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Olympic Mess: No Fans, State Of Emergency, Controversies; Arizona Senate Plans Its Own Recount In Maricopa County; Top Adviser Tried To Improve Marjorie Taylor Greene's Reputation; Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 09, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

GREG LOUGANIS, OLYMPIC DIVING GOLD MEDALIST (via Skype): So, you know, it's been really uneven. So it will be an interesting Olympics.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's so interesting to hear you say that because I think there's actually been studies done that show when people have kind of a little bit of nerves or they're under scrutiny or the spotlight is on them, and if they're very good at what they do it even pushes them further towards mastery of that.

So you think that maybe they're not going to have that element in this competition?

LOUGANIS: Well, inspired performances -- I mean, how are they inspired? It's through the energy of the masses that are watching that or being a part of that because it's a collective -- it's a collective energy. And so, it's -- it'll be interesting to see how a lot of the athletes respond and how they perform. So -- because ultimately, I mean, they can only focus on what they're in control of, which is not a whole lot. It's their own performance.

That other stuff -- the COVID -- no control over that. No spectators, no control over that. So ultimately, it's in their hands -- their performance and how well they do it.

KEILAR: We are witnessing, I think, the blinders that these athletes can have on that really allow them to compartmentalize and focus on their performance. But at the same time, games, as you know, are remembered for their controversies and there have been a lot here in the past few weeks.

You've had international swimming -- the federation that has barred swimming caps designed for athletes with natural hairstyles. That obviously came under scrutiny. You had the hammer thrower, Gwen Berry, turning from the flag during the National Anthem on the podium. Sha'Carri Richardson's ban for marijuana use, among others, and her response to that.

How is that going to change the Games, if not how the athletes are executing their performances here? LOUGANIS: You know, I -- it's -- it really is up to the athlete and what they want to focus on. What do you put your focus on and if that focus is beneficial to your performance or if it detracts from your performance? So ultimately, you have to pick and choose what you put your energy into and where you put your focus because where your attention goes, focus goes, your energy goes, and so that's -- it's your responsibility to take care of that.

KEILAR: OK. For other huge Greg Louganis fans, besides myself, tell us about this feature film about your life that's releasing.

LOUGANIS: Oh my God. I mean, it's really exciting because they are going through casting and I know -- everybody's asked me who do you want to play your -- you -- and I said I don't know. I don't know.

But, yes, we're -- we've got an incredible script. Mathew Wilder wrote the script. And so, it's really exciting. It's coming together. Oh my God, it's happening.

KEILAR: It is happening. I can't wait to see it. And I can't wait to see who plays you so hopefully, we'll have some answers to that soon.

Greg Louganis, thank you so much.

LOUGANIS: Thank you.

KEILAR: So if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, and again, and again. What Arizona Republicans are now planning to do as their bogus election audit winds down.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And just in, an arrest in the triple-murder mystery on a Georgia golf course.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:37:40]

BERMAN: Developing overnight, eight months after the election and as the Arizona audit, in air quotes, nears the end, a new report from "The Arizona Republic" says the state's Republican-controlled Senate is planning to recount every single one of the 2.1 million ballots cast in the election.

Joining me now is Jen Fifield, a reporter for "The Arizona Republic," and Jessica Huseman. She's the editorial director in Votebeat.

And Jen, you're part of the team that broke this story overnight. And I read this and I said what? I mean, there's this audit which in and of itself has a bajillion questions surrounding it. And now, the Republican-led State Senate is going to recount them again after that? What's going on here?

JEN FIFIELD, REPORTER, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC (via Webex by Cisco): Well, first, thank you so much for having me.

Yes. So, the State Senate Republicans have started their recount on April 23rd. That's more than two months ago. They were packing up the ballots and all ready to ship them back to the counties, saying that their recount was complete.

And then yesterday, our reporter Mary Jo Pitzl was there on the scene and Sen. Karen Fann told her later we are going to actually recount the ballots again. This is recounting the ballots this time, not the votes. She said it's a triple check.

Meanwhile, it doesn't look like Cyber Ninjas, the lead contractor, is involved in this one. So maybe they want to compare what they get to the Cyber Ninjas.

But the bottom line has extended way past the original May 14th deadline and we're still here in July. And it may take another week or two, they say. They bought these counting machines that can count ballots very quickly.

So we'll see. They said this final report is coming out in August but yet, that's been pushed back as well.

BERMAN: I mean, Jessica, you can just recount ballots forever. Just keep counting them. Count them again and again to infinity. I mean, that's honestly, what it practically seems like here.

JESSICA HUSEMAN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, VOTEBEAT (via Webex by Cisco): You know, I think that is the answer when you don't get the result that you want. You just keep trying over and over and over again and one day you're spaghetti will stick to the wall. I think -- I think that that's the message we're getting.

BERMAN: It really was astounding to read that. We've got to learn much more about this and I'm sure we'll hear about it in the coming days.

[07:40:00]

So, Jen, in addition to this, there is this film -- I would call it a documentary but I think it probably sits somewhere in between the fantasy and fiction world here -- funded by the guy from overstock.com, Patrick Byrne, among other people.

And you had a chance to look at this video, which deals with the election, and something really jumped out at you, and that was what?

FIFIELD: Well, a few things jumped out at me. You're right -- this is someone who has been raising money for the audit. He just announced on Telegram to his followers that he has put $3.3 million into it -- way more than the Arizona Senate put into it, which is $150,000. So this is someone very invested in this audit.

He comes out with this movie saying that he has proof of election fraud. Meanwhile, I didn't see that proof presented in this movie. And then I'm watching it and they're showing the film crew walking through the cage with the ballots.

Meanwhile, the journalists who tried to get access to the audit are up in the coliseum -- not in the nosebleeds but close to it -- trying to watch what's going on. Obviously, they have chain of custody that they've promised that they'll maintain the security of the ballots. So it was shocking to me to see that they had let someone besides the workers and whoever they had planned to into those ballot cages.

BERMAN: So, Jessica, what do you make of this? I mean, this is clearly this, one would think, highly partisan film crew here with a definite point of view allowed right next to the ballots? How unusual is that?

HUSEMAN: This is extremely unusual. I have been covering elections since the very beginning of 2016. I have been on dozens of counting floors like the one that Jen described and I have never been allowed access to anything like this. It is very unusual that people not directly working with the counting process would be allowed to be in this cage, as we're describing it, at all.

This is a very secure area. The ballots are kept and secured for obvious reasons. And so, to allow an untrained, unregistered film crew back there to not only be near the ballots but to actually film them is so insecure that it's almost laughable. And I would have a difficult time believing it if we had not just witnessed two months of complete calamity at the hands of Cyber Ninjas and their various co- conspirators here.

BERMAN: Jessica Huseman, Jen Fifield, our thanks to both of you -- appreciate it.

So, Kevin McCarthy facing a serious leadership test here. New reporting on his attempts to rein in some of his party's most extreme members.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:47:08]

KEILAR: Just in to CNN, a top adviser to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was involved in a behind-the-scenes effort to rehabilitate the reputation of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. This adviser facilitated Taylor Greene's visit to the Holocaust Memorial, which you may remember from last month, after which she publicly apologized for her anti-Semitic remarks.

Here's the thing, though. That remorse didn't stick. She invoked Nazi- era imagery again this week to mock COVID safety practices.

Melanie Zunona has this fascinating story. It's really interesting. This attempt to rehab Marjorie Taylor Greene's reputation didn't work, perhaps because it wasn't something that was organic for her.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Right, exactly. I mean, the issue for Kevin McCarthy is that he has taken a really soft-hand touch when it comes to these radical members in his conference. He has not punished them. He prefers to work behind the scenes. He'll call them in and have private meetings with them. I've also learned there's a mentorship program in place where they'll assign senior lawmakers to sort of guide some of these younger freshmen, like Greene, like Lauren Boebert, but it's not working. We've seen these members act out.

And it's not just Greene. There are members in the House Republican Conference who have spoke at a conference organized by a white nationalist. There are Republicans who are suggesting the FBI had something to do with the January sixth insurrection. And there are Republicans who are essentially defending the rioter who was shot after she stormed the Capitol.

So I think for McCarthy it is a question of whether this loose parenting style is effective. And it's also a huge political risk for him as well because Democrats are really trying to seize on this and make it a campaign issue in the 2022 midterms.

But at the end of the day, I think the reality for McCarthy is that he doesn't want to alienate these group of Donald Trump-aligned Republicans whom he will need to count on for votes for speaker one day.

KEILAR: To borrow your parenting phrase, these youngsters kind of think they know everything --

ZANONA: Yes.

KEILAR: -- right? But where is the -- where is the parenting? The actual stepping in.

ZANONA: Right, exactly. And there's been no consequences. There's been no punishments.

If you remember, there has been some punishments for some Republicans. Liz Cheney, if you recall, was kicked out of leadership earlier this year for her repeated criticism of Trump. And Democrats say that's a clear double standard. McCarthy will not punish Greene and others who have crossed the line in the conference.

KEILAR: It's a fascinating report, Melanie. Thank you.

ZANONA: Thank you.

BERMAN: The characters you can't stop laughing out and the situations you can't get enough of. Since the beginning of television, sitcoms have kept generations of Americans smiling and helped them navigate an ever-changing cultural landscape.

Now, the new CNN Original Series "THE HISTORY OF THE SITCOM" brings us a behind-the-scenes look at your favorite sitcoms from across the decades.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those were not real people but they entertained and delighted us.

ROBERT YOUNG, ACTOR, "FATHER KNOWS BEST": All right, kids, dinner's on. We're sitting down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you get "FATHER KNOWS BEST" it's very patriarchal, dealing with tiny little problems.

YOUNG: A quiet evening at home. I can use it.

[07:50:04]

WILLIAM THOMAS GRAY, ACTOR, "FATHER KNOWS BEST": And I played Bud. Well, I usually had a problem with truth-telling on some level.

YOUNG: What was all that racket upstairs?

GRAY: I didn't hear anything.

"FATHER KNOWS BEST" represented the good life, the American dream.

YOUNG: Yes, I'll read you one story, and then off to bed you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, joining us now is Annie Potts, actor and star of the hit sitcoms "DESIGNING WOMEN" and "YOUNG SHELDON." Thank you so much for being with us. It's such an honor to get to speak to you. A big fan of your work.

ANNIE POTTS, ACTRESS (via Webex by Cisco): Thank you.

BERMAN: You know, when we talk about the sitcom it really is part of America since the 1950s. What role do you think they play in our culture?

POTTS: Well, I mean, I think they're great touchstones for what's really going on.

My first memory, or one of them -- one of my first memories in life was watching "I LOVE LUCY" and my mother bringing me my bottle. So that kind of started it off.

Just as the American musical is a very American thing, situation comedies are essentially an American invention. And I think that they've -- they always reflect society and provoke it sometimes -- certainly in the last couple of decades. But it's a wonderful vehicle for commenting on what's happening in society.

BERMAN: You know, you talk about how sitcoms, in some ways, reflect the culture and in some ways even advance culture, right?

"DESIGNING WOMEN" is a show like that -- or was a show like that with four independent women working all at a designing firm. Talk to me about that show and what role you think it had.

POTTS: Well, we were four independent southern women working professionally with a Black man in Atlanta 30 years ago. Think about that.

BERMAN: Yes.

POTTS: I mean, we were a very edgy political show. Our creators wanted that in the -- after the fashion of what Norman Lear was doing with "ALL IN THE FAMILY." I mean, look what Archie Bunker did. Everybody had an Archie Bunker in the family.

And, I mean, every one of those -- of course, Edith was the subservient wife, and the rebellious daughter -- Meathead. It was -- I mean, these are always characters that we can all recognize.

BERMAN: Annie Potts, great to speak to you. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Thank you for all you've done and all the joy --

POTTS: Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: -- you've provided us over the years.

POTTS: Thank you, my privilege.

BERMAN: All right.

Be sure, everyone, to tune in. The all-new CNN Original Series, "THE HISTORY OF THE SITCOM" premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific, only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:25]

BERMAN: So, forget the so-called war on Christmas. It seems there's now a war on history and some political figures are going in with their guns only half-cocked.

John Avlon with a reality check.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know I love it when we can use history to impose perspective on our politics. But Americans' partisan history wars are getting exhausting and often just plain wrong -- from false claims about the Founding Fathers to a blame game over removing Confederate statues in Congress to critical race theory panic, to the Nazi comparisons that some wingnuts just can't seem to quit. And that's just in the past few weeks.

Now, trying to make July Fourth into a partisan holiday is exhibit A in missing the freaking point.

Listen to former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, FORMER TRUMP PRESS SECRETARY: And they never take a day off of getting the facts wrong. We know most of our forefathers -- all of our main Founding Fathers were against slavery and recognized the evils of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Now, I'm a big fan of the Founding Fathers but what she said is just not remotely true. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton opposed slavery. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, along with the majority of men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Yes, they need to be understood in the context of their time, but that was the context of their time.

A crucial sense of perspective was also missing from this recent congressional debate about finally removing statues of Confederates and segregationists from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): All the statues being removed by this bill are statues of Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Now, it's true but it also willfully misses the larger point. They were the conservatives of their time. They were primarily southern populists who wanted to conserve slavery and segregation, which might help count for the fact that 120 House Republicans voted against removing the Confederate statues, while all Democrats supported it.

In the latest game of whataboutism, though, conservatives have been obsessed with critical race theory, hoping it can help them win the midterms.

It's unclear how many schools are actually teaching this, and good people can disagree about CRT. But we're already seeing GOP cancel culture with Tennessee trying to ban public schools from teaching any ideas that promote, quote, "discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress." As you might guess, that's pretty much unenforceable and almost certainly unconstitutional.

That push to ban ideas in the name of patriotism also reared its head in Texas where GOP leaders pressured the state museum to cancel a book talk about slavery's role in the Battle of the Alamo.

But the most sordid front in America's partisan history wars has to do with Nazis, and I really can't believe we're still debating the Nazi legacy in any way, shape, or form.

But, Marjorie Taylor Greene, just weeks from her supposedly educational visit to the Holocaust Museum, couldn't resist returning to form, comparing efforts to promote vaccines that save lives to Nazi-era brown-shirt tactics, which comes on the heels of her congressional colleague Scott Perry comparing Democrats to Nazis. And just before the report that ex-President Trump allegedly told his chief of staff, John Kelly, that, quote, "Hitler did a lot of good things." No, he didn't. And we really shouldn't have to hope that a former U.S.

president or current congresswoman would get schooled up on basic facts of history before flapping their gums.

But too many of our leaders treat half-baked history like a weapon and their cluelessness is killing us by undermining any common sense of facts, which is why, at the very least, we've got to invest in teaching civics again. Because only about a quarter of eighth-graders in 2018 scored proficient or better on a basic civics test. About 15 percent scoring the same on American history. That's not sustainable for a self-governing society.

So here's an idea. Every graduating high school senior should be required to pass the same basic citizenship test that emigrants take when they apply for naturalization. Because if our leaders keep screwing up basic facts about American history while trying to rewrite history by peddling the big lie, we're going to need to make sure the next generation recognizes this B.S. and has the ability to hold themselves to a higher standard.

And that's your reality check.

BERMAN: I think it's a fair assumption that a lot don't know the history. But I also think it's quite possible that many are willfully manipulating or lying about it as well.

AVLON: For freaking sure.

BERMAN: John Avlon, thanks so much for that.

NEW DAY continues right now.

KEILAR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar alongside John Berman on this new day.

Confusion over COVID booster shots. Do Americans need them or don't they? The former surgeon general is standing by to answer that question.

Plus, Texas Republicans once again trying to make voting more difficult. Can Democrats stave them off? George Conley joins us in a moment.

BERMAN: Spectators banned from the Tokyo Summer Games. How disappointing is that for athletes who have trained so hard.