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Supreme Court Dealing With January 6 Cases; Bracing For Flu Season; Prince Harry's Memoir Set For January Release; Sources: Kanye West Had Obsession With Hitler. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 27, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:33:28]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: We have exclusive new reporting just in to CNN about the artist formerly known as Kanye West.

Several sources tell us Ye's recent antisemitic remarks are not a one- off, but part of his long-held obsession and his praise of Adolf Hitler.

CNN's Chloe Melas is behind this new exclusive reporting.

And multiple sources, Chloe, I understand, are telling you that Ye's last album, he wanted to actually call "Hitler"?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, so we spoke to four individuals who were high level within Kanye's album-making process and within his camp who told us that this was a major point of contention, for obvious reasons, that he wanted to call the album "Hitler," and that it was really like the final hours before the album was going to come out that his camp was able to successfully get him to switch it to "Ye," which is what it was called.

We reached out to Def Jam, which was the record label that put it out in partnership with Kanye's GOOD Music, who had no comment.

And this also goes into other parts of our story, where we spoke to a high-level executive who asked not to be named, for fear of retribution, about a settlement that basically called out Kanye's workplace as a toxic environment, where he would often hear Kanye praising Hitler, talking about reading Hitler's autobiography that he wrote, "Mein Kampf," saying, look at all the good that he did, and really made him incredibly uncomfortable.

[13:35:02]

This was a settlement that CNN has obtained and reviewed.

I do want you all to take a listen to a former TMZ employee named Van Lathan, who spoke out about hearing firsthand Kanye speak about his love of Hitler and Nazis when he visited TMZ in 2018, but it was actually edited out -- edited out of the broadcast, and CNN has been able to confirm this.

Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN LATHAN JR., HOST, "HIGHER LEARNING": He said something like "I love Hitler, I love Nazis," something to that effect when he was there, and they took it out of the interview.

One of the producers at TMZ actually stood up and said: "I'm Jewish, and that is offensive to me, what you just said."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: So TMZ has not responded to CNN's request for comment on why what Kanye said about Hitler was edited out of the broadcast.

This was when Kanye infamously went to the TMZ offices in Los Angeles in 2018 and made those controversial comments, Ana, saying that he believed slavery was a choice.

So, what we know from somebody who was part of West's camp at the time who was in that room, that Kanye did indeed -- they back up what Van was saying, that Kanye did indeed praise Hitler and say these things. But no one knows why TMZ cut that out.

CABRERA: Such a sickening development.

Thank you, Chloe, for staying on top of it for us.

MELAS: Thank you.

CABRERA: What will Harry share in "Spare"?

We're learning Prince Harry's tell-all memoir is just weeks from hitting store shelves. And after his high-profile break from Buckingham Palace, the big questions, how much will he reveal, will he name names, and will it rock the royal family again?

CNN royal commentator Emily Nash is joining us now.

And, Emily, Harry's publisher promises raw, unflinching honesty, that this book is full of insight. You have interviewed Harry a number of times, I know. Compared to other members of the royal family, how candid do you find him to be?

EMILY NASH, CNN ROYAL CONTRIBUTOR: Harry has always been incredibly candid.

And I think that this book is going to be no different. He's always worn his heart on his sleeve. He kind of shoots from the hip. If you interviewed him, you would ask him a question, and he would open up and tell you a lot.

And this opportunity, I think, is going to be one for him to really get across his side of events, his side of the story, the story that we all think that we know, I think he is not going to hold back.

CABRERA: So you think we are going to learn significantly more than what he's already shared or what other reporting has previously revealed?

NASH: I do think so.

And I think this is going to be a unique perspective. And they talk about this book starting at the point of the two young princes walking behind their mother's coffin. It's a moment we all remember. And we all projected our own ideas onto that, our own empathy, our sympathy for them, and wondered how they were going to recover from that.

And we are now going to hear from one of those young boys who's now a grown man just about how it was for him. And he's talked about his life in the public spotlight as being a mix of "The Truman Show" and being in a zoo. I think it's going to be very interesting to see how he explains what was going on behind the scenes.

CABRERA: The ghostwriter Harry worked with is known for exploring the complex relationships between fathers and sons. Now, Harry's father is now king, right?

Just how much do you think Harry will share about their relationship?

NASH: Well, I think it's going to be a very difficult one for him to broach.

It's no secret that they have had a troubled relationship. Harry said himself to Oprah Winfrey that they hadn't -- he hadn't been taking his calls when he was planning to leave the royal family in late 2019. Now that his father is king, things do change, but, actually, their relationship, maybe not.

And I don't know if there is any truth in the various reports that he's gone back and asked for edits in recent months. But it's no secret that this is going to be a very challenging moment for the king so early in his reign.

CABRERA: All right, Emily Nash, thank you so much for joining us today.

It will be an interesting book, and it comes out in January.

All right, disputes tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election make it all the way to the Supreme Court. What happens next?

And flu hospitalizations in Chile just hit a three-year high. Why that has researchers worried here in the U.S.

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[13:44:15]

CABRERA: Another case related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election has now made its way to the Supreme Court.

We're tracking a couple of recent moves. Let's start with the very latest, Justice Elena Kagan ruling to temporarily block a subpoena from the January 6 Committee for the cell phone records of Arizona's Republican Party leader. Kelli Ward served as a fake elector for Donald Trump and spoke with him about the election certification.

Meantime, just a few days ago, Justice Clarence Thomas temporarily froze an order for Senator Lindsey Graham to testify before a Georgia grand jury probing efforts to overturn results there.

CNN Supreme Court reporter Ariane de Vogue joins us now.

Ariane, explain why Justice Kagan blocked the cell phone record subpoena.

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: You're right, Ana, the Supreme Court. Keeps getting drawn into these political cases. And it's the last place it wants to be.

[13:45:05]

But in this first case, the January 6 Committee wants to talk to Kelli Ward because they're looking into, right, activities that may have led up to those attacks. And Kelli Ward was considered one of those alternative electors. The committee wanted to talk to her.

She said -- she took the Fifth. So now they want her phone records. She's trying to block that. She lost in the lower court, and her petition goes to Elena Kagan because Elena Kagan supervises this particular lower court.

Now, Elena Kagan did issue this temporary stay. But that's really just an administrative move to give the justices more time to look into this issue. You can't say it's a ruling on the merits yet, but it is temporary. And so, for right now, that particular subpoena is not going to go out.

CABRERA: So what's the next step, then, in the other case, the one involving Lindsey Graham?

DE VOGUE: Right.

So that case involves a district attorney out of Fulton County, Georgia, looking again into election results, particularly phone calls that Lindsey Graham made. Some people have interpreted those phone calls as being problematic for Lindsey Graham.

A lower court said he actually had to testify, but he didn't have to testify about anything having to do with his job as a senator, for instance, anything having to do with certification of votes, right, or his role on the Senate subcommittee.

But the district court and the appeals court said he would have to sit for testimony for anything having to do with, say, communications that weren't -- where he's not protected because he's not talking in his official capacity. The court said, exactly, communications and coordination with the Trump campaign regarding post-election efforts.

Now, Graham says he doesn't have to answer any questions, the Constitution protects him under the speech or debate clause. And now that has gone to the Supreme Court. And it went to Clarence Thomas, who has jurisdiction.

But, again, his -- Clarence Thomas did issue this temporary stay, but just like what Kagan did, it's really meant just to get the justices, give them time to get read in here. So it's too soon to see how the justices will rule on the merits.

But, Ana, what's interesting here is, the Supreme Court, currently made up of six Republican appointees, three Democratic appointees, they keep being called political by some members of the public, and they keep having to answer and get into these political cases. And it's just not where they want to be, Ana.

CABRERA: Just very quickly, Ariane, is there a timeline on when we expect an actual ruling, not just this temporary pause?

DE VOGUE: So, usually, what happens now is, the other sides are given time to respond.

And so, under normal circumstances, I would think it would be sometime next week. You can't tell. Sometimes, things get shifted, depending on how the justices are looking at this, but I would expect maybe sometime next week.

CABRERA: OK, thanks so much, Ariane de Vogue.

DE VOGUE: Thank you.

CABRERA: Just how bad is flu season about to get here in the U.S.?

Well, we just got a warning sign.

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[13:52:29]

CABRERA: Lake Mead is turning into lake morbid.

Divers just found more human remains there. The manmade lake hit its lowest level earlier this year because of a decades-long drought. And this is at least the sixth time this year human remains have been found. Investigators say, in this latest case, they do not suspect foul play.

Also found recently, sunken boats, a World War II era landing craft and very, very ancient volcanic rock.

OK, did you get a flu shot yet? New data from the CDC shows that this year's flu vaccine could reduce your risk of hospitalization by nearly half. And this flu season is expected to be a bad one.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard is joining us now.

Jacqueline, how did researchers figure this out?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Ana, researchers looked at the Southern Hemisphere of the world. And that's because, in the South, they have their flu season before we

do in the Northern Hemisphere. So, researchers looked at data in the country of Chile and found that, during flu season there, vaccine effectiveness was 49 percent against flu-associated hospitalization, which suggests that getting your flu shot can reduce your risk of being hospitalized with flu by 49 percent.

And, also, they found, Ana, that during the flu season earlier this year, they saw flu circulating months before expected, and that's similar to how here in the U.S. we're seeing a lot of respiratory activity. And it's not even November. We haven't even entered winter season yet.

And, because of that, some experts say things could get much worse. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. NIPUNIE RAJAPAKSE, MAYO CLINIC: So, unfortunately, I do think, with the upcoming colder weather, with holidays and people gathering more, and with the removal of some of the preventative measures that we have been using over the last couple of years, like masking, I think this is going to get worse before it starts to get better, unfortunately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: So that was an infectious disease specialist speaking with our colleagues this morning with that grim warning that things could get worse, Ana.

CABRERA: And it's not too late to get your flu shot, right?

HOWARD: That's right.

Some experts say get your flu shot by Halloween. There's this saying pediatricians have, flu before boo. And so get your shot before Halloween, which is just a few days away -- Ana.

CABRERA: OK, well, let everybody get that warning. Get to your pharmacy. Get to wherever you need to go. Thank you, Jacqueline Howard.

Never too late, or better late than never.

Let's talk about a story that we first brought you yesterday, a great update here.

Sam Adventure Baker, the 8-year-old on a mission to become the youngest person ever to reach the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, and now he is more than halfway there. Sam and his dad set out on this grueling climb on Tuesday.

[13:55:13]

Yes, they're sleeping up there. They have these little cots they put out. El Capitan is one of the highest and most difficult climbs. It's more than twice as tall as the Empire State Building. And the journey is expected to take them four days. Halfway there.

Sam, we are rooting for you.

That does it for me. Thanks so much for joining us. I will see you back here tomorrow same time, same place.

Until then, find me on Twitter @AnaCabrera.

The news continues right after this.

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