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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Senate to Debate COVID Relief After 11-Hour Reading of Bill; Feds Probing Communications Between Rioters & U.S. Lawmakers; More States Dropping Mask Mandates; Pope Francis to Arrive for First Papal Visit Ever to Iraq. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 05, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:25]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Stimulus checks, rental assistance, unemployment help, food benefits, paid family leave, all in the American Rescue Plan, all being held up by Senate Republicans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Did lawmakers help the mob that stormed the Capitol? Contacts before and during the Capitol riots now under investigation by the feds.

JARRETT: And more states are expanding who can get a vaccine but dropping masks threatens America's return to normal.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

Christine, it's Friday.

ROMANS: It is Friday.

I'm Christine Romans. March 5th, everybody. It's 5:00 a.m. in New York.

And we begin here with COVID relief as millions of American families wait desperately for relief, what they're getting in Washington is political theater. On the Senate floor, almost 11 hours and a few sore throats later, the clerks are finally done reading all 628 pages of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package to a mostly empty chamber.

JARRETT: Theater without even an audience.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson forcing the clerks to read the entire bill aloud before the debate resumes this morning, all in a doomed effort to slow relief to the many who desperately need it.

CNN's Daniella Diaz is live on Capitol Hill for us this morning.

Daniella, Senator Johnson's tactic didn't sink the bill. It just delayed the inevitable. So, what happens now?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: It was a super late night here in the Senate. They wrapped the reading of this bill around 2:00 a.m. They started early afternoon. So, this was more than 10 hours that they spent reading this bill on the Senate floor.

Democrats are going to move forward on passing -- trying to pass this legislation without any Republican support which is part of the tactic that Republican Senator Ron Johnson is taking by having this text read on the Senate floor.

So, let me talk about what's in this legislation. It includes $1,400 stimulus checks. It includes $400 a week of unemployment benefits. It includes state and local funding and funding for vaccine distribution.

But what it doesn't include is the $15 minimum wage increase that a lot of House progressives as well as Senate progressives wanted in this legislation.

So, what happens now? Well, the Senate is going to reconvene in 9:00 a.m. where they will continue debating. And we're expecting around noon, this vote-a-rama series to begin. This is when the senators will vote on amendment after amendment after amendment. It's going to go on for hours and hours and hours on through the weekend, probably overnight. And we're expecting this to be drawn out.

Again, as I mentioned, Senator Ron Johnson is going to make this very difficult for Democrats. He's recruiting Republican colleagues to join him on trying to make this difficult for them to point provisions that they don't like about this legislation.

But the White House is feeling the pressure, so were Senate Democrats because they need to pass this legislation before March 14th when millions of Americans are going to lose their unemployment benefits.

JARRETT: Daniella, this is all happening in the middle of a national emergency, of course, right? We showed pictures of people lining up at food banks. And some of the help is going to expire pretty soon. So, I think it's what sort of made Senator Johnson's gambit all the more outrageous.

DIAZ: Yeah, this has real world consequences on Americans. Another 745,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits. Senate chairman -- Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden said that these unemployment benefits that they have included in this legislation, $400 a week for Americans, will run out by August 29th, which is when we're expecting the Senate not to be in session. It's going to happen during the summer.

So we have to keep an eye on how this is going to play out especially with whatever happens with the pandemic. It's unclear how this is going to affect Americans.

JARRETT: All right, Daniella, bright and early for this morning. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: You know, Laura, college age dependents would be eligible for checks this time around. They weren't in the first two. That's getting a lot of attention. And everyone is wondering what year of your tax returns, 2019, 2020. It could -- you might have to do some figuring. College age

dependents, that's a really interesting change here for a lot of families.

You know, the need for relief is urgent. It's clear. Any recovery, so far, in the economy has been for elites alone, not for low wage working families or the unemployed.

[05:05:03]

We know another 745,000 Americans filed for first-time jobless benefits last week.

I mean, look at those two lines there. That's more than three times the weekly average of 2019 before the crisis. And look at that, far above the previous record. For 50 weeks in a row, layoffs have exceeded that all-time record.

But there is more. More than 436,000 workers filed for special pandemic relief programs. That means altogether 1.2 million newly filing for government job benefits. The economy is still in a deep jobs hole. In just a few hours, we'll hear from the government how many jobs were headed back in February.

Economists estimate 182,000 jobs. Even if that holds true, you're still down 9.7 million jobs since the pandemic began. That unemployment rate is expected steady at 6.3 percent this report, but really important here, the jobless rate doesn't count people who have dropped out of the labor market.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the Fed Chief Jerome Powell said, if you count all of those people, the real unemployment level is closer to 10 percent, Laura.

JARRETT: Well, one of the biggest questions surrounding the riot at the U.S. Capitol is whether any lawmakers have helped the insurrectionists. Now the feds are looking at communications between members of Congress and the rioters.

CNN's Evan Perez has more now from Washington.

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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, federal investigators are examining records of communications between members of Congress and the pro Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol. One of the big questions that the FBI and prosecutors are looking to answer is whether lawmakers wittingly or unwittingly helped the insurrectionists.

Data has been gathered so far includes indications of contacts with lawmakers in the days around January 6th, as well as communications between the alleged rioters discussing their associations with members of Congress. Now, the existence of these communications doesn't necessarily indicate wrongdoing by lawmakers and so far, there's no indication that investigators are targeting members of Congress in this investigation.

In some cases, accused riots have claimed that they provided security to lawmakers who attended events around January 6th. The Democrats have claimed that some Republican members of Congress provided tours to people who later ended up participating in the riot.

This phase of the investigation is in line with what the acting U.S. attorney, Michael Sherwin, told us to expect as investigators move beyond the rioters to people who may have provided money or provided other kind of help to those who carried out the attack.

Now, prosecutors have charged about 300 people in the January 6th riot -- Christine, Laura.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Evan Perez, thank you so much for that.

Movie theaters in New York City reopened today but no popcorn for everyone. Some chains are keeping the concessions closed. Theaters are also restricted to 25 percent capacity. Masks are required.

Connecticut is dramatically rolling back restrictions. Connecticut allowing full indoor dining, increasing entertainment and sports capacity, and lifting its travel. But, critically, the mask mandate stays in place.

JARRETT: Stays across the country are lifting rules on mask. But one Republican governor doesn't understand why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R), WEST VIRGINIA: I don't know what the big rush to get rid of the mask is. These masks have saved a lot of, lot of lives. I'm not going to let this become a political football. I really -- I don't want to be critical but so many people want to just move because it's the most politically correct thing they can do. It becomes almost a macho thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: A macho thing, and you can see the rate of infection is, in fact, down in Connecticut but going up in Texas and other places that are dropping their mask mandates.

CNN has reporters covering the pandemic coast to coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Natasha Chen.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced Thursday she will extend the state's mask mandate until April 9th, but no further. Ivey said she's convinced the mask mandate was the right thing to do but also respects people who object and believe this was a step too far in government overreach. The governor says wearing a mask is the greatest tool in combating the

virus, but now, it's more of a personal responsibility. She said she'll continue to wear her mask while in public. The mask mandate is part of the state's safer at home order which has now been modified to remove seating limitations at restaurants.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Watt in Los Angeles.

Now while some other states, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas are going to do away with mask mandates, here in California the governor is doubling down now saying that Californians should consider double masking, wearing two at a time.

[05:10:08]

Not two medical masks, but a disposable one underneath, cloth mask on top.

Now, the governor says that California will continue to be driven by science not ideology.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

Nursing homes have been hit particularly hard in the COVID-19 pandemic, however, news now that vaccinations have brought infection numbers way down. Let's take a look.

An analysis of federal government data shows that on December 20th before the vaccine program was underway, there were more than 33,000 new COVID-19 cases in nursing homes. But fast forward to February 14, after the program was underway, there were only about 3,500. That's a nearly 90 percent decline.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: I'm Richard Quest in New York.

Two U.S. airlines are to begin vaccinating their front line staff. American Airlines and United Airlines have received supplies of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the Chicago authorities. They're only allowed to vaccinate staff from existing eligibility criteria, so it's flight crew airline crews, front line staff and those over 65. The airlines say they hope to begin vaccinating employees more widespread shortly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Richard and all of our colleagues, thank you for those reports.

Officials are looking into a mess in the COVID vaccine program in Shelby County, Tennessee. The Memphis Health Department and the CDC now investigating whether expired doses were injected into arms.

The country health director resigned after reports of two children being vaccinated. Of course, children, that's not allowed yet by guidelines. And 2,500 doses were wasted or allowed to expire. There are some allegations some doses were stolen by a volunteer.

JARRETT: A lot of questions there, for sure.

Well, in the next hour, Pope Francis arrives in Iraq, a historic visit to really the Christian community depleted by ISIS.

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[05:16:19]

JARRETT: Breaking overnight: the west cracking down on the military in Myanmar. The coup there becoming more deadly by the day. Rioters reporting that military rulers trying to move about $1 million held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, days after seizing power. But U.S. officials put a freeze on the funds.

A spokesman for the New York Fed declined to comment on this. YouTube removing several channels and videos linked to Myanmar's military. Overnight, police there opened fire on protesters, killing one person. The death toll is now at least at 50.

ROMANS: In the next hour, Pope Francis arrives for an historic visit to Iraq. It will be the first papal visit ever there, and the Vatican trip decades now in the making.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is there live for us in Baghdad.

Ben, what can you tell us about this trip?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know the pope is going to be arriving here in Baghdad in about half an hour. This is going to be a trip that lasts until Sunday and it is full of stops and meetings but most importantly he is here to express solidarity with the diminishing Christian population here which in 2003 was around a million and a half, now perhaps 300,000.

Now the high point of his first day here in Baghdad will be in the afternoon when he goes to visit the church of Our Lady of Salvation where on the 31st of October 2010, terrorists from the Islamic State in Iraq, which is a precursor of ISIS, burst into that church during an evening mass, killed 58 people. It was the worst massacre of Christians in this country.

And so, he's going to go there, be meeting with members of the clergy and others. But not a lot of people. Just around 70 people will be there, because, of course, Iraq is currently going through a spike in COVID cases which with the number of daily reported new cases, about three times what it was a month ago. But this is just part of a very intense tour where in addition to expressing solidarity with the Christian community here, he's also trying to build bridges to the Muslim world as well -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ben Wedeman for us in Baghdad, thank you so much for that.

Laura?

JARRETT: All right. It's Team LeBron versus Team Durant, head into Sunday's all star game. Who made the rosters? That's next.

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[05:23:15]

JARRETT: LeBron James and Kevin Durant deciding which NBA all stars they want on their side for Sunday's game.

Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey, Coy, I remember LeBron didn't want to do this because of the pandemic but at least he got a good team.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, of course, that's a good play, Laura. There wasn't going to be an all-star game. Now the best of the best are set to face off in Atlanta.

LeBron and Kevin Durant elected as team captains as leading vote getters from each conference among fans. This is LeBron's fourth year in a row drafting a team. He selects two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic round out his starting five.

Durant won't play in the game due to injury but the Nets well represented on Team Durant. He took his teammates Kyrie Irving, took him with his first pick and James Harden as a reserve.

Despite the Utah Jazz having the best record in the NBA, their two all stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, were the last two picks in the draft.

Hall of Famer, "Inside NBA" analyst, Charles Barkley, wondering, where's the love for Utah?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BARKLEY, NBA HALL OF FAMER: I'm not going for this Utah Jazz slander right now. Best record in the NBA, two best players are the last standing. It's a slander.

LEBRON JAMES, L.A. LAKERS: You guys got to understand, you guys got to understand just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah even as great as Karl Malone and John Stockton. You never pick those guys in video games, never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Now the game is being played with a purpose this year. Not only did the NBA help raise more than $3 million for historically black colleges and universities, the incredible pride and spirit of HBCUs will be on full display all weekend.

[05:25:06] HBCU alumnae from around the country helped design the floor at State Farm arena. Seven artists from HBCUs will have pieces displayed in the arena, and on broadcast. Two get to be among the 1,500 fans who are allowed to be there for the game. Even the game's three officials, Tony Brown, Courtney Kirkland, Tom Washington all attended HBCU.

All right. The "Inside the NBA" crew was busy last night. Their four- part docuseries takes behind the scenes of the hit show that's now celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Check out Shaq's story about a recent meeting with CNN founder Ted Turner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, NBA HALL OF FAMER: I met Ted Turner the other day. He didn't know who I was. I said, Mr. Turner, nice to meet you. You are? Sir, my name is Shaquille O'Neal, I worked with the -- he's a big old (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He's just joined (INAUDIBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

O'NEAL: (INAUDIBLE) Like, damn, Ted Turner don't know that I work for him --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Shaquille O'Neal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: "The Inside Story", tonight and tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and Sunday, after the all-star game. Coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern for that, on our sister network, TNT.

Christine, all of the festivities taking place in one night this year due to COVID, the skills challenge, three point challenge, dunk challenge and, of course, the big game.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Coy Wire. Nice to see you this Friday. Have a great weekend, buddy. We'll talk to you again.

All right. Ten hours -- ten hours and 43 minutes Senate clerks spent a lot of time reading 628 pages of the COVID relief bill but real time is ticking for millions of Americans waiting on crucial aid.

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