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Fallen U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Will Lie In Honor; Hard-Hit Brazil Unable To Contain Outbreak Amid Vaccine Shortage; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) On Michigan's Restaurant Reopenings. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 01, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That the murderous mob stormed through.

CNN's Josh Campbell is live in Washington with more. What have you learned, Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Alisyn.

This honor that's typically reserved for American leaders, lying in state in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, will be afforded to fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. That, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Now, this is set to take place tomorrow evening -- Tuesday evening. There will be an arrival ceremony and his body will lie in state -- or excuse me, in honor throughout the evening for viewing and people inside the Capitol are able to come actually pay their respects. Of course, that building remains under lockdown right now for the general public, surrounded still to this day by members of the National Guard.

Now, Sicknick's family put out a statement thanking congressional leaders for this honor and also saying that "We also wish to express our appreciation to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathies during this difficult tie. Knowing our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our nation brings hope for healing."

Now, this is obviously going to be a very moving ceremony tomorrow as we see his body arriving at the Capitol. Of course, the very same building that Sicknick protected for over a decade. The very same building where he received those fatal injuries on January sixth.

Now, quickly, as far as the investigation into his death, authorities aren't saying anything at this point. We know there's a federal murder investigation underway.

When you compare how they're handing that with how they handled this pipe bomb suspect where there was a lot of publicity, a lot of information being put out there, that does raise a question about whether authorities perhaps know who they are zeroing in on and just trying to locate that person. But so far, nothing yet as this investigation continues. CAMEROTA: I mean, Josh, you were in the FBI for so many years. Isn't that strange? I mean, why wouldn't they be asking for the public's help with finding a suspect? And also, tell us what you've learned about the scope of the investigation.

CAMPBELL: Yes. Well, when it comes down to publicity, to appealing to the public, there are a couple of theories. Authorities want to hold close-to-the-vest information that may impact the integrity of their investigation. So if they knew who this person is and they're just trying to locate him or her, they wouldn't want that to be out there.

We do see in other instances though when they run out of leads, they run out of tips, they will do a mass appeal to the public with images and the like. So right now, it's hard to say. It's hard to read too much into it.

We do know that this FBI investigation continues coast-to-coast. I've talked to sources who say that this is one of the biggest cases since 9/11 involving resources from all of the FBI's field offices, looking for those rioters who were involved in that attack.

And just to name a couple of the latest new suspects that have been charged, we know that now, two members of the Proud Boys, this far- right pro-Trump movement, have been charged with conspiracy. Conspiracy to interfere with officers on the day of the attack and unlawful entry into that building.

We're also learning just disturbing new details about a woman who was arrested -- this woman, Dawn Bancroft, who was charged with violent entry. Authorities say that there's actually a selfie video of her out there from inside the Capitol, saying we broke into the Capitol, we did our part. Also saying that they went to try to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but saying quote "We did not find her."

Just every new detail we continue to learn, John and Alisyn, just very disturbing when you get into that violent mentality of those rioters on that day.

CAMEROTA: Josh Campbell, thank you very much for all of the investigation and reporting -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right.

This morning, there's so much concern in the United States over the new variants of the coronavirus, including the variant in Brazil. Evidence in Brazil that people are being re-infected with coronavirus. Even people who've had it once are getting infected again. That country has the second-highest death toll from the pandemic in the world.

CNN's Matt Rivers live this morning in Sao Paulo. And Matt, on top of everything else, they're having huge issues with vaccinations.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Massive issues with vaccinations and that's what these people behind me are talking about. They're actually hospital workers who are on strike because they say they're risking their lives and they can't get a vaccine. And what's happening here is a microcosm of what is happening across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): Some of Sao Paulo's sickest come here, the COVID-19 ward at Emilio Ribas Institute of Infectious Disease.

Here, a man struggles for air that won't come. He's put under and intubated and no one knows if he'll survive. Nurse Monica Aparecida Calazans tries to make sure he does. She says I've already lost eight of my colleagues to COVID. It is such a cruel disease.

And yet, in a way, she's lucky because in mid-January Calazans became the first Brazilian to receive the vaccine -- no small feat given that Brazil's vaccine rollout is a mess. As hospitals across the country overflow with COVID-19 patients, only about one million doses have been administered -- a stunningly low number given Brazil's decade's long success in vaccinating its population.

RIVERS (on camera): You've got the infrastructure and the experience but you don't have the product to get people vaccinated.

NATALIA PASTERNAK, BRAZILIAN MICROBIOLOGIST: It's really frustrating. We've got everything -- we just need a better president and a better minister of health.

[07:35:04]

RIVERS (voice-over): President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticized for not securing vaccine supplies earlier, spreading misinformation that could undermine confidence in taking the vaccine. He said, quote, "If you become an alligator, that's your problem. If you're a woman that grows a beard or a man's voice becomes high- pitched, I have nothing to do with that."

Though he argues no country would quote "do better than my government is doing," Brazil has the second-highest coronavirus death toll worldwide. And as we saw in the city of Manaus last week, health systems have collapsed across the country.

A deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture 100 million doses of that vaccine in Brazil by July has yet to produce a single dose. There's tentative agreements to buy hundreds of millions of other doses but no one knows when or if they'll arrive and that's led some to take drastic action.

Sao Paulo State Gov. Joao Doria tells us he went around the Bolsonaro administration last year and negotiated with China directly for supplies of the Sinovac vaccine. He secured millions of doses only to be forced to turn over those supplies to the federal government.

GOV. JOAO DORIA, STATE OF SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: It was a big mistake of the Bolsonaro government to choose just one vaccine -- the AstraZeneca vaccine -- and not three, four, or five vaccines.

RIVERS (voice-over): Bolsonaro has said Brazil would buy more vaccines as they become quote "available in the market." But who knows when that will be given the current worldwide demand.

RIVERS (on camera): In fact, many Brazilians livid with protests like this one becoming more and more common. They're seeing a surge in case numbers, a new, potentially more transmissible COVID variant, and a pandemic that has no end in sight all because, they say, of an inept federal government.

RIVERS (voice-over): Back at the COVID ward, it is easy to see why they're angry. We're told that this woman is now braindead, kept alive by machines. Her family will have to decide when to give the go-ahead to shut them off. Another death that might have been prevented with a vaccine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: And amazingly, the federal government actually turned down an offer last year from Pfizer to buy up the 70 million doses of that vaccine. The government has defended that decision. But John, for so many here in Brazil it has become emblematic of the lack of government action that has left Brazil in the difficult situation it is in right now.

BERMAN: No. What we're finding is that honesty and government approach leading to as many deaths as anything in this case.

Matt Rivers, thank you so much for this reporting. I appreciate it.

Leading scientists warning we could be on the verge of the biggest wave yet in the pandemic. So are states rushing to open restaurants to in-person dining making a deadly decision, next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:07]

CAMEROTA: Coronavirus hospitalizations are declining across the country, including in Michigan. So today, Michigan will allow restaurants to reopen for indoor dining at a limited capacity. But some restaurant owners there have been openly flouting the rules for months.

Joining us now is Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Good morning, Governor.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI) (via Skype): Good morning.

CAMEROTA: So, you know, there are some restauranteurs who have said that they just couldn't comply. They couldn't comply or it would have ruined their lives.

I have a diner owner here who went on the record with "The Washington Post" and said "I don't think it's as bad as they're saying it is. The whole thing with the coronavirus is political. I think Democrats are dug in and unwilling to move on this.

If we didn't open, we would have shuttered. Doors closed. Out of a house, out of a job, out of a car. Me and the rest of my staff."

So in terms of that note that they wouldn't have been able to survive, have you come around to his way of thinking now?

WHITMER: Well, here's the thing. This virus, it poses a unique threat to places that are indoors where you mix households and people take off their masks. It's not the restaurant industry's fault that they are the place where this virus can spread fast but that is, in fact, the case. And that's why we've been trying to get Congress to give us more support so that we can help these struggling businesses.

What we did in November when lots of states were seeing their numbers rise so quickly, we did a strategic, targeted, and temporary pause is what we called it. And this pause meant that Michigan's numbers dropped precipitously.

We are now 46th-highest when it comes to positivity rates. That's phenomenal compared to where we were in November. We're sixth-highest when it comes to getting vaccines into arms. And because of the strong position that we're in we can take this small step forward in this industry that's struggled so much.

CAMEROTA: And so, when you say that you would need help from the federal government to allow for things like this -- you know, today, President Biden is meeting with 10 Republicans who have come up with a counteroffer. Do you think that President Biden should compromise on some of the big-ticket items that he wants in order to have a bipartisan deal?

WHITMER: Well, I trust President Biden's judgment and I'm so grateful that we finally have an administration with a national strategy around making sure that we get vaccines. We're seeing those numbers go up.

What I know is that it's not unique to Michigan. Every state in the nation is confirming a budget crisis because for so long, this virus ran out of control in this country. And whether it is getting our kids back in school, getting our economy ramped up, or just the simple administration of these vaccines, these are all incredibly important pieces to our economic recovery as a nation. And so I just want them to get something done quickly.

CAMEROTA: And what if it meant lowering the direct payments to people from $1,400 to $1,000?

[07:45:04]

WHITMER: Well, these -- I've heard this payment called stimulus. This is relief. This is just helping some people get through this tough time.

We didn't bring this virus upon ourselves but the fact of the matter is it has meant a lot of people have lost their jobs, their ability to put food on the table. Lost our ability to keep our kids in-person learning throughout the last 12 months.

So this is relief that is essential to so many Americans and I hope that they get this done -- full relief for people that have been struggling for so long.

CAMEROTA: I want to ask you about the Department of Homeland Security's warning that went out last week about the increase of domestic extremism, domestic terrorism. You are no stranger to this. Obviously, you have been on the receiving end of this in Michigan.

And what we saw happen at the State House in Michigan in April of 2020 -- here is some video of this -- do you now believe in hindsight that this was a dry run of some kind for what happened with the insurrection at the Capitol on January sixth? Do you believe this either planted the seed or this was sort of a dress rehearsal? And if so, what can you and everyone do about this from keeping these extremists from again upping the ante and trying something again?

WHITMER: Well, this certainly was the most visceral -- you know, physical example of extremism that has been fomenting in this nation, and it was encouraged by the former White House -- the misinformation, the encouragement, the normalizing of this kind of domestic terrorism.

There still are officeholders who won't call it domestic terrorism, whether it is aimed at our nation's capital or a sitting governor or a chief medical expert like Dr. Fauci. This is unacceptable.

And we've been asking people on both sides of the aisle to bring the heat down. Now that it's been targeted against the nation's capital we see some bipartisan effort on that -- on that front but there's so much work to do. There needs to be accountability. We need to have a unified effort to bring this under control and hold these people accountable and say this will not stand in the United States of America.

CAMEROTA: I mean, President Trump is gone, right, and the extremists are not. I mean, that's what the DHS was saying -- that these extremists have gotten worse over the course of these four years. And so -- and in some ways, Michigan is sort of ground zero for some of these extreme militias. So what's the answer now?

WHITMER: Well, I think it's accountability. And President Trump might not be in the White House anymore but I think a lot of the tools that they were using to foment this are still in existence. And you see the Republican Party in the nation's capital is -- the conversation that's happening within it is are you an insurrectionist or are you not?

I mean, that's an amazing place to be in this moment and it is my fervent hope that the leadership in the Republican Party will take this on and root this out. Because so long as this continues to foment they're in danger, too.

CAMEROTA: Are you seeing an uptick in Michigan?

WHITMER: Well, I mean, certainly, we saw throughout the course of the last year the increase in death threats, the increase in hate, the plot to kidnap and kill me. So this is something that we have been seeing rising across the nation and certainly here in Michigan as well, and I think that's why it's so crucial that leaders on both sides of the aisle take this on together. CAMEROTA: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, thank you very much. We appreciate getting your take on all of these topics.

WHITMER: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: John.

BERMAN: We want to remember some of the more than 441,000 Americans lost to coronavirus.

For more than 50 years, award-winning photographer Corky Lee captured the everyday lives and political activism of the Asian-American community. His huge catalog of photos covered everything from anti-war protests to Islamophobia after 9/11, to attacks on Asian-Americans during the pandemic. The documentary about his life and work was in production at the time of his death. He was 73.

Sekou Smith was an NBA reporter and analyst for more than 20 years, the last 11 at NBA T.V. and nba.com. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said his love of basketball was clear to everyone and always shined through in his work. He was just 48 years old.

J.J. Boatman was just nine years old. The North Texas boy fell ill and died over the course of just two days last week. His uncle tells our CNN affiliate that he was a loving, caring little boy who is going to miss his whole life.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:54:10]

BERMAN: The top Republican in the House, Kevin McCarthy, is set to meet with freshman member Marjorie Taylor Greene this week after her lies and conspiracy theories and her expressed approval of executing leading Democrats. But this weekend, Greene bragged about a love- filled conversation with the actual leader of the Republican Party, the former president. So where does the party really stand?

John Avlon with a reality check.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (on camera): Ronald Reagan had a signature line he used in speeches while building the conservative movement.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a time for choosing.

AVLON (on camera): And for a party seeking a reset after losing the House, Senate, and presidency in four years under Donald Trump, you'd think this would be a time for soul-searching. But you'd be wrong because the GOP seems hell-bent on going further into crazy town censuring responsible Republicans for having the courage to condemn an insurrection while coddling conspiracy theorists.

[07:55:03]

And if that sounds unkind, listen to this toxic nonsense from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Here she is talking about 9/11.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): There's never any evidence shown for a plane in the Pentagon. But anyways (sic), I won't -- I'm not going to dive into the 9/11 conspiracy.

AVLON (on camera): Barack Obama.

GREENE: Yes, I do believe he is a Muslim.

AVLON (on camera): Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

GREENE: It's a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.

AVLON (on camera): The Las Vegas mass shooting.

GREENE: How do you get avid gun owners and people that support the Second Amendment to give up their guns? Maybe you accomplish that by performing a mass shooting into a crowd that is very likely to be conservative.

AVLON (on camera): And that's not including Facebook's statement she agreed with, saying that the Parkland High School massacre was a planned false flag event or embracing QAnon. Or reportedly saying the California wildfires were sparked by space lasers controlled by liberals. And did I mention indicating support for the execution of prominent Democrats?

This is a person who never met a conspiracy theory she didn't like and now she's doubled down, saying she'll never apologize.

Well, calling out these unhinged statements shouldn't be partisan and it damn well isn't cancel culture. But Republicans have been busier trying to purge Reps. Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger than denouncing Greene, who has gotten promoted to the Education and Labor Committee and reportedly raised $1.6 million in the process.

This is unsustainable but there is a fear-fueled logic to it. Listen to Gabriel Sterling, the former Georgia voting system manager, a lifelong Republican.

GABRIEL STERLING, FORMER GEORGIA VOTING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER: Trying to hold a caucus together like this that has Marjorie Taylor Greene on one side just sending out whacko stuff and Liz Cheney on the other side trying to be responsible, you can't win one without the other.

AVLON (on camera): He's saying the quiet part out loud that Republicans need the crazy caucus to win. And that's the Faustian bargain here. Republicans have been playing footsy with fanatics for far too long

and now they're deeply embedded in the GOP. Because it's not just Greene. There's a whole cadre of Republicans with ties to extremist groups, and much of the GOP still seems afraid to call out Trump's big lie. This is a corrosive kind of cowardice. A temptation given to a cult deflected by a flurry of whataboutism.

And maybe the fever will break if Trump tries to form his own party as he has reportedly threatened, or maybe it will come if Republicans start standing up to extremists like Reagan and Bill Buckley did to the John Birch Society back in the day.

But the fact is that Republicans are reaping what they have sown. And unless they start rewarding people who act responsibly and tell the truth over cultists and cowards who back up the big lie, this will not end well for Republicans or our democratic republic.

And that's your reality check.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Look, our thanks to John. The fact that the House minority leader Kevin McCarthy going down to Florida to meet with the former president, the former president talking on the phone to Marjorie Taylor Greene -- a loving conversation -- that probably tells you everything you need to know about where the Republican Party is this morning.

NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: This is not a storm to underestimate. Take it seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This storm is different than any other storm (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to have up to one to three inches of snow per hour. To be outside, and especially driving, is going to be extremely dangerous if not impossible.

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): We sent out a letter to the president saying we would love to work with him.

CEDRIC RICHMOND, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT: He is very willing to meet with anyone. This crisis is enormous and our response to it meets that challenge.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I think that President Biden is doing exactly the right thing. He said I invite Republicans to join us and if they do great, and if they don't we're still going to pass the plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And we begin with breaking news. The northeast getting walloped with snow right now. A huge winter storm pounding the region with heavy snow, strong winds, and blizzard-like conditions. It is expected to last well into tomorrow, dumping as much as two feet of snow in the New York City area. More than 70 million Americans are under winter storm advisories right now.

This is what it looks like in Pittsburgh at this hour. So we will have the latest forecast for you in just a moment.

And in just a few hours, President Joe Biden will meet with 10 Republican senators who have introduced a counterproposal to his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Senior administration officials tell CNN that Mr. Biden is open to negotiation on the price tag but that their $600 billion counterproposal from the GOP is quote "not going to scratch the itch."

BERMAN: So this morning, chaos on the former president's defense team. His entire slate of lawyers fled, reportedly after the former president pushed them to ground his defense on his lies about the outcome of the election he lost.

So with just a week to go until his Senate trial for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol, he just hired two new lawyers to represent him. Their resumes include cases involving Roger.