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Republicans on January 6th Hearing; Jordan Admits to Speaking to Trump; DOJ Refuses to Protect Brooks; Sun Lee Makes Olympic Debut; Sandra Lindsay is Interviewed about COVID Vaccines; Storms to hit Midwest and Northeast. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 28, 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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[06:30:34]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, what did some Republicans think of the emotional, raw testimony from the officers who saved them from the mob of Trump supporters on January 6th? Well, not much apparently. They couldn't be bothered to watch or listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: You have anything to say about the Capitol Police officers that testified?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't watch it. I don't know what happened.

QUESTION: Senator McConnell, did you watch any of the hearing today?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): No, I didn't.

QUESTION: Why not?

MCCONNELL: I was busy doing work. I serve in the Senate.

QUESTION: So you think that some of the protesters were actually -- had good intentions on that day, is that what you (INAUDIBLE)?

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): I think some of those protectors tried -- protesters tried to protect that police officer. And I think that ought to be noted.

QUESTION: But do you think that, you know, your life --

JOHNSON: There were -- there were -- there were tens of thousands of people that day that engaged in peaceful protests. There were a few hundred that committed acts of violence. Those are the people I condemn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, it should be noted that Senator Johnson acknowledged that officers saved his life weeks after saying he never felt like he was in any kind of danger.

CNN's Lauren Fox joins us now with the latest on this.

Lauren, the idea that these hearings could be going on with this really raw, personal testimony from the officers and there are lawmakers who, you know, couldn't be bothered to watch.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I thought that it was interesting because the Capitol was riveted. I mean one of the pictures that I just want to paint for people back home is that Capitol Police officers, who were on duty and doing their job, were engage and looking at their phones. We saw multiple Capitol Police officers looking at this testimony because, look, this is what they experienced and this was emotional, seeing your colleagues talking about what you experienced firsthand, kind of hand to hand combat that they were enduring in the halls of Congress, that's powerful stuff.

I think some of the Republicans who said they didn't watch it, or some of the same Republicans who never saw Donald Trump's treats, these are Republicans who don't want to believe that there was something so dangerous, so harmful to democracy that happened that day. And I think that's why you're starting to see so many of them say, I didn't have time to watch, I didn't want to watch, I couldn't watch, I think that that is sad, you know, honestly.

BERMAN: I think there are a lot of Republican lawmakers who don't have access to cell phones and television sets. This is something that might need to be addressed.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: It's like they're trying to hide under a rock.

BERMAN: Almost as if.

KEILAR: Almost as if they're trying.

I think it's so interesting you mentioned the engagement of police officers. They want to -- they're protecting these people. They want to know, do I matter? Does this experience that I had even matter to these folks? And I think the answer is very clear by what some Republicans are saying.

We also saw Jim Jordan seeming to admit last night that he actually spoke to Trump on the day of the insurrection.

Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS: Did you talk to the former president that day?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I talked to the former president umpteen times, thousands -- I mean maybe not a thousand times but countless -- countless times.

BAIER: I mean on January 6th. JORDAN: I talked to the president -- I never talk about what we talk

about, because I just don't think that's appropriate. Just like I don't talk about what happens in Republican conferences.

BAIER: Sure.

JORDAN: But I talked to the president numerous times. I continue to talk to the president since he left office.

BAIER: No, no, I mean on January 6th, Congressman?

JORDAN: Yes. I mean I've talked to the president -- I've talked to the president so many -- I can't remember all the days I've talked to him, but I've certainly talked to the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So is he a witness?

FOX: Well, I think that's obviously one of the key questions here. And we have been looking at whether or not Representative Jim Jordan would be one of those people that Democrats on the Select Committee ask to testify because of his close relationship with the former president. He did tell CNN last week that he would be interested, he had nothing to hide if he were called to testify. I think that's notable.

Obviously here he is trying to conflate the fact that any call he might have had on January 6th was no different than any other call he had on December 24th or January 8th, that he talked to the president so often that it's not quite clear when he was having those conversations. And I think that might be part of the strategy here, right, to obscure what you and the president talked about because maybe you can or maybe you can't remember exactly the specifics of the call that day.

BERMAN: I think there are two words to describe what Jim Jordan just admitted to being, and they are "material witness." I mean, you know, he tried to talk himself around it, but he says, yes, yes, I talked to him that day. OK, Congressman, what did you talk about? And that's what I think people want to know as they piece together what Liz Cheney asked for the minute by minute of what was going on in the White House.

FOX: Yes.

BERMAN: Some other big news last night that has to do with January 6th was that the Justice Department has said it's not going to get involved in the lawsuit against Congressman Mo Brooks. Explain exactly what this means.

FOX: Yes, so this is a civil lawsuit that was brought by Eric Swalwell against Mo Brooks and others who he argued had contributed to the events of January 6th and have incited violence that day.

[06:35:08] This is really based off that speech that Mo Brooks gave at the ellipse where -- and I want to read part of it. He basically said, our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their -- their -- and sometimes their fortunes. And then he goes on to say, are you willing to do the same to this crowd?

And I think that what the Justice Department is arguing here is, he didn't give that speech in his official capacity. What he was doing was giving a political speech, therefore they are not obligated to step in and defend him. And, obviously, that could have long-term repercussions when it comes to whether or not they step in for anyone else as these civil lawsuits continue.

KEILAR: Yes, it's significant, he would get more protection if he was doing it in his official capacity.

FOX: Exactly. Exactly.

KEILAR: So it's a really interesting distinction.

BERMAN: Lauren Fox, great to see you.

All right, Simone Biles announcing that she is out of tomorrow's all around gymnastics competition. We will speak to the parents of another star on the USA gymnastics team.

KEILAR: Plus, Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde confronted over his claim that the Capitol rioters looked like tourists. We'll have the fiery exchange coming up.

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[06:40:28]

KEILAR: Breaking news overnight, Simone Biles announcing she will not compete in tomorrow's all around gymnastics competition for Team USA. This is the individuals competition. USA Gymnastics says she is withdrawing to focus on her mental health, and she has their support. Biles will be replaced by Jade Carey, who will join her teammates, Sunisa Lee, to compete in the all-around final.

And with me now are Sunisa's very proud parents, John Le and Yeev Thoj.

I want to thank you both for being with us. I know that if you were looking at "The New York Times" this morning there's headline that says, when Simone Biles stepped back, Suni Lee stepped up. There's a lot riding on the shoulders of your daughter today. And I wonder if you can just react to the news of Simone Biles pulling out of these all around competitions.

John.

JOHN LEE, FATHER OF U.S. GYMNAST SUNISA LEE: Well, we -- we are very surprised. A what we -- we don't know what to say. I mean, Simone Biles out and we don't know how -- how that's going to turn out. So -- and we know Jade Carey is stepping in.

KEILAR: Yeev --

LEE: Hope Jade Carey step in and they -- and just do just as well.

YEEV THOJ, MOTHER OF U.S. GYMNAST SUNISA LEE: Wow. Well, I hope Simone is OK. I hope she's doing OK and I hope she gets the needs that -- help that she need. Yes, that is kind of like shocking. You know, having Sunisa stepping up and Jade Carey also, they just have to go out there and do their best.

KEILAR: Yeev, I wonder, you know, one of the things that your daughter has talked about, knowing in a sense that when she was really arriving and that she belonged was that she was competing at a level with Simone Biles because she, of course, came second in the qualifying. Your daughter is tremendous. Anyone who hasn't seen her on the uneven bars especially needs to look. It is unbelievable what she can do.

Do you worry about how this affects her? She is in a role that she maybe didn't plan for.

THOJ: I think she can handle it. I mean this is -- I'm like, she -- I mean she -- she could probably -- she could handle the pressure. So I see that in her. So like when she's under pressure, then she seems to get herself, you know, out there and do better. So she can handle the pressure. So I think she'll be OK.

KEILAR: She said, John, that when Simone Biles withdrew, that Suni said it was the most pressure I've ever felt in my life. What has she been telling you about her path forward at the Olympics?

LEE: So we spoke with her a little bit and, yes, she said there was a lot of pressure on her. She -- but like -- I've told her that, you know, she went through a lot of -- she experienced all this pressure all the time. So like when I got hurt, she was in a lot of pressure and she still did well. So she handled pressure pretty good. And, she -- yes. I think she -- you know, she worries, but I think she'll do OK.

KEILAR: You mentioned when you got hurt. You actually suffered an accident in 2019 that left you paralyzed. That's what you're referring to. And I know that this has made the path for Suni to the Olympics tough. Tell me a little bit about her path towards really this big moment tomorrow when she'll be competing in the individual all around.

LEE: Yes, she -- well, in the past when, when I'm -- I mean she's just been competing under pressure I think all the way, ever since I got injured in 2019 up to now up to the point where she made the Olympics and even, you know, going to the Olympics and then after the team event, Simone pulled out, she got -- you know, and she got into pressure into competing with the team without Simone. And, you know, I -- she -- she handled it pretty well, you know, up until now. I mean she's -- so going forward I think she'll -- she'll be OK.

[06:45:06] KEILAR: Well, Yeev and John, I know it's tough. We're talking to you there in St. Paul. I know that you want to be there in person watching your daughter but that you are watching her from afar as we are. Big day tomorrow as she competes in this individual all around. We'll certainly be cheering her on, along with you.

Thank you both.

LEE: Thank you.

THOJ: Thank you.

KEILAR: She was the first American to receive a coronavirus vaccine in the United States, and now she's joining us live on NEW DAY to respond to Americans who refuse to get the shot.

BERMAN: Plus, the CDC director joins us to explain why changes were just made to the guidance on mask wearing.

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BERMAN: This morning, a change in the masking guidance from the CDC. The CDC now recommendation fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with high or substantial coronavirus transmission. Of course, unvaccinated people should be wearing them always. Right now you can see the substantial transmission areas, the red and orange right there make up a majority of counties in the United States.

Joining me now is a medical pioneer who is now part really of American history, critical care nurse Sandra Lindsey.

[06:50:03]

She was America's first vaccine recipient after working on the front lines of the pandemic.

I just want to replay the video of that moment, Sandra.

Let's watch.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. And that was the shot felt around the world, shall we say. The first vaccine delivered in the United States. Such an important moment.

But I wonder, going from then, in December to now, if you'd ever thought we'd be in a moment where in a way we're going backwards. You know, instead of making progress in the fight against coronavirus, we're backsliding a little bit, issuing new mask guidance, having a hard time signing people up for vaccinations.

SANDRA LINDSAY, NURSE AND FIRST U.S. COVID-19 VACCINE RECIPIENT: Hello. Good morning, John.

BERMAN: What does it feel like to be in this moment, Sandra, where things seem to be moving in the wrong direction?

LINDSAY: So, you know, we are overwhelmed with dealing with this deadly coronavirus. We've been at this now for 17 months. I still believe that we're closer to the finish than we were over a year ago. So I can understand the frustration, but we are still learning as we go along.

And so what the CDC is saying is that in areas where we have low vaccination rates, people that are unvaccinated are at a higher risk for sure, but people who are vaccinated, they're recommending that they wear masks to protect most of the people who are unvaccinated because we see now that there's a pandemic among the unvaccinated.

Like other states and other hospital systems have reported, we're seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations for unvaccinated people. Not to the extent that we were a year ago. For example, in April of 2020, we had 4,500 people across our health system. Today we have a little bit over 100.

BERMAN: Is it --

LINDSAY: So we're not where we were before, but we can lose all the progress that we have made if people don't get vaccinated.

BERMAN: Is it frustrating for you, as someone who was willing, you know, to be a pioneer, to see the reluctance in people getting vaccinated?

LINDSAY: I am more concerned. Sorry. I'm more concerned, and that's why I am here and take every opportunity I get to share my experience and to appeal to people the importance of getting vaccinated.

BERMAN: You were the first, which is back in December now, which is, what, eight months ago at this point. There is a discussion about whether or not people may need a vaccine booster at some point. Has there been any discussion with you about whether you or when you might need a booster shot?

LINDSAY: No discussion. And right now the evidence is stating that for in -- for me, a healthy, young individual, the booster is not required, at least not yet. But if that becomes the case, I will again be the first in line to get that booster.

BERMAN: You know what, we're lucky to have you willing to be the first in line. I hope everyone watching sees, you know, the courage that you have consistently shown in speaking out because people need to go get vaccinated now if you haven't already.

Sandra Lindsay, thanks for everything you're doing.

LINDSAY: Thank you, John, for having me.

BERMAN: So, Republicans claim they support the police, then why did so many of them say they didn't even watch yesterday's hearing on the Capitol riot? Officer Michael Fanone joins us live.

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[06:58:57]

KEILAR: Here's what we're watching. Some dangerous storms that are heading toward the Midwest and the Northeast, bringing the potential for flash flooding and damaging winds.

Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist Tom Sater for the forecast.

What are you watching here?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, this is going to be an extremely dangerous event, a level four out of five. It's called a derecho, straight-line winds and hurricane force. This is going to be a place to watch. More on that derecho in just a moment.

This weather segment brought to you by Carvana, the new way to buy a car.

Look who's going to be impacted here. The last time we had a severe derecho event, August 2020, from South Dakota over to Ohio. Winds were over 100 miles per hour. Left in its wake $11 billion in damage. That's right, $11 billion. That's going to be a scary place today.

Forty million Americans from border to border will have heat and humidity levels making it feel like it's between 100 to 110, joining the rest of the western U.S. in the sweltering heat. But I do have good news, we're going to end the month of July and begin August on a cooler note. Very good news, but only for that area of the country.

Yesterday in New York City, near 90 degrees.

[07:00:00]

How does 74 sound for tomorrow?

CNN NEW DAY continues right now.