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New Video Shows Brutal Assault on Officer as GOP Whitewashes Jan. 6th Riot; Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) Discusses GOP Trying to Whitewash Jan. 6th Riot, Marjorie Taylor Greene's Ongoing Harassment of Democrat Members of Congress; Soon, CDC to Ease Restrictions on Masking, Social Distancing for Vaccinated Americans; Biden Meets with GOP Senators on Infrastructure; 6 of 7 Yankees Staffers Who Got J&J Vaccine Suddenly Test Positive for COVID. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired May 13, 2021 - 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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ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: CNN obtained exclusive body camera footage showing the moment D.C. Metropolitan police officer, Michael Fanone, was brutally attacked during the Capitol insurrection.

It's hard to watch so I'm going to only show a moment. It's important you see it, especially right now.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, whoa, whoa.

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CABRERA: Officer Fanone was knocked unconscious. He suffered a heart attack. He is still recovering from his injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.

Yet, on the very day that video of his attack was released, some Republicans are choosing, instead, to defend the insurrectionists.

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REP. ANDREW CLYDE (R-GA): There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold-faced lie. Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked

through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures.

You know, if you didn't know the footage was from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.

REP. PAUL GOSAR (R-AZ): Outright propaganda and lies are being used to unleash the national security state against law-abiding U.S. citizens, especially Trump voters. As a result, the DOJ is harassing peaceful patriots across the country.

REP. JODY HICE (R-GA): was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others.

REP. PAT FALLON (R-TX): So it was January 6th an insurrection that can more actually be described as a mob of misfits committing disorderly conduct, violent entry, civil disobedience, vandalism, unlawful entry, et cetera?

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CABRERA: Peaceful? Mob of misfits? A tourist visit? No.

I want to bring in former Republican Senator Jeff Flake, of Arizona.

Senator, I just don't get it. Not only can we all see with our own eyes what happened, but it sounds like they're defending the insurrectionists.

FORMER SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-AZ): Yes, you and me both. It's as if they don't know the video still exists.

[13:35:04]

It was unbelievable to hear that a regular tourist visit, normal tourist visits. I mean, I spent 18 years on Capitol Hill. We never had a tourist visit like this.

This was an insurrection. I don't know what else you call it.

CABRERA: Well, some would call it domestic terrorism. And we know that there were extremist groups that were part of that mob.

But these lawmakers have obviously made the calculation that this helps them in some way. How so?

FLAKE: Yes, I just don't -- they were saying this the same day that they removed Liz Cheney from a leadership position, the one person on Capitol Hill, or one of the few, who actually will tell the truth about what happened on -- you know, in November with the election, and then on January 6th.

So it's a party, really, in denial. And, you know, it's obviously bad for the party going forward. But it's worse for the country, if we try to -- you know, people try

to get us to lose faith in elections going ahead. That's just not right.

CABRERA: I just talked with Dana a few minutes ago about Marjorie Taylor Greene, and her apparent ongoing harassment of Democratic members of Congress. Is she the future of your party?

FLAKE: Absolutely not. To see her continue to basically try to get attention, draw attention to herself -- she doesn't have any committees, so she's just left with stunts, like this.

It's not a good look for the party. I don't know how anybody thinks that it is.

But we're -- you know, she's playing to a shrinking base, and then that will come back to bite Republicans in the end.

CABRERA: But there are more Republicans attacking and mocking Liz Cheney right now than Marjorie Taylor Greene.

FLAKE: Yes, that is the problem. That hasn't gone unnoticed, that people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz, can go have a rally and have cheering mobs there.

And then, somebody like Mitt Romney can be booed at a convention of Republicans. That's where the party is right now. And there's no future for that kind of party.

CABRERA: Liz Cheney has been echoing a lot of the same words we heard from you, when you were in office, you know, warnings about democracy. And that was well before the insurrection.

The majority of the party has apparently chosen a different path. For Republicans like you and Liz Cheney, you know, waiting for the fever to break, how can you be sure it will?

FLAKE: Yes. It struck me. I looked back at a speech I gave on the Senate floor in January of '18, three years before the insurrection, warning that activities and behavior like the president had exhibited might lead to some violence and obviously degradation of our democracy.

It turns out I didn't know the half of it. I had no idea it would evolve into something like this.

The hope is that we can -- you know, that this was a fever that will pass. But it seems less like a fever all the time and a full-on big illness.

And, you know, usually Republicans find religion after a bad election. We've had a few of those.

Maybe it will take some more before enough Republicans will say there's no future for this kind of party, we have to appeal to a broader electorate. We actually have to deal with issues going forward, and not try to

litigate old elections.

So I don't know how long it will take but it will turn eventually.

And I'm just very proud of what Liz Cheney did. I really am.

CABRERA: Former Senator Jeff Flake, I appreciate your voice. Thank you for continuing to speak out. And for being with us today.

FLAKE: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Deadly airstrikes, rockets, rioting, violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians sweeping through several cities. We're on the ground.

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CABRERA: Just in, a big announcement expected in just minutes at the White House COVID briefing.

Let's go to Kaitlan Collins at the White House.

What are you learning, Kaitlan?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is significant. Earlier this week, we were told by officials at the White House they were not expecting the CDC to update its guidance on mask wearing.

But now in just about 17 minutes or so, you are going to hear from the CDC director at a COVID-19 briefing updating new guidance from the CDC for people who are fully vaccinated.

And, of course, the biggest headline that's going to come out of this is they are going to ease restrictions on vaccinated people having to wear a mask.

This is something they have come under fire for several days from, not just from Republicans, and lawmakers, but even other public health experts, who have said the CDC has not been practical enough when it comes to this guidance.

They haven't been clear enough, or they've been too conservative on what this guidance should look like.

And clearly, it appears that they have heard those criticisms, because we are expecting them to say that people who are fully vaccinated can go without their mask, even in a lot of indoor settings.

We're still waiting for what the specifics of this are going to be from these health officials when we hear from them momentarily. That's going to be a big takeaway.

[13:45:08]

And they're also going to talk about distancing, and what vaccinated people can and cannot do, their recommendations for what they can and should not do when it comes to distancing.

And so this is big because, of course, this has been a chief complaint against the CDC.

It's been on full display this week, Ana, even if -- you saw Senator Susan Collins pressing the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, in the Capitol Hill testimony.

Saying that she used to think the CDC was the gold standard. But didn't anymore because their guidance has often been so much further behind what other public health expert are even saying.

So we'll wait to hear from them on what their explanation is for why they felt now was time to change the guidance. What was the decision making behind this?

But we did know that Elizabeth Cohen, our colleague, reported earlier this morning there was a debate within the CDC about needing to tweak its guidance, pointing to comedians making fun of the CDC's guidance and saying, well, they kind of have a point, yes, it's too conservative and too confusing right now.

We should basically for them to say, what Dr. Fauci said today, earlier, which is if you were vaccinated, you can essentially get rid of your mask in a lot of settings.

And hopefully, they'll be clear about that in a few moments from now.

CABRERA: Kaitlan Collins, I think a lot of fully vaccinated people are, you know, celebrating at this moment, ready to ditch the mask. And it feels good to think we might be on the brink of that.

Thank you, Kaitlan. We'll check back.

I want to go back to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, standing by.

We were talking about this a few minutes ago, Sanjay. You weren't expecting this imminent announcement. No indication today was the day they were going to change their tune.

What's your reaction to this news? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's good

news, I think. As Kaitlan was saying, and Elizabeth Cohen has been reporting on, there's been a lot of back and forth on this in terms of the communication.

But I think the science of it has been out there for some time, which is why they're -- there's been public health officials outside the CDC who said what gives here, why such cautious guidance still, given what we know about these vaccines.

So I think there's two points. One is that it's becoming very clear this virus just doesn't transmit outdoors. So whether you vaccinated or not, that's the case.

If the virus doesn't transmit outdoors, that's a significant thing to know, whether you're vaccinated or not. You probably don't need to wear a mask.

Indoors, which I think is going to be, as Kaitlan was saying, the biggest sort of thing that we may hear now shortly, is that we know that vaccinated people are very protected against getting sick, even if they're exposed to the virus.

And what the science now shows is that they are very unlikely to then potentially infect somebody else if you're a vaccinated person.

So that also sort of says, well, if that's the case, I'm not likely to get sick, not likely to become infected, not likely to transmit the virus, then why do I need to wear a mask?

That's what a lot of people have been asking. And I think what we may hear - we'll see -- what the CDC says is they'll say, in a lot of indoor situations now, if you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask.

A big part of this, I'll just say, Ana, in some ways, really, incentivizing people to go get vaccinated.

We live in a vaccinated and unvaccinated America. If you're in the vaccinated part of America, you get to do all these things. If you're not vaccinated, you don't, not all of them.

So that's going to be important.

CABRERA: I also wonder if it will make a difference in terms of vaccine hesitancy, not just because people would need an incentive, but if those who are hesitant are just simply, you know, still wondering, you know, should they trust the vaccine, this certainly sends a message.

You know, used to be masks work. Now, this message is vaccines work.

GUPTA: Yes, I think for that reason, for sure, that this is from a very cautious CDC. They're saying that we're so confident now in these vaccines that, in many of these situations, you don't need to wear a mask. That is going to be significant. I also -- I do think that the other part of it -- I've got to say, again, as a dad of three 12 to 15-year-old girls, the fact that they get vaccinated and they're coming to me and asking for it.

Because it opens these doors for them, summer camps, hanging out with their friends, doing all the things they've been wanting to do, immersing themselves in the sea of humanity, the things they need to do at this age.

They will get to do that with the vaccine, that's significant.

I mean, that's -- the incentive should be enough that it can really prevent you from getting sick and save your life. But now that you have a life, what do you get to do with it? That's what this message is about.

CABRERA: Living more fully, that's for sure.

I do worry, though, about people who aren't vaccinated, and then they are seeing so many other people not wearing masks anymore, what the impact of that's going to be on people who aren't vaccinated yet.

I guess they'll just take off their masks, you know.

GUPTA: I think that's -- that is a fundamental point, Ana. You're absolutely right.

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And even if you then -- let's say you're a vaccinated person and you go into a setting, unless you know for certain that other people are vaccinated, you may not know who's vaccinated and who's not. That's going to make it challenging.

There's no requirements rights now to show vaccination status in a lot of places, certainly not outdoors, for example. So do you know who around you is vaccinated or not?

I think that's going to be a question that may come up. Hopefully, the CDC is thinking about that and will address it.

CABRERA: OK, Sanjay, thank you. We'll talk to you soon.

Quick break. We'll be right back.

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CABRERA: Right now, the president is speaking ahead of his meeting with those six Republican Senators to talk infrastructure. Let's listen.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you in the press may be getting tired of seeing me all day today. I'm going to see you again later, too. But I hope my colleagues aren't tired of seeing me. They just got

here.

Look, what we're doing is, at the request of -- mutual request of us getting together, getting leading Republicans of the Senate together to see if we can work out something on a compromise on infrastructure.

And I know they're sincere about it, and so am I. And what we're going to try to do is figure out what we can agree constitutes infrastructure from each of our perspectives.

And then see whether or not we're in a position that -- how much we want to fund it above the baseline, the baseline meaning what we spent last year. And then, talk about how to proceed from there.

But I assure you -- I know Senator Capito, this is in good faith. It's a genuine effort. I think we can get there.

And I'm hoping that -- just in case, I brought along two of the secretaries who are smarter than I am so they can answer the really tough questions.

But all kidding aside, I'm looking forward to this meeting.

And I want to thank you all for coming in. And we appreciate you being here. So, thank you for being here.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President --

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Come on, let's go. Thank you. Let's go. Thank you. Thank you guys.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, you guys. Thank you, let's go. Thank you. Let's go.

CABRERA: OK, that was the president just moments ago at the White House. He'll have that meeting.

And we are awaiting another press conference. This one with the CDC in which we are anticipating they are going to be making a big announcement regarding whether people have to wear masks indoors if they are fully vaccinated.

They adjusted their guidelines a couple of weeks ago. Said if you're outdoors and you're fully vaccinated, you can let the masks go.

We heard Dr. Fauci this morning saying, in very specific terms, that way.

I want to bring back Dr. Gupta. Sanjay is here with us again.

And I was just looking at the averages, Sanjay, because, right now, we're averaging about 36,000 new cases a day, which is a big drop from what we have seen.

But it's still tens of thousands of Americans who are becoming infected every day. We still have more than 600 people who are dying of coronavirus daily on average.

So do you think it's time? Is this the right move?

GUPTA: Well, I think from the science standpoint, I totally agree with you on these numbers. And there's areas of the country where they have a higher sort of proportion of these new cases as well.

So it's hard to paint the entire country with one brush here, you know? There's places where the viral transmission is much higher than other places.

But, yes, I think, you know, the thing about it is, Ana, that I think, just as much as the science sort of indicated that we needed to apply these mitigation measures, masking and things like that, back last year, last spring, the science is now showing us that we are probably continuing to do things that we no longer need to do. I guess that's the simplest way of putting it.

The transition time is tough. It's tough to convince people to start wearing masks and physically distancing and things like that.

And now that we've been through these 14, 15 months, what the science is showing is that people who are vaccinated are really very well protected against getting sick. We've known that for some time.

But what the emerging science is showing is that they're also very unlikely, even if they do have what's known as a breakthrough infection, meaning you got vaccinated, you got tested and you came back positive, and you said, wait, I thought the vaccines worked.

The vaccines work at preventing you from getting really sick. That's what they do.

But the big question is, if you do get infected still, do you get enough virus in your system to then transmit that virus to somebody else?

And what the science is increasingly showing is that that is also very unlikely.

So what does it all mean? If you're vaccinated, you're not likely to get sick. Even if you do become infected or test positive for COVID, you're very unlikely to transmit that virus to somebody else.

And if you put that all together, it makes a definitive case for not needing to wear a mask if you're a vaccinated person in most situations.

CABRERA: Which is fantastic news. I know I, among many others, are so happy to hear this.

I can't ignore, though, there are headlines that we see, like today, with six out of seven people who are part of the Yankees staff who had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine suddenly testing positive, although six of those seven were asymptomatic cases.

What do you make of that?

GUPTA: Yes, so, this -- I saw that. And we were talking about that earlier.

[13:59:56]

What is interesting is, so, this is a situation where people got vaccinated. Then they were getting tested, for routine purposes. Maybe because of travel or something like that, they were getting tested.

So when they got those test results back, it was surprising, right, because they had been vaccinated.