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Georgia Grand Jury: "Perjury May Have Been Committed" In Trump Probe; Doctor: President Biden Remains Healthy, Vigorous, Fit; Salt Lake City Hosts First NBA All-Star Weekend In 30 Years. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired February 17, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:31:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BARKLEY, SPORTS ANALYST, TNT's "INSIDE THE NBA": You guys have been great to me for 23 years. I'm not going --
KENNY SMITH, SPORTS ANALYST, TNT's "INSIDE THE NBA": (Laughing).
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, SPORTS ANALYST, TNT's "INSIDE THE NBA": (Laughing).
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: They are calling your --
O'NEAL: On today's -- on today's episode you give the answer.
HARLOW: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Poppy Harlow joins us now from Salt Lake City, Utah. And if you peer down into the corner of your screen and you see a cheerful, smiling person waving their arms, that's her.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We can actually see you in the -- in the huge camera.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi.
CORNISH: So we're going to be back with you later in a little bit. What are you going to be talking about?
HARLOW: Yes. We have a great lineup. So you saw the guys there -- Chuck -- Charles Barkley, Shaq, Kenny. We sat down for an interview that went nothing like I expected because that's what you get when you sit down with "INSIDE THE NBA." I feel very tall, guys. I feel very tall in that photo. I had a total ball with them.
Then we're going to be joined by -- in a few minutes, actually, by Ryan Smith who is not only the owner of the Jazz, he's the founder of a big tech company called Qualtrics and a huge promoter of Utah, and what I've learned, they call the Silicon Slope. So we're going to talk about his fascinating story in the Jazz.
And then the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is going to join us next hour. We're going to talk about their increase in T.V. ratings, women in sports -- yay. And she has an update -- a special update on Brittney Griner.
So we have all that ahead.
And then my buddy is here. Andy, come say hi. This is --
COLLINS: I saw him earlier.
HARLOW: -- my -- we always see him. Can he get in this shot?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh.
HARLOW: Can you get in the shot?
SCHOLES: Oh, there we go.
COLLINS: He's in it. He's in it.
HARLOW: And then Andy is here as well.
SCHOLES: Yes.
HARLOW: We always see him on T.V. from afar and he's here, so yes.
SCHOLES: It's going to be a great weekend.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCHOLES: About 100,000 people here --
HARLOW: Really?
SCHOLES: -- for some basketball. I always love 3-point competitions. That's my jam.
CORNISH: That's the band Poppy will be in.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCHOLES: I love 3-point competitions.
HARLOW: But the dunk. Come on, the dunk.
SCHOLES: Oh, the dunk contest.
HARLOW: He's here, right.
SCHOLES: Yes. Shaq told me it's -- like he told me last night it's kind of waning recently. HARLOW: Really?
COLLINS: No.
SCHOLES: Well, just the star power. We don't have the big names anymore. So I look forward to 3-point competition.
HARLOW: Please. Oh, also Ryan Smith, the owner of the Jazz, apparently can dunk, so --
SCHOLES: That's impressive.
HARLOW: Yes, who knew?
SCHOLES: I'm pretty sure -- well, Michael Jordan can dunk.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCHOLES: He's the owner of the Hornets. And then he -- and then he can dunk. So that's two --
HARLOW: Yes.
SCHOLES: -- NBA owners that can dunk.
HARLOW: Yes, there's that.
SCHOLES: And it's -- you know, it's more than any NFL owners.
HARLOW: It's pretty good. There you go.
All right, guys, back to you.
COLLINS: But it's also interesting. It's the first time, Poppy, they've had the All-Star weekend actually in Salt Lake since it -- since it first started 30 years ago.
HARLOW: And I will tell you that apparently, Ryan used to sneak into this stadium and couldn't afford a ticket to the All-Star Game because it's expensive. Who can? Then now he owns a team, so how's that for you? Full-circle story coming up from here.
COLLINS: I love that. I can't wait to see all of these interviews. Good to see you, Andy, as well. Poppy will check back with you in a moment for all of that fun stuff.
HARLOW: She said good to see you.
SCHOLES: Yes, good to see you.
COLLINS: All right. But first this morning --
HARLOW: Thanks, Andy.
COLLINS: -- we're going to turn to a lot of developments that are happening in the news. The special grand jury that is investigating and investigated former President Trump in Fulton County and the actions that he took there says there was no widespread vote that took place in Georgia's results in the 2020 presidential election. That is according to the newly-released parts of their final report.
Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says this backs up what he has been telling us all along.
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BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: We were vindicated. We've been shown that we've been factually correct from day one.
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[07:35:00]
COLLINS: No fraud but maybe some perjury. The report says that perjury may have been committed by one or more of the witnesses who testified. The grand jury is recommending that the district attorney seek appropriate indictments because of that. The report though does not name any witnesses because they have not brought any charges yet.
The Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis has not brought any of those. It remains to be seen whether or not she does.
CORNISH: "Healthy, vigorous, and fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency." Those are quotes from President Biden's doctor after his physical and -- at Walter Reed Thursday. Also, there were no findings consistent with stroke, MS, or Parkinson's disease after an extremely detailed neurological exam. Now, doctors did remove a small lesion on his chest for a biopsy and test results on that are pending.
The report comes ahead of Biden's reelection intentions in the next few months.
COLLINS: It's remarkable. I mean, the president does not have to share his health results.
CORNISH: Yes.
COLLINS: It's not legally obligated. But --
CORNISH: But in recent years it has become a very important question to voters and to political opponents.
COLLINS: Yes, and especially with Biden given he's the oldest president we've ever had and --
CORNISH: Yes.
COLLINS: -- and is running for reelection.
CORNISH: Now, the family of Bruce Willis is giving a painful update on his health this morning. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will explain next. (COMMERCIAL)
[07:40:30]
COLLINS: A Denver city councilmember is getting a well-deserved apology this morning after he had to crawl onto the stage of a political debate on Monday. The venue did not have any wheelchair access. And organizers asked the councilman, Chris Hinds, to raise himself onto the stage so they only had to lift his chair, which weighs 400 pounds.
The facility's executive director is now apologizing after backlash saying, quote, "I deeply regret it took this incident to elevate the urgency for this change and we are committed to ensuring that no one experiences lack of access to the stage again."
The councilmember also got an apology from the county clerk's office, which organizes these debates. He says he's satisfied with the response but it certainly put a highlight on the fact that they did not have access to it in the first place.
CORNISH: Heartbreaking news about Bruce Willis. His wife says he now has a form of dementia. Willis was diagnosed with aphasia last spring, which is the loss of ability to understand or express speech but his wife now says his condition has progressed.
We're going to bring in CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, help us understand better this specific type of dementia.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Audie. I think sometimes when people hear dementia they automatically think Alzheimer's disease, which is a type of dementia but there are others as well. And what Mr. Willis has is something called frontotemporal dementia.
Let's take a look at the brain and you can see the lobes that we're talking about. There is damage to neurons in the frontal lobe and also in the temporal lobe. And this kind of -- as we see with Mr. Willis, this is actually often diagnosed in the late 40s or 50s or 60s, so unlike Alzheimer's, this tends to affect younger people -- Audie.
CORNISH: What does that mean for family and for how it progresses in terms of quality of life?
COHEN: Right. So, unfortunately, it is progressive. There is no cure. So let's take a look at some of the details of this type of dementia.
So it is actually nerve loss in -- as we discussed, in the front or temporal lobe. And what people -- what you can see, it kind of varies from person to person. But in general, deterioration in behavior, personality, difficulty with comprehending language, difficulty with speaking.
There are no specific treatments. You can give people, for example, medicine for their depression or for their irritability, but that's kind of about it. It's basically just medicines to treat the symptoms. And it's everything from depression to unusual behavior, to changes in gait, changes in walking. It's a real wide range.
It is very difficult sometimes to get a diagnosis for this type of dementia. And his family said we are just so -- obviously, they're unhappy that he's ill but they said they're so grateful to finally have a diagnosis because it allows them to move on and to think about the best ways to take care of him -- Audie.
CORNISH: Yes, they're bringing a lot of awareness to this.
Just before you go can you talk about how common it is? This is an unusual diagnosis, is it not?
COHEN: It is. It is less common than other types of dementia but it may be more common than we think because it does sometimes take years to get a diagnosis. And sometimes people -- even after they're gone they never got the right diagnosis. So it's very possible that more people have this than we think.
CORNISH: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much for this explanation.
COLLINS: Also ahead, what President Biden is now saying publicly about the mysterious objects that were shot down by the U.S. over North America and upcoming talks with China's president. We'll discuss with the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul. He is live in Munich where the Security Conference is underway.
HARLOW: I look forward to that interview. Good to hear what he has to say.
Also, I'm live in Salt Lake City, Utah this morning ahead of the NBA's All-Star weekend. In just minutes, I'll speak with the owner of the Utah Jazz and the founder of Qualtrics. Ryan Smith is here.
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[07:49:14]
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RYAN SMITH, OWNER, UTAH JAZZ, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, QUALTRICS: No. Look, we haven't had the All-Star Game in 30 years. It's a completely new place. I mean, look around. We're the youngest state in the country. There's a lot of things -- I mean, states have a problem owning different things.
The one thing we own is innovation here and you're going to see a lot of innovation. This is the first full-digital All-Star Game. It's the most tech-forward All-Star Game. And I think you're seeing a lot of hope in this state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: I'm a huge Utah fan now, by the way. We'll get into it in a minute. I'm Poppy Harlow. So glad to be with you live in Salt Lake City.
That was Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz, ahead of the NBA All- Star weekend here. The league's best players are coming to showcase their skills in a series of exciting competitions -- 3-point, the dunk, celebrity game tonight.
[07:50:03]
And like Ryan said, it is the first time the NBA All-Star Game will be in this city since 1993. He's pulling out all the stops to showcase what Utah has to offer on the court and off the court.
He joins me now. He's also the founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics, a cloud computing software company that he founded here in Utah in 2002. Good to have you.
SMITH: Hey, it's so good to be here. Thanks for coming.
HARLOW: I'm thrilled --
SMITH: This is awesome.
HARLOW: -- to be here.
So the story goes that you used to sneak into this arena to watch the Jazz. True?
SMITH: I mean, I may or may not have once or twice, yes. But yes -- no, I know -- I know this place pretty well.
HARLOW: And you couldn't afford a ticket -- because most people can't -- to an All-Star Game in '93.
SMITH: Yes, for sure.
HARLOW: Now you own the Jazz. Can you just talk about the -- what this moment means?
SMITH: So first of all, I think it's a huge moment for the state and I think it's great timing because Utah is unbelievably -- it's just on fire right now. And for me as a kid to be here and have like our team and be such a big fan and to be back here with the Jazz with our representation --
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: -- and just watch the state rallying. Like, there's so many people that want to be here who come into Utah, and it's just a good moment to shine.
HARLOW: You actually think Utah's gotten a bad rap. You've said that the people that branded it did -- your words, not mine -- a horrible job.
What do people get wrong about this state?
SMITH: So I think -- I think -- I don't think people did a horrible job. I just think the states --
HARLOW: I think I read that quote.
SMITH: Yes. Maybe the states --the state has completely changed over the last 20 years and I would say specifically, the last 10. I mean, we've constantly been in the top 10 for fastest-growing. But if you look, we get seven million people in here who come in here for skiing, they visit our parks, but they would always leave. And now we have this tech ecosystem that's top three in the country and it's changed the state.
HARLOW: I've learned it's called the Silicon Slopes. You founded Qualtrics here more than 20 years ago. You sold an $8 billion deal to SAP. You have this huge IPO.
I don't think of tech when I think of Utah.
SMITH: Yes.
HARLOW: You want to change that.
SMITH: Well, I think -- I think we already have. I mean, we have more IPOs in Utah than San Francisco or New York City in 2018.
HARLOW: There you go.
SMITH: And, I mean, I think probably the bigger thing is this is the story that people should be looking at and those who know, know.
HARLOW: Yes.
Before we move on to basketball and what's happening tonight, just talk about tech in general because we've seen these sweeping layoffs across tech. You guys had to lay off about 250 workers.
What is happening in tech right now?
SMITH: Look, we've had an incredible run on tech, first of all. Like, we started Qualtrics in 2002, then we went through 2007, 2008, and 2009.
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: And if you look since then it's been epic. And I just think we're seeing a little bit more of a right-sizing --
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: -- and we're probably still not back to where we were in 2010, 2011, 2012. So it's just a little bit of the ebb and flow but we're going to be right.
HARLOW: So let's talk about tonight. You -- we just saw you with Dwyane Wade and you guys are going to be team captains of the celebrity game tonight. A lot of money is being donated, part of it to 5 For The Fight, your cancer charity that's raised over $50 million. What are we going to see tonight?
SMITH: Well, so first of all, Team Ryan is going to take down Team Dwyane.
HARLOW: Oh, really?
SMITH: Yes. That's -- I mean, he's been -- he's been in the gym. Like, this is -- this is -- and he slow-plays it. He's like hey, by the way, I've got a 10:00 to go practice shooting. We're going to be shooting against each other for charity.
But it's just an incredible event. He's such a good sport because --
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: -- I mean, he's an NBA top-75 player and here I am, like, just a guy shooting, so --
HARLOW: But you -- can you really dunk?
SMITH: Yes. I think I'm -- I mean, at this age, yes, a little bit.
HARLOW: You think so?
SMITH: Yes.
HARLOW: You didn't do so well trying to dunk in front of D. Wade the other day.
SMITH: Yes, I -- it was off the back of the rim the whole time.
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: But --
HARLOW: There's that.
SMITH: -- we'll see.
HARLOW: We have bad days.
SMITH: Hey, there's adrenalin.
HARLOW: We have bad days.
SMITH: Yes.
HARLOW: So on a more serious note, when you -- so I -- you wanted to buy my team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, apparently, and your wife was like, we are Utah. We have -- good thing you listened to her.
SMITH: Yes.
HARLOW: So you end up acquiring the Jazz in a transaction that was really meaningful because you talk about it as stewardship. Can you tell me what -- tell our viewers what Adam Silver, the
commissioner, told you when you got the team?
SMITH: So the Miller team -- the Miller family has been in charge of the Jazz for 35 years and they had done such an incredible job from building the arena -- they used to split games between here and Vegas. Larry and Gail, they're incredible.
And it was just an opportunity to come in and step in. I don't think any of us saw it coming. I remember we called Adam. He was like out of all the teams this is probably the last team I get the call. And then he called me back and said you know, Ryan, a lot of people if they're super lucky to be a part of the NBA -- like it's unique. But no one -- no one gets their hometown team.
Like -- and so, we just feel fortunate. Gail always said it was a stewardship. I didn't really understood -- understand what that meant until being in this spot but it's an incredible platform, especially in Utah, in our state. Regardless of what people differ in opinions on different things --
[07:55:06]
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: -- whether it's religious or political, or universities, everyone agrees on the Jazz.
HARLOW: In your first press conference you came out and you said this franchise is going to be actively anti-racist. What does that mean? Why did you do it? How do you do it today?
SMITH: Well, I think -- I think that in America and across the world you're seeing a great divide. I think we're further apart maybe than we've been in the past. And I think you need to be proactive and it's not something that you can just sit back and be reactive for. So it's something we think about all the time from who we hire to the programs we start, and to letting --
HARLOW: The scholarships.
SMITH: The scholarships. I mean, we -- for the last three years every Jazz win we've offered a full-ride scholarship for a minority student. And if you look at 120 wins and 120 scholars, it starts with education.
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: So in everything we're doing we're saying hey, look, this is -- this is who we are as an organization and how do we show up, and what message are we sending to the community.
HARLOW: Quickly before we go, you're sort of M.O. in building a big tech company was to build something great you have to tear down something good. You've made some unpopular decisions with the Jazz in terms of trading all-stars. Questions about coaching decisions. How do you think about that as you apply it to the NBA?
SMITH: You know, I think we -- I have a -- I have a sign in my office that says "Tune out the noise and play the long game." And, like, we're playing the long game here. We want to have an incredible run. The Jazz are the second-winningest franchise over the last 30 years and we're trying to be that over the next 30 years.
HARLOW: We look --
SMITH: And so --
HARLOW: -- forward to watching it.
SMITH: All right.
HARLOW: Thanks, Ryan.
SMITH: Thanks for having me on.
HARLOW: Have a great weekend.
SMITH: Yes, it's a nice spot here.
HARLOW: Yes. Thanks for having us to your second home.
SMITH: All right.
HARLOW: Guys, there is a full weekend of All-Star events on our sister channel TNT. It's all leading up to the All-Star Game Sunday night. Back to you guys.
COLLINS: OK. I know you guys were saying earlier -- I still like the dunk contest and I'm excited to see that. But Poppy, we have been talking here about --
HARLOW: Right.
COLLINS: -- John Fetterman this morning and the conversation that he's brought. Something that I was reading that I thought was amazing about the Utah Jazz is they actually have a vice president of player wellness who does mental health checks in -- with players on the team and bringing that conversation --
HARLOW: Ryan is smiling.
COLLINS: Oh, really?
HARLOW: Yes. I don't know if we can get his shot.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARLOW: I didn't even know that. That's pretty great that you guys do that.
SMITH: Well, it's a -- it's a big part of the world, especially if you're an athlete.
HARLOW: Yes.
SMITH: Especially if you're an athlete.
HARLOW: Yes. Good for you. Good for you.
Kaitlan always teaching me things I didn't even know. I love that they do that, too, guys.
COLLINS: Yes, all right.
HARLOW: We'll get back to you in a little bit.
COLLINS: Well, excited to see much more of your interviews there, Poppy. Can't wait to get back. And CNN THIS MORNING continues right now.
Good morning, everyone. Audie Cornish is here at the desk with us this morning. Don has the day off. Poppy, as you can see there, is in Utah for the NBA All-Star Game. We have a lot of great moments from there with Charles Barkley. I can't wait to see those.
But first, we're going to talk this morning about what we are seeing here, which is new surveillance videos that show sparks flying from the wheels of the same train that later crashed just a short time later and unleashed that toxic disaster in Ohio. It could be a major clue for investigators. We're going to hear from the head of the EPA about the massive cleanup that's underway as families are worried about their health.
CORNISH: Plus, President Biden says the mysterious flying objects recently shot down do not appear to be spy balloons, but will Republicans be satisfied with that answer? We'll speak to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul. And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'NEAL: What do people do when you walk in the bank?
BARKLEY: Oh, they better run to -- run to me.
O'NEAL: (Laughing).
BARKLEY: When they -- when I walk in the bank if that manager's sitting there when I get there -- man, you better meet me at the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Nothing was off-limits -- nothing. I got a chance to sit down with three members of the legendary "INSIDE THE NBA" crew as we head into All-Star weekend right here in Salt Lake City.
COLLINS: But first, we're going to start with the families in East Palestine, Ohio -- East Palestine, Ohio who are complaining this morning of headaches, pain in their throats. That comes two weeks after a train loaded with toxic chemicals crashed and burned in their small town. Now they're wondering why were they allowed to go back home.
The Biden administration has deployed federal medical experts to assess just how dangerous the area is for people as the massive cleanup is very much still underway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need help -- we do. We need -- we need President Biden. We need FEMA housing. People are getting sick. We should not have been let back into town until all of this was done. You don't bring families back with their kids and their loved ones.
