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Facebook Exec Blames Users; Key Democrat Supports Changing Filibuster; Gosar Takes Credit for Covid Funding. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired December 15, 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]
JESSICA GONZALEZ, CO-CEO, FREE PRESS: Covid deaths in this country shows a real callus disinterest in Facebook understanding and stemming its own goal. Sure, we can't control people, but Facebook has a role that is separate and apart from that, that is driving the flow of hate and lies across its platforms. They show no interest in stemming that. And that's why at Free Press we've been calling on Congress and the Federal Trade Commission to take action.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I think the most important words you used there are contributing, amplifying and the distant -- and disinterest to making it better.
I mean, look, Facebook will go to no ends to deny any responsibility for what's going on. But I do think occasionally that there is a risk at saying Facebook's responsible for the fact that people want to believe lies. Facebook's responsible for the fact that people have conspiracy theories that they are spreading. This kind of stuff was there before Facebook and will be here after Facebook. But you're saying Facebook makes it worse.
GONZALEZ: Yes, no doubt. And, in fact, Free Press has been really, really active on protecting some of the liability protections for Facebook that help it not have to be liable for every single thing that an individual user posts. What we're saying, though, is that Facebook is responsible for its own actions. It's responsible for violating its privacy -- our privacy. It's responsible for using those privacy invasions to drive targeted conspiracy theories. It knows how to disrupt these problems. It's choosing not to do so.
So, sure, I'm not saying that it has to be responsible for every single person's decisions about how to behave on the platform, but there is a design element here that needs to be looked at more deeply, and I'm very concerned that -- about this attitude, frankly, that it's not responsible for anything at all.
Sure, conspiracy theories have always been around, right, like those of us who existed before the Internet remember those. But the -- it's different the way they operate on the Internet. It relies on this extraction of data and the targeting that Facebook provides.
BERMAN: Jessica Gonzalez, thank you so much for being with us this morning. GONZALEZ: Thanks for having me.
BERMAN: Elon Musk calls Elizabeth Warren Senator Karen.
Plus, President Biden about to surpass his predecessor on a key milestone in reshaping the federal courts.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And as it's about to welcome the city's new mayor, New York City Police just did something historic.
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[08:36:37]
BERMAN: Democrats say progress is being made on voting rights legislation, despite the many hurdles that stand in the way, namely a certain senator from West Virginia. But it is significant that another Democrat, Senator Mark Warner, tweeted yesterday that he now supports changing the rules around the filibuster.
CNN's political director David Chalian joins us now.
David, if I know one thing about Mark Warner, it's that he's not Joe Manchin.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: He is not Joe Manchin. You are right.
But you guys know, we have been talking about that Joe Manchin is not alone. He may be the most vocal, he may be the most prominent, but he's not alone in concerns about changing the filibuster rules in the Senate.
That conversation was because somebody like Mark Warner had also been expressing concerns. Again, not as much in the public eye. So, for Warner to come out and state clearly, hey, when it comes to voting rights, I am for changing these rules. It's certainly significant. But you know the math on this, guys, it takes all 50 Democrats to go ahead and change these rules. And they don't have all 50 Democrats because Joe Manchin, once again just yesterday, asserted he's not in favor of doing so.
KEILAR: And that's not going to change. I don't see that changing, do you?
CHALIAN: I mean, there's no indication that it's changing now. He has repeated the same thing over and over and over again throughout the course of this year. Obviously, the pressure campaign mounts from interest groups who are very focused on this. You saw Raphael Warnock, the Georgia senator, trying to rib him a little bit and bring him along. But there's been no indication that there's any movement. So, once again, Joe Manchin stands at the very center of the Biden agenda.
KEILAR: But can we talk about what Elizabeth Warren and Elon Musk have been doing going back and forth kind of sparring? It started, Warren tweeted, she said, let's change the rigged tax code so that the person of the year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else.
Musk responded, stop projecting. And he said, you remind me of when I was a kid and my friend's angry mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason. He said, please don't call the manager on me, Senator Karen.
First off, I think, look, we all know Karen. I don't think Senator Warren is a Karen.
CHALIAN: Right, I don't think she really fits.
KEILAR: So I don't know what the heck he's talking about. But what is your read on this?
CHALIAN: I mean, it's -- I -- it is not a fight that Elizabeth Warren is afraid to have with Elon Musk. I will certainly say that.
KEILAR: Sure.
CHALIAN: If you look at her entire career, a, and, b, just look at the public perceptions on this, asking billionaires to pay more taxes, it's an unbelievably popular thing. Like, it is across the board Republicans, Democrats, independents, they love that the very wealthy should pay more taxes. So I -- so I don't think this is a fight that Elizabeth Warren is afraid to have. But, obviously, Elon Musk just sort of, I don't know, going to the gutter there, you know, a little bit of a sexist remark there to Elizabeth Warren. That is not probably something she's going engage in all that much.
BERMAN: So, David, I know that one of the most interesting things you think you've heard over the last few days was the --
CHALIAN: How do you know this, John?
BERMAN: I know this. Sources familiar with David Chalian's thinking have said that he thinks one of the most interesting things was the former president, Donald Trump, talking about his vice president, Mike Pence, his unwillingness to flout the Constitution and basically hand him the election. This is what Donald Trump said out loud.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I think -- I think Mike has been very badly hurt by what took place with respect to January 6th.
[08:40:05]
I think he's been -- I think he's been mortally wounded, frankly, because I see the reaction he's getting from people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: David, why do sources familiar with David Chalian's thinking think this is so notable? CHALIAN: Well, listen, we know there's no love lost here this year
since January 6th between Donald Trump and Mike Pence. And Trump has been out there sort of questioning, still smarting over the fact that Pence didn't go through with his attempted coup plan that Trump had devised for him, that Pence actually followed the constitutional order properly in terms of the counting of electoral votes.
But what I find so amazing about this is now Donald Trump, I think, is stepping up this game. He's actually trying to ensure Mike Pence doesn't have a political future in the Republican Party. He is, by saying that he's mortally wounded -- and, by the way, Trump's analysis, it could be right. I mean there are few people who sort of understand where the base of the Republican Party is than Donald Trump. And so his analysis may be right that this may be too, you know, though a bridge for Mike Pence to cross with the modern day Trump Republican base in a potential 2024 Republican primary. But Donald Trump's point here is to make sure he muddies up Pence as much as possible should Pence move forward with what many people expect to be a bid for the presidency.
BERMAN: It seems my sources were pretty good that you found that this was interesting.
CHALIAN: Don't you? I think it's totally fascinating.
BERMAN: No, definitely.
KEILAR: I was not one of the sources, although I wish -- I wish that I were.
So, you know, David, when we think of reshaping of the courts, we think a lot about Donald Trump because of the impact he had on the Supreme Court. But it's really worth noting that Biden is actually set to surpass Trump in his first year when it comes to federal judicial nominees, which is -- that's significant.
CHALIAN: It is. We've seen so much. Whether it is the election issues we've talked about, whether it was some of the immigration issues that have been such a hot button flashpoint in American politics, we've seen it all land in the courts time and again.
It is notable that this was mission critical for Donald Trump. Remember, this is how he unified the pre-Trump conservative base to his movement, right, was around the issue of judges. He put out that list of pre-approved Supreme Court nominees should he get any vacancies.
So the fact that Biden has been working away to try to put his imprint on the federal judiciary is key. It doesn't get as much attention because there hasn't been a Supreme Court vacancy yet and Donald Trump, of course, had three of those.
KEILAR: Yes.
BERMAN: David Chalian, great to see you.
CHALIAN: Thanks, guys. Good to see you.
KEILAR: It's time now for "5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
First, House lawmakers voting to hold former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection. It will be up to the Department of Justice to decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
BERMAN: New data expected today about how effective vaccines are against the omicron variant, which is now doubling Covid numbers in some countries every two days. So far research out of South Africa adds to evidence that omicron sneaks past vaccines, but may cause milder symptoms.
KEILAR: And President Biden heads to Kentucky this morning to survey the catastrophic damage from the series of tornadoes that killed at least 74 people in the state and displaced thousands, leaving more than 100 Kentuckians still unaccounted for.
BERMAN: Overnight, Congress voted to increase the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion and extend it into 2023. Lawmakers raced to avoid what would have been a catastrophic default ahead of a midweek deadline. Congressman Adam Kinzinger was the only Republican to break ranks and vote with Democrats.
KEILAR: She will be the first woman to lead the NYPD in its 176-year history. Nassau County's Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell was introduced formally as the new madam commissioner in Queens just a few minutes ago. Wearing blues, of course, runs in her family. Sewell's grandfather was a member of the force as well.
BERMAN: And those are the "5 Things 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. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.
QAnon curious and a lover of violent anime, Congressman Paul Gosar now taking credit for something he voted against. A "Reality Check," next.
KEILAR: And Golden State Warrior Steph Curry breaking an NBA record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good! There it is! Stephan Curry!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:49:02]
KEILAR: A trojan horse for socialism. That is what Republican Paul Gosar and some of his colleagues called President Biden's Covid relief plan. They voted against it and yet months later they are singing a different tune.
John Avlon is here with today's "Reality Check." JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Paul Gosar is at it again. No, not threatening AOC or calling members of the FBI and DOJ traitors, or boycotting speeches by the pope. No, this is a different sin of blatant hypocrisy.
You see, Gosar's doing a victory lap for delivering federal cash to his constituency, specifically Covid-19 relief funds that will be used to clean and provide relief for the Kingman, Arizona, airport. In a press release, Gosar called it critical funding, essential to maintaining safe and reliable air service to the community.
What he failed to mention is that he voted against the legislation that made it possible, the American Rescue Plan Act. In fact, he slammed it, saying, this bill's not about Covid relief, it's about funding Democrats' pet projects. The American people should be furious. And calling it a Democratic spending bonanza.
[08:50:04]
Well, which is it, Congressman, a socialist spending scheme for more critical funding? But Gosar understands that he can vote no and still score the dough. And he's far from the only congressman to take credit for a bill that he tried to kill.
Take Alabama Congressman Gary Palmer, Republican Freedom Caucus member who voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, called it recklessly expensive, and then promptly put out a press release touting its benefits back home, saying funding the northern beltline has consistently been one of my top priorities. It will benefit the entire region and enhance economic development and employment opportunities.
These are only a few blatant, grading examples of this. I could add other sworn enemies of bipartisanship, like, North Carolina's Madison Cawthorn, Indiana's Greg Pence, or their leader, California's Kevin McCarthy. After all, not a single Republican voted for Biden's American Rescue Plan. Only 13 House Republicans voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill and they caught massive flack for it from their colleagues. I mean, you might have thought they voted to investigate an insurrection.
Look, I know cynicism passes for wisdom in Washington for a reason, but this is ridiculous. And yet it's the way we live now. Kentucky Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth didn't need much of a crystal ball when he predicted all this back in March.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN YARMUTH (D-KY): What we're all concerned about on our side is that Republicans are all going to vote against this, and then they're going to show up at every ribbon cutting, every project that's funded out of this bill, and they're going to puff up their chest and take credit for all of these great benefits that are coming to their citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP) AVLON: And the reason he could predict all this is because we've seen it before. Like during the Obama years, when Republicans pursued a strategy of total obstruction during the fiscal crisis. And yet, one year after the passage of the Recovery Act, 70 percent of the House GOP had taken credit for some kind of improvement in their home district, prompting "Washington Monthly" to call them highway hypocrites.
But this is more than mere partisan hypocrisy. It's part of the zero sum game that stops people in Congress from reasoning together in good faith. Republicans, after all, only seem to care about deficits and debt when a Democrat is president. They attack popular social spending bills as socialism run amok and then turn around and take a victory lap at home when the money starts flowing in. It should not be too much to expect some constancy.
If a bill benefits your constituents consistent with your principles, vote for it. There will always be trade-offs, folks, perfect, never on the menu. But if you demonize a bill, then you can't credibly turn around and take credit for it. At least not without getting called out.
And that's your "Reality Check."
KEILAR: Remember in high school, Avlon, and you would have a group project and, of course there's someone who does all the work and then there's someone who does none of the work, but they all get the credit.
AVLON: That guy, yes. We all remember that guy.
KEILAR: That guy. They're being that guy. Yes.
All right, John, thanks.
AVLON: Take care.
BERMAN: I just call that efficient.
So, in an emotional scene at Madison Square Garden last night, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry broke the NBA record for most career three-pointers ever made. Curry's teammates joined the celebration, while fans gave him a standing ovation. It was nice that Knicks fans finally had something to cheer about.
Hugs all around, first from his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, then from the man who's now number two on the all-time list, Ray Allen himself.
Curry addressed the milestone after the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPH CURRY, NBA ALL-TIME 3-POINT LEADER: I never wanted to call myself the greatest shooter until I got this record. So I'm comfortable saying that now. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people say, who is the greatest shooter of all
time now.
CURRY: I got that, baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Look, he is, Brianna.
I had a chance to see the Golden State Warriors play in the NBA finals in like 2015. In your home stadium there out there. And I have to tell you, it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I'd never seen anything like it, his shooting.
KEILAR: And I -- I just like him personally. It's so much more fun when you see someone who, you know, achieves something so big and you actually like him. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
BERMAN: Look, he -- he speaks very highly of you.
KEILAR: Thank you, John. Appreciate it.
Up next, a man who lost his home to the Kentucky tornadoes finding a moment of peace at his piano.
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[08:59:10]
KEILAR: Time now for "The Good Stuff."
When Jordan Bays (ph) emerged from his basement in Kentucky, he found that his home had been destroyed by tornados that devastated the area. His piano, though, was still standing, a bit damaged, but he decided to play a favorite hymn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORDAN BAYS: I believe that even in the midst of trying times, there is a peace that can be found. My faith is very important to me. And so it's soothing and calming. And I think we all probably could have used a little bit of that this weekend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And, you know, one of the things I love about this, I was reading, his sister -- he didn't know that he was being filmed. His sister heard this and she just started recording him. It was just something that he did organically when he, you know, came out of the storm.
BERMAN: One of the things that's amazing to see there is how everyone is finding some way to make other people smile, some way to get through this and they're just all stepping forward.
[09:00:08]
