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New Day

Protesters Lining The Streets In Tokyo To Cancel The Olympics; The CDC New Guidelines Leading To Mask Confusion Across America; AT&T Set To Combine With Warner Media; A Year Ago Microsoft Hired Investigators To Look Into A Romantic Relationship That Bill Gates Was Having; Congressman Matt Gaetz Dismissing The Investigation Into His Alleged Sex Trafficking. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 17, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Live at the protest in Tokyo. (Inaudible).

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well John the protest is actually just wrapping up, but if you look over to my side there's still a small group of people here. They're cleaning up, putting away posters.

But they've been marching and chanting down a huge commercial street in Tokyo asking for the Olympics to be canceled. Showing images of the Olympic torch being extinguished, saying that the government needs to put people's live ahead of the Olympic Games. I even saw a major police presence enforcing social distancing rules during this.

Now I spoke to several of the protesters that were here today and they say that, you know, why is Japan is hosting the Olympics when so many people around the world are suffering.

They say important resources need to be put towards dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and that they aren't confident that the Japanese government can keep their citizens safe when you have surging COVID-19 cases, the medical system on the brink of collapse in many large cities in Japan, and when the country has only fully vaccinated about 1 percent of its population.

And John, the frustration and anger that I heard in people's voices today really reflect the growing opposition to these games. According to local polls the majority of people in Japan think these games should not be held this summer. John?

BERMAN: We're going to have to watch this very closely over the next few weeks. Selina thank you so much for being there for us.

"New Day" continues right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar along side John Berman on this New Day.

The CDC's new COVID guidelines leading to mask confusion across America. Businesses dropping restrictions but only certain cities and states. We'll be speaking with former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams.

BERMAN: Bill Gates divorce drama taking a new turn following this bombshell investigation into a sexual relationship he had with a former Microsoft engineer. The reporter who broke that story is here.

KEILAR: And new this morning CNN has learned of another mysterious energy attack on an American official and this one happened near the White House.

BERMAN: And a Space Force commander canned for what he said in a conservative podcast.

KEILAR: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Monday, May 17, and Americans are enjoying new found freedoms while confronting new delimas as we try to return to post- COVID normalcy.

People are finally ditching their masks in cities across the country. But after months of being told to mask up and social distance millions of people are now grappling with when to ditch or wear face coverings amid a still dangerous crisis. Some big name stores have dropped their indoor mask requirements, but only in places where local or state laws allow.

BERMAN: Some genuinely wonderful data on the pandemic this morning. It falls on me to be bearer of good news. Look at that, new cases at the lowest point really since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations at the lowest point since last summer and dropping, nearly half the country has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Going forward the CDC directors says people need to be responsible and honest with themselves and others. Unvaccinated people still need to wear masks.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. And to an extent this new policy is based on faith -- faith on people who have chosen not to be vaccinated. Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDIAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right John. We're just sorting of trusting people who haven't been vaccinated to be honest about that and to wear masks in public.

Now for people, who are vaccinated, of course, the CDC lifting those regulations for both indoors and outdoors last week, but that leaves employers and businesses facing a choice. Do they go with the CDC says or do they stick with their own more restrictive mask requirements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN (voice over): For some Americans the CDC's easing of facial covering guidance for the fully vaccinated is a reason for celebrating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't mind the masks but I definitely feel like it's liberating to not wear them. It feels like a gift, being vaccinated. COHEN (voice over): But even with the option to take off their masks

both indoors and outdoors many who have been vaccinated say they're remaining cautious and keeping them on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me I -- they could have wait -- probably waited a little longer you know. I don't think enough people are vaccinated right now.

COHEN (voice over): With confusion in the days since its announcement the CDC director defending the changes calling it a critical first step in reopening the country.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: We needed to sort of set this foundation based on the science to make sure people understood as they make their recommendations moving forward.

COHEN (voice over): And with doubts about people being honest about whether they're fully vaccinated, Dr. Rochelle Walensky says --

WALENSKY: In terms of the honor system, people have to be honest with themselves. You're protected if you're vaccinated. You're not if you're not vaccinated.

[07:05:00]

COHEN (voice over): Now it's up to state and local governments to decide how to move forward with the CDC's new guidance.

GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R), MARYLAND: The CDC came out with the guidance and we're following that guidance, but you know the governors, the states have to actually operationalize it and it just -- it's very hard. You can't -- there's no way to differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated people from a legal requirement basis.

COHEN (voice over): And many businesses are already changing their facial covering policies. Starting this morning some Starbucks locations will no longer require face masks for fully vaccinated people unless local regulations require them, joining the growing list of retailers like Costco, Trader Joe's and Walmart with similar rules in place.

But make sure to check before you leave your mask at home.

In New York City 24-hour subway service returns today and riders will still need to wear a facial covering. They're still required on public transportation, planes and trains nationwide.

For travelers heading to Florida's theme parks masks are now optional in outdoor common areas at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, but over at Disneyland in California they must be worn at all times except while eating and drinking.

Heading to a Texas Rangers game, facial coverings are only a suggestion. But for fans at Yankee Stadium, they're a requirement. The same will be necessary to attend an NBA playoff game. And with just over 30 percent of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci says he hopes the loosening of restrictions helps that number grow.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR OF NIH: The underlying reason for the CDC doing this was just based on the evolution of the science. But if in fact this serves as an incentive for people to get vaccinated all the better. I hope it does actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now stay tuned because there are more changes from the CDC to come. Dr. Walensky the CDC Director saying that there will be changes to summer camp guidelines. Now that's based on the lowering case numbers, John, that you were pointing out as well as the fact that there have been more studies and that 12 to 15-year-olds can now be vaccinated. John?

BERMAN: There really could be big changes coming in days and weeks.

COHEN: That's right.

BERMAN: We're all waiting at this point. Elizabeth Cohen thanks very much.

KEILAR: I'm joined now by Dr. Jerome Adams who is the former Surgeon General under President Trump. Sir thank you so much for being with us this morning, a very good morning to you.

When you're looking at this guidance what do you think about the timing of it? Too late? To early on lifting mask guidance?

DR. JEROME ADAMS, FORMER SURGEON GENERAL: Well I think it's important for us to start from the common understanding that nobody wants to be infected with coronavirus.

And when we look at what we can do to protect ourselves from infection, from spread, from hospitalizations we have three main tools. We have masking, we have social distancing and now we have vaccinations.

And this new CDC guidance is telling us that these vaccinations are so incredibly effective that if you're fully vaccinated, if you're fully vaccinated, meaning two weeks out form your last dose, that the benefit of additional masking and social distancing is minimal.

I think this was an appropriate call based on the science. The science is sound. I think that the play call was right but the fumbled the ball at the one-yard line in terms of communicating this to the public, in terms of engagement.

Lots of my public health officials have told me they are upset. They were blindsided by this new information. I think you missed nuance about protecting yourself verses protecting an organization.

And I think that, again, it was a little bit of whiplash for the American public in terms of them saying just a week before keep your mask on and then all of a sudden they're saying now you take them off. KEILAR: There's also the fact that the CDC is leaving mask decisions to local and state governments. So you're having some disparities depending on where you live. How do you see that contributing to the confusion?

ADAMS: Well it absolutely is contributing to the confusion, but in defense of the CDC, we were going to have to go through this at some point. It was going to be a little bit painful. We have a decentralized system and a lot of the authority lies at the state and local level.

And so I want people to understand, for your individual decisions you need to understand if you're vaccinated you're safe to go out. If you're not you should wear a mask.

But institutions, Starbucks, Costco, Trader Joe's, they need to ask themselves whether or not they want to create and environment that is welcoming to people who are immuno-compromised, who may not be vaccinated, or (ph) whether or not they just want to put it all on customers and say, hey, if you come in it's at your own risk.

And that's what we're seeing play out right now. I would encourage these institutions to walk cautiously and to continue to create an environment that's safe for people. And individuals make the right choice, if you're not vaccinated please continue to wear a mask.

KEILAR: Look, I know we can't unring the bell, but the original sin of this pandemic in America is that masks were politicized and we're still seeing the fall out of that. Do you think that this would be so confusing or so difficult for people to manage this guidance if masks had not been politicized?

[07:10:10]

ADAMS: Well, you know, I'm interested in looking forward and not backwards. And I've got a book coming out and I'll go over again how I feel politics really hurt us. You had a once in a century pandemic superimposed on top of a presidential election and that was just bad for all of us.

But what I'm asking the American public to do right now is to look at the science. The science says cases are going down. Vaccinations are going up. Vaccinations are highly effective to stop spread and against variance. So please, go out now and get vaccinated.

And yesterday, we had another great day in terms of vaccinations. So I really do think this new guidance along with 12 to 15-year-olds being allowed to get vaccinated is encouraging more people to get vaccinated and that will get that -- get us to where we need to be. Shout-out to my two boys, 16 and 15-years-old who both got their vaccinations last week.

KEILAR: Yes, and look, I am very much looking forward to reading your book. I will just say, I don't know that it has to do so much with the pandemic being superimposed on an election as it does with the personal philosophy of one of the candidates in that election. But I do want to get your expertise on some other questions. For

instance this issue of herd immunity is it necessary and is it possible for the U.S. to reach that herd immunity goal with the vaccination numbers that we're seeing do you think?

ADAMS: I absolutely do, but we have to remember herd immunity or community immunity isn't just about vaccinations. It's about vaccinations plus the number of people out there who've recovered from infections. And I think you're seeing cases drop because you're adding those two things together.

I think with increased engagement by the new administration and this is something that I really want the administration hear me say, you can't beat COVID with 51 percent of the vote.

You need to engage Republicans, you need to engage red states, the very people who we're hearing are not willing to go out and get vaccinated or listen to the new administration we need to engage them.

We need to put vaccinations in doctor's offices and work sites and in communities where there are lower rates. And if we do that we can get to this community immunity. Once we get over about 50, 55 percent you're going to start to see cases dip because, again, you're adding that to a large percentage of the population that has natural immunity from infection.

KEILAR: You have a shout-out to your boys. I'll give a shout-out to mine. Unfortunately they're too young at this point to get a vaccine. I've got an almost 3-year-old and a 5-year-old and there is a huge swath of the American public that has small children.

So, you know, the grownups we cannot wear a mask but we're also trying to model for our kids who have to wear a mask, especially with the little ones who kind of need to see you doing that in order for them to do it as well. What is your advice for those folks here in the next what's going to be several months before little kids can get vaccinated?

ADAMS: That is a great point because my two boys got vaccinated. My daughter's 11 and she can't get vaccinated. And so, when we go out in public even though I don't have to wear a mask anymore because I've been vaccinated I wear one when I'm with my daughter because I don't want her to feel like she's the only one left out. And that's something I want people to think about.

We're in this together. We're a society and so sometimes you do things even if you don't feel like they're going to personally benefit you because they will benefit others. And we don't our little ones to be stigmatized. We don't want our little ones to be at risk when they're going to the grocery store.

So, I'm going to continue to wear a mask when I'm in those public settings where there may be large numbers of people who aren't vaccinated because they couldn't get vaccinated like young people.

And you know when you go to a bar, when you go to a restaurant, that's the place where you may chose to say, OK, I'm not going to wear a mask because I've been vaccinated. And it's going to be an individual choice as Dr. Walensky said, but I want that individual choice to be based on information and to be based on compassion for your fellow man.

KEILAR: I really appreciate your advice as a professional and as a father. Dr. Jerome Adams thank you for being with us this morning.

ADAMS: Thank you Brianna.

BERMAN: All right we have a breaking business news and as my mentor Peter Jennings once said, the news is us. AT&T set to combine Warner Media, CNN's parent with Discovery creating a media powerhouse.

CNN's Brian Stelter joins us now with the details. This just happening now Brian. What can you tell us?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this deal crossing the wires. It's about to be presented to investors. It's a streaming spinoff that will eventually affect every American consumer and many around the world.

Because Discovery and Warner Media are being brought together in a deal that will probably take about a year to get through regulatory approvals and actually take effect.

But it's a spinoff of Warner Media, which includes everything from CNN to HBO to Warner Brothers the movie studio, spinning that off and joining it with Discovery, which is of course the home of TLC, Animal Planet, all those lifestyle channels that are now also streaming through Discover Plus.

So in some ways, John, this is like taking the HBO Max streaming service and Discovery Plus streaming service putting them together in order to compete with Disney and Netflix.

[07:15:00]

BERMAN: Is the idea someday that the consumers would get one product with all those offerings?

STELTER: Well in some ways we are starting to see a rebundling in the same way that the streaming wars have caused an unbundling, people now signing up for two or three or four services. Discovery and Warner Media want to make sure this service, this company is in that mix. Discovery's boss David Zaslav will run this new combined company. It will include CNN as well as all those entertainment assets that I mentioned.

And what we're really seeing is this battle for scale, streaming scale. You know five years ago AT&T, one of the biggest companies in the country, bought Time Warner, which became Warner Media, CNN's parent. But a lots changed in five years and AT&T now seems to be backing away from that deal.

BERMAN: Well this is a stunning retreat from AT&T -- for AT&T. AT&T got in big to the entertainment business, into the product -- you know, DIRECTV --

STELTER: Right.

BERMAN: -- and Time Warner and now getting --

STELTER: Now unwinding that. Unwinding that, although AT&T shareholders will remain very much invested in this new media company. So in effect what we're seeing is an -- is an unwinding of the deal five years ago.

AT&T now focusing on wireless and on broadband saying, hey, we are a broadband company but you're also going to be invested in this content company and trying to be invested in the future of streaming.

It's just remarkable to see how the world is changing because of consumer preferences. At the end of the day it's all about what people want to be able to do. Stream whatever show you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. Discovery and Warner now coming together for that deal (ph).

BERMAN: And just to be clear, so people don't think we're avoiding it, CNN part of this deal.

STELTER: CNN part of this deal, mentioned in the press release. We don't anything more than that. But CNN just like every other brand trying to make maneuvers towards streaming just like everybody else.

BERMAN: Brian Stelter thank you for the news --

STELTER: Thanks.

BERMAN: -- about us.

STELTER: About us.

BERMAN: Appreciate it. So, new details this morning in the divorce saga between Bill and Melinda Gates. The "Wall Street Journal" reporting that the resignation, Bill Gate's resignation from Microsoft's board of directors last year came after the board hired a law firm to investigate a romantic relationship he had with an employee 20 years ago.

Joining me now is "Wall Street Journal" business reporter Emily Glazer. She's part of the reporting team that broke this story. Emily, why don't you just lay out what you reported here.

EMILY GLAZER, WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS REPORTER: Sure. Thank you John.

So in late 2019 a Microsoft female employee, an engineer alleged in a letter that ultimately reached the board and board members decided to hire an external law firm, do a thorough investigation as is typically the case when something sensitive comes to the board members.

And they found, as more became clear, that this multi-year sexual, romantic relationship with a Microsoft female employee was inappropriate. As board members decided that they felt it wouldn't be suitable for Bill Gates to remain a board direct he resigned. And that was before the probe was finished.

BERMAN: The timeline there is interesting though, right? They were investigating but he resigned before action, yes?

GLAZER: Indeed. And I will say a Bill Gates spokesperson said it wasn't related to the matter, but our sourcing says otherwise. We believe from our sources that the writing was on the wall.

They didn't want another Me Too situation. They didn't want something after this movement had happened where a director was associated with something that they didn't think was fit for a board member. And let's not forget, Bill Gates also co-founded and was former CEO of this company.

BERMAN: There was also a statement from Gates representation here that sort of jumps off the page, which is an admission that this relationship happened, correct?

GLAZER: Indeed. They referred to it as an affair. They said it was almost 20 years ago. Our understanding is this is a multi-year romantic sexual relationship with a Microsoft female engineer.

In this letter, I should add, the female Microsoft employee also demanded changes to her job. And as part of the discussions that were had with the employee and board members, the employee asked that Melinda Gates, who just last week, earlier this month Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce, at this time back in the negotiations the employee wanted Melinda Gates to read this letter.

BERMAN: And again, the issue here is the timeline, the relationship very much during his marriage. That alone not the issue, but the fact that it's with a Microsoft employee and there's some allegations about advances on Microsoft -- other Microsoft employees over the years in your reporting and others too, probably came to the board's attention and caused them to take serious interest.

Emily Glazer this is really interesting stuff. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

GLAZER: Thank you.

BERMAN: Brianna?

KEILAR: Congressman Matt Gaetz dismissing the investigation into his alleged sex trafficking is quote, naughty favors, as a long-time associate of his prepares to plead guilty today. What that means for Gaetz.

BERMAN: And a new turn in the sexual harassment investigation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

KEILAR: And what a U.S. Space Force commander said on a conservative podcast that cost him his job.

[07:19:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:23:40]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R), FLORIDA: Just imagine the irony here. I'm being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favors, yet Congress has reinstituted a process that legalizes the corrupt act of exchanging money for favors through earmarks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That's Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz speaking at a Republican summit in Ohio over the weekend as federal investigators examine whether he broke federal sex trafficking laws among other things. Today a long-time associate of Gaetz is expected to plea guilty to six charges and plans to cooperate with prosecutors.

Joining us now is CNN Political Analyst Maggie Haberman of the "New York Times." Maggie, he's accused of naughty favors he says. There are allegations that he paid for sex with a minor. He's comparing it to congressional funding for like local museums. There seems to be a difference there.

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Not only is there a difference there John, but basically he is saying, I didn't do it. But if I did it everybody's corrupt anyway and here's another example of legal corruption.

But your point is the main one this is not a naughty favor, quote, unquote. It's just not a term I had ever heard before. He's being -- and he has been -- he has not been formally charged with anything. I think just it's important to say that.

But in terms of what has come out in news accounts there have been suggestions that he engaged in sex with a minor, that it involved cash -- or money. That is a crime.

[07:25:00]

And so that is not the same as congressional earmarks. I think it does show you that Matt Gaetz knows that this situation could be going south for him with his associate pleading guilty and he is just trying to spin it in public, as we have seen many other people do.

BERMAN: It's a political response --

HABERMAN: Correct.

BERMAN: -- it's not a legal response.

HABERMAN: Correct, 100 percent. And so far there isn't a legal response that he can have, right. He has not been charged. We will see if anything changes in the coming days. We will see whether his associate Joel Greenberg does anything that threatens Matt Gaetz, but as of right now he is trying to scramble to keep, you know, some semblance of Republican public opinion on his side.

Remember, he has virtually no friends in Congress. So, this is sort of what he has to do.

BERMAN: Elise Stefanik who is now the Republican Conference Chair in the House, the number three taking over for Liz Cheney who was forced out for refusing to lie about the election. She was asked over the weekend, what do you think about the former president Donald Trump's dangerous continued lies about the election results. This is how she responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R), NEW YORK: President Trump is an important voice in the Republican Party. He is critical to the party. He is the leader of the Republican Party. Voters determine the leader of the Republican Party and they continue to look to President Trump for his vision and he's going to be important part of us winning back the House in 2022.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: She didn't really answer the question about the lies there.

HAGERMAN: Right. She's also basically reciting a statement that had been put out by her aides when she got this conference chair post. I think it was a day earlier. I think she's going to do everything she can to not answer questions related to what former President Trump is saying.

His repeated false claims about the election, which we should note, are getting more intense and sort of more out there in terms of what he is claiming. He is not moving in a direction of either acceptance or saying -- you know, moving past what he had been saying. He is going in the opposite direct.

And look, Elise Stefanik is a very close ally of his. She has moved well from when she was a Paul Ryan aide into something very different. She is saying what will help her keep her post.

However, the questions of what happened on January 6, and what the former president was saying for weeks ahead -- months ahead of the election is not going -- they're not going to go away.

BERMAN: And you're right, he's saying it now still in some ways louder then ever.

Maggie, I want to ask you about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, because we learned overnight that three of the women who have made allegations against him for inappropriate sexual behavior have now been subpoenaed in the investigation. We talk about the political and legal realities here. This is now a very real legal reality for him (ph). HABERMAN: That's exactly right. And John, I think it's a really important point to make. Look, we always knew that this investigation could go this way. We knew that the attorney general had subpoena power.

She had not, as far as we knew, exercised it so far against the women making allegations against Andrew Cuomo. We know that she is likely to issue a report, but that this report is going to be informed by testimony delivered under threat of perjury. This is not just women coming in voluntarily for an interview. I think that that puts this potentially in a new direction.

Andrew Cuomo has moved -- also someone else who has moved in a different direction, has moved away from saying, look I'm sorry I made people feel uncomfortable I just didn't understand to saying I didn't do anything wrong. We will see what that ends up looking like when this reports come out.

BERMAN: The only way I could lead into this next question is by saying, all right, all right, all right.

HABERMAN: Oh no.

BERMAN: I'm talking about Matthew McConaughey. Politico reporting, among others, that the idea of McConaughey running for governor in Texas isn't a definite no. Not a crazy notion, may actually be explored by him among others. What do you make of Matthew McConaughey and what's your favorite Matthew McConaughey film?

HABERMAN: I knew you were going to go there and I'm going to decline to answer that last question on threat of hurting myself with your viewers. But, I do think in terms of Matthew McConaughey's political viability, look, we are in a very different era.

Post Donald Trump, celebrity candidates are not new, but there are a lot of celebrities who I think are going to try to run because they saw what Donald Trump was able to do. You know, there's obviously other examples of people running for governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan, there are actors who have done this.

I am not really clear on what the lane is for Matthew McConaughey. Right now Greg Abbott is running for governor again. He already has a Trumper challenger from the right in his primary. So, I don't know what this particular candidacy would bring, but people shouldn't totally ignore anything that these -- these days either.

BERMAN: I like the way that you were holding back on your acknowledgement --

HAGERMAN: Thank you.

BERMAN: -- of what your favorite McConaughey movie is for a later day. You're saving it for a bigger impact later on.

HAGERMAN: It -- correct. I just want delay as long as possible.

BERMAN: Maggie Haberman nice to see you. Thanks so much for coming in.

HABERMAN: Thank you.

KEILAR: Yes, I won't wait on that. I won't wait. I'm going with --

BERMAN: Wait (ph).

KEILAR: -- actually I'm going to go with "True Detective," that was my favorite. That's where I get my saying that I use all the time that I stole from Matthew McConaughey, which is, time is a flat circle.

BERMAN: Right, well this says --

KEILAR: That was my favorite.

BERMAN: -- more about you and how deeply troubled and twisted you may be. Anyone who looks as "True Detective" as a -- as a guide light for their life, you know, you got to wonder. I'm -- you know -- what was the romantic -- wasn't he in some romantic comedy with J. Lo or something. That's the one I'm going with.

KEILAR: Oh, yes -- was it --

BERMAN: "Wedding Planner." "Wedding Planner."

KEILAR: -- that one.

BERMAN: (Inaudible).

BERMAN: "Wedding Planner," see Maggie Haberman with me on "Wedding Planner."

KEILAR: You guys have -- you guys have terrible taste, but I'm glad that, you know.