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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Biden Brings Compassion, Centrism, And A Big-Time Promise At CNN Town Hall; Trump Sued By Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) For Inciting Capitol Riot; Pyongyang Hackers Accused Of Stealing COVID-19 Data From Pfizer. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired February 17, 2021 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Town hall last night. The trip to swing state Wisconsin, his first as president. He offered a new timeline on when the vaccine will be available for all Americans and a return to something like normal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By the end of July, we'll have over 600 million doses -- enough to vaccinate every single American. As my mother would say, with the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbors that by next Christmas I think we'll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, then we are today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most pressing questions nationwide, when can schools reopen? And on that, the president tried to clear up some confusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "ANDERSON COOPER 360," MODERATOR, CNN PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL: Your administration had set a goal to open the majority of schools in your first 100 days. You're now saying that means those schools may only be open for at least one day a week --
BIDEN: No, that's not true. That's what was reported but that's not true. It was a mistake in the communication.
But what I'm talking about is I said opening the majority of schools in K through eighth grade because they're the easiest to open and the most needed to be open in terms of the impact on children and families having to stay home.
COOPER: So when do you think that would be K through eighth and is five days a week possible?
BIDEN: I think we'll be close to that at the end of the first 100 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Mr. Biden says he wants teachers and other school employees at the front of the line for the vaccine.
JARRETT: As for the COVID relief bill, did the president do enough to sway members of Congress?
CNN's Daniella Diaz is live on Capitol Hill for us this morning. Daniella, the message last night from the president on the relief bill is now is the time to spend big, but there's still some sticking points for several lawmakers, even on the Democratic side.
DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: That's totally right, Laura.
Look, despite the fact that Congress is out this week, Democratic lawmakers and their aides are working diligently behind the scenes to iron out the last-minute details of this COVID-19 relief package, but the clock is ticking. Millions of Americans are going to lose some of their unemployment benefits in March, so they're trying to pass this before then.
But this is, as you said, a huge test of Biden's unity in the party. He needs every single Democratic senator to sign on to support this package.
And he made his pitch last night to the American people and tried to emphasize that this is spending that needs to happen now. That economists are advising him that this will help. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: This is the first time in my career -- and as you can tell, I'm over 30 -- the first time in my career that there is a consensus among economists left, right, and center. The overwhelming consensus is in order to grow the economy a year, two, three, and four down the line, we can't spend too much. Now's the time we should be spending. Now is the time to go big.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: So as you heard there from Biden he's adamantly pushing that this needs to happen now. But he needs all 51 Democratic senators to sign on to support this package because they're trying to pass this using budget reconciliation, which means they only need a simple majority in the Senate.
But we're watching two senators very closely who are criticizing the addition of a $15.00 minimum wage increase in the -- in the proposal. They believe that -- and are pushing for supporting this Byrd Rule proposal, which means that anything that is passed through budget reconciliation must affect the budget directly. So, we're watching Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin directly. They are both criticizing that this addition is in the proposal. And the bottom line is Congress is -- this is a priority for Congress.
They really want to pass this and we will probably see votes on this as soon as next week -- Laura.
JARRETT: Yes, the president seems really firm on the minimum wage issue, but we'll see if there is some compromise there.
Daniella, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
OK, let's bring in CNN's senior political analyst, John Avlon. John --
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, guys.
ROMANS: Good morning.
JARRETT: -- good morning.
The president says GOP opposition to his American Rescue package might unite Republicans but it will hurt America. Do you think he did enough to reassure Americans who have been -- really, jittery is putting it mildly -- scared for a year now?
AVLON: Look, I mean, first of all, of course, he's going to make the point about Republicans even though he was pretty general -- gentle on the partisanship. But this is his number-one priority, getting this signature $1.9 trillion bill forward, because the pandemic is issue number-one for the Biden administration. He gets that.
I think the issue -- I think he clarified a lot of things last night. I think the toughest question for him and the one that he took steps to dealing with is the question of schools because folks are getting frustrated.
JARRETT: Yes.
AVLON: The politics seems to be being outpaced by the science. And last night he clarified that the goal within the first 100 days -- firm commitment -- is to get K through eight open --
ROMANS: Yes.
[05:35:00]
AVLON: -- by the end of the first 100 days. That was a big deal. That will go a long way, it seems to me, to moving us toward something resembling normal.
ROMANS: You know, in that $1.9 trillion relief plan -- I'm calling it relief or rescue -- I'm not even calling it stimulus yet, right?
AVLON: That's right. That's right.
ROMANS: This is just keeping us in place there.
There's some progressive priorities in there. But I heard last night the moderate centrist tone this president is known for. AVLON: No question.
ROMANS: He says don't defund the police. Some points on immigration seemed negotiable. He wouldn't talk about impeachment.
And then listen to this. He is not caving to the progressive wing on student loans.
AVLON: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need student loan forgiveness beyond the potential $10,000 your administration has proposed. We need at least a $50,000 minimum. What will you do to make that happen?
BIDEN: I will not make that happen. It depends on whether or not you go to a private university or a public university.
It depends on the idea that I say to a community I'm going to forgive the debt -- the billions of dollars of debt for people who have gone to Harvard, and Yale, and Penn. Is that going to be forgiven rather than use that money to provide for early education for young children who are -- come from disadvantaged circumstances?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: He is speaking right to the center of his party.
AVLON: Yes.
ROMANS: Half of student loan debt is held by -- is graduate school debt and it's a small chunk of people who own the vast majority of that debt, and he knows that. He knows that moderate Democrats and certainly, many Republicans don't like those progressive proposals.
AVLON: Yes, but you know what struck me about that wasn't the politics of it. It wasn't even the policy of it. It was how directly he resisted and refused the opportunity --
ROMANS: Right.
AVLON: -- to do what most politicians would do, which is pander.
JARRETT: Yes.
AVLON: He didn't shimmy -- he just said no, I'm not going to do that.
ROMANS: Not going to do that.
AVLON: And that, itself, I think was actually kind of bracing and refreshing, frankly. Because it's not what typical politicians do, particularly old school politicians who place such a premium on personal -- you know, empathy.
You know, you don't want to tell someone no, clearly, crisply, directly to their face. He did, and I think that goes a long way to establishing his credibility in an executive tone, even if it's rooted in policy that, as you say, is more centrist rather than the left-wing of his party at this particular point.
JARRETT: So, John, to your point, I think we saw so much of who the president is last night.
AVLON: Yes.
JARRETT: This is somebody who says sorry a lot. This is somebody who knows how to talk to children as a grandfather would.
AVLON: Yes.
JARRETT: Listen to this exchange he had with a mother and her daughter last night who said they were worried kids and coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA SALAS, MOTHER OF CHILDREN CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING COVID: My children, Layla, eight here, and my son Mateo is seven, at home often ask if they will catch COVID. And if they do, will they die? They are watching as others get the vaccine and they would like to know when will kids be able to get the vaccine.
BIDEN: Well, first of all, honey -- what was your first name?
LAYLA SALAS, 8-YEAR-OLD WORRIED ABOUT CATCHING COVID: Layla.
BIDEN: Layla, a beautiful name.
First of all, kids don't get the vaccine -- get COVID very often. It's unusual for that to happen. They don't -- and the evidence so far is children aren't the people most likely to get COVID, number one.
Number two, we haven't even done tests yet on children as to whether or not these certain vaccines would work or not work, or what is needed.
So that's -- so you're the safest group of people in the whole world, number one. Number two, you're not likely to be able to be exposed to something and spread it to mommy or daddy, and it's not likely mommy and daddy are able to spread it to you either.
So I wouldn't worry about it, baby -- I promise you. But I know it's kind of worrisome.
Are you in first grade, second grade?
L. SALAS: Second.
BIDEN: Oh, you're getting old -- second grade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: I mean, he's talking to the daughter. I find that fascinating.
AVLON: Yes.
JARRETT: The mom is the one who asked the question. He's talking directly to an 8-year-old.
AVLON: Yes, and there was no sense of calculation. To me, that was actually the standout moment of the evening. Because, you know, I think one of the things that creates a contrast and distinguishes Joe Biden is his ability, beyond all the security sentences is to balance empathy with policy specifics. And he did that last night in talking directly to that child I think highlighted those because he spoke to her eye-to-eye in a way, and that's a quality.
There's a John Updike quote I love called men who remain -- who don't remain on speaking terms with children end up becoming just machines for eating and making money. But, Biden is not that --
JARRETT: Yes.
AVLON: -- and that was an extraordinary moment that'll last.
JARRETT: Yes.
ROMANS: A grandpa who knows that an 8-year-old is either in first or second grade, that's a grandpa who is --
AVLON: Yes.
ROMANS: -- dialed into his grandkids.
JARRETT: Yes. Hopefully, we can see more of this. I think -- I think it was so revealing on so many different issues.
ROMANS: Yes.
AVLON: It's -- his best format during the campaign was the town hall --
ROMANS: Yes.
AVLON: -- and I think we saw why last night.
ROMANS: All right, John, nice to see you this morning. Thank you so much.
AVLON: Thanks, guys.
ROMANS: Millions of homeowners are still struggling during the pandemic and so the Biden administration now extending mortgage relief programs and the federal ban on foreclosures through June now. The maximum period for mortgage relief has also been expanded.
[05:40:07]
The action gives an additional six months for borrowers who entered mortgage relief programs on or before June 30th last summer, 2020. Under the CARES Act, homeowners could initially request up to one year of relief. Many of the protections put in place under the CARES Act were set to expire next month, leaving many at risk of falling further into debt and losing their homes.
Separately, the agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also extending its relief programs and foreclosure ban.
Altogether, these actions will cover 70 percent of existing single- family home mortgages.
JARRETT: The state of Texas, this morning, remains frozen in place still without power -- three million customers, which is a lot more than just three million people. And winter isn't done battering the south just yet.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us live with the forecast. Pedram, when is Texas finally going to get a break?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Laura, you know, I think sometime late this weekend or early next week we see a dramatic shift for the better. And incredibly, some models suggest we could be in the 70s or 80s across parts of Houston towards the latter portion of next week. Really, a far cry from what's happening here.
So, I'll show you this. Temperatures this afternoon running some 20 to nearly 40 degrees below what is normal for this time of year. Of course, this is a long-duration event.
But what is happening at this hour across portions of central and southern Texas is what the National Weather Service in San Antonio and Austin say has the potential to be the most significant of all of the weather events that we've been talking about this week, which is a pretty decent round of freezing rain. And we're seeing that accumulate here across portions of San Antonio, on into Austin. That's indicated in the purple colors here. All of that shifting eastward towards Houston.
This is freezing rain coming down at this hour. And officials are urging anyone along portions of the I-35 corridor and points around the Hill Country and eastward to stay off the roads at this hour.
You'll notice 100-plus million Americans underneath winter weather alerts yet again.
And here we go with the ice accumulation forecast that could exceed a quarter of an inch to a half an inch in some areas around eastern Texas into portions of Louisiana. Mind you, a lot of these areas underneath snow at this hour could see a glazing of ice to as much as three-quarters of an inch to one inch. So this would be a significant impact in an area that is freezing, that has very little to no power, and then potentially losing additional power here because of this ice accretion over the next few hours.
JARRETT: Seventies next week, though. That got my attention. I'm sure that will come as welcome relief to so many right now. JAVAHERI: Yes.
JARRETT: All right, Pedram. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
ROMANS: All right.
Those winter storms and power outages forcing cities and states to delay vaccine distribution. No power means no freezers, so vaccines that need to be kept ultra-cold can spoil. And the vaccines that haven't arrived yet are held up by logistics. Snow and ice at a distribution hub in Tennessee caused a delay in vaccinations over in Colorado.
In Florida, some 2,000 residents in Miami-Dade County missed their second vaccine dose due to the weather delays.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:47:13]
JARRETT: Welcome back.
It's two impeachments too late, but Rudy Giuliani officially out as Donald Trump's lawyer.
Meantime, a leading House Democrat is now suing Trump and Giuliani for inciting the deadly violence at the U.S. Capitol using a law that was designed to combat the Ku Klux Klan. Congressman Bennie Thompson accuses Trump and others of conspiring with far-right groups to prevent the certification of the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): They had Confederate flags, which as you know, was a symbol of the Confederacy that was fought over slavery. So, people coming in and calling themselves patriots, breaking into the United States Capitol. We can't condone this kind of action and we have to put a stop to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The Senate will hold a joint hearing on the Capitol riots next week. Lawmakers are requesting testimony from the D.C. Metro Police chief, the former sergeants at arms, and the former U.S. Capitol Police chief.
ROMANS: For the second time in as many months, North Korean hackers are accused of a cyberattack on a major vaccine developer.
Will Ripley live in Hong Kong for us this morning. And Will, which developer and why? What do we know?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christine. The latest target, according to a South Korean lawmaker, is Pfizer. The American biotech company has developed a successful COVID-19 vaccine. North Korean hackers are accused of stealing data about that vaccine and about treatments for COVID-19, and this is not the first time.
Now, there's a little bit of a dispute in South Korea. The spy agency that the South Korean lawmaker says he got the briefing from is saying they never said Pfizer specifically, but they are saying they talked about a number of different companies that are being targeted by North Korean hackers.
Back in November, Reuters said it was AstraZeneca that was targeted. And Microsoft accused North Korean hackers of sending fake e-mails claiming to the World Health Organization representatives to a number of different employees of tech companies, trying to get into their systems, I should say -- biotech companies. The companies that are trying to help people heal from COVID-19.
Now, this is interesting because North Korea claims not to have a single confirmed case of COVID-19.
There are even these new images that were released in state media showing Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, with his wife in public for the first time in more than a year. There's been a lot of speculation in South Korean intelligence that his wife was laying low because of COVID. But you saw the two of them in these photos, no masks, surrounded by an audience in a packed auditorium.
North Korea trying to project that they don't have a problem with the pandemic. They closed their borders off from the rest of the world for more than a year.
But sources inside the country are telling me, Christine, it's a very different situation on the ground. Only a handful of foreign diplomats left there. They say there are checkpoints. There's a lot of nervousness for a country that says it doesn't have a problem with the pandemic.
ROMANS: Yes, exactly. All right, Will Ripley for us in Hong Kong. Thanks, Will.
[05:50:01]
JARRETT: Well, Mexico is not happy with what it sees as unequal and unfair distribution of coronavirus vaccines that favor richer countries, and they're taking the case to the United Nations.
CNN's Matt Rivers has more from Mexico City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, it is safe to say that the Mexican government is not thrilled with the way vaccines are being distributed all around the world. It was on Tuesday morning that we heard from the foreign minister here
in Mexico, who basically expressed that displeasure. Here's a little bit of what he had to say.
MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Regarding what is happening in the world -- the inequality, the inequity -- there is an access to vaccines. The countries that produce it have higher rates of vaccination and Latin America and the Caribbean have much less.
RIVERS (on camera): So what he's basically saying there is that at a time when everyone around the world deserves to be getting a vaccine, it does appear that richer countries are making out better than poorer ones when it comes to vaccinating their populations.
To that end, the Mexican delegation at the U.N. Security Council, later on this morning, is expected to introduce a formal complaint about this issue.
And, you know, if you look at the list of countries around the world that have administered the most doses of vaccines, there's a lot of rich countries near or at the top of that list. I'm thinking of the United States and other countries, like China and the United Kingdom.
And all of this comes at a time when Mexico's vaccine rollout program is going quite slowly despite the fact that they have managed to secure purchase agreements for up to 230 million-plus doses of vaccines. We're not exactly sure when all those doses are going to arrive and they're just not arriving fast enough.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Mexican government had only managed to administer roughly 750,000 doses of vaccine to its population -- Christine and Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Matt Rivers, thank you so much for that.
Well, a new overhaul of Georgia's citizen's arrest law -- the one that was used to justify the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery last year -- is on the way. Under the new law, within one hour, someone put under citizen's arrest has to be released or the police have to be called.
Arbery, a black man who was unarmed, was chased down and shot to death by three white men who claimed to be conducting a citizen's arrest and acting in self-defense. New evidence suggests otherwise and all of the men are now facing felony murder and other charges.
ROMANS: All right, let's take a look at markets around the world this morning. Markets in Mainland China still closed for the Lunar New Year holidays. European markets have opened slightly lower here. On Wall Street, U.S. stock index futures are also just narrowly lower.
It was a mixed day for stocks in the U.S. on Tuesday. The Dow at a record high. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both closed a little bit lower here. Watching Bitcoin getting a lot of attention. It topped $50,000 on
Tuesday -- kind of a psychological milestone here. Major consumer companies and a few big-name investors are starting to embrace the digital currency more.
Bitcoin has rallied -- get this -- 260 percent since the beginning of November. It has doubled just this year alone.
Some billionaires have taken a big interest in space travel, but not all of them. Jeff Bezos is stepping back from Amazon to focus on Blue Origin. Elon Musk is launching satellites with SpaceX. But, Bill Gates says his billions can be spent better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL GATES, BUSINESS MAGNATE, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, PHILANTHROPIST: No, I'm not a Mars person. I know a lot of Mars people. I don't think the rockets are the solution but maybe I'm missing something.
I'm not going to pay a lot of money because my foundation can buy measles vaccines and save a life for $1,000. So anything I do, I always think OK, I could spend that $1,000 buying measles vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That's Gates on the "Sway" Podcast of Kara Swisher.
Gates says he's more focused on problems closer to home, including climate change and inequality.
JARRETT: I am not a Mars person, either.
You can file this under the heading finders-keepers. Citibank will not be allowed to claw back almost half a billion that it accidentally wired to lenders for the cosmetic company Revlon. It's considered one of the biggest blunders in banking history. Citibank was acting as Revlon's loan agent at the time.
A judge has ruled that the lenders were justified in believing that the payment was intentional, so they get to keep the money.
I think they will probably never make that mistake again.
ROMANS: Those sort of banking errors never happen to my benefit. But I will say it was supposed to be an interest payment to those lenders for Revlon.
JARRETT: Right.
ROMANS: And instead of that, it was a boatload of money and the court says they can keep it. Unbelievable.
JARRETT: Just an amazing story.
ROMANS: Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:59:20]
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, February 17th. It's 6:00 here in New York.
And, Merry Christmas.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.
BERMAN: So, I know it's the middle of February but that's the headline of a deeply revealing town hall with President Biden overnight, his first right here on CNN.
Merry Christmas. That is when, God willing, he says the country and our lives might start to feel normal again.
He made all kinds of news during the town hall. He says the U.S. should have enough vaccine doses for everyone who wants one by the end of July. He said now is the time to go big on the economic relief bill.
He wants K through eight schools open by the end of his first 100 days in office -- not just one day a week, but five days. He wants teachers.
