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Carter Lies in Repose at Carter Center; Trudeau to Resign; Tim Heaphy is Interviewed about the January 6th Committee; Golden Globe Awards. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired January 06, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:31:08]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Today marks the final day that former President Jimmy Carter will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta. Tomorrow morning his casket expected to travel to Washington for the next phase of his funeral services.

CNN's Eva McKend is live outside of the Carter Center.

What are you learning this morning?

EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, Atlanta such an important city to President Carter. You know, not only is it home to the globally consequential Carter Center, this is the city where he served as governor before he ultimately ascended to the White House.

And, of course, is much different than his rural hometown community of Plains. And we were spending some time there at his home church, Maranatha Baptist Church. Right now, Maranatha has its first female pastor. This is something that President Carter really advocated for before his passing, female leadership in the church, female pastors in the church.

Take a listen to how she is thinking about this moment.

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ASHLEY GUTHAS, PASTOR, MARANATHA BAPTIST CHURCH: In this country where, to speak bluntly, we still live in a patriarchal nation. We still live in a place where white men are often - their voices are often evaluated and listened to and believed more strongly than a woman. And so to have a president of the United States, who realized within his lifetime the importance of speaking out to the harm that's been done, I am just incredibly grateful for the legacy and the work that we have to continue to do, because women are still not equal. And we have a long way to go. But his voice was one of power that was used for good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And, Sara, President Carter will continue to lie in repose until 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta tomorrow, before ultimately heading to Washington, D.C., and then back to his hometown of Plains.

Sara.

SIDNER: And I know it's been raining there this morning, but we are now seeing crowds surrounding his casket there in Atlanta.

Thank you so much, Eva McKend, for your reporting this morning.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And some breaking news this morning. A source telling CNN that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will resign as party leader today, though he will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen.

Let's get right over to CNN's Paula Newton, who's in Ottawa for us.

Paula, bring us up to speed. What are you hearing?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is the breaking news. At 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time, the prime minister is expected to hold a press conference in which he is - we are told that he will step down as the party leader, but not as prime minister. What does that mean? It means he continues business as usual until a new liberal party leader can be chosen.

Now, Kate, here's where things get interesting. Parliament is not sitting right now. The opposition parties might have something to say about that in terms of how long this Liberal Party leadership race could go on. It adds to really some chaos and confusion here in Canada, to begin 2025.

I mean, look, Kate, this is a leader who's been in office for more than nine years. He started off in something called sunny ways, right? He wanted government to be different. He definitely outlined a progressive agenda, but the polls have really plummeted for him and his party in recent months. He's behind at least 20 points of the nearest party, which is conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

And, I mean, you know, you start with sunny ways and yet this morning, on a very frigid morning here in Ottawa, he is left with a person who has been told by his own legislators, his own members of the parliament from the Liberal Party that he must go, that they do not believe they can win the next election with him.

I mean, look, Kate, a lot of the same issues in the United States that have gone on here in Canada in terms of what Canadians are worried about. You've got inflation, legal - legal immigration that is putting a lot of stress on public services. And certainly there have been scandals and overall the fiscal picture does not look good.

[09:35:02]

What has not helped, though, is definitely President-elect Donald Trump. I want you to look at a post from him right now in which he again calls - this is not for the first time - has called Trudeau the governor of the 51st state. And also the governor, Justin Trudeau, of Canada, he says, whose citizens' taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut more than 60 percent, their businesses would immediately double in size. He goes on to say that the border would be more secure.

Kate, look, President-elect Donald Trump has said that he will put 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada. He's not budged from that, really, despite the fact that Justin Trudeau, he went down to Mar-a- Lago to sit with him and try and get through this.

Canadians have likely decided that he is not the best person to try and deal with this going forward. And his own deputy prime ministers, finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, who is likely to run for the Liberal leadership to replace Trudeau, said that what Trudeau was doing in recent weeks were political gimmicks and that she wanted a more robust defense against what she calls America-first policies from Trump.

So, a busy morning ahead with Canadians still waiting to find out exactly what their government is going to look like and how it will function in the coming months, because this is uncharted territory.

BOLDUAN: Unchartered territory, that's for sure.

It's great to see you. Thank you so much, Paula, for the reporting.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, what one investigator on the January 6th Committee wishes he had done differently now that it is January 26 (ph), 2025.

And if you're not covered in snow right now, you may soon be. The forecast you need to hear from this relentless winter storm.

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[09:41:26]

BERMAN: It is four years to the day after a mob of Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol to try to stop the count of Electoral College votes. Today, it is all expected to happen without incident.

With us now is the former lead investigator of the January 6th Committee, an author of, "What January 6th and Charlottesville Reveal about Rising Threat to American Democracy."

Tim Heaphy, so nice to see you.

TIM HEAPHY, FORMER LEAD INVESTIGATOR, JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE: Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: And I just want to start at this 50,000 foot view that, what is the connection between Charlottesville and January 6th?

HEAPHY: A lot of connections, John. The main one is that each event started with sort of a precipitating fact. In Charlottesville it was Civil War statues. In Washington it was the election. But they became broader forums for people to express anger at institutions, anger at government. And that's really, I think, the core divide that we face in this country. It's no longer sort of a left versus a right divide. It's more, those who believe in institutions and those who are skeptical that those institutions no longer work for them.

BERMAN: And I wanted you to lay that framework because I want to take it today, or actually, frankly, 14 days from now. If there is this movement of those fighting institutions, how will those people in that fight perceive it if those that have been convicted are pardoned the first day that President Trump takes office?

HEAPHY: Yes. Look, I think it exacerbates frustration with the system if it doesn't hold people accountable. There has to be criminal or other responsibility for crimes. And the fact that a lot of the people that organized January 6th may not ever have legal accountability I think only exacerbates that sense that the system doesn't really work.

BERMAN: Do you - when we were coming out of commercial, you said, you fear that this violence will not go away. These are, in January 6th, certainly largely Trump supporters. Do you anticipate there will be violence during a Trump administration?

HEAPHY: Hard to say. Look, there are two responses to that - that frustration with institutions. Some of it is anger. And, unfortunately, we've seen spasms of anger, like Charlottesville and like January 6th.

The other reaction, though, is apathy. And my fear is that a lot of people in this country say, you know what, it doesn't matter. And they're all crooked. Those institutions don't work for me. And they withdraw from precipitation. That gives outsize authority to people with perspectives that aren't particularly mainstream. And I think that's really dangerous. So, we have to combat anger. We have to combat apathy just as much.

BERMAN: Well, talk about apathy for a second here because, what are your feelings today on January 6th? I mean you were immersed in the issues surrounding January 6, 2021. When you were working with that committee, investigating all of this, could you have imagined a moment when Donald Trump was facing a new inauguration at the same place that was stormed by rioters supporting him?

HEAPHY: No. Hard to imagine that we would be back here.

What's going to happen today, John, is what has happened historically, and ideally will happen henceforth, which is essentially a ratification of what the people decided. The people in November voted for President-elect Trump, and his election will be certified by his opponent, who he defeated in the election. That is the peaceful transfer of power. That's democracy. That is what - regardless of party, Republicans or Democrats has always happened. We had an anomaly, I hope an anomaly, in 2021. Get back to normal today.

BERMAN: What would you have done differently in the January 6th Committee now looking back, if anything?

HEAPHY: Not much, candidly. I feel like we told a story that will stand up to the test of time.

[09:45:00]

We knew all along that our primary audience was history, was telling a story that would be scrutinized, which would be carefully picked apart by scholars, by journalists, by people across the board. And I'm confident that the story that is laid out in that report, that we told in those hearings, will stand the test of time. I don't have a lot of regrets about that story.

BERMAN: What about the timeline, which, frankly, isn't on you as much as it is on the Justice Department, so say critics. They didn't start their criminal investigation until after the referral from the committee.

Do you wish the Justice Department had started everything much sooner?

HEAPHY: Yes. Absolutely. We were getting to people who had not yet been contacted by the Department of Justice. Really central figures inside of the White House, inside of the Trump administration. Had they been contacted earlier, had the Justice Department saw what the committee saw, evidence of criminal conduct, then the cases could have been brought sooner. Potentially there could have been adjudication prior to the election.

BERMAN: All right, Tim Heaphy, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for coming kin.

HEAPHY: Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: It is official! The start of the awards season in Hollywood is underway. We're going to take a look at the winners and surprises from last night's Golden Globes.

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BOLDUAN: Hollywood's award season is upon us and kicked off last night with the Golden Globes. One of the highlights, Demi Moore, taking home her first major acting award after more than 45 years in the industry.

Watch.

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DEMI MOORE, GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER FOR BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN MUSICAL OR COMEDY: I've been doing this a long time, like, over 45 years, and this is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor. And I'm just so humbled and so grateful. Today, I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love

that is driving me and for the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: She won for "The Substance," which she was amazing in.

The big screen adaptation of the Broadway hit "Wicked" snagged its first major win. And "Hacks" is back on top. The hit series reclaiming the best television series award for musical or comedy.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has all of the hits and maybe the misses as well.

Another huge highlight at least for me was the host of the evening, but let's get to that in a second.

Start with the wins. What stood out to you?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this was a huge kickoff to award season, Kate. It was a really good show. And some surprising winners, I have to tell you, in the room. There were a lot of gasps because people weren't sure what was going to win. And "The Brutalist" came out on top, along with "Emilia Perez" on the film side.

Now, why this matters is because this really sets the stage for the Oscars. The Oscars is in March. So, we have two months, that road all the way to the Oscars. But now these two films are leading. And remember, at the Oscars, they don't separate drama and comedy. So, those two leading films from the Globes are going to be competing against each other.

Now, I spoke about "Emilia Perez." And the first win of the night came for Zoe Saldana. She was a first-time nominee, which is hard to imagine. She's been in the industry for so long. She gave such a powerful speech.

Let's take a look.

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ZOE SALDANA, GOLDEN GLOBES WINNER FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE: My heart is full of gratitude. Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of "Emilia Perez." Thank you so much! Oh, my God!

I know that it is a competition, but all that I have witnessed is just us showing up for each other and celebrating each other. And it's just so beautiful.

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WAGMEISTER: Now, this was really a moment of women supporting women. And the women of "Emilia Perez" have really been together throughout this whole press run. So, again, a big night for them. And as you said, on the TV side, "Hacks" was the leader on the comedy side and on the drama side with "Shogun." So, not huge surprises on the television side, Kate, but more so on the film side.

BOLDUAN: "Hacks" back on top! Many people are very happy about that.

Talk to me about Nikki Glazer. She was hilarious. And she's known to be pretty great at roasting people. What are people saying about - and - but also, admittedly, everyone knows hosting any of these award shows is like the hardest thing on the planet. So, what are people saying?

WAGMEISTER: It is. You know, people always say that hosting an award show is a thankless job. That's what I always hear from comedians because they're usually panned. But Nikki Glazer was the opposite. She is getting rave reviews. And I'm not surprised because she was hilarious.

Let's take a look at one of the funniest moments where she poked fun at one of the biggest entertainment stories of the year.

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NIKKI GLAZER, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBES: And "Challengers," girl, oh, my God, it was so good. I mean, that movie was more sexually charged than Diddy's credit card. I mean, seriously. Oh, no. No, I - no, I'm sorry, I'm upset, too. The after-party's not going to be as good this year, but we have to move on. I know a Stanley Tucci freak off just doesn't have the same ring to it, but no baby oil this year, just lots of olive oil, OK.

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WAGMEISTER: I mean, poor Stanley Tucci, right? But he took it like a champ. And she also poked fun at Timothy Chalamet, Selena Gomez's new fiance. But everybody took it in stride. She didn't go quite there, like Ricky Gervais does, where he really kind of upset some celebrities in the room.

[09:55:03]

So, she really struck the perfect balance.

And, Kate, I sat down with her a few days ago and she told me that she really wants to host the Golden Globes more than once. She wants this to be a recurring gig. So, I think she could asked back. She was great.

BOLDUAN: She was. She really was. I mean some - I wish we could play more of her stuff because they were hilarious.

BERMAN: You're a big fan.

BOLDUAN: I'm a big - she's a - she's been good for a very long time, but she's really kind of exploded. People were really impressed with - when - her inclusion in the roast of Tom Brady. And she - SIDNER: He's still hurting, by the way.

BERMAN: I'm not. I used to -

SIDNER: He's still angry about that.

BERMAN: She - that was just different. That was like cruel.

SIDNER: Uh-huh. See.

BERMAN: This was decidedly not. I agree with Elizabeth, this was not cringy.

BOLDUAN: She is - she has talked - but she's talked about, she does it with love. She does a lot of research. She like tries to come at it with a little bit of love and then like, get them in the end. And it's been great.

BERMAN: Just like Kate Bolduan.

WAGMEISTER: You know what, and, John -

SIDNER: I was - I knew he was going to say that. John's still upset. It - for his Tom Brady.

WAGMEISTER: John, I did as the question for you - for you, John, though. So, on the carpet, I have to tell you quickly, I interviewed one of the stars of "The Bear," and I actually asked them, I said, you have to settle this debate now. Is "The Bear" a comedy or a drama? Because I know, John, we talk about that all the time. He told me it's a comedy. And I kind of told him I didn't agree with him, but that the show is funny.

BERMAN: Oh.

WAGMEISTER: So, I got that for you, John.

BERMAN: I just feel bad - I feel so bad for him.

All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister -

BOLDUAN: Well, his answer is, just stop talking. They're wrong.

SIDNER: Yes. Stop it.

BERMAN: It is.

BOLDUAN: Stop it.

SIDNER: Thank you guys for joining us. We are going to go hash this out on our own.

"NEWSROOM" is up next.

BOLDUAN: Is there a com - can you call it a crama?

SIDNER: A crama.

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