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Armed Man Inside Capitol; America Battles Inflation; Demaryius Thomas Passes Away; Democrats Are Losing Culture Wars; NYC Holiday Window Displays Return. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 10, 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 four minutes if, you know, if you have someone who wants to use it for harm.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's a -- it's a very long time. I mean this is, you know, this is, you know, one of those instances where you sort of knock on glass and say, you know, thank goodness. But four minutes would have been a very long time to get into an office, to get upstairs or whatever.

Now, so -- so what we don't know now, since this is what the review is going to do, is what was that gap in time between identification and finding where he was, right? So -- and then there's an issue about him, right? And we were talking about responsible gun ownership. He apparently did not have a certificate for it. Who forgets that they have a gun in their gym bag? I mean this is the kind of thing where I think we have to be more demanding of gun owners about responsible gun ownership. So, all of these, you know, all three of them, right, the picture, the four minutes, and now, you know, the conduct of the guy who had it are all -- all relevant for examination.

BERMAN: So if you're in charge of security now in the Capitol, what do you do?

KAYYEM: Yes.

BERMAN: You take this and you say, how can we fix it?

KAYYEM: So you have the individual concern, right, which is your human error. So you find out what happened and whether that person gets reprimanded. And then you figure out -- my biggest concern is that four minutes, right? So -- so what is happening and why did it take so long, if he was dangerous? Like -- and that's -- that's -- that's the number that you want to cut down to, you know, basically zero at this stage.

I want to be clear here, all systems anticipate a breach. But then you have systems that compensate for that breach. So, you know, there is going to be incidents like this, so you want to just make sure that you are able to respond relatively quickly at this stage, especially because it's the Capitol.

And the challenge for Capitol security, like any place, like a football stadium, is, you want people to attend.

BERMAN: Yes.

KAYYEM: This is the people's building, right? So you can't close it off. Your security has to allow a certain amount of flow. And that's the challenge for the Capitol Police. They know how to have a perfectly safe Capitol Building, which is shut it down to the public. And that's not an -- that's not an answer.

BERMAN: But if you're going to have x-ray machines, you have to look at the pictures as they're coming through before you let people in.

KAYYEM: Yes. Exactly.

BERMAN: Juliette Kayyem, great to see you in person for the first time in almost two years.

KAYYEM: I know. Thank you for -- thank you for letting me out of the room.

BERMAN: Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We do have some breaking news.

Julian Assange is a step closer to being extradited to the United States. The U.S. winning its appeal of a U.K. court ruling that said the WikiLeaks founder could not be extradited due to concerns about his mental health. The U.K.'s high court is now overturning that based on reassurances by the U.S. to reduce the risk of suicide. Assange is wanted in the U.S. for leaking thousands of classified documents back in 2010 and 2011. He's being held right now in a London prison.

And later this morning, we will get the latest read from the Labor Department on inflation. It is hitting Americans right where they live and no one is feeling it more than rural America. We'll have a live report, next.

BERMAN: Plus, CEOs from some of the nation's largest retailers turning to Congress for help to protect stores that have been targeted in this smash and grab crime wave.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:04]

KEILAR: Here in two hours, the Labor Department will be releasing the monthly inflation numbers. In rural Michigan, inflation has hit harder for the basics like food, energy, and cars, with few options to offset those costs.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is joining us live from Richmond, Michigan.

Tell us what people are experiencing there, Vanessa.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we're starting to see some prices come down slightly, but when you live in a rural community like this one where there are less options, it makes finding those lower prices much harder. So, we visited with a family just outside of Richmond. They own a farm. They started a small business during the pandemic. And they are just trying to navigate this roller coaster of a pandemic economy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA ST. CYR, MICHIGAN RESIDENT: Hi. You hungry?

YURKEVICH (voice over): In the St. Cyr household, Cricket the show cows and Trigger the rescue horse are top priorities.

C. ST. CYR: So your animals come first. Like, they eat before I eat.

YURKEVICH: And these gentle giants eat a lot. The price of their food has gone up and with twice-daily feedings, they run through nearly two 50-pound bags a week.

C. ST. CYR: It was about like $16 a bag and right now it's at -- it depend on where you go. Where we're getting it, it's about like $22.

YURKEVICH: It's just one of the price pinches for this family in rural Michigan. Spending power for rural Americans has dropped by 5.2 percent compared to 3.5 percent for urban Americans from pre-pandemic. And rural Americans typically spend more on the very items that have seen the biggest price increases, food, energy, and cars.

YURKEVICH (on camera): What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to inflation?

C. ST. CYR: I think it's just not having the options to offset those costs. It's like, OK, yes, we could drive another half hour, another hour, but it's like, we're paying $3.50 for gas.

YURKEVICH (voice over): But gas prices are falling to a seven-week low, down 20 cents in Michigan in the last month to $3.22 a gallon. And for these new, small business owners, every cent counts.

C. ST. CYR: You have a budget that you have to stick to.

YURKEVICH: This year, the couple launched their wood furniture and decor company, Palomino & Co., out of their garage. But then the cost of lumber skyrocketed and good quality became scarce. So, to fill orders, they turned to their own barn for wood.

C. ST. CYR: All of this used to be stalls. This whole -- like the aisleway, they're all stalls. We deconstructed those to get lumber.

YURKEVICH: The price of wood has come back down, but the cost to ship their orders is up.

DYLAN ST. CYR, CO-OWNER, PALOMINO & CO.: With being out a little farther out in the country, obviously, shipping costs, they increased because the farther out they have to drive.

[06:40:00] C. ST. CYR: I think we've been hit with so much, it's like, you know, first, inflation, and then gas prices, and then shipping.

YURKEVICH: But as prices have risen, so have wages, up 4.8 percent since last November. Dylan still has his full-time job to help support the business.

YURKEVICH (on camera): So you feel like it's risen a little bit together, enough to offset?

D. ST. CYR: Yes. It's definitely helped. Probably not enough to keep up with inflation.

C. ST. CYR: No.

D. ST. CYR: But it's definitely helped, though. I mean you always have that in the back of your mind.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: Now, the St. Cyrs say that there is a benefit to living in a rural community during a time of inflation. If there's a family that's having financial hardship, the community rallies around them to make sure that they get what they need.

And, Brianna, the St. Cyrs are over -- overall optimistic about their future and their business. They know that inflation is temporary. It's not forever. And we've already seen some of these prices coming down, gas prices, energy costs, so they know that overall this is not going to last them a lifetime.

Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, they do make beautiful housewares. It may be tough as you're starting a small business in this environment, but they certainly have some -- have a beautiful product there.

YURKEVICH: Yes.

KEILAR: Vanessa, thank you.

BERMAN: Some tragic news overnight. Former NFL star Demaryius Thomas, one of the best wide receivers in Broncos' history, one of the great receivers over the last ten years, found dead at the age of 33. We have new details, ahead.

KEILAR: And why did New York City just clear the way for hundreds of thousands of non-citizens to vote in local elections?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:54]

BERMAN: Just tragic news overnight. Former all-pro wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, a Denver Broncos great, found dead at his home. He was just 33 years old. Carolyn Manno has this morning's "Bleacher Report."

What do we know, Carolyn?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John.

Well, there's some reporting around the fact that he suffered from seizures in the past, but it's far too soon to connect that to a cause of death or to speculate. Right now it's being described as a medical issue.

But what we do know is that he was really viewed as a leader and a mentor in the NFL and that he's going to be missed by a lot of people.

This is so shocking because, as you mentioned, he was only 33 years old. He played ten seasons in the NFL. He announced his retirement just a couple of months ago. He was found at his home outside of Atlanta yesterday, and police say that the preliminary information suggests that this was medical and that investigators right now have no reason to believe otherwise.

The four-time pro bowler spent parts of nine seasons with Denver. He's really known as a Bronco. He retired as a Jet back in June. Won the Super Bowl with Denver in the 2015 season. And in a statement, the Broncos say that they are devastated and completely heartbroken by this. The team says that Demaryius' humility, warmth, kindness, and infectious smile will always be remembered by those who knew him and loved him.

And Peyton Manning, who won the Super Bowl with Thomas back in 2015 saying in a statement, he treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate's charity event. I texted with D.T. on Tuesday. He was talking about a TD audible we called against Arizona back in 2014. Absolutely devastated.

And in 2015, President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of his mother and grandmother. They were both arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences on drug charges when he was 11 years old. His mom did eventually get to see him play in person, John. He would have turned 34 years old on Christmas Day.

So still looking for more details as to what exactly happened, but the sports community is certainly mourning his passing this morning.

BERMAN: Yes, Peyton Manning said he was a better human than a player, and he was a really great player, so that tells you what kind of a guy he was.

MANNO: Yes.

BERMAN: And the fact that Peyton Manning was texting with him just this week.

So sad. Keep us posted as these details come in, Carolyn. Thank you.

MANNO: We'll do. KEILAR: Democrats are losing the culture wars. That is the subject of

Ron Brownstein's new reporting in "The Atlantic." And he's drawing similarities here to the 1990s where critics argue that Democrats could see a, quote, sustained exodus from power if they don't change course.

CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joining us now to discuss this. He's also a senior editor for "The Atlantic."

You know, you see this problem that Democrats have and your point is that that they don't have to reinvent the wheel. They can just kind of take this time machine back to around the time that Reagan won and there's a lesson to be learned.

What is it?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, I mean -- first of all, good morning.

You know, they're -- for years the only time Bill Clinton and the Democratic leadership council, the kind of centrist movement of the late '80s and early '90s, has come up in Democratic politics, as you know, has been for people apologizing or renouncing things that they did on crime, on welfare, on trade, on other attempts to try to claim the political center. And now, really, for first time in years, you have a constellation of voices in the party, not as well organized as they were in the '80s and '90s, making the case that maybe Clinton had a point and that Democrats need to try to neutralize some of the Republican cultural attacks if they are going to make progress with working class voters now across racial lines, which I think is the key point. In the '80s and '90s, the big concern was what was happening among whites without a college degree. Democrats have continued to erode among those voters, but they have shrunk substantially as a share of the electorate.

I think what's really animating this new concern, Brianna, is the evidence that Democrats are beginning to see erosion among working class Hispanic voters, as well. And while there's a debate about why that's happening, it is something the party can't ignore and I think it's giving a little more altitude and a tail wind to these arguments that the party needs to find a way to neutralize these Republican cultural offenses if they are going to make -- gain ground with these voters around their economic agenda, ultimately.

[06:50:08]

KEILAR: You also point out that there is potential for more erosion with African-American voters, right?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

KEILAR: That that sort of Obama coalition that was put in place is in danger, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I -- well, I think the bigger risk so far is Hispanic and African-American voters. But there's no questions that, you know, there -- there -- there is concern among Democrats, particularly about men, and whether the party is kind of struggling, facing the same kind of questions that they have among working class whites to a lesser extent but to a real extent about crime, about immigration in some cases, about kind of just general kind of cultural positioning.

And you see that, of course, in the New York City mayoral race, you know, where a candidate who was emphasizing getting control of crime did very well among minority voters.

So, this is part of -- you know, as in the '80s and '90s, there are a lot of people on the other side who argue that this concern is overstated and that the advocates of this point of view are basically abandoning Democratic principles. That's been the argument really for the last 20 years, since Clinton left office. But I would say we are now in a position where for the first time since the mid-'90s there is kind of an identifiable core of Democrats who are pushing back against the general drift left on cultural issues. And it's not clear which way this debate is going to go, but it is a real debate for the first time in many years.

KEILAR: Yes.

I do want -- while we're on this topic of culture wars and the things that tend to populate culture wars, I want to ask you about New York -- some news out of New York City, because the city is now going to allow non-citizens in vote in local elections. What do you make of this?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, first, it's important for people to understand, we're talking about legal residents who are not citizens. We're not talking about people who are undocumented or here illegally, at least as I understand it.

And there are a bunch of those people in the U.S. I think the latest figures that I've seen from the Department of Homeland Security is there are something like 13 or 14 million legal permanent residents who are not citizens.

Having said that, I think this is going to remain an avant-garde idea in a few very blue cities. I know San Francisco has done it on some elections. I don't see this going very far. I mean, in some ways, as you'll recall, one of the issues that went -- in Trump's management of the census was trying to discount people who were not citizens in terms of apportioning political power, sort of going in the other direction, just kind of, you know, writing these people out as if they were not here at all. That ultimately failed. But I don't see this becoming a broad -- a broadly adopted change. But you could imagine it in a few very -- very few -- very blue places because that's where immigrants tend to concentrate and there probably are a lot of these legal, permanent residents in places like New York and some of our other big cities.

KEILAR: Ron, really appreciate the conversation this morning. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Hey, thanks for having me. KEILAR: Coming up --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Saliva was flying back and forth between the two of us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Particles, Covid particles were going everywhere?

CHRISTIE: As it turned out. I didn't know that because I didn't have any Covid particles. And the reason I know is because I was tested every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Why Chris Christie says it is undeniable that Trump gave him Covid.

BERMAN: What a difference a year makes. The holiday season is here and it's lit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:40]

BERMAN: So, this morning, after a not so brief Covid interruption, a holiday tradition has returned to New York City, holiday window displays are back.

CNN's Alexandra Field here with more.

These are nice to look at.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are. And, look, there were lights on. There were some windows that were dressed last year. But, you know, you can count on New York for that. .But, undeniably, there is a different feeling in the air this year and it is certainly a reflection that with perhaps a little bit of planning, with perhaps a little bit of testing, many of us, if not all of us, can have holidays that are a lot more or even entirely like they were before.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice over): It's the most wonderful time of the year once again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I'm a little kid again, honestly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been wonderful and magical.

FIELD: New York City's annual holiday show is underway, transforming the city into a winter wonderland for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It really gives you the spirit of Christmas like no other place.

FIELD: Muted last year as Covid-19 ravaged the city, the nation and the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Light up the night.

FIELD: This year, the fanfare is back.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Hello, New York City!

FIELD: And so are the crowds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really nice to see things come back to life in the city here.

FIELD: The sidewalks are dressed in their usual holiday style. And after a trying time, a pandemic weary city is ready to celebrate the season.

LINDA FARGO, SR. VP, FASHION AND STORE PRESENTATION, BERGDORF GOODMAN: I think this year was probably a year where we knew that a holiday was going to have to be more meaningful, more beautiful, more enticing, more playful, warmer than ever.

FIELD: Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue is one of the department stores that transforms its windows into a festive feast for the senses.

FARGO: Our role in a store like this is to give people a reason to leave those screens, get dressed, come out, be part of an energy of something bigger.

FIELD: The displays take months to design and create. They're meant to draw shoppers in and dazzle passers-by.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just kind of makes you, you know, forget how the past year and a half or -- has been.

FIELD: Several of New York's department stores have closed in recent years, in part as in-person retail sales have slowed due to the rise in online shopping.

[07:00:00]

For those stores left, the holiday displays are even more meaningful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When there's less of us, that makes our job more important to keep people.