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Dodgers Stun Cardinals; Women's Soccer Stops Game to Protest; Millions Under Flash Flood Watch; Vaccine Rollout for Children Preparation; Man Accused of Killing Pharmacist Brother; AT&T Played Role in OAN. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 07, 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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[06:34:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It was a walk-off. What an ending to the National League wildcard game.

Andy Scholes with much more on the "Bleacher Report."

Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You know, this certainly was a stressful night for Dodgers' fans. Their incredible 106-win regular season just hanging in the balance against the Cardinals. But, in the end, all those fans got to leave Dodgers Stadium jumping up and down.

Cardinals and Dodgers were tied into the bottom of the ninth after two outs. Cody Bellinger drew a walk, steals second. Then all-star Chris Taylor, who ended the game late, who had been struggling in September, comes to the plate, crushes this on the left. A walk-off home run and the 53,000 plus fans there going bonkers as the Dodgers advance to the division series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS TAYLOR, LOS ANGELES DODGERS OUTFIELDER: Honestly, just trying to hit a single. Just not trying to do too much. And he gave me a good slider to hit. I was able to get it up in the air. Think small and big things happen. And, yes, that felt good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:35:00]

SCHOLES: Dodgers now move on to face their division rivals the Giants for the first time ever in the post-season. That's going to be the first series ever between two teams. They've both won more than 105 games. The National League Division Series starts tomorrow on TBS. The American League Division Series gets underway later today with a doubleheader, John. The White Sox and Astros get things started at 4:00 Eastern, followed by your Red Sox and the Rays at 8:00. We all know you were very emotionally invested in that Yankees game.

How are you feeling about the Rays series?

BERMAN: It doesn't matter. When do the Yankees -- you're -- I'm going to ask you a question. When do the Yankees play, Andy?

SCHOLES: Not till, what, next February when spring training rolls around.

BERMAN: That's right. So how do I feel? I feel awesome. Awesome.

Thank you so much for that.

SCHOLES: (INAUDIBLE) All right.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Touche.

BERMAN: Go Red Sox.

KEILAR: Touche.

A remarkable show of solidarity in women's soccer as players return to the pitch for the first time since sexual misconduct allegations rattled the league. The team in all of -- all three -- the teams in all three of last night's matches stopped play during the sixth minute and the players gathered together in a center circle. The league announcing that those six minutes represented the six years that it took for former players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly to be heard. The two players revealed in a report by "The Athletic" last week that they had been sexually harassed by their coach, Paul Riley, for years. Riley has denied the accusations in the report and CNN has not been able to reach him for comment.

Joining me now is CNN sports analyst and sports columnist for "USA Today," Christine Brennan.

Christine, what did you think about this moment and how much attention it is bringing to this?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Brianna, I thought it was terrific. And it is certainly exactly what should be being done by these players. They're trying to get control, not only of their league, but of their lives. They have -- obviously, there's the stories of abuse, of harassment, of all the things that these women, these great athletes have had to deal with. They've said -- they're saying enough is enough. And by making that statement six minutes in, that's six years, they say, of no one listening, so six years equals six minutes, you stop the game and you get national coverage and attention and a conversation as we've been having the last few weeks with the women's soccer players, Brianna. A conversation that goes right into every family, every home, every locker room about what's been happening with women athletes and, of course, with male athletes as well I'm sure in many case, verbal abuse, sexual harassment and worse.

And I think this is what you see when you see players taking over saying we've had it. We're in charge of our league. The owners, the commissioner, who's now gone, all those people, you're not in charge. It's a remarkable statement.

KEILAR: Well, I will say, it appears, you know, just looking at this from the outside, that things have moved here pretty quickly. Riley out. Key personnel out. There's going to be an independent investigation.

So, you know, on paper, all of this looks great. It looks like there's a big response. But, you know, how are you seeing it?

BRENNAN: I agree, it's easy to have this first blush, right? This first reaction. The headlines and the clips and it all looks terrific and then do people care in a few weeks? That's the key. That's the question.

Look at the gymnastics hearing of several weeks ago. Wall-to-wall coverage of our American heroes, of course, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, the others. And then do we kind of forget, you know? We're outraged and then what happens next?

And this has to be a national conversation every day. And I think athletes -- female athletes are especially equipped to have this national conversation because they have that stage. And even though women's soccer is not yet like, obviously, Major League Baseball, it's, of course -- it's just getting started. It has nowhere near the reach.

But they do have the reach and hey have an incredible fan base and they have websites and there's a way to talk to girls now, girls who are eight, nine, ten, about how you cannot let these things happen.

So, that's the key. And the success will be -- we will measure the success, Brianna, by where we are a year from now, not where we are with the outrage today.

KEILAR: Yes, what those young girls -- telling them what they deserve because, I'll tell you, I am sick of knowing that I have been watching and enjoying sports and then understanding what has been going on behind the scenes that really just ruins it. You know, it really does.

Christine, thank you so much.

BRENNAN: Brianna, thank you.

KEILAR: We're going to talk with former women's soccer players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly in our next hour about these allegations made against their former coach.

The coronavirus vaccine could be approved for young children within weeks and we're going to have some new details about how officials are preparing to get those shots into arms.

BERMAN: Plus, today is the deadline for former President Trump's aides to cooperate with the Capitol riot investigation. What happens if they don't? This will be a crucial decision for Attorney General Merrick Garland.

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[06:44:31]

KEILAR: This morning, millions of people are under flash flood watches across the southeast where heavy rain is inundating the area. Amazing pictures that we're seeing here, Chad Myers, and maybe more ahead here.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right, that was the flash flood emergency that really just expired for Birmingham, Alabama. High water rescues, water up to the windshields of those cars.

And more flash flooding is still possible today.

This weather brought to you by Servpro, making fire and water damage like it never even happened.

So let's get to it. It's a low pressure over really Kansas, but the rain is all the way from Chicago, right back down to the Gulf Coast.

[06:45:05]

Look at how much rainfall has come down in the past couple of days. Areas here in orange, just to the east of Atlanta, four to six. Areas around Birmingham, more than 10. And just in the past 12 hours, since 6:00 last night, four to six additional inches of rainfall fell right over Birmingham. And those areas there are still seeing flooding.

We'll see more rainfall today. Yes, it's still going to come down. We have that low. That's not moving. It's called a cut-off low. It just kind of sits there and spins. So one wave of rain after another. More flash flooding possible. More rainfall accumulation. But a beautiful weekend across the northeast for leaf peeping, if that's where you're going. Across the south still stays a little bit warm.

Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, ready for my leaf peeping.

MYERS: All right.

KEILAR: Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BERMAN: So we might be just weeks from seeing younger children getting COVID shots. The FDA is getting ready to decide whether to authorize Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use in children five to 11 years old. Now, assuming it happens, what is the plan to get the shots into arms, smaller arms as it were?

CNN's Jacqueline Howard is here.

I understand, Jacqueline, you have some new details. JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH WRITER: That's right, John.

I can tell you, states are getting their potential rollout plans in place right now. I spoke with the Association of Immunization Managers, and it turns out that there are three main sites where we could see vaccines being administered to ages five to 11.

Now, similar to the rollout that we saw with adolescents, we could see some pediatrician's offices and local pharmacies offering vaccine for this age group. But we're also hearing schools being part of this conversation. For instance, in the state of Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam says that this could be part of his state's rollout plan.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D-VA): The easiest and most equitable way to deliver the COVID vaccine is at school, to have the health department come in give the shots. So our teams are working with school divisions and superintendents to do that wherever possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: So, you see, John, school districts and superintendents are part of these conversations for rolling out the vaccine in Virginia. And we could see schools becoming potential vaccination sites in other states as well.

But, again, this all depends on once the FDA makes that decision to authorize the vaccine for ages five to 11 and, of course, it depends on if the CDC recommends it.

But there are some things that parents can do now to prepare for this potential rollout. For instance, if you have kids ages five to 11, you can call your pediatrician's office to confirm whether they plan to receive the vaccine and administer it to this age group. If they don't plan to be part of the rollout, then at least you know now that you'll have to consider getting your kid registered for an appointment at either a local pharmacy or a local vaccine clinic.

But, overall, John, these rollout plans are in place and now we're just waiting to hear from the FDA and the CDC on their decisions.

BERMAN: A lot of parents been waiting for just this moment, anxious to have it start.

Jacqueline Howard, thank you very much.

HOWARD: Absolutely.

BERMAN: So, this morning, we have new details about what led to the launch of the far right conspiracy network OAN.

KEILAR: Plus, a sign of the dangers of the coronavirus conspiracy theories. A Maryland man is accused of killing his own brother because he was a pharmacist who administered vaccines. We have all of the details coming up.

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[06:52:26]

KEILAR: A Maryland man allegedly killed his own brother over a COVID vaccine conspiracy theory. Court documents show that Jeffrey Burnham wanted to confront his older brother, who was a pharmacist, for giving people the shots. Burnham is also accused of killing his sister-in-law and an elderly woman.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more details on this.

This is horrific.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna.

Charging documents newly obtained by affiliate WBAL show that Jeffrey Burnham's mother initially called police, this according to that report. And in that report she claimed that she questioned her son's mental stability. He -- that man, by the way, he's a 46-year-old Maryland man who's behind bars right now, accused of killing three people about a week ago. Among them, his brother, who was a pharmacist.

Now, those documents allege that Burnham told his mother before the murders that he planned to confront his brother, Brian Robinette, over him administering COVID vaccines. According to his mother's complaint to police, Burnham had this bizarre and baseless belief that the government was using COVID vaccines to poison people and that his brother, Brian, knew something about it.

Well, investigators in Howard County, Maryland, believes that Burnham killed his brother and his wife, Kelly Sue Robinette, only after stabbing an elderly woman to death. Police right now alleging that the motive in the killing of 83-year-old Rebecca Reynolds was simply to use her car.

Now, Burnham was tracked down by police, charged with multiple counts of first degree murder and remains without bond as of this morning. CNN did reach out to multiple authorities. Waiting to hear back. That includes the local public defender's office and also the county state attorney's office to try to hear and learn more about this case that is just bizarre as it is disturbing, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it's so sad.

Polo, thank you for that.

BERMAN: So, court documents reviewed by CNN reveal that AT&T was instrumental in the creation of the far right conspiracy network One America News, or OAN. We should note that AT&T is CNN's parent company.

I want to bring in Brian Stelter, CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES." And if people don't know what OAN is, this is a network that traffics

in some of the most dangerous conspiracy theories out there.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, OAN makes Fox News look liberal. It is conspiracy laden, in denial about the riot, sometimes pretending Donald Trump is still president. It's some of the worst of the worst content out there. And this reporting, first reported by "Reuters," now matched by CNN, shows ow AT&T played a pivotal role in the origins of One America News. Even saying the word news with One America doesn't really seem fair. This is an opinion channel with extremist content.

But according to these court documents, let me put up on screen what the court documents show OAN's founder saying, crediting AT&T, saying, they told us they wanted a conservative network.

[06:55:08]

They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other side. When they said that, I jumped to it and I built one.

So, in other words, the founder of OAN giving AT&T credit, saying, thank you, AT&T for the inspiration for giving us space on your lineup for our channel.

Of course, as the years has gone by, OAN has become more and more conspiracy laden, become more and more of a problem, frankly, within the media universe, full of disinformation.

And this story, now confirmed by CNN, points out AT&T not only helped inspired OAN to launch, but also has bankrolled it through carriage (ph) fees.

Now, AT&T pays carriage (ph) fees for lots of cannels, CNN, Fox, et cetera. That's how the cable business works. But there's not a lot of other providers carrying OAN. So, essentially, AT&T is the one that is subsidizing or funding the channel.

BERMAN: And, again, just so people know, the things that OAN says, the theories that it propagates, just deeply corrosive to society. How is AT&T responding?

STELTER: Well, here's the statement from the network -- from the company that I obtained last night. It says, AT&T has never had a financial interest in OAN's success and does not fund OAN. When AT&T acquired DirecTV, we refused to carry the channel on that platform and OAN sued DirectTV as a result.

So they're basically saying they were forced to carry the channel.

Then they continue to say, four years ago, DirecTV reached a commercial carriage agreement with OAN, as it has with hundreds of other channels and as OAN has done with the other TV providers that carry its programming.

So AT&T is saying, there's nothing to see here. This is just a normal carriage deal, the way we have with lots of other channels.

But, you know what, there's maybe a reason why Comcast and Charter and other big cable providers, some of the ones people are watching us on right now, there's a reason why they don't carry this conspiracy network. There's a reason why they tonight provide carriage fees to OAN. They're taking a -- they're making a choice about content.

Obviously competition's a good thing. It's great to have more and more channels. But that's not true. You know, there's a limit to that when we're talking about channels that spread hate and misinformation. This is not just a conservative channel. It's a conspiracy channel. And there's a big difference. And that's why AT&T has come under some very harsh scrutiny as people ask, why is AT&T essentially providing the support for this channel?

BERMAN: There's no rule, there's no law that says AT&T has to carry it?

STELTER: This is the cable version of the wild wild west. There are lots of government regulations involving broadcast TV, but almost none about cable or satellite. So, ultimately, this is a corporate decision, a business decision. And the Texas-based AT&T, which I just said owns CNN, right now is working on a deal to sell Warner Media and CNN off into a merger with Discovery. But, at the moment, owns CNN. And, you know, you can imagine maybe some of the conservative executives or board members at AT&T saying, well, we have CNN, we need to have an alternative.

But, again, there's a difference between real news and conspiracy crap. And OAN doesn't have bureaus around the world. It doesn't have reporters in dangerous locales. It goes on the air and lies to people who, for some reason, wants the lies. You were talking about the horrible effects of vaccine disinformation. That's the effect and something like OAN is the cause.

BERMAN: And, again, it's a choice. It's a choice to allow it to be broadcast on your platforms.

STELTER: Yes.

BERMAN: One story, Brianna Keilar, at a restaurant last night eating. At the table behind me, the two people were having a discussion about Brian Stelter. It's true. Just out -- just out there eating.

STELTER: What?

BERMAN: Minding my own business, and the people right next to me talking about Brian Stelter. That's how much of a big deal you are, Brian.

STELTER: Wow.

BERMAN: So, thank you.

KEILAR: What were they saying?

BERMAN: They were talking about how awesome he is.

KEILAR: Oh.

BERMAN: They were literally talking about how -- no, it was -- I mean it was not -- it was not mom. It was not mom.

STELTER: Well, it was clearly my relatives. Clearly my relatives.

BERMAN: No, he -- they were talking about how "RELIABLE SOURCES" is basically a textbook, they say, for journalism in all things journalistic. So, true story.

KEILAR: Oh, that's lovely.

BERMAN: Yes. Yes. At first I just had the rest of my beer, and then I said I knew you.

STELTER: Maybe OAN -- maybe OAN should simulcast it.

First time for everything, John.

BERMAN: Anyway, Brian, congratulations to you on everything you've done and thanks for being with us.

STELTER: Thanks.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

STELTER: Thanks.

KEILAR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Brianna Keilar. I am here with John Berman, which is so lovely. And it is Thursday, October 7th.

Will four Trump loyalists defy subpoenas from the committee that is investigating the January 6th insurrection?

BERMAN: Today is the deadline for Mark Meadow, Dan Scavino, Steve Bannon and Kash Patel to comply. Now, the panel hasn't been able to serve Scavino because they can't find them.

[07:00:02]

All signs point to these Trump confidantes following Trump's orders and not cooperating.