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New Day

Kentucky Devastated by Tornadoes; Kristina Lawson is Interviewed about Being Confronted by Anti-Vaxxers; CNN Hero of the Year Shirley Raines. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 13, 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]

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Common sense. Government exists in large part to help each other in times of great need. This isn't some left wing vision.

Listen to the Kentucky-born Abraham Lincoln, who believed that the legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all or cannot do so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities.

That's exactly the situation in Kentucky right now. With people reeling from the deadliest tornado in state's history, they need help. And that's what they'll get because it's consistent with our character as a country. We come together in times of crisis, helping our fellow citizens recover and rebuild without playing red state v. blue state political games. That's why we call it the United States of America.

And that's your "Reality Check."

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And that help is so needed and it's so present, John. Everywhere you look here, it's around. People just want to know that it's here, not just today and tomorrow, but they know they're going to need it one week, one month from now, as well.

AVLON: That's right. That's exactly right.

BERMAN: Thanks so much, John.

So, here's what else to watch today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: 11:00 a.m. ET, Biden tornado briefing.

2:00 p.m. ET, White House briefing.

7:00 p.m. ET, 1/6 committee votes on Meadows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, we have stunning before and after photos of Kentucky candle factory, just completely flattened by a tornado. The latest on the rescue efforts ahead.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And just in, new studies of the efficacy of the vaccines against the omicron threat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:59]

BERMAN: Welcome back. I'm John Berman in Mayfield, Kentucky. This is CNN's special live coverage of the aftermath of these terrible tornadoes. Rescue efforts underway this morning after the string of storms just completely destroyed so much of this town and so many of the others in a 200-mile stretch across this state.

I'm joined now by CNN anchor and Kentucky native, Pamela Brown.

And, Pam, you got here Saturday night, after dark, but pretty quickly after it all happened. You've been here ever sense. It's been pretty amazing to see what's changed.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It's been remarkable. You know, as much heartbreak as there is, I'm also swelling with pride as a Kentuckian just to see how many in the community and beyond have come together to help with the cleanup, to try to even start rebuilding so soon after this tornado swept through this community and really decimated it. It's been remarkable to see the amount of debris that they've already cleaned up so far.

I mean you look around us, John, and you think, where do you even start? But let me tell you something, so many Kentuckians have come out here with their, you know, John Deere, they're, you know, machinery, whatever they had at their home to get to work in whatever way that they can. And it's been remarkable.

I've been going around the community, speaking with people, and there's also been just incredible stories of survival, of heroism.

I spoke to one man, Charles Cheryl (ph), who rode out the tornado in his bathtub. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Where was the bathtub?

CHARLES CHERYL, STORM VICTIM: Right here.

BROWN: That's where you were, right in there? Look at this.

CHERYL: Yes.

BROWN: You were right in there.

CHERYL: Right here. Laying down right there.

BROWN: Look, right in there.

CHERYL: That's where I was.

BROWN: And what were you thinking when --

CHERYL: I was just praying. Praying that, you know, that God will take care of me, that my kids and family was OK.

BROWN: Where were your kids and the rest of your family?

CHERYL: They was in another house a couple of blocks over. They was OK. It didn't hardly do no damage there, but I was in that bathtub right there.

BROWN: You must be feeling really lucky to be alive today.

CHERYL: My first cousin lives across the street. He helped get me out.

BROWN: He helped get you out of there?

CHERYL: Yes. Because I couldn't see.

BROWN: Did you have any -- so this basically almost protected you, though?

CHERYL: The wall of this house fell on top of the tub and it pretty much protected me from the rest of the stuff. But the house was right here and it shifted.

BROWN: It was over there?

CHERYL: That's the foundation. It shifted all the way close to the road. Yes, the foundation, the steps and -- it wasn't right here. This is the driveway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I mean, what a sight that is. And he -- he rode out the storm in a bathtub. And you can't even see the bathtub because it's covered with debris.

BROWN: You couldn't even see it. And there are so many stories like that.

I spoke to another family, they were all -- there was, about, I think, seven of them, all huddled in the bathroom, the bathtub. And so many people, that is how they rode out this tornado. It's incredible.

I was speaking to the governor of Kentucky yesterday, asked him about, you know, as you rebuild, will you be looking to try to rebuild with more safety shelters? And he said, look, this tornado was so powerful, there's really no way that you can build a structure to withstand a tornado like what came through here.

BERMAN: No. Not the ones that hit.

And just one sight we want to leave people with because both Pam and I have been talking about this. There are these telephone poles that people can see right in front of

the post office behind us. The post office without a roof. Those are new. Those have gone up in the last 24 hours, right? There were no poles standing in this town after the tornadoes plowed through. But they put a string of them up to get power and telephone back up here so quickly because that's what they're doing. They're getting this place back up and running as quickly as they can. And it is a sight to behold.

BROWN: Yes, it is. It certainly is.

BERMAN: All right, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: They can move.

It's time now for the "5 Things" that you need to know for your new day.

So far dozens are confirmed dead after a series of powerful tornadoes tore through multiple states over the weekend. And in the hardest hit state of Kentucky, a twister touched down for more than 200 miles. Eight people were confirmed dead at a candle factory and another eight are unaccounted for, as those search efforts are still underway.

[08:40:04]

The January 6th committee is set to vote today on a contempt of Congress charge against Mark Meadows. The former Trump White House chief of staff who has stopped cooperating with the investigation. The panel produced an email that Meadows sent before the riot where he talked about using the National Guard to protect, quote, pro-Trump people.

And also just in, a new Oxford study shows that reduced effectiveness of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines against the omicron variant. But, of course, doctors still say getting vaccinated will help prevent serious illness and death. And Pfizer says a booster increases your immunity against the omicron variant.

History made today in the Middle East after Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli prime minister to make an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. It comes more than a year after the two nations normalized relations.

And Elon Musk is "Time's" Person of the Year this year for 2021. "Time" said the Tesla and SpaceX chief is, quote, driving society's most daring and disruptive transformations. Musk also has another title, world's richest person, worth more than $300 billion.

Those are the "5 Things" that you need to know for your new day. More on these stories all day on CNN and cnn.com. And don't forget to download the "5 Things" podcast every morning. Go to cnn.com/5things.

Coming up, a California health official describes the terrifying experience of being stalked and harassed by anti-vaccine activists. She's here to tell her story. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:46:00]

COLLINS: The president of California's medical board is sharing details of an unsettling encounter she had with a group of medical conspiracy theorists. Kristina Lawson says members of the group America's Frontline Doctors followed her from her home to her office last week. She writes, quote, I was followed and confronted by a group that peddles medical disinformation, promotes fake Covid-19 treatments, and is under investigation by Congress for stealing millions of dollars from consumers.

Reminder, Trump tweeted -- retweeted speeches by that group last year.

Lawson says she later learned that at least one of the men was armed.

Kristina Lawson joins me now. She is also the managing partner at Hanson Bridget (ph) and the former mayor of Walnut Creek, California.

So, Kristina, you had been a little suspicious earlier that day, after seeing a drone, an unusual car parked outside your house. Then that night you were leaving work and what exactly happened?

KRISTINA LAWSON, PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA MEDICAL BOARD: Yes, well, Kaitlan, first of all, thank you for having me on your program and helping me to shine a light on these reprehensible tactics used by these extremist groups to target leaders and public servants across the country.

So after my son had pointed out at about 8:00 a.m. that there was a drone flaying over our house, I just happened to notice something out of order at the end of my driveway. There was an unusual SUV parked in -- in an unusual direction.

And then, of course, later in that day, when I entered the parking garage, at the end of the long work day, four men jumped out of that same white SUV with recording equipment. A couple got behind me with recording equipment. And, of course, I was terrified.

COLLINS: I can only imagine. So -- and one of these men was armed, you've learned, right?

LAWSON: I subsequently learned. I was unaware at the time of the incident, but I did subsequently learn from law enforcement that one of the men was armed.

COLLINS: And do you think this was an attempt to intimidate you essentially?

LAWSON: I very much believe it was an attempt to intimidate me. In my role as the president of the medial board of California, we welcome dissent. We encourage people to come, provide public comment to us.

But this wasn't about activism. This wasn't about trying to change my mind. It wasn't about offering a different perspective, perhaps. This really was about trying to scare me and intimidate me and prevent us as -- at the California Medical Board from doing the good work we do every day for consumers.

COLLINS: Yes, I don't think following someone and confronting them in a medical -- in a parking garage with recording equipment is really the way to have a medical dialogue.

This level of harassment, though, that we've seen during the pandemic, not just from the president of medical boards, but also from doctors and nurses just across the country. What does that say to you about where we are in the United States right now, experiencing something like this pandemic?

LAWSON: Yes, I mean, I think that's a society-wide question we're all trying to answer, right? Of course the pandemic has caused an unbelievable amount of stress. I feel it in my family. I feel it with my colleagues at work. And, of course, we feel it at the medical board of California. But that doesn't mean we should resort to these sort of extremists, terrorizing tactics.

I do think that we need to have a productive dialogue, whether it's on health policy or any other issue.

COLLINS: Yes, the CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials said that at least 300 public health department leaders have left their post since the pandemic began, impacting about 20 percent of Americans. And, in many cases, they were verbally abused, physically threatened, their personal information was shared online, their families were targeted or they attacked their offices.

And so is this kind of behavior, these things that you are seeing, causing other issues like this by having professionals and people who are good at their jobs leave their jobs because they don't want to be harassed while doing them?

LAWSON: Yes, I mean it's just incredibly depressing that so many public health officials have left their positions. And, in fact, in at least one case, I understand, someone who was going to assume a position didn't even assume the position.

[08:50:02]

So, I don't think that that's the right approach. I don't think that we -- I don't want to quit doing my job at the medical board of California. I want to continue to press on and do the good work that we do for consumers in California every day.

COLLINS: Kristina Lawson, we're incredibly sorry that this happened to you, but thank you for joining us this morning and sharing that experience with us.

LAWSON: Kaitlan, thank you for having me.

Coming up, this year's incredible CNN Hero of the year is here with me live in studio, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:55:06]

COLLINS: It's time now for "The Good Stuff."

Last night, CNN named its Hero of the Year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER: The 2021 CNN Hero of the Year is --

ANDERSON COOPER AND KELLY RIPA: Shirley Raines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Shirley Raines runs a non-profit called Beauty to the Streets, transforming part of Skid Row into an outdoor beauty salon, offering haircuts, facials, meals and hugs to the homeless.

CNN Hero Shirley Raines joins me now.

A, I loved your outfit last night so much.

SHIRLEY RAINES, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR WINNER: Oh, Perry Meeks (ph), girl, he did that, did he not?

COLLINS: It was the perfect outfit to win an award in.

RAINES: I love Perry.

COLLINS: But, obviously, there is so much behind this.

So how did you start this project? What really helped you get this started?

RAINES: I think everybody knows at this point, my -- you know, my son passed away many -- many years ago and I broke, you know, emotionally, spiritually, and I have so much pain. And, you know, later his dad lost the battle with cancer. And I was just trying to make some sense of the pain in my life, you know what I mean. And through trying to find something to do with that pain, I found the homeless. A friend of mine, Yuri (ph), asked me if I would like to come out with him to feed the homeless one day with another non-profit.

COLLINS: Yes.

RAINES: And I went out there and I fell in love with the community, like, from day one. I was just like, wow, y'all look broken. You look just like me. Let's go, you know?

COLLINS: And so you're out there and did you -- did the idea come to you then or how did you kind of get the idea? Because there are so many ways to be able to help the homeless. But what made you think that this was something that they needed and something that could help them? RAINES: You know, let's be clear, this is what the community wanted

from me. I went out there to do just what everybody does when they feed the homeless, give them their needs. They came to me with the wants. They kept saying, we love your hair, we love your lashes, we love your makeup. I'm like, oh, well, queen, I can get you some of this if you want. They were like, would you? And it started very organically. It was something that they wanted.

And I think that the narrative that's been attached to homeless makes us forget that they still want to feel inherently beautiful. So they came to me with this. And I was more than happy to do it because that's something I had to offer. I didn't feel like I had a lot to offer, but that I did.

COLLINS: Well, clearly, you do have a lot to offer.

RAINES: Oh, thank you, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: But do you think it -- to them, to a degree, it's about a sense of dignity because, you know, it's not just about meeting their needs of eating and having somewhere to stay and blankets and clothing. But this is -- this is a sense of dignity when it comes to a haircut or a facial or something like this.

RAINES: I think it's that and I also think it's being seen and being touched, you know what I mean? Like the thing -- the work that we do, we physically touch their hair, we scrub their hair, we put hot water on their head. So part of me thinks it's the desire to feel beautiful, but it's also the desire to feel seen, you know what I mean? For 30 minutes someone is calling their name. My team is washing their hair and we're catering to them and we're making life about them and I think that they've just been neglected for so very long that this attention makes them feel good. In fact, I think it's a double-edged sword. I think it's also the beauty, as well as just feeling good.

COLLINS: And what is the power of physical touch, of something like that to some -- to the people that you meet every day?

RAINES: I think that that's spiritual CPR, you know? I think a lot of times we fight to save the body. Let's give them food. Let's give them shelter. Let's give them clothing. But I think physical touch is that -- is that spiritual CPR that revives the spirit inside.

COLLINS: Yes.

RAINES: That says, you know what, someone cares about me. That says, despite where I am and how I look, people love me. And I think that that's something that I -- I wasn't feeling, you know, when I was going through my hard times. And one of the things that helped me was makeup. It was an adult game of make believe, you know what I mean? And I feel like that's sometimes what we do with the community, like, you know, pretend, you know? There's nothing wrong with pretending. We do it as kids all the time.

COLLINS: We -- and as adults, maybe.

RAINES: And as adults, yes.

COLLINS: But you talked about, you know, the loss of your son and what this meant for you and where you were in that place when you went out with your friend that day, just to feed people and to be there for them. What was it like being on that stage last night when you heard Anderson and Kelly say your name?

RAINES: It was so surreal. But, you know, more than anything, I'm just excited for the community. I'm just a messenger, you know. I work at the pleasure of the homeless, you know. I serve at their pleasure. I'm just the messenger. And it was just so amazing to know that the world cares. You know, I think we -- we feel like they're a forgotten community and there's so many amazing people on that stage with me. And the fact that, you know, social media and the world chose us. They didn't choose that community. They didn't choose me. They didn't choose me. They chose that community, you know what I mean? And that was heartwarming. I can't wait to go back home. I can't wait to tell them that people see them and love them and care about them.

COLLINS: Well, and so with this you get $100,000 as part of this prize to expand your work.

RAINES: Yes, we do. We do.

COLLINS: And so -- yes, your group. So, are you -- what -- do you have any idea? What are you thinking? What's your vision for what you want to do with this?

[09:00:00]

RAINES: Well, you know, I go out on Tuesdays and I feed them out of my -- out of the van and I always wanted like an ice cream truck kind of thing to make it easier. But right now, unfortunately, we're at a time