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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Biden Addresses U.S. Tonight on Newly-Passed COVID Relief Bill; 3,400+ Unaccompanied Kids in CBP Facilities More Than Four Days; Merrick Garland to be Sworn In As Attorney General Today. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired March 11, 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: President Biden's first primetime address is tonight. New details on how he plans to sell his American Rescue Plan a year to the day since the pandemic began.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A record surge of children at the southern border. New information overnight on where the children could be sent.
JARRETT: And later today, Merrick Garland will finally be sworn in as attorney general. He's got a full plate on day one.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: Good morning, Laura. Good morning, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, March 11th. It is 5:00 a.m. exactly in New York.
President Biden gives his first primetime address to the nation tonight. His COVID relief bill, the American Rescue Plan, becomes law when he signs it tomorrow. He calls the measure a historic victory for the American people. There are stimulus checks, unemployment help, tax credits to lift children out of poverty, money for schools, states and local governments, support for restaurants and small business.
JARRETT: And there's more. Help with rent, money for vaccines, internet for kids stuck with remote learning.
Bottom line: a lot of help for the poorest Americans. Biden is now armed with his first major legislative achievement. CNN also has new information about what we will hear from the president tonight.
Our congressional reporter Daniella Diaz is live on Capitol Hill for us.
Good morning, Daniella. So much in this bill, and now, the president taking his message on the road.
DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: That's exactly right, Laura. President Biden is going to talk to Americans directly tonight in the
primetime address marking the one year anniversary since the COVID-19 shutdown. He is going to speak with Americans and level with them. He's going to tell them he understands the sacrifices they've been through. He's going to speak about the 500,000 Americans that have died and the millions of Americans whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.
He's going to speak about how this pandemic has been the greatest operational challenge the country has ever faced and he's going to lay out the next steps that his administration is going to take to try to defeat the virus. He's going to tout the vaccine distribution his administration has done, and level with Americans and be honest with them about what they need to do to defeat this virus. He's going to try to provide a hopeful vision.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going on to primetime and address the American people and talk about what we've been through as a nation this past year. But more importantly, I'm going to talk about what comes next. I'm going to launch the next phase of the COVID response and explain what we will do as a government and what we will ask of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: So, as you heard there from President Joe Biden, that's what he plans to announce tonight in the speech he will make directly to the Americans.
Now, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that they are full speed ahead in implementing the massive $1.9 trillion COVID legislation that is sitting on Biden's desk right now. Biden plans to appoint someone who will work full time in implementing this legislation in this country. He's using the 2009 stimulus as a cautionary tale.
He has suggested that he felt Obama didn't a good enough job promoting his stimulus package to Americans, and Biden plans to do just that with his legislative priority which is this COVID-19 legislation. He plans to meet Americans directly and promote this legislation.
JARRETT: Yeah, passing it was one hurdle, but implementing it is whole another for so many agencies who now have a lot of hard work to do.
Daniella, thank you so much. See you back in a little bit.
ROMANS: Yeah, implementation will be the next part of the story after the signature from this president. And for airline workers, this law means thousands of them can rip up their pink slips. American Airlines and United Airlines canceled 27,000 furloughs after the American Rescue Plan was passed and payroll funding was extended. The bill also puts Amtrak's finances back on track for now. The
struggling railroad said it secured $1.7 billion in funding and was going to bring back furloughed workers.
The relief bill has critical funding for small business. There's another $7.25 billion for the paycheck protection program, making for capable loans available. The loans will be forgiven if 60 percent of the money is used for payroll and the rest for mortgage, utilities, PPE or other expenses.
But the program wasn't extended and is still set to expire March 31st. Now, banks have to decide how long they want to accept new applications.
[05:05:02]
Also included, $10 billion to help states assist their small business economies. There's $15 billion for businesses in underserved areas, 29 billion to create a grant program giving direct relief to restaurants. That is key.
Another 15 billion for venue operators and additional funding for Small Business Administration.
JARRETT: Now to the situation at the southern border, which is growing worse by the day. The Biden administration is now considering a vacant NASA site in California as temporary housing for thousands of unaccompanied migrant children. More than 3,400 children were in the custody of Customs and Border Protection as of Tuesday, staying in places that are simply not equipped for kids.
Just for comparison here, at the peak of border crossings back in 2019, there were around 2,600 children in custody. So, a real uptick here.
Here is President Biden's coordinator for the southern border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB. ROBERTA JACOBSON, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S COORDINATOR FOR THE SOUTHERN BORDER: We've seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope and there was a significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of, you know, pent-up demand. So, I don't know whether I would call that a coincidence, but I certainly that the idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make the trip. We're relying on every means we can to get that message out. And that leads me to reiterate as I did before, (SPEAKING SPANISH).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Translation, the border is closed.
Officers encountered more than 100,000 migrants at the U.S./Mexico border in February, up sharply from recent months. Now, most adults are still turned under rules from the former administration. But under the Biden administration, unaccompanied children can remain in the U.S.
JARRETT: Merrick Garland will be sworn in as attorney general today after a Senate confirmation of a huge margin, 70-30. Now comes the hard part, he'll try to heal a work force that's been demoralized during the Trump era and deliver on President Biden's progressive priorities like policing reform. He'll also oversee some of the most high profile investigations in a generation, including the Capitol Hill riot and the hunt for a man police believe planted pipe bombs near Democratic and Republican headquarters the night before the insurrection.
ROMANS: Two other cabinet nominees also confirmed by the Senate. Democratic Congresswoman Marcia Fudge of Ohio will be the next secretary of Housing and Urban Development, adding another African- American woman to the cabinet ranks.
The new EPA chief is Michael Regan. He becomes the first black man to lead the agency in its half century of existence.
JARRETT: The Biden administration pledging to prioritize and diversify judicial nominations. Democrats are flooding the White House with names trying to capitalize on the slim Democratic majority in the Senate and rebalance the courts, as former President Trump put more than 200 judges on the federal bench his time in office. Right now, there are 69 vacant spots and 27 others that will soon open up as judges have announced their intent to retire.
The White House is keeping an eye on the seat of Justice Steven Breyer should he decide to step town and give President Biden a Supreme Court pick.
ROMANS: All right. She was killed fighting for endangered democracy in Myanmar. CNN looks at a young woman who has become a symbol of the resistance there.
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[05:12:47]
ROMANS: This morning, alarm over the treatment of detainees in Myanmar following that military coup. For the second time this week, an official from ousted leader Aung Suu Kyi's party has died in custody after a watch dog group says he was tortured. Security forces have moved quickly to stifle dissent there, since the military seized power last month. One of the latest victims, a 19-year-old girl has been the symbol of a fight of a vanishing democracy.
CNN's Ivan Watson has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She called herself Angel. Only 19 years old, Angel, real name Ma Kyal Sin, was a small but fierce presence of protests against the military coup that swept Myanmar's elected government from power on February 1st.
MA KYAL SIN: Yes, I am afraid, but for our freedom, we will fight.
WATSON: She challenged the security forces.
But Angel's defiance came to a sudden end when she was shot dead during a protest in the city of Mandalay on March 3rd.
The young woman in the "everything will be okay" t-shirt became a symbol of Myanmar's deadly fight for democracy.
Before the coup, Angel behaved like many other teenagers, making TikTok videos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): She liked to live free. She was a goodhearted girl.
WATSON: Angel's friend (INAUDIBLE) hides his face for safety. You can hear him here ducking to cover at her side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was ready to risk her life, way before that day.
WATSON: Several days earlier, Angel posted this message on Facebook, offering to donate her blood and organs to anyone who might need them.
Using activist videos and eyewitness accounts, CNN restructured Angel's final moments around noon March 3 as demonstrators faced off against security forces.
Angel cheered on the protestors, chanting, "We won't run."
[05:15:03]
Around 12:30, activist videos show Angel and the other protestors retreating amid the sound of gunshots.
This was the moment activists say that she was hit. They raced her on a motorcycle to a makeshift clinic where this doctor who doesn't want to be identified pronounced her dead on arrival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The primary cause of death was a brain injury caused by a gunshot wound.
WATSON: The doctor gave us the X-ray showing the bullet that killed Angel.
Scores of people attended her funeral. But only hours later, Myanmar police dug up Angel's body to conduct an autopsy they said. The next morning, bystanders found shovels, a bloody glove and razors which police apparently left behind at the grave.
Police claim the bullet that killed Angel is different from the kind of riot control bullets their officers use. Police insist that they used minimum force to disperse the protestors on March 3rd. It is unknown who fired the bullet that killed Angel.
Friends are now calling her a martyr for democracy. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: What a story. Ivan, thank you for bringing that to us this morning.
Sixteen minutes past the hour. New guidelines for nursing homes could mean a lot more visitors everyone if you are not vaccinated.
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[05:21:05]
ROMANS: Another sign of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, new federal recommendations for nursing homes. They allow for indoor visitation regardless of vaccination status. Nursing homes received vaccines first and the results have been overwhelmingly effective. More schools are preparing to open as coronavirus cases drop and vaccinations rise. Students have been dealing with these challenges of isolation and screen time fatigue.
In Missouri, some students are urging schools to address the mental health aspect of this pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you have nothing to do and you are just stuck, you feel almost alone all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could barely get up, probably have like six mental breakdowns a day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't really give us any resources to like for mental health. They are just like, hey, social distance, save live, whatever, but they are not saying hey, you know, this is a really tough time for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: It's an important message there.
The good news, the daily average of new cases, well, it's now at its lowest since October 15th. Hospitalizations also at their lowest since the end of October. And fell by half in the last month alone.
Still all these variants are the reason to stay vigilant. New York City health officials say two variants believed to be more infectious make up more than half of new cases.
ROMANS: Be vigilant.
All right. Today marks one year since the NBA suspended its season due to the pandemic. And reshaping the world of sports, Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report."
What a year, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, good morning, Christine.
I think a lot of people remember the night of March 11th very well. That was the night that everything changed. The Jazz and the Thunder were getting ready to tipoff when they learned that Utah center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA called off that game and then suspended the season indefinitely.
The NCAA tournament was soon canceled. All sports was put on hold.
For Gobert, it was a tough time. You know, he had mockingly touched reporter's mics during a press conference, and then unknowingly exposed his teammates to the virus. But Gobert says that he learned from that whole experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GOBERT, UTAH JAZZ CENTER: Went through tough time, you know, it makes you grow. And everything you go through in life, I think that it makes you or breaks you. You can grow from it. And this is what life is about.
DONOVAN MITCHELL, UTAH JAZZ: And not just the NBA and sports, but within the world. I think that the biggest thing, this is just of year of kind of when you sit in quarantine and you sit in your room for as many days as we did, I think that there was a lot of time to reflect on a lot of different things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: NBA commissioner Adam Silver is encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the league has produced a number of public service advertisements to raise awareness.
Lakers star LeBron James though over the weekend wouldn't say whether he planned to get vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, LAKERS STAR: That is a conversation that my family and I will have. You know, pretty much probably keep that to a private thing. That is a conversation between you and your family, and not for -- not for everybody. So I'll keep it that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. Big dance just a week away and the NCAA senior VP of basketball says as long as a team has five healthy player, they will be allowed to play in the tournament. He did not say what would happen if the team didn't have a coach. The field of 68 in Indiana will be announced on Sunday.
Texas Rangers meanwhile plan to open their home schedule in front of a full crowd of more than 40,000 fans. A team spokesperson told CNN that they will sell all ticketed seats for their game versus the Blue Jays on April 5th. And the team then plans to scale back attendance and use socially distanced sections after the home opener.
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Fans will be required to wear masks except when actively eating or drinking at their seats. But, Laura, we talked about how this is the one year anniversary of sports completely changing, come April 5th, the Texas Rangers could be the first team in the U.S. to have a full stadium since the pandemic started.
JARRETT: I don't understand the scaling back of it. If you're going to do 100 percent capacity, the damage is going to be done when you do that. But I guess we'll wait and see what they do with that.
Andy, thank you as always. Appreciate it.
SCHOLES: All right.
JARRETT: All right. President Biden hitting the road to sell his pandemic relief package. It starts tonight in primetime. And will hit every corner of the country in the weeks ahead.
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