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Jan. 6 Committee Releases New Slew Of Interview Transcripts; Brazilian Soccer Legend Pele Dies After Battle With Cancer; Southwest Executive Offers New Apology For Airline's Epic Failure. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 29, 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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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon. I'm Sarah Sidner, in for Victor Blackwell. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

The January 6 committee just released yet another big batch of witness interview transcripts from their investigation into the Capitol insurrection. The new list includes interviews with 19 witnesses including the former president's son Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump's attorney, Christina Bobb, and former Trump adviser Stephen Miller. It also contains conversations with people involved in the state-level effort to overturn the 2020 election like Doug Mastriano.

CNN's Paul Reid is joining me now. You are going through this. I know it's a lot. There are hundreds of different people with you know, many, many, many pages of transcripts. What has stood out to you so far?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, fortunately, we have the support of a big team that's combing over these. And, Sara, right now, I want to start with some of the revelations in the transcript from Donald Trump Jr. Specifically, the transcript reveals new details about text messages that the former president's son exchanged with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Now, we've reported on some of these text messages, we're getting new details and new contexts.

For example, they dive into a text message that Donald Trump Jr. sent on January 6 to Meadows where he says that his father, the then- president needs to "condemn this expletive." And he's encouraging Meadows to press his father to condemn the violence on Capitol Hill. Now, the committee pressed him and said, well, why didn't you reach out to your father yourself? Why are you going through Mark Meadows? He said, well, my father doesn't text and that he believed it was -- he could not reach out to him. So, he was going to reach out to Meadows to do this on his behalf.

Now, it's really interesting, Sara, to see Donald Trump Jr. asking his father to condemn the violence on January 6 because if you go back two months to November 5, there were other text messages that he was actually sending to Mark Meadows outland -- outlining strategies, sharing ideas for how his father could remain in power. And what's interesting, is in these text messages, he's basically outlining a strategy that is nearly identical to the one that was ultimately adopted by his father and his allies as they attempted to undermine the certification of the Electoral College over the next two months.

Now, what's also interesting here is that Donald Trump Jr. says he doesn't remember where these ideas came from and who sent him the strategy. He was just passing along the idea that he said, seemed the most well-laid out. Also, notable that Mark Meadows throughout these transcripts over the past week or so, as we've been looking through these, Sara, Mark Meadows is at the center of so many of the most interesting and notable moments in everything that's been laid out.

You know, here, you have him being the one receiving these ideas, receiving these outlines, also being the one that people are trying to communicate to the president through, also, in the past few days questions about him burning paper in his office helping people get pardons. So many questions for the former White House Chief of Staff out of these transcripts.

SIDNER: It seems like all roads lead at least through Mark Meadows. Then you've -- there's this interesting quote from Trump's lawyer, Christina Bobb, regarding Senator Lindsey Graham. Tell us about that.

REID: This is really interesting, Sara, I will say. So, here, Bobb testified before the committee that she remembers Senator Lindsey Graham telling again, Mark Meadows that he would love to champion these claims of election fraud. And all he would need to do it is "five dead voters." She said "give me you know -- she's quoting Graham, give me you know, an example of illegal voting. Just give me a small snapshot that I can take and champion. Just give me five dead voters."

Now, this exchange came a few days before January 6, but it shows how the South Carolina Republican was willing to push these false claims of election fraud, and also how the White House was seeking out high- profile politicians to help them push forward with this scheme. Now, Sara, here's the kicker. Bobb testified that Graham actually got a memo from the Trump legal team titled Chairman Graham dead votes memo for your consideration. But Bobb added he did nothing with that. The senator's office has not responded to our request for comment on that.

[14:05:06]

SIDNER: Dead votes memo. OK. It would be funny, but we saw what happened on January 6, so it is what it is.

REID: Yes.

SIDNER: Paul Reid, thank you so much.

Now, to Ukraine where cities across the country were hit with a barrage of Russian missiles on Thursday. One official is calling it one of the largest missile attacks since Russia's invasion began in February. At least three are dead and seven others have been injured in these strikes. Energy infrastructure was heavily damaged. Here, you can see crews battling a fire at the energy site in Kharkiv. Power is out in several regions. The Ukrainian military said they intercepted and shut down 54 of the 69 Russian cruise missiles.

CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is live in Kyiv at the scene where one of those missiles landed. I think you're now back in the bureau there in Kyiv, Ben. What kind of damage did you -- did you see?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we saw was two areas -- residential areas where according to Ukrainian officials, debris from intercepted missiles hit the ground. Now, the mayor says that 16 missiles were fired into the -- in the direction of the Capitol and all of them were intercepted. Now, we went to one residential area where there was really widespread destruction. There, a 14-year-old girl has injured as well as her mother and a man nearby. Now, the crews were quickly cleaning up the area. They're accustomed to that sort of thing.

Then we went to another house where some debris had caused a large crater right next to their home. Half of the house was completely destroyed, windows shattered, walls had collapsed. But the two men who live inside and the elderly father and his adult son escaped only with scratches. But more than scratches happened to elsewhere. In Kharkiv, if two people were killed. In the Donetsk region, another person was killed.

Now, here in Kyiv, 40 percent of the city is without electricity. The mayor has called upon people to stock up on water and charge their cell phones. In the city of Kharkiv, four missiles got through the air defenses and hit critical energy infrastructure. And in the western city of Lviv, 90 percent of that city is without electricity. And this is what President Zelenskyy predicted several days ago that the Russians would try during this holiday period to once again knock out the country's energy infrastructure, Sara.

SIDNER: Ben, thank you for sharing all of that with us. And thank you and your crew for putting yourself in danger so that we can understand exactly what's going on on the ground there. Ben Wedeman for us live from Ukraine.

We have some breaking news for you, and it's some sad news. Soccer legend Pele has died at the age of 82. That is according to a statement released now by his family. They added everything that we are is always thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.

The Brazilian star's health had been deteriorating in recent days as he continued his battle with cancer. Don Riddell has more on Pele's life and his incredible legacy.

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DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): When the world knows you by just one name, you have truly succeeded. Pele is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time. His humble demeanor and generous spirit have guaranteed his legacy as a global icon. PELE, FORMER MINISTER OF SPORTS OF BRAZIL: This is a big responsibility, you know. I feel very comfortable because something I cannot answer was why God gave me this, you know -- you know, this gift. This was a gift from God. And I tried to be in my best. I tried to respect people. I tried to prepare myself to be always in good shape, you know. The most -- the most important, respect people.

RIDDELL: Raised in the slums of Sao Paulo in the 1940s, Edson Arantes do Nascimento discovered football at a young age. He made his debut for Santos at the age of just 16. And within a year, he was scoring goals for the Brazilian national team.

By this time, he was better known by his nickname, Pele. And in 1958, at 17, he became the youngest man to play in a World Cup final, scoring twice as Brazil beat Sweden. It was the first of three world titles he'd helped win for his country. He electrified audiences with his fancy footwork and ability to score seemingly impossible goals, so it was something of a disappointment that his 1,000th goal was a penalty.

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PELE: A friend of mine is a comic guy in Brazil. He says listen, God stopped the game because everyone has to see your 1000th goal. That's the reason why it was the penalty kick.

RIDDELL: After his goal, the game against Vasco da Gama was stopped for several minutes to celebrate his landmark achievement. In 1967, Pele learned that he and his team had the power to stop other things too when their visit to Nigeria prompted warring factions to call a 48-hour ceasefire in the country's Civil War.

PELE: We stop the war because the people are so crazy for football. They love football. They stopped the war to see some of us play in Africa. This is a fantastic, you know, some singer who cannot split.

RIDDELL: By the time Pele retired as a footballer in 1977, playing his final years for the Cosmos in New York, he'd amassed a career total of 1281 goals. For Pele, that was half a lifetime ago. But his infectious love of the game ensured that he remained relevant.

He served as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He rubbed shoulders with state leaders all over the world. And he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 1997. Who could forget his appearance in the cult of the movie, Escaped To Victory?

PELE: Goal. You have to give me a goal here out of these, these, these, these, these, these, these, goal. Easy.

RIDDELL: When he starred alongside Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone playing a prisoner of war who scored a spectacular morale- boosting goal in a game against the Germans.

PELE: I think, first of all, it's a gift from God. Second, I think it was a lot of work -- hard work and training. And I have to say, thanks to God because my father was a football player. He was a center forward. And then my father was very, you know, perfectionist, you know. And then everything who I used to do, what I try to do, he used to say, listen, I know you must have to be better than that.

RIDDELL: He's always been a global icon, but in his native Brazil, he will always be regarded as a national treasure. His passing is cause for national mourning. And as he's so humorously put it himself, there will never be another Pele.

PELE: To be the new Pele would be very difficult because my mother and my father, they closed the machine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: What an incredible life player and person. That was CNN's, Don Riddell. Joining us now on the phone is Chris Whittyngham, soccer analyst and commentator. First to you about the impact of Pele, everyone knows his name, even if you're not a sports fan. He is an icon in his own right.

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, SPORTS ANALYST & COMMENTATOR (voiceover): No question. I think when you look at the history of the sport in this country, I think you look at for example, in the United States, he comes to play for the New York Cosmos in the mid-1970s. And as a result, his name almost become synonymous with this sport because it was not terribly popular for several years. If you said the word soccer or even the word football, you would just sort of say Pele, that was the first name. And you would say in a variety of ways, right?

Because him being from Brazil was sort of sedative right, Pele, Pele, Pele, and so you hear this sort of wide variety of his notoriety within the game. And he is sort of the first name that comes up to many, many generations of Americans. And obviously, the world over is known as being someone who is so influential in this sport and has, you know, championed the sport in Brazil and around the world. A three-time World Cup winner remains the only three-time World Cup winner. We just celebrated Lionel Messi for winning one.

I think Pele kind of got left behind a little bit in the greatest of all-time discussion because he's won three. Just because he did it in black and white television doesn't mean that he is not one of the greatest figures in the history of this game.

SIDNER: Yes, I was going to ask you about the comparisons that will certainly be made. But he had 1281 goals in his lifetime. You talked about him winning three World Cups.

One of the stories that I -- that I had heard about him, and that always struck me was that during 1967, there were factions that were fighting a civil war in Nigeria. And this is the power of Pele. They agree -- the two sides fighting agreed to a ceasefire so that he could play an exhibition match in Nigeria.

[14:15:02] It just goes to show you the power this man had to bring -- almost to bring people together. He literally stopped the fighting so that he could -- so that he could just come and play and give people relief. Do you have any stories that you particularly like to remember about Pele?

WITTYNGHAM: Yes. For me, I think it's just sort of his impact on the sport in the United States. I don't think it can be understated. You talk to people who are agnostic to soccer in the United States, and even they, for a brief moment in time, in the mid-1970s, when he played the New York Cosmos. And like you say, it's just sort of his ability to present that impact, almost no matter where he is. Because it's very easy to suggest global celebrity now, right?

I mean, we have social media, we have all these abilities to sort of translate celebrity. But I think when you look at where the globe was back then, you win World Cup in 1958 and again in 1962. And in 1958, arrived to the Brazil squad as a 17-year-old and lit up that World Cup and scored a goal in the final against Sweden. And he, from there, becomes this one word that is synonymous with sport, and like you say, almost with diplomacy in a weird way. He can go to any single place in the world and stop traffic and stop what was going on.

I remember growing up and hearing this man's name, and it was like, you know, it was vaunted. It was laudable. It was something that was synonymous with something that we don't even -- we can't even access because it came from a different time. And yes, to me, the way that he came to the United States and changed the way that American youth soccer was just sort of incredible, and I think laid some of the groundwork for what we see today with Major League Soccer, with a lot of the way that the sport has grown. I think that period in the 1970s when a lot of big soccer stars headlined by Pele came over was a huge part of it.

SIDNER: He was a beautiful player in the beautiful game, but also a beautiful spirit. And he did a lot after soccer. And I -- and the one thing that I think we all remember anyone who has seen video of Pele playing or got to see him in person, it is that famous bicycle kick. He made that famous and you now see players doing it as well, but the -- but incredible athlete and person.

And I do just want to end here with what his name really is. People call him Pele, but actually, his official name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. We all knew him as Pele. He is now gone from its Earth but his memory remains. Thank you so much, Chris Wittyngham.

WITTYNGHAM: Thank you.

SIDNER: All right. Now, to things here in the U.S. The roads are cleared and reopening across Western New York. But now concerns are growing over flooding as temperatures rise. We'll take you there live. And a fresh apology from Southwest Airlines, all while the airline's new steps it is going to take to reimburse passengers whose holiday travel was ruined. Those details are up next.

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SIDNER: The colossal failure of Southwest Airlines' operations may be nearing an end. Finally, passengers are getting notices that the company expects to run a full schedule on Friday, which so far, has just 39 cancellations, compared to what has been happening on a daily basis for more than 2300. This caps a week of chaos that left tens of thousands of travelers abandoned, exhausted, and outraged. Nearly 16,000 flights failed to take off. That's just since last Thursday. Today, Southwest issued a new apology and new ways for customers to get help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN GREEN, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: First, my personal apology on behalf of myself and everyone at Southwest Airlines for all of this. Second, a pledged to do everything we can and to work day and night to repair our relationship with you.

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SIDNER: CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is at Chicago Midway International Airport. Adrienne, you have been telling some incredibly emotional stories with people -- with they're really, really worried and scared even for their life because they're -- you know, some of their items that they needed for medication were in their bags. But now you're going to tell us about some of the emotional reunions that you're finally seeing, so we've trended in a better direction.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Sara. I will say the past few days have reminded me of a treasure hunt with the luggage being the big prize. If you're new to this story or -- and if you're able to see, I want you to take a look at your screen. This is what this baggage claim area looked like just yesterday.

I wasn't able to walk through here because there were so many bags, the carousels were shut down. But those bags have been removed. They either went home with their rightful owner or crews who work here at Midway, and additional staff from Chicago O'Hare's Airport, removed all those bags yesterday to a secure location here at the airport. We're told the next step is that those bags will be transported to their original final destination.

And as you mentioned, Sara, Southwest outlining the steps it wants passengers to take when it comes to compensation. First and foremost, Southwest saying please don't call us, our phone lines are overloaded right now. Take care of all of this online. We're talking about filing a claim for your missing luggage, filing another report if you racked up some extra expenses because your flight was canceled, and online is where you will request reimbursement.

By contrast, we heard from a woman who was stranded in Baltimore. She was trying to get to her sick grandmother. She did not make it and her grandmother died on Tuesday. That's one story of sadness that was shared with us. By contrast, we have seen moments of joy right here at Midway. [14:25:00]

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PATRICK KEANE, SOUTHWEST PASSENGER: I just haven't had this bag in a week. I've been wearing other people's clothes. I want to wear my wardrobe. It's New Year's Eve week and I'm going to go out and I'm going to party like it's 2023 because it's going to be, and this bag when I go back to Denver is not getting checked. It's staying right here with me because I'm not losing it again.

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BROADDUS: Relief, and I must say it was kind of nice to see someone smile after seeing so many tears at this airport, Sara.

SIDNER: Patrick Keane is the meme we all need for 2023. That excitement was real. Adrienne Broaddus, thank you and your crew for that.

Countless Christmas moments were lost though from the Southwest meltdown. Now, we're hearing of a bride who cannot make it to her own wedding. Katie Demko was supposed to marry her fiance, Michael, in Belize tomorrow, but her Southwest flight from St. Louis was canceled. And she says there's no other way to get to Central America on time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE DEMKO, BRIDE WHOSE SOUTHWEST FLIGHT WAS CANCELED: I was in shock. We tried to rebook and there was nothing. Southwest actually booked me on a flight for January 2. My wedding is tomorrow, December 30, so that was past the date of the wedding. We're just devastated. I mean, not just only Michael and I, obviously, but my kids, family, friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: What a mess. My next guest has her own Southwest saga. Nancy Stabell has been vacationing in Cancun, Mexico. She was supposed to get home to Nashville on Monday, but she got home, I think last night. I see that you're in Nashville now. You started your first leg in Houston. What happened from that point forward? How long did this saga take you?

NANCY STABELL, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PASSENGER, FLIGHT WAS CANCELED: Well, you let -- we started in Cancun, and we made it to Houston. And when we got to Houston, it was canceled. Three full days later, we got home late last night, and I just couldn't be happier to be home. Great news for all the angels who helped along the way.

SIDNER: Understood. Can we -- let us know what it was like in the airport. We saw some pictures from our reporter, Adrienne, there throughout this past week, what was it like for you? What did it look like, and what did it feel like while you were trying to figure out your life? STABELL: When we exited customs, there was a line that ran the entire length of the airport in the lobby. It was probably 500 people long, it looked like there were about three agents to help those people. And the people at the top of the line had been waiting for five hours, basically to be told they couldn't -- have been helped. But they just wanted to talk to somebody.

SIDNER: Yes.

STABELL: So, it was pretty --

SIDNER: Yes.

STABELL: It was chaos. There were people everywhere. Hey, we're trying to figure out what do I do now.

SIDNER: Did you end up finally taking a Southwest flight out, or did you have to do something completely different?

STABELL: There were no flights to be found. We tried to reroute through every city that we possibly can think of to get home. And there were literally no flights. And so, it very quickly became clear that I was going to be driving, so we --

SIDNER: We have heard -- we have heard again -- so you drove, you ended up having to drive and that's no short trip. So, Southwest's Chief Commercial Officer has released a new apology, this is the second one, saying that, you know they are sorry and that you can now submit receipts online for reimbursement. Good enough for you or do you need more?

STABELL: You know, everybody we met along the way was so nice and tried everything that they could do within their power to help us. Appreciate that they have -- they've apologized. What I'd really like to see is that they make the CapEx investments that resolve this problem going forward.

We've loved Southwest for years. We are an A-list of fliers. I've got a gazillion points. I want to keep using southwest. But I'd love to see them make the investments that this doesn't happen again for us and for their crew and their employees who've had to put -- be the brave front of this debacle.

SIDNER: Nancy, I'm sure that the CEO and the employees there are happy to hear that you still want to continue to use Southwest, but you do want them to do the investments that are necessary so that this doesn't ever happen again.

STABELL: Yes.

SIDNER: I appreciate your time. Thank you, Nancy.

STABELL: Thank you.

SIDNER: 39 people now are confirmed dead in the Christmas blizzard that crippled upstate New York. And now, Erie County officials are warning the death toll could rise in a matter of days. The driving ban though has been lifted and all major state highways have been reopened.