Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Next Hearing's Focus On Connections Between White House And Extremists; Suspect In Custody After At Least 6 Killed And Dozens Hurt At July 4th Parade; Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) Signs Bill Protecting Out- Of-State Abortion Seekers, Providers. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 05, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:25]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The January 6 committee says more witnesses are coming forward to talk following Cassidy Hutchinson's explosive testimony last week. The next committee hearing is expected to focus on White House connections to the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is joining us live on this. Tell us about the -- what we're learning about this hearing because this could really be an instrumental link in this congressional investigation.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: That's right, Brianna.

So, these last few hearings were about what was going on inside the Trump administration. Now the committee is turning that focus that they have back to the Trump rally itself and the riot on Capitol Hill that followed it.

So, previewing a little bit of what we're going to see, Rep. Adam Schiff was on CBS on Sunday and he said that the next hearing is going to be about the efforts to assemble the mob on the mall. So that's going to be digging into who was part of that riot, who was financing the rallies, who were organizing the rallies. The participation of extremist groups like the Proud Boys.

And then also, we know that the committee wants to highlight what they have found about connections between extremist groups -- people participating in the riot -- and the Trump community -- Trump, his White House, his political circles, and potentially, him, himself.

So, we don't know at this time who is going to be testifying or when this hearing will be. But we do know right now that the committee has a lot of momentum, especially coming off that testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, the top White House aide, last week about what she witnessed -- what she heard from Donald Trump during and leading up to the riot.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger -- he also was speaking about what's going on behind the scenes, on Sunday, on CNN. Here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): I don't want to get into who or any of those details, but -- and it's not even just Cassidy. And by the way, she's been inspiring for a lot of people. It's -- this happens every day. Every day we get new people that come forward and say hey, I didn't think maybe this piece of a story that I knew was important, but now that you guys are -- like, I do see this plays in here.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We will hear from witnesses that you did not know about with stories you did not hear because of the hearings so far?

KINZINGER: Yes, yes. There will be -- there is -- there will be way more information and stay tuned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: So that's a committee member making clear that the committee continues to investigate, continues to get new information, and we may be in for more surprises -- Brianna.

[07:35:00]

KEILAR: All right, we'll be watching. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.

As former President Trump weighs the possibility of an early announcement to run again, one conservative writer notes it's Trump's own people who are tanking his chances at a 2024 run.

Quote, "One thing has become painfully clear: Many Donald Trump staff members think he should never again be within 10 miles of the White House. The public is watching bona fide Republicans ask bona fide Republicans who worked for Trump to describe just how erratic and criminal his presidency was."

Joining me now is conservative and senior columnist for The Daily Beast, Matt Lewis, to talk about this really interesting column that you wrote here.

You quote FiveThirtyEight's Kaleigh Rogers saying "the call is coming from inside the house." But what I thought was really interesting Matt is you're making the case that it is making a dent. Why do you think so?

MATT LEWIS, SENIOR COLUMNIST, THE DAILY BEAST (via Skype): Well, first, I think we have to give Democrats credit here. There's such a temptation in these hearings to want to hog the spotlight and have speeches. And you can imagine that Democrats might be trying to score political points immediately, worrying about the midterms.

But instead, I think they've let Republicans mostly prosecute this case. So it's Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have been doing I think the majority of the questioning, but mostly it's been actually Republicans -- people who worked for Donald Trump who have provided testimony that I do think matters.

And look, I don't think that it's the kind of thing like an aha gotcha moment where there's going to be an epiphany and Republican voters will suddenly disavow Donald Trump. I don't think we're going to have that storybook ending. But I do think what's happening is sort of a gradual erosion of support for Donald Trump.

And again, this may not make Democrats terribly happy. I think that Republicans are more likely to look to someone like Ron DeSantis as a younger conservative with less baggage. But I do think it is making a difference and I do think it's hurting Donald Trump, and I think he knows it.

KEILAR: Yet, you see the move away from Trump for Republicans is more like Homer Simpson disappearing into the bush, which I think we've all seen that meme, right?

So explain what that looks like in real terms. What does that look like when it comes to fundraising? When it comes to rhetoric or, sort of, milk toast support for Donald Trump just when Republicans are speaking.

LEWIS: That's right. I think that a lot of people, especially folks who don't like Donald Trump, are really hoping for that you're darn right I ordered the code red moment or have you no decency, sir? Like those Hollywood kind of endings that sometimes happen. But I think that it's naive to think that that's going to happen.

If you're someone who voted for Donald Trump the idea, just psychologically, to disavow him and to conclude he's a criminal is a big thing. You have to kind of admit that you made a mistake and humans just don't like to do that.

So I think it's much more likely that we're going to see what I think happened in Georgia during those primaries a few weeks ago where you saw voters interviewed and they'd say like, you know, we love Donald Trump, we just -- we think he's just wrong about his endorsements. He just -- he doesn't quite understand which candidates we should support.

So I think you're going to have a similar thing where Republican voters are kind of slowly concluding oh, we love Donald Trump. Donald Trump was a great president. But it's time to move on to someone.

I think Ron DeSantis, at least right now, is the beneficiary of this. And we're seeing that there was an early Granite State Poll in New Hampshire that showed DeSantis narrowly beating Donald Trump. We've seen reports where major political donors are actually moving toward Ron DeSantis.

So there is anecdotal evidence of this but I think we're starting to see some data points that demonstrate that this is -- this is now a trend.

KEILAR: All right, Matt. We will see very soon if you are completely right here. Maybe no Jack Nicholson but Homer Simpson, perhaps. Matt, great to have you --

LEWIS: Yes.

KEILAR: -- on this morning. Thank you.

LEWIS: Thank you.

KEILAR: And I want to go back to Highland Park now where Berman is there on the main street.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, thanks so much, Brianna.

This parade here in Highland Park -- this was the parade that people would come to from all the surrounding towns. We've talked to people who have come here for more than 30 years to be part of this parade.

And joining me now is someone who was about to start marching in the parade with his two children, ages 4 and 7, State Rep. Bob Morgan. And this is your district, Rep. Morgan. So just tell me where you were and what happened.

BOB MORGAN, ILLINOIS STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 58TH DISTRICT: Thanks, John. Good morning. Good morning, everybody.

I was just about a block from here. My family, my friends, and volunteers -- we were, as always, ready to start the parade. We had banners and candy and I had little mini frisbees to give out to the kids.

[07:40:01]

And we were just stepping off when we heard what sounded like fireworks and then we saw a stampede of people running. And then people started yelling "Gunfire! Gunfire!" in which we immediately turned people around. We were about a block from the Metro train station here where we got all the volunteers and my family to the building to make sure they were safe.

BERMAN: What did you tell your children about what was going on?

MORGAN: It was a lot of chaos at the moment. We didn't really have to tell them anything other than just follow us, follow us. My mother-in- law and father-in-law were there with us so we kind of had them usher our children into the building.

But later, my son was asking me a lot about what was going on. Was that fireworks or gunfire? What was happening?

BERMAN: What did you tell him?

MORGAN: We talked to him about -- it was a really hard conversation. We started by explaining that there was somebody who came to the parade who was looking to hurt people. And he asked did he end up hurting people? And we said he did. And then he asked did anyone die and we told him that there were some people who died. BERMAN: I'm so sorry that they had to go through this and I'm sure

that was an incredibly difficult discussion.

Look, you serve in the Illinois State Legislature. You talk about guns and shootings are part of your job. Now you've been in the middle of one. How do you think that impacts your thinking on all of this?

MORGAN: It's a very surreal morning. I woke up hoping this was a dream and then I was reminded by the news helicopters that were circling that it wasn't.

This community is not one that didn't -- that believed that this could never happen here.

BERMAN: Right.

MORGAN: It's the opposite. This is a community that knew that this could happen here. Just a week ago we were marching March for Our Lives against gun violence right here -- just right down the street. And this community knew it could happen here and it's just devastating beyond words to know that it did.

BERMAN: What's the message you want to send to the country?

MORGAN: This was the Fourth of July. This could have been anybody -- literally, anybody in the entire country on the Fourth of July. And to know that it happened here and to think that's something we could do, of course, is a fallacy.

Of course, there's something we can do. Of course, we can make our streets safer, Of course, we can make our community safer.

Of course, we can address gun violence. Of course, we can reduce the amount of guns getting to people who don't deserve them and don't need them who are going to use them to hurt people.

That's my message.

BERMAN: Rep. Bob Morgan, again, I'm so glad you and your family are OK. I know this has been hard for you and your community the last few days and you haven't stopped working one second since the shooting started. Thanks for being here this morning.

MORGAN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Be well -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Just in, we have just gotten word that the suspected gunman legally obtained the weapon that he used in that attack in Highland Park, Illinois. Stayed tuned after this break for new details on this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:47:13]

BERMAN: All right, welcome back. John Berman in Highland Park, Illinois.

Two pieces of new information from the mayor of this city. She just did an interview on the TODAY show and she did say that the shooter had obtained the weapon, which we are told it's a high-powered rifle, legally. The shooter did obtain the weapon legally.

She did not know where, which is of note because it's interesting. This town actually has -- this town has a ban on assault weapons. The state of Illinois does not. And then, the state of Illinois often looks to the states surrounding as being the source of a lot of weapons that come in here. They have a lot looser gun laws outside of Illinois. But she did say the shooter obtained the weapon legally.

And one other bit of information. She did say -- the mayor did -- that she believes that the shooter was not known to police prior to this incident. In other words, they didn't have him on their radar in a legal sense prior to this.

We'll have much more on this as the morning develops.

In the meantime, we're hearing more and more from people who were here 24 hours ago when it happened. And I should note, obviously, the train tracks are right behind me. The train station is just one block away and as the shooting took place people did flee to this train station.

We'll let this train move past us here.

Joining me now is Dr. Loren Schechter who was here with his elderly parents standing, basically, in the shadow of the building where the shooter was when it took place. Just tell me what that moment was like.

DR. LOREN SCHECHTER, SURGEON, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, TREATED SHOOTING VICTIMS ON-SITE AFTER SHOOTING: I was with my parents, my wife, my nephew, and my mother-in-law and we were literally under the building. I thought it was a young kid who set off firecrackers.

The tree started shaking. We heard the bullets. We scooped up my parents and my mother-in-law. We ran just around the corner. I called my sister who had my kids right about -- right about here. I said there's gunshots. Get them out of here. And she said they're OK -- we're leaving.

And then we turned the corner and I said to my dad who is a retired doctor, I'm going -- I'm going to go back to help. And he said no. I said I'm going back. And then --

BERMAN: Dr. Schechter, you're a surgeon at Rush University. Tell me what you saw and what you did.

SCHECHTER: I mean, there were several people who were obviously deceased.

There was a gentleman who I believe -- I've heard since has succumbed. He had a gunshot to his abdomen. The EMTs were holding pressure. We started an I.V. I went across the street. There was another woman who had a gunshot to

her chest. They were trying to mask and ventilate her. She was -- she was deceased, obviously.

Several young guys with gunshots to their thighs had -- put tourniquets on and got them on the ground and started I.V.'s. and waited for the ambulances to get here.

[07:50:06]

BERMAN: You obviously, Dr. Schechter, are used to high-stress moments in the E.R. and the O.R. But what was it like for you to have been part -- to be right there when the shots rang out with your elderly parents, and then come back? What were you thinking?

SCHECHTER: Well, I -- as I was literally running with my parents, my thought was this is -- this is how it's going to end, and that's what I felt. And then we got to safety and I just said I'm turning around and we'll go back and do what we can do.

There were several older people who had fallen who had some scrapes and bruises. They were OK. We tried to comfort and relax -- and get them to relax a bit until the ambulances could get here.

BERMAN: How are you doing this morning?

SCHECHTER: I didn't sleep a wink last night. So the -- you know, the kids were -- older ones quite upset. My mother is quite upset. My wife is quite upset.

BERMAN: Dr. Schechter, I know it couldn't have been easy but to go back and do what you did to try to help when moments before you thought your life was about to end, that shows some strength from within. So I appreciate what you did and I appreciate you being with us this morning.

SCHECHTER: Thank you. I just -- you know, I feel bad that's all we could really, really do, so --

BERMAN: Appreciate it, Dr. Schechter.

Obviously, we're going to have much more from here throughout the morning. We're getting new information about the shooter and how he got the weapon. Much more of our special live coverage from Highland Park, Illinois.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Some celebrities sharing messages of frustration on July Fourth, particularly with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Reality star Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner both sharing this post on Instagram that read, "4th of July has been canceled due to a shortage of independence. Sincerely, women."

[07:55:00] While actress Jessica Chastain shared this photo with two middle fingers up, adding "Happy Independence Day from me and my reproductive rights."

And then singer Katy Perry referenced one of her hit songs, tweeting "Baby you're a firework is a 10 but women in the U.S. have fewer rights than an actual sparkler."

I want to bring in New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to speak with us. Governor, I know you see that celebrity women and many non-celebrity women who found that the idea of celebrating independence was actually insulting after the Supreme Court decision.

What do you think about that?

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): I mean, who could blame them. God bless America. We are -- we still are, let's not forget, the greatest nation on Earth but war has been declared by a right-wing Supreme Court block against American women.

And by the way, they have likewise allowed us to overnight become a lot less safe due to concealed carry gun laws. And look at the tragedy that happened yesterday in Highland Park.

So, we are a great nation but we are in challenging, troubled times right now. And women, especially, are paying a huge price.

KEILAR: On Friday, you signed a bill that did a lot, but among other things, it protected abortion providers in New Jersey. It protected out-of-state residents who would come to New Jersey to obtain an abortion. But it's also worth noting that a number of Democrats in your state have stood in the way of your efforts to further expand abortion access, or they have not supported your successful effort to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade in your state.

What's your message to that because it's not just Republicans? There is opposition within your own party.

MURPHY: Yes, but we've come a long way, Brianna. I mean, we signed in January -- I signed in January a sweeping reproductive freedom act which put into statute the reproductive freedoms in New Jersey that had been based on case law in the anticipation that Roe v. Wade could be nicked up, if not overturned entirely, which it was.

As you rightfully point out, on Friday, I signed a couple of laws that will protect women and will protect anyone associated with reproductive or abortion procedures who may come into New Jersey from out of state.

And access -- you're absolutely right -- continues to be an issue. Yes, the rhetorical question what good is a right if you don't have access to it? And I'm still confident that we will get -- we'll get to the place that folks that don't have insurance that ultimately will not have to pay co-pays or deductibles will have the same reproductive freedoms as other women. KEILAR: You are also signing a package on guns here. And we have just

learned in Highland Park, which I know you're watching as we all are with horror -- we just learned that the gunman legally obtained that weapon. The suspected gunman legally obtained that weapon.

I mean, what do you -- what do you think about that? What does that say about possible solutions?

MURPHY: Well, first, it's an awful tragedy. It's a community that's one of the -- it's a quintessential American community, so God bless each and every one of the victims and their families.

Listen, more guns on the street is not the answer. We have, in New Jersey, among the strongest gun safety laws in America. And as a result, we have among the fewest -- we're not immune by any means but we have among the fewest gun crimes of any American state.

And you rightfully point out I'm going to sign seven more laws in a short time today that will continue not to attack Second Amendment rights -- we respect those rights -- but to attack folks who should not have guns, folks who don't know how to use those guns, manufacturers who deliberately market those guns in a way that leads to harm, and a whole other series of laws that we will put in place and God willing, that will ultimately make us a safer state and a safer nation.

KEILAR: I also want to ask you a question about politics because we've seen California's Gov. Gavin Newsom, paying for ads attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida.

What do you think about that approach? Is that something that you think is a good idea? Is that possibly a blueprint? Or do you think that's the wrong idea?

MURPHY: I like it. I have to say we've become, sadly -- and it's thanks to extreme politics. It's thanks most recently to a hard-right radical block of a U.S. Supreme Court we've become a patchwork quilt country right now.

And I think the states that are on the right side of history -- and I'm proud that New Jersey is -- I think we need to be -- we need to stand up and be counted and make sure we remind folks around the country if you want -- if you -- if you value values, come to states like New Jersey.

[08:00:00]