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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
CDC Announces New Guidelines For Fully Vaccinated Americans; Biden's First Primetime Address Set For Pandemic's Anniversary; Jury Selection To Begin In George Floyd Killing Case. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired March 09, 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]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Still provides hope after this long year of isolation.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Now, starting two weeks after full vaccination, people can visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or any physical distancing. And great news for grandparents. They can visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household without masks or distancing just as long as everyone is at low risk for severe disease.
But there is this constant tug-of-war right now. People know vaccines exist and they're desperate to get one and they're desperate to move on, but moving on too quickly risks getting ahead of the vaccination program and could result in setbacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: There is so much that's critical that's riding on the next two months. How quickly we vaccinate versus whether we have another surge really relies on March -- what happens in March and April.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That's an indirect reference to Texas where the mask mandate is ending tomorrow and businesses are allowed to reopen at 100 percent capacity. The governor says hospitalizations are down and vaccinations are up, but Texas actually has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
Many businesses there are keeping mask rules in place, potentially making them targets. One Mexican restaurant requiring people to keep wearing masks has had some customers threaten to call immigration on the staff.
JARRETT: That's just stunning.
And after pushback from public health officials, the mayor of Houston says a 'Mask Off Party' that had been scheduled for tomorrow at a local bar -- it's been called off by the owner. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: The only freedom a mask inhibits is the freedom of the virus to spread and kill people. Masks work, mask mandates work, and lifting mask mandates is very dangerous.
DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: If I were to drink and get behind the wheel of a car it's not just a personal choice that I'd be putting my life at risk, I'd be putting other people's lives at risk. That's why we have laws against that kind of behavior. When you wear a mask you're not just protecting yourself, you're protecting people around you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: All this as some new developments this week on air travel sort of a mixed bag. Airlines say the $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan would prevent deep cuts and job losses, but the CDC is still recommending against travel.
CNN is covering the pandemic coast-to-coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Pete Muntean in Washington.
The CDC now says people who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus should still avoid travel. The airline industry is pushing back against that. It insists that flying is safe. But the head of the CDC says big spikes in the virus come after big travel periods.
The TSA says it screen nearly 1.3 million people at airports on Sunday, the highest number we have seen since the holidays. And now, health experts are worried about spring break travel on the horizon.
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Lucy Kafanov.
Wyoming is joining states like Texas and Mississippi in removing the statewide mask mandate requirement despite the advice of health experts.
Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday that he is scrapping the mask requirement and will also allow restaurants, bars, theaters, and gyms to resume normal operations starting March 16th. The governor pointed to declining numbers of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, as well as the state's vaccine rollout as reasons for the changes.
The mask mandate remains in place for K through 12 schools.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Jean Casarez in New York.
New York's Department of Education is announcing that public high schools in New York City will resume in-person classes effective March 22nd. They say all the protocols will be in place and the priority will be testing. Every week, 20 percent of students and staff will be randomly selected to be tested for COVID-19.
They also say, though, that competitive sports will be coming back to high schools effective in May. The proper protocols will be in place, including masks. There will be no spectators, to begin with. Locker rooms will be strictly prohibited. But they are trying to bring everything outside as much as possible.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Natasha Chen.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced a new toll-free number for people to call to schedule a vaccine appointment in the state. Representatives can help people schedule an appointment at a vaccination site run by the Department of Health or give information about other vaccine providers in the caller's area.
As of Monday, more people in Arkansas also became eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Workers in manufacturing facilities, public transportation, and other public-facing jobs like grocery and delivery services are now eligible, as well as adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Adrienne Broaddus in Chicago.
And on Monday, the city's mayor announced Chicago will start welcoming baseball fans to its stadium on opening day. That's April first. The Chicago White Sox said it will allow a limited number of fans in the stadium -- about 20 percent.
[05:35:03]
The Chicago Cubs also announced the team is prepared to host 20 percent of Wrigley Field's capacity. Both teams and the mayor said mask-wearing is required.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: All right. Our thanks to Adrienne and the rest of our correspondents for those updates.
President Biden set to deliver his first primetime address to the nation on Thursday, commemorating one year since coronavirus became a global pandemic shutting down much of the United States, the world, and changing the course of history.
Jasmine Wright is live for us at the White House this morning. Jasmine, what do we expect from the president this week?
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Laura, the first time that we will see President Biden today is when he visits a small business that has benefited from those PPP loans.
As you said, on Thursday we will see him give his first primetime address commemorating the one-year anniversary of those shutdowns. Biden's senior adviser, Cedric Richmond, previewed those for us last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIC RICHMOND, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: He's going to convey the same message he did on the campaign trail, which was he has a plan, he's executing that plan. And as a country, we're going to come together and we're going to beat this pandemic. We're going to rise from this economic crisis. And then we're going to build back better, which means we're not going to leave anybody behind this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WRIGHT: Now, Richmond also expressed optimism that the House would pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill before March 14th -- that deadline when we know those enhanced unemployment benefits are set to expire.
It was supposedly scheduled today. Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that it will -- the vote will happen on Wednesday morning at the latest. But, of course, Biden is looking for this urgently to pass to get on his desk so he can sign it before those benefits expire.
JARRETT: Yes, time is of the essence on all of that.
Jasmine, thank you.
ROMANS: All right.
The Senate passed its version of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, something that void (ph) blue chip stocks, but expectations for a strong economic recovery really hit tech hard. Let me show you how.
The Dow climbed 306 points. That hit an intraday high. Then the Nasdaq slipped into correction territory -- a decline of at least 10 percent from the peak.
The so-called FAANG stocks -- that's Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google -- all of them down. Those are big one-day moves there, folks.
Investors see high-flying tech stocks vulnerable if inflation emerges and bond yields rise. Monday's sell-off in tech is a rotation out of the winners -- I mean, tech had been up so big last year, right -- and now into the blue chip stocks that were more subdued in last year's rally.
Optimism over vaccines has been giving investors hope that consumers are going to be able to do things again like shop and travel more freely. Along those lines, Disney, Walgreens, and Home Depot were some of the Dow's top winners.
And, Laura, just a word here. That coronavirus relief bill is so big, so historic. You know, the stimulus checks get all of the -- you know, the newsprint, right?
JARRETT: Sure.
ROMANS: But there are subsidies for health care. There's expanded food stamps. There's so much in here. I mean, there's a bailout of the public pension system.
There's so much in here to kind of unravel and we'll be doing that over the next few days. But it's on its way to the president's desk once it makes it through the House again.
JARRETT: What do you think is the biggest game changer? The child tax credit?
ROMANS: The child tax credit --
JARRETT: Yes.
ROMANS: -- is probably, in our lifetimes, the biggest attempt to try to alleviate child poverty and address income inequality. We just haven't done something on such a huge scale like this before. It's temporary -- it's one year.
But clearly, there are Democrats who are hoping that this going to be some kind of a transformational change to address what is the weakest part of America, the largest economy in the world.
JARRETT: Well, and once you start a program like that it's hard to take it away.
ROMANS: It's hard to take it away.
JARRETT: All right, 38 minutes past the hour.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa has signed a controversial bill to limit voting and make it harder for voters to return their absentee ballots. The legislation would reduce the number of early voting days from 29 to 20 days and will close polling places an hour earlier on Election Day. It also bans officials from sending absentee ballot applications without a voter first requesting a ballot.
And in Georgia, the State Senate just passed a bill that would repeal no-excuse absentee voting.
Over 40 states have now introduced more than 250 bills with voting restrictions.
ROMANS: It very well could be the story of the next election will be what's happening in these statehouses now.
Meantime, a record number of unaccompanied migrant children are in U.S. Border Patrol facilities. According to documents reviewed by CNN, more than 3,200 children were in custody as of yesterday. About 2,600 of them are awaiting placement in shelters but there are only a little over 500 beds available.
Security officials -- they're now asking for volunteers from within the department so they can get some help with this surge at the border. They call the situation overwhelming.
[05:40:00]
JARRETT: The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin set to begin this morning with jury selection. The judge deciding to move forward with the case despite an ongoing legal dispute over a potential third charge in the death of George Floyd. The trial is drawing national attention, of course, and protesters already out making their voices heard.
CNN's Sara Sidner is in Minneapolis for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, there is extremely tight security. I want to give you a look at it. I mean, you've got razor wire, you've got fencing, you've got barricades.
The courthouse is just there to my right. That is where the trial will take place.
Now, jury selection was supposed to start Monday but, indeed, was pushed until Tuesday because of a legal battle going on between the prosecution and defense, and the judge has looked at it.
The prosecutors are trying to add a charge. They've already charged former officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd, with second-degree intentional murder and manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty to those two charges.
But the prosecution is trying to add one more charge -- that of third- degree murder. Now, that is being argued in an appeals court and because of that, there were arguments as to whether or not this trial should go forward and jury selection go forward. The judge is arguing that it should.
Now, we also heard from the sister of George Floyd. She had some tearful words to express after being in the courtroom and being able to look into the face of Derek Chauvin.
BRIDGETT FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S SISTER: That officer took a great man, a great father, a great brother, a great uncle, and a great father. He really took a great father.
He was so family-oriented. He loved his family. He loved his daughter. Gianna meant the world to him. And we will never get that back.
SIDNER (on camera): Now, as you might imagine, finding a jury in this case will be difficult. There isn't probably a person in this world that hasn't heard of George Floyd and what happened here in Minneapolis.
However, this is how they're going about it. They'll probably take two or three weeks. There's a 16-page jury questionnaire that they have to fill out. And really, what they're looking for is jurors who can be impartial. In other words, who can look at the evidence that's in front of them during the trial and make their decision based on that.
And as far as how long the trial will be -- expecting that to be at least two or three weeks because there are potentially, about 400 witnesses -- Christine, Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Sara Sidner. Thank you so much for that important story there.
A major problem in the White House. Why President Biden's dogs are headed back to Delaware.
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[05:47:00]
ROMANS: All right.
New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed two new attorneys to lead the investigation into sexual harassment claims against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon Kim and employment discrimination lawyer Anne Clark will publicly report their progress weekly.
JARRETT: A former aide to Gov. Cuomo, Ana Liss, says she stands with the women who have come forward. She told "The Wall Street Journal" that the governor did things like touch her on her lower back and once kissed her hand when she got up from her desk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA LISS, FORMER AIDE TO GOV. ANDREW CUOMO: I don't think that this is a story about sexual harassment or abuse as much as it is about hostile and toxic workplace environments for young women -- vulnerable women in early chapters of their careers not being able to say anything about just their discomfort without fear of retribution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The governor has apologized, saying he didn't mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable. He says he will cooperate with the investigation and will not resign.
ROMANS: All right.
After just two months in the White House, the president's German Shepherds are headed back to the Biden family home in Delaware. The reason, aggressive behavior by Major. A source tells CNN there was a biting incident involving a member of White House security.
You know, the Bidens adopted Major from a shelter in 2018. The condition of the victim is unknown.
But it looks like for safety for everyone, those two dogs are going back to more familiar territory, back to the president's home in Delaware.
JARRETT: Another top Senate Republican calling it quits. Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, the number-four GOP leader, announcing he's retiring. The 71-year-old Blunt was first elected to the Senate back in 2010 after serving 14 years in the House. He's the fifth Republican incumbent senator who won't run for reelection in 2022, complicating GOP efforts to reclaim control of the Senate.
ROMANS: The University of South Alabama placing three professors on leave after photos surfaced of them with racist symbols. One is pictured wearing a Confederate soldier's uniform. Two others posed with a whip and a noose. A school official says the pictures were from a campus costume party in 2014.
A student petition calling for the professors to be fired has gathered more than 3,000 signatures.
JARRETT: A judge in Kentucky has dismissed charges against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. He was accused of shooting a Louisville police officer during that no-knock raid in which Taylor was killed. Walker, thinking that they were intruders, fired as the cops broke down her door. Officers riddled the apartment with bullets, killing Breonna Taylor in the process.
The charges against Walker were dismissed with prejudice, meaning that he cannot face the same charges again.
ROMANS: A bill that makes it a crime to insult or taunt a police officer has been passed by a State Senate committee in Kentucky. Under the bill, anyone who accosts, insults, taunts, or challenges a law enforcement officer in a way that could provoke a violent response would be guilty of disorderly conduct. The offense would be punishable by up to 90 days in jail with fines up to $250.
[05:50:13]
Critics argue that bill is designed to stifle dissent.
Another state moving to block transgender athletes from youth sports. South Dakota passing a bill Monday restricting transgender women from competing against women on high school and college teams. The legislation next goes to Gov. Kristi Noem, who says she is excited to sign the bill.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is also expected to sign a similar bill soon that was passed in his state last week.
More than 20 states proposing restrictions against transgender minors this year.
JARRETT: Well, this time it wasn't a gender reveal party, but a Michigan high school student accidentally detonated a homemade explosive device in class, injuring himself and four classmates. Police say the 16-year-old student brought the device to school on Monday but there was no ill-intent and the explosion was just an accident. The school was immediately evacuated and other schools in the county went on lockdown. The 16-year-old and his classmates were treated at the hospital for injuries.
ROMANS: All right, a quick look at markets around the world right now. Asian shares have closed mixed and Europe has opened slightly higher. In the U.S., stock index futures this hour also moving higher.
You know, it was a mixed performance for stocks Monday. The Dow hit an intraday record high and closed up 306 points. The Nasdaq, though, slipped into correction after a sell-off -- a big sell-off in tech stocks. The Nasdaq is now down for the year.
Investors are flocking into stocks that should benefit from an improving economy. Shares of Disney, Walgreens, and Home Depot closed higher.
Wells Fargo is the latest big bank to set some ambitious goals to fight the climate crisis. The bank is setting a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, joining Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which made those promises last year -- or last week, rather.
Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan recently rolled out plans to align their financing activities to the Paris Climate Accord.
It's a big step for Wells Fargo. It's been a major backer of oil, coal, and natural gas projects that activists warm threaten the planet.
There's a new normal for one of the world's biggest retail suppliers. Unilever will drop the term "normal" from packaging of certain beauty and personal care products. It said research shows seven in 10 people agree the word "normal" has a negative connotation. More than half of the people surveyed said they will pay more attention to a company's stance on societal issues before buying products.
Unilever also said it will stop digitally altering a person's body shape, size, or skin color on its advertising.
JARRETT: Warner Bros. cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew has been dropped from the "Space Jam" sequel, apparently for his lack of consensual behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEPE LE PEW: Together we shall explore the heights of the light -- mwoo, mwoo, mwoo. The conquest of Everest will pale into insignificance -- mwoo, mwoo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: "Deadline" reports live-action footage for a Casablanca-like scene with Mr. Le Pew was filmed, but when a new director came on board in 2019, the decision was made not to add the Pepe animation.
One of the actors in the scene, Greice Santo, says she was very disappointed, actually, because her character was going to slap Le Pew around for being a sexual harasser.
CNN is, of course, a division of Warner Media, which also owns Warner Bros. Studios.
I say goodbye, Pepe.
ROMANS: Au revoir, Pepe. I mean, as a Gen-X woman, I can remember watching with horror the -- oh, the antics of that little skunk as a child. It just was always gross, right?
JARRETT: There are plenty of other characters that do not engage in non-consensual behavior.
ROMANS: The animated king of the unwanted advance, Pepe Le Pew.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
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[05:58:37]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Finally, guidance for the fully vaccinated.
WALENSKY: If grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their family even if they have not been vaccinated.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: House lawmakers are now expected to vote Wednesday on his $1.9 trillion relief package.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every public opinion poll shows that people want this.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: British tabloids hit back after an explosive royal interview.
PIERS MORGAN, CO-PRESENTER, "GOOD MORNING BRITAIN": This is a two- hour trash-a-thon of our royal family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's protecting his family. He wants to keep the press from hounding them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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's Tuesday, March 9th, 6:00 here in New York.
And this is a morning where it just blows your mind to think about what we've been through. One year ago this morning -- one year ago, there were 22 deaths from coronavirus in this country -- 22 -- but all the signs were there. And one year ago this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta came on NEW DAY and said this is a pandemic.
Think about everything that's happened since then. More than half a million deaths.
But this morning there are so many positive signs. An average of 2.2 million a day are getting vaccinated.
The CDC released new guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans. And if you're one of those 30 million people, the CDC says it is safe to gather with other vaccinated people indoors without masks.
They say vaccinated grandparents can safely visit unvaccinated.
