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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Republicans Block Senate Dems' Sweeping Voting Rights Bill; Eric Adams Holds Lead In Early NYC Dem Mayoral Results; Push to Get More Americans Vaccinated as Variants Loom; WSJ: China to Extend Border Restrictions for Another Year; Hong Kong's Biggest Pro- Democracy Newspaper to Close. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 23, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:24]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, June 23rd. It's 5:00 a.m. in New York exactly.

We begin with a serious blow to a top Democratic priority. As expected, Senate Republicans blocked Democrats' sweeping voting rights bill, denying it the 60 votes needed to advance. The move tramples for now their hope of passing major legislation to combat the wave of new voting restrictions in GOP-run states.

JARRETT: The "For the People Act" passed by the House in March includes universal vote by mail, more polling places and protections against election meddling among many other things.

And in a rare move, Vice President Harris presided over the Senate vote, just goes to show that it is important to Democrats.

The bill was co-sponsored by every Democratic senator except Joe Manchin who did vote yes to at least start debate on the bill. That gave the Democrats a united front but little to show for their efforts on a key priority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: This vote, I'm ashamed to say, is further evidence that voter suppression has become part of the official platform of the Republican Party.

The Republican leader uses the language and the logic of the Southern senators in the '60s who defended states' rights and it is an indefensible position for any senator, any senator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So what now?

CNN has learned that Democrats have Georgia on their minds. Their plans include a series of hearings, including in Georgia, pushing new legislation and spotlighting GOP efforts at the state level to make it harder to vote after the growth of mail-in voting in 2020.

Meantime, Republicans' decision to block debate on the bill is likely put more pressure on moderate Democrats to gut the 60-vote filibuster. That is something that Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema have so far solidly opposed.

JARRETT: In New York City, no winner yet in the Democratic primary race for mayor. No candidate won an outright majority, according to CNN projections, so now voters' ranked choices come into play. Remember, you could pick up to five people. Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams leads in the early returns here, but remember, this is just the first round.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC ADAMS, NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: We know that this is going to be layers. This is the first early voting count. We know that. We know there's going to be twos and threes and fours, we know that. But there's something else we know. That New York City said our first choice is Eric Adams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Progressive Maya Wiley is in second place, at least right now. Kathryn Garcia is holding on to third.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA WILEY, NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I don't know what New Yorkers have chosen tonight. Not any one of us do, because the votes are still being counted. I will tell you what is true. Every single vote will count.

KATHRYN GARCIA, NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: And as expected, this is going to be a ranked choice election. This is going to be about not only the ones, but also about the twos and threes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Andrew Yang dropped out after a poor fourth place showing. Right now, Adams is up nine points. In ranked choice election since 2000, the leader with that margin typically wins most of the time. Whoever emerges the winner after the ranked choice process, which will take ways, faces Republican Curtis Sliwa in November.

JARRETT: Also in Buffalo, a self-professed socialist is leading the city's Democratic mayoral primary there. India Walton is ahead of Byron Brown. The absentee ballots have yet to be counted. CNN has not made a projection in that race, but "The Washington Post" reports Buffalo would be the largest city with a socialist mayor since Milwaukee had one more than 60 years ago. That's pretty interesting.

ROMANS: That is interesting. All right. You have likely seen those higher prices in your grocery

bill, but don't fear 1970s-style inflation just yet. Fed Chief Jerome Powell acknowledged inflation pressures, yes, but says it's very unlikely the U.S. will see inflation like we did in the '70s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: There's sort of a perfect storm of very strong demand and weak supply due to the reopening of the economy and various factors. We see airline tickets. We saw hotel prices.

[05:05:00]

I will say that these effects have been larger than we expected and they may turn out to be more persistent than we expected, but the incoming data are very much consistent with the view that these are factors that will wane over time and that inflation will then move down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Of course, inflation is the downside of a hot economy. Prices are rising almost everywhere you look. Toilet paper, lumber, groceries, paint, computers, prices for used cars and trucks, up almost 30 percent since May 2020. Airline fares, 24 percent increase, fresh fruit and vegetables, up 3 percent since last year.

Now, price increases aren't showing any signs of slowing down just yet. Powell said the Central Bank is prepared to use its tools to keep inflation under control.

JARRETT: To COVID now, federal officials may be hitting a wall on vaccinations this summer, as fears grow about a resurgence of the virus come fall.

Absent some miracle in the next week on vaccinations, President Biden's goal of having at least 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July is not going to happen. The big problem with that shortfall, of course, and not reaching herd immunity is the Delta variant. That highly contagious strain of the virus now makes up about 20 percent of all new cases in the U.S. double the rate just two weeks ago.

ROMANS: Remember, large pockets of unvaccinated people are breeding grounds for the virus to mutate even stronger variants that could eventually overwhelm vaccines. But we aren't there yet, which is why health officials are pleading with the unvaccinated to understand the risks here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Is it fair to say that the people who are still dying of coronavirus or in serious medical conditions, are they almost entirely, if not entirely, unvaccinated Americans? DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND

INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Yeah, overwhelmingly so. And that's the thing that's so painful, Jake, as physician, a scientist, and a public health person that I am, is that that's entirely avoidable. And that's really the tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Right now, the U.S. is lagging in vaccinations mainly among young people. In four states, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Wyoming, fewer than half of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

ROMANS: As the scope of COVID became more clear, so did the drop in the U.S. birthrate. Births fell almost every month last year, ending with a 6 percent decline in October/November and an 8 percent plunge in December.

The overall decline in 2020 accelerates a decline that started before the pandemic. According to the CDC, it's the largest annual outline in nearly five decades.

JARRETT: Protecting the president during a pandemic has taken a toll on the secret service. The agency says 881 employees tested positive for COVID between March 1st of last year and March 9th of this year. The admission came after a watchdog analyzed internal records.

Remember, that among those packed rallies and other things, the former president took a joy ride with Secret Service agents days after being diagnosed with COVID himself. That was after months of insisting on a business as usually approach during a global pandemic.

ROMANS: OK. With two moisture events on the calendar next year, China taking extreme measures to keep COVID from an unwelcome return. CNN live in Shanghai, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:12:42]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

Even with the pandemic relatively under control, "The Wall Street Journal" reports that the Chinese government is planning to keep border restrictions in place for at least another year.

David Culver is live in Shanghai for us this morning.

David, why such extreme precautions right now?

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question, Laura. If you were to walk around a city like Shanghai with 24-plus million people, you would think it was life pre-COVID. Things have been that way for about a year or so, but the reason they've maintained that is because what have essentially been sealed off borders. Like many of us cannot freely leave and then reenter, that's how

strict the protocol has been. And it looks like, according to "The Wall Street Journal," it's going to be that way for another year, going well into 2022.

Now, the reason they are likely doing this is two-fold. One, you've got a major event next February. That's the Beijing Winter Olympics for 2022. And a little bit later in the year, you've got what is a once in a decade transition of power communist party Congress, if you will. So that's generally when you would see the handoff from one president to another.

However, it's likely that President Xi Jinping will go beyond the customary two-term limit that has been in place here. But what's interesting is this border that's been essentially sealed off has been that way since roughly March of 2020. About a couple of months after the Wuhan lockdown, and it was initially here, obviously, in China that things were going out of control.

And there was a great concern. And there was criticism made by Chinese officials towards the U.S. and other countries for blocking those coming out of China.

Now, China has, in turn, maintained their own strict border controls, if you're trying to get in this country, by the way, Laura, it's going to take certain visas and 14 days as a minimum of government quarantine, not to mention a bunch of red tape to get through.

JARRETT: All right. David Culver, appreciate it. Thanks.

Meantime, residents in Sydney banned from leaving the city as the COVID clusters grow in the famed Bondi neighborhood. Australia has had the pandemic under control, so this cluster is only a few dozen cases, but seating capacity at outdoor events will be capped at 50 percent and singing is now banned at indoor shows and places of worship.

[05:15:00]

ROMANS: And in Israeli, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett encouraging Israelis to stop nonessential international travel and warning there may be significant changes on border restrictions. Facing a surge in the Delta variant, Israel is reporting a more than three-fold increase in COVID cases among school schoolchildren and teachers.

JARRETT: U.S. warplanes flying combat missions from a foreign aircraft carrier for the first time since World War II. Marine Corps fighter jets aboard a British warship launched join combat missions against ISIS this week over the Middle East. It was the first foreign combat for Britain's new aircraft carrier. The HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest ship the Royal Navy has ever put out to sea.

ROMANS: CNN has learned the Pentagon was watching when Iran tried and failed to launch another slate this month. But according to multiple defense officials, the Iranians appear to be preparing for another attempt in the future. Satellite imagery shows increased activity at Imam Khomeini space board in recent days. The Justice Department also confirms dozens of U.S. website domains

connected to Iran have been seized in a crackdown on disinformation campaigns.

JARRETT: Still ahead, baseball fans with a lot of questions this morning. Basketball fans, I should say. You can tell how much of a sports fan I am. How is this not goaltending? The suns exploit a little-known basketball rule for a big win.

Your "Bleacher Report" is next.

ROMANS: Touchdown!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:51]

ROMANS: All right. Twenty minutes past the hour.

President Biden praises the courage of Carl Nassib for becoming the NFL's first active openly gay player.

Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine.

So, Carl Nassib is now the only openly gay active player in all of the major sports leagues in the U.S. and he's received a ton of support after making his announcement on Monday.

President Biden tweeting yesterday: To Carl Nassib and Kumi Yokoyama -- two prominent inspiring athletes that came out this week, I'm so proud of your courage. Because of you, countless kids around the world are seeing themselves in a new light today.

Yokoyama who plays for the National Women Soccer League's Washington spirit came out yesterday as a transgender man.

Meantime, Nassib's number nine jersey is now the top-selling NFL jersey across the Fanatics Network over the past few days, and the NFL tells CNN it's going to match Nassib's contribution by making a $100 million donation to the Trevor Project to help fund suicide prevention programs for LGBTQ youth.

All right. To the NBA, game two of the Western Conference Finals, Clippers came back to take the lead in the fourth quarter and Paul George had two free throws that could have increased the lead to three under ten seconds, but he missed them both.

Suns getting another chance and after the ball was knocked out by L.A., Monty Williams pulling up a perfect play with 0.9 seconds, Deandre Ayton's slamming it home in the alley-hoop. There was confusion, because the officials didn't count it at first,

but offensive goaltending is allowed on an in-bound pass. Suns stunned the Clippers 104-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

NBA draft lottery taking place last night. Rockets, Pistons, and Magic had the first chance to get that best pick. And it would be Pistons striking goal. They'll pick first for the first time since 1970.

Big night for the Rockets getting the second pick. Had they fallen to five, it would have gone to the Thunder. NBA draft takes place July 29th. Oklahoma State's Kate Cunningham expected to be the top overall pick.

All right. Check this out, 20-year-old Rays rookie Wander Franco rolling up in an all-white Rolls Royce for his Major League Baseball debut yesterday. Wander considered one of the top baseball prospects in decades. And Wander's first major league hit. Look at this, a game- tying three-run home run off the Red Sox.

There's dad, also named Wander, in the stands. He was jumping up and down. He couldn't believe it. Rays were going to lose in extras. Ready to feel old? Wander, the first player born in 2001 to make it to the big leagues.

All right, finally, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer not a fan of Major League Baseball's new inspections nor sticky substances. Scherzer was annoyed after he was checked after the first and third innings. And then in the fourth, Joe Girardi asked for another check, because he thought Scherzer was touch something on his head.

And Scherzer had had it at that point, he throws his hat and gloves to the ground and nearly took off his pants. Led to a yelling match where Girardi was actually ejected from the game. Nats would go on to win 3- 2.

Now, A's Sergio Romo went one step further when he was getting checked coming off the field. He threw his hat and glove down and actually took his belt off and dropped his pants.

And I tell you what, Laura, pitchers may not like this, but I love it. This is one of the best things to happen to baseball in a long time, it provides great reactions, great video. I just hope it continues, because I love it.

JARRETT: I'm a little fearful to see what happens next if they're already dropping their pants on the field. But, oh, well.

All right. Andy, thank you. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, a raid on their office, arrests of their staffers. Now the biggest pro-democracy paper in Hong Kong is forced to close as China tightens its grip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:29:07] JARRETT: All right. We have breaking news. Just moments ago, Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy newspaper announced it is closing with Beijing tightening its grip on the territory.

CNN's Anna Coren is live in Hong Kong for us.

Anna, what is going on here?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Laura, that's right.

Hong Kong's most vocal and largest pro-democracy newspaper, "Apple Daily", has announced it's shutting down all operations following multiple raids by the city's national security police. The newspaper founded 26 years ago and considered a bastion of free speech will stop publishing as of Thursday, both print and digital. The board released a statement thanking readers, subscribers, and clients for their continued support over the years.

Last week, 500 police launched a raid on the company's headquarters, arresting five top editors and executives while freezing assets worth more than US$2 million. And today, that operation continued. They arrested two more journalists, including the chief editorial writer for conspiring to collude with foreign forces.

Well, Amnesty International called the closure of "Apple Daily" the blackest day for media freedom in Hong Kong's recent history.