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House Of Representatives To Vote On Relief Bill Tomorrow; Fauci: Guidance For Vaccinated Americans To Come "Imminently"; And The Grift Goes On: Trump's RNC Cease And Desist Letter. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 08, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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


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[07:31:15]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on the Senate-approved coronavirus relief bill. Millions of Americans can start seeing the $1,400 in direct payments just days after President Biden signs it into law.

Joining us now, CNN political analyst Seung Min Kim. She's a White House reporter at "The Washington Post." Also with us, CNN political analyst Racheal Bade. She's a reporter a Politico.

This bill that will now be voted on, this is what it includes. The $1,400 checks to individuals. Three hundred dollars a week extended unemployment boost through September sixth.

An increase in the child tax credit -- by the way, which is maybe the biggest part of this bill and it is pretty under-covered. Subsidies for Obamacare. Then funding for schools, states, and vaccines.

This is a huge piece of legislation -- a significant piece of legislation.

And, Seung Min, I was on T.V. Friday night when the dam broke and this thing ultimately got on its way to passing, and I talked to a bunch of progressive lawmakers and there was a sigh of relief. I mean, they seemed to actually be relieved and quite pleased with what they ended up with through this.

What are you hearing?

SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST (via Cisco Webex): Right. I mean, first of all, this legislation has the ringing approval of Bernie Sanders -- the sign-on of progressives.

And so the concern right now, if there is one, about the prospects for this package is how House lawmakers will be -- how receptive they will be to the changes, particularly the last-minute changes that were made on the Senate floor on Friday evening and early Saturday that makes the bill a little bit less generous overall in terms of unemployment benefits and obviously, earlier last week, the changes made regarding the eligibility threshold for those -- for those $1,400 checks.

But at the same time, I mean, we're running up against a deadline here. We have that March 14th deadline when the -- when the federal -- you know, enhanced unemployment benefits expire, and I think Democrats are very aware of that. They want to get relief into the pockets of Americans as soon as possible.

So at this point, for this package, it doesn't seem like they are going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But obviously, we'll be closely watching that vote in talking to lawmakers later today and watching that vote tomorrow.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Rachael, big picture. Is there a feeling if this is beyond COVID relief? If this is an anti-poverty bill which will have repercussions on even a larger scale.

RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, REPORTER, POLITICO (via Cisco Webex): Absolutely. This is a major progressive win and that's why I think passage in the House is all but certain tomorrow. I mean, Nancy Pelosi can only lose, what, five votes on this bill. Two Democrats have already voted against this package before so she can really only lose three.

But look, even with those margins, I think, widely, this has -- is seen by Democrats on the Hill, especially progressives, as that huge policy win. I mean, we write in "Playbook" this morning that this is the biggest expansion of the welfare state and social safety net since Lyndon B. Johnson in the 60s.

And so, if you look at those provisions, a lot -- a lot of people have been focusing on minimum wage -- the increase to $15.00 an hour, which didn't -- was not included in the bill. These changes that were being made in the Senate -- so the politicking of Joe Manchin and what was happening over in the Senate with the delays.

But if you look at the package overall, this is a huge win for progressives. This is going to change the way a lot of Americans who are struggling with poverty right now in the pandemic and beyond are living. And so, keeping that in mind, I think it's just a matter of time before this passage and it's a big win for them and they're going to be extremely excited about it.

BERMAN: Yes, Nancy Pelosi doesn't do surprises. I expect that she'll have a better sense of where her caucus is than maybe Chuck Schumer did on Friday morning when Joe Manchin went rogue on him.

[07:35:01]

And about Joe Manchin, Seung Min, he indicated -- and obviously, there's a Manchin issue for the White House and for Senate Democrats going forward. They need to make sure they win his approval early and often on everything they do. He indicated he will not approve doing away with the filibuster, but he might support certain changes to it. Make it more difficult or painful for Republicans to use.

What would that entail and what difference would that make? KIM: Right. It was actually a pretty significant development when Sen. Manchin indicated that yesterday on the Sunday shows whereas, he will not support dumping that 60-vote threshold for the legislative filibuster altogether, but he would support potential changes to the mechanism, such as if you are going to filibuster a bill, actually forcing the Senate to go on the floor and talk and lay out their objections so these aren't done in private.

The filibuster is kind of what you think of when you see "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

And that is a big step forward for people who are wanting to dump the filibuster altogether because they see that as, first of all, you're moving someone who seemed potentially unmovable at this point. First of all, Sen. Manchin, who has been so opposed to these changes.

And on the second point, a lot of this is a lot of -- you kind of have to build one senator after another in terms of building these incremental changes to get such a big change as dumping the filibuster altogether.

I mean, we remember back in 2013 when they got rid of the filibuster for Judicial and Executive Branch nominees. It wasn't just a one-off moment. We were to the brink of pulling the nuclear option several times and finally, it just happened.

So I think proponents of dumping the filibuster see this as an incremental move that is really helpful for them in the long run.

CAMEROTA: Rachael, let's talk about Capitol security. So in the wake of the January sixth insurrection, there's all sorts of investigations and questions about what happened and how to stop it from happening again.

So, Gen. Honore, whom we all know has led all sorts of big hurricane logistical aftermath investigations, et cetera, has been named to do this. And here is what the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, thinks about that.

He said, "General Honore notorious partisan bias calls into question the rationality of appointing him to lead his important security review. It also raises the unacceptable possibility that the Speaker desired a certain result: turning the Capitol into a fortress. Structure dictates behavior, and a Capitol Police board dominated by political appointees is no way to maintain the security of the Capitol."

Your thoughts?

BADE: I mean, look, this is how partisan Washington has become and even security of the U.S. Capitol is becoming a partisan issue where Republicans want to take down the fencing and Democrats don't want to. And now you have this fight over a man who has a long record of doing things to help this country.

I think, obviously, the problem that McCarthy is identifying are some comments that he made -- Honore made in the wake of January sixth, including singling out Republican lawmakers who he said should be on -- one of them should be on the no-fly list is what he said. Another one, Josh Hawley, who obviously objected to the Electoral College and sort of made a name for himself on January sixth -- doing that -- should be, quote, "run out of town."

He also made comments about Capitol Police officers being, quote, "Trumpies" and saying there were complicit on January sixth.

And so I think that obviously, those comments are not going to go over well, particularly the latter ones, potentially even with Capitol Police officers who, mind you, they've had some problems with people committing suicide recently since January sixth.

So it's a tough issue and obviously, Democrats feel Republicans very much own what happened on January sixth, too, as much as Trump does. And so they're looking for someone who is going to be willing to call that out and see fault there.

At the same time, you're going to see Kevin McCarthy, who has clearly tried to get ahead of any report this lieutenant general puts out that perhaps says his members are, in a way, at fault. But also, the Capitol Police officers who, themselves, have some issues with this.

So it's just ugly all around and it's sad that we're at this place where Capitol security should be a very bipartisan issue and instead, we're seeing this mud-sling.

CAMEROTA: Rachael, Seung Min, thank you both very much.

So as millions of Americans get vaccinated, there is still no CDC guidance on what they can and cannot do after that. So, what's the holdup? That's next.

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[07:44:02]

CAMEROTA: Dr. Anthony Fauci says the CDC will have guidelines for fully-vaccinated people, quote, "imminently." Nearly 59 million Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine. More than 30 million are now fully vaccinated.

And at the same time, states are lifting their coronavirus restrictions, including mask mandates, despite warning about new variants and a possible new surge.

So joining us now, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen. She's the former Baltimore city health commissioner. Doctor Wen, great to see you.

You know, I think this CDC guidance on what fully-vaccinated people can now do -- I think it was expected last week, on Thursday, but we still haven't gotten it.

What is the holdup? What's so hard to say here? DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, FORMER BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Look, I understand, Alisyn, the reason why they want to be cautious. They don't want to issue guidance and then have to change it, and they think that potentially, that could further erode public trust.

[07:45:00]

But I also think that waiting has a substantial cost as well because we now have 30 million people who are fully vaccinated who are making decisions and taking matters into their own hands, some of which may not be the wisest things. Maybe they are taking off their masks right after getting vaccinated and potentially endangering themselves.

So the longer the CDC waits, actually, the less relevant their advice is. And I think that there is also a really valuable opportunity that they could potentially be squandering, too, and that opportunity is to tie vaccination to specific reopening.

We're seeing governors already lift restrictions. Now, imagine if that lifting of restrictions is based on vaccination status, as in people who are vaccinated maybe don't need to quarantine and test after traveling, but those who are not vaccinated do. Or restaurants can open at 100 percent capacity if you're checking vaccination status, but only 25 percent if you're not checking that status.

And so, I really hope that this guidance comes out really soon.

BERMAN: What would the Dr. Wen guidance on what vaccinated people can and cannot do be?

WEN: My guidance would be clear, practical, and common-sense, as I hope that the CDC's guidance will be as well.

So, for example, you can certainly do things like visiting your doctor and doing other essential activities. Fully-vaccinated people can also see one another indoors without masks. I think it's very reasonable to say that the risk of grandparents infecting the rest of their family is very low, and grandparents should feel free to travel and visit their family and see one another indoors as well.

And I also think that we should tell people that the risk of actually acquiring coronavirus and transmitting it is pretty low after getting the vaccine. And so people should be able to go to indoor restaurants. They should go to museums. They should do the things that they have not been able to do before with caution -- still wearing masks in public places. But they should do that.

We need to give people hope and we need to let them know about the freedoms that they have post-vaccination or else people are not going to have these incentives to get vaccinated. Let's give them that hope right now.

CAMEROTA: You say that what the CDC appears to be doing is choosing caution over celebration. And do you think that now is a moment for celebration? WEN: I think people are celebrating regardless of whether we give them the OK to do that or not, so why not provide them with sound guidance that makes sense in their lives. There needs to be a common- sense sniff test here. So if the CDC comes out with restrictions or with guidelines that are too restrictive and too prescriptive people are not going to believe them.

I mean, we're telling people these are amazing vaccines. They're safe and so effective. If we then say but you have to do everything that you did pre-vaccine and here are a list of only one or two things you can do, people are not going to believe it.

And so, we really need to meet people where they are and that's part of public health, too. It's meeting people where they are with their expectations, understanding that some people are going to do the right thing and be really cautious and other people are not. And so we need to give them incentives to do that.

BERMAN: You talk about the sniff test. There was a picture over the weekend that just flat-out stinks, which is these "Burn the Mask" rallies. And I know we saw one in Boise, Idaho where people were literally burning masks, celebrating.

CAMEROTA: Kids -- getting their kids to do it.

BERMAN: Yes. I don't care who it is, it's a bad idea and it's a really awful message to be sending, Dr. Wen. I mean, you know, this -- clearly, people don't seem to care.

WEN: Well, that's the thing. We need to be sending a very clear message about masks and vaccines. That masks and vaccines are our ticket out of the pandemic and that masks are not somehow restricted to freedom but actually, they allow for businesses to reopen. They allow for schools and churches and other institutions that we really care about to do in-person service and instruction once again. And I think we need to talk about vaccines in that same light.

So, wear masks. In the meantime, get vaccinated. Do these things that will allow us a pathway out of this. But we also have to make clear the hope -- the light at the end of the tunnel -- or else people are going to give up, as we are seeing millions of people doing every day already.

BERMAN: Dr. Leana Wen, thanks so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it, as always.

WEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: So, former President Trump's lawyers telling Republicans to stop using his name and image to raise money. What's going on here? A reality check, next.

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[07:53:06] CAMEROTA: Former President Trump is the face of the Republican Party, so why is he taking legal action to make sure the GOP does not use his face to fundraise?

John Avlon has our reality check. Hi, John.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Ali.

So, as Senate Democrats were passing $1.9 trillion in COVID relief, Donald Trump was reportedly sending a cease and desist letter to the RNC, upset about fundraising materials using his likeness -- all which is totally normal. I mean, remember when Ronald Reagan and the two President Bushes demanded that Republicans stop using their images? Me neither.

But this more than just another Trumper tantrum. It's actually a big reveal about his continuing plan to profit from polarization and he's more than happy to hold the GOP hostage in the process.

In Trump's rambling remarks to CPAC you might have missed this.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's only one way to contribute to our efforts and that's through Save America PAC and donaldjtrump.com.

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AVLON: Yes, got that? The only way to continue the movement is to give him your money.

But he used his Save America PAC to raise $31.5 million after the election, promising it would go to fighting election and for election integrity and the Georgia Senate runoffs. But it turns out he spent no money on either endeavor, according to disclosures. Talk about a big lie. Instead, he kept most of the cash, which he can use on travel, personal expenses, or funnel back into his businesses.

And it's a play he ran over his presidency with more than $8 million from taxpayers and supporters going to Trump properties. From big- ticket items like $175,000 a day for the use of a ballroom during his inauguration to petty insults like charging taxpayers three bucks per glass of water at a meeting with the Japanese prime minister.

But, Trump's biggest haul might come from losing the election and then lying about it because Trump campaign committees and the GOP raised more than $290 million after the election. So, of course, he's more than happy to stoke talk about a future run.

[07:55:09]

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ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: He'll run again in 2024. Why would he not run and raise money off the rubes that he's raising money from?

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AVLON: And this is where the RNC really needs an intervention because their Trump addiction is heading toward a crash and burn. They know he's popular with the base and can drive donations, but if he freezes the field while under investigations and pockets money for candidates, at what point do they recognize the obvious truth -- he's not their friend or their ally or their hero. He's out for himself, motivated by spite and money.

He's also a liability in general elections. A twice-impeached, two- time loser of the popular vote. The only president who never cracked 50 percent in the Gallop Poll.

Now, the short-term cost of Trump's big lie can already be calculated to $519 million. Us taxpayers foot the bill for increased security, property repairs, and more. The long-term cost to democracy, incalculable.

MAGA isn't a movement as much as it is a grift. And conservatives should see the cease and desist letter as a ransom demand for a party held hostage, proving the wisdom of what Eric Hoffer once said. "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."

And that's your reality check.

BERMAN: If there are dollars, that's what he seems to care about.

All right, John, thank you very much.

NBA legend LeBron James making the League's All-Star Game about more than just basketball. CNN's Martin Savidge on the new campaign for voting rights.

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The NBA All-Star Game, Atlanta, Georgia. For LeBron James, the perfect time and place to get political. The Lakers champion using the event to launch a full-court press against Republican-backed legislation designed to restrict voter access.

LEBRON JAMES, NBA STAR: To educate people on what's going on in a lot of our communities with the voter suppression and things of that nature. And obviously, the -- you know, making sure that people don't think that the job is done.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): James also putting his voice to this ad seen by millions during the game.

JAMES: Look what we did. Look what we made happen. What our voices made possible. And now, look what they're trying to do to silence us.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): "More Than A Vote," an organization of black athletes and artists, is teaming up with the Georgia NAACP and others to combat changes to the state's voting laws, saying, "We have a unique opportunity to work together with our partners to shine a spotlight on these voter suppression efforts that target the league's most loyal fan base."

Organizers are also using billboards and social media.

INSTAGRAM, "MORE THAN A VOTE": Right now, 43 states are coming after our voting rights. It's being called "Jim Crow in a suit and tie."

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Georgia is considered ground-zero in the fight with the State Legislature seeing dozens of bills opponents call repressive. Republicans say they're simply designed to restore voter confidence. Among the proposals, counting back early vote, significant reductions to access to absentee ballots, and changes to voter I.D. laws.

SAVIDGE (on camera): Do you believe that this is a blatant effort to try to stop people of color from voting or limit their possibility?

AKLIMA KHONDOKER, GEORGIA STATE DIRECTOR, "ALL VOTING IS LOCAL": I do believe so and I don't think there is any other way to look at it. We also know that weekend voting is a time that people of color typically will use to try to exercise their right to vote.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Adding politics to the game plan of the All- Star Game may not be popular with all fans, but it has the backing of the league.

ADAM SILVER, COMMISSIONER, NBA: It doesn't mean you necessarily have to agree with our players, but I think you should applaud their engagement in our system.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Sunday's game falling on the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when a young John Lewis led African-American demonstrators demanding the right to vote across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama where they were brutally beaten by police.

Now, more than a half-century later with black voting rights under attack again, the message from LeBron James and his teammates in the effort defending voting rights is clear.

NBA ANNOUNCER: It's a two-on-one -- LeBron.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): This is no time to be sitting on the sidelines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: And speaking of timing, today is the day that the Georgia Senate takes up Senate Bill 241. This is a bill that will do away with what's called no-excuse absentee ballot voting. It essentially would mean that many people in the state of Georgia wouldn't have access to absentee ballots. That bill is expected to pass -- John.

BERMAN: Martin Savidge, I know you'll be watching it very closely. Thanks so much for being with us. NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

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

And stunning claims this morning about the royal family by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In a bombshell two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex paint a picture of racism and emotional abuse. Meghan describes being ostracized by the palace.