Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Indiana Holds Special Legislative Session On Abortion Ban; Russia's Gazprom Tightens Gas Flow To Europe; Fresh Strikes On Port Infrastructure After Grain Export Deal. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 26, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JODI SMITH, INDIANA RIGHT TO LIFE: Our opposition to this bill is because in its current state it doesn't stack up to that mission.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some arguing that the restrictions with Indiana's bill don't go far enough.

NATHANIEL MERCER, TESTIFIED INDIANA BILL DOESN'T GO FAR ENOUGH IN BANNING ABORTIONS: I'm asking the SB1 language be stripped and a bill be replaced with the language similar to HB 1282, which was a complete ban on abortion with no exceptions, no compromise, no regulation.

FIELD (voice-over): Others fighting to stop another state from denying care to women.

DR. MARY OTT, PEDIATRICIAN OPPOSED TO INDIANA BILL: The proposed legislation politicizes what should be a private decision

FIELD (voice-over): Indiana is the first state to call a special session to attempt to pass new laws restricting abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. It leads the way for dozens of states with plans to pass similar bills.

At least 12 other states have already enacted bans or attempted to, or severely restricted abortion procedures by going to court for a judge's order or by using so-called trigger laws, which were designed to take effect in the event of a court reversal on Roe.

Indiana has become a safe haven of sorts for women seeking care they can't otherwise get.

DR. TRACEY WILKINSON, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We're already seeing people traveling from other states coming into Indiana for abortion care -- as far away as Texas but including states like Ohio and Kentucky. So, Indianans are really trying to provide care that should be legal and accessible by these people in their own states.

FIELD (voice-over): Last month a 10-year-old rape victim traveled from Ohio to Indianapolis for an abortion after her home state enacted a ban around the sixth week of pregnancy. The Indiana University physician who helped the child, Dr. Caitlan Bernard, drawing the ire of conservative media, some lawmakers, and the state's attorney general.

Protesting Indiana's bill in an op-ed for The Washington Post, she writes, "People in Indiana and across the nation have called me brave. But I'm not any braver than any other physician who would do the right thing when faced with a patient in need. I don't feel brave. I feel anguished, desperate, and angry."

Nearly 1,400 healthcare workers from across Indiana signing two letters to lawmakers voicing their objections.

DR. GABRIEL BOSSLET, PULMONARY AND CRITICAL CARE PHYSICIAN: Legislating someone else's moral decisions and religious decisions onto everyone else that comes directly into the clinics is hugely problematic for us who are trying to practice medicine.

DR. CAROLINE ROUSE, MATERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN AND ABORTION CARE PROVIDER: We are concerned that this is just a harbinger of what is to come and we are really worried about a national abortion ban.

FIELD (on camera): So this, for you, goes well beyond Indiana?

ROUSE: Absolutely. Indiana is first but we are not going to be last.

FIELD (voice-over): Alexandra Field, CNN, Indianapolis, Indiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right -- thanks, Alex, for that report.

Just ahead, Jared Kushner's new revelation about his health. And Russia accused of weaponizing energy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:37:27]

ROMANS: Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom has once again reduced the flow of gas to Germany. It's the second time in less than a month. Now, Gazprom claims it had to shut down a turbine in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for repairs. The pipeline is critical, of course, linking Moscow's gas reserves to Europe via Germany.

I want to bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian in London. And Clare, European officials -- I mean, they are way more -- they are skeptical here. They're accusing Russia of actually using energy as a weapon. This is Russia flexing its petrol muscle.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Christine. They are saying there is no technical reason for the pipeline to have to reduce its capacity. Even further, a politically motivated step is the words that were used this morning by the EU energy commissioner on the subject. And this takes the Nord Stream 1 pipeline -- which up until the point at which Russia started to cut the capacity of it, it was really the biggest artery supplying gas into Europe from Russia. Right now, it will go down as of Wednesday morning when this latest cut takes effect. It will go down to 20%.

But the strongest language that we got on the issue of this latest cut, Christine, came from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): All this is done by Russia deliberately to make it as difficult as possible for European to prepare for winter. And this is an overt gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe. This is exactly how it should be perceived.

And they don't care what will happen to the people -- how they will suffer from hunger due to the blocking of ports or from winter, cold, and poverty, or from occupation. These are just different forms of terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Some pretty strong words there.

But on the subject of whether Europe can make it through the winter without shortages as a result of this, I spoke to one energy consultancy this morning. They said that they should be able to refill their storage enough and make it to the end of the winter with some still there unless, of course, it's a very cold winter.

So this does put them at a critical point and it piles on the pressure, Christine, as EU energy ministers meet this morning to try to agree on demand cuts. They're trying to reduce demand by about 15%, again, to guard against shortages. There are divisions in Europe over this. And so, not just a test for --

ROMANS: Yes.

SEBASTIAN: -- the European energy security, but a test for European unity this morning.

ROMANS: Yes. Wishing that Mother Nature has a mild winter is not an energy security plan, right? I mean, this shows you just how much -- how much pressure Europe is under here.

[05:40:01]

All right, thank you so much for that, Clare. Nice to see you.

Meantime, Russian forces are launching new attacks on Ukrainian ports. Russian missiles hitting port infrastructure in Mykolaiv just a short time ago. That's according to the mayor there.

And Ukraine's president posting this video in the aftermath of a new strike near the port city of Odesa.

CNN's Nic Robertson live in Kyiv covering all this for us. Nic, do these port strikes cast more doubt on the deal to restart Ukrainian grain shipments? I mean, Ukraine is a country that is a breadbasket, right, to Europe and to so much of Africa and the Middle East. It needs to get that grain out, but the Russians are bombing the very places they are going to be sending it out from. Now does that -- how do you square that?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Look, it's a breadbasket and to carry that bread, in essence, you need the ships. To get the ships, you need the shipping companies and insurers to fill that the area is safe. So in broad context, absolutely not. What Russia is doing here destabilizes this grain agreement that they signed up to a few days ago. It doesn't wreck it.

There were two separate strikes we're talking about here. Mykolaiv to the north. Now, what we're hearing from Ukrainian officials there is that this was a missile -- sort of a land-based missile attack on the Mykolaiv. Also, aircraft missiles involved in that strike.

Mykolaiv, perhaps, more significantly important because it's slightly north of that area where the grain exports are going to come from -- away from the track that those vessels will carry the grain out of the region -- and probably more to do with a buildup of Russian forces in that area in a contest for that city and that particular corner of the country at the moment.

But Zatoka, the town just down the coastline from Kyiv -- from Odesa, rather -- that is going to -- that is going to cause a bigger concern? Why? Because it is directly on the line of passage of those ships that are going to leave Odesa. It was a strike by Russian military aircraft.

And this is the real concern that where those ships are operating Russian air force is using its precision-strike missiles from aircraft to fire down. Now, these missiles appear, from the video we've seen, to have hit homes in that town. This is sort of a beachside summer resort-type town just down the coast from Odesa.

So, strategically, it's not clear the value . There's a strategic bridge there that maybe the Russians were going after. We know that the Ukrainians have air and sea defense systems along the coastline there. So at the moment, it is undermining the sense that this grain deal can go through safely.

ROMANS: All right, Nic Robertson. We know you'll keep covering it for us. Thanks, Nic.

All right. Still ahead this morning, Donald Trump back in Washington today for the first time since leaving office. And growing concern about what China could do in Taiwan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:47:15] ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this Tuesday morning.

Let's take a look at markets around the world. Asian shares have closed and they've closed mixed for the day, although it was a nice bounce there. In Hong Kong, Europe has opened also narrowly mixed here. And stock index futures at this hour leaning a little bit lower here.

It was a mixed day for U.S. markets on Monday. The Dow and the S&P up, the Nasdaq down.

Look, investors are cautious here. They're anticipating a really big week for economic data, including another big interest rate hike expected from the Federal Reserve. We expect that tomorrow. There's also second-quarter GDP -- our first gauge of what the spring quarter looked like. Some new inflation numbers, and a slew of corporate earnings from big names like Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft.

I want to bring in CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar.

And Rana, we've already heard from Walmart, and I think this is a really interesting way to look at the consumer story and all this recession guessing that's happening. They say they're going to have to cut their prices because consumers are spending more for higher-priced food and gas and they're cutting back in other areas.

You know, that's not good for Walmart investors but I think it shows that Walmart shoppers are adapting, right, to this post -- I don't know, this post-COVID crisis --

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST, GLOBAL BUSINESS COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES (via Webex by Cisco): Yes.

ROMANS: -- into a new kind of reality, right?

FOROOHAR: Well, totally. And, you know, you've already seen you have spending still at the more cost-conscious end of things, so I'm not surprised that Walmart's going to cut their prices. They're big -- they can do that. People will keep shopping there. People are going to keep shopping at Tiffany and Cartier.

It's the middle that you worry about. And it's also the non-essential things. I'm sure we're all going to still fill our grocery carts. We're probably going to not use as many brand names as we might have in the past. But are we going to buy that fancy new phone? Are we going to buy a great couch from -- for the -- for the house? I'm not so sure.

So it's those companies in the middle I think that are going to get squeezed. That's always the case when there's hard times.

ROMANS: Yes. When watching Walmart, though, is such a great way to look at sort of the typical shopper -- the paycheck-to-paycheck consumer. And you can see they're making changes --

FOROOHAR: Yes.

ROMANS: -- and I think that's important to watch.

We're going to hear from a lot of other companies this week so we'll see if other retailers have the same issue.

We heard from the former Treasury secretary Larry Summers over the weekend and again last night on Don Lemon, doubling down on this prediction that we're headed for a recession.

This recession obsession with the forecasting I think is interesting. We're not going to know until it's over, right? And every recession is a little bit different. You judge it in a different way.

What are your -- what are you thinking right now about a recession? What matters is how it feels to people, I think.

FOROOHAR: Well, 100%. You and I have talked about this so many times I feel like since the great financial crisis.

[05:50:02]

A technical recession means two quarters of negative growth. We may already be in a technical recession. But it feels very different depending on a) where you are in the country.

Where you are in terms of the socioeconomic spectrum. What kind of a paycheck you get. Do you have a lot of stocks? I mean, are you getting most of what you have in your pocket from your paycheck? All of these things make a difference in how you feel.

I think that if we are in a recession it is going to be slightly different than in the past because you've got unemployment numbers that are still really, really low, right? So that's strange. Usually in a recession, you would feel that hit sooner. Now, we are seeing some early indicators that unemployment may be rising.

Consumer confidence is going to be really important and the stock market is going to be important, too. Because more people have more in asset wealth than ever before. So what happens with the markets --

ROMANS: Yes.

FOROOHAR: -- will matter.

Ultimately, it's not just one indicator. It's a lot of indicators and it's how you feel, as you say.

ROMANS: I know. I mean, there's so many people who are just like saying tell us we are or we are not in a recession. And I keep saying there's not a switch that says yes or no -- that's a dashboard switch at the White House or on Wall Street. It's much more complicated than that. And it depends -- right? And it depends on who you are and where you are --

FOROOHAR: Yes. ROMANS: -- in the economy.

I will say we had gas prices falling for six weeks now, heading into seven weeks. Overnight, $4.33 a gallon -- still higher than last year. But those record-high gas prices are in the rearview mirror, pardon the pun. Does that help consumer confidence do you think?

FOROOHAR: I -- you know, I think it does. Although I saw an interesting chart yesterday saying that consumers are conserving gas more than they ever have since like 1966.

So people are definitely still I think thinking before hey, let's drive 12 hours. Maybe they're doing a staycation. Maybe they're driving a one-tank trip. I know that I am. I'm thinking about those kinds of things.

So, yes, it helps but the sense of inflation is not going away and I don't expect it's going to go away before the midterms, too.

ROMANS: You know, I know you have these nerdy conversations off the clock like I do, but I had one yesterday with someone who was saying this is about a reset, not a recession. We're thinking about what's happening in the economy right now in pre-COVID --

FOROOHAR: Yes.

ROMANS: -- pre-huge stimulus brains and that we're really talking about a reset --

FOROOHAR: Yes.

ROMANS: -- to kind of a new baseline. And maybe that's the way to think about it. We can talk about that the next time.

Thanks so much, Rana Foroohar. Nice to see you.

FOROOHAR: Absolutely. Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

FOROOHAR: You, too.

ROMANS: All right. Still ahead this morning, "NEW DAY" talks to Republican Adam Kinzinger from the January 6 committee. And next, a star quarterback's unusual contract clause.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:57:17]

ROMANS: All right, here we go. Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray may have to start studying his playbook if he wants to keep his new contract.

Carolyn Manno has this morning's Bleacher Report. What is this about? CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This is a very unusual story. I don't remember there being any precedence for this -- for having a study clause, basically, in your contract.

ROMANS: Wow.

MANNO: I always defer to everything investment with you. You're my go-to. But I think maybe they're just trying to get their return on their investment here.

ROMANS: Yes.

MANNO: But this is very unusual.

Kyler Murray officially signing his $230 million extension yesterday keeping him in Arizona through the 2028 season. Shortly after that, the NFL Network and ESPN reported that there was an independent study addendum in the contract.

So basically, they're saying that he needed to complete four hours of independent study of the team's game plan each week, and that does not include the time that he spends in team meetings. Failure to do this could put his contract in jeopardy.

He's a 2-time Pro Bowler. He led the Cardinals to their first playoffs last season.

But they're basically saying hey, you need to study, which if you're even a quarter of the cap, you would assume that would be the case naturally.

Meantime, to baseball now. The Phillies had a much-needed comeback against the Braves thanks to Bryson Stott whose grounder taking a wicked hop here. Look at this. It gets by a helpless Matt Olson and that allowed two runs to score and get the Phillies within a run.

Stott took advantage of that good fortune later in the game as well. He would end up drilling a 3-run homer to right off of A.J. Minter.

The Phillies win it 6-4. The Braves now two games behind the Mets in the NL East.

And some more baseball for you this morning. Sometimes it's better when you just don't have to think. You just trust your instincts. And that was definitely the case for the Pirates' Ben Gamel when he made that superman-esque catch against the Cubs -- just incredible. The Pirates would still lose this one 3-2 but what a play there.

And lastly for you this morning, Bills star Josh Allen is so happy to be at training camp that he just -- he's signing everything. He started signing autographs on his teammates' necks, in fact. This is safety Jordan Poyer. He's like dude, what are you doing? And then you've tight end Dawson Knox who really doesn't seem to mind. I think he was happy to show off his signature to just about everybody.

But I guess the point of this sports report is just training camp gone wild. We really don't know what's --

ROMANS: Can't wait to get back to work. Can't wait to get -- that's a guy who loves his job.

MANNO: Right.

ROMANS: All right, Carolyn Manno. Thank you so much. Nice to see you this morning.

MANNO: You, too.

ROMANS: All right, thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans. "NEW DAY" starts right now.

[06:00:00]