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Bipartisan Group Of Senators Announce Agreement On Gun Control; Interview With Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV); Thirty-One Members Of White Nationalist Group Arrested Near Pride Event; Orlando Mourns 49 Pulse Nightclub Victims Killed Six Years Ago Today; Conservative Election Attorney To Testify Tomorrow At January 6 Hearing; January 6 Hearings Resume Tomorrow At 10 A.M. ET; COVID Vaccination For Kids Under 5 May Be Released Next Week. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 12, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:23]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for joining me on this Sunday. I'm Amara Walker in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with a potential major breakthrough on new gun legislation. Just moments ago Senate negotiators announcing they have struck a tentative agreement on new gun control laws. Today the bipartisan group of senators announcing several new measures aimed at addressing gun violence.

At this point, the deal is just in principle and not yet written, but critically it does have the support of ten Republican senators signaling it could be strong enough to overcome any threat of a filibuster.

The new legislation coming in the wake of several mass shootings across the country, including an attack on a Texas elementary school that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

Now this framework of the agreement includes modest gun restrictions, and broader investments into mental health and school security.

We have team coverage of these developments. Joe Johns is with the president in Delaware. But let's begin with Daniella Diaz on Capitol Hill.

Daniella, what can you tell us about this compromise?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, it just broke a little over two hours ago, Amara. And it is just a framework as you said, no legislative text yet.

But I'm going to talk a little bit about what this proposal includes. It would have support for state crisis intervention orders, investment in children and family mental health services. Protections for victims of domestic violence. Funding for school-based mental health and supportive services. Funding for school safety resources and telehealth investments and notably too, an enhanced review process for buyers under the age of 21 and also penalties for straw purchasing.

This is pretty narrow in its scope, but still something which is what Democrats are saying as they put out their press releases today on this Sunday afternoon.

This announcement notably, too, has been signed by ten Republicans. Remember, because of that 50/50 split in the senate there needs to be at least ten Republicans on board to advance that legislation, and break that 60 vote threshold for the filibuster.

Now, I do want to note that an aide actually told our Dana Bash earlier today, a Republican aide saying that this, quote, "is an agreement on principles, not legislative text," and those details are going to be very critical to get Republicans over the finish line on this legislation should they eventually get to a vote. Right now as we keep noting again and again, it's just a framework and it's agreement on principle.

But I do want to note that the top Republican in the Senate did praise this framework in a statement earlier. That top Republican being mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader. He said, quote, "I appreciate the hard work on this important issue, and the principles they have announced today show the value of dialogue and cooperation."

Now, they are not taking a victory lap yet. There's still a lot of work ahead, and I think Senator Chris Coons who was a part of these bipartisan negotiations, he spoke to Dana just a little while ago today. and he really puts it, I think in the best way saying that there's still a long way to go before they can cross the finish line on this issue.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: It's very delicate still.

SENATOR CHRIS COONS (D-DE): That's right. There a lot of work still to do to take this framework agreement and reduce it to legislative language. We shouldn't take a victory lap yet. But I'm grateful to the leadership that senators like Chris Murphy and John Cornyn have shown in getting us to this point. And I'm optimistic that the pressure that we are all feeling from our constituents to act and to deliver real results will get us to the president's desk with legislation this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: We're hearing, Amara, from Democrats who are noting that while this framework is very narrow in its scope, it's very significant. They recognized and noted that they had to work with Republicans to try to make some sort of incremental change on gun safety reform.

And the whole goal in these talks, these bipartisan talks that you noted began after the Uvalde shooting, that horrific shooting in Texas elementary school and the racially motivated Buffalo shooting in New York.

They wanted these talks to find some sort of consensus with Republicans so that they could pass legislation in the senate. So this is obviously the first step for them to be able to do that.

[14:04:52]

WALKER: Right. Quite significant. Common ground in theory, but as we heard, it is a delicate situation so I think a lot of people crossing their fingers.

Daniella, thank you.

Let's go now to Joe Johns, who is traveling with the president in Wilmington, Delaware. So Joe, what is President Biden saying about this possible gun deal?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: They put out a statement very quickly after that announcement was made, acknowledging the Significance of this development, essentially that this was the first move toward dealing with gun crimes in the United States just in decades.

The president urged the Congress to move quickly. Also thanked the senators who were involved in the negotiations. And the president essentially also said that the Congress doesn't -- he doesn't agree with everything that was in that deal. He said he didn't essentially think everything that is needed is in the deal, but he did say it reflects important steps in the right direction.

So he said there should be no excuses for them to move forward, get this to his desk, get it through the house and the senate in order to start saving lives. Nonetheless, as you all have already indicated, the point here really, despite the fact that it sounds like an endorsement, is that this is just a framework as you know, a framework essentially that has to be put together in legislative language before the deal is done.

Amara, back to you.

WALKER: Yes. It's not done until it's done. Daniella Diaz and Joe Johns, appreciate you both. Thank you.

Congresswoman Dina Titus is a Democrat from Nevada. She is a member of the Homeland Security Committee and faces a primary election on Tuesday.

Congresswoman, really appreciate you joining us on this Sunday.

Let me start by getting your reaction to this potential new gun bill in the senate. It is a framework. It's verbally agreed upon. Nothing in writing yet. Look, it doesn't raise the minimum age for purchasing semi automatic rifles or just access to high capacity ammunition like the House bill did, but what are your thoughts? Are you optimistic? Satisfied? REP. DINA TITUS (D-NV): Any time the senate can take action, that's

kind of a miracle so I'm encouraged by that. And you think about this is the first time in about 30 years that the Republicans have been willing to stand up to the NRA.

But there's a lot between now and the president's desk that can happen. The Senate has all kind of arcane procedural rules that individual senators can use to stall things. You got the complication of writing the legislation itself, and you know the devil is in the details.

And by the time we get ready to look at it, it's going to be closer and closer to the election, and that makes things difficult to pass.

WALKER: Right. But how much are they really standing up to the NRA? I mean, there's nothing about raising the minimum age to purchase a semi automatic rifle or weapon to 21. I mean, if you look at just the past two mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, both of the shooters were 18 years old to have purchased these semi automatic weapons legally. Why is it so difficult to raise the age?

TITUS: In some ways, it's kind of like a fig leaf. They do say you can now look at juvenile records for anybody buying a weapon like this between the ages of 18 and 21. That's as far as they were willing to go.

In the House bill, we raised the age and thought that was certainly reasonable because you have to be 21 to buy a pistol, so why not? Other (INAUDIBLE) they don't include, one of them is my anti-bump stock bill which is what the person used in Las Vegas to kill 58 people at a concert.

WALKER: Yes. And I was just going to ask you about that, right. I mean this happened in your district. I can't believe it was already in 2017. I mean it was several years ago.

I mean, are you surprised that a ban on bump stocks wasn't included in the Senate bill, considering that I mean, this was federally I guess imposed. Right? By the Trump administration. But I guess it's still kind of hung up in the court, so it's not being enforced. Right?

TITUS: That's right. The ATF imposed it through regulation which the court said they did not have the authority to do, and we knew that. That's why I introduced a bill to start with. I had that bill in the house for several years, and just as part of the recent package we passed, that provision got more Republican votes than any others -- it's 30-something. So I thought for sure there would be agreement on that.

What's happened is that regulation was passed. It was overturned by a lower court. It's been put back in place by Court of Appeals. And now there are some people including some state attorney generals who are trying to get the Supreme Court to take it up.

That's why we need to put it in legislation, so it will be the law of the land and not subject to these different whims of different states. [14:09:59]

WALKER: You know, I think it's frustrating for a lot of people who are advocating for common sense gun safety laws when they hear, you know, the bickering back and forth, the nuance of the conversations that are happening.

And people from outside America, looking at what's happening here. How politicized gun debate has become as opposed to being a public health issue. And when similar mass shootings have happened in other countries like in Great Britain or you know, in Norway. You know, Australia and Germany banned semi automatic weapons following mass shootings in those countries. New Zealand and Norway, they also passed similar laws.

One plus two equals three, right. If something happens, and you impose measures and see that mass shootings go down dramatically, you would think that same math is as simple as it is there, here.

TITUS: It absolutely would. You can add New Zealand to that list. But in a country where there are more guns than people and the culture is such that in some states they'll carry a gun to a wedding and some people even wanted to bring guns onto the House floor, you can see why it's so difficult.

Remember, the Brady bill outlawed automatic weapons, machine guns but that went out of existence after so many years. We need to put it back in place because you don't need weapons of war that can just mow down school children or concert goers or people at a nightclub, people grocery shopping or going to church.

I mean, this is just -- it shouldn't be the way this country is, but it's very difficult to get it passed. If we get anything, it will be a small step. It will be a first step. It won't be enough.

WALKER: Yes. But I think overall people are welcoming on both sides of the aisle, incremental steps.

I do have to ask you this, Congresswoman, before you go. You face a primary challenge on Tuesday, and your opponent has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. Given that House Democrats like yourself haven't been able to pass meaningful gun legislation into law, tell us why you think the people of Nevada should vote for you on Tuesday.

TITUS: Well, my opponent worked for Bernie Sanders when he ran before, so it's not surprising that she got that endorsement.

But you've got to look at the record. While they're tweeting and talking about things, I'm getting things done and delivering for southern Nevada. So I feel confident that people know me here. They know what I've done. They know my integrity and my work ethic, and that's what I'm campaigning on.

WALKER: All right. Well, we appreciate your time. Congresswoman Dina Titus, thank you so much.

TITUS: Thank you.

WALKER: Ahead this hour, a chilling scene in Idaho as dozens of members of a white nationalist group were arrested. Just moments before police say they had planned to riot at a Pride event. We're going to have those details.

Plus it's the day some parents have been waiting for a long time. We'll tell you when COVID vaccines for children under 5 could be available.

[14:13:02]

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WALKER: New details today after police arrested more than 30 members of a white nationalist group in Idaho. Officers confronted the Patriot Front group on Saturday. There they are, on their knees and arrested. Dozens were piled in the back of a moving truck.

Police say they were traveling to a Pride event where they were hoping to set off a riot. One of those taken into custody was the leader of the far right faction.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is joining us with more. Wow. So police were able to intervene just on time.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It certainly seems so. And it's all because of a tip, a concerned citizen, a person who saw them getting into this U-Haul at a local hotel. Dozens of people, the tipster described as getting in to this U-Haul with masks and shields and all wearing the same clothing -- khakis and a blue shirt.

And so within minutes, police were able to intercept them take them into custody and that's the video you see there. They're wearing masks, certainly very concerning. And I don't think that law enforcement has a full account yet of what these individuals were up to.

And so what we're seeing is so far the local police, they're charging them with this misdemeanor count of conspiracy to riot. They were all charged and all booked, and their photos have just been released.

I don't know if we have that yet. But police obviously wanting to get more information. The FBI is now involved as well as assisting in this investigation.

And what we know as you said, the leader of this group, a man that the Anti-Defamation League, this group is followed law enforcement certainly knows them. Other groups know of them. They describe them as a white supremacist group based out of Texas.

And its leader, Thomas Ryan Rosseau, he's 31, also taken into custody with all these other individuals.

And really, what police say this is certainly very troubling. They believe they traveled from 11 different states -- places like Texas and Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming -- all over the country and met at this location at a hotel.

And really what they were up to is not entirely clear. They had other things in the U-Haul that police were able to find like paperwork which indicated some kind of operation plan. The masks, the shields and certainly the fact that they were all dressed alike.

The tipster, Amara, interestingly described them as almost like a small army. But luckily police were able to intercept them and take them into custody. And like I said law enforcement really knows a lot about this group. They describe them as individuals who believe that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them.

They first became know during the Charlottesville, Virginia rally. The Unite the Right rally in 2017 when they separated from another group that was there. So they've been on the radar of officials.

[14:19:58]

PROKUPECZ: And Amara, one of the things that officials are going to be asking is how are they able to gather like this? Was there something missed by law enforcement officials that they should have caught? And obviously still a lot more information needs to be known and exactly what they were up to. Many of them are expected in court on Monday, and the police there saying that they could potentially face additional charges.

WALKER: Shimon, it's frightening to even think that they were this organized when you look at the evidence and the plans on paper. But thank goodness for that tipster.

Shimon Prokupecz, appreciate your reporting as always. Thanks so much.

So that thwarted attack at a Pride event comes as we remember the victims of the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in American history. Today marks six years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting. 49 people were killed after a gunman opened fire at the Orlando club in 2016.

Today the community is coming together to remember all of the lives lost in a church ceremony a short time ago. The names of each victim was read aloud followed by bell tolls.

CNN's Nadia Romero is in Orlando with more. Nadia, as we know, the shooting shocked the nation. How else is the community mourning today, especially in light of the mass -- the recent mass shootings we've all been dealing with?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Every time, Amara, every year people say never again, but we still have mass shooting after mass shooting. But people here don't want everyone to forget what happened here at the pulse nightclub in Orlando six years ago. What happened that night when 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded. And so at sunrise, Governor Ron DeSantis ordering all flags in the state to be flown at half staff to remember those lives lost. Also across the state, there was a moment of silence at 9:00 a.m., a moment to reflect on the people who lost their lives and everyone who was impacted. And you can see behind me, people are coming out with balloons and flowers, and taking a moment, a very emotional moment to remember and to reflect.

And it's not just people who had family members or loved ones who died that night. But we also spoke with a woman who came from Tampa. She drove an hour away. She says she does it every year. She brought her two nephews with her, a three-year-old and a seven-year-old. She said it was so important to bring them so that they could understand this is what hatred looks like.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LATASHA PARKS, TAMPA RESIDENT PAYING RESPECTS: I usually come out every year. I mean, I really don't know anyone that was here the night it happened, but I just -- I mean, my heart goes out to the families.

I mean, it's senseless. It happens all the time. And we just really, really, really -- you know, we just need to pay respect to things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And so many people echoing that woman's sentiments. Tonight at 7:00, there will be a big memorial. They're still preparing for that right now. And we know that last year President Joe Biden put his seal of approval on a national memorial here. Memorial, a museum to forever remember the victims.

The organizers of the One Pulse Foundation still working on that, Amara. Still accepting donations. Still speaking with the families on how they want their loved ones to be remembered, Amara.

WALKER: Nadia Romero, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

So no evidence of widespread election fraud in 2020. That is the testimony expected to come tomorrow from a key conservative Republican attorney when he speaks to the January 6th investigative committee. What else we may hear in the second hearing -- a preview next.

[14:23:39]

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WALKER: A top Republican expert on election fraud will testify before the January 6th committee tomorrow. Attorney Ben Ginsberg who played a critical role in the 2004 Florida recount case is expected to testify that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, something we all know.

One of the committee's members had this warning for Americans this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): So, I think it continues to be an absolutely shocking event in American history that there was an attempted political coup organized by the president of the United States in order to overthrow a presidential election to stay in office, to seize the presidency.

And it's equally shocking that insurrectionary mob violence would be used as part of that plan in order to forestall the counting of electoral college votes and to block the transfer of power.

So you know, I know that our first hearing pierced the sound barrier. People are paying attention, but Americans need to pay further attention, because the danger is still out there.

I mean, you know, there was -- I just read this morning that in Idaho, there was an LGBTQ Pride day and a riot planned by domestic violent extremist groups, the same kinds of groups that were mobilized for the assault on the Capitol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Joining us now is CNN contributor and former Nixon White House counsel John Dean. He's the subject of "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL".

John, great to see you again. I just want to get right to it.

Fascinating to hear Congressman Jamie Raskin making the connection to what we saw in Idaho yesterday to January 6th. Your thoughts?

[14:29:54]

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that he's absolutely right. We all know that there is great concern about these white supremacist groups, particularly the ones that are playing soldier, if you will.

We don't know very much about the Idaho group, but I think we'll find out, and I also think it's very effective that they're using Ben Ginsberg as a witness tomorrow. They've done that throughout, used Republicans to make the points throughout. And this is really -- it takes away the argument that this is a Democratic attack on the president and some sort of witch hunt.

WALKER: Yeah. Could you expand on that a little bit. I was going to ask about how significant Ginsberg's testimony is expected to be. This is about adding a -- piling on to the voices, saying look, the big lie was a big lie.

DEAN: Ben Ginsberg has been the go-to Republican expert on election law and election fraud. Nobody speaks with more authority. Nobody has more experience. If he found no fraud, there is no fraud. And he would have looked. He's an honest player. So this is going to be a very effective witness. WALKER: I want to turn to your CNN series, and I want to play a clip

from tonight's episode that focuses on a fateful conversation that you had with Nixon just before testifying in front of Congress. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The next day the president called me to the oval office. As the door was being opened for me to walk in to the Oval Office, walking out of the opposite side of the Oval Office and chuckling were Haldeman and Ehrlichman.

It was one of my more interesting meetings with the president. He said, I've drafted up some letters. Why don't you take a look? Which he slides them across his desk, and I read them. And I, first of all, realize they were open confessions.

He gave me a blanket resignation letter, actually two of them, had I signed, I would be admitting to whatever they wanted me to claim I was admitting to. They were both drafted by Ehrlichman I later learned and that doesn't surprise me.

I understood the way the White House worked, that people at the top didn't take responsibility, but rather, blamed somebody else. Create a scapegoat. It was standard operating procedure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Well, that's fascinating. I mean, to build on that, I mean, what is -- would you say the most important lesson we need to learn from Watergate?

DEAN: Well, Amara, as you were playing that clip, I was replaying it in my mind. I just -- so I just visited the Oval Office 50 years ago.

Anyway, what we learned from that is that but for the fact that there was a taping system for Nixon, they would have all denied this. They would have all stonewalled, as they called it. They would have never given us any of this information. So we were fortunate.

It looks like today in these times, we have a surprising amount of electronic record that is coming out before the January 6th committee. And I think that's going to be very important, because it's very hard evidence. And it makes these points that sometimes a witness alone can't make.

WALKER: Always fascinating to talk to you, John Dean. Thank you so much for your time.

DEAN: Thank you, Amara.

WALKER: And be sure to tune in. The final episodes out of CNN's original series, "Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal", airing tonight starting at 9:00 p.m., only on CNN.

All right. Still ahead, nearly 50 members of a fraternity at the University of New Hampshire are accused of hazing new members.

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[14:38:37]

WALKER: Nearly 50 fraternity members at the university of New Hampshire were issued arrest warrants, accusing them of student hazing. The university Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter was suspended over the claims, according to the school. Police say at least ten members were arrested, charged, and then released Friday.

CNN's Polo Sandoval following the story for us.

Hi there, Polo.

So, how did the school learn about the serious allegations?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, initially, Amara, it was the fraternity's national chanter that came forward and alerted authorities at the university that initiated this investigation. This has to do with a hazing I said dent that reportedly happened on April 13th. It was not long after officials learned about this that this investigation was started. It now has ended.

The issuing of as many of 46 Air Force warrants. About ten of the warrants have already been carried out. Basically ten of these individuals have already come forward to answer to the charges. But again, that's out of 46, according to authorities, again, that they really haven't released a lot of information at this point, I should add, given the nature of this information here.

But the deputy county attorney saying that they really using the legal instrument to charge not only those who are believed to have participated in the hazing, but also those who may have known about it and said nothing. So, that really just speaks to the scope of this investigation and why we are seeing close to four dozen arrest warrants issued.

[14:40:00]

The university itself, they've actually issued a statement about this ongoing investigation, Amara. I want to read a portion of that. We can bring it up full for the viewers so they can read this line. They wrote they have cooperated with police throughout the investigation and the fraternity was interim suspended pending the outcome of the police investigation. We take any allegation of hazing very seriously, and now that the police investigation is complete, we will be initiating a formal conduct process.

Now, the university did say that they contacted police in Durham, New Hampshire, almost immediately after learning this. So I think that really does speak to what the message the university hopes to send out not only to the community but the rest of the country that the allegations of this nature will simply not be tolerated. Again, investigators have not released a whole lot of information about the actual incident that took place. Only saying it was serious enough to charge -- again, almost four dozen people.

WALKER: So we don't know exactly what happened during this hazing incident.

Appreciate you and that reporting.

SANDOVAL: Yeah.

WALKER: OK. We'll stand by for that information.

Polo Sandoval, thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Amara.

Parents, rejoice. The FDA is finally set to meet this week to consider two COVID vaccines for children under five. What's expected and what the Biden administration is doing to prepare.

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WALKER: Now to some COVID news. The CDC has lifted the testing requirement for entry into the U.S. and it goes into effect at midnight tonight.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccine doses for the youngest population in the country, children aged six months through five years, could be available as early as June 20th.

Let's bring in pediatrician Dr. Julie Morita in Chicago.

Good to see you, Doctor.

So, at the key advisory meeting set for this Wednesday, the FDA will be considering emergency use for both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for the littlest ones. What do you expect the FDA to do this week? Do you think the approval will go through?

DR. JULIE MORITA, PEDIATRICIAN: Hey, Amara, great to see you again.

Yeah, I think this is a really exciting moment for many of us. We've all been waiting for this. We know that our youngest children under five have really not been able to be protected adequately from COVID. And so, the FDA meeting is a critical part in fact process of getting the vaccines approved.

So the FDA released information suggesting that the vaccines are effective and safe. They haven't released the Pfizer vaccine just yet. But if the data looked good from a safety and efficacy perspective, then the FDA should authorize the vaccines.

And then it moves to the next stage, which is the CDC advisory committee and the data and making recommendations.

WALKER: So the Biden administration announced the rollout plan this week for when the vaccines are approved including 10 million vaccine doses available for states, tribes, territories, community health members, and others to preorder.

What is the best way for parents to get their kids vaccinated?

MORITA: So the children are a little bit different than adults. As a pediatrician and former health official who worked on this for years, we knew pediatricians and family physicians and doctor's offices were the best place for children to get vaccinated and many children are connected to the places. And so, the Biden administration has been working with the AAP and partner organizations to really make sure health care providers are equipped with the information and all the -- and also the supplies they need to begin the vaccination process with the vaccinations approved.

And so, it's really a matter of getting the approval, through the approval process and then getting the vaccines into the doctor's offices. There need to be alternative places for doctors not available during the times they need them. So there are vaccines available in other places as well.

WALKER: Yeah. And I know you wrote there needs to be flexibility for children not having to choose between vaccinating kids and getting a paycheck. I was surprised and not when I saw the latest polling last month that only 18 percent of parents of children under five said they would vaccinate their child right away, as soon as the vaccine was available.

Why do you think that number is so low? What are you hearing from your patients?

MORITA: Yeah, I think with parents and as at least the vaccines -- any time there's a new vaccine, parents have questions and concerns about the safety, how well the vaccine works, if it's really necessary. And so I think parents really need to be able to talk to their health care providers. Talk to the people they trust. Get information from trusted sources so they can help inform their decisions to get the vaccines.

So it's not uncommon for parents to wait a little bit. I think in this particular situation it's really important that we keep in mind that the pandemic is not over. There's still many, many people who are getting sick. Many people who are being hospitalized and people dying because of the COVID. They really need to make sure we are protecting our youngest children.

WALKER: Right. And what would you say to parents who, you know, are vaccinated and believe in science, but they might be hesitant to get the child vaccinated and -- or maybe they think I don't need to vaccinate my child because they already had COVID and already did fine, came out of it fine?

MORITA: Yeah, I think the key thing to think about is we know that people can get reinfected even if they had had prior infections. So vaccination is important. Even healthy children, not just people with underlying health conditions, can get hospitalized, can have the severe inflammatory disease and develop long COVID.

So, getting vaccinated is really the best way to protect children. [14:50:01]

In addition, it also helps to protect the people that are around them as well so they don't spread the disease to people, to their grandparents and people with underlying health conditions. And so, really, vaccination is the best thing for children to protect them and the ones around them.

WALKER: Dr. Julie Morita, I appreciate you. Thank you very much.

MORITA: Thank you.

WALKER: Still ahead, backed by the wealth of Saudi Arabia, pro golfers cash in amid the controversy over the LIV Golf Tour. How the winner is justifying his nearly $5 million prize.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:15]

WALKER: A controversial new golf tournament has its first winner. Charl Schwartzel became the Saudi-backed LIV golf series first champion after finishing seven under par at the tour's inaugural event outside London. The South African golfer pocketed nearly $5 million from the series that has drawn scrutiny because of its ties to Saudi Arabian money.

Here now to discuss is CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan.

Christine, great to see you.

I want to first get your reaction to what Schwartzel had to say about the series funding. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARL SCHWARTZEL, PRO GOLFER: The thing that I -- as ever -- I've ever looked at playing in my 20 years career, you know, I think if I start digging everywhere where we played, you could find faults in anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Okay. A bit of down playing there, at least when it comes to Saudi Arabia. And, of course, when you think of Saudi Arabia, human rights. What's your reaction to what he had to say and what other players have been saying?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Amara, we can help him. The money is coming from MBS, Mohammed Bin Salman, who is responsible for the murder and dismemberment of "Washington Post" columnist Jamaal Khashoggi in 2018. So, if that helps Charl figure out where the money is coming from, obviously a very cynical answer, but he knows. He knows it's blood money. He knows that he is now in business with murderers and with the Saudi government, all the atrocities of the Saudis. So they're trying -- they have talking points. That's been revealed,

and they try to stick to those. But, obviously, those of us covering it are pointing out the obvious.

WALKER: How do you expect this to play out? At the end of the day, it seems like for a lot of players it comes down to the money, right? I mean, $25 million in prize money at each event for this LIV Golf Tour. Some players have received reportedly is us correct, nine figure signing bonuses? I had to put nine figures in a cool calculator to understand how much money that is.

I mean, how do you see those kind of -- what's the trajectory going to be of LIV? Is it going to stick around?

BRENNAN: It was all about greed, Amara. It's all about the money. These guys should say that. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, Schwartzel, should just say it. Just be honest, they they're taking the money and running. They're leaving their jobs on the PGA tour to make even more millions.

Will it survive? How will it survive is a good question. It's basically an exhibition tour. It's not the real thing. It's not like the PGA tour or LPGA where there are cuts and it's real competition and you're watching sports and athletes go at it. This is all about kicking back and taking the money and the money happens to be from murderers. So other than that, it's not that big a deal.

WALKER: I mean, it was interesting. I think Greg Norman, the CEO of LIVE, is a retired golfer from Australia. And he I think in response to Jamal Khashoggi, and, of course, MBS' ties and him orchestrating his killing, he said, look, we all make mistakes. Yeah, I don't know if that was a mistake. That was actually a plan. Not a mistake.

But let me ask you about sport washing, and the strategy from the Saudi side. What is Saudi Arabia trying to get out of this?

BRENNAN: Oh, everything. And that's the key. Again, that's why we keep talking about it, and I will continue to stay on this story.

The Saudis have now got Phil Mickelson as a business partner. They have Dustin Johnson as a business partner and all these other guys, the Saudi 17 kicked out of the PGA tour for leaving to go to a renegade tour where they didn't even have -- they sign on with the PGA tour. You have to get okays to go and play somewhere else.

And it's all about now MBS and the Saudi investment fund and all the Saudi leaders now being able to say we've got Phil Mickelson doing our bidding. We have Phil Mickelson sports washing, helping to burnish our sports relation image. Phil Mickelson is part of the Saudi brand.

Think about that, Phil Mickelson waving the red, white, and blue, obviously, one of America's golf heroes, now totally in bed with the Saudis. But that is just gold to the Saudis, worth the tens of hundreds of millions of dollars they're paying.

WALKER: You're going to be headed to Boston this week for the next PGA Tour stop, the U.S. Open. What do you think the reaction is going to be there?

BRENNAN: I'm going to ask a lot of questions as I'm sure my colleagues are as well, Amara. And I don't know if it's going to be a media circus, but I know the first conference is tomorrow at 1:00 and it's Phil Mickelson direct from London where he played in the fist Saudi event, the exhibition. So we will be asking him some tough questions.