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Biden To Promote Bipartisanship As GOP Takes Over House; Actor Jeremy Renner Recovering From Blunt Chest Trauma; GOP's Lawler: McCarthy Will Have Speaker Votes Despite Drama. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired January 03, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
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MONICA DE LA CRUZ, (R) TEXAS CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: I get oriented with the city.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The list of to-dos continues to be long, from hiring staff --
DE LA CRUZ: Trying to find the right people that have the same vision that I had, that hopefully were from the district (INAUDIBLE) on top of that.
DEAN (voice-over): -- to learning how to get in the building.
SUMMER LEE, (D) PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: The reality is that we actually have to learn. You know, there's so much that we have to learn.
DEAN (voice-over): They're also both women in public office and they know what they wear and how they present themselves will be scrutinized.
LEE: It is a different level of consideration -- not even just between men and women, but for Black women, right? For -- as Black women, we have different considerations for our hair. What is acceptable for our hair? How are we presenting ourselves?
DEAN (voice-over): All of the considerations, the excitement, and even freshman nerves part of the experience as they begin their new jobs.
DE LA CRUZ: We're leaving behind a life that we've known for the last 20 years and going into a new life. And it's not just myself as a congresswoman; it's my children, too, who are also going into this new chapter of their life. So I think it's exciting but it can be overwhelming at moments, too.
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DEAN: It can be overwhelming to start a new job, a new life, a new city, and that's certainly what these freshman lawmakers are going through. And Kaitlan, we were talking while that piece was airing. A lot of people think they just show up, they know where to go. They have all this staff around them -- and they do have bigger staffs than perhaps when they were serving in the state legislature --
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
DEAN: But look, they don't even know -- you've walked through this building. It's -- you get lost. It's a huge, giant complex and just getting in the door can be an ordeal.
COLLINS: I lived in Washington for 8 1/2 years and I got lost coming in this morning.
DEAN: Right.
COLLINS: So it's a struggle but it is -- it does speak to what Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was telling us earlier -- the congresswoman-elect -- you know, for normal people who don't have a ton of money behind them to come and find housing here. It's expensive to live in Washington.
It's a really good look at what these members go through. It totally is.
DEAN: Yes, yes. Just normal people doing this kind of extraordinary job.
COLLINS: Yes. Thanks for highlighting that.
Also today, when the new Congress is sworn in -- as Republicans, they have a majority. It's a slim majority but they are taking control of the House today. But there are questions about their efforts to stall President Biden's agenda. What that looks like for the next two years.
White House officials have been careful not to comment at length on the GOP's speaker's vote and the drama that you've seen there, but they say they are concerned about potential new rules by Republican hardliners who may try to make it difficult to strike bipartisan deals.
CNN's MJ Lee is live at the White House this morning. MJ, tell us what's at stake. Lay it out, really, of what's at stake for the White House as they're watching this drama today.
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kaitlan, you're certainly right that we are not going to be hearing White House officials sort of commenting on the ins and outs of the speaker's race.
But, of course, they are going to be watching everything that unfolds today with so much interest because it is going to be hugely consequential. And not just the question of whether the speaker is going to be Kevin McCarthy or somebody else, but what kinds of concessions the ultimate House speaker will have made to some of these GOP hardliners in the House. We know that the White House, in the past, has made the distinction between Senate Republicans and House Republicans, basically saying the Senate Republicans can be reasonable. They can work across the aisle with Democrats. Whereas, House Republicans -- White House officials have talked about as being sort of captive to these hardliners and basically, uninterested in working with Democrats.
So, yes, there is a world where if these members are even more emboldened and have powerful chairmanship positions -- yes, it gets a little bit more difficult and more complicated for things to get done on Capitol Hill.
COLLINS: But do they see any advantage in what's expected to be basically pure chaos today as Republicans, themselves, tell you they don't know what's going to happen today? Does the White House see an advantage in that?
LEE: Well, in some ways, you could argue that it isn't the worst thing for Democrats -- this White House -- for House Republicans to basically be paralyzed, right? They can't do basic functions and start their business until there is a speaker.
So one thing, for example, that they can't do is launch these House investigations, which House Republicans have said is one major way in which they are going to go on the offensive against the Biden White House.
I think the White House strategy if there has been one, is really just to sit back and watch all of this unfold quietly -- all of this fighting and this drama.
I mean, think about the fact that tomorrow we're going to see the president standing next to Mitch McConnell at an economy and infrastructure event, and who knows what the other side of the split screen is going to be with House Republicans. They sort of just want to show, yes, President Biden is more of the adult in the room.
COLLINS: Yes. Notable how Biden said yesterday he didn't think there was really anything to all the fuss about him going to appear alongside Mitch McConnell.
MJ Lee, thank you --
LEE: Right.
COLLINS: -- for that report.
Ahead, we're going to talk to incoming Republican Congressman-elect Mike Lawler and GOP Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on the drama surrounding Kevin McCarthy's bid to be the next speaker.
[07:35:00]
Don and Poppy, it is quite a moment playing out here on Capitol Hill.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Did you ever expect that -- we knew you'd be anchoring from there today. We knew you had these great lawmakers lined up. But did you ever think you'd be at the eleventh hour and no one knows what happens to Kevin McCarthy?
COLLINS: I think if you've been the last few weeks talking to Republicans, it's not a huge surprise. I was talking --
HARLOW: Yes.
COLLINS: -- to some of them yesterday and they were saying they genuinely do not know what's going to happen. Kevin McCarthy was working the phones last night. They've been having meetings in his office here. It's that speaker's office but he may not remain in that speaker's office if he can't get those 218 votes.
HARLOW: Well, he moves the boxes.
LEMON: Yes. But look, I think that's sort of --
HARLOW: We saw him moving them in.
LEMON: -- traditional that you do that. But we'll see.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: I think -- look, so you saw the lawmaker earlier saying he thinks it's going to be -- it's going to take more than one round, but Kevin McCarthy will eventually become the Speaker of the House. But it's just interesting to see all the drama that's playing out around it. Kaitlan is going to cover it.
HARLOW: Yes, back to you very, very soon, Kaitlan.
OK, let's talk about really severe thunderstorms this morning. The south is bracing for them. So ahead, we're going to take you to Louisiana where they saw some very severe weather overnight.
LEMON: And next, what we're learning about actor Jeremy Remmer (sic) -- Renner, I should say -- his injuries and the recovery that's happening for him this morning after a snow plow accident.
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[07:40:16]
LEMON: Well, this morning, actor Jeremy Renner is recovering from a second surgery for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries after a snow plowing accident near his Nevada home on Sunday. A spokesman says he remains in critical but stable condition, and people are clinging to hope for the stable part of that.
CNN's Chloe Melas joins us now. Good morning. What do you -- good morning. What are you learning?
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, listen. So it has been a very touch-and-go situation for Jeremy Renner and for his family. He's been in the ICU since Sunday after he was airlifted from his Lake Tahoe area home near Reno, Nevada.
He underwent one surgery -- the second, yesterday evening. Right after the surgery, his team releasing a statement saying that it was more than just a leg injury that was first reported by multiple outlets. That his injuries are extensive.
And so, we don't know exactly what happened. But if you take a look at his Instagram, you know that he's used to operating these snow plows and this heavy machinery. But he's lucky to be alive.
HARLOW: Is that what he was operating -- what our viewers are seeing? Something as big as that?
MELAS: We don't know which one exactly, but something similar to that one right there. I don't know the official names for these. But we do know that he's been posting these kinds of videos since 2018-2019, and these injuries are incredibly significant.
I've been talking to different individuals who were trying to tell me what might have happened because he is skilled on these. And there was really bad visibility in the area. A portion of the highway that he was on was closed the evening before. There was unprecedented snowfall, especially around the Reno area.
So, again, our thoughts are going out to him. He has a long road to recovery.
Social media -- it was the number-one trending topic yesterday. People are just flooding. There's so much support for him and wanting more information.
LEMON: Yes. He's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
HARLOW: Yes. Thinking about him. Thank you.
LEMON: Thanks, Chloe.
HARLOW: OK. Ahead this morning -- obviously, we're following very closely the latest on Bills safety Damar Hamlin's condition after he suffered what is believed to be cardiac arrest during last night's game. We'll take you to the hospital where he's being treated -- Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And back here on Capitol Hill, we are just a few hours away from a new Congress beginning. I'll be joined by Republican Congressman-elect Mike Lawler to talk about all of this and, of course, what is going to be that critically important vote on the House speaker.
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[07:47:00] HARLOW: Big, big day in Washington. A roll call vote to elect the speaker will be the first major order of business for this 118th Congress. The speaker serves as the House chamber's political and parliamentary leader and is second in line to the presidency. The thing is, Congress can't really function unless there's a speaker.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I now call the House to order on behalf of all of America's children. Go, kids!
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HARLOW: That was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
So how is this going to go today? So this is what happens. The clerk will call a roll call vote and each member will state the name of the person they are voting for.
Here is how it ended last time.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Therefore, the honorable Nancy Pelosi of the state of California, having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker of the House.
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HARLOW: But if Kevin McCarthy, today, fails to secure a majority on that first vote there will be a second vote, and maybe a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and on and on. We'll see.
Now, it is unclear if Congress will go into recess but if lawmakers don't move to adjourn, they will have to just keep voting until a winner -- a speaker is declared and the gavel is handed over.
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REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): And to the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, I extend to you this gavel.
(Applause)
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COLLINS: Yes. And Poppy, for weeks, McCarthy's allies here on Capitol Hill have voiced confidence that he eventually is going to get to that 218-vote threshold.
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MICHAEL LAWLER, (R) NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: Well, listen, a month is a long time in politics, but I am confident that Kevin McCarthy will have 218 votes on January third to become speaker.
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COLLINS: It has now been a month. So joining us is that Republican congressman-elect Mike Lawler of New York, who is going to be sworn into Congress in just a few hours. Thanks for joining us --
LAWLER: Thank you.
COLLINS: -- this morning.
You know, that was December third, I think. Now here we are on January third. McCarthy does not have the votes right now. Are you still confident that he's going to get there?
LAWLER: Yes, absolutely. You know, he has the overwhelming support of a majority of the conference. When we had our conference elections back in November he received 85 percent of the vote. He has earned the right to be the Speaker of the House and the conference is not going to let a few members hold the rest of us hostage here. And ultimately, I do believe he will have the requisite number of votes to become speaker.
And this is not about any one of us individually, and it's certainly not about the rules of the House. This is about the American people. And we got elected to do a job and we have to govern. And so, ultimately, I do believe cooler heads will prevail and I do believe he will become Speaker of the House.
COLLINS: What is his plan? I know you were with him last night. You were talking to him. He was making calls and meeting with some of these hardliners who have said they're not voting for him. What's his plan for today?
[07:50:04]
LAWLER: He's not backing down. And whether it takes one vote or 100 votes, we're going to keep going until we elect a speaker, and I am fully committed to that.
You cannot allow five or nine people within a conference of 222 to dictate to everybody else. The overwhelming majority of people support Kevin McCarthy. And so, it is untenable to allow a handful of people to try and overrun the conference and the will of the majority of the conference.
COLLINS: Is his plan to stay on the floor?
LAWLER: Absolutely.
COLLINS: When you talk about that handful of people, Scott Perry is someone who just, a few moments ago, was talking about the prospects of where these votes stand -- where Kevin McCarthy is. I want you to listen to what he said.
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REP. SCOTT PERRY (R-PA): Kevin McCarthy has known for months now that he doesn't have 218. Yet, he's dragged us -- the conference -- the Republican Conference, Congress, and the country up until the brink of this moment. Up until last night and including at this moment, I still can vote for Kevin McCarthy if we can come to an agreement that changes the status quo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, then --
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COLLINS: What's -- key there is he says he could still get to where he would vote for Kevin McCarthy.
But Kevin McCarthy has been making concession after concession to these hardliners who have said they will not vote for him. Are you comfortable with the concessions that he's making?
LAWLER: Look, Kevin has negotiated in good faith. And the truth is you can't beat someone with no one. Kevin McCarthy has a majority of the support of the conference. And I and many of my colleagues will support the concessions that the leader has made under the condition that he be elected speaker.
The speaker vote is first. So to my colleagues, as I said in a letter last week, if you want us to accept these concessions that you have been advocating for -- that have been so critical behind your withholding support for Kevin, then you need to support Kevin. Otherwise, those rules will not pass.
COLLINS: So even if it weakens him it's still just important for him to become speaker, is what you're saying?
LAWLER: It's not going to be a question of weakening him. He will have the support of the conference and we will move forward with our agenda -- our commitment to America. It's what we ran on, it's what we got elected on, and we will move forward with it. So he's not going to be weakened by this.
The motion to vacate -- at the end of the day, it is a procedure that has been in place for over 100 years. It is not something that I am overly concerned about. And at the end of the day, the conference will dictate who the speaker is, not any one individual member.
COLLINS: Well, it's notable to hear you say that you're not that concerned about that because I've heard from other Republicans who say Kevin McCarthy should not accept that at all.
You've got an upcoming meeting at 9:30 with House Republicans. What are you expecting to happen in that meeting?
LAWLER: We'll see. I think -- I think obviously, there's a lot of passionate opinions on this on both sides of this. But I think ultimately, the objective is to come together as a conference and move forward and get about the business of the American people. The reality is we can't do anything until we elect a speaker. And the only person who wins here is Joe Biden, and Hakeem Jeffries, and Chuck Schumer. So if my colleagues, like Scott Perry, like Matt Gaetz, want to get
about the business of oversight, if they want to get about the business of reining in spending, then we need to elect a speaker.
And the American people are not interested in this petty fight that is going on and they are, frankly, uninterested in the rules. They're more interested in the laws that are going to impact their lives.
COLLINS: It could get chaotic. We'll see what happens today.
I do want to ask you before you go -- you are from New York. George Santos -- we've just confirmed this morning -- CNN has confirmed that Brazilian authorities are reopening an investigation they have into him. He's already under investigation by local and federal prosecutors here in the United States.
Is he a distraction from the Republican Conference?
LAWLER: Listen, his conduct is embarrassing and unbecoming, and it is certainly a distraction. There are multiple investigations, as you said. I have said he should cooperate fully with those investigations.
His election has been certified so he will be seated in this Congress.
But ultimately, obviously, we will see what the investigations come back with. There are numerous investigations at federal, state, and local, as well as international. And it's just -- it's very unfortunate and disappointing.
COLLINS: Congress-elect, soon-to-be congressman, thank you so much for sharing your time with us.
LAWLER: Thank you.
COLLINS: I know you've got your family here today and a lot going on, so thank you.
LAWLER: Thanks.
COLLINS: Poppy and Don, of course, a notable moment there to hear from that on George Santos, which we have been covering closely here. But also, just a broader look at what today could look like.
HARLOW: Yes.
LEMON: Yes, a lot of uncertainty there in D.C. this morning. Kaitlan, we'll check back. Thank you very much.
[07:55:00]
A school outside of Little Rock, Arkansas ripped apart by a possible tornado, and there is a threat of more severe weather across the south today. We're going to take you live to Louisiana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Our teacher let us know and our teacher said it's OK. And she actually wanted us to be safe. And I'm really proud of her because she's a good teacher.
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RYAN CLARK, ESPN COMMENTATOR, FORMER NFL PLAYER: So many times in this game and in our job as well, we use the cliches -- you know, I'm ready to die for this. I'm willing to give my life for this. It's time to go to war. And I think sometimes we use those things so much we forget that part of living this dream is putting your life at risk.
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LEMON: What happened on the football field last night quite shocking -- quite shocking -- and we're covering it all.
Good morning, everyone. Poppy and I are here in New York.
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