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Jan. 6th Committee Subpoenas 10 More Trump Officials; U.S. Inflation Hits 30-Year High as Prices Keep Rising; Pfizer Asks FDA to Authorize Booster Shots for Everyone 18-Plus; NFL Fines Packers, QB Rodgers for COVID-19 Protocol Violations. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired November 10, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Now, the January 6th committee, obviously, it will have this as a victory at the moment, just as it issued 10 new subpoenas for former Trump officials, including former press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, former senior adviser, Stephen Miller.

Harry, what do you make of not just the quantity of the subpoenas, 16 subpoenas just this week alone, but who they're targeting and the timing of this?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: First, they're definitely feeling their oats and moving on the moment of this decision, which, again, could be arrested in short order. But even if the court of appeals does that, we'll know shortly.

What do I make of it? They're really looking at the former president. We know a lot of what happened over these days, things have been filled in.

Not so much about when he knew what he was doing. Remember, on January 6th, the call to McCarthy, the apparent jubilation that Trump has at this party. We've heard scanty reports about that.

These 10 people are the ones who could absolutely nail it to the wall if he was someone who was fanning the flames, delighted at them, acting like a person who maybe actually instigated it.

This goes right to the heart of what the president felt, when he felt it. and what his role was with respect to the base that was, you know, acting with violence in the nation's capital in real time.

CABRERA: But some of the bigger names still haven't talked to the committee, even the ones who were subpoenaed previously.

And you've got to think, Norm, the people who just got subpoenas, those who had been waiting, like Mark Meadows, for example, Kash Patel, and you've got to think they're watching closely what Merrick Garland is going to be about Bannon's criminal contempt referral.

Does Garland's delay in making a decision on that tell you anything?

NORM EISEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS CZAR & FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL TO HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DURING 1ST TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: Ana, the fact that Garland has taken a couple of weeks to consider the Bannon matter is not unusual.

He may well have impaneled a grand jury. Evidence needs to be brought before the grand jury. And so it does take a little time to process it. I don't yet read anything into that.

Two other things that are very important to remember. The other thing that the Meadows and Patels are watching is the courts.

And now the underlying executive privilege claims have been decimated by a federal judge. That matters. That will create nervousness about defying Congress.

And remember, the committee has interviewed over 150 witnesses, including senior Justice Department officials from the Trump era, others we probably don't know about.

They are moving like grease lightening.

And it is a shock-and-awe campaign with these additional subpoenas for the McEnanys and the Millers, the people who, as Harry said, saw Trump's possible jubilation instead of alarm when our nation's capital was attacked on January 6th.

So many more shoes to drop before we can write off those Meadows, Patels of the world appearing and testifying.

CABRERA: "Grease Lightening," I'm sure John Travolta would appreciate that little reference to his movie.

Thank you both, Norm Eisen and Harry Litman, for joining us. Always a pleasure, gentlemen.

EISEN: Thanks, Ana.

LITMAN: Thanks, Ana.

[13:33:32]

CABRERA: Inflation is getting worse right ahead of the holidays, hitting a level we haven't seen in 30 years. Is there any hope for relief? Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:38:37]

CABRERA: Again, we are continuing to watch for Kyle Rittenhouse to resume his testimony today in the case against him after he shot and killed two people and wounded a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in protests over the summer.

As soon as that trial resumes, we'll take you there.

Meantime, if you feel like your dollar is being stretched thin, you are not alone. In the latest inflation data just today, it's sobering proof. Consumer prices are surging more than they have in 30 years.

And to make matters worse, there's no sign it'll get better anytime soon.

Today's Labor Department report shows prices jumped more than 6 percent over the last year. That's the biggest increase since 1990.

Let's get right to CNN's Matt Egan.

Matt, U.S. inflation is being fueled by the supply chain crisis. There's also pent-up demand. The holidays are right around the corner.

So break it down for us. What products are getting more expensive, and what do Americans need to know?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Ana, we knew this inflation report would be brutal, but this was much worse than expected. And as you mentioned it's landing right before the holidays.

So let me run you through some of these red-hot inflation numbers.

Consumer prices up by 6.2 percent in October from the year before. That the biggest spike in nearly 31 years. It is bigger than even any major forecaster was even calling for.

[13:40:00]

Month over month, prices up by nearly 1 percent. That is more than double the rate we saw in September. These numbers are all moving in the wrong direction.

Food prices are going up. Let me give you some specific examples. Steak, up by 24 percent, bacon, 20 percent. Eggs, chicken, milk and coffee, all of them going up.

Outside of the grocery store, we continue to see the impact of the computer chip shortage. We've seen prices go up on televisions, various electronics.

And, of course, cars. New vehicle prices were up nearly 10 percent year over year. That's the biggest increase we've seen since 1975.

It's never a good sign when you're making inflation comparisons with the 1970s.

But, Ana, we do have to point out that prices were falling in the spring of 2020. But that's because COVID was running rampant, the economy was shut down.

Things are opening back up. Demand is rising so rapidly that supply simply cannot keep up.

CABRERA: And so that has led to a new problem, especially this time of year as people try to buy gifts for Christmas or other holidays.

It's getting harder to find certain products, especially online. So if I'm planning to do some online shopping, what do I need to know?

What products might be tough to find right now?

EGAN: Well, you should probably brace yourself because online shopping has seen a big increase in out-of-stock warnings.

We've seen more than two billion out-of-stock issues. That's in October alone. That's according to Adobe. That's 33 percent higher than a year ago.

And it's more than 300 percent higher than two years ago. And that's on everything from apparel and electronics to stuff that you'd buy for your pets.

Now, I've also talked to some shoppers who say they've experienced the same issue when they've gone into stores.

I talked to one shopper in particular who said he couldn't find the printer he was looking for and he had to trade up and get one that was more expensive.

We're at a Best Buy in New Jersey and the shelves here are pretty well stocked. Best Buy says their inventory levels are actually in pretty good shape.

But that's because they've been working with their partners for months to get ready for the holiday shopping season. They've even hired vessels of their own so they can get stuff overseas and avoid the port congestion.

Best Buy does concede that some holiday favorites, including Smartphones, Blue Tooth headphones and gaming consoles, are going to be harder to find.

Ana, clearly, it's going to take some time to sort out this inflation and supply chain mess.

CABRERA: I think a lot of people are wondering, will there even be Black Friday sales this year? Obviously, we're in November. I'm starting to think about that.

EGAN: Yes, absolutely. And Ana, I can tell you that because -- in part, because of all these issues, Best Buy is actually starting their Black Friday sale a week early.

So it's another way they're trying to get people to get in early and try to get stuff while it's on the shelves.

But, again, they say their inventory situations are actually in pretty good shape.

CABRERA: OK. We hope more and more stores feel that way.

Thank you, Matt Egan, as always.

The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers getting a slap on the wrist for violating the NFL's COVID protocols. Details on that.

Plus, Rodger's attempt at an apology.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:48:09]

CABRERA: The Kyle Rittenhouse trial is set to resume any moment now. And we expect Rittenhouse, seen here from testimony earlier today, we expect him to retake the stand and the cross-examination by the prosecution to continue.

We will take you there just as soon as that trial resumes.

Meantime, today, Pfizer is once again asking the FDA to let millions of more Americans to get a COVID vaccine booster shot. Right now, only certain groups can get a third dose.

But the company says they now have more, quote, "stunning proof" that everyone 18 and older should get a booster.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen joins us.

Elizabeth, it was a couple of months ago now that an FDA committee shot down a similar request. So what's really changed here, and how soon could a decision come?

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Ana, a decision come really in a month or two if we look at past FDA decisions for emergency use authorization.

And what's changed is this data I'm about to tell you. And also perhaps a shift in attitudes among FDA advisers and among other experts about what boosters are supposed to do, what their purpose is.

But first, let's take a look at what Pfizer is requesting. As you mentioned, Ana, currently only certain people are eligible to get boosters.

People over age 65, people with certain health conditions, people in certain living or work situations, like health care workers. And that's a big group.

And one of the ongoing health conditions is being overweight. And 75 percent of U.S. adults are overweight. But still, it's not everyone.

So Pfizer's request is boosters for everyone 18 and older. And they say their request is based on this data. They've not given a lot of details. They say they will later.

But let's take a look at what they have said. They said they put 10,000 participants in a clinical trial. All of these folks had had two doses of Pfizer and many months had passed since that second dose.

[13:50:05] The folks who got a placebo instead of a booster, just a shot of saline that did nothing, over time, 109 of them developed COVID-19. But in the booster group, only five of them developed COVID-19.

You might look at those numbers and say, oh, that's a slam dunk, how could you disagree with booster given this number?

What some folks, not folks who advise the FDA, would say is, look, it's not such a big deal if someone gets COVID as long as they don't end up in the hospital.

So they get COVID, they're home for a while, they might miss out on some work, but they're going to give boosters to prevent that.

But the other side -- and this is where attitudes might be changing. The other side, when I say, look, we don't want people to get COVID.

Even if they don't enter the hospital, they can be very sick, they can transmit COVID, they can get long COVID, let's do our best to prevent any COVID.

We'll see which side wins out -- Ana?

CABRERA: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

Let's bring in Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency room physician, former city of Baltimore health commissioner, and author of "Lifeline, A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health."

Dr. Wen, do you expect the FDA and CDC to say yes, now is the time for boosters for all adults?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I do. And frankly, they should have said that a few weeks ago when this discussion was first occurring.

And that's because we have growing evidence that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are probably more like three-dose vaccines. Johnson & Johnson is more like a two-dose vaccine.

So the third dose is going to be really important for sustaining that high level of immune protection. And I am very glad they are reviewing the new evidence from Pfizer very soon.

CABRERA: OK, I want to turn to all of the drama around Aaron Rodgers now and the new twist and turns.

The NFL fined the Green Bay Packers and two players, including Rodgers, for violations of NFL COVID-19 protocols.

The team was fined $300,000. Rodgers was fined less than $15,000, which, according to Action Network, is more like the equivalent of fining the average American 33 bucks.

Do you think this is an appropriate consequence? WEN: Well, there's no question that Aaron Rodgers did something very

wrong. First, he deliberately misled. He lied, and potentially exposed a lot of people when he said that -- he implied at least that he was vaccinated when he was not.

But there's a bigger problem, too, which is he's still actively spreading misinformation. If you listen to what he's saying, it's basically the biggest hits of all the pieces of misinformation he's spreading.

My fear is he is actively dissuading people from getting the vaccine.

Saying things like there could be long-term consequences on fertility or also implying that there's this cure, that you'll be fine if you get COVID, you may even be better off because you have better immunity. These are all false statements.

And I fear, because he's so influential, there will be a lot of people out there listening to him and using what he's saying to justify their own decision not to get this safe and effective vaccine.

CABRERA: After he initially did just that, defending, trying to explain why he misled everyone on his vaccination status, here's what he said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON RODGERS, QUARTERBACK, GREEN BAY PACKERS: I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading. And you know, to anybody who felt mislead by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Dr. Wen, is he really taking full responsibility there?

WEN: No. Because he lied. And I wish that he had come right out and said, I lied, I'm sorry about that.

The worst problem though is that he continues to mislead. He is continuing to perpetuate this misinformation.

And because of the breath of the audience who are listening to him, there are going to be some people who, unfortunately, will get infected and could potentially transmit to others because of that misinformation.

CABRERA: He cited various reasons for not actually getting an authorized vaccine. So he was pressed on who he had consulted with, which doctors had been providing him with guidance.

And here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- doctors that you consulted with. Dr. Joe Rogan, and which other doctors?

(LAUGHTER)

RODGERS: Look, I have a lot of admiration for Joe. I definitely talked with about a dozen friends of mine who dealt with COVID and they all were very helpful in different ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: A dozen friends of his who dealt with COVID? He didn't even say he talked to doctors.

But as you point out, he has still gone on the record with misinformation, which the U.S. surgeon general addressed this morning.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Because somebody has millions of followers on social media because they happen to have a well-known name does not mean they're a credible authoritative source when it comes to vaccine information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:55:05]

CABRERA: You hit this, too, Dr. Wen. Doesn't that just sort of sum up why we're in this spot right now, the country's struggle to get past this pandemic?

WEN: Right. And as I think about the backlash to vaccine requirements, I really wish we didn't have to be here.

I wish that people would have just done the responsible thing themselves and with education, outreach, access to the vaccines, that they would have done the right thing to protect themselves and people around them.

But it's because of this pandemic of misinformation and disinformation that we're also here where we are. And unfortunately, this is leading to so many preventable deaths.

CABRERA: Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much for all you do. And thank you for sharing your time and expertise with us.

That does it for me today. Thanks so much for being here. We'll be back tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. In the meantime, join me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

Stay right there because we're going to take you back to the courtroom and the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Alisyn Camerota. Thanks for joining us on NEWSROOM.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I'm Victor Blackwell.

Any moment now, the cross-examination of Kyle Rittenhouse will resume in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

[13:59:57]

It's been really an emotional day. At one point, Rittenhouse sobbed on the witness stand. This happened as he described the moment before he started shooting. Remember, he shot three people, killed two of them.