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New Day

North Korea Fires Most Powerful Missile Since 2017 In New Test; Janet Jackson: "Guilt By Association" For Brother's Allegations; Bengals Reach Super Bowl For The First Time Since 1989. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 31, 2022 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[07:32:21]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the State Department is condemning North Korea after its seventh ballistic missile test this month. The intermediate-range missile launched on Sunday was the most powerful since 2017. The White House is speculating that Kim Jong Un's strategy is to gain concessions ahead of any negotiations with the U.S.

Joining us now is CNN's Will Ripley. He is live from Taipei. Tell us about this and how it is being viewed.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's being viewed as an act of provocation, whether it be from the South Korean President Moon Jae-in who thinks North Korea is returning back to a pattern that we last saw five years ago.

Twenty seventeen is when they first launched this kind of intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-12, which we just saw launched right now. We're talking about a weapon that flew 1,200 miles up into space, essentially, and then splashed down in the waters in between Korea and Japan. This is North Korea sending a message they can strike anywhere in the Indo-Pacific region.

But in 2017, they took it one step further. They launched an intercontinental ballistic missile -- a long-range missile that could strike a target pretty much anywhere in the world, including the Mainland U.S.

And they're doing this just days before the opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Could they be trying to insert themselves into the Olympic narrative to do something so big and so provocative that the world has to talk about them? That the United States has to give them what they need -- what they say they need, which is respect and sanctions lifted.

The U.S. has made overtures for diplomacy, Brianna, but the North Koreans have said publicly they think it's disingenuous. And they said that these new rounds of U.S. sanctions that were put on North Korea just this month by the Biden administration will only strengthen their resolve to test even bigger weapons until they say they have an equal leverage at the negotiating table with the U.S.

It certainly sounds pretty familiar to what we saw in 2017 right before that period of diplomacy with the former U.S. president, Donald Trump.

KEILAR: What do you think because with all eyes -- with so much attention on the region because of the Olympics -- I mean, it would make sense that North Korea would seize this moment?

RIPLEY: If you would have told me a few weeks ago that North Korea would do something like an ICBM launch or a nuclear test during the Olympics, I would have thought no way. But given that we've seen this escalation and it's happening pretty much every other day, it would not surprise me.

But again, with the North Koreans, they always want people sitting at the edge of their seats guessing what they're going to do next. They have signaled that they're going to lift their self-imposed moratorium on major testing -- like a nuclear test, like an ICBM launch -- but will they be so bold to do it during the Olympics hosted by their neighbor, their patron, their benefactor, China, we'll have to wait and see.

KEILAR: Yes, that's a very good point. Will, thank you.

[07:35:00]

So, some students and parents across the country fear that the recent trend of removing classic stories from classroom curriculums -- curricula, I should say, could be gaining steam. We're going to speak to a high school student who is fighting to keep these books in school.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Curricula rum (ph), I think, actually.

So, Janet Jackson like we've never heard her before, opening up in a new documentary. Everything from her brother's -- the allegations against her brother to the wardrobe malfunction.

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BERMAN: A school district in Washington State has removed the American classic novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" from a required reading list, citing concerns of racism.

[07:40:00]

This is yet another example in a trend of school districts across the country restricting books with subject matter allegedly deemed inappropriate or offensive. Last week, we talked a lot about a Tennessee school district that removed the graphic novel "Maus."

So, Granbury High School in Texas has also removed dozens of books from its school library seen here in a now-viral photo of men with a handcart literally removing the books from the premises. Senior Kennedy Tackett started a petition to protest the books' removal and read from some of the student comments at a school board meeting last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY TACKET, SENIOR, GRANBURY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, CREATED PETITION TO NOT REMOVE BOOKS: I want to read a few of -- a few of these to you from students.

One writes, "I don't need others to decide for me what is comfortable and appropriate for me to read. Another writes, "Blatant racism and homophobia is easily seen in the choices of the books they are trying to ban. Finally, one that I find to be quite powerful. "Freedom of speech until it's something they don't like."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Kennedy joins me now, along with her father Chris Tackett who tweeted that viral image. Kennedy, it's so great to have you with us.

Why do you think it's important to speak out against what really does appear to be a growing trend in restricting books?

K. TACKETT (via Skype): I mean, to be honest, this is something that you don't expect to see. It feels like a dystopian novel, a dystopian movie. And seeing it happen in front of you in our own community is something that's really concerning because of the reasoning that they're taking these books away.

BERMAN: What do you think they're trying to keep from you, Kennedy?

K. TACKETT: Well, based on the numbers, it's LGBT, it's race and racism, it's real history. So it's really -- again, like I said in the speech, it's freedom of speech until it's something they don't like and that's really where we find ourselves to be.

BERMAN: And what do you think it says about the country -- that this isn't just happening in your high school but happening in different ways in different places?

K. TACKETT: It's deeply concerning and it's -- really, it's just a whole lot of hatefulness that seems to be -- that seems to be coming out. And so, we really just want to make sure that doesn't happen. We need to -- we need to keep the positives going and make sure that people are welcomed, people feel included, and people have representation in all kinds.

BERMAN: Chris, you're the sidekick here as Kennedy is speaking out.

CHRIS TACKETT, FATHER OF KENNEDY TACKETT (via Skype): I am, yes.

BERMAN: One of the arguments that is made in many of these schools boards is well, parents want control over what their children are learning in schools. What do you say to that argument? C. TACKETT: Well, the reality is the Supreme Court made this decision for us in 1982, right? They said that school boards -- public schools have an interest in promoting, right, community values and morals, and such. But the First Amendment for public schools is -- trumps all of that. That you can't take books out of schools just because you don't agree with the ideas that are in them, right? So -- I mean, the Supreme Court made that decision in 1982.

When you look at our school boards' policies it even says that they cannot remove access from students because of things the district disagrees with. And yet, we see this happening not only in our district, not only across Texas, but it's across the whole country. And that's what's so concerning is morals are different, right, from person to person, and having that access available for kids to explore -- to understand what the broader world really has going on, it is so important for that to be represented in our libraries.

BERMAN: Kennedy, do you think that these are grown-ups just thinking -- and I say grown-ups. I mean, you know, you're a grown-up. But do you think these are parents basically saying our kids can't handle this?

K. TACKETT: Yes. I mean, that really -- that's what it seems to be boiling down to. I mean, a lot of us are free thinkers and are trying to again figure out our own way and trying to figure out our own opinions. And it's really sad, honestly, to see that mistrust from parents. Like, we can't make our own decisions at this point, especially being in high school and for me, of course, being a senior. It's like OK -- like, when is going to be the time that we get to make our own decisions and decide, in this case, what literature we're going to be reading?

BERMAN: Read it. Learn it Talk about it -- teach. There's a way to use --

K. TACKETT: Yes.

BERMAN: -- all of this material.

Chris, Kennedy Tackett -- Kennedy, I look forward to working for you one day. Thank you both for being with us this morning.

C. TACKETT: Our pleasure.

K. TACKETT: (INAUDIBLE).

[07:45:00]

KEILAR: A new Lifetime and A&E documentary airing now on pop icon Janet Jackson offers an unprecedented glimpse into the life of one of the best-selling artists in music history. Jackson addresses the Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake that almost derailed her career. She also responds to her brother's -- brother Michael's child sex abuse allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRODUCER: Do you feel like the allegations affected your life?

JANET JACKSON, GRAMMY-WINNING ARTIST: Of course. My brother would never do something like that but I'm still guilty by association. That's what they call it, right?

PRODUCER: Was there any moment where you thought maybe he did do it?

JACKSON: Never. I know my brother. He didn't have that in him.

PRODUCER: Did all of your family stand by Michael?

JACKSON: Yeah, we did to show him that we were there for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining me now is "Allure" magazine contributor and "Washington Post" senior critic-at-large, Robin Givhan. She also interviewed Janet Jackson for this cover story in February's edition of the magazine.

Robin, fascinating interview, in part because of this documentary which -- I mean, I really just -- I really like how you took us through this sort of day that you spent with Janet Jackson.

But first, I want to ask you about what she said there about her brother because we do learn something new, which is she actually lost out on a lot of money because of what was happening with Michael Jackson.

ROBIN GIVHAN, CONTRIBUTOR, ALLURE MAGAZINE, SENIOR CRITIC-AT-LARGE, THE WASHINGTON POST, INTERVIEWED JACKSON FOR FEBRUARY'S ALLURE COVER STORY (via Skype): Yes. I mean, I was -- I was surprised by that revelation in the documentary, in part because this is someone who has been discussed and parsed and analyzed in the public eye since she was born, essentially.

But one of the things that I did when I was having the conversation with her in London for the interview was to really try and keep it focused on her. Because in the back of my mind, I thought so many times the conversation about Janet Jackson is really about her brother. And as she says in the documentary, she isn't her brother's keeper.

KEILAR: No, she isn't. And it was actually a big Coca-Cola deal that she missed out on. It obviously would have been quite profitable for her to do.

And as you say, this sometimes -- it's not about Janet Jackson. I think of that Super Bowl performance, of course, which I think has aged a little differently than maybe people responded to it at the time.

But I do want to play something from the documentary about the conversation she talked about having with Justin Timberlake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRODUCER: Did you hear from Justin?

JACKSON: Um-hum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say?

JACKSON: We talked once and he said I -- you know, I don't know if I should come out and make a statement and this and that -- or say something -- have something to say. And I said listen, I don't want any drama for you. They're aiming all of this at me. So I said just -- I said if I were you I wouldn't say anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What did you think about that?

GIVHAN: I was surprised, certainly. But as I thought about it, it made me realize that clearly, at the time, I don't think she recognized how -- the enormity of what really was unfolding and the lasting impact that it would have. And I think there was also a bit of an element of what so many women are often taught to do, which is to sort of just bear up and to sort of take responsibility and to protect other people. And I think you sort of see that in what she says there about Justin Timberlake.

And I think I felt it when I was talking to her later on about the Super Bowl incident, and it was clear that even though she didn't want to rehash it that it was still something that was still raw. That is was still very, very painful because she said that it was something that was incredibly hard for her to discuss.

KEILAR: When we think about feminism and entertainers, Janet Jackson was really -- I mean, she was ahead of her time.

GIVHAN: She really was. And I think when we go back and sort of assess or reassess her work, you realize that so many of the artists now, whether it's Lizzo, who she mentioned admiring, or Megan Thee Stallion, or Miley Cyrus, or all of these women who are essentially given much more freedom to perform as they choose, to live in their skin in a way that is far more comfortable and less -- we are less judgmental of them.

[07:50:09]

And, you know, we have -- I think a lot of those women have Janet Jackson to thank for that because she really sort of took it on the chin for them.

KEILAR: Robin, great to speak with you. Wonderful story that you write. I encourage everyone to check it out in this upcoming edition of "Allure" magazine. Robin, thanks.

GIVHAN: Thank you.

KEILAR: An epic comeback against the favorite Kansas City Chiefs and now, the Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl-bound. How the team that no one else out of Cincinnati believed in pulled it off, next.

BERMAN: And breaking news this morning. New CNN reporting reveals just how close Kamala Harris was to the pipe bomb planted at the DNC last year before she took office.

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[07:55:05]

BERMAN: History made last night. The Bengals from Cincinnati, in dramatic fashion, upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: It's 31 yards -- McPherson -- and Cincinnati is heading to the Super Bowl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

They had to overcome an 18-point deficit to do that. This was really impressive against the Chiefs. It's not supposed to happen that way.

And this will be the first time since 1989 that the Bengals will be in the Super Bowl. Like, two seasons ago, they had just two wins.

Joining us now, Cincinnati sports radio host Mo Egger. Mo, it's great to see you. I'm old enough to remember Ken Anderson in the Super Bowl.

MO EGGER, AFTERNOON HOST, CINCINNATI'S ESPN 1530 (via Skype): (Laughing).

BERMAN: Yes. I remember Ickey Woods in the Super Bowl. But this one even more improbable because, like, Cincinnati stunk a couple of years ago.

EGGER: (Laughing).

Hey, they've stunk for most of the last 31 years. I mean, you know, you go back to 1988. After that, we had this huge period of darkness in the 90s where the Bengals were the worst team in the NFL.

They were pretty good and then at least relevant for a stretch from like '05 to 2015, but they were bad in '16, '17, '18. They were horrific two years ago. They were bad last year.

And the expectation this season, I think by most was, they would be better but nowhere close to this. It's pretty remarkable.

KEILAR: So what is it? What allowed them to deliver?

EGGER: Number nine, Joe Burrow. Very few things in sports, very few things in life live up to the hype or exceed it. Joe Burrow has done that.

You know, we watched this kid in college when he was at LSU and we knew the Bengals were going to have the number-one overall pick. We watched him in college in the College Football Playoff and he torched Oklahoma and he lit up Clemson. And we all started looking at each other going wait a minute, that's going to be our quarterback, and started to dream of things like this.

But, I mean, we all -- we all follow sports. Very few things end up matching the hype that we attach to them, and Joe Burrow has done that. He's not only played great but I really feel like he's made the Bengals cool. He's given the city -- I hate this word but I'm going to use it anyway. He's given this city swagger that it's long lacked, and it's been a lot of fun to watch unfold.

KEILAR: There is --

BERMAN: I mean -- go ahead.

KEILAR: There is swagger, Berman. I mean, we --

EGGER: (Laughing).

KEILAR: OK, because of this, let's take a look at the get-up. Let's look at his turtleneck. Well, he had this crazy turtleneck game, right? Not -- I don't want to say crazy. I think it was awesome.

Look at this winner.

EGGER: (Laughing).

KEILAR: What do you think of that? He's bringing back the turtleneck for all the men.

EGGER: Yes, but not for me. I can't pull it off and I can't put off -- pull off his jewelry either.

But, you know, there's something about this franchise that has long been sort of I think perceived as being outdated and maybe a little bit stuck in the mud. And Cincinnati has this reputation for being this conservative town stuck 10 years in the past.

And so, I think Joe has sort of freshened things up a little bit. He's added an element of energy and youth and excitement. And it's evident in the way he carries himself and it's evident in the way he looks.

But let's be honest. You can't be the quarterback of a team that goes 4-12 and pull off that look, right? I mean, you have to -- if you're going to do that -- if you're going to rock that look, which I never can. I think John, you could. But if you're going to rock that look you better be as good as Joe has been. And you saw it yesterday and you've seen it so far in the post-season. He is -- he is awesome and he's just getting started in his second season.

BERMAN: I think the rule is you actually at least have to be a division champ to wear a turtleneck right there. And there is a minimum --

EGGER: Yes. BERMAN: -- bar you have to pass to even try -- to even try something like that. Look, I happen to think turtlenecks are a little creepy but he seems so nice. Joe Burrows seems so nice, so genuine, so confident. So willing to take this city on his back and go forward.

I could not be happier for you, Mo, and the city of Cincinnati. And you have that unique quality going forward, which is you can say no one believed in us. They said we couldn't do this.

EGGER: Yes.

BERMAN: So take that chip and run with it, man.

EGGER: No, we -- the city will. I will. I think the Bengals will.

And you talked about Joe Burrow. I mean, he was -- there's a lot of quarterbacks who get drafted number one overall and they're asked to run the offense and throw passes. Joe was quite literally being asked to save this franchise in many respects and he's done it. He's embraced that role. And again, the fun part is he's just getting started.

BERMAN: Mo Egger, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

EGGER: All right, guys, thanks.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

[08:00:00]

KEILAR: Good morning to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. It is Monday, January 31st and I'm Brianna Keilar with John Berman.

We are beginning with some brand-new details about just how close then-Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris was to a pipe bomb that was planted outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters the same day as the January sixth Capitol insurrection last year.