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New Day

Video Shows Police Tase, Kick, Drag Man before His Death; World Watches as Fragile Ceasefire Underway in Israel; More States Announcing Lottery Rewards for the Vaccinated. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 21, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

REP. JODY HICE (R-GA): Who were Trump supporters taking the lives of others.

[07:00:03]

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

If you didn't know the teeny footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: That's outrageous. The evidence collected by federal prosecutors and the nearly 450 Capitol riot case tells a different story. This is the same evidence the GOP does not believe warrants a commission.

There's a man alleged to have made 11 homemade bombs in his truck on Capitol Hill and a list of left-leaning bad guys. Prosecutors say he parked his truck and left it to sit there for most of January 6th. Inside the truck or on him, he had a shotgun, a rifle, three pistol and 11 mason jar bombs inside a cooler, that if detonated, could have acted like napalm.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: Other suspects, according to prosecutors, drove across the country with caches of weapons looking for war. One of them is this guy who is seen dropping down into the Senate chamber. According to court records, these men loaded their car with a glock pistol, a pocket gun, knives, bear mace, ammunition, gas masks, a stun gun and a baton. And on their way to Washington, the men shot a video in which one of them said, and I'm quoting here, we're out here protecting the country. If shit goes down, if Pence does what we think he is going to do.

BERMAN: The threats didn't stop after January 6th. According to investigators, a Texas man became obsessed with seeking justice, what he called justice, against the Capitol Police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a rioter who was attempting to climb into the speaker's lobby outside the House chamber. Prosecutors say this man threatened to, quote, hug his neck with a nice rope on live television, according to a post he made online. KEILAR: There are nearly 450 cases now stemming from the Capitol riot. The FBI is still making new arrests and seeking out more rioters caught on video beating police. In fact, they are still the hunt for the person leaving pipe bombs in Washington that day.

BERMAN: This one of the largest law enforcement efforts in American history. Senate Republicans don't think it warrants an inspection from Congress, the branch in charge of oversight, perhaps because they fear what it will reveal about themselves. More on this ahead.

KEILAR: And this morning we're learning new details in the case of Ronald Greene, a black man who died in a fatal encounter just over two years ago with Louisiana State Police following a high-speed chase. A state official with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN that the Louisiana State Police started investigating this incident as a criminal matter the night that the incident took place, but family members say police told them Greene died in a car crash and a preliminary police report makes no mention of the disturbing actions by police officers that is now seen in recently leaked body cam video of the incident.

A warning here that the video you're about to watch is very graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground. Get on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taser, taser, taser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hand behind your back. Put your hands behind your back.

Put your hands behind your back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd better not move.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Another video shows an officer dragging Greene as he was lying face down with his hands in handcuffs. This is a video that has no audio.

We should note, CNN has not obtained the original video and does not know what else can be seen in the unpublished parts of the video.

Joining us now is Ronald Greene's mother, Mona Hardin, and the Greene family attorney, Lee Mertitt. I want to thank you so much, both of you, for joining us.

Mona, I'm so sorry. I mean, watching the video and understanding what happened from the description of it just as a mother and a human being, my heart hurts for you. And I want you to tell us specifically what you were told in the aftermath of your son's death. MONA HARDIN, MOTHER OF RONALD GREENE: We were told by two officers that my son got involved in a high-speed chase, ran into a tree, his car ran into a tree, and he died of head injuries.

[07:05:05]

He hit the windshield and he died of head injuries. We were told he died because of a car crash. The details that we got afterwards was totally everything but.

KEILAR: The details that you got afterward were what?

HARDIN: The cover-up started within hours after we got news of him being killed for this accident. We were given a runaround because we were being told he was being taken out of state to Arkansas for his first autopsy. And we said we wanted him there. I told the coroner, Abby Moon (ph), at the time I didn't want my son moved. I'll be there in a few hours. And she said it was out of her hands. We weren't able to --

KEILAR: No, go on. Please go on, Mona.

HARDIN: We were told by this coroner that she didn't have phone numbers, she didn't have emails, and from there on, it was a chase, and it was a cover-up.

KEILAR: Lee, what was going on here? The E.R. doctor who initially saw Mr. Greene's condition, the condition of his body said, quote, does not add up. So tell us what any medical reports showed initially and what any autopsy reports showed initially.

S. LEE MERRITT, RONALD GREENE'S FAMILY ATTORNEY: This is a case where all the evidence directly contradicted the narrative provided by law enforcement. The evidence of Ronald Greene's body, which was heavily covered in bruises really from his head to his toes and showed that he had been involved in a brutal assault. But the narrative that the medical examiner received and the medical professionals received said that he was involved in a car accident.

And as the E.R. doctor pointed out, it just didn't add up. The medical examiner ultimately concluded that he had died from the collision but that's because the medical examiner wasn't given a copy of this video that we've now all seen or a proper narrative to describe it.

I want to be clear, there was nothing standard about how the state troopers in Louisiana handled this arrest or the reporting on it. And so when Ms. Hardin, Ronald's mom, says that it was a cover-up, this has all the hallmarks of corruption, not only for those officers involved but the direct supervisors and the union for parish prosecutors who were responsible for thoroughly looking into this case.

KEILAR: Mona, I know that you welcome the video and that it answered some of the questions you had and confirms the concerns that you had. But it's also -- it is very -- it is just difficult to watch. Your son is there. He's obviously in pain. And he's saying that he's scared. HARDIN: You know, I saw that last year. We were given the opportunity to watch it by the governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards. And the fact that from that first time we're viewing it, I relived it every day since then. The fact that it was a cover-up, it's been a nightmare. We've not properly grieved. But we need to hold these people accountable. Someone needs to pay. Someone needs to go to jail for this. This is murder what happened to my son, Ronny.

KEILAR: What does it say to you, Mona, that they had body cams on, they knew they had these cameras on, the police did, and they still misrepresented what happened in initial reports?

HARDIN: You know, I can tell you, for me, there's no right and wrong way of this. The fact that we've stumbled on things, I don't know if it was purposeful, it was accidental, but I can tell you everything that's led up to this point, it's horrific hearing my son. It's horrible that everyone has to see this, but at the same moment, I'm so glad that it's exposed because of corruption. It's such a horrific level of corruption all the way up to the top from day one.

And why are they making us suffer through this? It's in the hands of people who could make things a whole lot better, and they choose not to. But that speaks volumes. That says a lot.

KEILAR: I know you don't want these moments to be what people -- what your son is remembered for. He lived a life, and I wonder what you want people to know him for and what you miss about him.

HARDIN: I miss his conversations.

[07:10:00]

Everyone who knows Ronny knows he was given a soul. He found laughter. He found -- everything was happy for him, regardless of what he went through, a cancer survivor, everything in life that he succeeded to overcome, that's something we're going to miss. But we'll remember him and it makes us stronger because of it.

Everyone who knows Ronny knows his heart, and they're grieving, and it's heavy for them as well.

KEILAR: Mona, I know you still have a long path ahead of you with this. We thank you so much for coming on. Mona Hardin and Lee Merritt, thank you to both of you.

MERRITT: Thank you.

HARDIN: Thank you so much for the opportunity.

BERMAN: Overnight, new details revealed about the investigation into America's impeachment magnet, Rudy Giuliani, a new court filing stated that the government seized 18 electronic devices belonging to Giuliani and some of his employees in a raid of his home and office last week. Now, federal prosecutors are urging a judge to appoint an independent review of the devices. CNN's Kara Scannell joins us now. And, Kara, this was a response from federal prosecutors to a filing made by Giuliani. There's a lot of new details in this document.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Yes, John, there are a lot of new details here. What we're learning is that the prosecutors had seized 18 devices from Rudy Giuliani from his home and office when they executed that search warrant last month. They're also defending that search. And when they conducted in 2019 of Giuliani's iCloud account and also accounts belonging to an attorney and ally of his, Victoria Toensing.

Here is what prosecutors said. They say, Giuliani and Toensing are lawyers, to be sure, but the court found probable cause that their devices and accounts contain evidence of specified federal crimes. So that's really the first time we're hearing them say that they have found specified federal crimes.

What's also very interesting in this filing, they say that while the existence is known, there's a lot of information that was contained in these affidavits that support their applications for those search warrants the judge has to sign off on, that is not publicly known. So this tells us even though there was an impeachment, where a lot of Giuliani's activities in Ukraine did become public, there's information that they have that we just don't know about yet.

I mean, they also say this is an ongoing investigation into Giuliani, Toensing and activities of others. It could be Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two people that Giuliani was working with. But they are saying that other people are involved in this.

And one thing that I think is worth reminding people is that Rudy Giuliani was once was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. This is the very office that is investigating him now.

BERMAN: Again, to point out something said there because it requires extra emphasis, for everything we learned in impeachment, everything that's out there already,, this federal prosecutor is saying there are stuff there that we don't know.

SCANNELL: That's right. I mean, they're saying that there is information. And would you apply for a search warrant? You have to lay out evidence of a crime that you think occurred and why that evidence is on the device that you're seeking to search. So, prosecutors and FBI agents would have had to really distill what they think happened and why they think it broke the law.

BERMAN: Very interesting stuff. Kara Scannell, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

So, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding this morning. We're live on the ground in Gaza, next.

KEILAR: Plus, Ted Cruz sharing Russian propaganda online.

And, first, there was murder hornets. Now, sex-crazes cicadas? Yes, we're serous. What is turning so many of these insects into, quote, flying salt shakers of death?

BERMAN: You're obsessed with the salt. It's the fact that their genitals are falling off and they still are sex-crazed. To me, that's so interesting.

KEILAR: I just have a little more decency, I think, is why I described it that way.

BERMAN: We'll see about that. Stay with us.

KEILAR: We will.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

KEILAR: In the Middle East, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding after about 12 hours now, but the recent violence in that region has taken a heavy toll on the children who are caught in the middle of this conflict. Earlier this week, a ten-year- old girl's plea from Gaza went viral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm always sick. I'm always -- I don't know. I can't do anything. All of this, what do you expect me to do? Fix it? I'm only ten. I can't even do anything anymore. I just want to be a doctor or anything to help my people, my cat. I'm just a kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The Norwegian Refugee Council said some of the children who were killed in their homes from these Israeli airstrikes have been participating in its trauma treatment program. Local authorities say at least 65 Palestinian children have been killed over the last 11 days.

Joining us now, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland.

Jan, I know that this is devastating for your non-profit and for the staff that is working with these kids. Can you tell us about these children?

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: 12 of these children, most of them small girls, were part of the trauma care program of the Norwegian Refugee Council. You know, this is the fifth war since 2006. All of these children had traumas. They had nightmares. They could not learn in school, so we were treating them, and it was a successful program.

And then we get in every single day through this onslaught, this military campaign, news of our children being killed by the new military campaign. I mean, their name was Dima, Rullah, Tallah (ph), beautiful girls, now they're all gone in this senseless exchange of missiles. It should not have happened. It must not happen again. KEILAR: What is it like for -- I mean, I know you look at this most recent conflict and must think about the effect that it specifically is having on kids in Gaza.

[07:20:01]

But this cumulative violence, what is the effect on kids?

EGELAND: It creates hopelessness. The girl, ten years, who says, what do you expect me to do? Fix this? I mean, these well-head men on either side, military and political leaders in Israel and armed groups in Gaza, they are not teaching each other's lessons. They're killing children on either side. And they are breeding hopelessness and bitterness, hatred in new generations in Gaza that will, of course, undermine the security of Israel. I mean, I have never seen such a counterproductive policy from any government, as from the Israeli government if they want to protect their population in the future.

So what we're doing now as non-governmental organizations is sending letters to world leaders, including the U.S. government, saying, we cannot return to what it was before this. The siege in Gaza has to end. The occupation, as it is, has to end. We need apolitical solutions. If not, we'll see a war every three, four, five years for eternity.

KEILAR: Sir, I know this is very difficult for your folks who have been working with these children and I thank you so much, Secretary General Jan Egeland, for coming on to talk about this with us.

EGELAND: Thank you.

BERMAN: So, cash for shots. States across the country rolling out big perks to get more vaccinated, but is it working?

KEILAR: And a historic election in Pittsburgh on the verge of electing its first black mayor. He will join us next with his vision for the city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: So, the states of New York and Maryland have both announced new lottery prices potentially for people who get vaccinated. New Yorkers going up to $5 million, Maryland will randomly pick someone to win $40,000 each day starting next week. All you have do to be eligible is to get vaccinated.

Now, this follows Ohio offering $5 million for people who get vaccinated. They can enter a lottery. The question is does it work? It turns out we do have some evidence. So let's go behind the numbers.

We're joined this morning by CNN Senior Political Writer and Analyst Harry Enten.

As I said, Ohio has done this. They've instituted this lottery. How is it working out so far?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: It seems to have done something, right? I mean, look at this. This is Ohio. This is a weekend-to-weekend change. The weekend after the lottery was instituted, look at that, up 28 percent on vaccinations among adults. The weekend before, so the baseline, it was down 25 percent. So, clearly, something has happened here.

And I was looking at the national numbers and they didn't rise anywhere near close to this 28 percent. So, you know what, you sort of put your head together and you've got to say, hey the instituted the lottery, the numbers are up, this seems to have done a little something.

BERMAN: That a lot of something, actually. That's a pretty huge swing, Harry.

ENTEN: Yes, yes. It's up from, say, around -- it's up around 30,000, I believe, or something along those lines. And what's so key, as we've been seeing these declines nationally, and all of a sudden we're able to reverse that, and that, I think, is what's --

BERMAN: Other states are doing other things too. What are some of the other states --

ENTEN: Right. So, if we look at it, we mentioned Maryland and New York with the lottery, New Jersey is trying free beer and wine, West Virginia, a 100 savings bond to those under the age of 35 or a gift card. So I'm all for this, right, trying to do some unusual things because this is an unusual time. This isn't like a political campaign. A lot of these folks that have not gotten vaccine yet are not registered to vote, so a political campaign can't work. So why not try something different for a change?

BERMAN: I was joking with the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine. He skipped right over a case of beer. If he wanted to up New Jersey, he could have gone a case of beer. He went from that to $5 million, so really upping the ante.

What about people who haven't been vaccinated, maybe the vaccinate hesitant though, what do they say they want to get the vaccine?

ENTEN: Yes. So we're trying all these interesting stuff and I'm all for it, right, giving away money. But interestingly enough, when you ask those who vaccine hesitant, what will make them more likely to get the vaccine, an employer giving them $200, AKA free money, just 26 percent say it makes them more likely to get the vaccine.

Some more traditional things actually seem to work better, right, so paid time off for the vaccine, 47 percent, a vaccine offered in a place they go for health care, 46 percent, 45 percent say only dose to be vaccinated. So it does seem that conveniency and familiarity are the things that are more likely to get the vaccine hesitant to get a shot than perhaps getting them money.

BERMAN: Make it easier. Make it easier and you'll reach a whole bunch of people.

Harry, who is not getting vaccinated? There's a disparity here, yes?

ENTEN: Right. So the other thing I think is so important to keep in mind is who has not gotten vaccinated and wants a vaccine? And, unfortunately, it's hurting communities of color, as well as those who are less fortunate economically. 18 percent of those who are black or Hispanic say they want the COVID-19 vaccine but have not yet been vaccinated. The same, 18 percent, income less than $50,000 versus the more fortunate among us economically and white folks, 11 percent say they want the COVID-19 vaccine but haven't gotten vaccinated.

So, again, I think we need to perhaps think a little bit almost -- not even simplistically, but the basic idea of putting these into places where the people who are perhaps less fortunate, at least, economically speaking, in order to get them to get the vaccine, just make it easier for them.

BERMAN: Again, these are people who want it.

ENTEN: These are people who want it.

BERMAN: So real opportunity is there.

All right, there's been some phenomenal data out in the last few days in terms of how we are doing on the battle against the coronavirus, and you've got one statistic to show us.

ENTEN: Yes. It was almost like pick and choose which of the good statistics we have, right? And I thought this made a pretty good case. So this is the weekly COVID test positivity rate. Look at this. It's at its lowest level ever during the pandemic, well below 5 percent now.

[07:30:02]

And, obviously, this is somewhat dependent on how many people are getting tested. But the fact is there are fewer people getting tested now, perhaps, and a little bit earlier on.