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Kevin McCarthy Finally Wins House Speaker Race on 15th Vote; Interview with Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) about the House Speaker Vote; Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student; Head Injuries Have Marred Football Since Its Inception. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 07, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:16]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: You'll have another chance to not only become a millionaire, but a billionaire overnight. The Mega Millions jackpot is now in the 10-figure range after no ticket matched all six winning numbers on Friday's drawing. This marks the fourth time in a little over four years that the top prize has exceeded one billion. The next drawing is Tuesday, January 10th. Good luck.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. The top stories for you on this Saturday night, Republicans search for a path forward after what might be the craziest fight for House speaker ever. I'll talk to the congressman who nominated Kevin McCarthy in that all important 15th vote.

Plus, new details as a Virginia teacher lies in a hospital bed after police say she was shot by her 6-year-old student. And as football evolves, so does its safety practices.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

An olive branch this Saturday from President Biden to the new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The president called McCarthy to congratulate him on his hard-fought win on the 15th vote. We'll see how long that spirit of goodwill last but it's the kind of civility lacking at times among the speaker's own Republican members overnight. Moments after McCarthy confronted GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz for forcing that 15th vote, look at this, Congressman Mike Rogers had to be restrained after lunging at Gaetz, his fellow Republican.

But it was the man on the other end of this phone, held up by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who finally rallied enough Republicans to secure McCarthy's win. That would be former President trump.

CNN national politics report Eva McKend is on Capitol Hill this evening.

So, Eva, what else did it take besides the former president's nudging to get the job done for McCarthy? EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam,

essentially McCarthy picked them off one by one, convincing the most conservative members of his conference, his detractors basically by making some key concessions. You know, it will only take one vote, one member, rather, to trigger a vote that could potentially oust the speaker. So really weakening his speakership out of the gate.

Also what we will see is members of the House Freedom Caucus, doesn't get more conservative than that, being able to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee. And then of course more time to read bills, not waving those 72 hours. That actually might be something that is welcomed by the rank-and-file members of both the Democratic and Republican caucus.

But McCarthy ultimately making these concessions here and it took ultimately 15 votes. The next pivotal step that this group will have to take is voting on a rules package on Monday, Pam. This body, this place does not operate without those rules. Now, if this past week is any indication, there is some concern if Republicans will be able to do that.

We've already heard from one moderate who says that he is not OK with the current package. And of course Democrats have indicated that they do not support this as well. A test now that McCarthy is speaker, can he govern -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes. That's the question. Eva McKend, thank you so much.

So let's put that question to the test. Last night, ahead of McCarthy's ultimate victory, one of these core negotiators, Congressman Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, uttered this wish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BRUCE WESTERMAN (R-AR): My preference would be to see 222 Republicans vote for Kevin McCarthy so that we can give a message to Americans who are, I'm sure, gathered around their TVs tonight anxious to see what's going to happen, that Congress is ready to go to work. And we can give a message to the rest of the world that Republicans are united, Kevin McCarthy is going to be speaker, and things are going to be different in Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Congressman Westerman joins us now with more.

Congressman, hope you were able to get some sleep last night or this morning, I should say, given how late the vote went. That was also before a near scuffle broke out on the House floor. We just heard. And do you think Americans believe, actually believe that this GOP Congress is ready to go to work and that things are going to be different in D.C. after watching it in action this past week?

WESTERMAN: Good evening, Pam. And, you know, sleep is often overrated. But I did get a little bit of it. And we're ready to go to work. And, you know, I want to talk about the narrative a little bit. I keep hearing the word concession. I call these agreements. I don't think there were a lot of concessions made. There were agreements made that made our rule package stronger. And I'm very excited about the rules package.

[19:05:05]

And really the only changes to those rules agreements from what our whole conference had looked at a week before is going from the five members that can do the motion to vacate to one member. And I actually think that's better. That was the rule of the House for over 100 years. And Speaker Pelosi changed that in the last Congress. So if you set the level at five or one, I don't really think it makes any difference.

And I think it actually helped, if it's only one member, then they're out there on an island. But if you've got five members, you've got a problem there. I don't think that's going to be an issue. I think rank-and-file members, more input in the process, and I'm really looking forward to getting to work on behalf of the American people.

BROWN: As you know, though, I mean, McCarthy had been reluctant for a while to do that, to lower the threshold to one. I mean, going to five was a concession for him. And there were moderates who worry that it would weaken him. And I'm wondering, you know, you yourself said the drama was probably a precursor to how difficult it will be to get some legislation passed.

And for those Americans who are watching all this play out, you know, thanks to kind of what had to be done here for McCarthy to get the votes, has he already weakened himself as speaker? Can he govern? People might watch this and think, OK, he's just kind of go through this just to get the speaker votes. How is he going to get the votes for legislation?

WESTERMAN: I think everybody realizes right now how resilient Kevin McCarthy is. And I think this made him stronger. These debates were going to happen at some point, so it's better to get that out of our system right now, to go in and pass a rules package, start addressing issues like energy, national security, the border. Those things that our constituents voted for us to go to Washington and work on.

And people said it took too long, it was messy, but in the long run, I think America is going to remember the quality of what we've done instead of how quickly we got it done. They're going to remember that good job versus just pushing something through. And it's going to be tough to get a bill passed off of the floor. It's going to be the same struggle to get the 218 votes no matter what we're working on. It may mean less legislation on the floor, but I think it will be more meaningful legislation.

BROWN: So on that note, you know, talking about how it might be difficult to pass votes, you know, you heard on FOX News, Matt Gaetz saying, you know, we're at this stage right now I'm running out of stuff to ask for. And that does raise the question how this has played out, is whether, you know, McCarthy -- this is how he needs to govern to pass legislation, basically offering congressmen like Matt Gaetz whatever they want in exchange for the vote because in this case it did work in Matt Gaetz's favor, and Lauren Boebert's, and some of those hardliners' favor until the end. Like he said, I got everything I wanted, there was nothing else to ask for.

WESTERMAN: I'm not sure what all he was specifically asking for. The real negotiators in this were Chip Roy or Scott Perry, Byron Donalds. Matt was kind of the organizer on the 20 that were pushing back. But I didn't really see him as the real negotiator. I saw Chip Roy really as the key one that was doing that.

Chip's very thoughtful. He looks at -- he knows the legislative process. He knows what can be done to make things work better. And it was really an agreement that we can move forward with these rules in place and it will make our Congress more efficient. It will make us more effective and it will give individual members a bigger voice as we go forward.

We know that we're one-half of one-third of the federal government. But we are the division of government that writes appropriation bills. We're the ones that have more control over the spending. And we've got to figure out not only how to leverage against a Biden White House, but also against a Senate that continually pushes these big spending bills on us and create these shutdown situations.

So that's where a lot of the efforts were put on how do we stand up for the House, how do we do the job of the House, and how do we give individual members a voice in doing that. I actually think Democrats will like this as well.

BROWN: Well, and we will have to see, right. Time will tell on that. But the first major test may be the debt ceiling. And, you know, a failure to get that done would be catastrophic for the U.S. economy. So everyone is watching to see what's going to happen there in this GOP-led House and of course the Senate as well.

Congressman Bruce Westerman, thank you for your time, coming on given how I'm sure exhausted you are after the past week that you've just had. We appreciate it.

WESTERMAN: Well, I've had plenty of coffee and I'm ready to go. Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: All right. Sounds good. Thank you. And tomorrow, you heard there, he mentioned Chip Roy.

[19:10:00]

Well, Jake Tapper will interview Congressman Chip Roy, Republican from Texas, about flipping his vote and supporting the new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That is tomorrow at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

A shocking incident at a Virginia elementary school as police say a 6- year-old got into an altercation with his teacher and then shot her. What clues should investigators be looking at with a child this young?

Plus, students at the University of Idaho return to campus for the spring semester next week. Will the arrest of a suspect in the off- campus stabbings of four students bring about a return to normal?

And then later, the NFL honors Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin as the final regular season games kicked off today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: An elementary schoolteacher now upgraded to stable condition after police in Newport News, Virginia, say she was shot by a 6-year- old student.

[19:15:02]

The shooting happened Friday following a reported altercation between the teacher and the student. The teacher, who has not yet been identified, was originally listed in critical condition after the shooting. The student is in custody. Police say the incident was no accident. The school will be closed Monday and Tuesday as investigators gather more information.

And joining us now with more on this story is former FBI senior profiler and special agent Mary Ellen O'Toole. She joins us now with more.

Welcome, Mary Ellen. I mean, this is so shocking, so troubling on so many levels. And the Newport News mayor speaks for many, saying, "It is almost impossible to wrap our minds around the fact that a 6-year- old first grader brought a loaded handgun to school and shot a teacher. However, this is exactly what our community is grappling with today."

What more do you, as a profiler, want to know about this incident?

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Well, my sense is that the investigation is going to have to be three-pronged. And what do I mean by that? They're going to have to investigate the case as a 6-year-old suspect. Number two, they're going to have to investigate the case as a 6-year-old victim. And number three, they're going to have to investigate the case to see who helped him prepare for this.

So a three-pronged approach because what we do know about violence is that violence is learned behavior. And you learn it by seeing someone else be treated in a violent way or you're the victim of a violent act. So that's why that three-pronged approach is going to be so critical here.

BROWN: So tell us more about that and how the parents factor in here with the investigation.

O'TOOLE: The parents will factor into this as well as siblings and other people in the primary home because what they need to be looking for is, what are the dynamics in that home. What are the dynamics regarding how this little 6-year-old boy is treated? Is he being victimized? Is he being treated in a violent way? What about the guns? How did he know how to even shoot a gun?

And the concerning thing I think for most people who hear about this case is, we do have examples of 6-year-old kids who access a gun and they're playing with it and it goes off inadvertently. That's apparently not what happened here. What happened here was he brought it to school. Sounds a like he could have secreted it somehow. Brought it to school and in the process of having some kind of a disagreement with the teacher, then he pulled it out and he shot her.

That's very concerning because that is learning how to settle your disputes with violence. Where does a 6-year-old learn that? You have to go back to the primary home. Who has access to this little boy? Could be babysitters, parents, other siblings, grandparents. But those dynamics have to be established.

BROWN: Then, you know, how do the courts deal with this then? When you have a 6-year-old boy, so young, I mean, a first grader, right, who clearly, as police said, this was not an accident, there was intent there. How do the courts deal with this?

O'TOOLE: That is going to be tough because if this little boy is also a victim, yes, apparently it's pretty clear cut that he shot this teacher. But if he's also the victim the courts and the criminal justice system has to be extremely careful about how they treat him. He is still a 6-year-old little boy and he's probably scared. He's upset. But they cannot, in the state of Virginia, he cannot be tried as an adult. And I'm sure that would never even be considered.

But he can't even be turned over to the juvenile justice system. So it looks like that they will have to get him into some kind of temporary care through social services in the state of Virginia. And ultimately, what might happen is that the child is removed from the home legally. And that may be something that happens in the not-too-distant future.

BROWN: Well, this is such a sad story all the way around. Mary Ellen O'Toole, thank you for coming on.

Well, we're getting our first look now at Damar Hamlin since he collapsed on the field Monday. His new social media post is next. We're going to talk about that. Plus, I'll ask former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth if injuries like Hamlin's could mean the end of football.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:23:48]

BROWN: It is all smiles for Damar Hamlin on Instagram right now. Here's what he just posted, a Facetime from the hospital with rapper Meek Mill and Michael Rubin, the CEO of Fanatic. Look at this. You can see Damar there in the bottom right-hand corner on screen. The words read "Back working, back smiling."

So great to see him there smiling. Wow. The entire NFL is honoring him this weekend. Star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wore this custom jacket before his game today. Clearly he is feeling a lot of love.

And we have seen, you know, violent injuries on the football field before, but nothing quite like this one. CNN's Sanjay Gupta takes us through the NFL's history with player safety.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other players are holding hands, praying. You can just see the worried looks, on their faces.

DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL WIDE RECEIVER: This is a brutal sport. And I think people forget that. They look at these players more as commodity sometimes.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a sport that's almost been celebrated for its violence. In fact, legend has it that Midshipman, Joseph Mason Reeves, a football star at the U.S. Naval Academy, was warned by his doctor that another big hit to the head could lead to, quote, "instant insanity."

But so desperate to play in the Army-Navy game of 1893, Reeves had a shoemaker create the first helmet, a moleskin cap with earflaps.

[19:25:10]

It was little more than a leather sock over the head, providing little protection. The game graduated from college campuses to form the National Football League in 1920. But helmets of any sort wouldn't be required in the League for another 23 years. And it was at least another decade before face masks were incorporated.

But even with more advanced equipment, the game continued to take a physical toll, on players, especially when it came to their heads.

FRED MCNEILL, FORMER NFL LINEBACKER: You know, we hit the head, we play with the head.

GUPTA: But in 2002, former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster died and was diagnosed at autopsy with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head injuries. He was the first NFL player diagnosed with CTE. And those three letters would forever change the game.

FRED MCNEILL, FORMER NFL LINEBACKER: Then you can control it.

GUPTA: Especially for players like former Minnesota Viking Fred McNeill.

(On-camera): What has it done to you?

MCNEILL: Well, the impact is on memory. I mean, people, and they talk about the conversation that we had, you know, two weeks ago or three weeks ago or a month ago or whatever. And I don't remember.

GUPTA: If we saw each other again, would you remember me?

MCNEILL: Sanjay, I don't know.

GUPTA (voice-over): McNeill died, five years after this interview and was diagnosed with CTE by Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose character was featured by Will Smith in the movie "Concussion."

(On-camera): How many blows to the head does it take to cause this sort of problem?

DR. BENNET OMALU, NEUROPATHOLOGIST: It's like asking how many sticks of cigarettes are safe.

GUPTA: Right, right.

OMALU: We don't know.

GUPTA (voice-over): The focus on concussions pushed the league to implement over 50 rule changes since 2002 including making head-to- head contact a penalty, moving kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, and introducing spotters to eye for potential blows to the head. But an independent study from 2020 still concluded the new rules, as well-intentioned as they may be, have proven to be too weak to make the NFL game demonstrably safer.

The amount of time players sat out because of injuries had not changed, they said, between 2010 and 2019. Though, according to the NFL, the league has sustained a 25 percent drop in concussions each season between 2018 and 2021.

(On-camera): You're hearing I'm sure from a lot of players, saying, are these protocols working? Are they doing enough to keep us safe? What would you say to that?

DR. ALLEN SILLS, NFL'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: We try to use every one of these situations as a learning opportunity, as an opportunity to get better, and again, to do that in a very transparent manner.

GUPTA (voice-over): This year, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a hit and played on despite having an apparent head injury. A few days later, he was hit again and concussed. As a result, the league updated their concussion protocol, now requiring an even more conservative approach to dealing with concussions.

But most everyone agrees with this. Going back to the days of Joseph Mason Reeves. Rules don't trump culture and history, a history full of big hits and broken dreams. The best you can do is make it safer, but no, not safe.

RODNEY MCLEOD JR., INDIANAPOLIS COLTS SAFETY: What we saw last night was something that we've never seen before. In my 11 years in NFL I've never experienced anything like that. And that brings the reality to the sport to life.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And joining us now is former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth.

So, wow, I mean, it's really eye-opening. I actually learned a lot watching that piece, right. And you have said that people treat players like commodities. Tell us a little bit more about what you mean about that.

STALLWORTH: I think a lot of it has to do with fantasy football. A lot of these people that are watching the games, when they see a player get injured, they're more upset that he gets injured than they are -- I'm sorry, they're more upset that he got injured because it affects their fantasy team than it does the actual person.

And this has been going on for as long as fantasy football has been a thing. I'm not saying that fantasy football is the sole cause. I think this happens throughout the league regardless of fantasy football. But there are times like Monday when Damar Hamlin go down, where people actually came together and realized, you know what, these guys aren't actually robots. We kind of view them sometimes as gladiators, but they actually are human beings with families and parents and kids and people who care about them as human beings.

BROWN: Do you think this will turn the tide at all then?

STALLWORTH: I hope so. I hope, you know, it's been obviously an unfortunate situation, you know, just a terrible situation that we had never seen before, never experienced. Nobody has ever witnessed, at least anybody that's playing right now, has witnesses what happened to damar.

[19:30:00]

But you would hope that what happened to Damar and him literally fighting for his life on that football field would change the hearts and minds of people the next time they start to get upset that maybe their favorite player is holding out for more money, to take care of themselves, and their family in the future, or that a player gets injured and they look at him more as a person first than they do as a commodity.

BROWN: Yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell penned an open letter to the fans. And in part he said in this letter: "Seeing the entire NFL family, teams, players, coaches, and fans alike you band together was yet another reminder that football is family: human, loving and resilient."

What did you make of that statement?

STALLWORTH: I thought it was very truth. In fact, you saw both teams coming together during that time. You saw fans from both sides coming together, they were at the hospital that night. They were at the hospital immediately after the game was concluded, or I'm sorry, that the game was suspended -- and fans went there and held candlelight vigils.

They not only, you know, prayed for Damar around the country, but they sent his Chasing M's Foundation millions of dollars, and it started out with a goal of $2,500.00.

So to me that shows everything that you know, when we really want to as -- just as a league, as a country, we can come together and unfortunately it takes events like these for that -- for us to see those things transpire.

BROWN: Do you think the NFL is doing enough to protect players? And again, as Sanjay said, look, you can make it safer. You can't make it safe no matter what you do. But do you think the NFL is doing enough?

STALLWORTH: I think that's the biggest thing is when you're reminded of the fact that you can make the game safer, you can't make it safe because inherently it is a brutal collision sport.

So the best that the NFL can do, I think is just to try to make it safer and they do that by collecting data throughout the games, throughout practices, how they treat players during concussions. A lot of these different things that they've kind of implemented over the years.

You can make it safe, but I think that they're doing the best they can. I know players have more information today than they did when I was playing 10 and 15 and 20 years ago, so the players obviously assume the risk of, you know breaking bones, tearing ligaments, but you never assume the risk to lose your life on the football field.

And you know until the NFL can continue to take care of players after the fact, after they retire, I think that's going to be a big thing that we start looking at now more just because Damar Hamlin was only in his second season of playing in the NFL, which means that he has not an invested player.

To become an invested player, you have to play three years, plus three games so he won't receive any of the post career benefits that the NFL gives to players that have been in the NFL. He won't receive that five years of free health insurance, he won't receive a pension. As of now, if he never plays another down.

So those are the things that probably need to change on the back end of taking care of players as we saw earlier in the bit with Mike Webster and McNeill from the Vikings. Those players, you know were playing with equipment and helmets that were insufficient to what we're playing with today.

BROWN: Yes, absolutely. Well, we'll see if things change for Damar Hamlin and how he is taken care of by the NFL after all of this.

Thank you so much, Donte Stallworth. Appreciate it.

Well, new details from Court records in the case against the man accused of killing four Idaho college students. We're going to break it down for you up next.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:34]

BROWN: Well, students will return to the University of Idaho next week with what could be described as an uneasy sense of calm.

Bryan Kohberger was arrested in connection with the November killings of four students. As police build a case against the 28-year-old graduate student involving DNA, police records, and other surveillance, the question of motive remains a mystery.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins us now.

Can you walk us through some of the key evidence in this case so far?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Pam.

So we know they have a key witness because one of the surviving roommates says that she heard crying the night of these killings. She says that she heard a voice say something along the lines of "It's okay, I'm going to help you."

She also described seeing a man dressed all in black with a mask covering his nose and his mouth, and she said that she was shocked, that she froze essentially. She says that he was someone who was athletically built, had bushy eyebrows, but she went into her room, lock the door and did not come out.

The question here is why did she not call police? That will likely remain unanswered until a trial, if we have one. But there are other key pieces of evidence here that authorities say link Bryan Kohberger to this crime.

One of the first things is the DNA. They say that a knife sheath was left and that was linked to his family DNA. We're also in the process of analyzing his own DNA, according to authorities, so we're waiting for that. We also know that according to police, he was around the house 12 times leading up to the killings and even what to the house the day of the killings after -- the morning after -- right before police were called to the scene.

There is also this car, the white Elantra that has been linked to Bryan Kohberger and according to sources, he was seen cleaning this car inside and outside. We also know that he changed his license plate five days after the murders.

And so, there are so many things that are adding up. According to sources, we also know that he had garbage bags that he took out at around four in the morning and put them in the neighbor's trash bin.

So there is a lot of questions here in terms of what the link to all of this is, but we know that investigators are building a case for a future prosecution. His next Court appearance, Pam, is on Thursday.

BROWN: Yes, that was fascinating reporting. Wow.

Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

Still so much to learn on the story though, as well as the motive like we discussed.

Well, doctors now have a new tool in the fight against Alzheimer's, but it comes with a hefty price tag and safety concerns.

Coming up, we'll explore the pros and the cons of this new treatment, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The FDA has approved another drug that may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

In clinical trials, lecanemab has been shown to lower cognitive decline by around 27 percent, but it also comes with downsides. The medication is expected to cost more than $25,000.00 a year and its side effects may include brain swelling and bleeding.

[19:45:14]

BROWN: So let's discuss this with CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner.

This seems to be a really big deal. Look, you know, my grandmother had Alzheimer's. She passed away several years ago. I know so many people who have a loved one who is being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, who has been hoping for a breakthrough. Tell us more about this drug, what exactly does it do and how serious of a concern are those side effects?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, Pamela, I think what this new drug does do is give people and people who love people who have Alzheimer's disease a hope.

So, this drug is called lecanemab and it is a monoclonal antibody constructed against the beta amyloid deposits that most people now believe play a central role in Alzheimer's disease, and the drug is given as an infusion every two weeks. As you said, it's going to cost about $25,000.00 a year.

And in a landmark trial just published this week in "The New England Journal of Medicine," the trial authors found that the infusion of this drug slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both groups, both the patients who received placebo and the patients who received lecanemab both showed progression of disease, but progression was slower in the patients who received active treatment.

As you said, there were some side effects of the drug. When you use sophisticated brain imaging, CT scan and PET scans, you can find brain abnormalities. And there was some increased evidence of microscopic bleeding in some patients who received the active drug, as well as some evidence of brain swelling that can be detected on brain imaging. Large, clinically significant bleeding events were rare in both groups.

So this drug shows promise.

BROWN: It does, which is just great, because, you know, there has been no cure for Alzheimer's and this is not a cure, but it is a huge step in the right direction it appears. The most recent clinical trial found people, and we started talking

about this, found people given this drug for an 18-month period saw cognitive decline around 27 percent slower than those given the placebo. Right? I mean, this price tag, right? I mean, those are promising results. But are they good enough to justify a $25,000.00 price tag? And keep in mind, it is still unclear whether the drug will be covered under Medicare.

REINER: Right, as you said, CMS right now does not cover a beta amyloid targeting drug and they will be under great pressure by both Alzheimer's disease advocates, as well as pharmaceutical companies to pay for this therapy. There are about six million people in the United States with amyloid.

And if, let's say a third of those patients were treated with this drug, that's $50 billion a year just in the United States. So the price tag is hefty.

But for people facing this invariably terminal disease, most people would be willing to pay that price and society is going to be under pressure to pay for that.

BROWN: Yes, Alzheimer's is a horrible, insidious disease, and you're right, you would do anything, so your loved one didn't have it or to give your loved one a chance.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Well, Rudy Giuliani has had a roller coaster career from Federal prosecutor to New York Mayor and America's Mayor after 9/11, but his work for Donald Trump changed everything.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has a special preview of this weekend's new CNN Original Series: "Giuliani: What happened to America's Mayor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: He is the Mayor of New York City. Ladies and gentlemen, Rudy Giuliani.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Once lauded as a voice of leadership, resilience --

Leading New York City and the country through one of its darkest times.

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Today is obviously one of the most difficult days in the history of the city.

GINGRAS (voice over): Rudy Giuliani now facing --

KEN FRYDMAN, FORMER AIDE TO RUDY GIULIANI: Legal jeopardy. I think he's going to be in and out of courtrooms, in and out of grand jury.

GINGRAS (voice over): America's mayor has become a punch line, using his voice to spread conspiracies and lies about the 2020 on election being stolen.

GIULIANI: I know crimes, I can smell them.

GINGRAS (voice over): As former President Donald Trump's personal attorney and mouthpiece.

[19:50:07]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: I do not think that Rudy Giuliani understands that there has been a tremendous erosion of his reputation that he has caused at all.

He looks in the mirror and he sees the hero of 9/11.

GIULIANI: Let's have trial by combat.

GINGRAS (voice over): Some lawmakers argued his words on January 6th played a part in inciting the violence that followed at the Capitol.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): The faith is broken, so is our democracy.

GINGRAS (voice over): The House Select Committee says Giuliani fueled the former President's inclination to declare victory.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump rejected the advice of his campaign experts on election night and instead followed the course recommended by an apparently inebriated Rudy Giuliani to just claim he won.

GINGRAS (voice over): Giuliani spokesperson denies the Committee's allegations.

In 2021, Federal prosecutors in New York, an office Giuliani once led raided his apartment in connection with his business dealings in Ukraine. That case fizzled.

FRYDMAN: The fact that the Feds didn't bring charges has to encourage him.

GINGRAS (voice over): But Giuliani may not be as lucky in Georgia where prosecutors say he is a target of an ongoing criminal probe examining efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

REPORTER: What do you expect they are going to talk about here today?

GIULIANI: Well, they ask the questions, and we'll see.

GINGRAS (voice over): He was ordered to testify before a special grand jury this past summer.

FRYDMAN: The man who used the RICO statute to put away the five heads the mafia is now, you know, potentially the subject of a RICO action in Georgia. GINGRAS (voice over): And more, Giuliani is suspended from

practicing law in New York and facing disbarment in Washington, DC for pushing election lies.

GINGRAS (on camera): How do you see Rudy's legacy ending?

FRYDMAN: It's going to be a mixed bag at best. And that's a shame.

GINGRAS (voice over): Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And go inside the rise and fall of a political firebrand. Catch the premiere of the CNN Original Series: "Giuliani: What Happened to America's Mayor" tomorrow night at nine right here on CNN.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on that Saturday.

Well, electing a new Speaker of the House only took 15 tries and included popcorn, sleeping babies, even a belly rub. Next, a look at the moments the House was not in order.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:58]

BROWN: Well, you'll have another chance to not only become a millionaire, but a billionaire overnight.

The Mega Millions jackpot is now in the 10-figure range after no ticket matched all six winning numbers in Friday's drawing. And this marks the fourth time in a little over four years that the top prize has exceeded a billion dollars.

The next drawing is Tuesday, January 10th. Good luck everyone.

Well, it may have taken 15 votes, but Kevin McCarthy finally won the Speaker's gavel.

It was a dramatic fight that Congress hadn't seen in modern history, but it also brought us some laughs.

CNN's Jeanne Moos takes us through some of the lighter moments that unfolded during the chaos on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Focus the binoculars pop the popcorn the speakership fiasco has careened from extremely rowdy to extremely sleep inducing baby wake up.

Democrats chanted their House leaders name like it was a football game.

(CROWD chanting "Hakeem.")

MOOS (voice over): While Republican Representative, Kat Cammack made accusations that had Democrats saying, "What?"

REP. KAT CAMMACK (R-FL): They want us to fight each other that much has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is coming over there.

MOOS (voice over): Okay, it's true that.

CAMMACK: The House is not an order.

MOOS (voice over): But no alcohol was being ordered as vote after vote ended with the same words.

CHERYL L. JOHNSON, CLERK, US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: A Speaker has not been elected.

MOOS (voice over): Kevin McCarthy probably didn't appreciate the Select All images with speakers joke. Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez was wearing his four-month-old son as he voted for Hakeem Jeffries. AOC gave the baby a congratulatory belly rub.

Between speeches members were shooting off their mouths and their fingers gesticulating madly, it left viewers trying to lip read. And when AOC chatted with arch enemy Republicans and inspired non-sensical bad lip readings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You heard the pied piper? Well, my dream Pied Piper had toilet paper, one sheet of the cheap kind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MOOS (voice over): Democrats groan when Matt Gaetz voted for a certain ex-President for Speaker of the House.

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Donald John Trump.

MOOS (voice over): Even hardcore Republicans couldn't keep a straight face and check out the face of the newly elected Congressman who got caught in a web of lies about himself, George Santos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Santos.

MOOS (voice over): He didn't recognize his own name during one roll call.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Santos.

MOOS (voice over): George, who? One commentator wrote the poor House clerk is dangerously close to running out of pencil, but one thing that wasn't out of order, this kid's.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: That kid is adorable.

Well, thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Pamela Brown. I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at 5:00 Eastern.

The Discovery+ Original Film "January 6th" starts right now.

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