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3 Dead When Amtrak Train Derails After Colliding With Dump Truck; Patrick McEnroe: Wimbledon's Ban On Russian Players Is Wrong; NYT: Biden Irritated By Lack Of Respect From His Own Party. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 28, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The vice president said it multiple times in this interview. They want this to be a rallying cry for Democratic voters. The question is how much of a rally, right? People are angry and they want to use their vote to register that anger.

But the question is whether or not there's going to be enough of that to make a difference in the numbers -- the very real numbers that she talked about, and that is they don't -- they want to codify Roe, which means make legislative -- make it a law through the Congress to make abortion legal nationwide but they don't have the votes. And she wouldn't go there on the filibuster, which I thought was really interesting.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

It was very interesting to hear her answer on Joe Biden running for reelection and she's going to be his ticket mate full stop. Of course, you had to ask that, especially after what Jim Clyburn has said about this.

But I just wonder do you get the sense that she and that President Biden are annoyed that they are fielding these questions, including questions that are kind of given some light by members of their own party?

BASH: Maybe. She didn't come across as annoyed; she came across as ready.

KEILAR: Yes.

BASH: She was ready. You could tell she was ready for that. She knew that was going to be a question. And it was because of people like Jim Clyburn, a very well-respected Democrat who is basically why Joe Biden got the nomination because of his support for him and then for this ticket.

That is the reality that they are living in and she wanted to say exactly, without any daylight, where she thinks things are right now. That's why she made it crisp, and clear, and clean, full stop. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It was the most --

BASH: That's where we are right now in June of 2022, I just want to say.

BERMAN: It was the most declarative statement from the ticket yet.

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean, Joe Biden is running. I mean, that -- which is different linguistically than what he has said out loud more or less. I mean, that was the declarative statement right there.

BASH: It was.

KEILAR: Dana Bash, thank you so much. Wonderful interview.

BASH: Thanks, guys.

KEILAR: Thank you for discussing it --

BASH: Thanks.

KEILAR: -- with us.

BASH: Thanks for having me on.

KEILAR: So, an Amtrak train collided with a dump truck in Missouri. Two siblings who were on that train are going to join NEW DAY with more on the crash that killed three people and injured dozens of others.

BERMAN: And new CNN reporting this morning on the White House losing some confidence in Ukraine's chances against Russia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:36:40]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, we hit a truck. Someone was crossing the tracks -- yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Amtrak passengers sitting on the side of this derailed train moments after it struck a dump truck in Missouri. This train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit that truck at an intersection that didn't have warning lights or gates. The driver of the dump truck and two people on board the train died in this accident.

Dax McDonald and his sister Samantha were on that train and they are joining us now. Dax and Samantha, thank you so much for being with us this morning. We're so glad to see you doing well. Samantha, I do know that you had to go to the hospital. Can you tell

us how you're both doing?

SAMANTHA MCDONALD, PASSENGER ON AMTRAK TRAIN THAT CRASHED AND DERAILED (via Webex by Cisco): Yes. So, we all got checked out. We're just so grateful for everyone that was able to get us out and for all of the nurses and all of the volunteers that were able to stop and come help. And it was -- it was amazing seeing everyone come together. So --

BERMAN: Dax, what did this feel like? Describe to us what happened and how you experienced it.

DAX MCDONALD, PASSENGER ON AMTRAK TRAIN THAT CRASHED AND DERAILED (via Webex by Cisco): Yes. We heard a massive bang and I knew the train hit something. Honestly, I thought that was just going to be a delay but then we started feeling the train tilting over to the right. That's when it came into my mind that this is life or death. This is -- this is very serious. It was the first time for many of us on a train, too, so it was -- yes, incredible.

S. MCDONALD: Yes.

KEILAR: Did you see the dump truck ahead of time?

D. MCDONALD: I was looking out to the right. I was on the right side of the train and I saw a cloud of dust. And I was -- you know, they were moving perpendicular to the train. There was one vehicle in that cloud of dust, which means that there was another vehicle in front of it. I didn't see the vehicle in front but they seemed to be moving pretty quickly.

And I was kind of just like -- I was -- it just seemed odd to me how quickly they were moving when I knew they were going to have to cross the train tracks eventually. And right as I had that thought I heard the original bang.

BERMAN: I'm looking at these still photos. You took some pictures and some video. Just describe the moments after. What it was that you were seeing in all of this.

D. MCDONALD: Yes. I woke up basically on the right side of the train. I looked through the glass and I could see the gravel on the other side. Basically, I took a video as I kind of just stood up and looked around. And immediately, everyone was like asking if everyone's OK.

And yes, Samantha -- she hit her head pretty bad, I think on that original throw.

KEILAR: So how -- Samantha, how did -- how did you guys get out of the train?

S. MCDONALD: So, when I was -- I was thrown to the other side of the train, and then we were laying on the side of the train windows. And then we were looking up at the escape windows. And we had to climb 10 feet straight above us to the escape windows.

[07:40:00]

And I was able to lift myself up and then there was other passengers that had gotten out before us from the other train cars that were able to help lift me up and our family. And it was absolutely insane.

KEILAR: Look, it looks terrifying. We're so glad that you two are OK and that your family is OK. And we thank you so much for joining us to talk about your experience.

S. MCDONALD: Yes, thank you.

D. MCDONALD: Thank you.

KEILAR: Dax and Samantha McDonald.

BERMAN: First time on a train.

KEILAR: I know.

S. MCDONALD: Yes, the first --

KEILAR: There is some new reporting that President Biden is irritated with his own party. We'll have that ahead.

BERMAN: Plus, Wimbledon begins without some notable players -- players from Russia. Patrick McEnroe joins us on why he says that is a mistake.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:08]

KEILAR: Happening today, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is set to face an NFL disciplinary hearing. Reports say the league is recommending an indefinite suspension lasting at least a year for Watson's alleged sexual misconduct.

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us now on this. Miguel, what do we know about this hearing today?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that it's not his only problem. Those problems are mounting for the star quarterback Deshaun Watson.

He signed on with the Cleveland Browns earlier this year for five years and $230 million. Previously, he was with the Houston Texans for five years and that's where his problems began.

Today, he faces an independent disciplinary hearing and a new civil lawsuit has been filed against the Houston Texans, his old team. That suit was brought by one of the 24 women who earlier sued the 26-year- old quarterback for sexual misconduct. Twenty of the 24 women have settled that suit.

The hearing was set up under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the Players Association. Interestingly, nfl.com, as you mentioned, is reporting that the league is seeking a suspension of at least one year. It's pretty rare for something like that to leak prior to the hearing. Whatever the outcome of the hearing, it can be appealed to the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell who has final say on all of this.

Now, that civil suit, that's been brought by a former massage therapist student Toi Garner who alleges Watson assaulted her and harassed her in an aggressively sexual way. The claim, the Houston Texans enabled Deshaun Watson's behavior and protected and shielded Watson to protect the Texans organization.

Now, The New York Times earlier reported the team enabled his behavior by providing Watson a nondisclosure agreement to give -- to give therapists a nondisclosure agreement by supplying the venue he -- and also by supplying the venue he used for some of his appointments.

Now, Watson has said he is innocent of all the charges and Texans insist they've complied with any and all investigations. But this is not going to end anytime soon. We'll watch for the outcome of that hearing today -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Miguel. Thank you so much.

MARQUEZ: You got it.

BERMAN: Over in England, Wimbledon is underway but without the world's top-ranked player, Russian Daniil Medvedev. In a controversial move, the tournament's organizers have decided to ban all Russian and Belarusian players in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Joining us now, ESPN tennis commentator Patrick McEnroe. Patrick, I know how you feel about this because you wrote a CNN op-ed saying it was the wrong move. Why?

PATRICK MCENROE, ESPN TENNIS COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's very complicated -- this issue, John -- and I think you could make a good argument for either side of this decision that was made by the All England Club. But I think thinking about it as hard as I have for the last couple of months and seeing what's gone on in other sporting events like the NHL Playoffs that just finished -- the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- plenty of Russian players involved there.

And by the way, plenty of tennis tournaments happening around the world, John, including here in Europe for the last couple of months. The French Open, the Italian Open, tournaments in Germany and Holland that all allowed Russian players to play.

I certainly understand the All England Club, which is right behind me -- the intent of the club, which is to not allow the Russian propaganda machine to take advantage of sporting stars and tennis players that could play at Wimbledon and could actually maybe even win the tournament. So I understand the intent of why they made the decision but in the long run, I just don't think it was the right decision to make. It's penalizing these individual athletes in an individual sport. And I don't see any other tennis entity coming along for the ride. In

other words, the All England Club made this decision unilaterally without really discussing it with the other tennis powerbrokers around the world. And I think in retrospect -- again, the intent I believe in -- what they were trying to do to isolate the Russians and the Russian economy, and the Russian propaganda machine. But I just don't think in the long run it was the right decision.

The tennis community certainly misses having a full draw -- a full competitive field here at the championships.

KEILAR: Do you think as long as Russian athletes of not just tennis, right -- any Russian athlete -- that they should be able to compete as long as they aren't wading into politics? We've seen examples where you've seen -- you know, in gymnastics where you've seen certain athletes making a statement as they're next to a Ukrainian athlete. But as long as they're going to not do things like that, do you think that it makes sense for them to be there?

MCENROE: Well, I think they're obviously in a very difficult situation. And there was some talk about having the Russian players speak out against what their government is doing, which we know is impossible. That's just not going to happen.

But Brianna, I do think it makes sense to ban Russian teams, and tennis has done that. They've banned the Davis Cup team from competing, the Billie Jean King Cup. Those are men's and women's competitions -- team competitions. That part I understand.

[07:50:06]

But when you're playing for yourself -- you're playing as an individual and you've earned the right to compete based on the level that you're at as a professional tennis player, I think they've gone just a step too far.

Again, the USTA, which runs the U.S. Open, which will be the next major to take place -- they're going to allow Russian players to play and Belarusian players to play. Is that the right decision?

Again, I think you could make an argument in either direction on this. It's very complicated. But no other tournament in tennis around the world has done what the All England Club has done. That's where I think the mistake has been made here.

BERMAN: Patrick McEnroe, it's great to see you over there. Great to have you. We'll have you back on when you're back here in Queens covering the U.S. Open.

MCENROE: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. Coming up for us, Chris Wallace will join us on today's surprise hearing by the January 6 Committee. What we can expect when a key witness testifies.

KEILAR: And "FULL HOUSE" star Jodie Sweetin is going to join NEW DAY after she was thrown to the ground by officers during an abortion rights protest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:19]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe Biden is running for reelection and I will be his ticket mate, full stop.

BASH: Full stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Vice President Kamala Harris insisting President Biden will run for a second term in a CNN interview.

But according to The New York Times, quote, "Facing intensifying skepticism about his capacity to run for reelection when he will be nearly 82, the president and his top aides have been stung by the questions about his plans, irritated at what they see as a lack of respect from their party and the press and determined the tamp down suggestions that he's effectively a lame duck a year and a half into his administration."

Joining us now is national political correspondent for The New York Times, and co-author of "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," Jonathan Martin.

And Jonathan, what a coincidence on the very day you have this really insightful article into the White House getting frustrated about growing questions about whether the president will run for a second term, the most declarative statement that I've heard yet from the ticket. Kamala Harris says -- the vice president says Joe Biden's running and I will be his ticket mate.

JONATHAN MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST (via Webex by Cisco): Well, and she had that statement at hand, didn't she, John?

Well look, I was struck by that because it was so declarative. And by the way, the reason that Biden himself has not used that language is intentional. I was speaking to the White House folks about this. They don't want him using that kind of language.

And I'm not sure this won't trigger the FEC. This is their concern. They don't want him to say it like that because they worry, as their lawyers have told them, that if he does, they'll be forced to open up a committee and start having to raise money now for the reelection, which they do not want to do before the midterms. And that's why you have not heard him say it so clearly as the V.P. did yesterday.

But John, this is an issue on Joe Biden's mind. He is deeply frustrated by what he views as the sort of lack of respect from the press and from also from his fellow Democrats about his intent to run for reelection. He can't figure out why folks won't take yes for an answer. You and I know why that is. It's because he's going to be 81 years old in 2024. He's already the oldest American president and there's real doubts about his capacity to serve a second 4-year term.

KEILAR: There's another dynamic here, though, which is that Joe Biden previously was sort of shuffled to the side and told not to run, and then look what happened in 2016. I mean, I wonder --

MARTIN: Yes.

KEILAR: -- if you're Joe Biden -- if you're like guys, remember last time when you told me not to run and how that went?

MARTIN: No, and everybody out there who knows the history of Joe Biden recognizes that he's a proud guy and he is very conscious of slights, real and perceived. He has been his entire career. And he really resents the fact that he wasn't taken terribly seriously for much of his career, at least in his eyes.

And yes, when he was V.P. for eight years and a loyal one under Barack Obama his reward was to be sort of a bump to the side of the road for Hillary Clinton by, yes, Barack Obama and his top advisers. So he has not forgotten that and I think he does crave the kind of deference that he does not believe he's gotten.

Guys, one of the things I picked up more than once during the course of reporting this story was Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had tough midterms also but they came back and won reelection. Why can't we do it also? And so, never far from the surface is that kind of sort of grievance about why aren't we being accorded the respect of folks like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama?

BERMAN: Again, there's a lot in this story -- a lot that I hadn't read before, including whether the Bidens are actually putting in the machinery to run for reelection, et cetera.

But then also, John, this floated notion of a Joe Manchin possible third party --

MARTIN: Right.

BERMAN: -- run.

MARTIN: Yes.

BERMAN: What about that?

MARTIN: Yes. This has been a big topic in donor circles, John. There's a lot of wealthy centrists and even center-right donors out there who don't want a Biden or Trump 2024 campaign and are looking for alternatives. And it may be a fantasy on the part of the donor class which, obviously, can daydream on occasion about certain tickets.

But look, Manchin did not rule it out. I mean, I think Manchin likes the flattery. Manchin has been courted by a lot of wealthy donors. He travels a lot and meets with donors all over the country who like his style of centrist politics. I'm not sure he would ultimately go through with a third-party campaign given the challenges inherent to a third-party candidacy, but that is something John that we're going to hear more of if it's clear that we're on course for a Biden-Trump rematch.

[08:00:00]