Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas 14 People Tied To Fake Electors Plot; Biden Visits Site Of Bridge Collapse Ahead Of Speech On Infrastructure; Up To 10 Million In 10 States In NE Under Blizzard Warnings; Biden Talks Infrastructure In Pittsburgh After Bridge Collapse. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 28, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, they share electricity, propulsion food, they even share the water supply. And it is very common for NASA astronauts to float over to the Russian segment and ask those cosmonauts, hey, can we borrow a tank of your urine? We need to use it to recycle and drink it and make our food, so as one NASA astronaut put it to me, if that does not transcend politics, I don't quite know what does.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Not as common as borrowing a cup of sugar, but I get your point. Kristen Fisher, thank you so much.

FISHER: You bet.

BLACKWELL: To of brand-new hour here on CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Victor Blackwell.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And I'm Alisyn Camerota.

We're also following breaking news on the insurrection investigation. The January 6 Select Committee has issued subpoenas for people tied to that fake electors' plot.

BLACKWELL: Let's go to CNN's Paula Reid. So, what do we know about these subpoenas?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Victor, the committee has issued subpoenas for 14 Republicans from seven states who served on bogus slates of Trump electors in 2020 as part of the Trump campaign scheme to subvert the Electoral College.

Now, the GOP leaders from the state served as chair or secretary on the slates of fake electors designed to be alternates if Republicans were to have succeeded in denying the certifications of actual electoral votes that were, of course, won by Joe Biden.

Now, today's subpoena targets they're not household names, among the notable officials, David Shafer, the Chair of the Georgia GOP, he was also a plaintiff in some of Trump's longshot lawsuits to overturn the election in Georgia. But this alternate slate of electors has become a big focus not only for the Select Committee, but for other investigators as well. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told our colleague Evan Perez earlier this week that the Justice Department is looking into this effort to see if there was any criminal wrongdoing.

Now, the effort to file fake electoral slates has direct ties to the Trump campaign. CNN has reported that Trump Lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, coordinated this effort among Republicans in the seven states to create the bogus certifications that were ultimately actually sent to the National Archives. Of course, this scheme did not work. And then Vice President Mike Pence certified the election results on January 6, after being interrupted by a violent mob. Victor, Alisyn.

BLACKWELL: Paula Reid, thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, any moment, President Biden is set to speak in Pittsburgh, and he will use the opportunity to talk about the nation's crumbling infrastructure and he has exhibit A there because earlier today, a major bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh.

Biden visited the site of that collapse just a short time ago, and he vowed to fix it and others.

BLACKWELL: The pictures are dramatic. Look at these. There's a bus you can see it dangling over one section of the bridge. There it is. And then several vehicles were crossing that snow covered bridge when it collapsed. We know the 10 people were injured. Three were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, no known fatality. So good news there. This collapse cut off a major artery in the city. Let's go to Athena Jones for more on this. So, what more you learn about this collapse?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Victor and Alisyn, we know that the President Obama when he was -- sorry, President Biden, when he was here, spent his time thanking first responders. He really marveled at the fact that despite this dramatic scene, no one was killed in this and, of course, pledged more investment in infrastructure.

That is, of course, why he was here in near Pittsburgh, today to talk about the more than a trillion-dollar infrastructure package that he signed into law last November, saying that look this nation's roads are bad roads and bridges, et cetera, are badly in need of repair.

We also heard from the Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman who said, you know, this is a tragedy. This is a vital artery. I spoke to a bunch of folks around here who heard the collapse this morning, they rouse from their sleep, and talk about how disruptive and inconvenient it's going to be, to wait for that rich to be repaired. But luckily, no one was hurt.

We do know that Allegheny County is a county that with about 1000 bridges, some 500 or so as ones under the auspices of the county and other 400 run by the city, they're also state bridges. This is a place with a lot of need.

We know that according to a report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Pennsylvania bridges are older than about 15 years older than the national average. And they have more than double the national average of bridges that are considered to be in poor condition.

This bridge you see behind me was also a graded to be in poor condition. And so, it's a miracle, of course, that no one was badly injured in this incident and really points and highlights the need for more investments in infrastructure, just exactly part of President Biden's message today.

[15:05:01]

BLACKWELL: All right and again we're standing by for those remarks. Athena Jones, thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, at the same time that's happening this dangerous winter storm is bearing down on the northeast, it could make travel impossible. Up to 10 million people in 10 states are under Blizzard warnings. So, forecasters say this nor'easter is forming off the coast of the Carolinas, it will quickly gain strength as it moves north. It could create whiteout conditions with no visibility in some places. Overall, an estimated 75 million people along the East Coast may face heavy snowfall and near hurricane force winds, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Wow. And already 2800 flights have been canceled. Towns and cities are preparing for potential power outages, flooded coastal areas, a lot going on here.

Let's bring in now Alex Morse, he's the town Manager of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Thanks for being with us. And let me say, transparency here, this was supposed to be just you and me, Alex, but -

CAMEROTA: But pardon my way in.

BLACKWELL: Ptown regular Alisyn out of the conversation. So, she's going to join us for this.

Alex, first question is, are you ready?

ALEX MORSE, TOWN MANAGER, PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS: We are ready. We've been preparing the last couple of days, we've activated our department heads, contacting utility companies just to prep for the storm that comes late tonight, early tomorrow morning. But our three major concerns are snow, wind and coastal flooding.

You know, different models show different accumulation, either 12 to 18 inches, or even as high as 24 inches and higher. And we're expecting up to 75 mile an hour winds. And so, when you put those two things together, the drifting of snow, the potential for coastal flooding. We've done everything we can to prep for the storm.

We're encouraging people to, you know, prepare for outages, stock up charger devices don't travel tomorrow, but we're going to be in touch with the team over the next 24 or 48 hours to make sure we keep folks safe here in Provincetown.

CAMEROTA: Alex, as Victor alluded to Provincetown is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I love vacationing there in the summer, but let's be honest, Ptown cannot handle two feet of snow. You guys are going to be socked in until May in Provincetown.

MORSE: Well, we are expecting 50-degree weather next Thursday. So, it's going to be warm and balmy. We're going to do our best to plow the snow or DPW crews are ready. And they'll be out starting late tonight. We'll have folks out in the pier starting early tomorrow morning.

This is my first winter in Provincetown. So, I'm looking forward to a winter wonderland over the weekend. And obviously hopeful power keeps up and it's one of those good storms, not a storm that, you know, brings a lot of damage and other things that come with storms like this.

BLACKWELL: I don't know if two feet of snow is a wonderland. But I'll take your word on it. And that's an interesting point because the forecasts have been shifting about what possibly is coming. So, so I imagine it's been tough to prepare when you don't know if you get eight inches or 20 inches.

MORSE: Yeah, there's been a lot of variance over the last couple of days. We have -- we get an update this afternoon at four o'clock. But as of this morning with our county, county officials and MEMA, you know, we're really looking at a range of minimum 12 high of 24. And the winds are what we really want to keep an eye on. I think the town can handle a decent snowstorm.

But this is a real nor'easter and when you add that type of precipitation with 75 mile an hour winds, those are the issues that we get more concerned about. So, we're working with Eversource, they have crews out there ready to come into town and get people back on power if that does happen.

CAMEROTA: OK, well, I have been in Provincetown in the winter, and it is beautiful. It's fantastic briefly, and then it's very cold and windy. But Alex, here's my big question. Is the lobster pot going to stay open this weekend?

MORSE: The lobster pot will not be open this weekend directly --

BLACKWELL: Oh no.

MORSE: -- not open right now. I have a dinner reservation tomorrow night, it's actually my birthday. So, I'm hopeful that we get a nice snowstorm I'm able to go out to dinner, walk down commercial street, but it won't be a lobster pot.

CAMEROTA: Happy Birthday.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Happy Birthday. All right.

CAMEROTA: Alex, great to talk to you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you so much.

MORSE: Bye guys. Thank care.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Victor.

BLACKWELL: You're welcome.

All right, so the United States top general is warning of turn here, "horrific outcomes if Russia decides to invade Ukraine."

CAMEROTA: So today, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Defense Secretary detailed what they know about Russian President Vladimir Putin's military capabilities, and Ukraine's weaknesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MARK MILLEY, U.S. JOINIT CHIEF CHAIRMAN: There are many people and highly dense population centers throughout Ukraine. And if war were to break out on a scale and scope that is possible, the civilian population will suffer immensely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:10:02]

CAMEROTA: OK, with us now CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, great to see you. Do we know why Secretary Austin felt it was so important to have this briefing today?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's really the headline here. Look, neither the Secretary of Defense or the Chairman General Milley are big fans of coming out in front of news cameras. And the fact that they decided to come out today is really the news here, they are sending a very clear message to Moscow, to Eastern Europe, to the American people about how dire this situation could be.

And they are still very much trying to convince the Russians, trying to convince Putin to turn around and pull us forces back by detailing just how awful this could be. If he were to decide to go for full invasion, the Secretary making clear, they don't really know what Putin's current thinking may be, have a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't think this is about trusting Putin. This is about our allies trusting us. And so that's really what we're focused on. And, and we, you know, Mr. Putin, at some point in time will reveal what he's thinking. But again, I'm not sure that he's made final decisions on what he's going to do yet, so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: But in the meantime, of the U.S. military still has more than 8000 troops on alert, a heightened state of readiness to be ready to move into Eastern Europe, whether they were to come from the U.S. or be repositioned from other places in Europe. And right now, the much of the focus here at the Pentagon is trying to reassure those U.S. allies, trying to reassure NATO that the U.S. will live up to its commitments, and will be there for them. Alisyn, Victor.

CAMEROTA: OK, Barbara Starr, thank you very much for the update.

So, this crisis between Russia and Ukraine is creating strange bedfellows. Why are so many Republicans seeming to side with Vladimir Putin and Russia?

BLACKWELL: And we're waiting for President Biden who will deliver remark shortly on infrastructure live look here at Pittsburg, we'll bring you those remarks as soon as they begin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:31]

BLACKWELL: A call between President Biden and Ukraine's president on Thursday did not go well. That's according to a Ukrainian official. The White House disputes that account. But it's clear the two countries have different views on the likelihood of a Russian invasion.

CAMEROTA: Here in the U.S. this tension is creating strange alliances with some Republicans siding with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in CNN Political -- Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borgia and CNN Political Commentator Scott Jennings, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush. It happens sometimes, we're in separate rooms. Gloria, let me come to you, you got a new piece up on CNN.com talking about this tug of war within the Republican Party, lay out the case.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, what's this the party's supposed to do after having Donald Trump is president who hugged Vladimir Putin as close as he could. And Republicans just kind of stood back and let it happen. You know, the President talking about how smart Vladimir Putin is, et cetera, et cetera, trusting him over the CIA on the question of election meddling. And now all of a sudden Trump is gone. He is complaining about Biden's weakness but of course not saying what the United States should do in Ukraine.

So, Republicans are sort of there. You have a group of Republicans who are serious foreign policy experts who are trying to find a way actually to do sanctions against Russia, to come up with something bipartisan in the Congress.

And then you'll have folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who says that Biden, you know, just wants to go to war with Ukraine to protect his son, Hunter Biden, and to protect himself and you have Tucker Carlson raising questions on Fox. Why should we be on the side of Ukraine over Russia to which a Republican Congressman replied, because Ukraine is a democracy.

So, you have this kind of turmoil inside of the Republican Party? And there's no sort of one foreign policy voice, which is strong and anti- Russian, which is the way it always used to be. CAMEROTA: Scott, help us understand this. Why are so many Republicans seeming to side with the autocratic Russia over the fledgling democracy of Ukraine?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think I think we may be overstating the number of Republicans who are siding with Russia. I do think that one thing Republicans are interested in is that all during the Trump years, you know, a lot was made about the possibility that Russia had something on Donald Trump that Donald Trump was siding with Russia for some nefarious reason.

Here in the last few weeks, what have we seen, the Biden administration are working hard to use the Jim Crow filibuster, as they call it, to stop sanctions against Putin's pipeline, and now you've got Joe Biden, seemingly giving mixed signals at best about whether Russia could go in and do a minor incursion on the Ukraine.

So, I think, one, the thing that the dominant --

CAMEROTA: Hold on Scott, but I think --

JENNINGS: No, no, the dominant question about Russia from Republicans is, why was Trump held to a different standard than Biden, when you guys were just citing a phone call with the President of Ukraine that didn't go well? I mean, meet the new boss, same as the old boss. I mean, that's what Republicans are worried about.

BORGER: It's not the same.

CAMEROTA: I think you're comparing apples and oranges, Scott, because I mean, basically, we're talking about possible military incursion. And just because I hear what you're saying about President Biden, who in artfully explained something, but we're talking about where alliances are, who were your loyalty lies, you've heard all the Republican candidates certainly some of the House members, certainly Tucker Carlson you've heard that they're -- this new alliance of what's so wrong with letting Vladimir Putin do what he wants with Ukraine. How do you explain that?

[15:20:15]

JENNINGS: Well, I don't know how to explain it. I don't agree with it. I still think the predominant view among conservatives in the Republican Party is that American democracy and democracies in general, are a force for good in the world. If you're out there, siding with Vladimir Putin, you ought to go to bed tonight and sleep on it, wake up in the morning with a new attitude. That's my opinion. And I still think that's the prevailing opinion among conservatives.

BORGER: Scott, I hope you're right.

BLACKWELL: Gloria, jump in on this, go ahead, go ahead.

BORGER: I hope you're right. Look, I hope Scott's right. His former boss, Mitch McConnell, seems to be optimistic that something can be done on sanctions in a bipartisan way in the Congress. You know, and I hope that occurs.

But remember, two years ago, just two years ago, Donald Trump was on the phone with the Zelensky saying, do us a favor, though, trying to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. That was two years ago. And there are lots of Republicans now who seem to have kind of forgotten that and said, you know, you got to be strong now, you have to be strong. And they were sitting back during this, you know, so I -- look, I think that there has to be a way and maybe I'm being pollyannish.

And maybe I just listened to Justice Breyer too much yesterday. But there's got to be a way to get together on things like this. And you have to don't -- you shouldn't think that every -- that every person is nefarious, that Joe Biden is somehow nefarious, when he makes a mistake, which he made on talking about a minor incursion. There has to be a way to figure this out.

BLACKWELL: Scott, let's turn now to the, soon to be named a nominee to replace Justice Breyer. What we're hearing from a lot of Republicans I guess is what we expect to hear is that they're setting the threshold of what they want the criteria if they're going to get to their vote for confirmation, but what stood out to me was what we heard from Senator Josh Hawley.

And he said specifically on the President's commitment to a black woman, he said, I think the important thing is that, this is someone who will uphold the Constitution faithfully, regardless of their ethnic background or gender or anything else. I think it sends the wrong signal to say that, well, if a person is a certain ethnic background, that we don't care what their record is, we don't care what their substantive beliefs are.

That would be extraordinary. That's not what the President's implying here. What is Josh Hawley trying to reinforce here? He's setting up a straw man that doesn't exist.

JENNINGS: Well, I think what Senator Hawley is trying to say, and I've heard a lot of Republicans expressed this sentiment is that which trades about someone are most important.

CAMEROTA: Scott, I'm so sorry to interrupt you for -- just hold a second because we've been waiting for the President's talks on the economy and infrastructure in Pittsburgh.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It had been rated in "poor" condition for the past 10 years.

What you all know -- if you don't, you should know -- there are another 3,300 bridges here in Pennsylvania, some of which are just as old and just as decrepit -- decrepit condition as that bridge was, including here in Pittsburgh, the "City of Bridges."

I've been coming to Pittsburgh a long time. I'm a Pennsylvania kid. I was born and raised, the first part of my life in Pennsylvania, and I've been to Pittsburgh a lot. But all these years, I never knew -- I never knew Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had more bridges than any other city in the world. Yo! (APPLAUSE)

But across the country, there are 45,000 bridges in "poor" condition. It's just simply unacceptable.

That's why your governor, and your members of Congress, your mayor have been saying for years that we have to do something about this.

I've talked about it every time I've come to Pittsburgh, and we finally got it done: a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the largest investment in our nation's bridges since the -- since the -- Eisenhower put together the Interstate Highway System.

And I might add -- (applause) -- this was the first time in the country's history that we dedicated a national program to repair and upgrade bridges. And it's about time.

The governor can tell you: We're giving state and local leaders historic funding to make national projects real.

Here in Pennsylvania, that means at least $1.6 billion for bridges alone, $327 million in 2022 alone just to repair bridges.

We've got to get on with it. We've got to move. The next time, we don't need headlines saying that someone was killed when the next bridge collapses.

We're also providing billions more for roads and so much more. As we saw today, when a bridge is in disrepair, it literally can threaten lives.

[15:25:05]

As soon as we heard about the bridge, we were immediately in contact with the mayor -- Mr. Mayor, you're doing a hell of a job -- and the governor and other officials on the ground.

And we're going to rebuild that bridge, along with thousands of other bridges in Pennsylvania and across the country, because it's in our interest for our own safety's sake and it generates commerce in a way that we can't do now.

That's part of how we're going to build a better America. And that's what I want to talk to you about today.

So, thank you for the introduction, JoJo. Mayor -- Mr. Mayor, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, it's great to see you again, pal.

And it's good to be here with so many outstanding folks, particularly the governor -- Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. John, I -- if I had you in front of me when I was playing at Delaware, I could have been an All-American. I could have been big.

(LAUGHTER)

But -- and, Conor Lamb, it's great to see you, man. And you're doing a hell of a job, all of you.

And my good friend and former neighbor in Scranton, Bobby Casey. Now, his dad -- we're about the same spread. His dad wasn't much older than me than I am than Bobby, but we lived -- I lived on North Washington Avenue. Did you notice they changed the end of the road name? It's the Joe Biden Way now.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you know -- no, really. Did you see that?

(APPLAUSE)

I shouldn't say this. I'm going to get in trouble in Delaware, Mr. Secretary -- but the first thing I asked on the election results -- I said, "How did I do in Scranton?" I won every precinct.

(LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE)

And so -- I used to drive up Route 81 all the time to get -- not just to get to Scranton but to get up to Syracuse when I was at Syracuse Law School. And they now -- the entrance to go -- to get to Scranton off 81 is the Joe Biden Expressway. So, I'm coming home, Bobby. I'm coming home.

(APPLAUSE)

Look, all kidding aside, I want to thank our Commerce Secretary, former Governor Gina Raimondo, for joining us today.

And I want to thank Congressman Mike Doyle, who couldn't be here today but who has done so much for this district.

Nearly three years ago, I began my campaign for President right here in Pittsburgh -- the first major stop I made.

(APPLAUSE)

I said back -- I said back then I was running to restore the backbone of America: the middle class. It's time we began to build this country from the middle up and the bottom out so that we -- I've never known when a wealthy person didn't do well when the middle class was doing well. We always do better when ordinary, hardworking people have a shot.

And after I accepted the party's nomination in August of 2020, I came here to Mill 19 for my first major campaign stop, and I laid out my vision to build a better America with better pay and greater dignity for the working people, who are the ones who built this country.

I often hear about how -- who built the country. Guess what? The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class.

(APPLAUSE)

And, folks, making it in America with American manufacturing and easing the financial burdens on millions of families -- that's the same vision I laid out once again when I was here in Pittsburgh when -- after -- the first stop I made after I was sworn in as President.

Now after my first year, I wanted to come back to Pittsburgh -- this is my third time here in this facility -- to take stock of what we've accomplished together and look forward to the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead for Pittsburgh and America if we continue to do our job.

From day one, every action I've taken to rebuild the economy has been guided by one principle: Make it in America, like we used to.

No one knows that better than all of the folks here in Pittsburgh, and that's why it matters so much.

Making it in America is what built this city: the Steel City.

The arsenal of democracy during World War Two when Pennsylvania generated as much steel as Germany, Japan, and Italy combined, right here in the city of Pittsburgh.

But Pittsburgh also knows the consequences when we ignore the backbone and fail to invest in ourselves and fail to invest in our people.

Some of you have been around long enough to remember how this city lost 100,000 steel jobs between 1970 and 1990.

I was raised, when I moved from Scranton -- my dad didn't have any work and we moved to Claymont, Delaware. There used to be an outfit called "Worth Steel" where over 6,000 steel- -- the town was a company town. There's not a single steelworker there now.

And by the 1980s, more than three quarters of Pittsburgh's steel capacity had been shuttered. You or your parents remember what you felt like in your neighborhood. It didn't feel good, the painful ripple effect it had -- jobs lost, families ripped apart.