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Canada's Trucker Protests Threatens to Spread to the U.S.; Controversy Surrounds Russian Figure Skating Star Kamila Valieva after Report Surfaces She Failed Drug Test; Autopsy Report on Bob Saget Released; Poll Numbers Show Disfavor among Voters for President Biden On Many Key Issues Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired February 11, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: They are getting better. So look, the Rams are favored to win by five points this year, and if you look at the median Super Bowl margin, the first 19, it was a 16-point on median, then the next 18, 16 points. It's been just seven points in the last 18. So hopefully we'll get a good game.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Harry, enjoy the game. Thanks so much for being with us.

ENTEN: Thank you, sir.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. It is Friday, February 11th. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar. Any moment the fate of a Russian skating sensation could be determined. It was revealed that she failed a drug test before her Olympic performance, the one she has already done. She's got some key ones coming up.

And this is important also -- Russia knew she failed this test. We're talking about Russia's superstar figure skater, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva. She was allowed to compete by Russia in the games even though she had failed a drug test that they say was taken in December. Valieva led Russia's figure skating team to a gold medal in the team event. That ceremony is on hold.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The Russian Olympic Committee is fighting for Valieva to remain in the competition and keep what it calls her honestly won gold medal, insisting their star skater repeatedly passed doping tests while already in Beijing. Valieva's right to keep skating in the games is now being challenged by the International Olympic Committee. Selina Wang is in Beijing with our top story. Good morning to you, Selina. What can you tell us?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna. This is an incredible turn of events, this doping scandal overshadowing the premiere event of the Winter Olympics. There are two key questions here. Number one, can 15-year-old figure skating star Kamila Valieva, can she continue to compete? And number two, can the Russian Olympic Committee keep the gold medal they have already won in the team event?

Officials here, they're finally confirming that Valieva, she tested positive for a banned substance. It is a drug that is used to treat a heart condition. It's known to boost endurance. Now, experts here, however, are questioning the timeline of events, because she took that drug test on December 25th. But the results of that test not coming through until February 8th, a day after the ROC won that gold in the team event.

Now the Russian anti-doping agency, they swiftly moved to ban her from competition, but then a day later they overturned that decision when Valieva appealed. But the IOC here, they want her out. They are challenging that decision and the court of arbitration of sport. There will be a hearing held, and there is a tight deadline because she is due to compete on Tuesday.

And Brianna, this is huge deal. Valieva is a superstar, she set multiple world records. She's now in the history books as the first woman to land a quad at the Olympic Games. But unfortunate here that this is now going to diminish her phenomenal athleticism. And once again, it is putting the spotlight on Russia's state-sponsored doping scheme. I spoke to the former deputy director of the World Anti-Doping Association, and what he told me is that Valieva, she is a victim of a state system, and that the Russian authorities, they need to be held accountable so that athletes like Valieva have an opportunity to compete clean. Brianna, John?

BERMAN: It is interesting, you brought up the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, they want the suspension in place, which would have the effect of her not being able to compete. The IOC seems to want the same thing here. So what you have is these organizations that oversee this don't want this to happen. It's very curious to know what's going on behind the scenes now, the actual diplomacy, not just sports, but the diplomacy taking place to get her back on the ice, maybe between Russia and China here. She's practicing right now? What is her process over the next few days?

WANG: Yes, John. I think you mentioned a really interesting dynamic here. All of these different agencies, the WADA, Russian anti-doping agency, the IOC, they have just got a few days to hammer all of this out. And Valieva, as of now, because she did have that suspension lifted by the Russian anti-doping association, in the interim period there have been pictures of her, people have seen her taking the ice, she has been practicing. But you can only imagine, John, she's only 15 years old, the incredible stress that she's under. But if the IOC challenge, if it wins and she is out of the games, she is not going to be able to compete anymore.

And then later we may find out what is going to happen with that team ROC medal that was already won. If they are stripped of that gold, that would present room for Team USA, which won silver in that medal event, to take that gold position. But, again, we don't know when, we'll figure out if that's going to happen. It may not happen during the duration of the games. It could be much later, John.

[08:05:05] KEILAR: It is not an ideal way to win, even if the U.S. wins. It puts a taint, I think, over everything, and it's a terrible experience for everyone involved or affected. Selina, thank you so much for that report.

BERMAN: Brand new details this morning from the autopsy of "Full House" star Bob Saget. Further reports from the medical examiner in Orange County, Florida, the official cause of death was blunt head trauma. It was also revealed that Saget had COVID.

Joining us now is Orange County, Florida, Sheriff John Mina leading the investigation into the late actor's death. Sheriff, thanks so much for being with us. The investigation into the actor's death, what is the status of the investigation?

SHERIFF JOHN MINA, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Well, thanks for having me. And, first, our heartfelt condolences go out Saget family. So we believe this was an accidental cause of death. Maybe hitting a flat surface with the back of his head. So the investigation is really closed at this point based on the information that kind of confirmed what we believe from the medical examiner's office.

BERMAN: The investigation is closed?

MINA: Yes, unless any new information comes up that would lead us otherwise. But we were able to track his movements, from his previous show to the hotel. He actually took a photo with someone that night before he died right outside the hotel, went up to his room, locked himself in there. The hotel actually had to remove some of the locks manually to get into the hotel room. The room was clean, no signs of a struggle. And so we believe the death was accidental.

BERMAN: First of all, you say how many times he locked the door. That isn't suspicious. I put every lock on in a hotel room the minute I go in, in every which way I can. But the one thing about the autopsy is that the force of the fall appears to have been much greater than I think people had assumed. I'm not saying it's suspicious, but to have the injuries on the back of the head but also above the eyes too, any sense of how that might have happened?

MINA: Well, there is no doubt that it was a hard impact, possibly from a fall. The bathroom there is a very slick, hard surface, so there is speculation he may have slipped in the bathroom. But again, there was no visible signs of trauma to the back of the head to the naked eye, until it was revealed in the autopsy. So, in other words, we do not believe that he was struck with anything. We believe this was an accidental death, probably most likely caused by some type of fall, hitting a flat surface.

BERMAN: You brought up the bathroom, that's actually the first I've heard of that. Do you have -- was there any evidence about where he may have fallen inside that hotel room, if it even did take place in the hotel room?

MINA: No. There is no evidence. There was not a single drop of blood in the hotel room. So, again, that's why we believe he struck his head on a flat surface, and most likely the bathroom, but we're not sure about that.

BERMAN: And people always say any signs of drug use, there were prescription drugs in his body that could have easily been taken for other issues, but anything there that causes any level of concern?

MINA: Absolutely no signs of drugs or alcohol or anything like that in the room. The room was very clean, and like I said, just as if someone had come back, locked themselves in the hotel room, and went to bed is what the room looked like to us.

BERMAN: And also I mentioned COVID, as I was introducing you. Everyone knew he had COVID in December at least. So it's not necessarily strange in any way that tests still revealed some trace of it within his system.

I'm going to let you go, sheriff. But when you say the case is closed unless there is new information, effectively that means no one -- what does that mean going forward? No one is working on this, but if something new were to somehow come to light, you would then maybe reopen it?

MINA: Yes, certainly. Just like any death investigation, the case may be closed and we're not looking at anything else. If someone were to come forward and say we saw this or we heard this, certainly we would look into that statement.

BERMAN: Again, I'm not suggesting there is any reason that that will happen, just trying to find out procedurally where everything is, especially because the autopsy results came to light for the first time for all of us last night, and we're still trying to process them. Sheriff John Mina, I really appreciate you being with us. Wish you the best of luck going forward.

MINA: Thank you.

[08:10:00]

BERMAN: So this morning the White House and the Democratic Party on edge. New CNN polls show the president with some tough numbers not that long before the midterm elections. Inflation over the past 12 months has hit a 40-year high. New CNN poll shows a majority of voters, 59 percent, put the economy as their top issue heading into the midterms, 55 percent say the same with inflation, 55 percent say voting rights, 49 percent say taxes, 46 percent said education. Concern about the economy hasn't been this widespread in any midterm election year dating back to 2002.

KEILAR: And this morning only 41 percent of Americans approve of President Biden's job performance, 58 percent disapprove. Here is how the president addressed the issue of inflation in an interview with NBC News last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was back in July you said inflation was going to be temporary. I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you're being a wise guy with me a little bit. I understand that's your job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When can Americans expect some relief from this soaring inflation?

BIDEN: According to Nobel laureates, 14 of them that contacted me, and a number of corporate leaders, it ought to be able to start to taper off as we go through this year. In the meantime, I'm going to do everything in my power to do with the big points that are impacting most people in their homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And Jake Tapper is with us now. Jake, I want to talk to you about his response there to that here in a moment. But, first, looking at these poll numbers, what should the takeaway be for Biden and the Biden administration?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you look at historical trends, the difference between a president who is over 50 percent in approval ratings, will lose about 14 seats in the House in the midterm election. And a president who is under 50 percent can expect to lose about 37 seats in the House. That's according to a Gallup analysis from 2018. So that's a -- that's a considerable difference, losing 14 seats and losing 37 seats. It is a difference between a midterm blip and a midterm shellacking. So that's number one.

And I do think that there is a real drag on the president's popularity because of the concern about inflation, and the comments that the president has made about inflation being temporary. And, frankly, I don't think Lester Holt asking that question is being a wise guy, as President Biden put it. I think that that's a very logical first question about record-high inflation. I don't think it is by some measures shot up this high since I was 13 years old and I'm 52 now. And I don't think that it's anything that is a trifle. This is something that really affects the public and the American people in very real ways. Wages are going up, but inflation is going up more.

BERMAN: First of all, you're considerably older than we are, so we do appreciate your insight into what is happening in --

TAPPER: True. Fact check true. I don't need Daniel Dale for that one.

BERMAN: -- in 1982. And you do know wise guys as well as anybody, and that was not a wise guy question.

TAPPER: No.

BERMAN: What about how -- and not just on the journalism part of it, but how the White House and the president is specifically addressing this issue of inflation? Because there is a need to convey to the American people, yes, we feel your pain, without trying to have it blamed on the White House, if you know what I mean. TAPPER: Yes, look, what the response generally is from the White

House is, well, that's why we need Build Back Better, but all that does is emphasize and underline the fact that they haven't passed Build Back Better, and if you talk to Senator Joe Manchin, the key Democratic vote in the Senate on that bill, it's not there. And they're not in any place where they can say, but we are going to pass this provision of it, the childcare provision, or we're going to pass this provision of it, the climate change provisions. They're just not anywhere on that.

And then meanwhile, if you talk to Democratic leaders out in the states, there is frustration that this White House is not particularly on the ball, in their view, when it comes to, for instance, anticipating the effect that the Canadian trucker protests, that that effect would have on supply chain issues in states like Michigan and other border states. So there is -- it's not just perception. There is a degree of reality to which people out in the country, including people sympathetic to President Biden, don't think that they're on the ball when it comes to handling all of these issues.

KEILAR: There are Senate Democrats who certainly feel that way, Jake. That sentiment that they have, is that rightly placed, in your opinion?

[08:15:05]

TAPPER: Well, look, there is only so much that any president can do about inflation, it's not like the president has a magic wand. But there are things that the president can do.

We know that Joe Biden has been active when it comes to talking to individuals trying to fix the supply chain issue. Is he doing as much when he's talking to individuals who are CEOs about price hikes? Because one of the reasons that prices are going up, that, look, some of this is a natural response to the nation emerging from a pandemic, and supply exceeding demand. That's just true.

But that's not all of it. Some of it is corporate greed. Some of it is, for instance, if you look at the earnings calls that CEOs and CFOs did at the end of January, there is a lot of chest thumping about price increases that they have been able to push through, taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of supply exceeding demand, whether it is in grocery items or other things. And, look, that's a place where the president's bully pulpit could be used even more.

KEILAR: I want to ask you about this investigation that the army concluded. They put out a report on the Biden administration's drawdown, the final drawdown from Afghanistan. There were some key findings in there that President Biden is now rejecting. Let's listen to what he said in this interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESTER HOLT, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: I interviewed many military officials and officers who said the administration ignored the handwriting on the wall. Another described trying to get folks in the embassy ready to evacuate and encountering people who are in -- essentially in denial of the situation. Does any of that ring true to you?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. No. That's not what I was told.

HOLT: Are you rejecting the conclusions or the accounts that are in this army report?

BIDEN: Yes, I am.

HOLT: So they're not true?

BIDEN: I'm rejecting them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Unequivocal, and irritated, mad. I don't know, what have you. One of those emotions for sure. What did you think of what he said?

TAPPER: I thought the most important sentence he had, what he said in that, is not what I was told. Not what I was told. There is a long history in the United States of America when it comes to the government, when it comes to corporations, of only good news making its way to the top and bad news not.

And if that is indeed not what President Biden was told, then he was not given the whole picture. And he has a responsibility to figure out why he wasn't given the whole picture, why he wasn't told everything.

Look, I don't expect President Biden to fly to Kabul before the evacuation and investigate this. That's what he has the entire military for. That's what he has a staff of 2 million in the Biden administration.

But if he is not being given all the facts, and, again, this is not a new development, then why not? Then those facts did not make their way to him. That means that he was failed by individuals in his administration, and ultimately that is his responsibility.

And if he just wants to reject the findings of this military report, and say it is not what I was told, therefore I reject it, there is a real disconnect here and President Biden is an experienced, savvy politician. And he under -- look, he said, that's not what I was told for a reason. I mean, he is conveying that he did not get that information. Maybe he doesn't want to connect the dots, but that's what happened.

So there needs to be an internal investigation at the White House, why was he not told that if he was not told that? If he was not told that, why not? Who kept that information from him? Where -- at what level was that negative information removed from the report that was going upward?

Because that did not do him any service, and it certainly did not do our service members any service, it did not help Afghan people. If he was only given rosy scenarios, you can blame some of that on the Afghan government, but not all of it, and certainly not even most of it. So there is more that needs to be done based on that sentence, "not what I was told".

BERMAN: Jake, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, very critical of Donald Trump in the events surrounding January 6th and everything that happened there, I guess came to New York City and filmed some video in front of Trump Tower. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): I want to be a new voice for the Republican Party. And that's one of the reasons I've spoken out so strongly against the president, against the QAnon conspiracy theorists that led us in a constitutional crisis. It is just wrong and we got to put a stop to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That wasn't the video in any which way. We need the video of her in front of Trump Tower. Else, we will bid adieu to Jake Tapper who is standing in front of the coast of Washington, D.C.

[08:20:00]

Let's play that video.

KEILAR: We got it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACE: I'm in front of Trump Tower today. And in 2015 when President Trump announced his run, I was one of his earliest supporters. I actually worked for the campaign in 2016. I worked in seven different states across the country to help get him elected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Big change, Jake.

TAPPER: Yeah. I recognize the first individual in that video, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who a lot of people thought was going to be a fresh face and a new beginning for the Republican Party. And the only thing I'll say about that last video is one only gives up one's own dignity willingly. It can't be taken from you. It only can be given up if you are willing to give it up.

KEILAR: Very good point.

Jake, it is always lovely to see you in the morning. You should get up every morning with us. And then we will stay awake --

TAPPER: No, but thank you.

KEILAR: -- we'll cut our snap short, and catch "THE LEAD" at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, as we will today, for sure. Jake, thank you. BERMAN: Put on some sunscreen, Jake. Putin on some sunscreen. That

beach looks --

TAPPER: It is very hot.

KEILAR: Whoo!

BERMAN: Be careful out there. SPF15 at least.

KEILAR: I hope those glasses turn into those shades, you know, the ones that turn back and forth. Very fun. Excellent.

So it is being compared to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a white father and son duo accused of chasing down and shooting at a Black FedEx driver in Mississippi. That FedEx driver is going to be joining us next.

And the ongoing Canadian protest against vaccine mandates have blockaded three major border crossings between the U.S. and Canada. This is shutting down a huge amount of trade, huge economic impact. We'll have your reality check next.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: One thing that doesn't belong to sting anymore is his music. How much he sold the catalog for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:45]

KEILAR: Ahead of Super Bowl weekend, all eyes on the U.S.-Canadian border as the trucker inspired protests continue in Ottawa and the ramifications drift south.

John Avlon here with today's "Reality Check".

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: What the truck? It is a question you might ask yourself while watching footage of this Canadian trucker protest. Up to 500 rigs have been clogging up traffic in Canada's capital for two weeks, while other protesters join in.

Now, they're blocking the vital bridge that connects us with our neighbors to the north. Now, the signage of course says they're fighting for freedom, specifically repealing vaccine mandates and COVID restrictions they argue are disrupting people's lives.

But in fact, they're the ones doing the disrupting now by holding traffic and trade hostage, adding to supply chain delays and threatening to push prices even higher. So they're compounding the problems they're complaining about, an absurdity is the only consistency when people try to politicize a virus.

For example, look, I've always thought that when protesters block bridges and highways, it is a uniquely self-defeating form of protest. Because it alienates far more people than it attracts and usually conservatives agree -- at least when the protesters in question come from the left.

This particular caravan is being lionized on right wing TV. But get this, about 4 1/2 hours of Fox coverage Monday through Wednesday this week alone. That's according to Media Matters.

So much for law and order, misinformation permeates the messaging. Now there is even talk of bringing trucker protests south of the Canadian border, just in time to screw up the Super Bowl. With a DHS bulletin warning it could severely disrupt transportation, federal government operations, commercial facilities, and emergency services through gridlock and potential counter-protests.

Truckers are in many ways the life blood of our economy. They deserve respect and appreciation, but not especially exemption from public health laws.

Canadian Prime Minister says that almost 90 percent of Canada's truckers are vaccinated, as a new law across border travel requires. And that suggests once again we're seeing a loud minority screw things up for the rest of us. But that's in some ways the story of our times.

In USA, around 75 percent of adults are now fully vaccinated and vast majority of recent pandemic deaths are among the unvaccinated. It is the deadliest form of tribal virtue signaling imaginable. But it also has an impact on everyone else.

Look, it has been over two years since the first cases of COVID reached the United States. We have seen more than 915,000 of our fellow Americans die. And yet the partisan outrage is often directed at public health policies that have strived to stop the spread, while the staggering loss of life is almost ignored, by people who in other context proudly call themselves pro-life.

Look, feelings of frustration are totally understandable. As the date changes, we can and should adjust our tactics. Mask mandate makes less in places where virus is subsiding and transmission is low. But few states currently hit the threshold.

Newsflash though, right? Nobody likes wearing masks. It is something we do to protect other people, particularly the most vulnerable during a pandemic. And that's what's getting lost in translation here. Everyone likes to think they're fighting for freedom. But as common sense and common decency shows, my right to swing my fist ends at your nose.

Trying to hold society hostage to your demands isn't consistent with the common good, because liberty implies civic responsibility in a democracy. So don't call it a freedom convoy, as the organizers like to claim. Call it what it is, a right wing trucker tantrum.

And that's your "Reality Check".

KEILAR: I feel like you may be talking about this again next week too.

John Avlon, thank you for that. AVLON: Thank you.

KEILAR: A white father and son duo accused of chasing down and shooting a black FedEx driver in Mississippi. That FedEx driver will join us next.

BERMAN: A brand-new report gives an alarming look at the rise of violent crime in America's largest cities.