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Rally Organizer Speaks to House Committee; Senator Joe Manchin Still Not Sold on Biden's Domestic Agenda; TSA Expects Surge in Travel Through December Holidays; U.K. Removes All 11 African Nations from Travel Red List; W.H.O. Warns Against Underestimating Omicron Threat; Commander Testifies Ex-Officer Kim Potter Fully trained on Use of Force; Clean-Up Efforts Underway After Devastating Storms. Aired 4:30- 5a ET
Aired December 15, 2021 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
America's top health officials are warning of an Omicron variant take over that will bring another pandemic wave. It comes as the U.S. marks 800,000 coronavirus deaths.
And lawmakers have voted to recommend criminal contempt charges against former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The case now goes to the Justice Department who will decide whether or not to pursue those charges. Meadows failed to comply with January the 6th investigators.
And lawmakers are also hearing from a key organizer of the rally that preceded the January 6th attack. Dustin Stockton was interviewed by the House Select Committee on Tuesday. He spoke with CNN a short time later. He says he feels betrayed by former President Trump. A moment of clarity that came when Trump told his followers to march on the Capitol, even though he knew necessary precautions weren't in place. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUSTIN STOCKTON, ORGANIZER FOR PRO-TRUMP RALLY ON JANUARY 6: I've really struggled to come to terms with because this was somebody who we sacrificed for. We invested our lives and our time, and in a lot of ways, the warning signs were there. We saw other people come forward from his inner circle. Essentially, he abandons people when the going gets tough for people. And you know, in some ways it's embarrassing to think that in a lot of ways we bought into what essentially turned out to be a bluff or a con.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Stockton also claims he saw many top Trump advisers in the Willard Hotel in the days leading up to the attack. The D.C. hotel has been called a command center for Trump allies who were seeking to overturn the 2020 election. Lawmakers have also passed a bill that makes it easier to defend the
U.S. Capitol in the future. The bill gives the Capitol Police chief authority to ask for help from the D.C. National Guard without prior approval. Currently the chief has to get consent from the Capitol Police board before calling in that kind of back up. The bill now goes to President Biden to sign.
Now, three residents of The Villages, a well-known retirement community in the state of Florida, are now facing charges of voter fraud. They're each accused of casting more than one ballot in an election which is a felony. While it's not clear which candidates they voted for in the 2020 election, The Villages is widely considered a Republican strong hold in Florida. Their arrests come just weeks after Florida's Republican governor vowed to create a state office dedicate to investigating election crimes.
Now, the bill to raise the U.S. national debt limit is headed to President Joe Biden's desk. The House passed a $2.3 trillion increase a few hours ago. The U.S. Treasury Secretary had warned that the U.S. could default on its debt by today without an extension.
Meanwhile, a self-imposed Christmas deadline for the Senate to pass President Biden's domestic agenda is fast approaching. The moderate Democrat Joe Manchin still not on board. He's been meeting with the White House to try to iron out their differences, but progressive lawmakers are losing patience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Most of Build Back Better was pre- negotiated, pre-conferenced with Senator Manchin, and with the president, and I believe the president when he said that he had a commitment, and that he had confidence that he would get the 50 votes needed in the Senate. And I've spoken to the White House again recently. I believe that still to be true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Senator Manchin says inflation is one of his main concerns. Americans are paying more for everything from ground beef to gas. Last month grocery store prices are up 6.4 percent over a year ago. Another key inflation gauge, of course, is the producer price index. PPI has seen its biggest increase since it was first calculated in November 2010. The index rose nearly 10 percent over the 12-month period ending in November. And if you strip out food, energy and trade services, the industry still climbs 9.6 percent. As you can see on the screen.
Now, United Airlines is joining the list of companies preparing for what is expected to be a busy holiday travel season. The airline predicts this holiday crunch will be even busier than the Thanksgiving rush. American airlines says the return of demand for air travel has been intense. CNN's Pete Muntean has more on what travelers can expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Now, the TSA says December 23rd and January 3rd will be the busiest for air travel, unlikely, according to the TSA administrator, that we see a new pandemic-era air travel record. But the last one will be hard to beat. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, when 2.45 million people passed through security at America's airports. But never say never.
[04:35:00]
We just saw 2 million people pass through security at America's airports this past Sunday. The TSA says you might want to consider booking for Christmas day itself if you haven't bought a ticket already.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Regan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, travelers aren't the only ones on the move. New data shows shipments and deliveries are moving fairly well ahead of the holidays. Ship Matrix says deliveries by UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service, are all moving at close to 100 percent on time performance. The company says the better-than-expected results are because more people are shopping in store, ordering in advance, and all three carriers have brought in tens of thousands of seasonal workers. People getting organized really.
Now, the U.K. has removed 11 African countries from its red list of COVID travel restrictions. The measures were imposed after South Africa first identified the Omicron variant which many in South Africa viewed -- if you remember -- as unfair. But Omicron remains a problem in the country where COVID cases are rising. The World Health Organization says Omicron is spreading at a rate it hasn't seen before. Let's get more on this. CNN's. David McKenzie is live in Johannesburg for us. And David, talk to us about what the W.H.O. said. Because it seems to me that it sounded really the alarm over the Omicron variant.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Isa. There is some anecdotal evidence here in South Africa and the region of southern Africa that there isn't necessarily a big rush on hospitals, which is the good news. Now, because it appears, at least, that this variant is far more transmissible, there was a warning from the head of the W.H.O. that it's not time to let our guard down against this pandemic. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR GENERAL: Surely, we have learned by now that we under estimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe diseases, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems. I need to be very clear. Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MCKENZIE: He said also that there needs to be a more equitable, which
we've been talking for many months now, Isa, distribution of vaccines even in the face of the evidence that boosters will help against Omicron likely. There is a sense here that the next few weeks will be critical in understanding, well, is it more or less severe? And will it lead to a crush on hospitals? T
here has been some early evidence, as I said, that it won't, but these things take time to develop. And as you've seen already, and you reported earlier in this hour, there are parts of the world and parts of the U.S. already dealing with very serious outbreaks and surges of COVID-19 that aren't even associated with this variant.
So, as you bring Omicron into the mix, what impact will that have? Will it surge cases? Will it be almost dual pandemics of Delta and Omicron in parts of the world? We just don't know at this point. And a very wary public that wants answers, I'm afraid those clear-cut answers won't come for some time -- Isa.
SOARES: Very important point there. David McKenzie for us in Johannesburg. It really what stood out for me from the W.H.O., he said it's vaccines instead of masks, distancing, ventilation or hand hygiene, do it all, do it consistently and do it well. Thank you very much for that.
Now, the police killing of Daunte Wright in April sparked a nationwide outcry. A former officer charged in his death says she mixed up her weapons in the heat of the moment. New testimony about her training and the use of force. That is next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM POTTER, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: I shot him! Oh, my god!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, two U.S. federal judges have ruled that a secret 2009 settlement agreement between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, they may have also referenced Prince Andrew should be publicly releases. The decision comes as the judges preside over lawsuits files by Giuffre in October. Attorneys for Prince Andrew asked the Giuffre's case against him to be dismissed saying her suit violated the terms of the agreement. Giuffre alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with his friends, including Prince Andrew when she was under age. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
Now, a Minnesota court heard new testimony in the police killing of Daunte Wright. A police commander testified Kim Potter was fully trained on the use of force, including her taser. Potter says she mistook her service gun for the less than lethal taser when she shot and killed Wright, a 20-year-old black man in the April incident. CNN's Josh Campbell is in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the latest. But first a warning his report contains graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIM POTTER, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: Taser, Taser, Taser!
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What was then Officer Kim Potter considering in these tense moments with Daunte Wright?
POTTER: I shot him. Oh, my God!
CAMPBELL (voice-over): And what influenced her to draw any weapon at all?
POTTER: I don't know what happened.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Those are the questions the court weighed Tuesday in Potter's manslaughter trial. The defense continuing to argue that Potter, who has pleaded not guilty, feared for the life of her fellow officers, including, the sergeant who had entered Wright's car from the passenger side.
EARLY GRAY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He is ignoring the warnings Taser, Taser, I got -- I'm going to tase you. You have a right to use deadly force to save that cop, that police officer, that's lying over the seat, correct?
COMMANDER GARRETT FLESLAND, BROOKLYN CENTER POLICE DEPARTMENT: Potentially, yes, but I wasn't there.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): The prosecution objecting as their witness, a senior officer, made a point for the defense. The second witness to do so, thus far.
JUDGE: The objection is overruled. You may answer.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Commander Garrett Flesland of the Brooklyn Center Police Department conceded Potter's use of deadly force may have been lawful.
GRAY: You've got to save that officer that's laying over the seat, correct?
CAMPBELL: Yes.
GRAY: If you're dragged down the street by this driver if he gets away, that man's going to be seriously injured or dead. Fair statement?
MICHAEL JOHNSON, POLICE OFFICER: Could likely happen, yes.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): That man -- Officer Michael Johnson -- was also a witness called by the prosecution.
JOHNSON: Kim, that guy was trying to take off with me in the car.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): But he also testified he could have been killed if Potter hadn't done something.
GRAY: And if he had taken off with you in that car halfway, what would have happened to you? Do you -- what would you think would be the worst that would happen?
JOHNSON: Probably dragged.
GRAY: Dragged and what?
JOHNSON: Injured.
GRAY: Seriously injured? Maybe even dead, right?
JOHNSON: Yes.
[04:45:00]
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Of course, the encounter turned deadly for Wright, instead. When Potter fired her handgun instead of her Taser.
FLESLAND: The way I have mine oriented is for a cross draw.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): A less lethal device Flesland said she had trained on with near perfect marks for her entire career.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it appears here Ms. Potter got a perfect score.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CAMPBELL: And the topic of the taser versus the service weapon has been front and center thus far in this trial. Witnesses for the prosecution testifying that officers in Brooklyn Center carry their service weapon on their dominant side, their taser on the opposite side. That in order to attempt to limit weapon confusion.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And of course, we'll stay on top of this trial in Minneapolis for you.
Coming up, the long road to recovery begins after a deadly string of tornadoes ripped across the United States over the weekend. We'll have the latest on those efforts after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, community members in Mayfield, Kentucky, came together Tuesday night for a candle light vigil to remember those who died in last weekend's deadly tornado outbreak. Many are also finding inspiration in a spontaneous moment of hope captured amid the devastation wrought by the storms. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(STORM SURVIVOR PLAYS PIANO)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Beautiful. Jordan Baize and his family rode out the storm in their basement. Their home was destroyed. But while going through the debris, Jordan saw his piano was mostly intact. He sat down to play, and his sister started recording this video which has since gone viral. We understand really why.
And in the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will be visiting some of the areas hardest hit by the storms which left at least 88 people dead. More than 100 are still missing. CNN's Brynn Gingras reports now from Mayfield.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A massive effort to clean up in eight states devastated by Friday's catastrophic storms. And now, an Amazon facility in Illinois under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky by the state's labor division.
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (R-KY): Everybody is expected to live up to certain standards of both the law of safety and being decent human beings.
JIM DOUGLAS, SURVIVED CANDLE FACTORY COLLAPSE: I was just praying that God would take me because I don't want to endure the pain no more.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Jim Douglas worked at the candle factory for more than two years and says the company treated him well and was prepared for Friday night's storms. From his hospital bed in nearby Paducah, Douglas reliving what it was like inside when the tornado struck.
DOUGLAS: It was like different layers would come down and I can feel my body would, like, compact more. I was getting -- my face was already on the ground. But there was something trapped in my pelvic area.
GINGRAS: You were being crushed.
DOUGLAS: I was definitely being crushed. There were people trying to escape from there. And what they were doing is walking over at least me, and when they are doing that is pushing my chest flat. So, it was really difficult breath.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Douglas telling CNN he estimates 15 feet of debris lay between him and the rescuers using heavy machinery to get to him.
DOUGLAS: I think the guy said I see him right below this glass, and there's a door with glass in it. And it said, Jim, close your eyes. So, I closed my eyes and they broke the glass. And the guy who was at my feet, he kind of grabbed the back of my shorts and a couple guys grabbed my arm and they just shake me up. GINGRAS (voice-over): Those rescuers or heroes as Douglas calls them remain on site continuing to sift through the debris where at least eight people died. More than 100 people are feared dead in Kentucky alone according to the governor, some of them infants.
BESHEAR: The age range has gotten even harder. It ranges now from two months to 98 years of the Kentuckians that we have lost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard cries for help.
GINGRAS (voice-over): The weight of the loss is heavy here. This woman is still traumatized because she couldn't save the life of a little boy who was trapped in his home.
CARILLA SMITH, TORNADO SURVIVOR: As a mom to know that my son is safe and I can't help save the life of that baby, I just kept on trying to breathe life into him.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Now, a test of resiliency as residents look to the future. Douglas says nothing will get in his way for what he knows is a long road toward healing.
DOUGLAS: I believe I got a second chance. And a lot of people did.
GINGRAS: Douglas thanking each and every one of his rescuers, amazed that they were even able to find him that night. Recovery efforts continue across the state in Kentucky where dozens of National Guard members helping out with those efforts. And as we wait for the president to arrive here on Wednesday, we are expecting bad weather, which could impede those efforts.
Brynn Gingras, CNN in Mayfield, Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thank you, Brynn.
Well, scientists are painting a grim picture of how human caused climate change is transforming the Arctic landscape. The annual Artic report card finds the region is rapidly losing ice cover, turning the frozen tundra into an environment that's greener and browner than it was even a decade ago. This past year was the seventh warmest on record in the Artic and scientists warm temperatures will only continue to rise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARE NULLIS, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: The arctic as W.M.O. keeps saying, is one of the fastest-warming parts of the world. It's warming more than twice as fast as the global average.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The report also said the melting ice has let to more commercial ships in the region, bringing more trash, of course, and noise which could affect how marine mammals communicate. Now the New York Police Department will soon make history by
appointing its first female police commissioner.
[04:55:00]
It's only taken 176 years. Mayor elect Eric Adams will tap Keechant Sewell to lead the nation's largest police department. An official ceremony will take place in Queens this morning. Sewell is currently the chief of detectives in LaSalle County. The union representing New York City's police officers welcome the news hoping she can get the department and city back on track. Congratulations to her.
Now, the National Basketball Association has a new all-time three- point leader. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors broke the record with this shot in New York. He now has 2,977 three-pointers over 789 games. And in case you're wondering that average is almost four per game every game since he entered the league in 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPH CURRY, NBA ALL-TIME THREE POINT LEADER: I never want to call myself the greatest shooter until I got this record. So, I'm comfortable saying that now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people tell you who is the greatest shooter of all time now --
CURRY: I got that, baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: He seemed pretty modest. I would be jumping on that table. Curry now moves ahead of Ray Allen who retired in 2014 but was on hand for Tuesday's game. It took Allen almost 1,300 games to set his record. Curry paid tribute to the sharp shooter after the Warriors win. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURRY: This is really special, man. I've been thinking about this number for a long time. I even have it on my shoes. So, basketball history, this is pretty special. I mean, like I said, these two, you know, legends, I watched him growing up and understood what it meant to the ball because of them and my dad, and full circle moment man. I'm blessed. Blessed for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Curry has twice being named the NBA's most valuable player and has led the Warriors to three championships. At the age of 33 he likely still has years of basketball, and plenty more three points ahead of him.
That does it for me. Thanks very much for joining. "EARLY START" is next. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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