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Lawmakers to Grill Dr. Fauci on COVID Response, Origins; Jury Selection Begins in Hunter Biden Federal Gun Case; White House Waiting for Hamas Response to Ceasefire Proposal. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired June 03, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Alisyn Camerota in for Jim Acosta today.

At any moment, the scientist who guided the government's response to the COVID pandemic faces a grilling on Capitol Hill. Dr. Anthony Fauci will be questioned again by lawmakers on that response and on the origin of the virus that has now killed nearly 1.2 million Americans.

Fauci will also face questions about email exchanges involving one of his senior advisers. A subpoena from the Republican-led committee turned up those emails in which Dr. David Morens appeared to be trying to avoid public record laws.

Let's talk about this. We have CNN's Lauren Fox for us on Capitol Hill, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner also joins us, and so does CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell. Okay, great to see all of you.

Lauren, hasn't Dr. Fauci already faced lots of congressional questions? How is today different?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, he has faced questions from lawmakers during a series of hearings back during the coronavirus pandemic, but this is the first time that lawmakers are going to hear from him since he retired back in 2022.

Now, they met with him behind closed doors back in January, but this is public testimony, an opportunity for them to air some of their grievances with him before an audience and before, of course, the American public.

Now, Democrats are arguing that this is just a rehashing of conspiracy theories, they say, that Republicans have been trying to put out there for years now. They argue that Dr. Fauci has done nothing wrong, that he did not lie about the origins of COVID, that he was not responsible for the origins of COVID. In fact, they released a new staff report this morning on Capitol Hill laying out a rebuttal of those Republican talking points. Here was Representative Jamie Raskin earlier this morning.

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REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): This investigation of Dr. Fauci shows that he is an honorable public servant committed to public health, and he is not a comic book super villain. He did not fund research to create the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not lie to Congress about gain of function research in Wuhan. And he did not organize a lab leak suppression campaign to cover his tracks.

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FOX: Now, you can expect that Republicans are also going to be zeroing in on whether or not Dr. Fauci ever used a personal email address, as you alluded to in your intro. There has been questions about whether or not some of his subordinates were trying to skirt public records laws. You can expect that Republicans are going to be pushing him on those questions.

But Democrats are arguing that 15 months of investigations about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic could have been better used with (INAUDIBLE) --

CAMEROTA: Yes, we're obviously having some audio problems there with Lauren, but as you can see, this is live on your screen. This is Dr. Fauci sitting in front of this subcommittee about to take questions from Republicans and Democrats. We just saw the media scrum around him as he entered the subcommittee room.

Dr. Reiner, as you know, sometimes it's hard to separate the political grandstanding from the public health value of hearings like this, but Republicans have long tried to make Dr. Fauci the villain of anything that went wrong with the COVID pandemic. I guess my question is Dr. Fauci didn't set the policy. He was an adviser. Why aren't lawmakers asking these questions of President Trump or the CDC? You know, I know they're upset about the six-foot social distancing policy, but he was just an adviser. He can't implement policies. So, why is he the fall guy here?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: All right, that's an excellent question. Well, I think we're long overdue for sort of a whole of government, comprehensive 9/11 commission-style review of the U.S.'s really catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic.

[10:05:11]

The year before the pandemic came to the United States, the U.S. was ranked the most prepared country in the world for a pandemic. But despite that, you know, as you mentioned at the outset, 1.2 million Americans died. We're 5 percent of the world's population. We have 15 percent of the COVID mortality, but the problem is COVID came to the United States in an election year, and now it's an election year. And the most unpopular items for the conservative base, the lockdowns, the school closures, the masking, the vaccine development itself, the vaccine requirements were all promulgated during Republican administration.

So, what they've done essentially is use Dr. Fauci as a boogeyman and try and pin all of the unpopular pieces of at least our first and second year of the COVID pandemic on him, not on the ruling Republican administration at the time.

CAMEROTA: I mean, the Trump administration did push back on some things they didn't like. For instance, the first proposal, I believe, from the CDC was ten feet of social distancing. The Trump administration rejected that and pushed back, and so we ended up with six, but they could have rejected six if they had wanted to. I mean, all of this, you know, Meg, look, hindsight is 20/20. And in the middle of a pandemic, it's hard to know exactly what to do, but these are some of the things that they're going to be asking Dr. Fauci now to look in the rear view mirror about. We know that there will be some -- here's what we expect, okay, in terms of the questions, origins of COVID, the COVID era policies, like the six feet of distancing, as we're saying, and vaccine mandates travel restrictions.

But in terms of what Dr Reiner was just talking about, what medical questions will we have answered today?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think when you say hindsight is 20/20, I'm not even sure it's going to be in this instance because everybody I've talked to in the public health world from both sides of the political spectrum, we've served in both a Democratic and Republican administrations, don't expect any significant scientific revelations to come out of today. There is a lot of cynicism about whether either the point of this hearing. It's, you know, purportedly this subcommittee exists to examine the origins of the pandemic and to better prepare for potential future threats. But there is, you know, a potential threat out there right now in terms of H5N1, bird flu.

We are not hearing about that at all. Now, most people say that that threat right now is very low, but, you know, you think, you know, you have Dr. Fauci there. Would we hear any questions about that? And I'm not hearing from anyone that that is expected to be the topic today.

So, we did see a Republican staff memo. Based on the transcripts of the interviews with Dr. Fauci behind closed doors back in January, two straight days of questioning of him, and they did say they're going to focus on COVID origins, COVID era policies and things like that. I think specifically, we're going to hear a lot of focus on the origins of the pandemic and grants given to a specific group, EcoHealth Alliance, and any oversight Dr. Fauci had of that, and that, as we were hearing from Lauren, is really the political football right now.

CAMEROTA: All right. Everyone, stand by because we are going to monitor this morning's hearing and we will bring you back as soon as warranted.

All right, up next, the son of a sitting president facing a criminal trial for the first time ever. Jury selection is underway for Hunter Biden's federal gun case.

You're in the CNN Newsroom.

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CAMEROTA: Jury selection is underway in Hunter Biden's felony gun charges trial in Delaware. This is the first time the child of a sitting president has gone on trial. The question is what impact it will have on President Biden personally and politically.

Joining me now, CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz and CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. Evan, what will we see today?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have about 250 prospective jurors who are inside the courthouse right now, Alisyn. They're being led through a series of questions, including any political activities that they've been involved in any knowledge, personal knowledge about the Bidens. They are being asked whether obviously whether they can put aside any of their political beliefs to judge this case, to have this case be judged fairly. Those are the big, big questions.

We anticipate that this is going to go fairly quickly talking to the lawyers over the last couple of days. They thought they could get a jury either today or tomorrow morning, and that this trial could go on for about a week. So, we'll see how quickly that happens.

But right now, though, the first lady, Jill Biden, is inside the courtroom. She's there to support Hunter Biden. Of course, this is a case that has loomed large for the family from a political standpoint, and, of course, from a personal standpoint. We know that as part of this case, we're going to have a lot of Hunter Biden's personal life really put on display, including his struggles with drug addiction. There are going to be text messages from his infamous laptop that show him talking about using drugs around the time that he bought this firearm in 2018. He possessed this gun for 11 days. That's what this case is about.

According to prosecutors, Hunter Biden lied when he filled out this form required by the ATF in order to pass the background check and buy that firearm.

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The prosecution, of course, is saying that there's proof from some of his exes who are going to be called as witnesses that he was using drugs during that period.

So, the odds are very long for Hunter Biden. We expect his defense to center on the idea that during the time that he was buying this firearm, he was not exactly on drugs during that day and so try to poke some holes in the prosecution's case.

CAMEROTA: Okay. And, Katelyn, can you explain the dynamic between Hunter Biden's legal team and the prosecution, because we understand that there's still tension from that plea deal falling apart last year? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, there was a lot of tension and this legal team is contesting not just this case but a second case against Hunter Biden that the special counsel's office has also brought in California's federal court on tax charges. That isn't going to trial until next week at least September.

But this is a case that on the gun issue, it's been hotly contested. Hunter Biden has a very experienced set of trial lawyers representing him that they tried to cut a lot out of the prosecutor's case here. There is not going to be any politics that's going to be brought into the courtroom outside of jury selection and just asking the jurors if they know the Bidens, things like that.

But as this case progresses forward in court, there are going to be a lot of active lawyers. We should expect that just because of what we know about this legal team. Abbe Lowell is the chief defense lawyer for Hunter Biden here and this case could turn quite personal quite quickly, as Evan was discussing.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it sounds like it will. We saw the first lady there entering. Do we know how President Biden is going to deal with the trial?

POLANTZ: Yes. President Biden has actually given a comment this morning publicly about this. He hasn't commented on the case itself or his own Justice Department charging his son in these two federal cases. But what he has said so far is, as the president, I don't and won't comment on pending federal cases. But as a dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.

Seeing there Jill Biden going to court and apparently hugging Hunter Biden in the courtroom as she entered with her security detail this morning before the proceedings began, there may be jurors that recognize the first lady in the courtroom. The president is not there, however. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Evan, what do we know about the judge in this case?

PEREZ: Well, this judge, Judge Maryellen Noreika, she's been on the bench since 2018. She was nominated in 2017, appointed by -- nominated by President Trump but with the support of the two Democratic senators from Delaware. So, you know, obviously the politics of this case loom very, very large. There's Hunter Biden's defense partly is that this is a political case, that the case is being brought for political reasons. He's pointing obviously to the to the U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was also a Trump appointee and kept on by President Biden to oversee this very case on the one that is now obviously set to go to trial later this year in California, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Evan, Katelyn, thank you both very much for the preview.

All right, now to the ongoing headache in Atlanta, thousands of people are still forced to boil their water after several water main breaks over the past few days. As of now, crews are still working on repairing those breaks. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has declared a state of emergency and he gave CNN an update this morning.

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MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS (D-ATLANTA, GA): So, right now, most Atlantans have water. It's just we want to make sure that they boil it out of a precautionary measure. And this has been in place over the last day- and-a-half to two days that we've been under a boil water advisory.

We're trying to resolve the situation. Nobody is happy when you can see water gushing out of the street.

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CAMEROTA: The mayor says the pipes that burst were about a century old.

All right, now while the White House waits for Hamas to respond to a ceasefire proposal, two far right Israeli ministers are threatening to topple Netanyahu's government if he accepts Biden's peace plan. That's next.

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CAMEROTA: This morning, the White House is waiting for an official response from Hamas on its Gaza ceasefire plan. President Biden announced the proposal on Friday, insisting that it's time for this war to end.

The plan has been widely welcomed internationally, with the U.N. and many world leaders urging all parties to accept. But two of Benjamin Netanyahu's far right ministers reject the plan and are threatening to topple the government if the Israeli prime minister agrees to the proposal. There were reports that Netanyahu had agreed to the plan, but his office is now saying that is not true.

Calls for the release of all hostages echoed across New York's annual Israel Day parade on Sunday.

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There were chants of bring them home now, as some marchers held up signs of support for Biden's new peace proposal.

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YAEL AVSKER, FAMILY MEMBER OF HOSTAGE OHAD YAHALOMI: It's not political. All we want is to bring our families home.

EFFI YAHALOMI, FAMILY MEMBER OF HOSTAGE OHAD YAHALOMI: I'm asking not to forget. I'm asking to understand that those are human beings that are suffering. Those are human beings that didn't do anything wrong. My brother was kidnapped from his own home, from his safe place.

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CAMEROTA: About 250 hostages were captured or killed by Hamas on October 7th. Israel says roughly 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza, along with the bodies of 30 more.

Let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond live in Jerusalem for us. We also have CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz and retired U.S. Army Major Mike Lyons.

So, Jeremy, the response from Israel is contradictory. What is Netanyahu's latest position this morning?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're watching the Israeli prime minister try every which way to reframe this latest Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal after President Biden framed it on Friday very much as a way to end this war. And that's problematic for the Israeli prime minister with his right wing governing coalition.

It's why we've seen Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far right ministers in Netanyahu's governing coalition, threatened to leave the government and force its collapse if Netanyahu follows through with this proposal laid out by the Netanyahu government. And the main reason is because they believe that it will lead to an end to the war without this quote, Absolute victory over Hamas, which the Israeli prime minister himself laid out as one of the main objectives of this war at the beginning.

And so what we've been witnessing over the last few days is the Israeli prime minister insisting that he has not agreed to a permanent ceasefire as part of this proposal. And it is true that as part of this proposal in the first phase of the agreement, a six-week ceasefire, which could be extended for weeks and weeks and weeks, as long as these two parties are negotiating, they will be negotiating that permanent ceasefire.

And so the Israeli prime minister is really trying to emphasize that he hasn't yet agreed to a permanent ceasefire. And the reason he's trying to do that is because he's looking for a way to avoid confronting a choice that he may soon have to make, and that is choosing between the survival of his government or choosing this hostage deal, which his own government has come up with and now presented to Hamas. And that is not a choice that the Israeli prime minister, of course, wants to make, particularly at this stage.

So, ultimately, the question, though, is will Hamas force him to make that choice? Because, so far, we've heard Hamas say that they have, quote, positively responded to President Biden's speech, laying out the terms of this proposal on Friday, but we don't yet have an official response from Hamas. And their response, if they choose to agree to this, the ball will then be back in the Israeli prime minister's court and we will see what he chooses to do.

CAMEROTA: So, Arlette, Jeremy was just talking there about the permanent ceasefire. There are three phases to this peace proposal. Can you explain them to us?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn. President Biden outlined these elements of this proposal that administration officials have stressed was one that was presented by the Israelis to Hamas just last week.

Now, there are three phases to this proposal. That first phase is expected to last around six weeks, where there would be a temporary ceasefire during that time, the IDF forces would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza, and there would be the release of some hostages, women, elderly and the wounded in exchange for the return of Palestinian prisoners to Gaza.

Then there is the second phase. They anticipate that there would be negotiations during that six-week period with the hopes it would get to the second phase, which would lead to the release of all remaining hostages that are held by Hamas. And what the president said is the Israelis described as a, quote, cessations of hostilities permanently.

Then the third phase would focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, something that will expectedly take quite a bit of time. So, these are all elements that President Biden outlined on Friday.

But as he made his speech saying that it is time for this war to end, saying that Israel has degraded Hamas' ability to carry out a major attack, like they did on October 7th, the president also acknowledged that there are still a number of hurdles. They still need to get this through the negotiation phase. And he said that there could be elements within Israel who does not want to see this proposal come to fruition, even pointing to the fact that there could be disagreements within the governing coalition, something that we saw play out over the weekend.

So, the White House has said that they are waiting for this Hamas response, and we will see whether they have any further response today from the White House to Netanyahu's claims.