Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

As Vaccination Progress Stalls, Disparities Remain Between Vaccinated And Unvaccinated People; New CNN Analysis Break Down Makeup Of 33% Unvaccinated in U.S.; CNN Analysis: Groups Hit Hardest By COVID Are Getting Fewer Vaccines; GA Rep. Proves Her Apology For Holocaust Comparisons Meant Nothing; Trump Reportedly Said, "Hitler Did A Lot Of Good Things" on 2018 Trip; TX GOP Rep.: "18 More Months Of Chaos" Is What We Want; GOP Senator Ron Johnson Says Climate Change is BS; FAA Will Look Into Flight Delayed By Anti-Mask High Schoolers; Tour Organizer: Students Who Delayed Flight Over Mask Mandate Were Treated "Overly Harsh"; Tropical Storm Elsa Poses Threat to Entire East Coast; "History of Sitcom" Premieres Sunday at 9P and 10P ET/PT. Aired 3:30- 4p ET

Aired July 07, 2021 - 15:30:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:00]

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, you might say, it's only 4 percentage points, that's not such a big deal. It is a big deal. That is millions and millions of people who should have been vaccinated who are not. And so, the southern region has really suffered in this vaccination role out.

Victor?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. Some important disparities there. You know, there is that initiative to get young people vaccinated. What do we know when you look at it from an age perspective?

COHEN: You know, the same -- you see the same disparities, the same differences. Younger often people think, oh, I don't need to get vaccinated. If I got COVID, I probably wouldn't get that sick. And so, they're not. The problem is that maybe they won't get that sick. I mean, they might. But even if they don't get that sick, they're very capable of being vectors and getting other people sick.

So, let's take a look. If you look at COVID cases all the way to the right, what that bar shows is that young people, ages 18 to 39, represented 39 percent of all COVID cases in the U.S. but they only represented about 27.5 percent of the vaccines. At the very least, their population is 30 percent. So, they were getting vaccinated at a proportion much less than what they are in the population. Again, millions of people who didn't get vaccinated who should be vaccinated. ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So, Elizabeth, yesterday we spoke to Andy Slavitt, of course, the former White House COVID adviser. He believes that getting full FDA approval for the vaccine will sway some of the hold outs. Here is what he said?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER TO COVID RESPONSE: For many of the people that he's talking about and you were talking about that are on the fence, that will be a telltale sign for them to say, why am I on the fence any longer? This is now been fully approved by the FDA and even though it's got a great record already, that will, I think, be another stamp of approval.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean, anecdotally, I've heard the same thing but do we know that to be true?

COHEN: You know, I'm going to use old time expression here, Alisyn. From his mouth to God's ear, let's hope that full approval, which is absolutely expected in the coming months, will convince people who don't want to get vaccinated because they say it only has emergency use authorization. I want it after it has full authorization, a longer process of approval. For some people that might make a difference, for some other people, I think they won't care. I think it really depends on the person. But I wouldn't count on it making all the difference.

CAMEROTA: OK. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for all the new information today.

COHEN: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: All right. Up next, Georgia, Republican congresswoman, proves that her apology, which you'll remember, for comparing masks to the holocaust was completely empty because she's back at it again.

BLACKWELL: Plus, a new book details a conversation where Former President Trump reportedly said, "Hitler did a lot of good things."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:00]

CAMEROTA: Now, an update on a story we brought you last month about the freshman congresswoman from Georgia's 14th district. You may recall that she visited the Holocaust Museum on Junes 14th and afterwards made a big public mea culpa apologizing for her previous offensive comments comparing COVID vaccinations to concentration camps and comparing Democrats to Nazis.

In her apology, she said she was "truly sorry for offending people with remarks about the holocaust. There's no comparison," she said, "there never, ever will be." Well, that lasted three weeks. Yesterday, she made another vaccine holocaust comparison. It is truly a shame that someone at the Holocaust Museum had to waste their precious giving her a tour and a shame that the rest of us had to waste our precious time listening to her phony apology. I believe in forgiveness, but let's not make that mistake again.

BLACKWELL: So, while we're talking about references to Nazis, we also learned today about comments Former President Trump reported made about Nazis. In the next (INAUDIBLE) new book, "Frankly, We Did Win this Election: The Inside Story of How Donald Trump Lost."

Wall Street journal reporter, Michael C. Bender, details a trip the former president took to Europe in 2018 to mark the 100 years since the end of World War I. Well, Bender says Trump told his then chief of staff, General John Kelly, "Hitler did a lot of good things.

CNN Political Director David Chalian joins us now.

So, David, I have to say this first, a spokesperson is calling this made up, fake news, "probably by a general who was incompetent and was fired." But listen, we all remember very fine people on both sides. I mean, we know that the president has said things about neo-Nazis where he's found some favorable element to highlight.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, Victor. We also know that he expressed appreciation for autocrats throughout his time in office, strong men, kind of leaders who have no relationship with small D democracy. And yet, Donald Trump was able to find favor with those kinds of leaders at a time.

But Hitler is even a part from everyone else, right? As Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to say her apology, her phony apology, as Alisyn rightly called it, there is no comparison. And to say that Hitler did some good things is to pervert history in such a horrific way, it just should not come from the lips of a president.

Now, as you noted, even Michael Bender and his reported, he did an interview in the book with the former president and Trump said he never had that conversation. But if you take this reporting at face value as to what General Kelly was trying to explain to Trump and hearing this back, you once again find yourself listening to an American president that sounds like none of his predecessors or successors.

[15:40:00]

CAMEROTA: Also, it reminded me that General Kelly also said he had to explain World War I and World War II, the history of them and who was involved to President Trump. He is truly uninterested in any history beyond the moment he's living at that moment.

Meanwhile, let's talk about what congressman -- Republican Congressman Chip Roy said. He gave the obstruction playbook out loud. He said it out loud. Here is what he said he's going to will focus on for the next 18 months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): Honestly, right now, for the next 18 months, our job is to do everything we can to slow that down to get to December of 2022 and get then in here and lead. I say actually, thank you, Lord, 18 more months of chaos and inability to get stuff done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, there you go. I mean, Mitch McConnell had said something similar, David.

CHALIAN: Yes. Listen, I don't think it will surprise anyone that Chip Roy is not in favor of Nancy Pelosi's agenda and the House Democratic agenda in trying to get it through. I am sure he sees his role in the minority as one to stop the policies he doesn't believe in with the majority.

Of course, as you're noting, it sort of just puts the political strategy out for all to see, which is not for there to be some season of governing or to find some way of compromising, actually getting something done on behalf of the American people, it is purely about obstruction, stopping, trying to delay any progress until the Republicans believe they can win the House of Representatives next November and take over.

So, there's probably not a lot of surprise to these comments, Alisyn, it's just that we don't often hear folks speak this way.

CAMEROTA: Just spill out the playbook right there.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

CHALIAN: Right.

BLACKWELL: So, let's listen to Senator Ron Johnson. First, he said he insisted that he is not a climate change denier. And just a couple of weeks ago, he said this. This is from CNN's K file.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): I don't know about you guys but I think climate changes is -- as Lord Monckton said -- OK. And by the way, it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: For those listening on serious XN (ph) he mouthed BS. So, I'm sure without the image, you have no idea what he said. But for me, who is surprised here? I mean, this is --

CAMEROTA: So, why is he denying being a denier?

BLACKWELL: Who is surprised by that?

CAMEROTA: I mean, but why is he doing that? Let's just own -- why doesn't he own it?

CHALIAN: But here is why these comments calling climate change BS like that are politically potentially problematic for Ron Johnson. He hasn't announced that he's running for re-election, but his seat is up next year. Should he run for re-election, you know, remember, Wisconsin was one of those states that Joe Biden built back.

That blue wall that Donald Trump tore done, that Joe Biden built back. Those kinds of comments, while they may work to gin up support in the Republican base and some of his fervent supporters, are exactly the kind of comments that are going to keep independences and suburbanites at bay from supporting Ron Johnson. And that is going to make his path to re-election that much tougher.

BLACKWELL: All right. David Chalian, thanks so much.

CHALIAN: Sure.

CAMEROTA: OK. Up next, a group of teenagers refuse to wear masks on an American airlines flight forcing the flight to be cancelled. Now, the FAA is involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:00]

CAMEROTA: Federal aviation officials looking into a group of high schoolers who had to be removed from a flight to the Bahamas because they refused to wear masks. The organizers of the group says the students were treated unfairly.

BLACKWELL: And CNN's Pete Muntean is with us now. Pete, what are you learning?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION AND TRANSPORTATION CORRESPONDENT: This is so interesting because typically these maskless passenger incidents involve about one or two people, not 30 teenagers, according to American Airlines. It says it all went down on a flight from Charlotte to Nassau and the Bahamas on Monday. American says its crew told these teens that they had to wear masks. They refused to do so. There was a bit of a scene onboard and then crew kicked the teens off of the flight.

But the company that organized this trip for the high schoolers says it's really just involved one passenger who was not wearing a mask. It says, "The act of one individual is not the responsibility of others, and the students that were abiding by the rules should not have to endure this type of treatment." Now, this caused this flight that was scheduled to leave on Monday to get delayed into Tuesday and the other passengers on board that flight say this did not involve just one bad apple. Here is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE KRZYWANSKI, PASSENGER ON DELAYED FLIGHT TO BAHAMAS: Some people's vacations were ruined. They were only going for a couple of nights, now they have to get rebooked.

MALIK BANKS, PASSENGER ON DELAYED FLIGHT TO BAHAMAS: It was bad. Firstly, they were yelling. They were cussing. They were being very obnoxious. It wasn't all of them. I wouldn't say all of them, I would 75 to 80 percent of them were being terrible kids. Saying smart stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Now, a source familiar with this incident tells me there was only one adult chaperone for all of those teenagers on board. The Federal Aviation Administration says it is aware and now looking into this incident. It has a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers on board commercial flights.

3,200 reports of unruly passenger incidents just this year along and the FAA says 75 percent of them have had to do with the transportation wide federal mask mandate. Violators could face $35,000 in fines for each incident and the total now for all of those passengers who have been fined so far this year, more than $600,000. Victor and Alisyn.

BLACKWELL: Wow. And Pete Muntean for us. Pete, thank you.

Still ahead, we are tracking Tropical Storm Elsa as it moves up the East Coast. Tornado, flash flood warnings are in effect right now. We've got the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

CAMEROTA: All right. Think of your favorite sitcom and how -- you got it in your head?

BLACKWELL: I do.

CAMEROTA: How much you like laughing at those nutty characters and their predicaments. Well, a new CNN original series "The History of the Sitcom" brings us behind the scenes look at your favorite shows from across the decades.

[15:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After ABC declined to move forward with the "All in the Family" pilot, Norman Lear made the decision to move the show over to CBS.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said, yes, but you need a new set of kids, So, Rob Reiner and I were the third set of children for Archie and Edith Bunker.

So, I made the pilot for the third time. Same script. I wouldn't change a word.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, let's hear it again. What did you mean by what God?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just don't see any evidence of God why, that's all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right, daddy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right, daddy. Well, I knew we had a couple of pinkos in this house but I didn't know we had atheists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do remember seeing the opening episode and realizing, my God, the ground is shaking under me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I'm going to tell you something.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. Wait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we reach over each other at the table and we have arguments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because guys like you unwilling to give the black man, the Mexican American and all the other minorities the just and right hard-earned share of the American dream.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That didn't happen before. We got real.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Wow.

BLACKWELL: Sitcom trend of reflecting real-life got a big boost in the '90s with the groundbreaking show "Living Single." Followed six friends living in Brooklyn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Club Nexus is the perfect spot for girls' night out. Yes. Great music and absolutely no men hitting on us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why aren't they hitting us? I look good. Right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: That's a clue. Kim Coles starred as Synclaire in the hit series as well as the popular comedy sketch show, of course everybody knows "In Living Color."

Kim Coles, thank you for being with us.

I watched "Martin" and then "Living Single" and then "New York Undercover," every week. I think it was Thursday.

KIM COLES, PLAYED SYNCLAIRE ON "LIVING SINGLE": It was the Thursday night lineup. Yes, it was.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Thursday night lineup on Fox. Why do you think -- because a lot of sitcoms from the '90s aren't relevant now. That one is. COLES: Well, that one is. And thank you for inviting me here. You know, that one is because we were upwardly mobile. We were -- you know, we loved each other. We were going places. And we had dreams and goals and we supported each other in it. And I don't know that you had seen six or two even black characters like that at that age at that time. It was really ground breaking because it was all the right things at all the right times.

And we also tackled social issues and relationship issues and questions about race and truth and honesty and all these things. And so, I just think it was the right time, the right people at the right time.

CAMEROTA: Wait a second, Kim. Upwardly mobile, six friends, loved each other, living in New York. Did "Friends" rip you guys off?

COLES: I -- if you just put them side by side and if you look at the timeline of things, I think you will have your answer. I think it's very interesting that the person running the network at the time was asked, which show do you wish that you had bought this season, and he said, "Living Single." And lo and behold, a few months later, that show came out. So, I'll let you look at the evidence and decide for yourself.

BLACKWELL: Yes. There have been people over the years who said, we should do a show like "Friends" with black people, and the answer is, we had that. It was called "Living Single."

CAMEROTA: It's been done.

COLES: Yes.

BLACKWELL: But let me ask you this, as you look now at the legacy of this show, what are some of your favorite behind the scenes moments?

COLES: Oh, well, the six of us got along right away. We blended right away. And so, we would take trips together. We found out that Erika Alexander who played Max and T.C. Carson who played Kyle have the same birthday and John's birthday, the one who played Overton, my love, was the next week. And so, we take trips and celebrate birthdays and dance and celebrate births and deaths and marriages altogether.

And so, it's the family stuff and the fun behind -- there's behind the scenes jokes that I cannot share. Family.

BLACKWELL: I'll trust you on that. Yes.

CAMEROTA: It was so interesting also to watch that "All in the Family" clip a second ago, because in some ways, so much has changed and in some ways, nothing has changes. Those conversations that Archie Bunker was having with Meathead still sounds so familiar.

COLES: So much so. And I remember really loving that show and loving that it was shaking the ground as that person said in the clip. I couldn't see who it was but maybe it was Normal Lear or maybe it was Rob Reiner. I don't know. CAMEROTA: Yes. Rob Reiner.

COLES: They were shaking the ground. And sitcom has the ability to be able to do that because you can tackle issues and conversations in a way that might be a little uncomfortable, but if you're willing to laugh and learn, you get to see it in a different way. And it is interesting that that show in particular was really -- and it is like today -- it's just like today.

BLACKWELL: It certainly is relevant.

Kim Coles, thank you so much for being with us. Again, "The History of the Sitcom" premieres this Sunday at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific.

"The Lead" starts right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)