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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Sources: Trump Wants GOP Allies To Defend Him During January 6 Hearings; How Often Are Guns Actually Used For Self-Defense?; Is Hollywood Taking A Stand On China With "Top Gun: Maverick"? Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired June 06, 2022 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Its first set of public hearings this Thursday.
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REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): I think the American people are going to learn facts about the planning and execution of this that will be very disturbing.
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JARRETT: Meantime, former President Trump is said to be mobilizing his MAGA allies to defend him as these hearings play out.
CNN's Zach Cohen is live in Washington, D.C. Zach, what more do we know about how the Trump team is looking for cover here?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER (via Webex by Cisco): Yes, good morning, Laura.
It's really incredible. Our sources are telling us that former President Donald Trump has already communicated a very clear message to many of his Republican allies on Capitol Hill in that he wants them to publicly and very aggressively defend him while these January 6 hearings are ongoing.
Now, his list of names probably sounds pretty familiar -- Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Elise Stefanik. All three are supposed to be very involved in this defense counterprogramming strategy aimed at providing cover for former President Donald Trump.
Now, it's interesting though, because there are some Republicans -- and our sources are telling us some Republicans would rather just ignore the hearings altogether. It's clear now -- it's clear now though that this counterstrategy will be intended for an audience of one and that would be Donald Trump.
JARRETT: Yes. It will be interesting to see exactly what the committee has. It's been previewing so much and see what is new and what kind of sort of narrative starts to be woven together here as these hearings kick off this week.
Zach, we know you will be following it all. Thank you.
All right. Coming up, a founding member of a big-time '80s rock band has died. We have the details on that just ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And how often are guns used in self- defense in America? A closer look at good guys with guns, next.
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[05:36:29]
ROMANS: A good guy with a gun is the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun. That maxim is at the core of the NRA's argument for blocking gun laws and increasing sales. But our next guest asks is that true?
Jennifer Mascia is a writer for The Trace, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom where they are dedicated to shining a light on the facts around America's gun violence crisis. So nice to see you again, Jennifer.
Thank you for writing this and researching this. You say the estimates of defensive gun use are tricky, but you and your team -- you're doing your best to separate facts from fiction. What have you found?
JENNIFER MASCIA, NEWS WRITER, THE TRACE (via Skype): So, this is a really hard number to pin down because police do not track this as a standalone category, so that gives rise to interpretation and a lot of contentious debate.
Gun rights activists like to say that there are 2 1/2 million instances of defensive gun use a year, which includes brandishing or self-defense shooting. But academics find a lot of problems with those figures and they tend to rely on a survey of crime victims that's done by the federal government twice a year. So it's really recent info.
According to that survey, there are 70,000 incidents of defensive gun use every year. Again, that just includes brandishing or shootings. But gun rights activists like to say there is more defensive gun use than gun crime. I got to the bottom of that number, too. And according to this government survey that drops in April -- it was very little notice, the data drop -- there are seven times more gun crimes than instances of defensive gun use in America every year.
ROMANS: And the defense -- the defensive gun use, you say, is either shooting or brandishing a weapon.
MASCIA: Yes, it is. But, you know, researchers who've studied this say that a lot of defensive gun use is actually probably avoidable and the result of interpersonal beef. You know, you're out with friends drinking and there's more guns around.
ROMANS: Right. MASCIA: And that's why they rely on this crime victim survey because they are actually the victim of a crime and they're reporting how they reacted to that.
JARRETT: So, clearly, your piece shows how badly we need to track data on this in a more meaningful way. Are there some easy fixes that could be done?
MASCIA: Well, like I said, it's difficult because police don't track this as a standalone category. There is so much in gun data that's really elusive by design and also for reasons like this. Defensive gun use is anecdotal and that's another reason. Not everybody does file a police report.
ROMANS: Yes.
MASCIA: So, that -- it's always going to be kind of a murky figure.
ROMANS: In your piece, you have this amazing line here where you note that, quote, "Having a gun in your house increases suicides, it increases gun accidents, and it increases homicides of women in the home." That's the result of a proliferation of guns ostensibly for self-defense.
MASCIA: Yes. I mean, people are arming themselves for fear of intruders. And what's more likely to happen tragically is a child finding a gun and shooting themselves with it --
JARRETT: Yes.
MASCIA: -- or during an argument, someone goes and grabs a gun.
And also, suicide. When somebody is in crisis, having a gun nearby is dangerous. And guns are lethal in suicides --
ROMANS: Yes.
MASCIA: -- 88% of the time. And suicides are like 60% of gun deaths every year.
ROMANS: I remember when I was a reporter in Chicago and there was just a tragedy with a family of a police officer. And all of the efforts to make a family safe -- an officer who has to use the gun for his job, right? But then he goes out and he doesn't know who has a gun on the other side of the door --
JARRETT: Sure.
ROMANS: -- and working so carefully to make sure that your own family isn't hurt by the weapon.
[05:40:00]
It's just remarkable, the number of guns in the system. How many guns that are out there. JARRETT: But also, there's a -- there's a psychological piece to this idea of the good guy with a gun that seems sort of hard to quantify and hard to track. If the -- if the feeling of having that gives you some sort of confidence and some sort of feeling that you're actually safer, all the stats in the world -- you know, it sort of pales in comparison.
MASCIA: Yes, and that's a message that the gun lobby has been saturating --
JARRETT: Right.
MASCIA: -- America with for five decades -- you need a gun to be safe. And that message has been absorbed by many Americans.
JARRETT: Yes.
ROMANS: Yes.
JARRETT: Jennifer, thank you for your work, as always. We will have you back very soon because --
ROMANS: Thank you.
JARRETT: -- this, sadly, is a topic that is not going --
MASCIA: Thank you.
JARRETT: -- anywhere. Thank you.
Just ahead, the maverick move by the producers of the new "Top Gun" movie. Is it a message to China?
ROMANS: And the buzzing new trend at your local bar may be -- well, no buzz at all.
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[05:45:12]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Clip from Paramount Pictures "Top Gun: Maverick."
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JARRETT: It turns out the world has a need for speed. Tom Cruise's new "Top Gun: Maverick" had the biggest Memorial Day opening weekend of all time. But his second weekend has just -- is just as good, raking in more than $500 million worldwide.
The film's release was held off for two years until audiences could see it on the big screen. Cruise says that's part of its success. The other part, nostalgia.
ROMANS: Yes, and whoever made the decision to hold it until people could get into the theaters to see it, that turned out to be really the right --
JARRETT: Oh, totally.
ROMANS: -- decision.
Its commercial and critical success aside, the "Top Gun" sequel is being celebrated for another reason -- standing up to China.
Let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout with details. You know, Kristie, the film made a key change that jeopardized its release in China and it all has to do with a patch, I guess. Tell us what's going on.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, let's talk about and show you that key change. If we go back to the original 1986 classic movie, Tom Cruise is wearing that bomber jacket. It has both the Japanese and Taiwan flags on it. But then fast-forward to the 2019 trailer of the new movie. They appear to be swapped out and replaced with these two abstract symbols.
And critics were angered by what they saw and they speculated that it was done to appease the censors in China, as well as one of the film's backers, a China-based tech giant named Tencent.
Now, of course, it's 2022. "Top Gun: Maverick" is out in the theaters. And guess what? The patches are back on the jacket.
Now, according to reporting, Tencent pulled out as a backer citing unidentified sources. The Wall Street Journal, last week, reported that Tencent has backed away from the movie. That they made this decision in late 2019 amid the rising tension between the U.S. and China.
Fans in Taiwan -- as you can imagine, they are cheering the change. But this update is likely to anger some fans in mainland China and, of course, mainland Chinese officials as well.
I should note that the movie has been released here in Hong Kong to great acclaim. People are loving the movie. But it has not been released in mainland China. It does not have a set opening date -- Christine.
ROMANS: Interesting. All right, Kristie Lu Stout, thank you so much.
A lot of hullaballoo over a little patch.
JARRETT: Oh, yes.
ROMANS: Yes.
JARRETT: People notice these things.
All right, now to this. More than 75 years after the end of World War II, a group of U.S. Army Rangers is about to finally receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
When the allied soldiers reached Omaha Beach on D-Day back in 1944, 78 years ago today, the scene was chaotic and deadly. There are now just 13 Rangers who were there and are still alive to tell their story.
After a bipartisan effort in Congress to recognize their bravery and sacrifice, they are one presidential signature away from receiving one of the country's highest honors.
ROMANS: Oh.
JARRETT: It could not be more deserving.
ROMANS: I know. We thank them for their service. Literally -- those people literally changed the course of history.
All right. Coming up, judgment day for Britain's Boris Johnson. Will he be forced to quit over those boozy bashes during COVID?
JARRETT: And no booze, no problem. Welcome to my world. Booming sales of drinks that won't leave you with a hangover.
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[05:53:18]
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BON JOVI, ROCK BAND: Singing "Livin' on a Prayer."
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ROMANS: All right. An original member of Bon Jovi, bass player Alec John Such, has died. The band remembering their close friend, tweeting, "Alec was always wild and full of life. We will miss him dearly."
He was with the group from its formation in 1983. He's actually really critical to the formation of bringing these guys together. He was there until 1994. Burnout, he said, is why he left the band. He reunited then with Bon Jovi when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2018.
Alec John Such was very talented and 70 years old.
JARRETT: Some good news for parents or, at least, hopeful news. Production of baby formula is back online at that Abbott plant in Sturgis, Michigan, but families are still struggling to find this product on store shelves.
Abbott says it's focused on EleCare. It's a hypoallergenic formula for babies who can't tolerate other milk products. The first batches are expected to be available to consumers around June 20. Similac and other formula made at that facility will take a bit longer to become available.
ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this Monday morning to start your week.
Looking at markets around the world, gains across the board here. So, Asia has closed for the day with gains. Europe has opened higher -- solidly higher for London. Stock index futures also moving higher this morning in the U.S.
Look, it was a down day on Friday for U.S. stocks. The jobs report -- the U.S. jobs report was strong. It beat expectations by a wide margin. That's because investors were worried the tight labor market adds pressure to keep wages and, therefore, inflation high here. And that means the Fed is likely to forge ahead with its plan to keep raising interest rates. But a balance expected here this morning.
[05:55:06]
Amazon is executing a stock split. This is a widely-held stock. You probably have this in your 401(k). Now, this move increases the number of outstanding shares. It also then lowers the stock's price. It makes it more affordable for the average investor.
The split will be a 20-for-1 transaction. That means if you owned one share of Amazon you will now have 20 shares, each costing about 1/20th of the previous price. So the value of your investment does not change.
But again, this is a widely-held stock. Likely, it's in your -- in your 401(k) and big changes happening there.
OK. Non-alcoholic drinks -- non-alcoholic drinks shaking things up in the booze business. All right, in the year ending May 14, look at these numbers. Retail sales of non-alcoholic spirits grew 116%. Non- alcoholic beer jumped 21%. Non-alcoholic wine rose 20% in the same period. Sales of liquor, traditional beer, and alcoholic wine all declined.
JARRETT: Why would that be?
ROMANS: What if --
JARRETT: We can't all be pregnant.
ROMANS: So it's -- you are -- you are not the sole reason.
JARRETT: They can't be (INAUDIBLE).
ROMANS: It's interesting to me. I mean, two years into the pandemic, right, are there --
JARRETT: Yes.
ROMANS: -- bigger changes that are happening? Are people trying to be healthier?
JARRETT: But you always heard about people drinking more during the pandemic.
ROMANS: Right.
JARRETT: And now they maybe -- ROMANS: Interesting. This is this new, sort of, business angle. People want to be out. They want to go to a bar. They want to be socializing. And they don't want to be, you know --
JARRETT: I wonder if it's a weight loss thing.
ROMANS: Maybe. All right, we will dig into this for you.
JARRETT: Trying to get fit for summer.
ROMANS: The future of mocktails with Laura Jarrett.
JARRETT: All right.
The Warriors were looking to bounce back at home in the NBA Finals after losing to the Celtics in game one. Coy Wire has it all covered in this morning's Bleacher Report.
ROMANS: Hi, Coy.
JARRETT: Hey, Coy. Did they bounce back, ever?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Celtics fans -- yes. Celtics fans think they need a real alcoholic drink after last night.
They had steamrolled the Warriors in game one. But what they needed for the Warriors -- Draymond Green, their defensive star, said they need an attitude adjustment before this series heads to Boston on Wednesday and they did it. They provoked -- they annoyed Boston all night long. They were pestering them on defense, too.
The Warriors had 15 steals in this game. Three of Boston's starters had just two points. Then, offensively, Steph Curry shining bright, hitting one of his five 3-pointers from near the bench -- game-high 29 for Chef Curry. His play elevating teammates like Jordan Poole, helping the Warriors run away with it in the third from half-court at the buzzer -- money.
Plus 21 is the Warriors' best point differential in any quarter of any finals they've ever played in. A 107-88 blowout win for the Warriors. The series tied at one.
Here's more about the Dubs' mindset from Draymond Green after the game.
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DRAYMOND GREEN, SCORED 9 POINTS IN GAME-2 WIN: Steph Curry sets the tone on offensive side of the ball. It's my job to set the tone on the defensive side of the ball and I wanted to do that from the very beginning of the game.
Very important for me to come out that way on that side and I have to continue to do that this series. It's not getting any easier; it's only getting tougher. So, I've got to take that up even another couple of notches. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Stanley Cup Playoff action -- a must-win game for the 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Down 2-0 at one point but they fight back. Captain Steven Stamkos blasting home a powerplay goal, tying it at two in the third.
Then, less than a minute to play in regulation, Nikita Kucherov dropping a dime to Ondrej Palat who scores the game-winner with just 41 seconds to go. The place goes bonkers. The Lightning win 3-2 as the Rangers still lead this series, though, 2-1.
Ukraine's dream of a World Cup appearance in Qatar ending on Sunday, falling behind Wales in the worst way. An unlikely own goal headed in by their captain Andriy Yarmolenko. They lose to Wales 1-0 after fighting so hard and giving some hope to those back home but they should still be so proud.
On the other side is pure joy for Wales, who reached their first World Cup in 64 years.
Finally, to Paris where the king of Clay reigns supreme again. The one, all Rafael Nadal all the time. Turning 36 last week, he breezes past Norway's Casper Ruud in straight sets, winning the last 11 games to close out the match. It's his 14th French Open title and record- extending 22nd Grand Slam. Emotion all over his face at the end.
Incredible stuff from Nadal. He was getting injections in his foot all week long just to be able to be out there.
ROMANS: All right, Coy. Nice to see you this morning. Thank you.
WIRE: You, too.
ROMANS: Happy Monday.
JARRETT: Thanks, Coy.
ROMANS: Four more to go this week. Thank you.
JARRETT: Who's counting?
ROMANS: Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar with John Berman.
On this new day, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be out of a job by tonight. We are live at 10 Downing Street.
It was a deadly weekend in America, from graduation parties to bars. Mass shootings across the country leaving several killed and dozens more wounded. What is Congress prepared to do when they return this week? JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A former judge in Wisconsin gunned down by a man with a hit list. The two high-profile politicians he targeted.
