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Gov. Kemp to Testify Before Georgia Grand Jury; Father Dave Dwyer is Interviewed about the Pope in Canada; David Ortiz is now a Hall of Fame Inductee; Fans Flock to "Black Panther" Sequel. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 25, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And -

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my entire family is gone. Have I not given everything?

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the first look at the "Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever" trailer. It is awesome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A Georgia grand jury investigating Donald Trump and his associates' attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election there. We'll hear from the state's current Republican governor, Brian Kemp, today. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she will pursue the facts wherever the case may lead. This is what she told NBC earlier this month.

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FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: What is important is that the grand jurors hear from anyone that may have impacted this election. I think that they deserve to get a full picture. I think that people thought that we came into this as some kind of game.

[06:35:01]

This is not a game at all. What I am doing is very serious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Might we see a subpoena of the former president himself?

WILLIS: Anything is possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: With us now, political reporter for "The Atlanta Journal- Constitution," Patricia Murphy, and former senior investigator for the January 6th committee, John Wood. He's also running for senate in Missouri as an independent.

Patricia, Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, where does he fit into this sorry?

PATRICIA MURPHY, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION": So, we know here in Georgia that former President Donald Trump contacted Governor Brian Kemp on more than one occasion. On one occasion he asked the governor to call in a special session to reverse the results of the 2020 elections. Trump has, obviously, contacted multiple Georgia officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. We know all about that call to Raffensperger because it was taped. But we know very little about what Donald Trump said to Brian Kemp. And so that's what this testimony is really going to be getting into today.

BERMAN: John, "The New York Times" did a deep dive into the investigation over the weekend and noted that the district attorney involved, Fani Willis, has used racketeering in the past in many of her prosecutions. So what does that mean if she were to use that here, racketeering? Just broadly define it and how would it apply to this specific investigation?

JOHN WOOD, FORMER SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, January 6TH SELECT COMMITTEE: Well, it would mean that she would have to find that there was a corrupt organization of some sort and that, of course, Donald Trump was the leader of that. And so, you know, early reports were that she was focused very much on the so-called fake electors, which were the Trump electors who cast their votes in states that Trump lost. But this interview of Governor Kemp suggests that she's looking at a lot more than that, and in particular focusing on Donald Trump's conduct and the calls that he made to try to get state officials to change the outcome of the election.

BERMAN: An organization. What would that have to entail legally speaking? How many people involved, at what level and in what types of communication?

WOOD: Yes, so I'm actually not an expert on Georgia law. So if it's Fani Willis it would be a Georgia law charge rather than a federal charge. And I'm not an expert in Georgia law, but essentially she has to show that, you know, two or more people were working together as part of an organization that was corrupted essentially.

BERMAN: Patricia, you know, you're down there. What's the sense of how fast, how quickly this is all moving?

MURPHY: So, we've seen an absolute parade of Georgia officials come in front of the special grand jury. We've seen the attorney general of the state. Obviously, Brad Raffensperger. A number of state lawmakers. So, we've seen a number of people.

Fani Willis has says she will halt this investigation if it gets too close to the 2020 election. That give us -- 2022 election, rather. That gives us a sense that this could still be going on through the fall. She said she won't end it prematurely just to cooperate with an election date.

So, we don't know exactly when this is going to wrap up, but it certainly does feel like she is reaching a crescendo of the people, especially here with the governor. He's a very big witness. They've scheduled it videotaped testimony to work with his schedule. But he's absolutely the highest ranking official that we've seen so far. And it's in a process of getting sort of to the higher up officials and then the closest to former President Donald Trump.

BERMAN: John, if charges are brought here, as you correctly note, we're talking about Georgia law, Georgia charges, state charges, what would the likelihood of conviction be? Our Elie Honig points out, it's a high bar and there are lots of steps in between charges and ultimate conviction, including perhaps trying to move this to federal court.

What do you see?

WOOD: Well, certainly getting a conviction is a high bar, but prosecutors keep that in mind when they make the charging decision. So, generally, prosecutors don't like to bring charges unless they feel confident that they can convict a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Now, I'm not saying that Fani Willis will necessarily get to that point, but that's something she's going to take in mind before she makes a charging decision.

BERMAN: And, Patricia, she has been chastised, at least some, for some political activity sort of separate from this. Explain what happened.

MURPHY: That's exactly right. Fani Willis is an elected Democratic (ph) official as the DA in Fulton County. She held a fundraiser for Charlie Bailey, who is the Democratic nominee running for lieutenant governor. She also has notified the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, State Senator Bert Jones, that he is a target to this investigation. Bert Jones is very close to Donald Trump and works to serve as a fake elector here in the state. So, she has held a fundraiser for the opponent of somebody who is a target of her investigation.

The judge said it may not technically be illegal, but it was sort of a, what were you thinking moment.

[06:40:02]

He said that to her in open court. We were there. We have noted that that was really a public display of chastising the district attorney. Her camp has said that was a fundraiser for the primary election not the election against Bert Jones, but it certainly has been a moment where a lot of people here in the state were agreeing with the judge, sort of, what were you thinking? This is a very high-profile investigation. But she, again, is an elected Democratic official and said that she's kind of doing these two things separately. I don't expect her to hold another fundraiser for Charlie Bailey in the future, though. Certainly not before this is over.

BERMAN: All right, Patricia Murphy, John Wood, thanks to both of you. Turning on Trump. "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Post"

condemning Trump's inaction during the Capitol riot. The searing editorials. These are Rupert Murdoch papers. Is he turning on the former president?

KEILAR: And Pope Francis is in Canada on an apology tour. Who he's meeting with, next.

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[06:45:00]

KEILAR: Today, Pope Francis continues his week-long trip to Canada where he will apologize for the catholic church's role in the abuse of Canadian indigenous children in schools. At least 150,000 children were separated from their families and forced to attend residential institutions in Canada. Thousands of these children endured physical, sexual and emotional abuse from priests, nuns and school staff. And just last year, hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered on the ground of former residential schools.

Joining us now is Catholic Priest Father Dave Dwyer. He is the host of the "Busted Halo Show" on Sirius XM Radio.

Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

FATHER DAVE DWYER, CONGREGATION OF ST. PAUL (CSP), SIRIUSXM HOST: Good morning. Happy to be here.

KEILAR: So, look, a lot of critics are going to say, this isn't enough. More needs to be done. But how significant is this trip to you?

DWYER: Well, very - well, more significant to Francis. I mean very unprecedented. It's very clear how important it is to him given, a, his physical situation, I mean he canceled trips to similarly important areas and important trips to Africa only just a couple of weeks ago. He was a -- a delegation greeted him at the Vatican only in April, at which time he apologized. Some people might have said, well, that's enough. You don't really have to go because you're old. And he -- this is a priority for him to be present to people. I mean that's really a theme of his pontificate, which is, for us as priest, if somebody calls you to the hospital, it's not so much what you say or how you can fix things, it's that you are there and you're present. And that's what he's doing.

BERMAN: Why this trip? I mean why is this specific trip to Canada so important then? Why is this apology so important?

DWYER: Well, I mean, that's a great question. It certainly is in some ways indicative of the church's stance, which is a little different than over the centuries of just never admitting fault and never admitting wrong.

It really was, in the modern era, it was first really John Paul II that began to explicitly apologize for things like Galileo and the inquisition and whatnot. And yet this trip, I can't think of another trip that was dedicated specifically for the purpose of an apology. They called it a pilgrimage of penance that that's why Francis is going. And I think, in answer to your question, I mean I think it does signal a lot of other ways in which the church wants to be humble and merciful to people and indicate we are listening, and we are present.

KEILAR: Culture problems are tricky to move, to shift, right? And so here he is confronting a problem, but at the same time here recently the FBI has opened an investigation into the archdiocese in Louisiana. And the archbishop there won't even talk about it.

DWYER: Right.

KEILAR: You know, he's been, obviously, a part of the church there for decades. So that may be part of it as well.

But what more does the church need to do broadly to really address this issue?

DWYER: Well, and I think like any apology, like even between you and your friend, even if you're eight years old, it's the beginning. It's a first step. And a lot of people in Canada are saying, this is great. Let's hope this is not just a photo op. It's a long way to go for an elderly man for a photo op. That this is the beginning of genuine healing and reconciliation. And I hope that.

BERMAN: How is his health? You keep on bringing up his health. How do you think his health is?

DWYER: Well, I mean, it seems to be primarily like his knees. I mean he's old and he's always been somewhat infirmed, but none of that really seems to be, even for people that are close to him, are not saying, uh-oh, he's close to retiring or he's close to dying. It's really just his mobility. And that - he's a proud South American and that embarrasses him and he doesn't like to be seen in the wheelchair and get off the back of the plane, like he did yesterday. And yet it seems like he's going to keep going.

KEILAR: All right, we'll keep watching. He wants to go to Ukraine.

DWYER: He does.

KEILAR: So maybe we'll have you back if he decides he is going to take that step.

DWYER: Sure. Sure.

KEILAR: Father, thank you for being with us.

DWYER: Sure. Of course.

KEILAR: Senator Marco Rubio calls a bill to protect same-sex marriage a stupid waste of time and Pete Buttigieg responds during a CNN interview.

BERMAN: A critical economic week ahead. Crucial information on consumer confidence, GDP, interest rates. What could this tell us about whether we are headed into a recession.

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[06:53:29]

BERMAN: My mint condition David Ortiz action figure just got even more valuable because the greatest designated hitter of all time and maybe the greatest clutch hitter of all time is now where he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Carolyn Manno has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Carolyn, I won't let you play with it because it's in mint condition. You open the box, it gets ruined (ph).

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Did you tell Brianna that it's bring your child to work day? Did you tell her? I mean I'm going to - I'm going to let these shenanigans slide because it's Big Papi. He was such a fan favorite in Cooperstown. I mean he is just the best, larger than life personality. Everybody loves him. And he received a huge ovation from Red Sox Nation as he was introduced to the crowd.

He hit 541 homers over the course of his 20-year career. He is the first full-time designated hitter to make the hall on the first ballot and the fourth native of the Dominican Republic to earn a Hall of Fame nod as well. Duel citizen acknowledging both countries in his acceptance speech.

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DAVID ORTIZ: I want to thank the United States of America, from the bottom of my heart, as an American citizen, who welcomed me with open arms since I was practically a child and give me the opportunity to develop and fulfill all my dreams and then some more. Thank you very much, U.S.

And to all of my American friends, consider this an open invitation to visit my island, the Dominican Republic. Such a special place where we have a lot of good and happy people, beautiful beaches where you guys can go when you guys are freezing here.

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[06:55:03]

MANNO: Not anytime soon. He is just the best.

Brianna, best of luck to you. I hope the toys go away at some point, but a great, great weekend.

KEILAR: Thank you so much, Carolyn. You know, he's got a little smudge on his uniform. If we just open up the box you can - you can let me take - fix it.

BERMAN: You can't open up the box. Don't open the box. You can't open the box. KEILAR: I can fix. No, OK. Don't even touch the box. Don't gesture at it. OK. All right. Here we go.

BERMAN: So, Marvel Studios has unveiled a first look at the "Black Panther" sequel "Wakanda Forever," and it is awesome.

Here it is.

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TEMS, MUSICIAN (singing): No woman, no cry. Oh, little darling, don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry.

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KEILAR: So, the highly anticipated film is set to be released on November 11th.

And joining us now to talk about it is cultural commentator Christopher John Farley. He's the author of "Zero O:Clock."

This was amazing to watch this trailer.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, CULTURAL COMMENTATOR: It was amazing, but I think what really made it hit home is the person who's not there.

KEILAR: That's right.

FARLEY: Chadwick Boseman died to young at age 43. He was Black Panther. And that's why this really hits home because it's real. It's not just about superheroes, it's about a real person we lost too soon, a guy that made great films like "42" and "Get on Up" and "Marshal." He's gone too soon. And when we see this, his loss hits us home all over again.

BERMAN: The trailer is actually about absence. I mean it touches on that. It's very emotional. The music is wonderful. And it raises questions for fans, superhero fans like me -- look, I play with action figures - you know, who will the next Black Panther be. And you'd think - we think, as fans, maybe it will be his sister. It seems like it's going to be a woman.

FARLEY: yes, the guessing game is going to go on. And I think the fact that the leads for this film are all women, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, they are the leads of this film and it shows -- it signals that Marvel is moving in a slight different direction.

Remember a few years ago you couldn't buy getting a woman in the lead of one of these films. "Wonder Woman" was a breakthrough. Now we're seeing women lead this "Black Panther" film. We're seeing the Marvels. We're seeing Miss Marvel. We're seeing She Hulk. And so Marvel's getting more women to lead the film.

It's still not enough. They still need to do more. But we are seeing more women lead these kinds of big superhero films. But I want to talk about the music. The music is fantastic. I mean Bob

Marley's no woman no cry, covered by Tems, who's this great Nigerian artist. And it fades into Kendrick Lamar doing "All Right." That's just a great, great emotional wallop for people. And that's why you're seeing people having all this emotion seeing this trailer. When's the last time someone cried watching a trailer. You're seeing it all over the Internet, people crying as they watch this trailer.

KEILAR: Angela Bassett just has -- when you talk about absence and -- she has a great line in the trailer.

I do want to ask you about another blockbuster, which is out. This is Jordan Peele once again making a very big splash with "Nope."

And I know that you've seen this. And I know how you feel about it. And you can say it. Say how you feel about it because I think your kids are going to forgive you.

FARLEY: Me saying that I think that "Nope" is dope.

KEILAR: Yes.

FARLEY: Oh, my God, I just lost all my street cred.

BERMAN: They won't forgive you.

FARLEY: The little street cred I had is gone. But, yes, it is a really terrific movie. It got great reviews. It didn't open as big as "Us," which made $71 million its opening weekend, but it opened bigger than his very first film "Get Out," which opened at $33 million.

But during the pandemic, opening at 44, that's not slouching at all. That's pretty big. And I think it's because he delivered both on something that's familiar, these genre thrills, and he also always delivers something that's a little surprising. He always has a little bit of a twist on things you think you know. And so people see him as a badge of quality and now he can open big, even in a pandemic.

And this is the biggest original film opening since he put out "Us," I mean by original film opening, I mean something that's not a sequel, that's not a spinoff, it just comes from this guy's head and it shows what a powerhouse director Jordan Peele has become.

BERMAN: And that's what I think is so nice to see, the original we there. We're talking about Marvel. We're talking about Wakanda. That's a sequel. So much of what we see is sequel or derivative. This isn't. This is, here you go, this is new.

FARLEY: And that's why people love Jordan Peele because you go to the movies, you're like, show me something new. Show me something I haven't seen before. And in three films in a row he's delivered something people feel they have not seen before. And that's why his box office is so strong. That's why Jordan Peele is a director of the future and of the present.

BERMAN: Christopher John Farley, you are gnarly. You can tell your kids that. Thank you - thank you for being with us. Appreciate it.

FARLEY: Thank you.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

[07:00:00]

Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. It is Monday, July 25th. I'm John Berman, with Brianna Keilar.

A huge week for the fate of the U.S. economy.