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QAnon Proponents Get Press Credentials at Trump Rally; Goalie Killed in Fireworks Accident; Friend of Murdered Golfer Speaks to CNN; Ukrainian Army Forces Female Soldiers to Wear Heels; Wolfgang Puck is Interviewed about his Documentary. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 06, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That being said, hours for the rank and file are getting longer. Morale is plummeting already. Fewer officers does nothing to help that.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: No, it exacerbates it. You know, they really have to address that.

Can you also talk about this other story that we're tracking here.

CNN has learned that two QAnon adherents got press credentials to former President Trump's rally over the weekend in Florida. How did that happen, do we know?

WILD: Right. So, yes, so we're learning a little bit more about this, this morning. And what we know is that this is based on sources familiar with how this all happened, that there were two people who were affiliated with a right leaning talk radio organization. And so it was through that organization they were able to actually get press credentials to this event. However, a source is saying that they're going to review the policies for that because, again, the source is saying that these people were, you know, QAnon adherents or QAnon conspiracy --

KEILAR: Theorists, yes.

WILD: Theorists, exactly. Leaned -- leaned conspiracy theory wise.

So, you know, that -- this is a story that we're continuing to report out. But the point is that people who are inclined to conspiracy theories are still very attracted to President Trump, and that is a big problem, especially because I forgot to mention, there are still these swirling threats, especially surrounding August when there's this conspiracy theory flowing out -- floating out there that President Trump is going to come back to the White House in August. So that remains a threat that intelligence officials are monitoring. And, clearly, there are people who are still inclined to conspiracy theories who are just so attracted to the former president.

KEILAR: Attracted and being welcomed in to the press -- to the press area. WILD: Right. Exactly.

KEILAR: It's pretty crazy.

Whitney, thank you so much.

Whitney Wild.

A goalie in the NHL killed during a fireworks accident. We have some new details about what happened here before his death.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, a manhunt underway after a golf pro was murdered on a Georgia golf course. One of his friends joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:06]

BERMAN: Just a terrible story out of the sports world this morning. The death of Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks. The 24- year-old Latvian was killed over the July 4th weekend when he was struck in the chest by fireworks.

Carolyn Manno joins us now.

You know, we always hear the warning about fireworks, and this is why.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a really tragic story. He was so young.

Good morning, John.

The hockey community is just shaken by this tragic accident. He was 24 years old. In a statement, the Blue Jackets organization calling him an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile.

He played for four years within the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, and he also played in several international tournaments for his native Latvia, including this year's world championships.

But on Sunday night, he was in an outdoor hot tub with a group of people in Michigan and police say a set of fireworks malfunctioned, sending a mortar directly toward them, and according to the local medical examiner, he died from chest trauma that was caused from the mortar blast.

Before game four of the Stanley Cup finals last night, The Canadians and the Lightening did hold a moment of silence in his honor, in Montreal. Tampa's head coach, Jon Cooper, visibly shaken and upset like everybody else after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

: It's an awful tragedy, for anybody to -- family to go through that. But somebody in the NHL family, as close as we all are, as the two teams even battling out there, anyway, from all the Lightning, our condolences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That's just terrible.

MANNO: Yes, it's really sad.

BERMAN: All right, the Olympics coming up in a few weeks. Is it finally here after the, you know, the six year -- five year wait at this point. A understand a third athlete, though, has tested positive upon arriving in Tokyo.

MANNO: Yes, this is just the beginning of what is going to be a lot of logistical challenge for everybody involved. And IOC President Thomas Bach is set to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday. There's a laundry list of items waiting for him there.

And the Japanese government has to decide if they are now going to extend that quasi state of emergency that they put into effect in Tokyo. That runs out on July 11th.

But as for the immediate handling of what happened here with this Serbian rower, the town in which his pre-camp was held is now going to -- they're going to wipe that camp because there's athletes from other countries who are also looking to do their pre-Olympic training camp there. So, that goes away. The athletes, right now, are in a 14-day isolation period, and this is the beginning of trying to navigate how they're going to handle these cases that are going to occur, because the virus is going to make its way in.

BERMAN: Yes, this will be such a complicated games. I mean I think the world wants to see it. I think we're all desperate for this type of thing. But, man is it going to be tough.

Carolyn Manno, thanks so much.

Brianna.

KEILAR: Police in Georgia are searching for a suspect and a motive in the killing of three people, including a golf pro, Gene Siller, who witnesses say was shot and killed on the golf course where he worked.

I'm joined now by Brian Katrek, who is a friend of Gene Siller's and anchor of Sirius XM, "PGA Tour Radio?

Brian, I am so sorry for your loss and the loss of everyone in this golf community, which is very much what a golf club is, it's a community. How is this community faring?

BRIAN KATREK: Well, Brianna, thank you.

They're rallying remarkably well. I'm a member at Pinetree, and you know, Gene was our pro. And the pro is the straw that stirs the drink. You know, you go there as an escape. You go there for some relaxation and to kind of let your hair down, and the best golf pros are guys that can facilitate that, and people with tremendous hospitality and a big smile, and that's who Gene was.

KEILAR: And I know that you saw him recently. You were recently paired with him in a charity golf tournament?

KATREK: It wasn't a charity golf tournament. That's the other thing. So there's a difference between the PGA of America and the PGA tour. The PGA of America, those are the club professionals that are behind the counter when you go into a golf facility, and that's what Gene was.

[06:40:04]

But those folks can play also. And so we were playing -- we were playing at an event. A Georgia section even at Pinetree about a month ago. And, you know, he was his typical self.

And golf beats you up, you know? Anybody that's played knows that it's really hard to maintain a good attitude out there while all this bad stuff is going on to your golf ball, and scores keep getting added to your score card. But Gene always had a great attitude. And they say golf really reveals a man's character. You can really tell who somebody is by playing a round on the golf course.

And, you know, that gets a little overstated because you talk about overcoming, you know, quote "adversity" because your ball went in a ditch, but you do get a glimpse of how somebody deals with setbacks, and Gene was always fun to hang around.

KEILAR: Yes. I'm a lifelong golfer. I definitely connect with that assessment of the game and how it reveals some character.

How are you feeling, how are folks at Pinetree feeling about the lack of information here? I mean this person still on the loose and there really is a lack of movement on finding Gene's killer.

KATREK: Yes, I don't know how the rest of the members feel about it. I know there's, obviously, some anxiety and you want to catch the person responsible. But Gene's involvement is so random. That's really the takeaway from the members that I've spoken to is that this -- this could have happened that day in a number of ways, you know?

The fact -- the fact that this happened in the fashion that it did, you know, you -- we could have lost Gene. We could have lost any of our friends in a number of ways that day in just as quick a fashion. This doesn't make any sense. You know, like we can't -- we don't know why the truck was there. We -- there's no connection between -- that anybody can see between the stolen truck or the owner of the truck or the perpetrator here and the club. This is just a wrong place, wrong time.

And, you know, Gene was out on the golf course, Brianna, so you understand, this was the day where the fireworks display was going to go off. This was a day with the pool was busy, the tennis courts were busy, the golf course was busy. We probably had more members on property on this Saturday because of the fireworks display than any other day. And Gene was out there doing exactly what you do. You're out there showing your hospitality, you're driving around, you're checking on members, and he comes down the cart path at 11:00, heading to 10 green at just exactly the wrong time,. So I think the reaction from members right now is still of pretty profound shock.

KEILAR: Yes, and his family as well. I think one of the things that you have mentioned that really stuck out to me was how he marked his golf balls, which, you know, when you're playing competitively, you do that to show that your golf ball is different from someone else's as you hit it far away obviously. And he marked it with his son's names, with his kids' names on the ball. I know you mentioned that. So we can't forget that, you know, lost here is the father of two young kids.

KATREK: And, Brianna, you understand, having played the game, you know, I went and picked up one of his golf shots. Unfortunately for him it was a provisional, but I picked it up and so I asked him, hey, what about the way you do this. saw Ashton I asked him, hey, what about the way you do this, and for those who don't know, he's writing his son's names on his golf ball with a sharpie, and he Just lit it up

You know, now it means that for the next 10 to 15 minutes we're talking about his kids, and that he knew what that meant and he just utterly lit up.

And there was a Go Fund Me page set up by a member of the club, Diane McPherson (ph). And the support that it's gotten -- and that's for Ashley (ph) and the kids. And the support that it's gotten from the golf community, not only Pinetree members, but the worldwide golf community, the PGA of America put a statement out, PGA tour players have started to react to this, and the support that the family is getting is -- has been -- has been pretty remarkable. That's not something that we're going to focus on right now. But I know at some point in time it's going to be appreciated.

KEILAR: Yes, it is wonderful that they are being focused on by the community.

Brian Katrek, thank you for being with us this morning.

KATREK: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: Now, Stiller was one of at least 150 people killed in over 400 shootings this weekend. We'll have more on the worsening U.S. gun violence epidemic ahead.

BERMAN: Plus, why are women soldiers being forced to march in high heels?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:52]

BERMAN: This morning, military officials in Ukraine are defending some bizarre marching orders to require female soldiers wear high heels in a military parade. The women have been training to march in an independence day parade next month but some Ukrainian lawmakers angry about the footwear.

CNN's Matthew Chance following this story for us.

You know, Matthew, like, what the what?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I know, John, it is -- it's painful, isn't it, to look at that photograph of those female soldiers being forced to practice marching in those heels. I mean, look, to be fair, there's been a big outcry in Russia -- in, sorry, Ukraine about this with cabinet ministers saying it's inappropriate of course for female soldiers to be portrayed in that way. They're saying it doesn't reflect the combat nature of these troops. Remember, Ukraine is at war are Russian backed rebels in the east of the country and there was something like 57,000 female soldiers that are playing their part in fighting that war.

And there's a sort of issue been raised about, you know, how dangerous it is if, you know, to the actual people wearing the shoes right there and then marching in those shoes with heels. And so all these issues have been raised.

[06:50:03]

The defense ministry in Ukraine has, you know, tried to sort of feebly defend itself, saying, look, you know, other militaries in the world, they issue these kinds of shoes to female personnel as well, although there's been pushback on that saying, well, yes, but they're not expected when they're dressed in uniform to march in these heels.

And there has been a bit of a development over the weekend where the Ukrainian defense ministry are saying, OK, we're going to -- we're going to look at the appropriateness of the footwear for these Ukrainian female soldiers. They haven't made a decision yet, but it looks like they're sort of heading in the direction of reviewing this very controversial decision.

KEILAR: Do we understand, Matthew, why they decided to do this in the first place? I mean, is this something that they have always done that is outdated? Do they have a rational for why women should be wearing different footwear in a parade than men?

CHANCE: Well, yes, I mean, it's a good question. And I think it's a reflection much more broadly about the debate that's going on all around the world in the U.S., elsewhere, in Ukraine, as well about what's appropriate and what's not appropriate when it comes to the different -- the different sections. I mean last year this was not an issue. You know, this year in Ukraine, it is an issue, and it's going to be looked at.

But it just shows you that, you know, all over the world there is that debate that is ongoing. People in different countries are in different places in that debate. This is where they are in Ukraine, you know, looking at whether it's appropriate that female soldiers should wear high heels on parade. And so that's where we are.

KEILAR: Yes. BERMAN: It's just interesting given that Ukraine's a country at war, as you say. If there's any place right now, I think, where they should understand this kind of thing.

Matthew Chance, thank you.

KEILAR: Thank you, Matthew.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck says even though the industry is back, as America reopens, restaurants are struggling to find workers. And he will join us next.

BERMAN: Plus, is the variant evading the vaccine? An Israeli study finds the Pfizer vaccine less effective against the highly transmissible delta variant. We have those details ahead on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:50]

KEILAR: You know his name. You may have eaten at one of his restaurants or even used some of his products in your own kitchen. Now you can see what made Wolfgang Puck into one of the world's most renowned celebrity chefs in a brand new documentary.

Let's watch part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLFGANG PUCK, CELEBRITY CHEF: As a kid being in Austria, life with my stepfather was really rough. He would say, you're never going to be anything. If you are a real man, stay out of the kitchen. But the kitchen was the only place where I felt safe.

I decided at that moment I want to prove him wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Such a beautiful moment.

And with us now is chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck.

We're familiar with you, but really we're familiar with a certain part of your life, and that's why I think this documentary is so interesting. We're also going to learn about the years that preceded this.

WOLFGANG PUCK, CHEF AND RESTAURANTEUR: Exactly. You're going to learn about my childhood. And, you know, it's so interesting, people always look back at their childhood, what a great time I had as a kid. It was amazing. For me it was quite the opposite. My stepfather was terrible, may he rest in peace, but still, you know, he really beat us up. He was drunk.

KEILAR: Physically abused you. PUCK: Physically abusive and abusive to my sister, and everything and

we couldn't wait for him to get out of the house. You know, he used to be a coal miner. He used to come home for 20 days and then he was home for 10 days, and worked for 20 days. And then when he was at home, it was like a nightmare for us. And he always told me, oh, you're good for nothing. You're -- nothing ever going to happen with you and so forth. And, finally, when I was 14 years old, I left my home, moved 50 miles away, found a little room, and started my apprenticeship as a cook.

KEILAR: Which is amazing. I mean you took adversity and you turned it around. A lot of people don't do that. They're not able to do that. You left home at 14.

PUCK: Yes.

KEILAR: And I wonder, you know, what you're hoping that people take away from that, watching thin documentary. Especially, this is going to be on Disney Plus where, you know, you might even have some young people watching with their parents.

PUCK: I think it's important, especially now with the pandemic happening. You know, it's a big adversity, and we learn something about it. How to live with ourself. How not to be social. So it was a very difficult time. So that's -- I'm sure I'll pick adversity for a lot of kids who never had that happen, for a lot of parents who had never have that happen.

But I think, for me, because my stepfather was so abusive, and the chef was the same way. You know, when I started as a 14-year-old, he basically fired me after three weeks on the job because we ran out of potatoes, and called me over and said, you're good for nothing, go back home to your mother and everything. And that night, I said, I'm going to jump in the river and kill myself. I mean it was so bad. And I think, for me, at the end, I said, I'm going to show you, I'm going to be something.

KEILAR: But I also want to talk to you about this moment that we are at with the restaurant industry trying to bounce back from COVID. What are you looking for? How quickly do you think this is going to come back, if at all?

PUCK: I really believe that the world is coming back. But the difficult thing is to find enough people to work. You know, people are on unemployment and they get the federal money, so they said, well, why should we work to make a few hundred bucks more a week. I stay home with my kids or I stay home and go to the beach. So it's really difficult to open up. Like (INAUDIBLE) in Los Angeles, I can't open up. I don't have enough people.

KEILAR: While I have you here, I want to do kind of a quick fire Q&A with you.

PUCK: Yes.

KEILAR: So, first thing, what is your favorite dish to make? PUCK: You know, I don't have one favorite dish to make because there

are too many different things. Like, right now, here --

KEILAR: This is quick fire. You have to tell me something. You have to tell me something, Wolfgang.

PUCK: OK. Really fast? OK.

KEILAR: One of your favorite dishes.

PUCK: My favorite dish last night is soft shell crab because they are right out of the Chesapeake Bay.

KEILAR: Yes, they are.

OK, what food did you eat way too much of during the quarantine?

PUCK: Sweets.

[07:00:00]

KEILAR: What kind?

PUCK: I love chocolate. I love caramel, pastries, ice cream. You name it, I love sweets.

KEILAR: And your favorite dish to cook?

PUCK: My favorite.