folks know about this link, where the scientific evidence has been going for some time.

SIDNER: Yes, but it was the one thing my doctor said that I could not have after being diagnosed with cancer was alcohol, it was the one thing. How difficult, though is it going to be to get warning labels on alcoholic beverages? I seem to remember there is a big fight about cigarettes.

TIRRELL: Yes, you know, it's going to have to go through Congress. We'll have to see what the support is there for that. With this incoming administration, we know that President Trump abstains from alcohol. RFK, Jr., of course, his nominee for health secretary is somebody who doesn't drink either.

And so, we'll have to see what their support is for it, as well as what the support is in Congress.

We know that this incoming administration is putting a lot of emphasis on chronic disease management, for example, and it will be interesting to see how this goes.

And also interesting that the surgeon general issues this just with a few weeks left to go before the new administration comes in.

SIDNER: Yes, that is right. Meg Tirrell, thank you so much. It's really interesting, appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right, we are chasing down Republicans on Capitol Hill this morning to figure out if House Speaker Mike Johnson has the votes to keep his job. That vote happens shortly. We will tell you what we are just hearing. And one more thing to worry about, a huge, super-hot object falls from space where it hit, what it hit, what it is, and what else might be coming.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:27:39]

SIDNER: New Congress, same old fight. The big question on Capitol Hill today, does House Speaker Mike Johnson have the votes to keep the speakership? He can only afford to lose two Republicans. And right now, one has already said hell no, and several more are not committing to Johnson.

CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten is here on this third day of January. Walk us through the math.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I just want to note that my button on the top right here, the collar. I realized I had one button, one unbuttoned. I was able to get that second one button just in time.

SIDNER: I'm impressed because that button was saying hell no this morning.

ENTEN: That's exactly right. We're going to say hell no a lot in this segment. Okay, so look, this is the simple math. We went through it yesterday. I feel like it's deja vu all over again when it comes to these Speaker races. Look, this is the simple math, right? GOP reps can sink Johnson's speaker bid.

In scenario one, if just two, vote against him. If just two Republican representatives vote against him. Assuming, of course, 434 members vote and no Democrats vote for Johnson, which is what we expect if just two Republicans vote against him, he doesn't win the speakership.

How about scenario two, if one votes against him and then two abstain, i.e. vote present, then that two would deny Johnson the speakership.

Look, were dealing with a historically narrow majority, the narrowest going into a Speaker's vote this early in the Congress since 1917. And the bottom line is, the math is just so, so tight. Just a few Republicans can throw this entire situation into gosh darn chaos.

SIDNER: All right, we saw 15 votes, I think, to get the former speaker in place. He kept losing, kept losing and finally won. Where do we stand right now with what we know where the GOP members are?

ENTEN: Yes and I keep in mind the math here is turning every few minutes. So stay tuned on this. I actually took a slide out because I wasn't so confident in the math, but I am confident on this particular slide. Some Republicans who may not vote for Johnson, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, he is, as I said, we were going to say hell no on this segment. He is a hell no, I'm voting for Johnson, at least on that first ballot.

How about serious qualms, remember then, we just need either one more Republican to vote against or two to vote present, that is abstain. And look at this Chip Roy of Texas. And then, of course, Victoria Spartz of the great State of Indiana.

And keep in mind, both of these folks didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy. You mentioned that 15 vote thing. They didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy on five or more ballots in January of 2023.

So, the idea that these two would throw the speakership race into a complete mess, well, there's some real history of that going on here. So, both of these are definitely in play, but Thomas Massie at this point is the "hell no." And that's probably going to be the last time I use the word hell, at least in this segment, then we'll see.

SIDNER: Well, thank you Harry. It's only the third. We can't say it more than three times. I do want to mention the reason why we know is because they have been public about it. There are some Republicans who have not been so public about it, but privately talking about it. So, what is the chance we end up, Johnson wins on the first ballot?

[08:30:32]