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New Day

Courts' Ability Restricted to Protect Votes; Study Shows election Linked to Heart Issues; Prince William Blames BBC; Wizards Blow out Pacers. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 21, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:34:02]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Arizona's secretary of state says officials in Maricopa County need to replace the voting machines that were turned over to a private contractor for a conspiracy theory-laden audit of its 2020 election. Katie Hobbs, who is a Democrat, sent a letter to the county's board of supervisors expression grave concerns about the machines that she says have been rendered useless now for future elections. She writes this, quote, the lack of physical security and transparency means we cannot be certain who accessed the voting equipment and what might have been done to them.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: They're breaking future elections, she's saying.

Republicans in the Arizona State Senate used a subpoena to have the vote machines and more than 2 million ballots handed over to the so- called Cyber Ninjas, that's the contractor hired for this sham Maricopa County board comprised mostly of -- so the Cyber Ninjas are the ones doing the so-called audit in air quotes, right?

KEILAR: Yes.

BERMAN: The Maricopa board, comprised mostly of Republicans, called this spectacle harm -- they said it's harming all of us and they're outraged.

[06:35:09]

These are Republicans who are outraging about what's happening there. The county recorder, Stephen Richer, spoke with us earlier this week on NEW DAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN RICHER, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, RECORDER: It was one thing with the audit when they were looking at UV lights and they were looking for bamboo fibers in the paper and they were using the wrong colored pens. But when they just accuse us too many times of breaking the law, they've defamed our good employees too many times, the board of supervisors and I, almost all of whom are Republicans, said enough's enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Again, that's Republicans speaking out saying that this audit is spoiling things now and maybe for the future.

And it's not just in Arizona. Legislation aimed at changing the way that election cases are adjudicated in the courts is being proposed in at least eight states. Twenty-six are considering passing laws that could threaten judicial independence. That's according to new analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Joining me now, the president of the Brennan Center, Michael Waldman.

Michael, so nice to see you in person here.

You know, there's been a lot of focus in these laws on giving water to people in lines or ballot drop boxes and the like, but some of the fine print here deals with courts. And this has major consequences. So what's going on and what's the potential impact?

MICHAEL WALDMAN, PRESIDENT, THE BRENNAN CENTER: You're exactly right that there's a push for voting laws all across the country to make it harder for people to vote. These are laws that especially effect voters of color, young voters. And a lot of them have been around things like vote by mail or things like that. But if you look now, increasingly they're targeting not just who can vote or how you vote, but who counts the vote and who makes sure that elections are fair.

In 2020 it was an extraordinarily secure election. Dozens of courts, Republican and Democratic judges confirmed this, so now people are taking aim at those judges.

BERMAN: If you neuter the courts, who gets the power?

WALDMAN: Over and over again this puts the power in the hands of state legislatures and their partisan functions. In other words, it's -- these are Republican legislators and it would take the a lot of these decisions, as in Georgia, where they took the power of the secretary of state or county officials away and gave it to a new board controlled by the legislature. It makes it very risky for the next elections that no matter who wins, partisan figures are going to decide, well, you know what, they really won.

BERMAN: One of the things you will hear from some Republicans who are pushing these laws as well, why should we give power to unelected judges to determine our elections.

WALDMAN: Well, we live in a country under the Constitution, and states have constitutions and laws as well, and we rely on judges and courts to make sure that things are being run fairly, to make sure that politicians of any party aren't rigging the rules for their own benefit. The courts were very strong after the election in 2020 in saying, you know what, it really was an effective and secure election. We ought not punish those people or those election officials of both parties who did their jobs. BERMAN: You know, we were just showing Arizona there. What's happening

now is this partisan audit, in air quote. What you're having there is a political party reviewing an election. Is that what we're likely to see going forward the more courts are taken out of this?

WALDMAN: Well, what's going on in Arizona is both outlandish looking for bamboo fibers in the ballots to prove that China really cast the votes, but it's not funny at all. It's besmirching the integrity, the reputation of our democracy. And, unfortunately, we've heard that people from many different states are going to the folks in Arizona and saying not, you know, shame on your but, hey, that looks pretty interesting. How can we do that in our state?

This is going to be, at the very least, a tactic to try to muddy up our faith in our elections so that if there's other close elections, if there are other elections going on, people won't trust the results or they can be all kinds of unfortunate mischief.

BERMAN: Michael Waldman, thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for shining a light on the courts here, which is a subject that I don't think has been focused on enough in this whole process. Appreciate it.

WALDMAN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, so important.

We've all lived through the past five years, right? So we know that politics is stressful. But just how stressful are we talking? A new study finds it's potentially life-threatening. Researchers in the swing stage of North Carolina studied nearly 2,500 people and what they found was a 77 percent increase in irregular heartbeats over a six-week period that began before the -- that began before and ended after the 2016 election.

Joining us now is the study's lead researcher, Dr. Lindsey Rosman. She is the assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Tell us about this. Irregular heartbeats, they're really pretty significant.

[06:40:04]

DR. LINDSEY ROSMAN, ASSIST. PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE-DIVISION OF CARDIOLOGY, UNC AT CHAPEL HILL: Thank you so much for having me here today.

Anger and extreme stress can trigger potentially life-threatening cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrhythmias, which are heartbeats that are too fast or too slow or irregular in rhythm. And prior studies have shown that these types of events can actually

increase following large scale population-based stressors, such as the attacks on the World Trade Center, on 9/11 and also earthquakes and tsunamis.

I think we can all agree that American politics can be pretty stressful sometimes. And the 2016 U.S. presidential election in particularly was very stressful for a lot of Americans due to the unprecedented levels of anxiety, animosity and partisan rhetoric leading up to the election, but also the polarized reaction to the election results.

So the direct relationship between a stressful, sociopolitical event like an election and cardiac arrhythmias really hadn't been studied before this.

KEILAR: Well, this is fascinating and it's obviously -- it's not good news when you're talking about our cardiac health, which is key to our overall health.

So how do we relax during these times? What is the chill pill during these stressful times?

ROSMAN: That's a really great question. I think our study -- sort of highlights this increased risk in both atrial events, like atrial fibrillation, but also life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to cardiac arrest.

I think one of the things of the study that needs to be highlighted is that it just raises the possibility that the sociopolitical events may impact our cardiovascular health. I would strongly encourage folks, and I always talk to my patients, that if you or your loved ones are experiencing difficulty managing stress, talk to your health care provider, talk to a licensed clinical psychologist. There are therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and certain medications may help you better manage your stress and also might reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

KEILAR: It is a fascinating and important discovery and thank you so much for sharing it with us, Dr. Lindsey Rosman.

ROSMAN: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: It's one of those things, John, I think, like, we kind of knew, we knew it was stressful, we could look around, we see people are stressed out, but it's entirely different when you have researchers tracking atrial fibrillation and telling you it's kind of a mess.

BERMAN: Yes.

It is really interesting when you have the scientific study.

My independent study of just being alive the four -- last four and a half years confirms, speaking to other human beings over the last four and a half years, I can confirm the science behind that study. I think people were a little stressed out and still are to a certain extent.

KEILAR: Yes. You've got to try to relax. You know, you've got to put in the effort to try to relax.

Prince William --

BERMAN: The Grateful Dead. I -- you know, there's a lot of Grateful Dead music out there and people can just sit back and listen to Jerry. It helps.

KEILAR: We all have our ways and that's clearly yours, Berman.

Ahead, Prince William is slamming the BBC. He's blaming the broadcasting for the deterioration of his mother's mental health and her eventual death. The damning report that sparked his comments ahead.

BERMAN: And head for the hills. There's a fungus growing inside millions of cicadas. It's taking away their butts and genitals and turning them into salt-crazed salt -- sex-crazed salt shakers of death. Everything I just said there is true. Should we be worried?

KEILAR: Yes, we should.

BERMAN: Exactly.

Stay with us.

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[06:47:36]

BERMAN: This morning, Prince William and Prince Harry blasting the BBC after the broadcaster apologized for the controversial 1995 interview with their mother, Princess Diana, in which she detailed the breakdown of her relationship with Prince Charles. The apology comes after an inquiry found that the journalist who interviewed Diana, Martin Bashir, used deceitful methods to secure the landmark interview.

Max Foster has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was the bombshell interview that stunned the world.

PRINCESS DIANA: Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

FOSTER: Princess Diana discussing the collapse of her marriage with Prince Charles nearly 26 years ago.

And now Prince William and Prince Harry are slamming the BBC this morning after an independent investigation, commissioned by the broadcaster, revealed how journalist Martin Bashir secured the interview with their late mother. PRINCE WILLIAM: It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC's

failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia, and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.

FOSTER: The 127-page report concluding Bashir used deceitful behavior and created fake bank statements to arrange the meeting with Diana. It also criticized the actions of the BBC, saying that without justification, the BBC covered up its press logs, such facts as it had able to establish about how Mr. Bashir secured the interview.

The Duke of Cambridge also noting his concerns about how the BBC ignored alarm bells about Bashir's campaign to gain access to his mother.

PRINCE WILLIAM: But what saddens me most is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she'd been deceived.

FOSTER: Prince Harry spreading the blame not only to the BBC but also to coverage of Diana by other outlets and publications at the time. Writing in a statement he said, to those who have taken some form of accountability, thank you for owning it. That's the first step toward justice and truth. Yet what deeply concerns me is that practices like these and even worse are still widespread today.

The Duke of Sussex, who's had his own issues with tabloids, recently discussing his ongoing struggles with his mother's death and the steps he's taking to heal.

PRINCE HARRY: I was so angry with what happened to her and the fact that there was no -- there was no justice at all.

[06:50:06]

FOSTER: Diana's brother also speaking out, saying the interview caused her to lose trust in other people.

EARL SPENCER, PRINCESS DIANA'S BROTHER: Well, the irony is that I met Martin Bashir on the 31st of August 1995 because exactly two years later she died, and I do draw a line between the two events.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: So Charles Spencer there, John, making a direct link between the BBC interview and Diana's death. And Prince Harry also said that these type of tactics, not just the BBC ones, are ultimately what -- what killed his mother.

So the stakes are very high here for the BBC and I think they've just gone a bit higher as well potentially because in the last couple of hours we heard from the Metropolitan Police in London who say they're going to look at this report and see if there's any evidence for a criminal investigation.

BERMAN: I have to say, Max, it's a stunning level of deceit, just stunning, in order to get the interview. It's really shocking. FOSTER: I think that there is that fundamental deceit that Martin

Bashir perpetuated. He also lied to his bosses several times about these bank statements, saying they weren't used.

BERMAN: Yes.

FOSTER: But then I think, in this country, a lot of people very much focused on the BBC right now because at the heart of what it does is it's journalism, its trust and it -- it covered up what happened here. They knew about the deceit and they lied effectively to journalists about it. And they're only admitting all of this 25 years later, which is why you saw William so furious in that statement.

BERMAN: He was notably furious.

Max Foster, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it.

Just in, new details about the investigation into Rudy Giuliani, including the fed's seizing 18 electronic devices, 18 from his home and office.

KEILAR: Plus, a fragile Middle East peace deal after -- or, pardon me, cease-fire after 11 days of deadly clashes. What impact is this violence having on the children there?

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[06:56:26]

KEILAR: Just in, an Olympics official says it's, quote, now clearer than ever that the games will be held, vowing everyone and everything involved will be safe due to protocols.

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

And, Andy, let's turn to the NBA, where if you are waking up from a six-week coma, you are wondering, how the heck are the Wizards in the playoffs?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll tell you what, Brianna, Wizards' fans very happy this morning because they had a really rough season. They had a COVID-19 outbreak on the team. Just lots of injuries.

On April 5th, they had a record of 17-32. Pretty much everyone had counted them out of at least making the playoffs. But not their star Russell Westbrook. He vowed during those tough times that they would make the playoffs and they did just that last night, beat the Pacers handily, 142-115 and claimed the eight seed in the Eastern Conference. They're now going to face the Sixers in round one. The Wizards, the first team to make the playoffs after being 15 games under 500 since the 1997 Phoenix Suns.

Now, when the playoffs begin, it's going to start to feel more normal in a lot of arenas, including Madison Square Garden. The Knicks announcing they sold out of 15,000 seats for the first two playoff games against the Hawks. Sunday's game is going to be the largest indoor gathering in New York since the pandemic started. The Knicks expect almost 90 percent of the fans to be fully vaccinated. And all attendees got to prove they're vaccinated or have a negative test taken within 72 hours of the game.

All right, finally, scary moment between the Maple Leafs and Canadians last night. John Tavares falling to the ice. As he fell, he was hit right in the face by Corey Perry's knee as he was skating up the ice. Tavares, he tried to stand up but he couldn't, losing his balance. He was taken off on a stretcher. Gave a thumbs-up on the way off the ice. After the game, Maple Leafs' coach Sheldon Keefe said Tavares was conscious and communicating well but was going to remain in the hospital overnight for further testing.

All right, NEW DAY continues right now.

KEILAR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar, alongside John Berman on this NEW DAY.

Conflicting reports about the death of a black man at the hands of police. Ronald Green's mother says he was murdered, and she joins us next.

BERMAN: The world watches as a fragile cease-fire between Hamas and Israel begins. Will it last?

KEILAR: And just in, new details about the probe into Rudy Giuliani. What prosecutors are now saying about the 18 -- yes, 18 devices seized from his home and office.

BERMAN: And why is Ted Cruz sharing Russian propaganda online?

KEILAR: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Friday, May 21st. And this morning, a bipartisan bill to investigate the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol is in limbo. Republican lawmakers seem increasingly ready to dismiss the violence that took place on January 6th. People died. Police officers were traumatized and wounded. We have seen the video and the evidence again and again. So why aren't Republicans ready to get to the bottom of how that day happened, and why are they downplaying this violence?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero firearms from suspects charged with breaching the Capitol.

REP. JODY HICE (R-GA): In fact, it was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others.

[07:00:04]

REP. ANDREW CLYDE (R-GA): I can tell you the House floor was never breached and it was not an insurrection.