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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Spring Break Could Trigger New Surge, Even As Vaccinations Rise; More Than 4,000 Unaccompanied Migrant Children In CBP Custody; U.S. Proposes Power-Sharing Deal Between Afghan Government And Taliban. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired March 15, 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]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Monday -- Monday morning. I'm Christine Romans. It is 29 minutes past the hour on this day, the Ides of March.

And this morning, more shots in arms than ever before. One in five Americans have now received at least one dose of COVID vaccine. Of the four largest single-day increases in doses administered, three have been in the last three days. But many still can't get the vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: I think there are two separate issues. I think we have often looked at the fact that Black Americans have been getting vaccinated at lower numbers and said this is a hesitancy issue. It's not a hesitancy issue, it's an access issue. We are not providing access to vaccines in the Black community at the same rate as in white communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Then there's the problem of who won't get the vaccine -- Republicans -- especially men. Recent polling shows as many as half of people say they wouldn't -- they would decline the vaccine. So, Dr. Anthony Fauci says former President Trump needs to speak up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: He's a very widely-popular person among Republicans. If he came out and said go and get vaccinated, it's really important for your health, the health of your family, and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) JARRETT: Remember, the former president got his vaccine -- he did it in secret -- and then he didn't join the four other former presidents for a PSA urging Americans to get theirs.

ROMANS: An official says the Biden administration is on the cusp of launching a national education campaign timed with the increase in vaccine supply. But now there is a risk of backslide with spring break -- you can see it there -- wow, St. Patrick's Day, Miami Beach filled with people and not a lot of masks.

CNN has reporters covering the pandemic from coast-to-coast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Natasha Chen in Miami Beach, Florida where signs everywhere say vacation responsibly. But a city official tells me over the weekend about 100 people were arrested. That includes an incident on Friday night when two police officers were injured as they tried to disburse a large crowd. Now, some of these issues are typical of spring break season, but this city official says policing during a pandemic is twice as difficult.

And while the Florida governor doesn't allow local jurisdictions to fine anyone for not wearing a mask, the city does have ambassadors giving out free masks in hopes that people will wear them.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN REPORTER (on camera): I'm Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County, San Bernardino, Orange, and 10 other counties are moving from the most strict COVID-19 tier, which is purple, into the red tier.

And that means restaurants, such as Casa Vega behind me, can open up indoors at 25 percent capacity. Also opening up on unlimited basis, museums, movie theaters, and gymnasiums. And the restaurant component is rather large in California because 1.8 million workers make their living from food service or restaurant jobs.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Adrienne Broaddus.

And starting today, Minnesota is dialing back COVID-19 restrictions. Governor Tim Walz says it's becoming safer for Minnesotans to return to their regular lives.

Bars and restaurants can now operate at 75 percent capacity. Gyms, pools, and fitness centers can operate at 50 percent capacity. No requirements for barbershops and salons, but mask-wearing and social distancing is required.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Martin Savidge in Atlanta.

You could say it's a new age in Georgia, as in new eligibility age for those able to get the coronavirus vaccine. Starting today, Georgians as young as 55, potentially as young as 16 if you have certain medical conditions, are now able to get vaccinated. If you're wondering, those medical conditions include things like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity -- and that's just to name some.

This change, though, is likely to mean that millions more Georgians are now eligible and so the state has also increased the number of mass vaccination sites.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Thanks so much to all of our correspondents for those updates on the virus.

Well, President Biden will speak at the White House later today about implementing his coronavirus relief package, then he'll hit the road to answer Americans' questions about the plan.

CNN's Jasmine Wright is live at the White House for us. Jasmine, good morning. What do you expect to see from the president this week?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Laura, the president has a busy week and it is going to focus, focus, focus on implementation.

We will hear from President Biden, as you said, later on today when he talks about the implementation process.

We are hoping -- or, excuse me, waiting for him to say who he is going to pick to oversee that role. That is something that Biden held in 2009 during those stimulus rollouts under President Obama, so he knows what he is looking for. Now, media reports say that he has picked Gene Sperling, a former economic official under both Clinton and Obama. That is something that we are going to wait to see.

[05:35:12]

Before then, we're going to see President Biden -- excuse me, after then, tomorrow, we're going to see President Biden take to the country really touting his COVID relief bill.

Before tomorrow, we're going to see Vice President Harris today, really, on her first domestic trip in Las Vegas really touting -- trying to get those 100 million shots into people's arms. She's going to visit a federal mass vaccination site and a culinary union.

And then we will see President Biden and Vice President Harris all through the week really going -- crisscrossing the country to promote the bill -- right now, it's popular -- but also, to educate Americans on exactly what's inside.

JARRETT: Jasmine, we also see the president trying to get his arms around some important foreign policy matters. China, of course, tops the list. This weekend, he penned a rare op-ed with other leaders of countries that he met with virtually on Friday -- mainly, India, Australia, Japan.

What did they say?

WRIGHT: So those four leaders, formerly known as the Quad, wrote in this op-ed in "The Washington Post" that they are committing to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region. We saw them Friday for that first summit and they promised that they will continue to do things.

But I think what we can think about this is really how folks are seeing this group and what they represent. Potentially, they represent a sort of counterweight against China and what folks see as their growing alleged aggression and influence in the region.

Let's take vaccines, something that President Biden said was on the agenda on Friday. This group has committed to up to one billion vaccines by 2022 in that region. Already, right now, we know that China has been instrumental in giving out vaccines in the region to countries. So obviously, this is one of the ways this group, the Quad, is looking to cut in on that market.

And we're going to see them do other things, like on technology and climate -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right, Jasmine, thanks so much -- appreciate it.

ROMANS: All right. Now that the $1.9 trillion relief plan is the law of the land, some Americans are already seeing stimulus checks hit their bank accounts. Now, if your bank information is on file with the IRS, funds were directly deposited over the weekend. Everyone else will receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail.

Now, you might see the payment as pending in your bank account. That doesn't mean the banks are holding your money. It just takes a few days to process, they're telling us. Chase and Wells Fargo both told customers the money will be accessible as soon as Wednesday this week.

Americans can also check the status of their payment on the IRS Web site.

You know, the help can't come soon enough for millions of struggling Americans. Families can expect thousands of dollars in relief. The full $1,400 checks for people making up to $75,000 a year phases out at 80 grand.

Families also get an extra $1,400 per dependent. And unlike previous rounds, that includes adult dependents. Think an elderly parent or your college-age child. And that goes to the taxpayer, not to the kid or to the -- to grandma -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right, to immigration now and the number of migrant children in the U.S. Border Patrol custody keeps climbing, now at 4,000. Many of these children are without their parents in facilities simply not suitable for children. Now, the Biden administration is sending in FEMA to help.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez live in Washington for us this morning. Priscilla, what is FEMA's mission at the border and why is Biden sending them in now?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Laura, FEMA is going to be helping place unaccompanied children into shelters. As you mentioned, right now there are more than 4,000 in Border Patrol custody. These are facilities intended for adults, not designed to care for children.

But that is the issue the administration keeps facing here is that they're having children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border alone at accelerated paces and just not able to keep up to place them into shelters. So FEMA is being -- is going to step in here to help move that process along. And we should note, Laura, that FEMA has stepped in before in situations where there have been surges along the U.S.- Mexico border.

JARRETT: Priscilla, it seems also that the perception had been that border enforcement was going to be more humane under the Biden administration. Some of his officials you've seen talk about this. So what exactly then is going to stop people from trying to cross into the U.S.?

ALVAREZ: Look, the administration says that they are working to better the system to help -- set up a process that would help with the migration flow in the future, both here in the United States and in Latin America. But there are many factors that motivate people to come to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Remember, Latin America got hit with two major hurricanes last year. The pandemic took a great toll on their economy -- a bad toll, I should note.

And so, the issues facing the administration here is the unique circumstances of what's happening in Latin America and what's happening across the world, and having to set up processes only a month or so into the administration.

[05:40:05]

So all of that together, Laura, creating great challenges for this administration and they are working through those. But as you can see with children right now on the U.S.-Mexico border, that alone has become a big issue.

JARRETT: Yes. I think it's so important to explain why children are coming, right? You've done it so well. The poverty, the hurricanes -- there's so many issues coming together at once.

Thank you for your reporting, as always.

ALVAREZ: Thank you.

ROMANS: OK, 40 minutes past the hour.

Stacey Abrams once again taking on attempts by Republicans to restrict voting rights in Georgia. The Georgia Senate just passed a sweeping bill that would repeal no-excuse absentee voting for many people in the state. But, Abrams tells CNN the move has nothing to do with election security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS (D), FORMER GEORGIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE, FOUNDER, FAIR RIGHT: I do absolutely agree that it's racist. It is a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie. The only connection that we can find is that more people of color voted and it changed the outcome of elections in a direction that Republicans do not like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Legislatures in 43 states have introduced more than 250 bills to restrict voting access.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:25]

JARRETT: All right, 45 past the hour.

A manhunt in Chicago this morning after a mass shooting at a weekend party left two people dead and 13 wounded. Police recovered four guns at the scene in a building that was converted for a pop-up party. The victims range in age from 20 to 44.

It was a particularly violent weekend in Chicago with 38 people shot and five killed.

ROMANS: More than 28,000 people in Colorado without power this morning after a gigantic winter storm dumped record snowfall in the Rockies. Travel brought to a standstill by blizzard conditions with sustained winds over 35 miles per hour and up to four feet of snow. Cheyenne, Wyoming measured nearly 25.8 inches of snow, setting a new two-day record.

Flood watches and warnings are now in effect for Kansas and Missouri as that storm moves east.

JARRETT: People in Jackson, Mississippi may soon be able to stop boiling their water before using it. It was just a month ago a powerful winter storm knocked out the city's water supply. Tens of thousands of Jackson residents remain under a boil water advisory but that could soon end, depending on the test results of water samples being sent to the state health department today.

ROMANS: A cyberattack has shut down the Buffalo Public School System. In-person and remote learning canceled today. School officials say a full recovery might be a -- what they're calling a multi-phased process. The FBI is investigating whether any personal information may have been compromised.

JARRETT: With no good options and a ticking clock, President Biden has a plan to end America's longest war. Right now, Afghanistan is reeling from a crumbling economy, corruption, and violence. Nic Robertson joins us live from London. Nic, the Biden administration recently proposed a power-sharing agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, but does that move the U.S. any closer to an exit strategy?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: One of the reasons it seems that we know the details of this because the letter from Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, to the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was leaked to local media in Afghanistan.

It seems to be an indication that Antony Blinken was putting pressure on the Afghan president to move on the issue because the government there is seen as not following through wholeheartedly with the proposals the United States had put in place under President Trump to get a peace deal with the Taliban. And having gotten that peace deal, then to use that as leverage to get the Afghan government into talks with the Taliban.

It's not going well. The whole process has been under review. So the drawdown timeframe for the United States to pull all troops out by the first of May now appears to be something that's not possible. It's not just the 2 1/2 thousand troops that are understood to be in-country, there's another 7 1/2 thousand NATO forces there as well. At the recent NATO ministers meeting there was agreement that the United States would keep its partners informed along the process of what it was planning to do.

So at this moment, as you said, the options are not particularly good. The Taliban have not been keeping their part of the deal, which is to break links with al Qaeda to stop attacks on -- not only on U.S. forces but also stop attacks on the Afghan government forces. And there's a real concern by the Afghan government that if the U.S. does draw down troops then there will be, in essence, an open door for the Taliban to take more control of the country.

So, no good options on the table and that really seems to be the difficulty of the position of President Biden at the moment is to try to find a way forward in this. So at the moment, it's the pressure on the Afghan government, but it's not clear if that's going to work.

JARRETT: All right, Nic. Always great to get your analysis on all of this. Thank you.

ROMANS: All right, let's take a look at Monday business right now. Looking at markets around the world, Asian shares finished mixed for the first start of the trading day, and Europe has opened slightly higher.

On Wall Street, U.S. stock index futures are also leaning higher. Wall Street looking to build off last week's rally that sent the Dow to a record high. The Nasdaq, you can see though, closed lower Friday. Investors see high-flying tech stocks as pretty vulnerable when bond yields rise and inflation worries emerge. The 10-year Treasury yield hit its highest level in more than a year on Friday.

But overall, last week, investors cheered the passing of that $1.9 trillion stimulus package. And get this, Goldman Sachs now predicts it will spur eight percent economic growth this year. That's not only a huge turnaround for the pandemic, it would also mark the largest U.S. expansion in generations.

[05:50:06]

Rosalind Brewer is officially the Walgreens CEO, the only black woman to now lead a Fortune 500 company. Only one other black woman, Xerox's former CEO Ursula Burns, has ever held such a role. The former Starbucks exec takes the helm of Walgreens today, just as the retailer faces pressure to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible.

Brewer will not be the only black woman Fortune 500 chief for long. She'll be joined by incoming TIAA CEO, Thasunda Brown Duckett in May.

Facebook debuting a new feature to help find COVID-19 vaccines. It's rolling out new tools to help users learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and find appointments.

Facebook has faced backlash for allowing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on the platform. It established new rules last year to crack down on the spread.

JARRETT: Well, a year after being canceled due to the pandemic, March Madness is back. Coy Wire has this morning's Bleacher Report. Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Laura.

JARRETT: You got your bracket all ready?

WIRE: Oh, it's right here for you, Laura. I can't wait to see yours, too. Can you believe it's almost been two years since --

JARRETT: I know.

WIRE: -- the NCAA tournament and now the field of 68 is set. This year -- the entire tournament, Laura -- I'm going to be in Indiana starting with the first four on Thursday. Now, it's time to start filling out those brackets.

Gonzaga is your number-one overall seed in this year's tournament. The Bulldogs looking to become the first team in 45 years to go undefeated from start to finish. Baylor, Illinois, Michigan rounding out the other number-one seeds. The Big 10 leading the way among conferences with nine teams in the tournament.

Selection Sunday always a nail-biter for the other teams. We have action here from Wichita State. The shock as their name was called -- look at that. And Grand Canyon University heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time (audio gap) just to be eligible (audio gap).

Four teams that didn't make it into the tourney, Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis, and Ole Miss. They'll sweat it out a little longer. They're on standby in case any team has to withdraw due to health concerns. They'll find out if they're taking part in the March Madness tournament by tomorrow night.

Who will take part in March Madness as well and go toe-to-toe against us, the CNN anchors? Fill out your bracket at cnn.com/brackets by Friday morning and see if you can take down Christine and Laura.

All right. Now, one of the greatest careers in NFL history is (INAUDIBLE) and Saints quarterback Drew Brees hanging up his cleats. He's the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and completions. His kids broke the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW BREES' CHILDREN: After 15 years with the Saints and 20 years in the NFL --

-- our dad --

-- is finally going to retire.

So he can spend more time with us! Yay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The 42-year-old reached just about every milestone in his career, including winning a Lombardi trophy and being named Super Bowl MVP with the Saints in 2010. This was the last time here we saw Brees on the field, soaking in the moment with his family after his last game, and sharing a hug with Tom Brady after the eventual Super Bowl champion Bucs eliminated the Saints from the playoffs.

You know, Christine, I played against Brees twice a year every year being with the Falcons. They're in the Saints' division. He is the epitome of where there's a will there's a way. Always one of the smallest players on the field, having to get up on his toes to look over defenders at times just to make a pass. But his relentless work ethic -- student of the game. He maximized his potential and set himself up to become one of the greatest of all time.

ROMANS: And those little kids with the retirement video, breaking the news. Love that, love that.

WIRE: So good.

ROMANS: All right, Coy, thanks so much.

WIRE: You got it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELVIS PRESLEY: Singing "Trying To Get To You."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The iconic guitar used by Elvis Presley during his nationally-televised 1968 comeback special -- it's up for auction. It can be yours. The starting price for the flaming red Hagstrom Viking II, a cool $250,000. It was also featured on the cover of the "From Elvis in Memphis" album in 1969.

JARRETT: And finally this morning --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YO-YO MA, CELLIST: Playing surprise concert after getting COVID vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: That's world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma treating people to a surprise concert after his second vaccine dose this weekend in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He performed for the crowd during his 15- minute post-vaccination waiting period. Enjoy the music, everyone.

Thanks so much for joining us. "NEW DAY" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to be traveling the country to speak directly to the American people about how this law's going to make a real difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are going on spring break and letting down their guard as some of these new, more infectious variants are spreading across the country.

FAUCI: By the time we get into the early summer, we really will have a considerable degree of normality. But we don't want to let that escape from our grasp by being too precipitous in pulling back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unaccompanied minors are showing up at our southern border in record numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a broken immigration system and we need a holistic approach.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): This is a humanitarian challenge to all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)