tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN August 2, 2021 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT
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turner. they say the president needs more allies, not more antagonists. of course, for turner's part, she believes the white house could use a progressive push. katd. >> good to see you. thank you for that reporting. and thank you all so much for joining us. i'm kate bolduan. "ac 360" starts now. >> good evening. we begin with covid and growing evidence the country is facing some hard weeks ahead. at the same time, thankfully, there are signs pointing in the opposite direction, but not enough. at least not yet to change the course that we're on. so at the end of another good news/bad news day and the beginning of what looks to be another good news/bad news week, there's a lot to get to. here's the chief medical officer for our lady of the lake medical center in baton rouge, louisiana, where they have run out of beds in the intensive care unit and 23 patients are waiting in the e.r. >> there are no more beds left. those 23 patients are a glimpse of what we have been doing for the last two weeks.
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while we have been trying to get everybody vaccinated. and it's not helping enough because it's not happening fast enough. and when you come inside our walls, it is quite obvious to you that these are the darkest days of this pandemic. >> the darkest days of the pandemic there. and some of the hardest for the people in the hardest hit states such as louisiana who staff the icus. >> i have worked in the covid icu pretty much the whole pandemic. so year and a half, two years now. and i can say today was probably one of the most emotionaly hard days since the pandemic started. >> that nurse, felicia croft, who has been working since the beginning in the icu, she joins us shortly. she said the patients she's treating in the latest wave are younger. parents this time, not just grandparents, and the delta
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variant is now sending kids to the hospital. listen to the chief clinical officer for the arkansas children's system. >> throughout the previous months of the pandemic, we would have zero to maybe three children admitted to the hospital that tested positive for covid and they were often in for some other reason. they weren't showing symptoms of the covid infection. today, we have 24 children in the hospital with covid infections. they're all symptomatic with covid. and eight of those are in intensive care and five requiring mechanical ventilation to breathe. >> that's scary. eight kids in the icu. five on ventilators. kids, some of whom are too young to be vaccinated in a state where only 58% of adults have gotten their first shots. in louisiana, the figure is even lower, under 54%. nationally, it now stands at 70%, which was where president biden had hoped the country would be by independence day nearly a month ago. that said, the pace is picking up. and picking up fastest where the
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surge is the worst. >> louisiana has seen a 302% increase in the average number of newly vaccinated per day. mississippi, 250%. alabama, 215%. and arkansas, 206%. this increase in vaccination rates in states that have been lagging is a positive trend. americans are seeing the risk and impact of being unvaccinated and responding with action. and that's what it's going to take to get us out of this pandemic. >> which is good news as far as it goes. but in the words of the doctor in baton rouge, it's not helping enough because it's not happening fast enough. so no more icu beds in her hospital. arkansas today reported the biggest daily jump in hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic. hospitals also under pressure in texas and florida, which are now responsible for about 30% of new cases nationwide. two states, texas and florida, responsible for about one third
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of all new cases in the united states. now, taken together, it's put parts of the country eve someone of the redder portions back into metigation mode. louisiana reimposed a mask mandate. same for the san francisco bay area. new york's mayor, though, stopped short of doing the same, preferring, he said, to keep the focus on vaccination. as for vaccines, more private companies like soul cycle today have stepped into the breach, requiring all employers and members show proof of vaccination. equinox fitness centers is doing the same thing. one of the biggest law firms told staff they would need vaccinations to return to the office before september or no longer being allowed in the building. that's not happening enough, which brings us back to louisiana. today, the state's health officer says he expects covid hospitalizations tomorrow to reach the highest level so far in the entire pandemic. which for nurse felicia croft, means more patients in her icu and far too many days like these. >> last night, my daughter came to me, my 14-year-old, macy.
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she came to me and says, mom, we need to pray for my friend's parents. and her friend's parents are in my icu. and one of them may not go home. the other one is really, really sick, too. and as a nurse, to know that if you can't get these two people home, that their kids will be orphans, their 14-year-old could be an orphan. and to know that my daughter may come to me when she gets that call and say, mom, why didn't you save them? i can't explain the feeling of defeat when you do everything, you pour everything into a patient, and it's not enough. and then to know that they could
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have gotten vaccinated and it could have made a difference. >> and felicia croft joins us now. thank you so much for being with us, and thank you so much for what you have done. i cannot imagine working all throughout this pandemic as you have, more than a year and a half working in a covid icu. i mean, i know doctors who are burnt out. i know nurses who have quit. talk just about what you're up against right now, what kind of patients you're seeing. >> right now, we're seeing a lot of patients, number one. and patients that are sicker and patients that are closer to my age, which just brings it to a whole new level. i'm 34 years old. you know, i have kids ranges from 10 to 14, and i know some of these people have kids younger than me. and i know all of the milestones i want to see my kids hit. i want to see my kids graduate.
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i want to walk my kids on the football field on senior night. i want to get my daughter ready for her first prom. and these are things that people we're sending to a funeral home instead of their house are missing, and these are experiences and memories that their kids won't have with them. and that's really hard. you know, in the beginning, it was sad. we lost a lot of people in the beginning. but mostly, it was people that had lived long lives of love, and they had seen their families grow. and this is just different. this really has made it show that, you know, covid does not discriminate, and everybody is vulnerable. >> louisiana expects covid hospitalizations to reach the highest level in the pandemic tomorrow. which is just extraordinary when you think about it, given the fact that there is a vaccine out there. what's it been like to, you know, work every day, seeing this in the most intimate,
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horrific way possible, and then to leave the hospital and hear people talk about, you know, not wanting to wear a mask, and it's annoying, and i mean, you know, it's difficult. and they're just not going to do it. what -- that's got to be a weird juxtaposition. >> well, so we have become a very selfish generation. and a very selfish just group of people sometimes when i hear what others say. so this pandemic and masks and vaccines, this is not about you. and this is not about what always makes you feel good. and it's about, you know, the cashier at your local gas station. and it's about your local baker. and you know, your neighbor and your cousin's friends. and people that maybe aren't important to you, but they're important to someone else.
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and i think that stepping out of that what's most important to me and what makes me comfortable and keeps me happy, i think if we change to that mindset, it would change a lot of what's happening outside and inside the hospital. and i look at people as individuals and as, you know, creations of christ. and i hope that others will start to look at that instead of just saying how uncomfortable they are. and i have to just be real careful and let the lord guide my words when it comes to that. sometimes it's for me to speak and sometimes it's not. but yes, it does put us in a very difficult position. >> in the video, you talk about your 14-year-old daughter, who must be, i hope, so proud of you. she came to you wanting to pray for her friend's parents who are in your icu. i mean, how do you explain all that to your child?
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>> so you know, when she comes to me, we number one, we pray for -- and we tell god, not that he doesn't know, but we ask him what we hope for, and of course, we hope that they get better. and we hope they come home. but we also hope that god prepares us for whatever his will is. whether that is or isn't in that we can use whatever testimony from here on. and you know, just reminding her that god has a purpose and a plan, and that we are part of it. and you know, whether that's in a good, you know, happy light or just to love on someone when they need us, we just have to be prepared to let god use us either way. >> you know, it's so interesting and so important, i think, what you say, because there are folks who are as -- are people of faith and good people who feel,
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well, you know, i'm just going to -- i'm not going get a vaccine because i'm going to leave it up to, you know, to what the lord wants. i think i'll do fine. i mean, you come from a religious tradition. you come from a religious background and a world view, and yet you also are embracing the vaccine. >> absolutely, because i -- you know, there's a story about the man on the roof and the flood. and you know, there's a boat that comes by and he says no, god is going to save me. everybody has heard that story. oop, sorry. you know, i feel like this is the boat. you know, and god gave somebody a whole lot smarter than me with a lot more letters behind their name the knowledge to develop this vaccine. and i think that he gave it to us. i think that, you know, one, we have absolutely, i think we have
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a choice, you know, to take it or not to take it, but you know, if that choice is based on just you, then maybe you're making a choice wrong. if you're truly loving your neighbor as yourself, would you do it for your neighbor? just to know that this is something that god gave somebody knowledge for, i mean, i feel like that's a reason to embrace it. i did not -- i did not get the vaccine when it first came available. i was nervous. i had questions. there were things i didn't understand, like a lot of the same questions people ask me now. you know, how is this safe? how did we come up with this so fast? how did we know we can trust this? and so i did my own research. and i talked with my doctors. and the more i did my own research, you know, i'll tell you, i am a firm believer that god is never taken by surprise. and the more i researched, the
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more i saw that mrna research started back in the 1980s. so in the 1980s, god knew this was coming. and he gave somebody smarter than me the knowledge to start to lay this foundation. and this foundation has built and built until now here we are, and we had everything we need today get this vaccine out quickly to people. >> it is a medical miracle in so many different ways. felicia, it's awesome to talk to you, and just bless you for what you're doing. i really think it's extraordinary what you and everybody in the medical community has done and continues to do. and thank you so much. i appreciate it. >> absolutely. thank you for having me. >> my best to your daughter and your family. take care. >> want to get some more perspective now from dr. jerome adams who was surgeon general in the previous administration. good to see you again. so, you know, you talk to nurse felicia croft, and god bless nurses. i mean, i know doctors are great, too, but nurses, i gotta
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tell you, are just incredibly, incredible people. i spoke with a doctor from missouri last week who said similar things about her patients. they're younger, sicker, didn't have comorbidities. how concerned should people be about what seems to be one of the major differences with the delta variant? >> they should be incredibly concerned. and again, listen to felicia. listen to your local doctor. listen to your nurses. anderson, i was in the hospital just a few hours ago. working today, and i tell you, the nurses were the ones that were the most frustrated, were the most burned out, because they have been busting their butts for 18 months. working long shifts, doing things that are outside their comfort zone, because nurses will do anything to help their patients. and they're just frustrated that last year, we didn't have masks. we didn't have vaccines. we didn't have monoclonal antibodies. this year, we have multiple miracles that have been delivered to us, and it's
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frustrating in the face of a variant that is, as you mentioned, 1,000 times more contagious than what the previous variant was, that we have many more tools but we're not making use of them. >> in terms of a timetable for the surge, the projections say we're in for a tough august, september, and october. former fda commissioner scott gottlieb thinks the wave of infection could pass quickly. infectious disease expert michael osterholm said something similar, we may see a fast drop of infections in september. how long do you think this will last? >> well, we don't know because when you look at different countries, they tend to be more homogeneous. the united states compared to the uk is very spread out. when you look at this pandemic, it has never hit the entire united states at one time. it's always hit us in regional pockets. one of the things about this delta variant that dr. gottlieb refers to is when it hits an area, it hits it hard, it hits it fast, and you may be
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achieving a temporary herd immunity very quickly in a certain area just because everyone is getting it. you heard admiral giroir say you're going to get the vaccine or get the infection. >> in terms of how many breakthrough infections are, senator lindsey graham is the latest saying he got covid despite being vaccinated, how does the country get back to a place where there's enough testing on a daily basis to know who has the virus both symptomatic and asymptomatic and should there be more testing? is that important to know? >> we absolutely need a better testing strategy, and it's frustrating to me that we spent all of 2020 talking about testing, testing, we need more testing. we need better testing. we now have plenty of testing and what we don't have is an intelligent testing strategy from a federal perspective to utilize the antibody test, to utilize the antigen test, and the pcr test, and the better pcr
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tests that are able to see where the virus is spreading asymptomatically, to be able to quickly diagnose the cases. it's definitely a need that we have to really understand what's going on. and i have been calling on the cdc and the white house to really articulate that federal testing strategy, to have a testing czar like we did during the last administration. there are a lot of things you can point your fingers at us for for doing wrong, but the admiral and the testing team really helped stand up testing, but we aren't utilizing it. >> dr. adams, i appreciate your time. thank you very much. >> thank you, anderson. >> up next, a third police officer who defended lawmakers and democracy on january 6th has died by suicide. we'll see how one senator is dishonoring the sacrifices he and so many officers made that day. >> later, she almost died at the hands of assassins who killed her husband. tonight, the widow of haiti's president tells cnn what she experienced that horrible night.
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we learned today a third police officer who answered the call on january 6th has died by suicide. officer guenther huh sheeda who joined the police in 2003, was found in his apartment on thursday. and we honor the work he and his fellow officers did when the country needed him most. same cannot be said for wisconsin senator ron johnson who is at it again. this time, according to a video obtained by "the washington post," he's insinuating the fbi knew more about the attack than we know, who is odd considerering he's on record downplaying the attack itself. he says in part, you think the fbi had fully infiltrated the militias in michigan but they don't know what happened with these groups. i would say there's more to this story. one of a number of things to talk about with chris murphy. senator murphy, thanks for being with us. for a sitting u.s. senator to suggest that about the fbi and
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the insurrection, what -- i mean, what is he doing? is there a strategy here? >> i mean, listen, unfortunately, it's par for the course. senator johnson has been trading in these conspiracy theories for years now. and there are many who are unfortunately willing to follow him. there's a crowd inside the republican party that is dominant right now that believes might makes right. if you're acting in service of the leader of your party, donald trump, then all the rules go out the window. anything you do is justified, including violence. so you are going to continue to see republicans try to justify what happened on january 6th. you're going to see them try to explain it away because many of them have made the decision that they are willing to do everything and anything, including enable mob violence in order to try to maintain power.
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that's really dangerous for our democracy. right now, it is the minority of americans that take that tact, but if more people follow the lead of my colleague and others, you know, that potentially spells doom for the american experiment. >> senator johnson was the republican chairman of the homeland security committee. i mean, it's not like he's a crank who just got into congress. i mean, do you thing he believes these things? is it just to appeal to some of his voters and stay in power? >> so i do think that many of my colleagues in the senate, republicans, not maybe the majority of the caucus, but a sizable group of republicans in the senate believe in this anti-donald trump deep state. they do believe that there is some kind of kabul or conspiracy at work and was at work for four years to try to undermine donald trump's presidency.
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and when they hear potential conspiracy theories about the complicity of law enforcement in january 6th, i guess it sort of speaks to that narrative, that deep state narrative is still very much alive amongst republicans in congress, unfortunately. >> i want to read something you tweeted. a few months ago, my work place was ransacked by a violent mob who wanted to kill us. now a bunch of my coworkers are acting like it didn't happen, which is weird, which makes me think they might have been in on it. am i paranoid? do you think the majority of your colleagues want a full and accurate accounting of what happened? >> i think there are many republicans who do not want a full and accurate accounting because they know in the end the story will come right back to them. that there is no way to tell the story of january 6th without holding accountable republicans who created this impression that congress could stop the election of joe biden. all of those people came to that
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capitol on that day because they were under the belief, led to that belief, not just by donald trump but by many republicans in the house and senate, that they could stop the votes from being counted. that wasn't true, but it almost came true. they were seconds away from grabbing the electoral ballot box in the united states senate, which would have practically interrupted that count. and they were there because donald trump asked them to be there, but they were also there because republicans in congress asked them to be there. i just don't think a lot of those same republicans want to be held accountable for that. >> i want to ask you about infrastructure and where things now stand. >> well, we're moving this $550 billion bill, the biggest bipartisan investment in infrastructure in the history of the country. it looks like we can get a vote later this week. we're going to process a bunch of amendments. many of which will be offered by republicans to try to make the bill better or different. and so we're hopeful that by the
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end of this week, we will, you know, we will make good on the promise that joe biden made to the electorate, that republicans and democrats can still come together to do big things. now, $500 billion won't be enough. and so we will have to come right back and pass a second bill that will involve all sorts of investments in human infrastructure, tax cuts for poor people and folks in the middle class, increased help for child care and home care. so we're going to have to do two different bills to get the biden agenda to the finish line, but it is important. and it speaks to the strength of joe biden that the first bill is going to be sizable, and it's going to likely happen this week with a lot of conservative republicans supporting it. >> senator murphy, i appreciate it. thank you. >> over the weekend, house republican leader kevin mckarthdy told what his office said was a joke about nancy pelosi. democratics not amused. reaction when we return.
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the white house is saying tonight it tried but could not find a legal justification for extending the federal eviction moratorium but said it isn't given up. press secretary jen psaki said president biden would have strongly supported efforts by the cdc to extend the moratorium, but the supreme court ruled new legislation would have to be passed to make that possible. several progressive members of congress have been camped out on the stepoffs the capitol since
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friday. one of the colleagues, hakeem jeffries, the chair of the house democratic caucus. appreciate you being back on. what if anything is the house realistically going to be able to do about evictions or are you now looking to the white house? >> well, we're scheduled to convene tomorrow and have a conversation with the secretary of the treasury, janet yellen. and i think we're focused and unified around the need for the states and localities to get the more than $40 billion in relief that we allocated in the american rescue plan out to landlords and tenants so we can resolve this eviction crisis decisively. and that's what we hope occurs over the next few days. that's the most important thing that can take place. >> i mean, the lapse in the eviction moratorium would disproportionately impact communities of color, lower
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income residents. you signed a bill with maxine waters to extend the moratorium. it was blocked by republicans. even if you were to get it passed in the house, does it look like the could ever get 60 votes needed to pass in the senate? >> it appears that it's very unlikely that the senate would be able to move on extending the moratorium. the republicans, of course, blocked it in the house. they're likely to do the same thing in the senate where at least ten republican senators would have to support that extension. and so i think it's critical, one, that every state governor exercise their discretion to extend out the eviction moratorium, which has been the case here in new york, where governor cuomo has extended it through the end of the month. and that will have to be revisited when august 31st arrives. but anderson, i don't want the point to be lost that in the
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american rescue plan, we allocated almost $50 billion in order to provide relief so that tenants can have their back rent paid so that landlords can receive that income and that no one in america has to confront eviction. and what has occurred is that in excess of $40 billion of that relief remains with local governments and in gubernatorial offices across the country. >> why is that? >> that's unacceptable. well, i think the biden administration, one, is putting the pressure on the states and localities to do something about that. janet yellen, i think, is taking the lead. the white house had a press conference earlier today to make it clear that this was an unacceptable thing. and i think all across the country, you have got members of the house who are raising their voices in their respective states to try to turn this situation around. >> because i mean, if the money,
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i mean, is $40 billion -- where does that -- how would that change the issue right now? if that money was gotten out? >> well, if you have tenants who owe back rent, that is the reason why they would be facing eviction. the money now exists across the various states and localities for that back rent to be covered. so that no tenant finds themselves in a situation where they confront eviction. that was the whole purpose of allocating a substantial amount of money. the challenge that we have confronted and recall that the american rescue plan was passed in mid-march, is that for months, the money has not made it out of the door. this is why we're going to have the conversation with secretary yellen tomorrow, to begin to get an understanding as to how we as members of congress can insure
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that the administration is exerting the appropriate amount of pressure and using its leverage to make sure that the relief makes it to the landlords and tenants who are confronting this eviction situation. >> you know, there are those who will argue, look, there are many landlords in america, not just wealthy real estate magnates, citizens who have an apartment here or there or a building. what people -- people whose livelihoods depend on rental income from properties they own, i mean, can you keep pushing -- how long can there be, you know, an eviction moratorium in this country? >> well, we're in the middle of a public health crisis, the delta variant is accelerating like wildfire in many parts of the country. part of the reason why you don't want hundreds of thousands of people, if not more, to be evicted and put out on the streets. that situation can contribute to the public health crisis getting
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worse at the very time and moment when we need to deal with it decisively. this is one of the reasons we think the cdc may actually have the authority given this current situation to extend out the moratorium, and i'm pleased they are going to evaluate that to see whether they have got the ability to do it given the change in circumstances. but it's all hands on deck, anderson, and we're going to continue to make sure that we do what's necessary to provide the assistance to the american people to crush this virus, make it through this storm, and supercharge the economy in every single zip code. >> chairman jefferies, i appreciate it. thank you. up next, congressman kevin mccarthy's office is calling a joke about the speaker's office, and others are calling it less flattering. ah, there's no place like panera.
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emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit.
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making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. speaking at a republican fund-raising event in tennessee over the weekend, republican house leader kevin mccarthy was presented with an oversized gavel symbolizing his debrier to become speaker of the house in 2022, replacing nancy pelosi. he then proceeded to make what he says is a joke, as you can hear in this audio recording obtained by main street
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nashville. >> one prophecy, if we win the majority, you'll all invited. i want you to watch nancy pelosi hand me that gavel. it'll be hard not to hit her with it, but i will bang it down. >> mccarthy's office says he was joking, of course, politicians generally make lousy comedians. leading democrats to denounce what mccarthy said almost immediately. joining me, usa columnist kiersten powers. what do you think when you heard the audio? >> i think it's pretty shocking. at any point in history, i think it's shocking, but certainly in this day and age. i think people have more of an awareness, i would hope, that a
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leader of the republican party would have more awareness of the fact that violence against women is a major problem in society, and it's just not a joking matter. there just are some things that we don't joke about. and throughout history, people have often invoked jokes as a way to cover up behavior that is otherwise not acceptable. people do it when they say something racist or they do it when they say something sexist or misogynist or homophobic and say i'm just joking and you can't take a joke, as if you're the problem. and the problem is joking about a very, very serious issue. >> yeah, and mccarthy's spokesperson told nbc news in response to his comments he was obviously joking. it does sort of, you know, there's a lot of people who would listen to this discussion and say, well, look, this is political correctness gone amuck, and of course, he was just joking. and people laughed. and it was just a lighthearted remark.
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>> well, i think people invoke political correctness when -- to try to discount serious issues. so it's a way to say why can't we just make a joke about beating women? because the same reason you don't make a joke about jewish people, like just pick something that they actually care about, i guess, that they would understand. and so it's a way to ignore important issues rather than just acknowledging that this isn't funny, that there are people who are watching this right now, there are people who heard that, who are currently in abusive relationships. and who have suffered violence, whether it's in a relationship or outside of a relationship, of men beating women. so i mean, it's a pretty violent act. i don't think that -- i don't think it is political correctness. i think it's honestly, i feel like not that long ago, even
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someone like kevin mccarthy would just say, i'm sorry. i shouldn't have said it. and the fact that it got such a big laugh and that people can't just recognize that this isn't okay is highly problematic. >> you don't expect kevin mccarthy to apologize, do you? >> no, because i think he is just all in on trumpism and trumpism now is about never saying you're sorry, and you know, he won't say he's sorry. but i also think that it's just an interesting joke to tell. it says -- you know, he has this frustration with nancy pelosi, and nancy pelosi is an incredibly powerful woman. she will go down in the history books as one of the most powerful speakers of the house, one of the most deft leaders of congress. kevin mccarthy if he's lucky will be a footnote. i think this is what happens when you have a woman who reaches the level that nancy pelosi does. this kind of resentment that you
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get from kevin mccarthy that comes out as a joke about being violent against a woman who is too powerful. >> that's interesting. i think that's -- i mean, nancy pelosi in many regards has from time to time and many times kind of run circles around kevin mccarthy. >> most republican members of congress would kill to have nancy pelosi as their leader. kevin mccarthy isn't even really that powerful, even though he holds the position that he holds. there are other members of congress obviously, marjorie taylor greene, he can't control marjorie taylor greene, he can't control jim jordan. there are other people who seem to have more power in his own caucus. you don't see that kind of behavior happening in the democratic party because nancy pelosi is such a deft leader. i mean, she is really legendary. and that's not a partisan statement. that's something i think historians looking at speakers,
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she has had this really unique ability to keep her caucus together despite having much more diversity, frankly, than the conservatives have. the republicans have. so yes, she is historically a huge figure of any kind, but particularly for women. >> it's great to have you on. kn g to see you. >> up next, haiti's -- the wife of haiti's president who was assassinated in her first television interview. she shares what happens that night, she was shot and survived and her husband was killed. when we continue. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... yeah i should've just led with that... with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee
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it's almost a month since haiti's president was assassinated in his home in the middle of the night. tonight you'll hear from a witness, his wife. it's her first sitdown tv interview since her husband was killed and she was shot and wounded. she spoke with cnn's matt rivers. >> reporter: when gunmen stormed haiti's presidential residence and assassinated the president, just one witness was there when he died. >> madam, first lady, how are
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you? >> reporter: his wife, haiti's first lady. flanked by private security she agreed to go on camera for the first time with her side of the story. >> you've been here with armed security. we've been asked not to disclose where we're talking right now. you're obviously thinking about threats to your life. do you feel like your life right now is at risk? >> yeah, it is, because i wasn't supposed to be alive. >> reporter: in a long conversation that switched between haitian creole and english, she described in vivid detail what happened the night her husband was killed. it was around 1:00 a.m. she says when the shooting started. it wasn't something small, it was the sounds of automatic weapons. bullet holes still pock mark the compo compounding. at the time she and her husband hid in their bedroom but the door burst open.
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gunfire ripped through the air. face down and bleeding, she thinks a dozen men ransacked the room looking for something specific. they came to find something because i heard them saying that's not it, that's not it. there it is. which means they found what they were looking for. she doesn't know what they found, but after they did, an attacker approached her husband, at this point still alive and unhurt, and got on the phone. she says that person called someone and described what my husband looked like, saying he was tall, skinny and black. maybe the person on the phone confirmed to the shooter that was him and they shot him on the floor. the president was dead, and the attackers left soon after. moise believes they thought she was dead too. critically wounded, she lifted herself up. >> when you stood up and you saw that he was dead, did you say anything to him? >> reporter: in my heart i said something i used to tell him when he was alive.
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we are married for better or worse, and even beyond the grave. her left side bleeding and her right arm shredded by gunfire, she was eventually led out of the house by police and comes to a quick conclusion. the dozens of security guards normally on hand to protect the president either let the attackers in or they abandoned their posts. there is no other explanation, she says. you're there to protect the president and the president is dead and you're nowhere to be found, adding that she was amazed apparently not a single guard was injured. moise believes it's part of a much larger conspiracy. >> at your husband's funeral you said, quote, the raptors are still out there watching and laughing at us. >> yes, they are. >> what did you mean by that? >> yes, they are. because no one is being arrested yet. the people that they arrest is the people that pulled the trigger. they won't pull the trigger with no orders, so the men that we
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need is the people that paid for that and the people that gave the order. >> and you think that that person or persons has not yet been arrested. >> no. no. >> the official investigation has led to the arrest of more than 40 suspects, but has still not provided a motive for the president's killing or identified a mastermind behind it all. that has left a vacuum. haiti flooded with theories about who killed a president who at the time hof his death was a embattled, largely unpopular leempltd even stillleader. even still, for his widow, it's unimaginable. >> i never thought that the level of hate existed in the country. >> you never thought this the could happen? >> no. >> because your husband did have a lot of enemies. >> yes, he did. but i didn't know that they hated that much to kill him.
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>> matt rivers joins us now. does the first lady have any confidence that the investigation will lead to who orchestrated this whole thing? >> i think it's safe to say no, she does not, anderson. she continues to want the u.s. authorities that are already involved in this investigation to even ramp up their participation. she's also publicly calling on the united nations to create a special investigative tribunal to investigate her husband's assassination, much like they did after the assassination of lebanon's president. she said there are so many powerful interests in haiti that if outside investigators, foreign investigators are not involved in this, she doesn't think the truth will ever really be found out. >> matt rivers, appreciate it, thank you. up next, a surprise about what's ahead for american gymnast simone biles at tokyo's olympics.
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in the 2016 olympics in rio will return to competition in tokyo. usa gymnastics confirmed biles will take part in tuesday's individual balance beam finals with teammate suni lee. this after withdrawing from the team finals last week citing mental health concerns. she also withdrew from four individual finals in this year's games. she is one of the most celebrated olympians in recent years and we wish her well tomorrow. the news continues. we hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." >> you've got to be a little worried about it, though, right, coop? she's got a lot of pressure on her. there's been some beautiful understanding about health is health, pain is pain. i just hope she's doing this on her own terms and that everything is okay. >> the pressure has to be so intense. >> yeah, but this is not any other sport. i've learned a lot about gymnastics. as you know we got the little one that does gymnastics. a friend of mine owns gyms on long island. you can't be spinning around and doing all the things that they do
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