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Ryan Zinke is Interviewed about the House Speaker Voting; Actions to Take for Cardiac Arrest; China Accused of Underrepresenting Outbreak. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired January 05, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

KAITLIN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Ha rejected former President Trump's call to support Kevin McCarthy for speaker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdrawal.

With that, I yield. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Democrats have really just been watching all of this play out.

Congressman Jimmy Gomez of California was pulling double duty, caring for his four month old son during these long hours on Capitol Hill, sharing this picture in his new office after a fresh diaper change.

Then there was also this moment with Republican Kat Cammack's speech to nominate McCarthy for the sixth ballot for speaker, one that failed, getting this reaction from Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KAT CAMMACK (R-FL): They want us divided. 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.

The House is not in order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The House is definitely not in order. The House reconvene at noon today to take another stab at electing a speaker. But the longer it goes on, the more time for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who says her dog was napping during all of this.

Lawmakers return today. Still no speaker. Evident here, the name on the door above the speaker's office. There is no name. Kevin McCarthy has moved into that office, but the question is, whether or not he will remain in that office after he took up residence there a few days ago. Maybe a little too early.

So, to talk about all of this as we are awaiting for lawmakers to return today is Republican Congressman-elect Ryan Zinke of Montana, who is the former interior secretary under former President Trump. He has voted for McCarthy six times. I imagine you will be voting for him again today?

RYAN ZINKE (R), MONTANA CONG.-ELECT: Again. You know, and it's really not about a speaker at this point. It's whether the Republicans can actually govern.

COLLINS: Can they?

ZINKE: I believe they can. I think we'll get there. But, you know, I'm a former SEAL and I've been to a lot of battles in my life. I can tell you, not every battle is led by, you know, George C. Patton. But we win because we step up. Because generals don't win wars, it's the front line. And in this city, it isn't the speaker that passes the bills, it's the front line, it's the body, it's the chair and the members that all have a say.

So, who the speaker is has to make sure that he has the votes, but also listen to the body. And we're not - we're not there yet. I support Kevin because 90 percent of the caucus voted. And it's like a primary. With 90 percent of the body supporting an individual, in this case Kevin McCarthy. You have a small minority that are outcasts. And what are the demands? Up front, what do they want? Can't tell you. Because they just don't like Kevin. There's a trust issue. But there's also a trust issue with the body, with the 20. So it - now it's more about trust and rather than, you know, a leadership.

COLLINS: Well, Kevin McCarthy made these several major concessions overnight. Is that enough to get him to 218?

ZINKE: You know, we'll see. But he's made concessions before on a rule package, you know, how you conduct, how - how -- what's the threshold to vacate the chair. You know, all of us want the same thing. We want to make sure we hold the government accountable. We want to make sure fiscally we have discipline because we have not. But we can't begin this process until we have a speaker in place. That's the first step. So, we can't begin to defend, in Montana's case, we have rules, you know, waters of the U.S., there's gun infringement, Second Amendment infringement, a lot of things that each state finds important. We can't even begin that process until we have a speaker.

COLLINS: But it's not clear to you right now, as of, you know, 6:30 this morning, that what Kevin McCarthy promised these hardliners overnight would actually get him the speakership?

ZINKE: That's correct. And if it's a change of rules, remember the speaker himself doesn't dictate rules. That has to go to the body and the body votes on it.

COLLINS: Yes.

ZINKE: It's going to be - it's going to be an interesting day. COLLINS: Can he eventually - well, that might be the understatement of

the morning. Can he eventually get to 218? Do you have confidence he'll actually get there in the end of it?

ZINKE: I do because the consequence of not - and, again, it's not about Kevin. It's really about whether we can govern. So, will we have the same problem with a different candidate? Likely.

COLLINS: Well, Matt Rosendale is the other representative from Montana. He is not supporting Kevin McCarthy. He is one of those no vote. Is that a mistake in your view?

ZINKE: Well, there was - there has been several mistakes. One is that, I'm one, if you have differences, then solve the differences internally. Don't run it up the flag pole and show, you know, disorganization, dysfunction, not only to, you know, America but the world, because the world is watching this. And also we have elections in 2024.

[06:35:01]

Can the Republicans govern? Do we -- are we a functional body that can address the big issues. And the issues aren't our speaker. We have issues of inflation, of energy, of border. There's a lot of issues that have consensus on both sides, there's problems. I mean you can't -- you can't be an American and go, well, we don't have problems in this country. Almost everything is not functional. And to address that, Congress needs to do their duty.

And, again, I've been to a lot of battles. It's not the generals who win the battles, it's the front line. In this case, everyone has to step up in their duty -- do their duty for the benefit of the country.

COLLINS: Do you think what's happening right now with Republicans is embarrassing?

ZINKE: I think it's embarrassing. I do. And there - there is - now there's a lot of hard feelings on both sides. Again, you have 90 percent of the caucus, 90 percent of the caucus standing firmly behind Kevin McCarthy. Is he perfect? No. I don't - I don't think anyone is perfect. But how you win battles is you leverage the chairman, you leverage the members, you listen to members and lead forward and articulate what is it the Republicans -- what's our goal? And our goal is to curb inflation, to make sure we have a border, to make sure we use the power of the purse judicially and stop the excessive spending. Again, we can't even begin that process until we have a speaker.

COLLINS: You used to work for Trump.

ZINKE: Absolutely.

COLLINS: He told all Republicans yesterday they should vote for McCarthy. McCarthy actually lost some support yesterday. Does Trump have any influence over what happens here with the Republican speaker?

ZINKE: Well, and what's the influence of the outliers, because Jim Jordan is for Kevin McCarthy. More than half the Freedom Caucus is for Kevin McCarthy. So, what is their base? Where do they get their base of support? Certainly not from President Trump. It's not from Jim Jordan. So, who are they going to rally around? Now, a lot of it too are sound bites. You look in the hallway, a lot of these members have - have not been irrelevant but certainly haven't been, you know, a media -- media icons right now. And you look at - they fall -- they go around the hall and there's, you know, a big mob of media. So, they're getting their time in -- in, quote, the press and they're making money off of it. So, they're, you know, fundraising.

COLLINS: But I want to go back to Trump. Does he have influence on this or does he not?

ZINKE: Well, we'll see. Certainly yesterday he did not have influence because it really didn't change any votes. And, you know, I - I worked for him. There's a couple of things that President Trump probably finds to be, you know, an irritant is one to be ignored, and two to be called out, because he was called out, not only --

COLLINS: By Lauren Boebert.

ZINKE: By Lauren -- absolutely. And he has supported her in the past. I'm not sure he'll continue to support her, you know, going forward.

COLLINS: We'll wait to make - we'll see.

Congressman-elect, as you still are since you have not been sworn in, thank you so much for joining us this morning and talking about this.

ZINKE: My pleasure.

I remain an optimist because the consequence of not having a leader, the consequence of not governing, I think, is too great. So, I remain an optimistic.

COLLINS: Is that he will get sworn in. Yes.

All right, thank you so much for your time this morning.

ZINKE: Thank you.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, so -

COLLINS: All right, Don and Poppy.

LEMON: I think we agree on a lot. Can we take that down because I want to talk about this.

So, I think that with Zinke we agree on a lot. I think airing the dirty laundry is right. Nothing is getting done.

HARLOW: Your Harry point too.

LEMON: Right, which was my point with Harry. And now all of a sudden the cameras are trained on these people who are getting attention and now they're getting this attention and they're embarrassing themselves. That's exactly what has happened now.

HARLOW: So, where do we go from here?

LEMON: Where do we go from here? Chaos until they figure out who the speaker is, because nothing is going to get done until they figure that out.

HARLOW: Nothing. Nothing.

LEMON: And so that is the - that's --

HARLOW: Like critical business for the American people.

LEMON: Yes. And that's the next, for how many years .But there's a part of it, though, we'll talk about it in the political thing. This is what some Republicans wanted. So, you -- you've got to see it play out because that's who they elected. And they want to see their leaders, whether you like it or not, have influence. And those leaders now, that they elected to Congress, are having - are exerting their influence. And so -

HARLOW: Kaitlan's been asking the most important question the whole time -

LEMON: Yes.

HARLOW: What does this say about how they will lead.

LEMON: How they will lead.

HARLOW: That's the question. OK, so we'll - we'll get to that.

LEMON: Yes, we'll get to that.

HARLOW: Also, CPR was given, as you know, to Bills player Damar Hamlin after he collapsed, and that is probably what saved his life, right, those critical minutes. Next, our medical expert, Dr. Tara Narula is here. She's going to show us all what you can do if you're there when something like this happens.

LEMON: Very important.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:43:49]

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN THIS MORNING.

Well, this morning, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field during Monday night's game. The Bills say that he is showing some signs of improvement. This is an NFL executive is praising the work of the medical team who resuscitated Hamlin.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROY VINCENT, NFL EXECUTIVE VP OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS: That emergency action plan was executed to perfection, by individuals who rehearsed and practiced and trained for in-stadium health emergencies. And Dr. Sills and to the medical professionals, first responders, to physicians to trainers, the EMTS, that evening was outstanding. You gave our brother, Damar, another day to live, another chance to fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So much emotion around this.

Let's discuss, though, the importance of CPR because Dr. Tara Narula is here.

He, obviously, was administered CPR.

DR. TARA NARULA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

LEMON: He had a whole bunch of medical professionals around. But it's important for everyone to know how to perform CPR.

[06:45:03]

NARULA: It is so important. I mean, would you know what to do if someone in the studio went down, if someone at home went down? And three quarters of out of hospital arrests occur really at home. So, it's typically going to be a loved one, a friend, a co-worker. We know, in general, there's about 350,000 out of hospital sudden cardiac arrests a year, and the survival is so low. It's about one in ten that survive.

But with bystander CPR you can increase someone's chances of survival by about two to three times. And, in fact, every minute that goes by that you don't restore a heartbeat, their chances of survival drop by about 7 to 10 percent. And, unfortunately, in this country, the rates of bystander CPR are really low. We're talking in general around 40 percent. So, we really need to do a better job as a country about really pushing people to get educated in CPR.

And one of the greatest things they can learn is hands only CPR. I mean a lot of people think they have to give breaths. You don't. You can do hands only CPR.

HARLOW: So, can we - let - I'm so glad you brought this in.

NARULA: Yes.

HARLOW: Should we -- let's start with adults -

NARULA: Right.

HARLOW: Because it's different for babies. So, I want to get to that. But let's start with adults.

NARULA: Sure. So, if you see someone go down, first, you want to make sure that the scene is safe, right? Next step is to really call 911. And then you're going to push hard and fast in the center of the chest. And so the best way to do this is to take the palm of your hand, place it here in between where the nipples are, put the other hand over, elbows locked, shoulders over, and you're going to push down hard and fast. You're pushing down to depress the chest by about two inches. So, this is a significant amount of force you're applying.

HARLOW: Harder than you think, right?

NARULA: Harder than you think. And you're going to do this at a rate of about 100 to 120 beats per minute. So, we talk about thinking of songs to help you kind of keep the beat.

HARLOW: OK.

NARULA: The American Heart Association has a play list called "Don't Drop the Beat." One of the classics songs is "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.

LEMON: It sounds weird but it's true. This helps.

NARULA: Yes. Ah, ah, ah, ah - I mean I'm not a good singer but -

LEMON: Staying alive.

HARLOW: But do it. That's how fast.

NARULA: Right. "Staying Alive," that's exactly -

LEMON: Is the beats per minutes.

NARULA: Exactly. And that's what you want to keep in your head. So, that is a great way. And so you're going to do hands only CPR, 911 is being called, and then, obviously, if you have access to a defibrillator, that's really a great thing to have too. And a lot of people don't. They're scared. What's in the blue box. They don't know how to apply it. Again, rates of defibrillator use in settings of --

LEMON: Easy, one, two, three.

NARULA: Correct. It's so simple. So, it tells you, turn on. You're going to push the button and turn it on. OK. You're going to take out the pads and, look, it's --

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Apply pads to patient's bear chest. Plug in pads connector next to the flashing light.

NARULA: It shows you where to place the pads. So here - yes, here. It shows you this pad. It shows you where to put this pad. You're going to plug this in.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Apply pads. Plug in connecter.

NARULA: OK. So, Poppy, I don't know if you want to help me plug that in. And then essentially -

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Analyze heart rhythm.

NARULA: It's going to analyze the heart rhythm. If it detects a rhythm that's shockable.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Do not touch the patient,

NARULA: It tells you don't touch the patient. It's going to do it -- deliver a shock. OK.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Shock advised.

HARLOW: It knows what to do.

NARULA: OK, shock advised. So you're going to push the button.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Charging.

NARULA: Charging. Everyone stays clear of the patient.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Be clear of patient.

NARULA: I mean, literally, it's walking you through every step.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Deliver shock now. Press the orange button now.

NARULA: Poppy.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Shock delivered.

NARULA: Correct. That's it. As soon as the shock's delivered.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Begin CPR.

NARULA: Begin CPR. You go back to giving CPR.

DEFIBRILLATOR AUDIO: Begin CPR.

NARULA: You do that for two minutes. And then it's going to analyze the rhythm again.

HARLOW: OK.

LEMON: Wow.

NARULA: So, I just want people to understand -

LEMON: You leave the pads as you're doing the - yes.

NARULA: You leave the pads. Yes. And this has to go on the bare chest, right.

LEMON: Yes. Right.

NARULA: So if someone's clothed, you want to take that off.

But this is so easy. So, people should not be afraid. Don't be afraid to give hands only CPR. Don't be afraid to use the defibrillator.

HARLOW: Right.

NARULA: You can save a life.

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: And for babies, two fingers?

NARULA: For babies it's two fingers, yes.

HARLOW: OK.

LEMON: Yes, and you press down. It's easier for the baby. I learned that during lifeguard training, I got it, because I've never - like, you don't update it. You need to update and you need to practice.

NARULA: You need to have it in your brain so that if it happens and you're panicked, you have those skills in your mind, you know how to start doing it.

LEMON: This was very helpful. Thank you.

HARLOW: This is the most useful thing I have seen in weeks.

LEMON: Yes, very helpful.

Thank you, Doctor.

HARLOW: Thank you.

NARULA: Thank you, guys.

HARLOW: Thank you. Thank you.

LEMON: Appreciate it.

So, moving on now. As China's coronavirus outbreak worsens, the country is being accused of underrepresenting the severity of the situation. The hospital data that's alarming global health officials. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:53:19]

HARLOW: So, this morning, global health officials are urging China to be a whole lot more transparent about the severity of their Covid outbreak. This comes as China's hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid cases after strict restrictions were abruptly reversed.

Our Ivan Watson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hospital hallways crowded with sick people, patients treated on sidewalks and lines of vans waiting for entry to busy funeral homes. A huge Covid-19 outbreak is battering China. The surge coming more than three years after the virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Chinese state television says medical workers are stepping up to meet the challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have expanded the ward, added more beds. We've brought in experienced doctors to work with the young ones to get them up to speed quicker.

WATSON: But social media footage shows hospitals in China's wealthiest cities clearly inundated with patients. And a recent Chinese study projects infections won't surge in less developed, rural parts of the country until later this month.

Officially, as of Thursday, only 24 people in all of China died from Covid-19 since December 7th according to China's CDC, with only six Covid victims in Beijing.

MR. ZHANG, BEIJING RESIDENT: That is totally ridiculous and not credible, you know. As far as I know, my close relatives, among them there are four died already. That is from one family. So, I hope the government will honestly and credibly tell its people and people in the world what's really happened here.

[06:55:03]

WATSON: Last month, CNN journalists filmed bodies stored in containers awaiting cremation at one Beijing funeral home. The World Health Organization criticizing China for underrepresenting the severity of its outbreak and not sharing enough real data on the scale of the outbreak.

DR. MIKE RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR HEALTH EMERGENCIES, WHO: We believe that the current numbers being published from - from China underrepresents the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths. And we would like to see more data on a more geographic basis across China.

WATSON: Beijing's decision to allow citizens to travel internationally, ending years of self-imposed isolation, just as the virus spreads out of control has triggered a global debate. A growing number of governments imposing travel restrictions, ranging from the U.S., which requires pre-flight Covid tests, to Morocco, which temporarily banned all travel from China. Beijing is now threatening reciprocal measures.

The growing international dispute of little concern to Chinese families that are struggling with the sudden loss of loved ones. Some statistical models predict China could lose more than a million people due to Covid-19.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WATSON: Now, Poppy and Don, I can't stress enough what a dramatic u- turn mainland China has been through. A month ago we were talking about desperate Chines people trapped in lockdowns and quarantine camps, these draconian restrictions that were trying to stop Covid. Now Chinese people are enjoying freedom and they're not threatened by these things. But everybody you talk to and their families, they all have Covid.

One acquaintance describing walking down the street in Shanghai and she could see everybody kind of coughing on the street, recovering from this.

The consequences are being felt beyond mainland China. Here in Hong Kong, my daughter got sick this week. You can't find throat lozenges here in pharmacies.

HARLOW: Wow.

WATSON: You can't find fever medicine, like Tylenol, because it's all being bought up and shipped to sick people in mainland China.

Back to you guys.

HARLOW: Wow. Thank you, Ivan, very much.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes, Poppy, a second round of stinging defeats for Kevin McCarthy yesterday. The question is, is day three going to bringing more of that for McCarthy as he is vying to be next House speaker?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]