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Biden Compared to Past Presidents; Dwier Brown is Interviewed about "Field of Dreams"; Ultramarathoner Carol Seppilu Advocates for Suicide Prevention; Yeardley Smith is Interviewed about "The Simpsons." Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 12, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JACK MURPHY, FORMER ARMY RANGER AND GREEN BERET: Which we haven't seen in Afghanistan since prior to 2001. I mean we all remember the images of the Taliban executing women in soccer stadiums. I mean they have not changed their tune. They are the same organization they were 20 years ago.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It really does seem to be happening before our very eyes. And to an extent, you know, the administration knew it was going to happen and is watching it happen and is accepting of it. And I know those are -- those seem like harsh words, but it is the political reality.

Jack Murphy, we appreciate you being with us. We appreciate your being blunt about this.

MURPHY: Thank you.

BERMAN: President Biden, the bipartisan infrastructure victory in the Senate, how big of a deal is this, and what does it tell us going forward? A "Reality Check," next.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And later, our mystery guest star from an all-time great sitcom with generations of rabid fans. That's a little clue. A little clue for John Berman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:07]

KEILAR: President Biden's signature $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal just passed the Senate by an extraordinarily bipartisan margin. So does that mean that his strategy of reaching across the aisle, criticized by many in his party as out of touch and naive, might actually be working?

John Avlon here with a "Reality Check."

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: In boxing terms it was a little like Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope. Weeks of body blows predicting the failure of Biden's bipartisan infrastructure plan. It was derided as a past his prime fighter pursuing a naive dream that always seemed on the verge of collapse.

But Biden absorbed it all, leaning into the ropes, not overreacting to the outrage du jour, playing the long game. And, in the end, after plenty of give and take, the president walked away with $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, securing 19 Republican votes in the Senate. That kind of margin seemed impossible even a week ago.

And so after years of promises that made infrastructure week a national punchline, there are billions of dollars for roads and bridges, public transit, rural broadband, clean water and a clean energy electric grid, as well as electric vehicle charging stations and an investment in climate change mitigation.

So, yes, this is a BFD, to use Biden's famous phrase after the Affordable Care Act passed along partisan lines 14 months into Obama's presidency.

In half that time, and with a far smaller margin in the House and Senate, Biden has secured a series of big spending legislative victories. First there was the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which included a massive expansion of the child tax credit. Then the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to compete with China through $200 billion in science and technology manufacturing and research. Then yesterday, Senate Democrats also passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution without GOP support. It includes universal pre-k, free two- year community college, as well as major investment in affordable housing to name just a bit.

Now, there is still a lot of work to be done. The House still needs to pass the infrastructure and China bills. And none of this means we've entered (ph) some new golden era in Washington. Plenty of urgent priorities remain stalled from police reform to election reform.

Democrats will squabble over the details of budget reconciliation, while Republicans attack -- will attack unprecedented spending and point towards rising signs of inflation. But for better or worse, big things are getting done. And it's important to try to view that with a sense of perspective because even after a bitter election capped by an attempted insurrection with razor thin margins, Biden has cobbled together a pretty impressive first year legislative record that stands up to some recent, major presidents.

For example, by August of his first year in office, Reagan had secured a revolutionary tax cut package with bipartisan support, ultimately changed the trajectory of American politics. Biden is betting he can have a similar effect. And, in some ways, it's an update of an earlier, mid-century middle class boosting liberalism. And while LBJ entered office after JFK's assassination with Democratic super majorities in Congress, it's his glad-handing legislative ambition that Biden might most closely resemble. According to historian and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, Mark Updegrove. Quote, with his early legislative accomplishments, Joe Biden has shown himself to be the most progressive president since Lyndon Johnson, Updegrove says.

Like LBJ, Biden's a creature of the Senate. And Biden's success is almost certainly due in large part to the influence he's waging behind the scenes, rallying and pressing former colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together.

Presidential style aside, here's a final, real dollars and cents comparison. If as projected Biden's infrastructure spending equals 2.5 percent of GDP, that would approach levels of infrastructure investment we haven't seen as a country since the New Deal. So, yes, that's a big f-ing deal.

And that's your "Reality Check."

KEILAR: That is a quote, a throwback there, homage to Biden, of course.

You know, John, I want to get your thoughts on what we just heard from our colleague, Donie O'Sullivan's report, where he went to that My Pillow guy conference and a speaker told CNN, said that CNN should just report their lies and not fact check them.

AVLON: I mean that was just like chef's kiss perfect. Why don't you just start reporting what we're saying rather than fact checking it? Oh, the frustration of having to actually have your lies be fact checked.

Look, it actually kind of gives away the ghost. It's -- on one level it's an instant classic sound bite. I may, you know, going it tattooed on my forearm.

But it also actually speaks to something serious. What these folks want are stenographers for conspiracy theories. That's effectively what hyper partisan media and social media has given them. When they run into the roadblock of real facts, they get frustrated. Good.

KEILAR: Yes, they certainly do.

John Avlon, thank you so much for that "Reality Check."

The spread of the delta variant has hospitals on the brink, running out of beds to treat COVID patients.

[08:40:03]

We have some more CNN coverage of this ahead.

BERMAN: Plus, "Field of Dreams" goes from the big screen to the big leagues. One of the stars from the film joins us from the site of tonight's first Major League game ever in Iowa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: If you build it, he will come. That line from "Field of Dreams" becoming a reality tonight when the Chicago White Sox host the New York Yankees in a newly built pop-up stadium in the famed Iowa cornfield where the movie was shot.

Star Kevin Costner will be there, along with the actor who shared this iconic scene with him back in 1989.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN COSTNER, ACTOR, "FIELD OF DREAMS": Hey, dad? You want to have catch?

[08:45:00]

DWIER BROWN, ACTOR, "FIELD OF DRAMS": I'd like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Does that scene still get -- oh, it still gets me. It still gets me, right?

BERMAN: Dusty in here, is that what you're saying?

KEILAR: I know there's some dust in my eye.

Joining us now from the site of tonight's game is Dwier Brown, who you will recognize there from that scene. He played Kevin Costner's father. He's also the author of "If You Build It," which is, of course, an homage to "Field of Dreams."

Dwier, it is wonderful to see you. I mean what do you think about -- like, let's just talk first about the film. Thirty-two years later and it is still so iconic.

DWIER BROWN, PORTRAYED KEVIN COSTNER'S FATHER IN "FIELD OF DREAMS": Yes, I can't believe it. You know, especially with the role that's, you know, was five minutes in the film, I -- I just can't believe that there's a Major League Baseball game happening here and that I'm talking to you about this movie that we shot 33 years ago here in Iowa.

BERMAN: But it's -- in a way it's not a surprise to you, right, because you go around the country and like every third human you meet says to you, do you want to have a catch? Dad, do you want to have a catch? And you oblige. You know, how many people have you had a catch with over the last few decades?

BROWN: Well, I think I lost count at a couple thousand. But, you know, to me it's kind of an honor. You know, my father died 30 days before we went to go shoot that film, you know, unexpectedly. So I feel like it's my way of connecting with my father is by having catch with other people who either lost their father or miss their father. So, to me, it's kind of, you know, it's just a little penance I do for being lucky enough to be in that film.

KEILAR: Yes, and, look, I know you say you were only in it there for a few minutes, but it -- these -- these are the most -- it's the culmination, right? These are the most important minutes of the film.

And I think one of the things that's so fascinating that I learned about "Field of Dreams" is that it almost didn't happen, right, the movie, the release?

BROWN: Yes. Yes, there was a lot of things that happened. I mean, the script bounced around Hollywood for ten years before somebody finally green lit it. And then when the movie was finished, Universal was not too taken with it. They were going to release it straight to video. But as it turned out, a young Steven Spielberg snuck into a screening of it and, you know, much to Phil Alden Robinson's dismay. But he convinced Lew Wasserman to give it a chance. And, you know, so Universal put it in four theaters across the country, which shows you their enthusiasm for it. And, you know, the trick was that people saw it and they said, hey, look, I can't tell you anything about this movie without ruining it, but you have to go see it. And pretty soon it was in, you know, 30 theaters, and then ended up in 1,800 theaters and ran for a year and a half.

And, you know, even at that, "Rolling Stone" called it the worst movie of 1989. So it's not exactly a pedigree that we started out with.

KEILAR: Well, it is amazing. It is amazing to preview this game. How much fun is this? And it is wonderful to speak with you.

Dwier Brown, thank you so much for joining us from Dyersville, Iowa.

BROWN: You're welcome.

BERMAN: So a woman who tried to take her own life 22 years ago is now an ultramarathoner, inspiring others to go the distance. Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Carol Seppilu was 16 years old when she decided she didn't want to live anymore.

CAROL SEPPILU, SUICIDE PREVENTION ADVOCATE: I had a pretty tough childhood. When you're a teenager, you don't know how to deal with it.

GUPTA: She found her father's hunting rifle. And after a night of drinking, pulled the trigger. The gun slipped. Her life spared. But the injury destroyed her nasal passages.

SEPPILU: And I remember praying, dear God, I don't want to die anymore.

GUPTA: Ten years of reconstructive surgeries took a toll on her mental health.

SEPPILU: I have this severe wound on my face. And I was in bed for twenty hours a day.

GUPTA: Then one day something changed in her.

SEPPILU: I told myself I'm go for a two-mile run. How hard could it be?

GUPTA: She could only run a couple of blocks, and then she walked the rest of the way. She did that every day for a year, each time running a little further. That was seven years ago. Today, she's an ultramarathoner.

SEPPILU: I love being out there for hours.

GUPTA: Her longest race, 100 miles.

SEPPILU: I just tell myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

GUPTA: Carol's mission is to stop anyone who thinks life is not worth living. She speaks in schools and does runs for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

[08:50:04]

SEPPILU: There are beautiful and perfect moments waiting to be reached.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: All right, we're celebrating the "History of the Sitcom" with an all-new original series and we have another special mystery guest this morning from one of John's favorite shows. I mean it's really everyone's favorite show, one of their favorite shows, I think. He has no idea who it is. So let's get straight to the clues to see if he can guess.

[08:55:02]

All right, this character, Berman, is the smartest in their family and grade but cannot move past the second grade.

BERMAN: Lisa Simpson.

KEILAR: Are you kidding?

Hi, Yeardley Smith, ding, ding, ding, the voice of Lisa Simpson. Hey, more -- more times for us to ask you questions.

BERMAN: Oh, wow.

YEARDLEY SMITH, VOICE OF LISA SIMPSON, "THE SIMPSONS": (INAUDIBLE). Yes.

BERMAN: Well, no, I mean there's only one person who hasn't moved past the second grade. That's a -- that's a question I know the answer to. It's really nice to meet you.

SMITH: Thank you so much for having me. That was really good, John. Really, really good. BERMAN: Look, not as good as having a steady job for like 32 straight

years. What's that like? I mean when you signed up for this --

SMITH: Well, that's -- yes, I mean that's actually the best job in the world.

BERMAN: When you signed up for this, did you think it was just a few weeks or what?

SMITH: No. I mean, when we started on "The Tracey Ullman Show," I didn't even know what -- like, you want to do what? You want to do these little tiny, interstitial bumpers before the commercial break on a sketch comedy show? OK. All right. Whatever.

And then we went to half hour. And much like Dwier was saying about "Field of Dreams," everybody thought "The Simpsons" would tank in half hour. We were a mid-season replacement. The scuttlebutt around town was you can't put a cartoon on in primetime. It hasn't been done since "The Flintstones." You guys are crazy.

BERMAN: Well, look, I had a friend who was obsessed with you when you were on "The Tracey Ullman Show" and showed us the VHS tapes and introduced us to it and then we became addicted sort of then.

KEILAR: VHS.

BERMAN: And the reason I was able to guess your character so quickly is because I think Lisa Simpson is not unlike Hermine Granger, right, in our sort of dramatic lexicon who is the real hero of the show. I mean I think Lisa is a truly heroic and in some ways misunderstood character.

SMITH: I completely agree. I think she's less misunderstood now. I think that -- I have so many people come up to me and saying, oh, my God, she is such a touchstone to me. She got me through a hard time. She made me feel like it's OK to be myself. But she's definitely perpetually misunderstood by her own family. So that's a tough one.

KEILAR: Yes. I mean she really does stand out there, you know, as -- as the middle child, right? She kind of has that -- has that persona.

I just wonder, you know, when you look back on this, how much input were you able to have in the storyline?

SMITH: You know, it's not a situation where they're like, hey, Yeardley, come on into the writer's room and let's pitch your shows, you know. But I will say, I feel so deeply emotionally connected to Lisa Simpson. I really feel like she's a living, breathing, three dimensional, red blooded little girl, just like we are red blooded human beings, that I'm fiercely protective of her. So if they -- if something bad happens to Lisa Simpson and she has no recourse, she doesn't somehow come out as the victor, then I have to stand up for her. I might not win that fight, but I have to fight the fight.

BERMAN: I will say -- SMITH: And it rarely happens. It really rarely happens. But I feel like it's part of my obligation as a -- as a person -- as a person who loves this little person.

BERMAN: Look, I'm sure that you -- it rarely happens because Lisa's always right. I mean, Lisa Simpson is always right. That's what I mean by the Hermine Granger thing. It's like she's the actual hero of this even if we don't acknowledge it.

What else are you working on these days?

SMITH: She -- oh, well, I have a really fantastic, if you love true crime, I co-host a really great true crime podcast called "Small Town Dicks" with identical detectives Dan and Dave. It's really -- all of the cases are told by the detectives who investigated them. So my role in it actually is, I'm you if you had the privilege to sit at that table and ask any question that you wanted that you weren't too embarrassed to ask, that's me.

And you can get it everywhere you like to listen to podcasts. We're about to launch Season 9. We do about two seasons a year. So this -- we're four months old this month in August. And it's really great. It's rev reverent toward the victims. It's -- it's a wonderful -- it's a pretty fantastic perspective of how -- how many dominos have to line up perfectly in order for justice to be solved -- served rather.

BERMAN: Yeardley Smith, it's a pleasure -- it's a pleasure to speak with you. I'm going to listen to that podcast. I have identical twins, so anything in that genre excites me.

It's great to meet you. And thank you for all the joy that you've given all of us over the last several decades.

SMITH: Thank you so much. What a pleasure to be here.

BERMAN: Remember, catch an all-new episode of the CNN original series the "History of the Sitcom" Sunday night at 9:00.

KEILAR: That was a good one, right?

BERMAN: A great one.

KEILAR: That was a good one.

And this reminder, be sure to join CNN next week for "We Love New York City," which is the homecoming concert celebrating the city's comeback from COVID.

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