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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Florida Surgeon General Nominee Refuses To Say Vaccines Work; Poll Shows 62 Percent Of British People Want Boris Johnson To Resign; Bomb Cyclone May Cause Blizzard Conditions And Coastal Flooding. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired January 27, 2022 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:33:58]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty-three minutes past the hour here in New York.

Senate Democrats say they plan to move quickly to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Breyer is expected to confirm his retirement officially at a White House event with President Biden later today. Democrats are already preparing for obstruction from Senate Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): In the Senate, we want to be deliberate. We want to move quickly. We want to get this done as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Some Republicans, on the other hand -- some are striking a different tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): As you know, I felt that the timetable for the last nominee was too compressed. This time there is no need for any rush. We can take our time, have pairings, go through the process, which is a very important one. It is a lifetime appointment after all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Just take our time after 30 days for Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

[05:35:00]

But let's go live to CNN's Daniella Diaz on Capitol Hill for us. Daniella, good morning. Lay out the timeline here for us. How is this going to work realistically if Chuck Schumer wants to get this nominee confirmed quickly?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well remember, Laura, Democrats have the majority in the Senate so if they want to move quickly they can. And it just, as you said -- you know, Sen. Susan Collins remembered, of course -- referred to when Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed. That only took about a month from the moment then-President Donald Trump announced her as the nominee, and then she was confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate.

That is what Democratic leadership -- what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's looking for as a model for a timeframe to replace Justice Breyer to -- Breyer to -- excuse me, to the bench.

Now, also remember that Democrats have the majority but it's a 50-50 split, so every single Democratic senator needs to get behind whoever President Joe Biden nominates to replace -- to replace Breyer. And then, of course, Vice President Kamala Harris will be the tie-breaking vote.

And Democratic leadership are urging President Joe Biden to nominate a Black woman to the bench. But it is, as you said, some Republicans, of course, are looking to possibly obstruct this nominee from being confirmed.

But one key Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham who sits on the Judiciary Committee -- he conceded in a statement yesterday that it's going to be incredibly difficult for Republicans to get in the way of Democrats trying to nominate and confirm a justice to the bench.

This is what he said. He said, "If all Democrats hang together, which I expect they will, they have the power to replace Justice Breyer in 2022 without one Republican vote in support. Elections have consequences and that is most evident when it comes to fulfilling vacancies on the Supreme Court."

Now, another question on people's minds is whether these other key swing votes in the Democratic Caucus -- Sen. Manchin or Sen. Sinema -- are going to get in the way of this nomination, and we don't expect them to. They've supported every other lower court nominee that the Biden administration has appointed -- or nominated.

And the bottom line here being Democratic leadership is looking to do this quickly and they will likely be able to -- Laura.

JARRETT: And what this really shows is just how key for Democrats those two wins -- those Senate seats in Georgia were. I mean, this is -- the Supreme Court is where you see this really come into sharp focus.

Daniella, thank you -- appreciate it. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, to Florida now. At his confirmation hearing to become Florida's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo refused to answer this simple question about COVID vaccines -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN BOOK, (D) FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: Yes or no, do vaccines work?

DR. JOSEPH LADAPO, FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL: As a scientist, you know, I'm compelled to answer the scientific question.

BOOK: Scientifically, do vaccines -- does the -- do the vaccines work?

LADAPO: Yes or no questions are not that easy to find in science. The most commonly used vaccines in the United States, which would be the Pfizer product and the product that was developed by Moderna, have been shown to have relatively high effectiveness for the prevention of hospitalization and death -- and over time, relatively low protection from infection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So, this went on for some time -- this gymnastics -- Dr. Ladapo's refusal to just say yes -- an unequivocal yes there. It prompted Florida Senate Democrats to walk out of that hearing.

Let's bring back CNN White House correspondent John Harwood. John, how can something so simple be so complicated? Is this Florida politics today where you go out of your way not to alienate anti-vaxxers?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's not just Florida politics, Christine. It is a sad and tragic fact in our politics that ignorance -- aggressive, dangerous ignorance has become a central part of the Republican Party's response to this virus.

Dr. Ladapo may be a fine physician -- no doubt that he is -- but he is a menace in this position because he, like Gov. DeSantis, is unwilling to stand up and communicate to the public the fact that these vaccines work. You saw that he sort of eventually got around to it -- relatively high degree of effectiveness against hospitalization and death. Well, guess what? That means they work. But he won't say that for political reasons.

And, you know, the Republican political apparatus, the conservative media communications apparatus for votes and for money is spreading dangerous messages to people. They're killing their own people and it's a tragedy, but that's where we are in the -- as a country.

JARRETT: So, that leads perfectly to our next topic here, John.

[05:40:00]

Sarah Palin spotted out last night at that same New York restaurant, Elio's, that did not check her vaccination card over the weekend. This time, she was dining outside. I guess that's a good thing.

But as we know, she is unvaccinated, proudly so. And at least as of Monday, a federal judge told us that she had COVID. We don't know exactly when she tested positive. We don't know when she knew she had COVID. But as of Monday, she had COVID, which means when she was dining out last night she was supposed to be isolating.

What's the point she's trying to make?

HARWOOD: Look, Sarah Palin was the leading edge of aggressive ignorance in the Republican Party when John McCain put her on the Republican ticket in 2008. That's her brand and she is fulfilling that, continuing to act in that way. And she doesn't care.

She's part of a big segment of the Republican Party that is deliberately downplaying the virus -- that pretends that it's not a significant thing -- again, endangering people who admire her and endangering herself. But that's how they roll at this point in the country's history.

And she is heedless of the restrictions and is going to proceed that way, and we see that in much of the country. In much of red America, you've got people who are simply ignoring health guidelines, ignoring the urge to get vaccinated. It's endangering the entire country. That vaccine resistance is significantly responsible for the persistence of the pandemic and the severity that it's persisting.

JARRETT: Well, you just also wonder what is the restaurant doing?

ROMANS: I know.

JARRETT: They know she has COVID. It's been widely reported. They have staff to protect. They have other patrons to protect. I get that she's outside and I get that makes it better, but this just seems unacceptable for the people who have to serve her.

ROMANS: Yes.

Let's talk about this next one.

Neil Young, the music legend, demanded his music be removed from Spotify, John, after he said the streaming giant -- Spotify had to choose between him and Joe Rogan since Spotify hosts that podcast -- the Joe Rogan podcast and he has been spreading all these lies and misinformation about COVID and vaccines.

Do you think other artists will follow suit here?

HARWOOD: I wouldn't be surprised if they do. You know, Neil Young's at a point in his career where he doesn't -- probably doesn't need revenue from Spotify. It sort of depends on where others are.

But again, this is another manifestation of the same phenomenon. Joe Rogan is communicating misinformation and ignorance, endangering the people listening to him for reasons including making money. And also, it's possible that he is deluded enough that he believes some of this stuff, like Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback, spouting nonsense about vaccines.

You know, we're seeing this all over the landscape. You see it on Fox News. You see from Joe Rogan. You hear it from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. There are a lot of dangerous people out there who are not accepting the fact that these vaccines protect people from dying from COVID. But the structure of information in our country is rewarding people on one side --

ROMANS: Yes.

HARWOOD: -- of the spectrum for saying things that are dangerous, and that's -- it's sad.

ROMANS: You call it dangerous, aggressive ignorance as a part of the sort of Republican platform now. There's also megalomania that kind of is weaving its way through there. You're seeing all these characters who are --

HARWOOD: Yes.

ROMANS: -- getting talked about, right, for being so outrageous. And there's something that's like fueling that, too, that I think someone will write a paper about --

HARWOOD: Right.

ROMANS: -- someday -- grad school. But right now, we have to live through it.

John Harwood, thank you so much. Nice to see you.

JARRETT: Thanks, John.

HARWOOD: You bet.

ROMANS: All right.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson trying desperately to hold onto his job as police investigate several Downing Street parties during COVID lockdowns. According to the latest polls, nearly two-thirds of the British people want Johnson to resign.

Salma Abdelaziz has been following every twist and turn of this for us in London. We have been saying that it's do or die here for the prime minister. What is the latest?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Christine, the prime minister appearing to buy himself more time. I know I promised you yesterday that investigative report -- the Sue Gray report, which is supposed to outline -- provide a detailed blow-by-blow of what had occurred at each of these parties and most importantly, how much did Prime Minister Boris Johnson know. We were expecting that Gray report yesterday. Downing Street, this morning, saying they still have yet to receive it.

But that report, itself, is now becoming part of the controversy because yes, although it is an impartial report, Gray's boss is Johnson. So he gets to decide when the reports -- the report will be released and most critically, how much of the report to release.

[05:45:00]

Now, Prime Minister Boris Johnson evaded that question in Parliament when he was asked if he would release it in full because there are indications -- worries from opposition lawmakers that the prime minister would withhold parts of the report -- only release the summary, potentially. And this is important because this is the evidence his party needs to make that decision -- does he stay or does he go -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Salma, thank you. I know you'll be following it for us. Thank you -- Laura.

JARRETT: Coming up, "JEOPARDY!" champ Amy Schneider's winning streak finally comes to an end. The question that stumped her, next.

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JARRETT: Cities in the northeast are bracing for frigid, stormy conditions this weekend as a growing bomb cyclone moves in with the potential intensity of a hurricane.

CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Good morning, Laura and Christine.

[05:50:00]

Yes, a big-time storm system potentially in the works. And you take a look at what's happening here -- a very quiet set-up right now but there is the frontal boundary and there is a disturbance offshore. Put this together and winter weather alerts have already been prompted in areas where we think the highest likelihood is here for storms. And that would be sometime around the early morning hours of Saturday in eastern Massachusetts, portions of Rhode Island where we have as much as potentially 16 inches in the works.

But here comes the front. There is a low-pressure center. Put it together -- again, look at the timestamp. We're going into early Saturday morning. Cold enough air with plenty of moisture potentially in place to produce as much as a foot or more of snowfall.

Now, where does that fall? Is it Boston? Is it New York? Is it Philly?

Significant variability based on the track of the storm system. The models have wanted to shift this a little farther toward the east. If that's the case, of course, it could reduce the amount of moisture and reduce the amount of snowfall across the region.

But there are other areas where the models do want to put this in the ideal zone. Look at the breakdown here. American model, almost nothing for New York City. The European model -- it could bring down as much as six, maybe eight inches of snowfall, with Boston getting in on the action.

What we do know -- plenty of wind in the forecast as well.

So we're going to be watching this carefully as the forecast continues to get fine-tuned -- guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Pedram. Thank you so much.

All right, to global stock markets this Thursday morning. Asian shares closed down -- a big drop there in Tokyo -- almost two percent in Hong Kong. Europe has opened narrowly mixed here. And on Wall Street, stock index futures are pointing lower here.

Stocks fell Wednesday after the Fed suggested it may hike interest rates faster than investors expect. The Fed chief Jerome Powell said there was quite a bit of room to raise rates before it hurts the economy.

That sent the Dow down. It had been up. The S&P 500 lost just a fraction, and the Nasdaq flat.

Higher interest rates eat into corporate profits and the Fed says hikes are coming soon, likely in March. A new era of higher rates will help the Fed combat persistent inflation.

That inflation coming to some of America's favorite comfort foods. Kraft Heinz raising prices this spring for Oscar Mayer hot dogs and Velveeta cheese. Higher prices also for Maxwell House coffee, TFIG frozen chicken wings, Kool-Aid, and Capri Sun drinks. Expect five percent more for hot dogs and cold cuts; up to 20 percent more on those drink packs.

JARRETT: Breaking this morning, world number-one tennis player Ash Barty punching her ticket to her first-ever Australian Open.

Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Laura.

So, making a final -- you know, definitely a special moment for Ash Barty. Australia is her home. Been a dream of hers to win the Aussie Open. Now she's a win away from making it happen.

Barty cruising to a straight-sets win over Madison Keys this morning in the semifinals. She's now the first Australian woman to make it to the Aussie final in 42 years. The 25-year-old is the reigning Wimbledon champ and won the French Open in 2019. But winning the Aussie Open would obviously be extra special for her.

Barty now awaits the winner between American Danielle Collins and Poland's Iga Swiatek. Collins trying to make it to her first-ever grand slam final. Just an amazing comeback for her this year after collapsing on the court last year and undergoing surgery to remove a tennis ball-size cyst from her ovary. That match going on this morning.

And finally, Chiefs fans are still basking in the glow of their rollercoaster overtime playoff win over the Bills on Sunday, and they're turning their victory into a positive for Buffalo as well.

Fans in Kansas City have raised more than $255,000 to Buffalo's Oishei Children's Hospital. Most of the donations are in $13.00 increments, marking the 13 seconds it took the Chiefs to tie the game at the end of regulation.

The donations are being made through Bills quarterback Josh Allen's charity named after his late grandmother, Patricia Allen. There's a wing of the hospital there named after her.

So I'll tell you what, Laura, pretty cool that the Chiefs fans are doing that. Bills fans have done that in the past. When something positive happened to that, they've made donations to the other team's -- or charities that are important to --

JARRETT: Yes.

SCHOLES: -- other team members. So a cool way to do it.

JARRETT: Nice to see.

Andy, thank you.

SCHOLES: All right.

ROMANS: All right. After 40 days and 40 nights, it's game over for "JEOPARDY!" champion Amy Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN JENNINGS, HOST, "JEOPARDY!": You looked at this for a long time. No response. You're going to lose $8,000. You're going to finish in second place with $19,600.

Amy Schneider, congratulations. What a run. Thank you for the two months you spent with us. It was very special. It was remarkable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Her impressive run ended Wednesday but she isn't walking away empty-handed. Laura, Schneider won just under $1.4 million. That's just incredible.

Schneider will be back on "JEOPARDY!" for the Tournament of Champions this fall.

JARRETT: And, you know, she said the best part of this year was actually meeting her girlfriend, and "JEOPARDY!" was the second-best thing that happened to her. ROMANS: Oh, that's cool.

JARRETT: All right, late-night took a few jabs at longtime liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's announcement that he's stepping down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": If you haven't heard, Justice Stephen Breyer, who is 83 years old, is reportedly planning to retire at the end of this session. He says he's retiring. I think we know what was really going on -- he's pregnant. He is having an old baby.

[05:55:05]

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": Yes, it was clear Breyer has been thinking about this. During the last case, the only question he asked was when's nap time?

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Yes, you heard that right -- he's retiring from the court. But there's a rumor he's going to be the next quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He can still do it. They're a very -- they're a very forgiving organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You know, he loves his job. By all accounts, he really loves his job and he's fulfilled by his job. So, retirement here, really telling about the atmosphere, right?

JARRETT: Yes. It will be interesting to see what he actually says at the White House today.

ROMANS: Yes.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.

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