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Netanyahu Government Set to be Sworn In; Pope Benedict's Health Deteriorating; Lawyer Behind the Fight for Trump's Tax Returns Release; A Mother Battles the Cancer Drug Shortage; NFL and NFLPA Review Concussions Protocol. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 29, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And I suspect it would be real hard for him to get re-elected given what we know about him today and what we may find out in the coming weeks.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, just remarkable. He gave a fake Jewish name that he fundraised under.

On that front, Errol Louis, Scott Jennings, thank you both for joining us on this.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

COLLINS: All right, the Pope Benedict's health is, quote, deteriorating. We have reaction from the Vatican on the latest. That next.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: We will also take you live to Jerusalem, as Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to take the oath of office for his sixth time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING. Coming up, we have new CNN reporting on the lawyer behind House Democrats' recent legal victories on Trump's tax returns.

Plus, Congressman Jamie Raskin revealing he has a, quote, serious but curable form of cancer. What we're learning on that ahead.

And what's next for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL's concussion protocol after it's revealed that Tua, in fact, suffered a second concussion in that game over the weekend.

[06:35:05]

COLLINS: Also today, Benjamin Netanyahu is going to complete his political comeback and return to power in Israel as he is set to be sworn in for his sixth term as the Israeli prime minister after he was ousted last year.

CNN's Elliott Gotkine is live from Israel's Knesset in Jerusalem.

Elliott, what are you expecting today as this is just - I mean the politics there are just remarkable, but what are you expecting as this actually gets underway today?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kaitlan, we've already heard from the prime minister designate in a speech punctured by applause, heckles and at least five members of the parliament here being physically ejected from the chambers this morning. He outlined his priorities. He said that he would continue to ensure that Iran didn't get hold of a nuclear weapon. He said he'd boost Israel's security, boost public transport, lower house prices and also move forward with more peace agreements with countries in the region. Saudi Arabia was mentioned by the outgoing prime minister, Yair Lapid, as a very good prospect for a next peace agreement with Israel.

One of the thing that he didn't (INAUDIBLE) in his speech, but which was outlined in his agenda for the government yesterday, is that there will be no change to the status quo of religion and state in Israel, and that including the holy sites. There were concerns that the status quo, particularly vis-a-vis Jews being able to pray on Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, would be changed. That is not something this government says is going to happen.

However, given how far to the right and from -- previously from the fringes of Israeli politics his coalition partners are, Netanyahu has felt the need in recent weeks to go on a charm offensive, going on interviews with U.S. networks, maintaining that no one, whether they're from the LGBTQ community, from the Arab community, or secular people will be discriminated against by this new government. But as we've heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, this government, he said, will be judged by its actions, not by its personalities.

And just finally, just to tell you that we're, probably in the next half hour, expecting Netanyahu to once again swear the oath to be sworn in as Israel's prime minister for a record sixth time. We're not there yet. But in the next half hour, that's what we're expecting.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: And what about the expansion of settlements? Is that something that they have made clear they'll prioritize?

GOTKINE: He didn't mention it in his speech today but that was in the agenda that he outlined, which was published yesterday. In the words of this new government -- or this putative new government, he did say that they would work towards developing all of the land of Israel, in its words. That includes the Galilee in the north, the Negev (ph) in the south, and they also specify Judea and Samaria, a.k.a. the West Bank. So, it would be no surprise if this government does move forward with that plan on building more settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.

That said, coalition agreements and also agendas that they published are not sacrosanct. They are not legally binding. So, until such time as it's done, we should wait and see and, as Secretary of State Blinken says, judge this government by its actions.

COLLINS: All right, Elliott, thank you.

HARLOW: This morning millions around the world are praying for former Pope Benedict. It has been nine years since he retired as head of the Catholic Church. But in recent days, the 95-year-old's health has been rapidly deteriorating. The Vatican says his health is, quote, worsening.

Let's go to Delia Gallagher. She joins us live again this morning from the Vatican.

And, Delia, you were on with us at the end of the show yesterday and you made the good point that, look, the Vatican wouldn't be saying this if it were not very serious.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, it's very unusual, Poppy, for the Vatican to come out and talk publicly about a pope's health or the pope emeritus' health. I have to say that we have not had any updates from the Vatican as of yet. We are hoping and expecting that we will have something at some point today. But we are here waiting, along with all the other people who have come to the Vatican for Christmas time, who have heard the news, who are asking us for updates, and surely along with much of the rest of the world for any update on the pope emeritus' condition.

Let me just tell you where he is right now. This is St. Peter's Basilica. Just behind that are the Vatican gardens. And up a small hill is the Pope Emeritus' home, which they call a monastery. It's a bit like a small house. That's where he retired to just about 10 years ago now. That's where he is with doctors as the Vatican told us yesterday, saying that his -- due to his advanced age, his health is deteriorating. We know, of course, that the pope emeritus is quite frail. He is 95 years old.

But as I say, at the moment, Poppy, we wait for an update from the Vatican.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Of course. Everyone is hoping the best for him, that he recovers. But, obviously, they have to be planning for the worst, right? If there were to be his death, given that he's a retired pope, the first one to do that in, you know, 600 years, what would the plan be?

[06:40:10]

GALLAGHER: Well, there is no plan. This is uncharted territory. We've not had a situation of a funeral for a retired pope for a pope in which there is no conclave afterwards. There's very set -- rigid set of rules for when a pope dies and there's a conclave. Every day something has to happen. But nobody has a rule book for what happens when a pope emeritus dies. I think it will depend on two things. One is Pope Francis, how he wants to handle it. And the other is Pope Benedict himself. Has he left any instructions as to how he would like his funeral to go.

Certainly considering his stature in the Catholic Church, I cannot imagine that Pope Francis would not want to give him the full honors and the full send-off. But I think the Vatican itself is also dealing with that question possibly as we speak.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Sure.

Delia Gallagher, live for us at Vatican City, thank you.

Coming up next, new CNN reporting on the lawyer who led the Democrats to a victory in their fight to get Donald Trump's tax returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right, in just 24 hours, House Democrats are going to make public a redacted version of former President Trump's tax returns. The documents to be released are expected to include his tax returns filed between 2015 and 2021, the years that he ran for and served as president. This is an historic move, and it comes after that four-year legal battle that was orchestrated by the outgoing House general counsel, Douglas Letter.

[06:45:05]

But Letter's victories for Democrats now might soon be taken advantage of. It could end up being a double-edged sword for them essentially once Republicans are going to take over the House majority next week and they plan to launch a series of investigations into the Biden administration that they say will be aggressive.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now.

Katelyn, you've been looking at what Douglas Letter has done. Obviously this has been, you know, a four year - a four year journey into Trump's taxes. Now they're going down this version of them made public. It's really significant to take a step like that.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: It really is, Kaitlan.

So, Doug Letter is the House general counsel, the top lawyer to Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats for the last four years. And my colleagues and I, Jeremy Herb, Tierney Sneed and I specifically have been watching what he's been doing over those four years because this is a person who's very behind the scenes. You don't hear his name that much. But he has had an enormous influence on government and on how Congress wields its power.

So, the tax returns coming out, that is largely because Letter has been the architect of many, many court fights trying to go after Donald Trump's finances and get access to information whenever he was president and then continuing on after Trump left the presidency. The tax returns fight, that was just one of many, many cases that Letter argued in courts and ultimately won.

And the reason he was so different and the reason that the power of Congress is so different is because he approached the job differently. He's a litigator. That wasn't the type of risk that previous people in this position ever wanted to take. They weren't those types of lawyers. They were more negotiators behind the scenes. And one of the things that has made Letter so successful, we found, is that he had the ability to tell members of Congress, Democrats, hold on, be patient, stay quiet and pursue these tax returns behind the scenes.

Now, we have the Republicans coming in. Letter is going to be out of a job. He's going to be going into the private sector. And we're going to have to watch how Republicans are going to flex all of the powers that they have. How they're going to be using subpoenas.

We talked to one source for our story today about Letter and his legacy, and they told us that when the Republicans come in, the most consequential choice that they will make is who the next general counsel will be, except for that other choice, who the speaker is going to be. That's going to dictate a lot of what happens in these next couple of years.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes, I -- what I can't - still can't get over with the Trump taxes is, you know, the IRS failing to audit him, then finally auditing him. And as we were told by Stacey Plaskett, the House Democrat, in recent days, they -- that audit is still underway, which is just remarkable in 2022.

Katelyn Polantz, thank you for that reporting, though.

All right, there's a critical medicine that helps battle pediatric cancers, but it's in short supply. We're going to meet a mom who has made it her mission to tackle this shortage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BRAY, FOUNDER, ANGELS FOR CHANGE: She knew she needed to take all of her medicine. Like, what happens now? Does this mean I die?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:52]

HARLOW: This morning, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin is revealing he has a, quote, serious but curable form of cancer. He has been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which he says is very treatable thanks to early detection. He is planning to work while undergoing a course of outpatient chemoimmunotherapy treatment. And he says, quote, I plan to get through this. And in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy. We wish him all of our best.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely wishing him the best.

Also this morning, our nation's ongoing medication supply issues are being exacerbated, consistent -- with consistent drug shortages that are impacting pediatric cancer patients. A mother, whose daughter is battling leukemia, is making it her mission to tackle this issue after she says she could not get her hands on critical treatment that was needed for her child.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen looks into this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Abby Bray was a healthy little girl in Tampa, Florida, when one month after her ninth birthday, troubling symptoms.

LAURA BRAY, FOUNDER, ANGELS FOR CHANGE: She said, it feels like there's knives in my bones.

COHEN: After her pediatrician ran some tests, a phone call to her parents, Laura and Mike.

BRAY: There's a bed waiting for her at St. Joe's Pediatric Oncology Unit. Pack a bag. Plan to stay. Get there immediately.

COHEN: Abby had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To save her life, she would needed a rigorous regimen of chemotherapy, including a drug called Erwinaze.

But then -

BRAY: A few months into treatment, we were told, OK, you have to go home, you can't get this medicine today, it's - it's a shortage.

COHEN: Abby wanted answers.

BRAY: She knew she needed to take all of her medicine. Like, what happens now? Does this mean I die?

COHEN: That's when Laura sprung into action, assembling a group of friends called Abby's Angles. She made a list of children's hospitals in the U.S., and everyone pitched in to make phone calls.

BRAY: Just a few hours later, we had gone through it and we - we found some medicines. One of my friends made the call.

COHEN: Over the next nine months, Laura needed to step in again to get two other drugs the hospital couldn't find because of shortages.

BRAY: Never once did I contemplate that I would also have to be navigating the largest global supply chain in the world in order to keep her alive.

COHEN: Laura is a business school professor, and so she had the skills to do that. But she knew other families weren't so fortunate.

BRAY: It really haunted me.

COHEN: A study last year showing that of 19 essential agents to treat cancer in children, 74 percent had experienced one or more shortages since 2016.

Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Yoram Unguru says there are several reasons for the shortages, including --

DR. YORAM UNGURU, PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGIST/ONCOLOGIST, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT SINAI: When you look at the drugs overwhelmingly that are in short supply, they are not your blockbuster drugs. They are not the drugs that pharmaceutical companies generate huge profits from.

[06:55:01]

COHEN: So Laura took matters into her own hands, forming Angels for Change, raising about half a million dollars, she says, in less than three years, to pay a small drug manufacturer to make essential drugs and offer them up to any hospital that needs them.

BRAY: Since May they've been accessed more than half a million times for patients all over the U.S.

COHEN: Earning praise from experts.

UNGURU: You just look at what her organization has accomplished in the past few years, I think it speaks for itself. And there's something to say about that adage, hell hath no fury like an angry mama bear.

COHEN: This mama bear navigating the global supply chain for children all over the country with cancer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Abby has been cancer free for nearly two years now and she's now 13 years old and doing great. Her mother says, look, we found a way to deal with these shortages. The problem is, we need to scale it up. And she said, for that, we need more help and support.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes. And she's bringing awareness to this.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that reporting.

All right, up next, we're going to talk about a wedding without a bride. The woman who might miss her own wedding because of the Southwest Airlines meltdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has now been diagnosed with a concussion again and is expected to miss this weekend's game. This as the NFL and its players association have launched their second review just this season of the league's concussion protocol. The Dolphins coach, Mike McDaniel, said that he noticed the hit while

he was reviewing tape on Monday.

CNN's Coy Wire joins us now.

Coy, I mean, obviously, Tua has now become the face of the issue and how the NFL is dealing with it. What did Coach McDaniel say yesterday?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kaitlan, he said he noticed something during film session the next day afterwards. And the league's chief medical officer, he said that they didn't notice anything during the game, so it's possible the spotters didn't see that he had a head injury. He did not leave the game after his head hit the turf there or after any other play.

And it is absolutely possible that no coaches knew that he had been concussed. It's possible that Tua himself knew that he had a head injury. And I speak from experience.

[07:00:00]

In my second season in the NFL, I hit a running back so hard, Kaitlan, it destroyed his shoulder. He never played again. I played four more downs after that, almost blocked a punt.