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Arkansas GOP Governor Says He Wouldn't Support A Trump 2024 Re- election Bid; Millions Still Without Safe Drinking Water After Winter Storm; Soon: Confirmation Hearing Begins For Attorney General Merrick Garland; Is America Making Progress In Battle Against Coronavirus; Mexico's Vaccine Rollout Ramps Up. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 22, 2021 - 7:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think it will change overtime. Most Republicans want to ignore Trump but they don't want to ignore his voters. And Lindsey Graham there are litany of others, there is Steve Scalise and Kevin McCarthy they, you know, they're looking at 2022, which is coming up fast and the opportunity to retake the House.

They're not looking beyond that. So they want to grab as much grassroots support as they can get in a kind of lower turnout election. But, you know, I think, again, they're - Republicans want to ignore Trump, but they'd like to find some way to keep his supporters in the fold as the Republican Party moves forward.

The difficulty is we're still talking about Trump, and that gives him power and that gives him oxygen. And that's what he's looking forward to be relevant and to use that leverage on Republicans who can't seem to push that away.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST, NEW DAY: Natasha, Susan Collins is a note on Neera Tanden, to run the Office of Management and Budget. Joe Manchin came out as a no on Friday. Is this nomination doomed at this point? Amy Klobuchar just claimed that they're going to still try to find the votes elsewhere. I'm not sure where they're going to find those votes.

NATASHA ALFORD, CNN POLIITCAL ANALYST: Yes, I'm actually not sure either. And I think that, you know, Joe Biden is in a tricky situation, because he very much has to stand behind his nominee. And so yes, I think that this also plays into what we've been talking about with supporting Joe Biden in general, right?

This month where it's so important that he get things done, and Joe Manchin is also potentially giving him a hard time when we talk about the minimum wage, right? Joe Manchin wielding this power, which Senator Klobuchar said he has every right to do? But again, how does this play into President Biden's larger administrative agenda?

And so it is a - it's a bit of a tricky situation, when you think about where folks have to stand on this vote. ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, NEW DAY: Well, it will play out. Also, and you know, another nomination that begins the hearings that begin today, we should point out David, Merrick Garland. And, you know, as someone said earlier today, it's going to be must see TV, it really will.

GREGORY: For so many reasons. I mean, this is such an important nomination for Attorney General Merrick Garland, a well known figure, of course, from his days back in the Justice Department in the early 90s, to now being the Chief of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the feeder to the Supreme Court himself a nominee to the Supreme Court, which didn't even get a hearing, because of Mitch McConnell and the Republicans.

And now he's called on to do a couple of things to send a message about civil rights in this country and the importance that will be placed upon civil rights independence from the White House after the Trump years and of course, dealing with January 6th, and the larger issue of domestic terrorism.

And, you know, Judge Garland is someone who's uniquely qualified in that regard, overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing investigation, and both trials, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, he'll be very important so there'll be news me they're going to want to know his views.

And of course, on January 6th, the potential to bring charges against the former president, all of that will be laid before the next attorney general, but I expect a lot of bipartisan support for him.

BERMAN: David Gregory and Natasha Alford thank you both very much for being with us this morning.

GREGORY: Thanks.

HILL: Nearly a third of all Texans this morning are still without safe drinking water. CNN's Natasha Chen is live in Houston for us with the very latest, Natasha Good morning.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica. Well, more than 8 million Texans are experiencing disruptions in their water service. So even though the power is back on for most people, there's still a great need for water and food distribution events like the one we are at here today at a church that doesn't begin for another three and a half hours or so.

But we're already seeing almost a dozen cars lined up on the street waiting for this. So there's a great need here. We're hearing from a lot of people who have broken pipes in their homes, lack of running water, and there's also a shortage of plumbers and a shortage of supplies to get those pipes fixed.

So this recovery process may take longer than usual. That applies to a couple of volunteers we met yesterday at a water distribution event. You know, they had trouble with no running water at home, but they still came out to volunteer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNDI FLORES, HOUSTON RESIDENT: We couldn't find a plumber, you know, so it's like we can't sit around and dwell and you know, lick our wounds. So we'd rather come out here and help people out. And you know guys to see somebody that's literally in tears. I had one lady that was literally in tears because she got that water in her hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And it's been very emotional for a lot of people. And now they're facing some of them are facing enormous energy bills, those who paid variable rates for their electricity. And there's discussion about how to deal with that right?

The Public Utility Commission here yesterday called emergency meeting to issue a moratorium on disconnection of service due to non payments and they also are restricting electric providers from issuing new invoices at this time to buy some time to address those huge bills.

[07:35:00]

CHENB: At the same time you've got a Republican Congressman Michael McCaul saying that the federal emergency funding can be used by individuals to pay those bills. And you've got other folks like the Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who says that the State of Texas should be responsible for footing those bills.

The White House says President Biden is eager to visit Texas but he wants to do it at a time that wouldn't hinder recovery efforts. Erica.

HILL: All right, Natasha, thank you. We're actually to speak with someone who got one of those bills in just a little bit coming up here on new day quite a story there. Thank you. He's waited five years for his moment confirmation hearings will begin soon for Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland. We have a preview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

BERMAN: Later this morning the confirmation hearing begins for Judge Merrick Garland, President Biden's nominee for attorney general. It comes five years after the Senate refused to grant him a hearing for his Supreme Court nomination. CNN's Jessica Schneider has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNY GENERAL NOMINEE: Our law is not the instrument of partisan purpose.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Judge Merrick Garland guaranteed impartiality when he accepted the nomination for attorney general one day after the Capitol insurrection, but the issues he's expected to face are very political.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-TX): We made a mistake. SCHNEIDER (voice over): This week, Senate Republicans demanded Garland commit to fully investigating New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo in what Republicans are calling a cover up for not reporting all COVID related nursing home deaths in 2020.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn have already opened an inquiry sources tell CNN and that's not the only probe Republicans will press on.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm absolutely calling on a Special Counsel to look at all things Hunter Biden.

SCHNEIDER (voice over): A Republican aide says Senators will raise the investigation of the president's son Hunter Biden, who federal authorities are looking into for possible violations of tax and money laundering laws in business dealings with foreign countries China in particular.

The Department of Justice has already charged more than 220 people in connection with a Capitol attack.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We fight. We fight like hell.

SCHNEIDER (voice over): But Garland is expected to face questions about whether to investigate Former President Trump for inciting the insurrection and how to broaden the domestic terrorism crackdown? Something Garland tackled head on as a top official at DOJ in 1995 when he was on the ground one day after the Oklahoma City bombing.

GARLAND: Personal point of view I wanted to go I mean it was a terrible scene on the television.

SCHNEIDER (voice over): Garland has acknowledged his personal connection to the Justice Department.

GARLAND: Entering the Department of Justice will be a kind of homecoming for me.

SCHNEIDER (voice over): He started his legal career there in the late 1970s and worked as a prosecutor before becoming a top official during the Clinton Administration.

JAMIE GORELICK, FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I am very confident that he will look at every case on the merits. He will make sure that the department operates seamlessly across different elements.

SCHNEIDER (voice over): People who know him say Garland will bring his deliberate demeanor as a judge to a position that has been politicized over the past four years by four different attorneys general and will have to decide whether to continue defending Trump era policies in court something Biden officials have already begun backtracking on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Merrick Garland will likely face intense questions from Republicans on Monday, and he'll have to walk a fine line since he's still technically a sitting judge and has not seen specific details about the cases he'll soon have to confront.

I am told Garland's opening statement Monday will focus on the importance of an independent DOJ, the value of integrity and also how civil rights will be a main priority of the Justice Department? Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

BERMAN: All right, joining us now CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe Andy, great to have you with us. How much of a difference can a new Attorney General make in terms of the culture in terms of all the things that we heard, Judge Garland wants to change in the Justice Department?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: John, every person in the Department of Justice takes their cue, takes their perspective on what they do, and their approach to their job from the attorney general directly. So it's really hard to overstate the significance of this, of this appointment.

And you'd be hard pressed to find an individual who's better positioned right now to lead the department, from his deep experience in the department as a prosecutor and serving as essentially the right hand of the Deputy Attorney General under Jamie Gorelick and then, of course, his more recent time serving as a judge on the esteemed DC Circuit.

There are very few people in this country that would bring that level of experience and measure to the job.

HILL: You know, I also think is interesting what we learned from what we expect will be his opening statements and these prepared remarks, really prioritizing not only independence, but the important importance of civil rights, talking about the founding of the Justice Department in the aftermath of the Civil War

And that it was there to secure the civil rights promised in the 13th 14th and 15th amendments and goes on to say this mission remains urgent because we don't yet have equal justice. He's really setting the tone.

MCCABE: He really is, you know, and if you look back, Erica at the history of his decisions on the DC Circuit, he is the guy who's taken a very expansive view of the First Amendment. He's gone out of his way to protect whistleblowers in very significant cases, but he is also called cases on the side of the government frequently, particularly in - Detainee Review cases, things of that nature.

[07:45:00]

MCCABE: So he's an incredibly fair person. He brings a very balanced approach to his decision making. And I don't think it's surprising that he is going to return a focus and a priority on civil rights matters, which is, quite frankly, was not a priority under the last several attorneys general.

BERMAN: And I want to get your take out some new information coming to light in terms of the investigation of the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol, specifically, several of these members of the Oath Keepers, who have now been charged in connection with including this woman, Jessica Watkins, who is part of this group.

In a filing her lawyer contends "Ms. Watkins was present not as an insurrectionist but to provide security in the speakers at the rally to provide escort for the legislators and others to marshal the Capitol as directed by the then president and to safely escort protesters away from the Capitol to their vehicles and cars at the conclusion of the protests.

She was given a VIP pass to the rally. She met with Secret Service agents. She was within 50 feet of the stage during the rally to provide security for the speakers. And at the time the Capitol was breached she was still on side of the initial rally where she had provided security. There are a lot of words there.

The key one she meant was Secret Service agents. She was given a VIP pass if all that is true. What questions does that raise for you Andy?

MCCABE: Well, John, you know, defense attorneys have a tendency to say a lot of things in the prelude to a prosecution. Whether or not they can prove and substantiate any of those allegations is a very different story. I don't think it's highly significant that she what type of ticket she had to the rally.

I don't think there's much there for that. The fact that she claims to have met with the Secret Service could be anything from I saw a secret service agent at the rally and asked him a question or two, or actually had some sort of organized meeting with them.

I will say that the Secret Service has denied that they had any interaction with her or that they contract out security services to non-governmental folks. And I can tell you that in my long experience working with the Secret Service on National Security Special Events that is not something that I have ever seen happen before. I'd be shocked if Watkins' attorney could prove that in court.

HILL: It is and that's such a key point right shocked if the attorney could prove that in court. Entries as we look at these nuggets that are coming out. What is your biggest question this morning, as we're trying to learn more about what led up to this insurrection, and just who was directly involved?

MCCABE: Eric, as you would expect, as the FBI and their partners get deeper and deeper into this investigation, you really peeling back the onion and getting to the heart of it now. You see that in the multiple conspiracy charges that have been alleged.

I think it's very interesting that of the 200 or so folks that have been charged 30 about 30 are known to have been affiliates are members of extremist groups. And of those 30 percent are former military members.

So you're seeing a very high percentage of former military members who are known to be members of extremist groups like "The Proud Boys" like "The Oath Keepers". So that is a very concerning number that I think we need to keep an eye on going forward.

It's going to tell us a lot about how organized this attack was and how effective it could have been?

BERMAN: Andrew McCabe thank you very much for all of this insight appreciate. President Biden will mark a staggering milestone half a million Coronavirus deaths in the United States. Where we are in this battle reality check next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

HILL: President Biden tonight will mark a tragic milestone in this country. 500,000 lives lost to Coronavirus with new cases though on the decline vaccinations on the rise there is some reason to hope this morning even in spite of that number John Avlon joining us now with your reality checks.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: One year ago, America still hadn't suffered a single official death from COVID-19. And we were being told that it was totally under control. We hit 100,000 deaths in late May 200,000 in September 400,000, just last month, and soon 500,000.

The acceleration speaks to the deadliness of this pandemic, and how the COVID crisis was so badly mismanaged under President Trump, leading directly to the largest death toll of any nation by far. Now, President Biden's been in office for just over a month. So let's look at the trends to date and see what if any progress has been made in combating COVID-19.

Let's start with new cases over the course of 2021. And you can see that we've gone from averaging 234,000 new daily cases in the first two weeks of January to averaging about 83,000 over the last two weeks in February. That's a 64 and a half percent decline although severe weather over the past week might have contributed some of that decrease.

It's no reason for complacency of course; deaths are the most heartbreaking measure. At the beginning of this year, more than 3000 Americans were dying per day, the deadliest single day; the pandemic to date was January 12 with 4407.

Since then, we've thankfully seen a significant decline with a 36 percent decrease, in average COVID deaths over the past two weeks alone, that don't get numb to this. It's still a horrifically high number, but it's moving in a better direction. And much of the good news has to do with the availability of vaccines.

The creation of the new vaccines was done at record speed, a real tribute to scientists, but its improved distribution that's making a difference and that's something the Biden Administration can credit for coordinating. The seven day average of new vaccines administered more than doubled from the first week of January to the last two weeks, although we saw a slight dip due to winter storms. [07:55:00]

AVLON: To date, about 13 percent of Americans have received at least one dose that's 63 million shots in total. Now, this pace will pass President Biden's goal of 100 million doses in this first 100 days and may get closer to 150 million.

That is a very big deal, considering we'd administer just over 2 million doses by the end of December falling well short of the Trump Administration's goal due to distribution snap foods. But at the current rate, they'll still take the U.S. until June 1st and it said partially vaccinated 90 percent by September so you can see why Biden said he's hoping we can be back to normal by Christmas.

There is measurable progress and region for cautious optimism, but do not be lulled into a false sense of complacency. These new variants are serious and more contagious, and they could cause a spike in new cases over the coming weeks.

There remains a lot of frustration about when schools can reopen with President Biden saying he hopes to have K through eight open by the end of his first 100 days. Bottom line, we are not out of the woods not by a long shot. But we are making measurable progress and beating back COVID and that's your reality check.

BERMAN: The progress we need to be diligent if we want to keep that progress going which--

AVLON: 100 percent.

BERMAN: Thanks, John. So there is hope and frustration as Mexico increases its Coronavirus vaccination. CNN has pandemic developments covered from all around the world.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City. The good news Mexico's vaccine rollout program is ramping up. More vaccines have been administered in just the last week than in the previous two months.

All of the country's health care workers are expected to be fully vaccinated by this week and more vaccine doses are also expected to arrive in the coming days. The bad news Mexico remains far off from actually vaccinating a substantial number of its people as of Saturday just 1.65 million or so doses had been administered. Just point .3 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Isa Soares in London where Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to unveil much anticipated roadmap out of lockdown. The country has been in lockdown since January, the Prime Minister who wants to avoid a rise in hospitalizations and more pressure on the National Health Service will be setting out a slow, cautious and phased opening that he says will be guided by the data and not by dates.

The balancing act he is making sure that he doesn't open up too quickly creating a breeding ground for new variants putting of course, pressure on a very successful vaccination program the expectations that schools will open on March 8th followed by March 29th when social gatherings will be allowed outdoors.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Delia Gallagher in Rome. Italy is marking one year since the discovery of its first case of Coronavirus that happened in the tiny town of Codogno in Northern Italy and triggered the first national lockdown in Europe.

Since then Italy has had over 95,000 deaths from the virus and Italians are still living under travel restrictions and curfews. One thing has changed Italy has a new Prime Minister Mario Draghi a well respected economist and hopes are now pinned on him and his government to speed up the vaccine rollout plan and come up with an economic recovery plan for this country.

BERMAN: Thanks to our reporters. So join Jake Tapper this evening for a special presentation. We remember 500,000 National Memorial Service for COVID-19 s tonight at 11pm Eastern on CNN. New Day continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FAA has ordered emergency inspections and United Airlines says it's removing its entire Boeing triple seven 200 with the - engine from service.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this aircraft is going to stay on the ground for a while.

HILL (voice over): President Biden will be laser focused on COVID Relief Bill this week, as the house is set to vote later in the week on that $1.9 trillion package. Merrick Garland will likely face intense questions from Republicans and I'll have to walk a fine line since he's still technically a sitting judge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very confident that he will look at every case on the merits.

ANNOUNCER: This is New Day with Alison Camerota and John Berman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is "New Day". Allison is off Erica Hill in this morning.

HILL: Happy Monday.

BERMAN: Nice to have you here.

HILL: Oh, it's a pleasure.

BERMAN: So we do have developing news this Morning airlines in the U.S., Japan and South Korea told by Boeing to stop flying 777 jets with the same engine as the flight that suffered a catastrophic failure over Colorado this weekend. United Airlines has temporarily removed all 24 of its 777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000 engines from its fleet the engine on a united plane exploded Saturday shortly after takeoff the jet landed safely with 241 passengers on board but not before scattering debris over neighborhood.