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New Day

Trump Faces Deadline for Deposition; Johnson & Johnson Seeks Booster Approval; Women Protest in Afghanistan. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 05, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In a news conference just one month before the 2016 presidential election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUMMER ZERVOS, TRUMP ACCUSER: When I arrived, he kissed me on the lips. I was surprised but felt that perhaps it was just his form of greeting.

As I was about to leave, he again kissed me on the lips. This made me feel nervous and embarrassed. This is not what I wanted or expected.

He then asked me to sit next to him. I complied. He then grabbed my shoulder and began kissing me again very aggressively and placed his hand on my breast.

After hearing the released audiotapes and your denials during the debate, I felt I had to speak out about your behavior. You do not have the right to treat women as such -- you do not have the right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, Trump has denied all of those allegations.

Joining me now, Laura Jarrett, anchor of CNN's "EARLY START," and an attorney.

Counselor, for those in our audience who haven't had the sheer joy of sitting through a deposition --

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Ah, yes.

BERMAN: What happens to you in a deposition?

JARRETT: So this is probably not the Christmas present that the former president would want because they're a slog. They're long. They go on for hours. And the whole idea here is for a lawyer to try to get one little nugget to be able to use later on in court, to try to pin you down on something here.

And, in the past, as we just talked about, the president -- the former president has been sort of skillful in bobbing and weaving his way around. His usual technique is to deny, deny, deny every allegation against him. That will be hard here because he is under oath.

But they are a slog. It's not fun. They might be fun for lawyers. It was fun for me to do them. But the whole idea here is to try to get something that will be able to be used in the actual case against them.

And here's a -- it's a case about defamation. So the whole point is about his intent. Did he know that his claim that nothing happened whatsoever was false when he made it? That's what Summer Zervos' lawyer is going to try to get out of him.

BERMAN: So, eight hours of that. And so people know, this is how Trump behaves in a deposition. We have some -- some tape of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe you have one of the best memories in the world?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: That I can't tell you. I can't tell for other people. But I have a good memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you've -- you've stated, though, you have one of the best memories in the world.

TRUMP: I don't know, did I use those -- that expression?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

TRUMP: Where? Could I see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can -- I can play a video of you -- of a reporter reporting --

TRUMP: No, I -- did I say I have a great memory, or one of the best in the world?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the best in the world. It's what the -- it's what the reporter quoted you as saying.

TRUMP: Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't remember that, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

TRUMP: As good as my memory is, I don't remember that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

TRUMP: But I have a -- I have a good memory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: There's some weaving and dodging. JARRETT: Yes, it's not going to be a fun process for someone who isn't

prepared. The lawyer who is representing Summer Zervos is going to need to be on her a-game, need to present what he said in the past and confront him directly with it and hope that it works and hope that he somehow does slip up and say something that she can use.

And the interesting thing here is, part of the reason that there might actually get the deposition is because Trump's lawyer's now actually floating a counterclaim. So he wants to say, actually, you don't just get to sue me, I'm going to sue you. And I'm going to sue you using, ironically, a law that was supposed to help journalists be able to speak out on matters of public concern.

Now, whether he actually files that counterclaim remains to be seen. But if he does, he will most certainly have to sit for this deposition by Christmas.

BERMAN: And there is always some jeopardy in that.

Laura Jarrett, counselor, thank you so much for explaining all this.

JARRETT: Sure.

BERMAN: So, anti-vaccine protesters flipping over a COVID testing table at a mobile site. It's extraordinary video. See what happened.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, new information about how effective Pfizer's vaccine is at preventing hospitalizations and virus transmission over time. We have the results of an expansive new study.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:07]

KEILAR: We do have some breaking news.

CNN has just learned that Johnson & Johnson has asked the FDA to authorize booster shots for its coronavirus vaccine.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard is joining us with the details on this.

What's happening here with Johnson & Johnson?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Brianna, we just heard from the company that they've formally made a request to the FDA to have a booster dose authorized. And they're pointing to data showing that a booster shot of their vaccine can help boost vaccine efficacy and antibody levels.

So when you look at efficacy here with just one shot, the vaccine efficacy is 53 percent globally and about 70 percent here in the United States. But when a second dose is given about two months later, that efficacy jumps to 75 percent globally and 94 percent here in the U.S.

And then when you look at antibody levels in people who have been given this second shot, vaccine makers have found that a second dose two months later can boost antibody levels by four to six times higher. And then when the shot is given six months later, it can boost antibodies to 9 to 12 times higher.

So, Brianna, when you look at how many people here in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated, Johnson & Johnson represents about 8 percent of those who have received a vaccine. But that 8 percent includes about 15 million people. So you can imagine, those 15 million people are on the edge of their seats to see what happens with this booster dose.

Now, Johnson & Johnson says it's leaving it up to the FDA and CDC to decide on who could be eligible for a booster and when it could be administered. But, for now, Johnson & Johnson is making its request, and we'll see what happens on if the FDA will authorize this potential booster shot.

Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be watching.

Jacqueline, thank you so much for that.

A statue of George Floyd vandalized just days after it went up. George Floyd's brother is going to join us to respond.

[06:40:02]

BERMAN: Plus, brave Afghan women and girls speaking out about their treatment under the Taliban and how they are being erased. We are live in Kabul, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Afghanistan has been rocked by violence in recent days. Violence between ISIS and the Taliban. ISIS is now claiming responsibility for a mosque attack in Kabul.

Meanwhile, the Taliban cracking down on demonstrations protesting against new restrictions on women and girls.

CNN's Clarissa Ward live in Kabul with the latest on this.

Clarissa, what are you seeing?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we've been here for nearly two weeks now. And what we see is that, slowly but surely, the Taliban is trying to push women out of public life.

[06:45:05]

They're doing it literally. The building that used to be the ministry for women has now been taken over by the feared religious police who are with the ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice. Women are responding in different ways. They're taking to the streets

and protesting where they can. They're also trying to negotiate with the Taliban behind the scenes. Neither is working because the bottom line is, the Taliban doesn't know how to interact with women, how to sit down and have a conversation with women. And yet, still, despite the fear, we see them here in Kabul every day going out and engaging in small acts of resistance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice over): A handful of women stand quietly but defiantly. They're here to protest the Taliban's de facto ban on girls going to school after fifth grade. A small act of great courage.

Taliban fighters start to pour in. Their heavily armed presence a menacing question mark.

A new arrival appears unsure of whether to get out of the car. For a moment, it seems the Taliban may have come to protect the women, but the illusion is quickly shattered.

WARD (on camera): Someone from the Taliban has just come in, telling everyone to put away their cameras. It's getting a little tense over there.

WARD (voice over): A senior Talib rips a phone out of one woman's hands. His men shove journalists back. We try to keep filming, but the Taliban don't want the world to see.

WARD (on camera): They're ripping the women's posters.

No, put it away. Put it away.

WARD (voice over): A machine gun burst sends a clear message, the protest is over.

Malnavi Nasratala (ph) tells us he is the head of the Taliban's intelligence services in Kabul, and that the women did not have permission to protest.

WARD (on camera): Why does a small group of women asking for their right to be educated threaten you so much?

WARD (voice over): I respect women's rights. I respect human rights, he says. If I didn't respect women, you wouldn't be standing here.

WARD (on camera): Would you have given them permission if they had asked for one?

WARD (voice over): Yes, of course, he says, we would have.

But permissions are illusive and previous protests have met a similar fate. On the streets of Herhon (ph), a neighborhood, the consequences of one recent demonstration can still be seen. At almost every beauty salon, images of women's faces have been defaced, as if to erase them from public life completely. The women inside this salon are too scared to appear on camera.

WARD (on camera): Hi. (Speaking in Foreign Language). How are you?

WARD (voice over): I asked them about posters outside.

WARD (on camera): Who did it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A, Taliban.

WARD: The Taliban did it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Taliban.

WARD (voice over): The Taliban came and drove away the protesters, then they cursed us and said to remove the posters, they tell me. They told us to put on a burka and sit in our homes.

But this city is full of brave women, like Arzo Khaliqyar, who refuse to do that. This activist and mother of five says she was forced to become a taxi driver when her husband was murdered one year ago, leaving behind his car but little else.

WARD (on camera): Tell me a little bit about how life has changed for you since the Taliban took power.

ARZO KHALIQYAR, TAXI DRIVER (through translator): A lot of changes. Too many.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

WARD: It's OK. Take your time. It's OK.

KHALIQYAR: Since the Taliban regime has come to power, it has become very difficult.

WARD (voice over): She offers to take us for a ride. It's another small act of courageous resistance.

While the Taliban have not officially banned women from driving, she says she has received threats and that the militants hit her car two weeks ago as a warning.

WARD (on camera): I see the men. They stare at you.

KHALIQYAR: Yes. Yes. Yes.

WARD: They look at you.

WARD (voice over): It's not long before she picks up a fare. Usually, she prepares to take women and stay in areas she's familiar with.

WARD (on camera): Are you aware of the risks that you're taking when you go out every day and do your work? KHALIQYAR: Yes, yes. In some places where I see Taliban checkpoints,

I'm forced to go through a street or change my route.

[06:50:00]

But I accepted this risk for the sake of my children.

WARD (voice over): On the other side of town, English teacher Atifa Watanyar is also working hard to give her students a better future.

ATIFA WATANYAR, TEACHER: Please open your books --

WARD: The past year has not been easy. In May, a horrific bombing targeted the Sied El Shihadi (ph) school where she teaches, taking more than 80 innocent lives.

WARD (on camera): So you were here when the explosions happened?

WATANYAR: Yes, I was in front of the door.

WARD: You were in front of the door. Did you see it with your own eyes?

WATANYAR: Yes, yes. I saw a very huge explosion in front of the other door.

WARD (voice over): Incredibly, the school reopened. But weeks later, the Taliban swept to power and announced that, for the time being, from 6th through 12th grade, only boys should come to school.

WARD (on camera): It's just very striking that a bomb was not able to stop these girls from -- coming from school.

WATANYAR: Yes.

WARD: But now the Taliban has been able to stop them from coming to school.

WATANYAR: Yes, it's true. Every day I see Taliban in the streets. I become -- I be -- I be afraid.

WARD: But you're still coming here every day. You're still teaching.

WATANYAR: Yes. What should we do? What should we do? It's just the thing that we can do for our children, for our daughters, for our girls.

WARD (voice over): In the fifth grade classroom, the girls are excited to test their English skills.

WARD (on camera): Hi!

CLASS: Hi.

WARD: I want you to raise your hand if you love school. Wow. Everybody loves school. WARD (voice over): This may well be the last year they get to come and

study, yet they are still full of hope for the future.

WARD (on camera): Raise your hand to tell me what you want to be when you grow up. What do you want to be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doctor.

WARD: Doctor. OK.

Who else wants to be a doctor? Oh, wow, we have a lot of doctors.

WARD (voice over): Sixteen-year-old Sana (ph) used to have dreams, too. She wanted to be a dentist. The explosion at her school left her with serious injuries. But she was brave enough to go back for the sake, she says, of her close friend who could not.

SANA (through translator): I felt that I must go back and study for the peace of her soul. I must study and build my country so that I can make her wishes and dreams come true.

WARD (on camera): So right now you cannot go to school. How does that make you feel?

SANA: I feel all my dreams are crushed and buried. For I won't be allowed to go to school and study. All my motivation is completely gone.

WARD: It's OK. Take a minute. It's OK. If you want to stop, we can stop. It's OK.

SANA: No. The Taliban are the people who -- they are the cause of the situation I am in right now. My spirit is gone. My dreams are buried.

WARD (voice over): And, yet, recently, she has started to read her books again and study a little bit every day. Just one more small act of great courage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Small act of great courage, but such a heartbreaking environment there, Clarissa.

And I understand the Taliban just announced a number of new appointments, and none of them were women, correct?

WARD: That's right. I mean they are facing a huge amount of pressure, John, from the international community. It is not a good look in 2021 to actively refuse to allow girls to have the right to be educated. And so there has been a huge amount of pressure. And to show that they are more pragmatic, to have a more inclusive government. And yet, here we are, another round of appointees to the new transitional government announced, and not a single woman among them. I think it's very telling.

And what's so interesting, you know, you think of that image, John, early on in the piece of that protest. Four women standing silently, holding signs. And you see dozens of heavily armed men pouring in to try to deal with this alleged threat. What does that say about the Taliban as a group and how threatened they are by women and their inability to sit down and have a conversation with them?

[06:55:09]

They are savvy enough to know that they shouldn't be issuing directives, saying this is banned and that's banned. They couch it in language, saying it's a temporary measure. We're waiting until we can create the appropriate Islamic environment.

But this has nothing to do with Islam. We see other countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, who have had female leaders. This is an issue of a group, a fundamentalist group, that simply does not know how to sit down and have a conversation with these women.

And one other thing I just want to had at the end, these women are not victims, the women we saw. They need support, but they are strong and they are brave and they are out there every day fighting to keep that hard-earned public space that they have been able to claim over the last couple of decades, John.

BERMAN: They are strong. They are brave. But, Clarissa, the image that will stick in my mind, that is seared in there, is a young girl crying to you because she wants to learn.

Clarissa Ward, wonderful report. Thank you for shining a light on this.

Coming up, the behind the scenes story about the former first lady's controversial jacket. And why Donald Trump's former press secretary is worried about the future.

KEILAR: Plus, a Russian film crew headed to space as a famous "Star Trek" captain prepares for his own voyage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR, "STAR TREK": Scotty, beam me up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So it is the seventh largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. And, just in, someone in California who went grocery shopping has the winning ticket. The Powerball worth nearly $700 million with a cash value of nearly $500 million. We're told six other tickets worth $1 million or so were sold in several other states.

Congratulations to my best friend in California.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

KEILAR: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Monday, October 5th.

[07:00:00]

And we all remember the refrain on January 6th that we heard from people in the Capitol, hang Mike Pence.