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Oath Keeper Charged in Riot; New York Lawmakers Launch Impeachment Investigation; Unaccompanied Migrant Children in U.S. Custody; Vaccine Hesitancy May Delay Goals; Duke's Basketball Season is Over. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 12, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: At the U.S. Capitol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think the president was responsible for what happened on the 6th?

CHRISTOPHER MILLER, FORMER ACTING SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't know, but it seems cause and effect, yes. The question is, would anybody have marched on the Capitol and overrun the Capitol without the president's speech? I think it's pretty much definitive it wouldn't have happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: CNN's Whitney Wild is live in Washington with more.

Hi, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, he's saying out loud what so many members of the Republican Party seem reluctant to say, which is the president caused this insurrection at the Capitol.

There's also news out today from a filing that happened yesterday, a court appearance that happened yesterday, involving a man named Joshua James. He is an Oath Keeper. He is charged in this Capitol riot case. He is also, according to an FBI agent, a member of Roger Stone's security detail the day before the riot. The FBI agent testifying in court yesterday that he reviewed video that showed Joshua James was a driver for Roger Stone for an event the day before the insurrection.

Alisyn, this is so significant because we know that there are more and more solidified ties between this group, the Oath Keepers, and Roger Stone. The question is, is that going to prove problematic because, Alisyn, there are around a dozen Oath Keepers who have been charged in this case. Several of them have been charged with planning the attack ahead of time.

However, Roger Stone says he had no knowledge that there was an attack -- you know, any planning going on. He didn't know that there was an attack that was going to happen. He has basically said, look, he was using the Oath Keepers as security because he was receiving death threats. Joshua James, his lawyers say that he is not guilty, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: I guess it depends on how much stock you put into what Roger Stone says at this point.

Whitney, thank you very much for all of that reporting.

So the number of unaccompanied children in the U.S. -- in U.S. custody is up by nearly 1,000 in just the last week. CNN's latest reporting on the surge at the border and what's being done, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:02]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the majority of New York state legislators now calling on Andrew Cuomo, the governor, to resign amid a growing number of sexual harassment allegations. The state assembly has now launched its first impeachment effort in more than a century.

Joining us now is Jesse McKinley. He is the Albany bureau chief for "The New York Times." He's been at the forefront of this story, breaking many different aspects of it.

What's new this morning, politically, is there is now an official investigation inside the legislature. What is this change, why did it happen and what does it mean?

JESSE MCKINLEY, ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, certainly it means that the governor now are facing a double-barreled investigation, both from the state legislature, as well as from Tish James, the state attorney general, who formally launched her investigation a couple of weeks ago in the wake of some of our coverage in "The Times."

Obviously, this is concerning for the governor because of the scope of what the -- both the attorney general and the legislature can do. Both are armed with subpoena power. Both can compel witness testimony. Both can draw down documents. And with kind of a growing roster of allegations, now six women saying that the governor has acted inappropriately, that could be a wide spanning investigation on both fronts.

CAMEROTA: CNN hasn't been able to confirm that number of accusers. We know that this -- things are changing every day. But is this an official impeachment inquiry, and what's that going to look like over the next weeks, months? How long will this take?

MCKINLEY: They are promising that it will be expeditious, which, of course, is a big word, which means speedy. But, you know, oftentimes legislatures' definition of speed is different than your or I's. But there is great pressure inside the halls of power of Albany to get things done quickly, to get answers quickly. I think that similar kind of urgency is being felt inside the state attorney's office. So one would expect that, you know, subpoenas will probably start to be issued pretty quickly, witnesses will be interviewed, and these things will move along at a clip.

BERMAN: To Alisyn's question, though, is this an actual impeachment investigation, is that something we can call it, an impeachment investigation inside the legislature?

MCKINLEY: It's a delicacy of language. It is an investigation with an eye towards impeachment, but it is not a formal impeachment proceeding, so to speak. So the investigation from the legislature will look into not only the sexual harassment allegations, but potentially the nursing home issue, which predates it, and, once again, look at the evidence and see if there are grounds for impeachment.

BERMAN: We also said in the lead-in, there are a majority of legislators now calling on the government to resign. I think that's also nuanced, too, because that includes probably many Republicans. The important number to look at is Democrats. And I understand by your counting and others, 40 percent, roughly, of Democrats are now calling on some level of the governor to get out of office right now. How significant is that?

MCKINLEY: Well, the critical element, John, is the assembly where they are not near the number 76. Now, 76 is how many Democrats you would need in the assembly to say, yes, we should impeach the governor, and they're not near that yet. I think the last number is in the 40 range, something like that.

But the senate itself, the leader there, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, has said that the governor should resign. So, really, the assembly's issues, the assembly's investigation is really the governor's last bulwark, is the place where the battle is going to be fought at this point.

CAMEROTA: On Wednesday Governor Cuomo put out a statement in response to reporting from "The Times Union," that, again, we've not been able to corroborate, but here is his statement. As I said yesterday, I've never done anything like this. The details of the report are gut- wrenching. I'm not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general's report.

And so where are we? I mean how much business, state business, can the governor continue to conduct with all of this swirling around?

[06:40:03]

MCKINLEY: Look, the governor continues to insist that he's doing his job, that he's focused on his job, that he will not be distracted by this, that he wants to wait, obviously, for these investigations to conclude. But it is inevitable that, you know, with this level of accusation, with this level of political pressure, the governor is probably both looking over his shoulder and checking his phone to see which way the winds are blowing.

Now, keep in mind, he is -- he has denied these allegations. By and large he has said that some of his statements were misconstrued or mischaracterized and he's pleading with the patient -- with people for patience to see where the investigations lead.

But, obviously, this must be a distraction up at the mansion.

BERMAN: Yes, in military terms, he's trying to trade space for time. He has bought a certain amount of time, there's no question about that, but the enemy here for him, you know, each time a new story comes out, that gets in the way of the time. I mean that's what -- that's what he's got to be most concerned about, I imagine, is more women coming forward.

MCKINLEY: Certainly. And there's, obviously, chatter out in the universe right now that other allegations could potentially be in the offing. But as you mentioned, John, you know, the one silver lining of an investigation being launched in the assembly is that it does give him a little bit of breathing room, a little bit of time to kind of, you know, say, well, the investigations are playing out and hopefully, you know, continue to address them as they come up, if they come up, and see where this all leads. So.

CAMEROTA: Jesse McKinley, we always appreciate you sharing your reporting with us. Thank you very much.

MCKINLEY: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: President Biden is aiming for July 4th for the country to begin returning to normal, but could vaccine hesitancy up-end that date? We have the report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:35]

BERMAN: This morning, the number of unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of U.S. Health and Human Services, it soared to more than 8,800. There is an increase of nearly 1,000 in just the last week.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who does terrific reporting on this and really understands all the ins and outs is with us to tell us what this all means.

Priscilla.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN IMMIGRATION REPORTER: John, this increase tells us that the Department of Health and Human Services is gradually absorbing the number of children crossing the U.S./Mexico border alone.

Now, this is a positive development because these children should be in HHS custody, not in Border Patrol custody, where they are -- have been spending prolonged periods of time in facilities that are not suited for them.

Now, remember, Border Patrol is the first line. They encounter these children and they are then supposed to be transferred to HHS, which runs a shelter network for them. But the problem the administration is facing here is they just can't keep up with the number of children that are crossing. And we should note, John, that what is happening here is children, and in some cases families crossing the border are turning themselves over to Border Patrol. CBP posted photos of this overnight. This is very similar to 2019 during that border crisis. They are turning themselves over to Border Patrol often seeking asylum.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Priscilla, thank you very much for staying on this story. Obviously, we need to check in with it every single hour.

Meanwhile, the United States now administering an average of 2.2 million coronavirus vaccine dose as day, but a significant portion of the population is still hesitant to get the shot, particularly among Republicans.

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us now.

Miguel, what are you finding out?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, the hope is, is that the country will get to the herd immunity point by this summer. But if enough people do not get the shot, not just the anti-vaxers but enough people across a very broad stretch of the -- of the population, it could push back the dates that the country hits herd immunity or we may not get there at all for quite some time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (voice over): As coronavirus vaccinations pick up steam, some aren't convinced it's safe. Enough of them could make it tougher to get back to pre-pandemic life.

JENNA PEDONE, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT/WON'T GET CORONAVIRUS VACCINE: I think that people should be allowed to choose, have medical freedom.

MARQUEZ: Jenna Pedone, a pharmacist, says she takes coronavirus seriously, isn't opposed to vaccines, but thinks getting one for COVID-19 is a matter of individual choice.

PEDONE: It doesn't matter what Trump did. It doesn't matter what Biden's doing. What matters is, do I get the choice to say what's good for me?

MARQUEZ: Nursing assistant and mom of three, Seouquia Downs, her youngest only five weeks old, says she won't get the coronavirus vaccine because she does not believe the virus is a threat to her.

SEOUQUIA DOWNS, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT/WON'T GET CORONAVIRUS VACCINE: I feel like I would be able to get -- if I was to get sick, I'd get natural immunity to it and I would be, you know, it wouldn't be as detrimental to me as someone else.

MARQUEZ: Both Downs and Pedone says they support a bill making its way through the New Hampshire statehouse barring punishment against those who refuse any coronavirus vaccine. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We introduced House Bill 220, which is Medical

Freedom Act.

MARQUEZ: The granite state's one of ten says the National Council of State Legislators currently considering legislation allowing citizens to opt out of vaccinations, protect them from being punished for not getting it or prohibit certain institutions from requiring them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state should never mandate to the 1.3 million citizens of New Hampshire some sort of medical intervention that they all have to have.

MARQUEZ: Lang (ph) expects the bill to pass with bipartisan support after amending it to allow several exceptions, like school vaccinations and some law enforcement medical emergencies.

MARQUEZ (on camera): Is there any concern that we will not get to that herd immunity?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually do not think this bill will change the vaccination rate. We don't have mandatory vaccines right now and people are still getting vaccinated.

MARQUEZ (voice over): When it comes to hesitancy about getting the coronavirus vaccine, polls show a higher degree of skepticism among Republicans. In a new CNN poll, 46 percent of Republicans nationwide said they would not try to get the vaccine.

Here in New Hampshire, 45 percent of Republicans said they almost certainly or probably would not get vaccinated. This after former President Trump's drumbeat of statements playing down the seriousness of the pandemic.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Having a vaccine is good but we're rounding the turn regardless, we're rounding the turn.

[06:50:02]

MARQUEZ: Even neglecting to announce he and former first lady, Melania Trump, got vaccinated before leaving the White House.

To combat vaccine hesitancy, all the former presidents, and first ladies, except the Trump's, releasing a PSA encouraging people to get vaccinated.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: So roll up your sleeve and do your part.

MARQUEZ: While the medical experts warn about the consequences of not enough Americans getting the vaccine.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT: We anticipate -- and, again, it's purely a speculation -- that the herd immunity level will be about 70 percent to 85 percent. If a significant number of people do not get vaccinated, that would delay where we would get to that end point. MARQUEZ: The end point, enough people getting vaccinated to allow life

to get back to something like normal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, here's what researchers and pollsters say is one possible bright spot. As vaccinations get more common, as they're easier to get, as society starts to open back up again, you may see more Republicans, and as the politics on this, the heat on the politics goes down, you may more -- see more Republicans willing to get the shot and that herd immunity may come sooner than we all think. Let's hope.

Back to you guys.

BERMAN: Let's hope. I mean the fact that this is political is dumb. D- u-m, dumb, Miguel. And I have to say, there's irony in the fact that the former president wants credit for helping to develop the vaccine but hasn't lifted a finger to get more people vaccinated to promote it.

Miguel Marquez in Concord, New Hampshire, great to have you with us.

So a huge development in college basketball. Duke drops out of the ACC men's tournament. Their season now over. What's going on here? Details on the "Bleacher Report," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:21]

CAMEROTA: Duke's basketball season is over following a positive coronavirus case.

Coy Wire has more in the "Bleacher Report."

So what's happening, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning to you, Alisyn.

The Blue Devils, they need to make a deep run into the ACT (ph) tournament to have any sort of shot at extending their 24 consecutive season March Madness appearances. Instead, the team had to pull out of last night's game against Florida State due to a positive COVID-19 test within the program. Duke's athletic director says that before this there had been no positive tests all season for a player or a coach. More than 100 Duke students tested positive within the past week.

Let's go to New York's Madison Square Garden now for the Big East tournament. Top seed Villanova out after being upset by Georgetown, coached by former Hoya and Knicks star Patrick Ewing. Despite being the all-time leading scorer for the pro team that plays in that arena, Ewing's upset that security didn't seem to know who he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK EWING, GEORGETOWN HEAD COACH: I thought this was my building. And I feel terrible that I'm getting stopped, accosted, asking for passes. Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am. And I'm getting stopped. I can't move around this building. Like -- I was like, what the hell, is this Madison Square Garden? I'm going to have to call Mr. Dolan and say, gee, is my number in the rafters or what?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Now the daughter of Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes isn't even a month old yet, Alisyn, she's already catching the eyes of colleges. Sterling Skye got an offer to play soccer at Texas Tech, dad's alma mater, in the year 2039. Yes, 2039. She was born February 20th, 3 weeks old. Mom, Mahomes' fiance, Brittany Matthews, is all for the idea. She liked the tweet. Now, mom played soccer in college and briefly as a pro in Iceland, Alisyn, dad's, of course, a Super Bowl winning league MVP. So there is a strong chance young Sterling Skye will be a heck of an athlete some day.

CAMEROTA: They're just a bet on genes. They're just going to go with nature over nurture right then and there as an infant.

WIRE: You've got it.

CAMEROTA: All right, Coy, thank you very much.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not relent until we beat this virus, but I need every American to do their part.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just over 19 percent of the population having received at least one dose and one in ten fully vaccinated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is coming at us at the very same time we're opening up America as if there's nothing else happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The science and the data very clear that the single most important thing we can all be doing at this point is wearing masks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we really don't want to see is another surge right now as people are starting to ease restrictions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And we have dates, circle them, on the calendar, May 1st for every adult American to sign up for a vaccine, July 4th to get back to a kind of normal. We have dates. This was a key part of President Biden's first prime time White House address in which he implored the American people to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I promise I will do everything in my power. I will not relent until we beat this virus. But I need you, the American people. I need you. I need every American to do their part. And that's not hyperbole. I need you. I need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn and when you can find an opportunity. And to help your family, your friends, your neighbors, get vaccinated as well.

[06:59:59]

Because here's the point, if we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th there's a good.