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Simone Biles Quits Team Final, Citing Mental Health; Japan Hosts Dominican Republic In Baseball Opener; IOC Says More Can Be Done For Athletes' Mental Health. CDC Revises Mask Guidance As COVID Cases Rise Across U.S.; Police Officers Deliver Harrowing Accounts Of January 6 Attack; U.S. Secretary Of State To Meet PM Modi In India. Aired 12-12:45a EST
Aired July 28, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:40]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. It was like carrying the weight of the world, Simone Biles describes the pressure of extreme expectations as well as the stress of competing during a pandemic. And for many, her decision to pull out of competition shows the courage and character of a true world champion.
With soaring daily COVID infections in the U.S., public health officials reverse course, now recommending masks indoors for everyone.
And visceral emotional testimony from four police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from insurgents loyal to Donald Trump brings tears to lawmakers in Congress.
Well, day five at the Olympics has seen a fluttery of high profile medal wins in the pool, as well as a gut-wrenching decision by the world's best gymnast Simone Biles to withdraw from the team final. And still, no word if Biles will actually return to competition for the rest of the games.
The 24-year-old had been under incredible pressure. The face of Team USA, high expectations of winning gold, all weighing on her mental health, here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMONE BILES, U.S. OLYMPIC GYMNAST: And it's been really stressful this Olympic Games, I think, just as a whole. Not having an audience, there are a lot of different variables going into it. It's been a long week. It's been a long Olympic process. It's been a long year.
So, just a lot of different variables and I think we're just a little bit too stressed out but we should be out here having fun and sometimes that's not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Blake Essig is live, he's out in Japan to you in a moment. We have "WORLD SPORT" Anchor Patrick Snell here with more on Simone Biles and today's medal winners.
So far, it's been a good day for Australia. Medals in rowing and swimming. They still have some grounds to gain on the leaders though.
So, Patrick, first you with the very latest on the fallout. If there is any, if there's -- you know, there has been criticism but a lot of support for this decision by Simone Biles.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, John, no question, absolutely. This just the context here. One of the biggest names at the Summer Games, no question about that. The U.S. superstar gymnasts Simone Biles, 24 years of age, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
And on Tuesday, just to reset for our viewers, well, while withdrawing from the women's gymnastics team final citing, mental health concerns. That topic of course very much front and center with leading athletes across the world, people speaking out impactfully.
Biles have been competing in the event but withdrew after her lowest Olympic score in the vault. She did later return to cheer on her teammates as they took the silver medal. The Russian Olympic Committee taking gold.
Meantime, in a CNN interview, three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman who was a teammate of Biles at the Rio 16 Summer Games in Brazil, criticizing U.S. gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for a lack of leadership in supporting athletes while also having nothing at all but praise for the way in which her compatriot has handled the situation, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALY RAISMAN, COMPETED WITH BILES IN 2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM: I also just want to remind people that Simone Biles is human and every single athlete no matter how successful they are, every single athlete has good days and bad days. And every athlete has performances that they look back they wish they did better.
But I think gymnastics is one of those sports where, you know, someone like Simone makes it look easy, but it's actually in fact very difficult.
And so, when you think about what she's actually doing a two and a half twist, sometimes what happens is you're in the air, and you're -- you kind of lose track of have I done a half twist, have I done two twist, it gets a little bit confusing.
So, it is in fact actually very common. It's just, you know, I think it just shows unfortunately, that even the best athletes in the world, they have good days and bad days and I commend her for her bravery and speaking up and doing what was right for her and what she felt was right for the team. It's not easy.
But you know, even the greatest athletes of all time, they're not perfect and they're human too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Yes, Aly Raisman speaking earlier, John. They're impactful words indeed.
VAUSE: And yes, athletes are human like the rest of us. They suffer stress, especially at an Olympic level.
And on that note, we have gold medals up for grabs today. So, who are you watching in the pool?
SNELL: Well, as you said, another golden day for Australia.
VAUSE: Oh yes, Aussie Aussie Aussie.
[00:05:01]
SNELL: Aussie Aussie Aussie indeed. They're really special that day so far for the Australian Ariarne Titmus who proved too good once again for U.S. superstar Katie Ledecky who would have to settle for a fifth- place finish on Wednesday in this particular event, the 200-meter freestyle final. An emotional Titmus afterward with a gold medal finish clocking an Olympic record as well for her.
Then though, about an hour later, Ledecky back in the pool finally getting our hands on a gold medal at these games winning the 1,500- meter freestyle for a six career Olympic gold medal and first at these games.
This is the first time the women's 1,500 meters by the way is an Olympic event.
Now, a day that will surely live long in the memory of it. Love this story, John, it's fantastic. The young Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak who won the men's 200-meter butterfly final.
The 21-year-old from Budapest setting an Olympic remark, actually surpassing the great Michael Phelps in an event that the American once dominated, but that's only half the story because Milak --
VAUSE: There was a wardrobe malfunction.
SNELL: All right, you do this over here.
VAUSE: No, take it away, Patrick. It's so good.
SNELL: But (INAUDIBLE) -- John's giving it away.
VAUSE: Not yet.
SNELL: What happened was, Milak afterwards revealing he might have swam even faster if not for a mishap with his swimming trunks which ripped apparently 10 minutes before he entered the pool. I love what he said afterwards.
He said, paraphrasing here, I lost my focus. But you know in the end, I'm just going to settle for a gold medal. VAUSE: Yes, just a gold and his trunks are still on.
SNELL: There you go.
VAUSE: OK. Great. Patrick, thank you.
SNELL: John, oh, can I tease ahead to "WORLD SPORT" because that story will be featuring in "WORLD SPORT".
VAUSE: In about a half an hour from now. 40 minutes let's say. Thanks, Patrick.
Well, baseball back at the Olympics with the first game underway between Japan and the Dominican Republic. CNN's Blake Essig is live in Fukushima with more on this. So, Blake, take it from here.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, an exciting day after 13 years of an absence in baseball is officially back in the Olympics and the people of Japan who absolutely love the game couldn't be more excited.
As we speak, host nation Japan and the Dominican Republic are going head to head at Azuma Stadium here in Fukushima right there behind me.
Of course, no spectators are in the stands. And that's a big disappointment to the people here in Fukushima who were looking forward to highlighting the region's recovery 10 years after disaster.
Now, baseball's most recently was voted out by the International Olympic Committee in 2005. In part, because Major League Baseball refuses to let its players compete.
Now, softball also made its return to the Olympics after 13 years. The tournament play started up here in Fukushima last week. And just last night, Japan took home the gold after beating their rival the United States 2-0 in the final held outside of Tokyo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I really wanted to see the softball games. So, it's sad that most events are being held without spectators. But I was cheering on Japan's softball team yesterday in front of the T.V.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ESSIG: And last night, Japan's huge win was all over the newspapers here today, which is kind of a bit of a surprise given that Naomi Osaka's shocked defeat in tennis yesterday also took place.
But whether the local media or people talking to people on the streets, the focus here is on positive storylines. And it's the success on the field that seems to be playing a big role in shifting the public's perceptions about these games.
Now, John, the big talker yesterday was the tropical storm Nepartak. The threat of that storm forced Olympic officials to postpone several events as a res -- as a result, including rowing, sailing, and archery.
While the storm did make landfall overnight, it changed course and came ashore in northern Japan. We could actually see some rain over the next couple hours as a result of that storm.
But of course, this is great news for Olympic organizers and athletes who now only have to worry about COVID-19 in Japan's extreme summer heat.
VAUSE: And invasion of oysters and this kind of stuff in the Tokyo Bay. Blake, yes, thanks. Good to have you with us. Blake Essig there reporting on the Olympics as always.
Well, a short time ago, the International Olympic Committee made a public show of support for athletes and their mental health but added we can do more.
Lennie Waite is a former Olympian turn sports psychologist and she is with us this hour from Houston, Texas. Thank you for being on the show.
LENNIE WAITE, FORMER OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Good evening. It's good to be here.
VAUSE: OK, well, the stress, the pressure, anxiety that most athletes feel at the Olympic level, it's -- you would know this, it's huge during the best of times. These are not the best of times.
A headline in the Wall Street Journal put it quite succinctly. Biles and Osaka lay bare the strains of Tokyo's pandemic Olympics.
So, pull all the threads together here. We've got the year long delay, the pandemic restrictions, the isolation, the high expectations. How much pressure are these athletes under and add to that, Biles is the only survivor of sexual abuse by the former team coach who is competing in Tokyo, must be off the charts.
[00:10:04]
WAITE: Off the charts. Yes, you listed -- you rattled off all the major points. You know, normally it's four years between in Olympic games, so there's an extra year.
Normally, you have your friends and your family and your biggest support crew there to help you get through it. Now you don't.
Value have the added pressure of performing in isolation, and also being the face of the games for an athlete like Simone and it is really difficult. The mental pressures have just mounted for an athlete like her.
VAUSE: Just very quickly, what do you advise athletes to do to deal with this sort of stuff?
WAITE: Yes, so there's so much noise at an Olympic Games. So, my biggest advice having competed at one myself is, first of all, enjoy the arena, take a deep breath. Remember that you belong, that you've put in all the work to be there.
Also, take a moment to just reflect on the fact that you've done these a thousand times before. All of these athletes are experts at executing these physical skills. The thing that gets in the way are their brain, they're overthinking. They're actually analyzing the pressure and the expectations, so that they can just turn their brain off and really focus on those physical skills, they're going to be much more successful. When that emotion comes in that it gets really challenging.
VAUSE: Yes, there's -- there are a lot of messages of support for Simone Biles like this tweet from First Lady -- former First Lady Michelle Obama. We are proud of you. We are rooting for you. Congratulations on the silver medal Team USA.
There has been abusive messages like this one, which was a tweet from some guy with a podcast. He tweeted if Michael Phelps had stormed out of the Olympics because he lost a race and was embarrassed, not one person would have defended him. But Simone Biles does it and we're all supposed to celebrate it, absurd.
You know, she didn't storm out. She stayed. She cheered on her teammates. Embarrassment had nothing to do with it. She withdrew because of mental health and that's something Michael Phelps knows all too well. Here he is in 2018. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, FORMER U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I was so down on myself. I didn't have any self-love. And quite honestly, I just didn't want to be alive. It was a really, really, really crazy time for me and I didn't want to see anybody because you know, for me, like I saw myself as letting so many people down and me myself in particular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And he received a ton of support when he went public. So, that a piece of tweet which is wrong on every level, how much harm does that do? Not just to Biles, but in terms of continuing what is a false narrative?
WAITE: Yes, it is a false narrative. And the the whole message here that is an amazing message is the de-stigmatization of mental health issues in elite athletes. And Michael Phelps himself has invested a ton of his own resources in doing that, you know, through his documentary, the weight of gold, to really exposing how we need to treat these mental injuries. And so, they are physical injuries and get athlete the support and resources that they need.
So, that kind of tweet is not useful in continuing to fight this battle to really protect the mentality of athletes competing on a world stage.
VAUSE: And you know, when it comes to responsibility, stepping up, not making excuses, here's how it's done. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILES: I didn't do my job. They came out and they stepped up and they did what they needed to do and more especially last minute, Suni didn't even get to warm up. Her floor passes until the 32nd touch. So, this metal is all of them and the coaches, and it has nothing to do with me because they did it without me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, at the end of the day, she's a class act.
WAITE: Absolutely. Yes.
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) Lennie, thank you for being with us. We appreciate your time.
WAITE: Yes, thank you. Have a good evening.
VAUSE: Take care. Well, still to come, masks are making an unwelcome comeback in the U.S. as millions still refuse to get vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM BOWLIN, WILDWOOD, MISSOURI MAYOR: I don't think our residents need to be told to mask up or to social distance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're fully vaccinated, then, you know, it's your personal choice.
CORY HAMMERSTONE, MANAGER, HAMMERSTONES IN SOULARD: Whenever we had the mask mandate, we had to fight a lot of people who didn't want to wear masks. We had a customer pulled a gun. We've had customers like threatened to fight and just go crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There's CDC guidelines on masks and what that means for those who are fully vaccinated.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:16:27]
VAUSE: Welcome back. From North America to East Asia, daily COVID infections are soaring driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. Notably in the U.S. and Europe, which have ample vaccine supplies but where vaccine hesitancy remains an issue.
And here on this map, new cases you can see where they're spiking, as well as in China, the Middle East and parts of Africa.
Well, vaccine inequality is fueling a growing wealth gap around the world according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund. Its latest forecast shows rich countries getting richer because the vaccines will allow them to reopen sooner and get back to normal while developing countries fall further behind. And the IMF says the growing divide could spell trouble for the global
economic recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: What we have today is a projection of six percent as much as in April, but for advanced economies, it is half a percentage point up for most developing countries and emerging markets half a percentage point down.
And the reason we are very concerned about it is because when the emerging economies in advanced economies are drifting apart, that inevitably means that we are holding the global recovery overall back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A lot more on this story next hour, we'll take a deeper dive into those numbers.
Meantime, in the U.S. where vaccines are free and widely available, officials are still (INAUDIBLE) hesitancy to the shot even as coronavirus cases surge.
The Biden administration is taking action to try and contain the spread including an expected vaccine requirement for federal workers.
America's top infectious disease experts has an answer for those who are still in doubt over getting vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: There's a really, really good reason to get vaccinated, Chris, and that is to save your life, to prevent you from being hospitalized, prevent you from dying, that will protect you against infection pretty well. But what it does even better, is to prevent you from getting serious disease.
So, when you get vaccinated, you don't get vaccinated just because you don't want to wear a mask. You get vaccinated because you want to save your life. Your own health is the reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But even the fully vaccinated are now being urged to wear masks indoors and areas where COVID is surging. Athena Jones has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With new coronavirus infections rising in every state, the CDC is revising its mask guidance for vaccinated people in areas it says have high or substantial COVID transmission, now recommending they wear masks indoors in public spaces.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, CDC: In rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others.
This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations.
JONES: Some 17 percent of the country lives in a county with substantial transmission. And nearly half the country lives in a county with high transmission, including every county in Arkansas and Louisiana, and nearly every county in Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER U.S. CDC DIRECTOR: We're heading into a rough time.
JONES: A former CDC director warning, within another four to six weeks.
FRIEDEN: It's likely if our trajectory is similar to that in the United Kingdom, that we could see as many as 200,000 cases a day, four times our current rate.
[00:20:02]
JONES: The last time there were more than 200,000 new U.S. cases in one day was in January according to Johns Hopkins University data, before vaccines became available widely and before the more contagious Delta variant took hold.
Now, the U.S. seven-day average of new cases is the highest in three months.
DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FORMER U.S. FDA COMMISSIONER: The key here is transmissibility.
JONES: The problem, a third of those eligible to get the vaccine have not gotten a shot, something experts say must change if a nation is ever to emerge from the pandemic.
HAHN: What we want to do is stop the transmission. How do we get variants? We get variants because the virus gets into somebody who is not protected. It undergoes mutation, and then it spreads to a different, you know,
additional people.
JONES: Hospitalizations rising rapidly on less vaccinated states. Florida, one of three states leading the nation in New COVID cases per capita now accounts for nearly a quarter of the country's new daily cases.
The mayor of Orange County home to Disney World, saying the area is in crisis mode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The virus is adapting. The state has not adapted.
JONES: Hospitals like AdventHealth in Orlando are being overwhelmed by COVID patients. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As of this morning, we have moved to level red.
JONES: Meanwhile, more vaccine, testing and mask mandates are coming. Savannah, Georgia requiring masks inside all city government facilities, public schools and early childhood centers.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
JONES (on camera): And back to those vaccine mandates, President Biden said Tuesday, requiring COVID vaccinations for all federal employees is under consideration. This comes a day after his administration mandated vaccinations for healthcare workers employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Athena Jones, CNN New York.
VAUSE: Dr. Leana Wen is a CNN medical analyst, the former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, and author of Lifeline: A Doctors Journey in the Fight for Public Health. Good to see you, it's been a while. Welcome back.
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Thank you very much. Great to be with you.
VAUSE: OK, so now it's back to masking up indoors pretty much for everyone, even the vaccinated. It's a significant reversal to that earlier guidance. And here's how you explained why we're back in this place. It's from piece you wrote in The Washington Post.
The CDC's honor system did not work. The unvaccinated took off their masks too. Not enough people were vaccinated to be a backstop against further surges, and infections began to soar.
That was a few days ago. So, yes, those who refuse to wear the masks have now graduated to be the anti-vaxxers. So, it seems it was a pretty safe guess, this is exactly what's going to happen -- the situation we're in now. So, was it essentially an own goal by the CDC? And how much hard is this reversal done?
WEN: Yes, I mean, I think a lot of us think that the CDC aired in the first place that when they issued back in May their guidance for fully vaccinated people, because it didn't come with any type of proof of vaccination. We were dependent on the honor system.
But we're at a time when a lot of people have not been behaving honorably. And so, the unvaccinated also took off their masks, and now we're seeing the consequences that there are surges among the unvaccinated, but the problem is it's not just affecting them, it's also affecting, of course, unvaccinated children, immunocompromised people, and there are now spill over breakthrough infections, especially with the more contagious Delta variant into the vaccinated.
And now, the vaccinated are wondering, why do I have to be paying a price for the unvaccinated? Why do I also have to put on a mask once again?
Well, that's because we cannot depend on the honor system. And as long as the Biden administration is not getting behind vaccine mandates and proof of vaccination, we're going to be stuck in this position.
VAUSE: Well, the CDC is recommending masks for students when they return to the classroom. So, cue the angry parents, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here fighting with hundreds of other parents because we don't want our kids masked for seven hours a day.
And I look around and I see all of you sitting here without masks seriously, what's the deal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, look, it will be unpleasant wearing a mask for that long time. It's not the worst thing that could happen. He's the former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME ADAMS, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: I want your viewers to know, closures will be coming soon if we can't get this pandemic under control, our kids will be at risk of another year virtual school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Or perhaps students could get infected at school, take the virus home and kill grandma. I mean, there are a lot of things out there that are worse than wearing a mask, right?
WEN: Right. And in fact, we've seen that our young children actually adapt to mask wearing very easily. I have an almost 4-year-old who wore masks for the first time, of course, during the pandemic, and I thought it would be really hard on him.
But actually, he and his classmates all just started wearing a mask. And of course, we know that masks helped to protect the unvaccinated in particular. And we also know that children especially come respiratory virus season can easily be spreaders to one another. With this extremely contagious Delta variant, they also have the potential to be super spreaders who could spread it at home.
[00:25:08]
WEN: And now, we know that even if you're fully vaccinated, especially if you're immunocompromised, you're still a risk. And so, this really is the right thing for us to do. Wearing a mask actually helps to keep our schools open.
VAUSE: Well, the other sort of part of the equation here when it comes to the rising number of daily infections is the low vaccination rates. So, when the unvaccinated fall ill, it can be terrifying.
Mark Valentine was not getting the vaccine, I want you to listen to him now. But then his brother became seriously ill with COVID, here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK VALENTINE, BROTHER IS IN HOSPITAL WITH COVID-19: We were terrified and petrified. It was as bad as it gets. I mean, there were very, very serious questions about whether or not he would survive. It could not have been any worse as far as I can tell.
And you know, it certainly changed my position on this whole thing as it did his. I went directly to the Walmart and got the vaccine and said, you know, you pick the arm, I don't care, just do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, sometimes it takes something as serious as a close relative being seriously ill coming close to death to convince someone to get vaccinated. At least he went out and got vaccinated.
There are many out there who regardless of what they told, regardless of their own experience, they can never be convinced. So, what do you do with that group?
WEN: Well, first of all, I'm glad that this gentleman's brother is presumably doing better. I'm also glad that he got vaccinated, I think we need to hear a lot more stories like his because at this point, hearing the stories of people who converted who were initially not going to get the vaccine, but now something prompted them to get it. I think those are really powerful stories.
I also think that we as a society at some point have to make a policy decision. And that is, is it really OK for an individual to decide that they have the freedom to infect other people with a potentially deadly disease? What about the right of our unvaccinated children or immunocompromised people to not become infected?
Look, I think we should be looking at what France, the -- and Italy and some other countries have been doing, which is the same. If you want to remain unvaccinated, that's your choice. But if you want to engage in public spaces, if you want to go into work, if you want to go to bars and restaurants, then you either need to be vaccinated or get a negative test. At some point, we need to think about what is the interest of the public's health.
VAUSE: Yes, it feels like the whole, you know, public smoking, you know. You can't smoke in public because, you know, people don't want to get sick from your cigarette smoke.
But anyway, I'm told we're out of time. Leana, thank you. Leana Wen, we appreciate you being with us. Good luck.
WEN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, reliving a traumatic day at the U.S. Capitol. Coming up, four police officers recount the moments, they feared they would be killed by angry violent Trump supporters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: Well, insurgents loyal to Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Most Republican lawmakers ran from the mob, leaving outnumbered Capitol Police to try and stop the insurgency.
[00:30:38]
On Tuesday, four police officers testified about the physical and verbal abuse they suffered. Most Republican lawmakers, once again, scurried away and were nowhere to be found.
For those who did hear the police testimony, it was visceral, emotional, and left many in the room in tears.
CNN's Ryan Nobles has our report. And a note here: we're playing the testimony unedited. And a warning: some of the language is offensive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help you, God.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From its opening moments, the first hearing of the select committee to investigate the January 6th insurrection was a jarring display of the violence on that day.
Never-before-seen video, and clips previously released showing frontline officers dragged into the mob and beaten and then crushed between doors. One had his gun taken from him, while another was sprayed with chemicals. That video was coupled with the raw memories of the officers who experienced it.
SGT. AQUILINO GONELL, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance.
NOBLES: All four of the officers who testified, and many of their other colleagues, are still suffering from the physical and mental scars from that day. In addition to the brute violence --
OFFICER MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I heard chanting from some in the crowd: Get hoi gun. And kill him with his own gun.
NOBLES: The mob was also racist, screaming at this officer --
OFFICER HARRY DUNN, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: Twenty people joined in screaming, Boo! Fucking nigger.
No one had ever, ever called me a nigger while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer.
NOBLES: And these officers made it clear the terrorists were there with a specific purpose.
DUNN: No man, this is our house. President Trump invited us here. We're here to stop the steal. NOBLES: The root causes of that day are an important part of the
mission of the committee. And the role of the former president to fire up his supporters is part of their investigation.
Representative Liz Cheney, one of only two Republicans on the panel, vowed to follow the investigation wherever it leads them.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House. Every phone call, every conversation, every meeting, leading up to, during, and after the attack.
NOBLES: Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy saying he didn't watch the hearing, instead holding a press conference beforehand blaming Speaker Pelosi.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (D-CA): On January 6th, these brave officers were put into a vulnerable and impossible position because the leadership at the top has failed.
NOBLES: And Alabama Republican Mo Brooks, who spoke at the rally on January 6th, before the Capitol riot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got anything to say about the Capitol Police officers that testified?
REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): I don't know what happened.
NOBLES: In the hearing, officers expressed outrage over Republicans unwilling to accept the reality of what occurred on that day.
FANONE: The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful!
NOBLES: And then President Trump's conduct afterwards, defending the riots and calling them, quote, "very loving," cuts these frontline officers deeply.
GONELL: It is a pathetic excuse for his behavior for something that he himself helped to create. This monstrosity. I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day that he claimed that so many rioters, terrorists, weren't assaulting us that day.
NOBLES: And many want the former president to be held responsible for the role he played.
DUNN: If a hitman is hired, and he killed somebody, a hitman goes to jail. But not only does the hitman go to jail, but the person who hired him does. There was an attack carried out on January 6th, and a hitman sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBLES: Now, it could be sometime before we see another public hearing from this select committee. But their work is expected to continue in earnest through the month of August. Representative Liz Cheney said subpoenas for information and future witness testimony could happen very soon. Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A Haitian official in charge of coordinating presidential security has been arrested in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
The arrest comes three weeks after the Haitian leader was gunned down in his home. According to government documents seen by CNN, the president called his security coordinator during the attack.
At least 24 police officers and several heads of the security forces are under investigation.
Still to come, America's top diplomat is set to meet with India's prime minister in the coming hours. Where they're expected to discuss the COVID crisis, among a lot of other issues.
And then Japan's vaccine minister worried about COVID misinformation. He fears one demographic in particular is most susceptible to fake news. This as the Tokyo Olympics continues, live at Tokyo Bay right now, 1:35 in the afternoon. More on that in just a moment.
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VAUSE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in India and will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a few hours' time. They're expected to discuss regional security, the COVID crisis, a whole bunch of issues. It's all interconnected.
CNN's Vedika Sud live now in New Delhi. I guess where do you start with the Afghanistan withdrawal, pressure on Pakistan, human rights? And he's not there for a long time.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's not there for a long time, John. Just a 24-hour stop here in New Delhi in India. And it's got to be a packed schedule.
He's already met with a few people in the morning. But what's really important on his agenda is that any moment now, he will be meeting with the national security adviser here in New Delhi, followed by a long meeting with India's foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, followed by a meeting with India's prime minister, Narendra Modi.
So, what's on the agenda? Very quickly, you're right. This visit coincides with the U.S. troop withdrawals in Afghanistan. So there will be meetings and talks on the implications for the region including India.
Remember, India is worried about the fallout of the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan. Also, deepening ties is in the agenda, including countries like Australia and Japan.
There could be a meeting later this year between foreign ministers of these countries. Also, COVID-19 is on the agenda. Remember, America has already helped
with relief efforts here in India. They've already contributed about $200 million in the process.
But India will also be requesting for the resumption of, you know, travel between the two countries. They will be looking at more (UNINTELLIGIBLE) coming in from America. There will be the request to produce those very important vaccines here in India.
Along with that, obviously, bilateral talks. Investment trade is on the agenda. This situation in the Indo-Pacific region will also be a key talk focus.
A lot on his plate today. Not too much time for Blinken. But this is his first official visit to India after assuming office, after two very high-profile visits by the Biden administration earlier this year in India -- John.
VAUSE: Vedika, I think you covered all the bases there. We appreciate the look ahead. Vedika Sud, live from New Delhi. Thank you.
SUD: Thank you.
VAUSE: Still no word on American gymnast Simone Biles and her plans to compete in any of her four remaining Olympic events in Tokyo. The 24- year-old pulled out of the women's team final on Tuesday, citing mental health concerns.
Men's Gymnastics takes to the stage in the coming hours with the all- round finals. Several Russian athletes, who won team gold on Monday are among the favorites.
Meantime, Tokyo has reported its biggest single-day jump in new COVID cases. That was on Tuesday, more than 2,800, shattering the city's previous high from January.
At least 174 cases have been linked to the games so far.
Germany's cabinet remains under a state of emergency until late next month. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked Japan's minister in charge of vaccination talks about the challenges now facing Japan.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How big a problem is vaccine hesitancy here in Japan?
TARO KONO, JAPAN'S MINISTER IN CHARGE OF COVID-19 VACCINATIONS: For the senior generation, it's not an issue. But youngers, like 20s, and 30s. Those who get information through Internet, SMS, YouTube. They are more open to fake news on Internet. So, I'm worried about those people.
We still have people dying from, particular cancer that can be prevented with vaccine. So we need to be very careful with this COVID things. Anti-vaccine people are very active on the Internet these days.
GUPTA: I've been surprised, minister, in the United States about how politicized everything has become, from wearing a mask to -- to getting a vaccine. It's really been quite striking, actually. I'm curious about here. Have you dealt with some of those same things? What has surprised you?
KONO: There are some people who are against the vaccine. If you look at their Twitter account, many of them have President Trump photos on it. So, they are trying to follow what President Trump's supporters are doing in the United States. I mean, they are all Japanese, but they openly say they support the President Trump. And they say, We don't need the mask, we don't need the vaccine. And that's a bit strange to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Strange to me, as well.
For more on CNN coverage on the COVID and the Olympic Games, please visit our website, CNN.com.
If you want more of the Olympics, stay with us. We've got a lot more on the Olympics in WORLD SPORT. That's after the break.
In the meantime, I'll be back at the top of the hour. Thanks for keeping me company.
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