Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Big Developments In Police Killings Of Breonna Taylor And Tamir Rice; Coronavirus Pandemic Grips The World In 2020; Vaccine Gives Hope To Disabled Community. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired December 30, 2020 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via Cisco Webex): "Type of conduct or untruthfulness by any member of the Louisville Metro Police Department."

Jaynes' attorney telling CNN his client is being made a scapegoat and called the investigation into the officers a fiasco.

A police hearing on the matter is scheduled for tomorrow. And it should be noted that none of the officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor were ever charged directly in connection with her death.

And then again, in a separate case, late yesterday the Department of Justice announced there is not enough evidence to support criminal charges against the two officers involved in the shooting of Tamir Rice. Rice was killed by two Cleveland police officers back in 2014 who mistook a toy gun the 12-year-old was playing with in a park for a real gun.

According to a statement from the DOJ, federal prosecutors could not prove that Rice's constitutional rights were violated or that the officers obstructed justice.

That statement reads, in part, "An officer is permitted to use deadly force when (sic) he reasonably believes that the suspect posed an imminent threat of serious physical harm, either to the office or to others."

Late last night, I did speak to an attorney for the Rice family who called the DOJ decision, quote, "an outrageous miscarriage of justice." He went on to say it's a tremendous blow to the Rice family, especially Rice's mother, who he says is now beside herself with grief and disappointment -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Goodness, that poor family.

Jason Carroll, thanks very much.

Joining me now to discuss, CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. He is the former chief of police -- commissioner of police in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Also with us, CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. He is a criminal defense attorney. Gentlemen, thanks to the both of you this morning.

And listen, the three of us and others on this broadcast, and others have discussed this issue multiple times over the past several years.

You look at these cases -- a 12-year-old with a -- with a toy gun shot dead -- nothing coming out of it. You see the Breonna Taylor shooting. There is one charge pending for wanton endangerment for one of the officers who fired through a wall there but otherwise, the penalty is getting fired.

Joey Jackson, is this a problem with the law as it stands or the application of the law in these series of cases?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY (via Cisco Webex): Good morning to you, Jim. The problem is that there are multiple problems.

So let's start with Tamir Rice. We're talking about going into 2021. This occurred in 2014. What is the situation when a Justice Department that takes six and more years to render a determination if it happened in 2014? A grand jury made a decision not to prosecute in 2015. There was a civil settlement in 2016.

Doesn't the family deserve more with respect to transparency as it relates to the investigation? With respect to an actual investigation that is attendant to the facts and that is attendant to the law and that can render a timely decision so that they could have some measure of decency and have some measure -- never that they're not going get to closure but just in a resolution of the case?

And so we have to do a much better job at a system with regard to informing families, with regard to informing communities, and with regard to making proper determinations.

Quickly, as it relates to the other issue, I think it's a critical first step and a very good first step that a department is doing what an attorney general would not do. Now they can't charge criminally but they certainly can charge as it relates to administratively and violations respecting a job.

And I think it's a good first step for a chief, right -- and we'll hear from the chief momentarily. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

SCIUTTO: Right.

JACKSON: And to make a decision to say there will be accountability when you lie on a warrant, there will be accountability when you kill someone, and that accountability will come with the loss of your job. And so I think that's a critical first step as it relates to the Kentucky matter involving Breonna Taylor, who no one has been held accountable.

SCIUTTO: Charles Ramsey, you led police departments in Philly and Washington, D.C. I know -- I speak to cops a lot -- I've got cops in my family -- the job of policing is tough. But when you look at cases like these, do officers need the degree of legal protection that they have here? Because it is -- it's not impossible but it is really damn hard to get a cop charged with the use of force, which appears to be excessive in these cases.

What protection do police need and is the legal protection excessive at this point, in your view?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER IN PHILADELPHIA AND WASHINGTON, D.C. (via Cisco Webex): Well, I mean, that's certainly a matter for debate. When we speak to police officers they certainly want to maintain protection. I think people should know that if an officer is really acting outside of policy -- outside of color of law that they are subject to be sued or even charged criminally and so forth.

[07:35:01]

But there do need to be some level of protection. The question is how much protection do officers really need?

I agree with Joey on the Tamir Rice case. This took far too long for them to come to this conclusion. That just rubs salt in the wound as far as I'm concerned. I understand the rationale they had around not having enough evidence to move forward with a charge but there's no excuse for it to take this long.

As far as the Breonna Taylor case goes, Officer Jaynes -- my understanding is he lied in a search warrant. I mean, he made a statement, which was a critical statement in terms of a postal inspector having stated that packages were still being delivered to that residence. It turns out it was another police officer that said that and not a postal inspector. I mean, that's critical. I agree that the termination is appropriate.

I'm not so sure about Gosgrove. Obviously, the interim chief would know more than I know because she's reviewed the case file. However, remember, he was one of the two officers that went into the apartment.

Officer Mattingly was shot. The first shot was fired from inside the apartment. They returned fire. And unfortunately and tragically, Breonna Taylor was killed. But the officer was returning fire after being fired upon so I'm not quite sure what that rationale was.

SCIUTTO: Joey, as you know following the killing of George Floyd there was an effort on the Hill to come to agreement on some reform, right -- even sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott -- senator -- anyway, it didn't go anywhere. We have another chance coming this year.

What change would you want to see, as a lawyer, to help prevent this going forward?

JACKSON: I think there's a number of changes, Jim. I think it starts, first of all, with the issue of accountability. It starts with procedures and protocols being in place that are followed when you're executing warrants so that the information is reliable and you're coming upon a scene having all indications that what you're relying upon is accurate and fair.

It also begins with reforming and assessing whether or not the no- knock issue is relevant and appropriate, right? They are dangerous and, of course, officers have a dangerous job. They're out there protecting and working with us and working for us every day -- I get that. But you want them to work in an environment where they're trusted and where they're respected, and you're not going to be if you're lying in a warrant.

It comes as it relates to reforms in transparency. Let's convey to families with respect to what's happening with these investigations. Let's set a timeline so that we could complete these investigations. Let's let people know what's going on with these investigations.

Let's look at the grand jury process so we don't have to rely on attorney generals telling us what happened.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

JACKSON: Let's see what happened in the grand jury.

There's a lot of reforms that are out there. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it done. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep communities safe, police safe, and there could be some cooperative relationship of trust moving forward.

SCIUTTO: I said Rick Scott. It was Tim Scott, South Carolina senator.

Joey, Commissioner, thanks so much to both of you.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, the coronavirus pandemic dominated 2020. A look back at how it all unfolded. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:27]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The biggest story of 2020 and perhaps for our foreseeable future is the coronavirus pandemic. It is global and yet, deeply personal for so many families.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has tracked all of the developments on this virus from the very beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I have never covered a story of such magnitude. This story has impacted everyone across the globe. And when I first began reporting on it a year ago, I didn't suspect that we would be where we are today.

I've reported on pandemics before, outbreaks before, H1N1, Ebola, but never has a virus taken hold of the planet in such a vicious and efficient way. At first, it was a story that just seemed so far away.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Growing concerns across Asia as the new coronavirus.

GUPTA (voice-over): And within weeks of those initial reports from China, the first confirmed case in the United States.

GOV. JAY INSLEE (D), WASHINGTON STATE: On January 20th, samples were confirmed by the CDC.

GUPTA (voice-over): Scientists immediately got to work on a vaccine.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Well, I have cautious optimism that we would be able to develop a vaccine against this and other coronaviruses.

GUPTA (voice-over): But little did we know just how efficient this novel coronavirus really was.

In China, to accommodate the crush of patients, hospitals with 1,000- plus beds were built in just days, and it was a warning for the rest of the world.

GUPTA (on camera): We saw what happened in China. We hear about hospitals being filled to the brink. Do you anticipate that happening here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We certainly hope that we won't need to make tough decisions like that but we have to be prepared to do so.

GUPTA (voice-over): It was heartbreaking and we quickly learned how the virus would take advantage of our behavior, how we travel, and how we gathered. But we were stymied in tracking this virus from the get- go. The CDC's initial test to diagnose COVID-19, faulty.

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It seems that CNN's reporting is pointing to a larger problem -- whether all of this happened because of just a contamination problem or just a manufacturing problem or some combination.

GUPTA (voice-over): But we were our biggest obstacle. We thought we could outsmart it.

GUPTA (on camera): This is spreading and it's going to spread, maybe within communities.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It may. It may.

GUPTA (on camera): That's the expectation.

TRUMP: Yes.

GUPTA (on camera): Does that -- does that worry you? Because that seems to be --

TRUMP: No.

GUPTA (on camera): -- what worries the American people.

[07:45:00]

TRUMP: No, because we're ready for it. It is what it is. We're ready for it. We're really prepared. We have -- as I said, we have the greatest people in the world and we're very ready for it.

We hope it doesn't spread. There's a chance that it won't spread, too, and there's a chance that it will.

GUPTA (voice-over): And it did. By March first, the CDC counted 32 confirmed cases in the United States. But according to some estimates, there were already 28,000 cases or more around the country -- invisible to our eyes, in part because our testing was behind but also because 40 percent of all cases don't show any symptoms.

The first images we really saw of the disease, an outbreak at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, an elderly care facility in Washington State. It made sense. Earlier studies had shown the disease was more severe and more deadly among people who are older and had underlying conditions.

Soon, hospitals in New York were overrun.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The line's snaking through and getting longer as the day goes on of people who are just trying to get tested and just trying to get care.

GUPTA (voice-over): And it wasn't just older patients needing beds.

NICOLE BUCHANAN, HUSBAND DIED OF COVID-19: The hospital is on lockdown.

GUPTA (voice-over): We began hearing more and more stories like this.

BUCHANAN: No, that was it. I never got to say I love you -- nothing.

GUPTA (voice-over): Nicole Buchanan's husband Conrad was just 39 years old -- healthy, in the prime of his life.

And just as puzzling, the long haulers -- those experiencing symptoms for months with no end in sight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blood clots, seizures, tremors.

GUPTA (voice-over): But why do these symptoms linger in some people? Why are seemingly healthy young people dying? We still don't really know.

For some, it could be their immune systems react too violently resulting in a storm of inflammation -- a cytokine storm. Other experts say the answers may be in our genes. But on top of that, this disease exacerbated and unmasked existing inequities. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: African-Americans are dying at a rate nearly 2 1/2

times higher than whites. Latinos and Native Americans are dying at a rate more than 1 1/2 times higher.

GUPTA (voice-over): What we do know is that the virus has remained fairly constant, but how we have reacted to it has made us our own worst enemies.

By March 16th, the number of confirmed cases exploded to nearly 5,000 and we were worried.

TRUMP: We have made the decision to further toughen the guidelines and blunt the infection now.

GUPTA (voice-over): But we didn't stay shut down for long.

PROTESTERS: USA! USA!

GUPTA (voice-over): We made masks political.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not anti-masks, we're not for masks. We're for choice.

GUPTA (voice-over): And young people became significant drivers of spread.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those are my friends over there. Obviously, they're definitely not social distancing.

GUPTA (voice-over): Now, half of all confirmed cases are under the age of 40.

By June, our numbers had spiked.

FAUCI: We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around.

GUPTA (voice-over): We hit more than 100,000 cases in a single day on November first and have continued to climb from there.

As the weather has turned cold, we've come back indoors. Fatigue has really set in. And after months of not seeing loved ones, many people are traveling and visiting with their families again and that's a cause for alarm.

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: It's small family gatherings -- family gatherings where people become more comfortable. They remove their face masks when they get together and it's a silent epidemic that begins to transmit.

GUPTA (voice-over): As we hit the third and what is now the highest peak of this pandemic, the outlook is sadly grim. The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have been on a meteoric rise. Hospitals are buckling. And we are seeing scenes similar to what we saw in the spring in the northeast, except now they're all over the country. GUPTA (on camera): I just sometimes have a hard time figuring out how to represent how we've done in this country. Two hundred fifty thousand people have died. Was this a failure in this country? I mean, did you expect it to go this way?

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, RESPONSE COORDINATOR, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE: I always worry when we have an outcome that none of us want.

GUPTA (voice-over): The good news is that there are now treatments -- drugs like Remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies. The steroid dexamethasone and blood thinners to reduce clotting. And, in part, helping to lower mortality rates.

But most significantly, 11 months after the first case in the United States was confirmed, we've begun administering the first vaccines -- a triumph for science and a triumph for humanity.

GUPTA (on camera): It's done.

GUPTA (voice-over): A message I want to make sure everyone hears, which is why when it was my turn, I shared the moment and got vaccinated on camera.

[07:50:05]

GUPTA (on camera): We are so close now to seeing the end of this pandemic. Seeing the vaccines roll out is a true light at the end of the tunnel. But we can't forget that we do have some of our darkest days ahead still. I hate to say it but it's true. To know that on average, more than two people will die every minute here in the United States from COVID, it's just jarring.

We can bring an end to this pandemic but the vaccines won't necessarily be a silver bullet. They may not rescue us from ourselves. We need to act, ourselves. And we're only going to end this if we remember to wear a mask, be kind, and get vaccinated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Sanjay Gupta has been so helpful through all of these dark weeks. We appreciate him.

The wait is over for some of the most vulnerable Americans. Details on how they are getting vaccinated now. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:39]

SCIUTTO: People with certain disabilities are more vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus. Now, vaccines are being distributed at a New York home for those with complex medical conditions, providing relief and more importantly, hope to residents and staff there.

CNN's Gary Tuchman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York State's Catskill Mountains, it's a landmark day for these young people, all of them who have severe medical issues and comorbidities. Today is the day --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready? One, two, three. Awesome.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): -- they get the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awesome, bud.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): This is the 1,500 acre Center for Discovery where hundreds of vulnerable children and adults with complex medical conditions live and visit for clinical treatments in educational, social, nutritional, and recreational experiences.

Twenty-four-year-old Kadidra Deese (ph) has cerebral palsy.

TUCHMAN (on camera): That's a beautiful hat. How do you know how to make a hat? I have no idea how to make a hat.

KADIDRA DEESE, CEREBRAL PALSY PATIENT: You do.

TUCHMAN (on camera): I do? I couldn't do it.

DEESE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): For months, the residents here were not able to see their parents and families in person because of COVID. Now with proper precautions, they can. And parents are with their children as they get their vaccines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my goodness, that was --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- wonderful. So good.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): R.J. has severe autism. His mother says his grandfather died from COVID in April.

DENISE LOMBARDI, R.J.'S MOTHER: And I know that my dad would be so proud of how well R.J. has done through this entire ordeal and particularly, today. You saw how much of a trooper he was getting his shot.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Jodie also has profound autism and seizure disorders.

ALISON SINGER, JODIE'S MOTHER: It's like a boo-boo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, the Band-Aid is for a boo-boo.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Her mother says not being able to see Jodie in person for months was excruciating.

SINGER: Just the thought of that, for me, has been the worst part of the pandemic. So getting the vaccine today, it's the beginning of the end of that nightmare.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Although residents and employees here have tested positive for COVID over these months, there have been no deaths. Credit is given to the diligence of the employees here, about 1,700 of them. And they, too, are getting the vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, here we go. Are we ready?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): After all, it's the employees who can bring the virus in.

PATRICK DOLLARD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTER OF DISCOVERY: Their courage and their efforts just keep us moving forward. But we have to stay with it, you know. It's not a -- it's not a mic drop yet. We still have to get through this.

MICHAEL ROSEN, NICKY'S FATHER: I'm so proud of you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready? One, two, three.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): The parents visiting realize this frightening time is not over but the relief on this day is palpable.

ROSEN: It is so emotional and he knew in his gut that this is something he wanted to do. I can't tell you how emotional it is to watch someone you were so worried about for so many months now automatically see hope on the horizon.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): And remember the hatmaker we met earlier?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, a little pinch. Ready? Can you feel it? Not at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right -- good job.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Well, Kadidra says she is most grateful that she, too, has now been vaccinated.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Monticello, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: I'm so happy for them and their families.

Well, we do have a lot of breaking news this morning. Let's get right to it.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. John Berman is off. Jim Sciutto joins me. Great to have you here, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Good to be here. Lots of news this morning.

CAMEROTA: We do begin with several breaking headlines on the pandemic. Authorities discovering the first case of that new coronavirus variant that originated in the U.K. They have discovered it in Colorado. The patient is a man in his twenties with no known travel history.

CNN has learned a second suspected case of that is in Colorado. It is currently being investigated. Both cases involve young men that work at an assisted living facility.

This comes as the pandemic in the U.S. is shattering more records for deaths and hospitalizations. More than 3,700 Americans died just yesterday. That's the highest number yet in a single day. And a record number of people, nearly 125,000, are now hospitalized with coronavirus.

SCIUTTO: One of the latest victims is Republican.