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Severe Storm, High Winds Lash New York City Area; Steve Bannon To Turn Himself In, Appear In Court On Monday; Aaron Rodgers Eligible To Play After COVID Controversy; Judge In Rittenhouse Trial To Give Decision On Lesser Charges, Jury Instructions Tomorrow; Rep. Gosar's Sister Speaks On Lawmaker's Controversial Behavior; Three Names Etched Into The Astronaut Hall Of Fame. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 13, 2021 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: So I'm in this awkward position of promoting a 30-minute Zoom call with yours truly. "Home for Our Troops" is a nonprofit to help severely injured post-9/11 veterans rebuild their lives with custom homes.

When I agreed to this I did not know I would be up against "People's" sexiest man alive, Paul Rudd, and others so help me out here. The bidding ends tomorrow so don't wait.

Your next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To which 200 countries and a new deal to fight climate change that includes cutting the global addition to coal but the lack of details leaves its effectiveness in doubt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Collectively this is a package that really moves things forward for everyone.

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOSE SENIOR STRATEGIST: All I can say is strap in. Tomorrow it's game day.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Now indicted Steve Bannon is expected to self-surrender on Monday sending a message to Trump allies who are refusing to cooperate with the January 6th investigation.

REP. PETE AGUILAR (D-CA): He chose to defy a lawful subpoena and anyone else should take note, including Mr. Meadows.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Britney Spears in control of her own destiny for the first time in 13 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's next for Britney is up to one person -- Britney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Three NASA astronauts with a lot of experience in space now join a very exclusive club.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Breaking news tonight, a severe storm has unleashed high winds and hail on the New York City area. This is the Long Island community of Levittown. As you can see, the winds toppled -- excuse me -- a massive tree nearly cutting the home in half. The area had been an unusual tornado warning this afternoon and despite the advanced warning, the veracity of the storm clearly rattled nerves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in it. We're in a tornado. Oh, my god, we're in it. Hurry, the videos, the videos. Holy --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in it right now. Crossing right now. Right now. (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at all these (INAUDIBLE). Holy -- right here. 3.5, crossing the road right in front of us. Right in front of us. Tornado on the ground. Tornado. We're in the debris. Lots of debris. Oh, my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep her steady.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Storm chaser Mark Doucet shot that video and he joins me now.

Wow, Mark, what was that like being in your car shooting that video?

MARK DOUCET, STORM CHASER: Thank you, yes, it was very intense moment for me. And my brothers, my two brothers Justin, Luke and me were in the car as we shot that video. I was driving and very crazy scenario there it appears the apparent tornado crossed over the highway right as we were going across that road. And lots of leaves kicking up into the grill of the car under the windshield. The heavy winds, too, battering us. But gladly we're OK and we made it through all right.

BROWN: What kind of damage have you seen?

DOUCET: So afterwards we stopped on a side street to collect our breaths there after that crazy scenario and as we were over there we saw some damage. I took some pictures, we saw some fences, some fence posts were down, a flagpole looked to be ripped, the siding off of some houses seemed to also be off, too. So and another -- and I saw a tree down and some limbs are down.

So it appears to be a tornado. We'll see if the National Weather Service confirms that tomorrow with the survey team. But it definitely seems to be a significant storm that passed through our area.

BROWN: Your area has been under severe weather advisories today including a tornado warning. Did it seem like people were taken them seriously?

DOUCET: Well, it definitely depends. I mean, especially this time of year in mid-November you would never get such weather across our area and in general we're in Long Island. We're not in the plains or in the central parts of the United States so it's definitely rare and some Long Islanders take it more seriously than others but hopefully everyone was taking it seriously and nobody was hurt.

BROWN: Mark Doucet, thanks for joining us.

DOUCET: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: And now to the first person who could face prison time for refusing to cooperate with the January 6th House Select Committee.

[19:05:02]

Steve Bannon is expected to surrender Monday after a federal grand jury handed up an indictment against the one-time Trump White House adviser. His argument to being shielded by supposed executive privilege of a former president went nowhere with the Justice Department probably because he wasn't in the White House at the time when the insurrection happened.

Those charges became public shortly after former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows defied the committee by refusing to appear for his required testimony on Friday morning. A short time ago I asked a former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara about Meadows possibly facing the same fate as Bannon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The last time someone was indicted by the Justice Department for criminal contempt of Congress was 38 years ago. And there are a lost witnesses in play here. There is a lot people who have a lot of different kinds of information. Documentary information, communications that could shed light on what happened on January 6th, and also their testimony.

And I think that early in the process, and it's pretty early in the process still, to bring a criminal indictment against someone who has been defiant of the subpoena should put a little bit of nervousness into the hearts and minds of some of these other witnesses, particularly the ones who are being completely defiant. Not even giving enough respect to the community to come in to invoke with some specificity the privilege that they want to invoke, engage in some kind of negotiation about parameters with the committee. That's Steve Bannon. It looks like that's also Mark Meadows. So yes, he should be a little bit nervous.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And joining us now is Alyssa Farah. She is the former communications director under President Trump.

Alyssa, thanks for coming on. I know you just got married. Congratulations for that. So let's talk about the news that just happened. You stepped down about a month before the attack on the Capitol because you were uneasy about the administration's peddling of the big lie. Steve Bannon as we know was a shameless proponent. What was your reaction when you heard that Bannon had been indicted?

ALYSSA FARAH, FORTMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, first thing I tweeted was wow because I was surprised that the Department of Justice actually moved so quickly but it's a good thing. Congressional oversight needs to matter and some of the people currently who are defying congressional subpoenas themselves have in the past said how important the power of the subpoena is.

So you've got a lot people hiding behind what I would say is very murky executive privilege so I would remind you in 2018, Steve Bannon was fired by President Trump after leaking to Michael Wolff in "Fire and Fury" and at that time Donald Trump put out a statement saying not only did he lose mind he lost -- not only did he lose his job, he lost his mind. So why Republicans are now falling on their swords to defend this man who perpetuated the myth that led to January 6th, who's been a torn on the side of the party for nearly a decade now is just beyond me.

But more importantly, I would say this is a sign that the January 6th Committee means business. They will not put up with people defying congressional subpoenas and I think this could be the first of several indictments.

BROWN: And you've met with them voluntarily. Tell us what that was like. What were they focused on with you? What can you share about what you told them?

FARAH: So this is going to be a very comprehensive and deliberative process. They've already talked to over 150 witnesses and well, I don't want to speak for the committee, what I found is I think they're looking for two main things. They want to put together the definitive narrative on the big lie. How people contributed to it, how people perpetuated it, who by the way knew it wasn't true.

So that's why these witness testimonies under oath are going to be so important. Asking some of these people who went on cable news and said the election was stolen, well, under oath they're going to say something a little different if they care about the rule of law. So putting that together, and then there's going to be the criminal justice side of things of was there wrongdoing, was there tampering within the Department of Justice or with state governments to overturn or push to overturn results.

That's something they're all looking into. And I trust the work that Ranking Member Liz Cheney is go doing and I think it's going to be extremely important going into the next election cycle.

BROWN: So let's talk about Mark Meadows, your former boss, former chief of staff under Trump. How might this Bannon indictment influence him? Of course he didn't show up for his deposition with the committee yesterday. What do you think? How do you think this is going to play with him? FARAH: Listen, Meadows has a much better argument for privilege than

Steve Bannon does, who wasn't in the White House for several years. That said much of what they're asking Mark Meadows for would not fall under executive privilege. So let's keep in mind January 6th was a campaign rally.

It was talking about overturning the election results. It was not official office capacity of the president or of White House staffers so any planning and coordination around it by my understanding would fall well outside of the realms of official White House business.

And if it didn't, I would argue that's a huge Hatch Act violation. But there is that, there's communications about whether you're using a personal device or an official device. There is plenty of bandwidth and leeway here for where the committee can simply just try to get information and I'm hoping this indictment will encourage people like Mr. Meadows to simply cooperate. Congress is a co-equal branch of government.

[19:10:01]

All of us who collected White House taxpayer salaries knew that we had an obligation to answer to the public on what we did when we were in office.

BROWN: What do you make of him defying the deposition, not showing up and so forth?

FARAH: I think for a lot of folks they genuinely don't realize they're not in power anymore. So a lot of that sort of -- that, you know, confidence that you might have from knowing that you've got a lot of authority on your side when you're in the White House, you don't have any more.

You have to answer to the powers that be and by the way as conservatives as a Republican who believes in the rule of law and the co-equal branches of government, I find it appalling that a former White House official would defy a congressional subpoena.

BROWN: It's interesting you say that, too, because like Trump has acted like he's still president. Right? I mean convening his Cabinet so he said.

I want to talk about this Jonathan Karl interview with Trump, with the former president about Mike Pence. This is in an interview with Karl, former President Trump appeared to defend the people threatening Mike Pence when they were chanting "Hang Mike Pence." Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN KARL, AUTHOR, "BETRAYAL": Were you worried about him during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I thought he was well-protected and I had heard that he was in good shape, no, because I had heard he was in very good shape. But no, I think -- KARL: Because you heard those chants. That was terrible. I mean,

those, you know, the --

TRUMP: He could have -- well, the people are very angry.

KARL: They're saying "Hang Mike Pence."

TRUMP: Because it's common sense, Jon. It's common sense that you're supposed to protect -- how can you -- if you know a vote is fraudulent, right, how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I mean, obviously he is defending the indefensible but you were Vice President Pence's press secretary. What was your reaction when you heard that.

FARAH: Well, it's comments like that will never make me feel bad for never again defending Donald Trump because as you said it's completely indefensible. But interesting thing about the point that he made, there was an onslaught on the Capitol and there were hundreds if not thousands of people inside that Capitol who didn't have security details. So while he may point to the fact that Mike Pence was fine because he had Secret Service, what about the other 535 lawmakers who don't all have security details?

It was fine that their lives might be threatened because of this? It's just -- it's absurd, it's indefensible, and I have to hope that conservatives and Republicans of good faith hear things like that and say we don't need four more years of this man.

BROWN: So Trump, though, is someone who, as we know, he makes decisions out of personal grievance, no matter what. No matter the consequences of that. Did you see that -- I mean you were in the White House and so in some ways you see how Trump has taken this big lie so far for his own ego. Is it surprising to you or is it just more of the same of what you saw in the White House?

FARAH: It's a little surprising how far it's gone to me. Just to be honest. I mean, I've said it before. I knew that he knew he lost at one point but he has surrounded himself by people who are going to tell him what he wants to hear. And this goes back to why the report that the congressional committee is doing is so important because they will systematically dismantle the big lie.

So they're going to put up statements from the people who are still in the president's ear saying it was stolen, who still go on cable news saying it was stolen, and let's see if they say that under an oath because I know most of those people are smart enough to know that that's not true.

And they are simply telling him what he wants to hear. And just on like a personal note, if you even care about the man, if you care about the former president which I at one point did, be honest with him. That's what almost offends me about this is lying to this man and helping him perpetuate this myth that has just dismantled his legacy is kind of shameful.

BROWN: But I mean, isn't Trump responsible for his own --

FARAH: Well, of course. He certainly is.

BROWN: You know, I mean.

FARAH: He certainly is.

BROWN: Like does -- he knows. He knows.

FARAH: Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

BROWN: I know he wants to protect his ego at all costs. But I mean, Trump has to know he lost because I remember at the time reporting talking to folks in the White House saying, yes, he knows that he lost, he's just, you know, coming around to it.

FARAH: He knew. He told me shortly after that he knew he lost, but then, you know, folks got around him. They got information in front of him and I think his mind genuinely might have been changed about that and that's scary because he did lose and the facts are out there and they've lost every court case. They've had countless times to prove any sort of fraud and haven't been able to. So it is actually kind of more scary that he believes it.

BROWN: So why did Pence talk to him after this? I mean that was something as just an observer, you know, here you have protesters chanting "Hang Mike Pence" and all of this going on and yet they still talked after the insurrection. Why is that? What do you make of that?

FARAH: So, to the best of my knowledge, I think Pence by default is somebody who is very deferential to both the chain of command and the institution of the presidency. And I think he would always take a call from Donald Trump. He would always take a meeting if one was requested from him.

[19:15:01]

I think that must have been -- those must have been very awkward and tough conversations. I've always known Mike Pence to be a person of deep character and conviction so I don't doubt that in those private communications he communicated how bad that was and how inappropriate it was but not for him, but for the country, but yes, I can't imagine that was a comfortable conversation and I think that you're going to see a bit more distancing as time goes on.

Look, there was aspect of the record they did together that I know Pence is proud of. But I know he is ashamed of that day, he's ashamed of how the former president conducted himself.

BROWN: So we expect that Donald Trump will run again for 2024. Do you think that Pence will run against him?

FARAH: So I think he will. And I'm saying this with no knowledge outside of, you know, any special knowledge on that. BROWN: But it's informed speculation. Let's be honest.

FARAH: I do think that there is this belief that people are just going to clear the field for Trump. I actually think some folks are teeing up to run. I think Pence could be one of them. I think DeSantis might be one of them. I think Mike Pompeo is looking at a political team and what that could look like.

And it's a good thing for the party. A coronation of Donald Trump would be the worst thing both for the party but more importantly for the country so we're going to need to have out these debates on the stage by the way of was the election stolen.

And that's going to be a tough question for some of these folks to answer because some have really toed the line of the big lie so I'd love to see some folks run who are going to acknowledge the truth and the reality and actually just try to win over more voters.

BROWN: So you think -- so you do think from your, you know, from your perch, which is a good perch because you used to be press secretary for Pence. You think he will, from your view. What makes you think that and what do you think that would be like? Because all we have seen from Pence and Trump is Pence being deferential to Trump and being a loyalist to Trump. What do you expect?

FARAH: I think that Pence knows he's uniquely positioned in that he can tout the record and the things that so many Americans are still -- they still wish you were in office, the 74 million people who voted for Trump but without a lot of the downside.

Now granted there is a vocal what I think is a minority, that "Hang Mike Pence," crowd who are never going to be with him, but I think he could see himself as somebody who bridges the gap of those who supported Trump but also want sanity, they want kindness, they want civility, and they want to actually reach voters that he alienated and was never able to bring it.

So I -- you know, I would imagine it's a lot of outreach to women, a lot of outreach minorities. Lots of seniors that Trump lost. Trump lost seniors by huge margins. So think that Pence is going to do it. Just -- that is based on my knowledge of him and I think he could put up a formidable fight.

BROWN: But if Trump is the Republican nominee, would you vote for him?

FARAH: Absolutely No. I'd write in. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: OK. Alyssa, thank you so much for joining us.

FARAH: Of course.

BROWN: Again, congrats on your recent marriage.

FARAH: Thank you. BROWN: Well, a breakthrough deal on fighting climate change that

includes cutting back the global addiction to coal but a lack of details leaves its future in doubt.

Also tonight, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expected to play Sunday after clearing COVID protocols. Could an interview Kyle Rittenhouse's mom just did influence the outcome of her son's trial? We are calling out GOP Congressman Paul Gosar's transformation from acclaimed dentist to hate spreading conspiracy theorist. And finally three NASA astronauts with a lot of experience in space join a very exclusive club.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:30]

BROWN: Aaron Rodgers out of the frying pan and on to the field. The Green Bay Packers star quarterback has been cleared to play tomorrow after serving his mandatory 10-day COVID quarantine for unvaccinated players who test positive. Rodgers has been heavily criticized for violating COVID protocols and misleading statements about his immunity. His off-field brand has taken a hit too including impact from companies he represents.

Carolyn Manno joins me now.

Carolyn, at one point Rodgers said he was disappointed with the way the media treated him. How will he manage to get this behind him?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, he'll be back on the field in his normal environment tomorrow and I think that that's a big first step. You know, this has been a very abnormal week for him. He was able to participate in all of the team's meetings virtually and he was able to go through a walk-through earlier this morning. But remember he hasn't played actual live football since the end of October.

So he has admitted that there's been a little bit of physical limitations being away from the team and overcoming coronavirus despite the fact that, you know, his case was fairly mild compared to some others. But, you know, you heard him say this week that he wants to get back to doing what he does best which is playing football. And the team is in agreement with that. They feel very strongly that the veteran quarterback can step back into this role on Sunday and do so with success.

BROWN: So is the controversy over for Rodgers or is there more to come from the NFL on this?

MANNO: Well, you know, I mean, the team has been punished for not being as stringent with some of the protocols. You heard Aaron Rodgers say that, you know, he had fallen in line with a number of those protocols but he was at a party without a mask, for example. So, I mean, I think that the league is going to continue to monitor

the team to ensure that safety is a top priority. But with Aaron Rodgers, I think what's going to be a motivating factor is what you mentioned originally which is the sponsorship deals and the relationships that he has.

I mean, when you have an athlete of his stature, he is a brand, and so, you know, that's a very motivating factor to get off of the soap box. For example, Apex Marketing which is a marketing firm that manages this sort of thing looked at his State Farm ads, for example, and he appeared in less than 2 percent last Sunday afternoon, compared to around 25 percent of State Farm's ads.

So, you know, when he feels that and he feels the media blow back, I think that was real wake-up call for him and I think that's something to pay attention to moving forward is, you know, can he sort of repair some of the damage that's been done by some of the misleading comments that he made. But as far as the league is concerned, I think that they are hyper focused on getting back to football.

[19:25:04]

You know, that's largely a narrative any time anything goes wrong. It's just get to Sunday, get to Sunday. And so having one of their most recognizable quarterbacks back on the field saying that he wants to get back to football is a good first step for everybody involved and I don't see it going further than that unless these protocols of the league take seriously are violated again.

BROWN: All right. Thanks so much, Carolyn. We appreciate it.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Up next, could an interview Kyle Rittenhouse's mom just did influence the outcome of her son's trial? CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson standing by to discuss when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:05]

BROWN: Breaking news into CNN. The Judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial is expected to announce his decision on whether to allow the jury to consider lesser charges along with other jury instructions tomorrow, Monday.

We should say right now, closing arguments are set for a total of five hours on Monday. The jury could begin deliberations later that day.

The 18-year-old Rittenhouse is accused of five felonies: A misdemeanor weapons charge for shootings last August during street protests.

Wendy Rittenhouse, Kyle's mother has made repeated appearances on FOX to lobby on her son's behalf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WENDY RITTENHOUSE, MOTHER OF KYLE RITTENHOUSE: I'm very proud of Kyle.

He's a very strong, loving young man. He has a heart of gold. And if you know Kyle, like everybody that's been around with him the past year or ever -- even since he was little, all he wanted to do was take care of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: In the meantime, 500 National Guard troops are now on standby outside Kenosha, Wisconsin ahead of a verdict and the trial. CNN legal analyst, Joey Jackson, joins me now with more.

"A heart of gold." Are Wendy Rittenhouse's appearances on FOX TV, potentially prejudicial?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Pamela, good to be with you. They certainly could be. I mean, you can't blame a mother, notwithstanding your position on this case and this trial and what her son's behavior was for going out there giving the invitation to, to speak on her son's behalf, any mother in the country would.

And so then you have to wonder, which is your question, how much does this seep into jury deliberations? Now, the Judge, Pamela will instruct the jurors as to what they should consider and what they shouldn't consider.

And judges are very clear with respect to not considering emotion, not considering sympathy, not to listen to any news reports, and if you do listen to, disregard those news reports. People are human, potentially they don't. But at the end of the day, the Judge will instruct the jury that they would consider the evidence in the courtroom solely and make their determination based upon that.

BROWN: So will these kinds of TV appearances help or hurt the defense in your view?

JACKSON: You know, I think what they do is they help, right? I mean, if you look at it, and there's already I think polarization, Pamela, with respect to what your views are. And you know, I think the prosecution will argue that he shouldn't have been there in the first place. Who did he think he was?

You have a 17-year-old bringing a rifle, you know, into this particular -- a semi-automatic weapon -- into this particular volatile situation. And then the prosecution, of course, will argue in keeping, you know what their theory is that he provoked this whole thing.

And so the defense certainly will pivot and say, but it was self- defense. He was in immediate fear of death and serious bodily injury. He acted reasonably and responsibly to the threat. The engagement with respect to his shots were proportionate to the threat posed.

But you have to believe that interviews like that, where you're spinning the narrative "Heart of gold. My son would never do this," certainly is going to have an impact on the public at large, whether or not it seeps into the process is another matter. BROWN: So the prosecution scored a big victory on provocation. They

argued that Rittenhouse came to the scene intending and looking to cause trouble, and if he provoked the attack, he can't claim self- defense.

The Judge has agreed to instruct the jury on provocation before they begin deliberations. How important could that be?

JACKSON: So that's huge, Pamela. Just -- let's be clear about that. This is a huge win for the prosecution. Why? Because in the absence of that provocation jury instruction, now, you have the playing field where the defense merely needs to establish that their client was in reasonable belief that he was immediately would be harmed or killed rather, right, or in addition, you have him -- the argument that he acted reasonably, and if you establish that, and of course, the proportionality of the conduct, meaning if a gun was pointed at you, you shoot in time.

But now, there is an added element. If the prosecution establishes, Pamela, that he was the aggressor, that he provoked this in the first instance, then you lose the privilege of self-defense. You can't be the one to cause a fight, to cause an issue, to cause a disturbance and then hide behind self-defense by killing someone you can.

And so, I think that that's going to be front and center when we hear the closing arguments of the prosecution with respect to his conduct, with regard to his provocation, with regard to his rifle, with regard to him taking actions there that were inappropriate.

We'll say, the prosecution, it's a huge development and if the jury buys that he was the provoker, the initial aggressor, then guess what, the privilege of self-defense would elude him and the jury would then, right, be more inclined to convict.

BROWN: All right, Joey Jackson, thanks as always for your analysis.

JACKSON: My pleasure, Pam, thank you.

[19:35:02]

BROWN: And we are also keeping a close eye on the trial of the three men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia with pastors including the Reverend Jesse Jackson now planning to be in attendance next week.

Tomorrow night, we'll check in with our legal expert, Page Pate in Brunswick, Georgia for his take on what has happened so far and what may happen next.

Speaking of next, up next on this show tonight from dentist to controversial congressman, Paul Gosar, again putting his foot in his mouth and drawing backlash from Congress and his own sister. She joins us next.

Plus, what does it take to be an astronaut worthy of Hall of Fame status? Meet the star inductees with the right stuff, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Dozens of House Democrats want Republican Congressman Paul Gosar censured. The resolution they introduced Friday comes after the Arizona lawmaker posted an altered anime video online and it showed him appearing to kill Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez and physically attacking President Biden.

He took down this video this week writing in a statement, quote: "I do not espouse violence or harm towards any member of Congress or Mr. Biden." And also, "This video is truly a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy."

For the record, the six-term Congressman has a history of far right views. In 2018, he dined with an extremist, anti-Muslim Belgian politician at a London event organized by Steve Bannon. He has spread conspiracy theories about the F.B.I. staging the January 6th insurrection, and called the shooting of a Capitol Hill rioter, an execution.

He suggested the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a left-wing plot; and last month, he tweeted, then deleted a reportedly neo-Nazi themed video. Quite the transformation for the Arizona Dental Association's Dentist of the Year in 2001.

CNN reached out to Gosar for comment, and we have not heard back.

Joining me now is Paul Gosar's sister. We have Jennifer Gosar here. She is among the family members who have openly criticized the Congressman for years.

Jennifer, thank you for being here with us. Policy views aside, was he always like this?

JENNIFER GOSAR, SISTER OF REP. PAUL GOSAR: Thank you. No, he wasn't.

When I was a little girl, I was very happy to see him. So, he is the oldest of our family and I'm the youngest. He is the first and I'm the 10th. And you know, as many, you know, bigger families or you know, even families with, you know, three or four kids, when you have an older sibling they are of -- you know, they have idol status, right. They are rock stars.

And so I remember, you know, waiting up for him, having a hard time sleeping, so excited to see my dreamy big brother. So no, he wasn't always like that.

But certainly after his first or during his first run for office in 2010, it was apparent to me that there was something much more that I didn't know about my brother, and that is where I really saw his bigotry take public stage.

BROWN: What was your visceral reaction when he tweeted out that video?

GOSAR: I was furious. You know, I'm still incensed. And it is, you know, having to come -- having to talk about this because people won't hold him accountable. It is to carry around toxicity, you know, carry with you garbage and vomit it up. It is what it's like to talk about this, because the thought of his misogyny manifest in this anime video.

The fact that not only was he targeting a very effective and insightful woman, a woman of color in particular, again, dehumanizing her, dehumanizing the immigrants that he depicted in that video, the glorification, the fascism on full display, and for his follow up statement to not only not even show the least bit of reflection, but to continue singing to his other brothers and sisters, the level of frustration is intense, Pamela.

BROWN: And he said in that statement, quote, "I do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden." Do you buy that?

GOSAR: Garbage. It's complete garbage. There are some other words I can think of, but I'll stick with the garbage for now.

BROWN: Why do you think it is garbage?

BROWN: Because he doesn't -- this is a pattern that we've seen, Pamela. So, you know, prior to the January 6th insurrection, they were making statements, they were calling them in, hey, let's take the Hill. You've got to sacrifice for your country. We have to -- we have to get our government back, right?

Here, he was dangling pardons because that's some of the latest press that we've heard, right? The latest report says that my brother was dangling pardons in front of those people. And look how well he repaid them, but yet, he continues loyal to his leader, right?

So of course, I don't believe him because what we can see as a pattern here, and it's more than that. This particular anime goes back to 2016. There's been some great reporting out of Arizona, as well the daily cuts, looking at how Paul is not only not apologizing, he is furthering -- the whole time, he is furthering the message and what's more, it is his established pattern and action comes from it.

[19:45:06]

GOSAR: So, the concerns about her safety, about the squad's safety, about women in general, the safety that women have when we speak out in this way, it's really -- it's concerning, because we're all targets, but especially women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who is leading that.

BROWN: All right, Jennifer Gosar, thank you for joining the show and sharing your views about your brother. I know that is not easy. So, thank you.

GOSAR: Thank you again, Pamela for having me.

BROWN: Well, they are some of NASA's finest astronauts, and now they have a new title, Hall of Famer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:08]

BROWN: They boldly go where few men and even fewer women have gone before and today, the most elite of their profession join the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Veteran astronauts, Michael Lopez Alegria, Pamela Melroy, and Scott Kelly were indicted during ceremonies earlier today at the Kennedy Space Center. CNN's Kristin Fisher has more on how they earned this rare honor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Two, one, zero -- and lift off.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If it takes the right stuff to become a NASA astronaut, it takes even more of it to make it into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

These are the record setters, the barrier breakers, and three more have just been inducted into this exclusive club.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we have Michael Lopez Alegria.

FISHER (voice over): Mike LA, as he is known, is the second most experienced spacewalker in the world.

ANNOUNCER: Lift off.

FISHER (voice over): A veteran of four spaceflights, he has performed 10 spacewalks, totaling nearly 68 hours outside a space shuttle or station more than any other NASA astronaut. And he's not done yet, next year, Mike LA will command a private mission to the International Space Station.

MICHAEL LOPEZ ALEGRIA, ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: But as magnificent as it is the ISS is a machine and one day it will wear out. So what's the solution? A commercial space station preferably more than one with multiple customers where the government is only one of them.

ANNOUNCER: Our pilot, Pam Melroy.

FISHER (voice over): The second inductee flew three missions to help build the International Space Station, Pam Melroy is one of only two women to ever command a space shuttle mission.

PAM MELROY, NASA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you to everybody for a beautiful vehicle and a beautiful mission.

FISHER (voice over): She was also only the second woman in the Air Force to be a test pilot. Now, she is leading NASA as the Agency's Deputy Administrator.

MELROY: This has been a pretty amazing year for me, so we're poised to return to the moon. We hope to light that candle and celebrate the launch of Artemis One in just a few months.

FISHER (voice over): A few months in space is nothing for the third and final inductee. Scott Kelly is famous for spending a year in space.

SCOTT KELLY, NASA ASTRONAUT: It seemed like I'd lived there forever, it seemed longer than I thought it would be.

FISHER (voice over): Kelly is a veteran of four space flights, totaling 520 days in space, and traveling more than 200 million miles more than twice the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

KELLY: It's really odd for me to be standing here today, because when I was a kid, I wasn't too sure I would accomplish much of anything. You know, I was not a good student.

FISHER (voice over): But along with his brother and fellow astronauts, Senator Mark Kelly, Scott became one of the most famous astronauts in the world.

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: There are limitless possibilities because of the endless inspiration found among these giants.

FISHER (voice over): Kristin Fisher, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, it took longer than expected, but tonight, nearly 200 nations have a new deal on climate change with a pledge to go after coal. Will it actually change anything?

And on the new CNN interview series "Being," former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joins Dana Bash. The hard charging politician shares what it's like to go from Trump supporter to sharp critic.

"Being Chris Christie" airs Monday night at 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:12]

BROWN: Hours of bickering, bartering, and a last minute compromise on coal. Negotiators from nearly 200 nations have managed to hammer out an agreement at the United Nations Climate Summit.

The bottom line, a clear consensus that all countries must do more to fight climate change and global warming. The highlight, an unprecedented reference to the role of fossil fuels in the climate crisis and watered down language around reducing the use of coal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALOK SHARMA, PRESIDENT, COP 26: May I just say to all delegates, I apologize for the way this process has unfolded, and I'm deeply sorry.

I also understand the deep disappointment, but I think as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, some climate change activists are not pleased with the compromise or final product. Greta Thunberg tweeted, quote: "Here's a brief summary: Blah, blah, blah. But the real work continues outside these holes and we will never give up, ever."

And remember, time is running out to bid on a 30-minute Zoom call with me, yours truly, to raise money for a wonderful nonprofit group, Homes for our Troops.

Okay, I'm at $1,625.00. Help me out here. The auction for "New Day" anchor, John Berman has topped $2,000.00. Help me top Berman, bidding ends tomorrow. The link for this is pinned on my Twitter page, tweet me with the hashtag #BeatBerman, if you bid or donate or just want to help spread the word.

I know we can do it, guys.

Well, thank you so much for joining me. I'll see you tomorrow night starting at 6:00 Eastern. The CNN Original Series "Diana" starts now.

[20:00:22]