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Number of Vaccinations for COVID-19 Increasing Across U.S.; CDC States Vaccinated People Can Gather with Others Indoors without Masks; Houston Police Chief Interviewed on Texas Lifting Mask Mandate; Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) is Interviewed About the Biden $1.9 Trillion Relief Bill. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired March 09, 2021 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, guidance for the fully vaccinated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their family even if they have not been vaccinated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: House lawmakers are now expected to vote Wednesday on his $1.9 trillion relief package.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every public opinion poll shows the people want this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: British tabloids hit back after an explosive royal interview.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a two-hour trash-a-thon of our royal family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's protecting his family. He wants to keep the press from hounding them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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. And it was one year ago this morning that there were 22 deaths from coronavirus in the United States, 22. But the reality of what was about to happen was clear to Dr. Sanjay Gupta who came on NEW DAY and said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: CNN is now calling the outbreak a global pandemic. Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us to explain why. What makes it a pandemic, Sanjay?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There are criteria that are somewhat defined to call something a pandemic. And let me just preface by saying this terminology that we're going to start using now isn't so much to cause panic but rather to really cause a focus on preparedness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So Sanjay will join us in a moment. More than 525,000 Americans have died since Sanjay made those remarks. But this morning there are so many positive signs. An average of 2.2 million people a day are getting vaccinated, and the CDC just released new guidelines for 30 million people who are fully vaccinated.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: If you are one of them, the CDC says it is safe to gather with other vaccinated people indoors without masks. And vaccinated grandparents can safely visit unvaccinated grandchildren. But the experts say we're not out of the woods yet. Coronavirus variants could still trigger another deadly surge, especially as states relax their guidelines. Texas is set to end its statewide mask mandate tomorrow. The chief of the Houston Police Department will be with us in a moment on his strong feelings about that.

But first, let's bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent.

Sanjay, so much of the past year has been a blur. Just one day bleeds into the other. I sometimes don't remember what I had for dinner two nights ago. But I do remember that day. I do remember that day exactly a year ago. I remember it so well because you had decided through lots of research and reporting that it was time to call it a pandemic. But could you see what was coming, what was going to happen over the next year back then?

GUPTA: No, absolutely not. That's just being honest. I think even at that time, I remember that was a Monday that we wrote that article calling this a pandemic. The World Health Organization, the CDC hadn't done it. So I did give this a lot of thought. And there is always this sense of you want to hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And even in the preparing for the worst sort of mentality, the idea that 22 people had died by that day, March 9th of last year, could turn into 525,000, absolutely not. There was no conceivable sort of model or projection that I had in my mind. I think most people I talked to as well, the same thing, that it would have gotten to this point here. I did think that it was going to be bad, but I also thought there would have been a very appropriate reaction from the United States in terms of curbing those -- that spread and, obviously, lowering these deaths.

BERMAN: Now we are where we are, Sanjay, 525,000 deaths later. But signs of progress. More than 2 million people vaccinated a day, which is a really extraordinary number for a vaccine that didn't exist one year ago when we were sitting here having this discussion. And now we have these CDC guidelines. And it's telling vaccinated people they can hang out with each other, other vaccinated people inside. It's telling vaccinated people that they can visit with unvaccinated people under certain circumstances. You have been meeting with the White House. What's the most important takeaway here for you? GUPTA: Well, first of all, now we have some guidelines, right. I

think what we were hearing from a lot of people is, OK, I've been vaccinated. That's great because I'm much reduced risk of getting illness, but what can I do with my life? Now you're starting to see that. This is the conversation I think we've all been having on your program for some time, what does it mean to be vaccinated?

I think there were a few things in the reporting from yesterday talking to people on the taskforce that jumped out at me. One is that we have been discussing things in a very binary way for some time. You can do this. You can't do that. What you're going to start hearing is more low-risk, medium-risk, high-risk, giving people a little bit more decision making.

But also, I think people kept waiting for this idea of herd immunity, getting to 70, 80 percent of the country vaccinated before anything would change.

[08:05:03]

And now we're seeing that points along the way, 10 percent of the country is vaccinated. We're seeing these recommendations. When we're 20 percent vaccinated, you're going to see loosening of the recommendations, and so forth. So you're going to see the sort of gradation. They use the term first step over and over again as they were releasing these recommendations.

And then finally, starting to get some sense of when, overall, the country will return to some sense of normalcy. There's a lot of caveats there as everyone has said, but I thought those were the things that really jumped out. It was a tone that was really important, still very cautious, but more optimistic than I've heard in a while.

CAMEROTA: Sanjay, as you know, I keep a very close eye on the daily cases, and so here's where we are today. On Saturday, it was 58,000 cases, Sunday, 40,000, almost 41,000 cases, but that's always a low day of reporting. Then yesterday, 50,000 cases. I don't know when I started to become comforted by 50,000 cases a day, but somehow I am because I keep bracing for the uptick that all the medical experts say we need to be on guard for because of the variants.

GUPTA: Yes, I'm right there with you, Alisyn, 50,000 should never feel normal. None of this should feel normal. But the trends are important and the numbers have been going down. I think what is critical, and I've been looking at the data out of the U.K. for quite a bit. You remember, they started vaccinating before we did, 90-year- old Margaret Keenan was the first person to be vaccinated on December 8th. What happened after that? Well, the numbers went up significantly for a period of time, and they went back sort of into shutdown mode because of the variant and its increased transmissibility out there. That's the big concern, if that sort of thing happens here as well.

But, and this is a really important but, if the case numbers do either plateau or continue to go up, we're going to be looking very carefully at what happens after that. Do we see the increase in hospitalizations a couple of weeks after? Do we see the increase in these sad deaths, tragic deaths a few weeks after that? I'm thinking by looking at all the modeling and really putting it together that hopefully that won't happen. You may see an uptick, but I think a much smaller proportion of hospitalizations and deaths as we've seen in the past, because not only are vaccines out there, but increasingly, the right people are getting vaccinated. The people who are most at risk of getting sick and dying are the ones that are also getting vaccinated. So nursing homes, long-term care facilities, that was 33 percent of the people who died in this country, a third, and now the vast majority of them have received vaccines.

So you get the picture that I'm painting here. We could see the number goes back up or plateau. But will that translate into hospitalizations and deaths?

BERMAN: It's a really important point to make, Sanjay, and you've opened my eyes to that. The cases could stay static or even rise a little bit, but hospitalizations could continue to drop, which means that the vaccinations are working. Hospitalizations continue to drop because the vaccinations are working. People aren't getting as sick is what that would mean. Thanks so much for being with us today.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Texas governor Greg Abbott is lifting the statewide mask mandate tomorrow. New cases have declined over the past month, but the end of mask mandates has health officials and law enforcement officials concerned.

Joining us now is Chief Art Acevedo of the Houston Police Department. Chief, thanks so much for being here. Great to see you. OK, so what's your biggest concern? How does the lifting of the mask mandate make your job harder starting tomorrow?

ART ACEVEDO, CHIEF HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, because we know the masks have become a political issue in our country, and unfortunately, it's become a very divisive issue in our country. And what's going to happen is that in this state, businesses have property rights. And so, no mask, no service means you can't be in that business. And I can assure you that we're going to start seeing our calls for service and conflict go up, conflict that can be avoided simply by continuing to follow the science and being patient. We're almost to that finish line, and I think this is a step in the wrong direction.

CAMEROTA: Can you just explain what that's going to look like starting tomorrow? So if a business says all patrons need to wear a mask, that's the business's rule, but a customer doesn't want to, what makes the police get involved?

ACEVEDO: In Texas, we have very strong property rights. And so if a person does not want to wear the mask and refuses to wear the mask and refuses to leave, they're committing what's called criminal trespassing. And what will happen here in Texas is law enforcement will be called and they will either be arrested for criminal trespass, or they will be given a criminal trespass warning which means they can't even come back to that business for a year.

And so we're hopeful that most Americans and most Texans are people that are good people, good-hearted people, care about their neighbors, care about their friends, and the majority will actually follow the rules. But unfortunately, we're going to have some folks that won't, and I can see the conflict coming, and the cops will be stuck in the middle just like we always are.

[08:10:06]

CAMEROTA: So clearly, you're hoping for the best but you're bracing for that possibility, and you're talking to your officers about how to handle a situation like that?

ACEVEDO: We had to put out enforcement guidelines. We've always had the mindset that we'd rather use honey than vinegar, look for voluntary compliance. But we've already seen here in this city an individual at a bar, an employee have a glass broken over his head simply for asking someone to wear the mask. And so we have another restaurant where the owner is calling me where they're talking about calling ICE on their employees because they've chosen to follow the science and keep their customers healthy.

And so the conflict is coming. It was avoidable. This was unnecessary, and unfortunately, something else that will be on our plate moving forward.

CAMEROTA: How about these mask-off parties. There's already been announcements, posters have gone out. Here's one. Flyers for these big parties in Houston. At some of these they've had to be cancelled once word got out. But why -- do you have any idea why people feel so angry about wearing a mask? How is wearing a mask a big restriction to your lifestyle?

ACEVEDO: Because there's some people that are more interested in their own individual rights than the health and safety of their family members, their friends, their neighbors, and the first responders. Here in Houston, we've lost three members of our department to COVID. We've lost four firefighters to COVID, and we've lost a lot of friends and relatives to COVID.

And so like I said in a tweet not too long ago when this was announced, it will give an opportunity for Texans to see who cares about others and who cares about self. It will be telling about the character of the people we live with, we work with, and the people that reside in our state. And so let's see who amongst us cares and who amongst us doesn't. And I look forward to actually helping our community keep the peace. But again, we're going to see people die. We're going to see the trajectory going the wrong direction because our governor was more interested in political theater than in actually doing the right thing for the right reasons.

CAMEROTA: In terms of the categories of who cares about others and who doesn't, where do you put Governor Abbott?

ACEVEDO: I think he cares about his poll numbers, and the extreme to the right has a real problem with masks. And quite frankly, he's going to continue to wear his mask, is my understanding, because he understands the risk to his own health, and so if it's good enough for him to wear a mask, I'm not sure why he doesn't care enough about the rest of Texans to continue to follow the science.

CAMEROTA: Chief Art Acevedo, we really appreciate you talking to us. We'll see what happens in Texas over the next weeks.

We want to remember now some of the nearly 526,000 Americans lost to coronavirus. Richard Ortega loved the supermarket where he worked in San Antonio so much, he said it was like his second family. He was there 38 years, long enough for three of his family members, of his real family, to start working there, and he was just 55-years-old.

Helen (ph) Etu (ph) was just 20 years old. A senior at the University of North Texas, she aimed to become a pediatrician. Her brother says she loved kids and just wanted to help. On the opening night in the Metropolitan Opera's latest production of "Porgy and Bess" bass baritone Antoine Hodges wrote on Facebook it never mattered to me whether I was a principal artist or ensemble member as long as I got to do it. He sang all over the country. One conductor told "The New York Times" she was struck by his ability to act as he sang. He was only 38-years-old.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, we're still waiting on final passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.

Joining us now, the assistant speaker of the House, Democratic Congresswoman Katherine Clark of Massachusetts.

Thank you so much for being with us.

What can you tell us about the timing of the final vote?

REP. KATHERINE CLARK (D-MA): Good morning, John.

We are very excited that this bill will pass imminently. If not today, it will be scheduled for a vote tomorrow. And this really is an exciting time because it is a source of optimism for the American people who have faced such loss and challenge that help is on the way. This is going to be a lifeline for families at home in my district and across the country.

BERMAN: So maybe today but more likely tomorrow morning at this point?

CLARK: It's really just a matter of paperwork, but we are going to have a vote as soon as we can because we know what's at stake.

We know that families are waiting to see if they're going to continue to collect unemployment. If they're going to be able to feed their families, keep a roof over their head, access the vaccinations. BERMAN: Right.

CLARK: All of this in that bill.

BERMAN: Let me ask then how you would explain in 30 seconds or less to an average citizen of the commonwealth how their life will be affected by the passage of this bill. What will change for them? You know, middle income person from Malden?

CLARK: I would say let's look around your kitchen table and see the changes you need. Because what I hear from my constituents is they are unable to put food on that table to feed their families. They need their schools reopened.

This bill is going to help do that safely. Child care has been destabilized. It is a foundation for rebuilding our economy. And making sure women who have been hit so hard in this recession can get back to work. That is in this bill, a $40 billion investment.

It's going to say to children, we are going to be able to lift children, half of the children in this country out of poverty with this bill. This is big, powerful stuff. These are solutions the American people hunger for.

And it is a moment where we are going to be able to say to them, we understand. We see the suffering they have had, but this is a chance for us to send you a lifeline.

[08:20:03]

And not only for the immediate, to make sure you get those vaccines --

BERMAN: Right.

CLARK: -- you continue to have testing available, but for building a stronger and more inclusive economy.

BERMAN: And it looks like, as of now, it will pass without a single Republican vote. And that's on Republicans to explain why they couldn't support this one, but they supported the last COVID relief bills. They can't support something that 60 percent of Americans or more support.

But I do want to ask you something about the idea of bipartisanship well, because I'm a good Mass-hole (ph). I read "Boston Magazine" and they did a profile of you in there.

You talk about Markwayne Mullin, a Republican congressman from Oklahoma whom you worked with in the past on opioid legislation and other things. He was one of the members on the Republican side who voted to overturn the election and all that.

And you say, quote, I don't know if I can work with him again. You have to believe upholding the Constitution. And what I saw of his behavior fundamentally changed the way I view him.

He did some other things that you disapprove of as well in those days.

But given you feel that way, you're not sure you can work with him again, what can Americans expect, reasonably, in the way of bipartisanship going forward?

CLARK: Well, I think what we are seeing now is a time of great divide and we will continue to find those issues we can work on together. But I don't want to brush by what you just said.

Think about this: Not a single Republican voted to expand vaccination programs. Not a single Republican voted to fund the safe reopening of our schools, voted to extend unemployment benefits, voted to offer a lifeline to small businesses and restaurants in our communities.

Not a single one voted to expand our food program so kids don't go to bed hungry, to put in tax credits that can lift kids out of poverty and give families a new chance in our economy. That is stunning.

And while the Republicans are trying to figure out what they stand for, who they are going to be, I can tell you that we are committed to meeting this moment of historic challenge with historic progress. That's --

BERMAN: Let me ask you quickly about -- one more moment.

(CROSSTALK)

CLARK: -- this week.

BERMAN: One more moment the country is facing today. And that's a rising number of unaccompanied children at the border, and being held, and running out of resources, it seems, to house them.

How would you assess your level of concern now? How would you assess the Biden administration's response to this?

Jen Psaki talking just moments ago, acknowledging that this is a real challenge.

CLARK: It is a real challenge. And I am grateful to be able to work on these challenges with the Biden administration that has already demonstrated that they understand our immigration system is broken.

And the way we fix it is we do it with compassion. We do it in a comprehensive way. And we put resources into it, so that we build a system where people can come to this country and make a case on why they need to access the incredible opportunity of the United States of America. And that we do not go back to policies that we just had for four years where we lead with just saying the worst things about immigrants, portraying them in a very unfair and discriminatory way and building policies that purposefully separate.

But this is a real challenge. And I stand with the Biden administration that they are looking at this and not blinking, and understanding that there are factors here, kids in the care and custody of the United States. And that we have to do better. But I've been to the border several times over the last four years.

And there are real challenges there, but I am so proud to have a White House that now understands that we can meet those challenges. We can get to the root cause. We can treat people humanely, and we can rebuild an immigration system that works for everyone.

BERMAN: Representative Katherine Clark, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Appreciate it.

CLARK: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: So, just moment, Prince Charles appeared in public, and he was asked for his response to the stunning interview with his son and Meghan Markle. What did he have to say? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:28:46]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Still no response this morning from Buckingham Palace to the bombshell claims of racism and emotional neglect made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

This morning, Prince Charles just made his first public appearance since this interview went public. A reporter did ask him about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Can I ask what did you think of the interview?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: No response.

Joining us now is Heather McGhee. She is the author of "The Sum of Us: Why Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together".

Heather, great to have you here.

HEATHER MCGHEE, AUTHOR, "THE SUM OF US": Great to be here.

CAMEROTA: So I want to start with Harry and Meghan because I remember when they got engaged and there was all of this optimism and all of this talk that they were this very sort of quintessentially modern couple and they were going to be able to usher the monarchy into, you know, the 21st century. How do you think it all fell apart so quickly?

MCGHEE: When I look at the story of Harry and Meghan, I see something that I write about in my book, which is the cost of racism to people beyond just the targets, right? This was absolutely an opportunity for a British crown who -- which was instrumental in the transatlantic slave trade which wealth was built on colonialism in Africa.