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CNN NEWSROOM

Biden: "We Have a Deal" on Infrastructure; Fauci: Delta Variant Accounts for 1 in 5 Infections Nationwide; TSA Investigating New Assaults on Workers, Restarts Flight Attendant Self-Defense Training; "Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story" Premieres Sunday at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 24, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Way too small. Paltry, pathetic. I need a clear ironclad assurance there will be a really adequate, robust package.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's the real challenge for Democratic leaders. They're trying to get both wings of their party in line here.

And in an important announcement today, Nancy Pelosi said that they would not move on this bipartisan deal until the Democrats in the Senate, the Senators vote to approve that Democratic-only approach.

So a lot needs to happen here before this ultimately becomes law, including getting Democrats to fall in line.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Well, and Mitch McConnell is still staying silent when he was asked whether he supports this bipartisan deal after the big announcement was made.

Phil, this is obviously, at this point, just a framework. What hurdles do you see that still need to be overcome to get this across the finish line?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Manu laid out the high-wire act. There are significant issues that still need to be resolved.

You need to actually put into legislative text the framework. You need to get the text to get signed off by at least 60 Senators and at least 218 members of the House. That's not a sure thing at this point.

But I think you almost need to pull back a little bit and kind of grasp where the White House is on this right now.

And why the president has not only walked out to unexpectedly to talk to us just a short while ago but is about to deliver significant remarks.

They understand what this means in terms of the strategic process that they've laid out. They made clear, despite progressive pressure to stop negotiations with Republicans to move on and try to do things unilaterally.

The president thought this was the best option. It's the best option to get votes. They need moderate Democrats to come on board. They wanted a bipartisan agreement.

It's also kind of a broader perspective I've repeatedly heard about the president talking about the country needing to do something in a bipartisan manner to show it was still possible.

We heard it during the president's trip in Europe as well, trying to show that democracy can still work.

It seems kind of high-minded and maybe too 30,000 foot but that was an animating feature of how the president approached this behind the scenes.

I'm told he brought it up during the closed-door meeting with the Senators just a little while ago.

But overall, you look at the process going forward, it's going to be complicated.

And the president is going to need to lean in pretty hard to ensure that all Democrats get on board. You get enough Republicans on the bipartisan deal.

And then you ensure the president's agenda stays in line for the second piece of this that Manu was talking about.

It's going to be a lift. But this is clearly a major first step in that process -- Ana?

CABRERA: OK. Phil Mattingly, Manu Raju, thank you both.

It is a big day of news. We're covering the fight against COVID. Where vaccinations lag, the virus is surging right now. We're going to go to two parts of the nation, seeing the impact of this very contagious Delta variant firsthand.

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[13:37:31]

CABRERA: The president and first lady are hitting the road today to push vaccinations as the rate slows. Right now, just over 45 percent of the country is fully vaccinated.

That's a real concern, because the Delta variant is believed to make up about one in five new cases here in the U.S. And that is growing.

And the CDC says Missouri and Colorado have the most cases of that variant.

Let's head to those two states now. Erik Frederick is the chief administrative officer for Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. And also joining us is Amanda Mayle with Mesa County Public Health in Colorado

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.

Amanda, we just got some new data out of your state. And 54 percent of Delta variant cases in Colorado have been found in Mesa County, where you are.

What are you seeing there? And does the number surprise you?

AMANDA MAYLE, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING MANAGER, MESA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH: Since this variant was first identified here in Mesa County on May 5th, we had five cases then. Today, we stand at nearly 300.

And we also know that because of the way testing and sequencing occurs with these variants, that's not accounting for all the cases that are here.

So we are definitely operating under the assumption that it's even more widespread than our testing indicates.

CABRERA: Erik, we talked to someone at another hospital there in Missouri earlier this week. In fact, in your same county, Green County.

This person said the hospital situation was worse now than at the peak of the winter surge and that his staff was just overwhelmed.

Can you paint the picture at your hospital? And do you have all the resources you need?

DR. ERIK FREDERICK, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, MERCY HOSPITAL: Thanks, Ana.

Yes, it's true. Both hospitals here in town are stretched. We saw a rapid escalation in the in-patient census starting June 1st. We went from 26 to 90 in about three weeks.

Go back to last year, at the start, it took us six to seven weeks to escalate that quickly. Today, we hit 97. It took us two months to get to that level that we got to in under a month. So it is challenging.

The difference between last year and this year is we have a lot of traditional business back that we didn't have last year during the initial surge.

So The demand for beds is higher for both COVID and non-COVID patients. It's definitely a stretch.

The staff are right back into the mix of it. And I don't think they were fully recovered from last year.

A similar story at the hospitals here. We're all maxed out, both in capacity and getting there on energy.

[13:39:59]

CABRERA: Do you have enough beds? Do you have enough ventilators? Do you have enough people, staff?

FREDERICK: We do at this time as far as beds. We have to continue to do a daily shift from non-COVID patients out of beds that can take COVID patients. It's a specialized bed and team and equipment to take care of those patients.

Mercy Health Care is part of a big system in the Midwest with resources in three states. In other areas, where they're not seeing a surge, we have the ability to reach to our other Mercy Hospitals and get equipment and supplies if we need it.

This is a strain on staffing. There's a shortage of nurses and respiratory therapists. In large areas of the country, we're excluded from that. But we're able to source some agency nurses and respiratory therapists.

And have started having conversations about, how do we back up some of our physicians as well, as their panels continue to grow and they're taking care of more patients.

CABRERA: And the state of Missouri, where Erick is, is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to vaccinations and the average the country has.

Amanda, there in Colorado, that state is one of only 16 states that has more than half of all residents fully vaccinated. And yet, it's among the states with the highest prevalence of the Delta variant in the country.

How do you explain that?

MAYLE: We're seeing pockets in communities where immunization rates are lower are experiencing higher rates of illness.

Unvaccinated individuals are the most at risk here. The majority of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are occurring in unvaccinated areas and individuals.

So while Colorado as a whole, there are parts that are doing really well, parts like Mesa County are lagging behind.

We're encouraging as many people as possible to get the information they need to get vaccinated. Because we do see that vaccination is your best protection against COVID-19, including these new strains.

CABRERA: Mesa County -- having grown up in Colorado, for our viewers, to give some context, is a county that's on the far western edge of the state of Colorado. Very rural community. Kind of on the other side of all the mountain range there in Colorado. Very far from Denver.

I just wonder, then, why? Why are people not getting vaccinated, Amanda?

MAYLE: We talked to people about their hesitations. We offer education for folks.

And what we hear the majority of the time is people are concerned about the long-term effects. This vaccine hasn't been around all that long.

They're concerned about missing work, due to some minor and temporary side effects that they might get from the vaccine.

So we have those conversations with people. We let them know that while COVID itself is new, vaccines and even the science behind the way these vaccines were created is not.

And so those conversations with people is helping to move the needle and nudge people toward vaccination as the variants continue to affect our community.

CABRERA: What do you think, Erik, why aren't more people getting vaccinated. And what has been missing perhaps in terms of making sure it does happen?

FREDERICK: Similar story here, Ana. What we hear is the fear of the unknown. It's a new vaccine. What's the long-term effects of that?

There's still pockets of younger female residents who say they've heard there's a potential impact on future fertility.

We know the Missouri Hospital Association did a poll back in April on what were the least likely. About 30 percent of Missourians said they wouldn't pursue a vaccine. Largely, that's the younger, conservative population.

Then also the uninsured and those on Medicaid. So those who lack more access to information.

Just like Amanda said, trying to get out there and let people know it's safe and effective. And making it available.

I'm afraid I'm going to miss work. Making it available seven days a week so people can, when they have the opportunity, and know they have down time, they still have access to the vaccine.

CABRERA: OK. Thank you both so much for giving us insight into your communities and your efforts to help people who are getting infected, as well as trying to get more people vaccinated trying to protect the population.

Erik Frederick, Amanda Mayle, we really appreciate your time. Good luck.

FREDERICK: Thank you.

[13:44:26] CABRERA: It's not just happening on the planes. The TSA now reporting unruly travelers are also attacking agents at security checkpoints. Even biting and kicking them. That's next.

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CABRERA: We have this just in. The TSA is stepping up efforts to stop travelers who attack flight attendants, also airport security checkpoint workers.

CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean, joins us now.

Pete, you have new reporting on recent attacks this month that TSA is investigation. Fill us in.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. And these cases are particularly egregious.

But TSA is now detailing two attacks of its workers in June alone, the latest of 69 such incidents since the pandemic began.

The TSA says two of its workers in Louisville were assaulted as a passengers tried to power their way through the security exit at the airport there.

And in Denver, two workers were bitten by a passenger. That case now under investigation by local police.

In both of these incidents, these passengers faced fines of up to $13,000.

Which is one more sign of the times, the TSA is now resuming self- defense courses for flight attendants. Those are voluntary, not necessarily mandatory.

[13:50:04]

The FAA says there's been 3,000 cases of unruly passengers onboard flights.

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SARA NELSON, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: It's so bad out there, the planes have to have crew member self-defense training in order to defend ourselves and the passengers onboard.

Everybody's got to calm down. This is not a natural state on a plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: This is happening as more and more people are coming back to traveling. The TSA screened 2.1 million people at airports across the country on Sunday. That is the highest number we've seen since March 7th of 2020.

As we go into this July 4th travel period, it's likely the travel could go even higher -- Ana?

CABRERA: What a shame. Self-defense training being necessary for flight attendants doing their job.

Pete Muntean, thank you for that update.

Just moments from now, President Biden speaking on a bipartisan infrastructure deal. We're on it.

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[13:55:41]

CABRERA: Raunchy, sexy, glamorous, those are the kind of stories romance novelist, Jackie Collins, built her literary empire with. And it made her one of the most successful female authors of all time.

Now the new CNN film, "LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY," explores the personal life of the 1980s icon.

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JACKIE COLLINS, AUTHOR: It took me forever but I finished it. Then I looked along my bookcase and saw a publisher that I had a lot of their books, and I thought, if I like what they publish, maybe they'll like what I write.

In those days, you had to send a big, thick manuscript off. I think it got picked up by the first publisher it got sent to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four pounds. Four pounds she got for that first book. How do I remember that? Anyway --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was that, "The Call"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it "The World is Full of Married Men?"

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chapter 1, Claudia was in bed. She was a very beautiful girl and she knew it. And David knew it. So everyone was happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And joining us now is Jackie Collins' daughter, Rory Green.

Rory, thanks for being here.

You were very involved in the production of this film. What made you want to tell your mother's story now, and in this way?

RORY GREEN, DAUGHTER OF AUTHOR JACKIE COLLINS: It felt really important to us.

And, Ana, thank you for having me on. It's lovely to be here. In the years after she died, she left this extraordinary archive

behind. We always say my mother lived in a very big house, which was very much documented.

There were lots of cupboards in the house. My sisters and I had no idea what was behind those cupboards, inside of them.

When we opened up the doors, it was just a treasure trove of an archive. Every manuscript she had ever written by hand. All of her ledgers. Diaries from her teenage years. Books she started to write as a teenager.

As we started to go through these beautiful objects, we realized there's a story to tell. And she wanted her story told.

So she just started writing her autobiography before she died and she didn't get a chance to complete it. And we thought this was way to honor her legacy.

CABRERA: What did she want people to know about her?

GREEN: I think she wanted people to know she was a powerhouse. She really was.

She went through a lot in her life. I think so often she was dismissed or sneered upon, certainly literary critics.

She said this herself. She said this herself. She never proclaimed to be a literary writer. But she was a highly skilled storyteller. She entertained so many people.

But her readers just adored her and were inspired by what she offered them.

Because behind the entertainment, there were essential messages behind female empowerment and self-agency. Those are valuable messages.

I think that's how she'd want to be remembered rather than the trash trashy writer, which is so often how she was dismissed.

CABRERA: You're right. You're right. She had critics who dismissed her and her books.

But I wonder, as her daughter, and having this figure as a mother who was this powerhouse, who was a self-proclaimed feminist, what did she teach you about women's place in the world?

GREEN: It's interesting. As a self-proclaimed feminist, what we've come to understand and the years have evolved, she wrote "The World is Full of Married Men" the year before I was born, in 1968. It was pretty trailblazing at that time.

She understood that feminism was political but also very personal.

She taught me and my sister that feminism -- it's doesn't have to be subscribed to. It's not subscribed by somebody else. It's something that we can develop on our own terms and in our own voice.

I think that's what she taught us as woman. Her motto was girls can do anything. That's very much present in the film.

But, for me, she taught me that self-belief was really important. She had people championing her, especially our father, but that translated into her championing herself.

And that's what I take away as her daughter.

CABRERA: That's wonderful.

Rory Green, thank you for sharing a little bit of your mom with all of us --

GREEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: -- and for joining me today.

Be sure to tune in to the all-new CNN film. "LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY" premieres Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

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