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CDC Director Pleads with Americans to Remain Vigilant as Cases Plateau; More Than a Dozen Countries Pause AstraZeneca Vaccine Rollout; Two Arrested for Assault on Capitol Police Officer Who Later Died; Dallas Convention Center to Shelter Migrant Teenagers. Aired 6- 6:30a ET

Aired March 16, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thursday is spring break, so we're going to L.A. to have fun.

[05:59:23]

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR (voice-over): I'm pleading with you for the sake of our nation's health. These should be warning signs for all of us.

NICK WATT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Italy, France, Spain and Germany temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is not documented death that's been linked to a COVID vaccine. We do not want people to panic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two suspects worked together to assault U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These men are facing nine counts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a huge development. They actually have photographs showing one of the two defendants holding what is believed to be a chemical substance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 16. It's 6 a.m. here in New York. Alisyn is off, Erica Hill with me again this morning.

Great to see you.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Always a pleasure.

BERMAN: So the director of the CDC is practically begging Americans to CDC is practically begging Americans to stay vigilant a while longer and keep up the coronavirus precautions as new cases plateau at 55,000 a day. Dr. Fauci is now warning the surge we are seeing in Europe could happen here.

The president is asking doctors and local leaders and religious officials to help get more Americans vaccinated. A vaccine that was developed under the former president, who bragged about how fast and effective and safe it is. Standing in the way of this message is a mountain of misinformation and possible malevolence. Case in point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: The administration would like you to take this vaccine. Joe Biden told you last week if you don't, you can't celebrate the Fourth of July. But it turns out there are things we don't know about the effects of this vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And he went on and on and on. So why would this television character spend so much time on his show throwing shade at vaccines? Feeding the fears of half of Republican men who say they do not plan to take it? This television character likes to say he's just asking questions.

So here are some questions. Does this character think it's important to slow the spread of the virus? Just asking. Does this character care if the country reaches herd immunity to return to life and work safely? A, it's a question. Does Tucker Carlson really want his viewers to live?

Look, this guy bemoans so-called cancel culture more than anyone on earth. But he should look in the mirror. Because you can't get any more cancelled than dead.

HILL: I feel like you need a beat after that one.

As we pause to take it in, meantime CNN learning the White House is drawing up plans to increase vaccine supply in emerging hot spots. We should point out the vaccination rate in the U.S. is accelerating. Standing now at 2.4 million shots a day on average.

And President Biden is heading to Pennsylvania today. That's his first stop of the administration's "Help is Here" tour, which is a push to highlight the benefits of his coronavirus relief bill.

Let's begin this morning with the state of the pandemic. Randi Kaye is live in West Palm Beach.

Randi, good morning.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica.

We are at the South Florida Fairgrounds, which is now a vaccination site. And we're expecting long lines here today as just this week, the state of Florida lowered the vaccination age to 60 and above. This is one of more than 1,000 vaccination sites across this state.

Already more than 2.3 million Floridians have been vaccinated, but the state is hoping to ramp that up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): Spring breakers are flocking to Florida for an escape, packing the beaches and bars. But health experts urging the public to remember, despite the sunshine, coronavirus is still here.

WALENSKY: We have seen footage of people enjoying spring break festivities maskless. This is all in the context of still 50,000 cases per day.

KAYE: The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointing abroad to Europe, with parts of Italy entering another lockdown and new coronavirus cases surging.

WALENSKY: They simply took their eye off the ball. I'm pleading with you for the sake of our nation's health. These should be warning signs for all of us.

KAYE: Europe's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is also much slower than it is in the U.S. More than 71 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose. And despite more than 2.4 million shots going into arms every day on average, President Joe Biden is facing an uphill battle convincing a large number of his predecessor's supporters to get vaccinated.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community say.

KAYE: The White House says it would welcome former President Donald Trump's help in promoting the vaccine while also noting it's not necessary.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the campaign, of the -- of the vaccine, certainly we'd support that.

KAYE: Meantime, with an expected increase in vaccine supply, more states are expanding who can sign up for a shot. This morning in Mississippi, all people 16 and older can get vaccinated. And Connecticut announcing they'll open up eligibility to the same ages by April 5.

But even as more people gain access to vaccines, health experts say it's key to stay vigilant.

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING CDC DIRECTOR: The way the variants spread is by letting our guard down, by not wearing masks, by not social distancing. If we can hang in there for a few more months, there will be enough vaccine for every adult in America to be vaccinated. And then we can truly let -- let go of some of the restrictions that are in place.

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[06:05:07]

KAYE: And with more and more states easing restrictions, we're still seeing about 50,000 to 60,000 new cases a day. And that's exactly why the head of the CDC is reminding people that cases jumped in the spring. They climbed again over the summer. And she's warning that they will climb again unless more precautions and all precautions are taken.

Erica, back to you.

HILL: Randi Kaye with the latest for us this morning. Randi, thank you.

Developing overnight, a growing number of countries temporarily suspending their rollout of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine. CNN's Melissa Bell is live in Rome this morning with more for us.

Melissa, good morning.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

It was yesterday, the first day of Italy's second lockdown in just over a year, that the news came that it was joining that growing list of European countries who announced the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine. One of the most important in terms of Europe's rollout. Not only the first contract signed by the E.U., it was one of its largest.

As a result of that series of suspensions, country after country saying they're stopping, it is 8 million doses currently sitting on shelves that cannot be used while we wait to find out what the European medicine's agency has to say about it.

It is investigating these fears that have led to these suspensions, essentially, that some patients who have been inoculated with it went on to develop blood clots.

Now, AstraZeneca itself points that, out of the 17 million people so far inoculated with their vaccine in the United Kingdom and here in the E.U., it is just over 30 of them who have gone on to experience difficulties. That, they say, is either equal or inferior to what you'd find in the general population.

I think what really changed yesterday and led a number of countries who had so far been defending the continued use of the vaccine was the news from Denmark that it wasn't so much about the numbers of people but about the nature of the symptoms that they'd shown before they died. That led even countries like France that had so far defended the use to change their advice.

So until Thursday, when we expect the European Medicines Agency to give its decision on whether the AstraZeneca vaccine should continue or not, a bunch of countries waiting to find out. And of course, the problem with that is that this was a naturally vaccine-hesitant part of the world. This is only likely to increase that almost whatever the science at this stage and whatever the findings of the European Medicines Agency.

Just one final point. This is an issue way beyond the borders of Europe. We're talking about 3 billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that have been sold worldwide. It is crucial in trying to fight the pandemic, because it's the one that's being used primarily in the developing world.

So, a huge story here in Europe and one that's being very closely watched, even as those COVID-19 figures continue to rise and the third wave leads to restriction after restriction in a growing number of countries.

BERMAN: All right. Melissa Bell for us in Rome. Melissa, thank you very much. That is very important.

Joining us now, Dr. Chris Pernell. She's a public health physician and a fellow at American College of Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Pernell, thanks so much for joining us. We'll get to AstraZeneca in just a second. But first, I want to start with vaccines here in the United States, where the news has been remarkably promising, right? I mean, we're vaccinating an average of more than --

DR. CHRIS T. PERNELL, FELLOW, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE: Yes.

BERMAN: -- 2 million people a day now. We've had days of over 3 million. Yet -- and I played it at the top, and I don't want to play it again -- you have very influential people on a soap box now, trying to throw shade at vaccines and vaccinations. What's the impact of that? Sitting where you sit, what kind of concern does that cause?

PERNELL: It causes a lot of concern, John. Any type of reckless or destructive behavior, anti-science behavior, is not what we can afford as a nation.

As we push forward, as we look to achieve herd immunity, meaning anywhere between 70 to 85 percent of the American adult population is vaccinated, we can't afford to have influencers, influencers in any circles, whether they be conservative or Republican circles, compromise the safety of the known efficacy of the vaccine.

A lot has been said about hesitancy in communities of color. But actually, I think what we need to be talking about is hesitancy that might be partisan or political in nature, and it's just dangerous when science is politicized.

HILL: And that's absolutely what we're seeing. We're putting up on the screen right now, Dr. Pernell -- you probably can't see it in the studio where you are -- but our CNN poll that found 46 percent of Republicans say they won't try to get the vaccine. We know this is especially concerning when it comes to white Republicans. I wonder, too, your thoughts on what you're seeing about AstraZeneca.

And I just want to get your thought on that, as well, what we've just heard in the reporting from Melissa Bell.

Are you concerned about the message that may send here in the United States, where again, this vaccine has not even yet applied for emergency use authorization?

PERNELL: Right. I want to emphasize that. I want us to emphasize what the process is. Because we've been doing quite well with Pfizer, with Moderna and with J&J, with the public understanding that these vaccines are properly vetted.

I would caution us to see what the science will show when emergency use authorization is applied for by AstraZeneca.

[06:10:07]

It is concerning, right? It does give you caution to say, are there an increased incidence of blood clots in those who have received this vaccine? The science doesn't definitively state that.

The countries in the European Union and Britain who have considered pausing or have suspended are showing appropriate levels of caution. But for us here in the American public, I want us to -- just to focus on what the process is able to do.

It's a very rigorous process. And when we follow that process, no product, no vaccine, no therapeutic will get to the American people that has not been thoroughly tested and proven to be safe and effective.

BERMAN: I do want to emphasize one point you just made, though. As of now, there is no evidence that these blood clots and the incidents that they're worried about are occurring at any higher rate among people who have been vaccinated versus unvaccinated. That's what they're looking into to see if there is evidence of it, but they haven't found it yet. Correct?

PERNELL: Yes. Correct. Just so people can understand, there's a difference between a correlation and causation. There is no evidence that there is a direct root or a direct link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the formation of blood clots.

When you begin to see symptoms or you begin to see certain signs emerge in the vaccinated population, you want to compare that to the unvaccinated population, and you want to say, is this occurring at a higher incidence than you would normally see in the general population? And that's not true.

While I said it is appropriate for there to be caution, it is necessary for all of us to understand how science works. And right now, there is suggestive correlation, but it's not definitive, and we just have to respect the process and allow itself to declare itself fully. HILL: One thing we do know that is definitive is the science has shown

us the power of masks. And we know these public health measures, we know how important they are.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, pleading with the American public to not give up on these precautions at this point, to really stay vigilant as we're seeing all of these images of people being out and about, understandably happy to try to regain some of that pre-pandemic life.

What are your concerns, I'm wondering? Do you share the same concerns as Dr. Walensky this morning?

PERNELL: Most certainly. We all want to go back to our pre-pandemic state, right? We all want to be able to enjoy our family, enjoy our friends. We've been through unprecedented public health crisis, a very traumatic experience, but we cannot afford to cost our success and victory to date.

And I deliberately use that word "victory." The fact that we've had over 100 million Americans either receive one or two doses, over 38 million fully vaccinated, is something that we all should celebrate as we continue to accelerate toward our goal.

We know from over the summer, federal researchers have shown whenever states relax their universal mask mandates, you do see a rise in infection.

And likewise, when states ease those restrictions in their restaurants, whether it's indoor or even outdoor eating, you can see a rise of infections within six weeks and, unfortunately, a rise in deaths by two months.

We don't need to see more of the destruction that we've already seen. That's why it's so destructive when you have a Tucker Carlson who politicizes the vaccine.

We know that this vaccine, all three of these vaccines that have been approved by emergency use authorization, we know that they're safe. We know that they're effective. We all need to get on the same side. This isn't a Republican virus or a Democrat virus. This isn't a conservative virus or a liberal virus.

This is a virus that is stealing lives. This is a virus that has undeniably changed the course of our civic, our social and our cultural interactions, so we all need to be rowing in the same direction.

BERMAN: Dr. Pernell, it's always great having you on. Thanks so much for helping us this morning.

PERNELL: Thank you.

BERMAN: Two men charged with assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick before he died. The charges they face creating new questions. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:15]

HILL: Developing this morning, two men arrested for allegedly assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the storming of the Capitol on January 6. Sicknick died a day later.

CNN's Whitney Wild is live in Washington this morning with the very latest. Whitney, good morning.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Erica.

This represents a major break in this case. Prosecutors and investigators have spent weeks poring over pictures and videos, trying to figure out who the two men were who actually assaulted Officer Brian Sicknick.

And what they found was that the entire incident was caught on body camera video. They have video now of these two men, spraying some sort of chemical irritant at Officer Brian Sicknick, as well as two other officers.

Together, these two men are facing nine charges. These are charges of violence, charges of assault. However, there's a footnote here, Erica, which is neither man is actually charged in the death of Officer Brian Sicknick. So still a little bit of justice there hanging in limbo.

However, this is a major -- a major development, major progress. And that's really one of the themes here in D.C. right now, because we're standing outside the Capitol along this outer perimeter fencing. We have learned that sometime in the next two weeks, fencing like this surrounding the Capitol grounds will be taken down.

USCP feeling more confident that they can take on any potential threats. They acknowledge we are still in this heightened threat environment. We are still in a toxic political climate.

However, at this point, they think lone-wolf-style attacks present the biggest risk. They feel more confident in their intelligence flow, more confident in their ability to handle possible threats.

A couple weeks after this outer fencing comes down, they're going to re-evaluate the need for the National Guard. So, things slowly returning to normal here in D.C., Erica.

[06:20:04]

HILL: Whitney Wild with the latest for us this morning. Whitney, thank you.

Joining us now, CNN counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd. He's a former senior intelligence advisor for the FBI.

Good to see you this morning. So, you know, as Whitney just laid out for us, nine charges. Neither man is charged -- PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Yes.

HILL: -- in Sicknick's death. What do you make of the charges that you're seeing and where this investigation stands?

MUDD: Well, you can assume one thing, and that is prosecutors at the Department of Justice will want to bring murder charges. The question in their mind is going to be whether they can.

We've got one missing element here, and that is the medical report. Before you can bring a murder charge, you've got to know why Officer Sicknick died and whether there's a district link between the spray used by these individuals now charged for assault and the death of the officer. Until we have the medical experts explaining exactly what happened to him, it seems to me you're going to have a prosecutor saying, I can't charge somebody with his death until we know whether they're responsible for it.

I -- I'm telling you they want to charge these guys, but until the doctors speak, the -- the people assessing why he died, the toxicologists, they can't bring those charges.

BERMAN: It's worth noting it's still a serious crime, whether or not it's charged in the death of the officer.

MUDD: Yes.

BERMAN: Just assaulting the officer is still a very serious charge that carries very serious jail time.

Phil, removing some of the fencing around the Capitol now that have been there, because we're now told there is no direct credible threat on the building itself. What does that tell you?

MUDD: It tells me a couple things. First, I mean, if you think about the -- the intelligence that the Capitol Police are collecting -- and I'm sure they're talking to people like the FBI, the intelligence before January 6 with -- I mean, you didn't need intelligence. You could watch CNN. There was a mountain of intelligence about people approaching the Capitol.

So you've got to believe that all the analysts -- and they do have analysts at the Capitol Police -- are looking at things like social media, seeing not only do we see a mountain of people coming to Washington, obviously not, but do we see these groups talking about going to Washington? And the message by removing the fencing is they don't.

There's one other thing behind the scenes, John, and that is the cooperation among the agencies that clearly didn't cooperate well before January 6 has got to be improved. And so the information flow of any agency that might see stuff that would lead to threat, that stuff is going to go to the Capitol Police now, even if it wasn't perfect before January 6.

So I think they're just not seeing very much, and that's why they're taking this down.

HILL: In terms of seeing stuff, you know, I know you've looked at this and said it's not just about -- there's a lot of talk about some of the groups who were represented on January 6. But I know you've made the point it's not just about these groups. This is also about individuals and how they are feeling and were feeling, and the license that they saw they were given. Can you touch on that for us a little bit?

MUDD: Yes. I think this is really important. I spent my -- almost my entire career looking at extremism.

We're looking at this through the wrong lens. We're looking at this as ideology as MAGA, for example. This is not an ideology. This is an excuse.

Think of the -- the motivations that led people to come to Washington. If you don't like immigration, if you don't like vaccines, if you don't like Democrats, if you want a wall, if you don't like gay marriage, all these things fit under one umbrella, and that is an umbrella that's America. These are Americans saying, We're angry, and the former president gave us an umbrella excuse to come to Washington and demonstrate.

So this is about an excuse, as I said, a reason to come demonstrate. It's not about a unified ideology. Anything you want, you can find in MAGA. And those are the people that showed up in Washington.

Don't think about it through a lens of political ideology. Think about it through a lens of hate and anger.

BERMAN: That lens of hate and anger now is being directed at probably more directions than it has been in the recent past. And there was a Capitol Police officer suspended after anti-Semitic reading material was found near this officer's work area. How should we be reading that, Phil?

MUDD: Boy, as a practitioner, this is really tough. If you want to look at a center of activity, which is what you do in intelligence, how do I find the leadership? How do I find their communications? How do I find who they're training or inspiring? There is no leadership across this country.

It's somebody in a basement, as you're saying, an officer, for example, looking at anti-Semitic material. You can't find those people without state and locals saying, or a friend and family member saying, Hey, my brother, my sister, my father -- and we saw that in some cases by, for example, former girlfriends identifying people who were January 6. I'm seeing somebody who's doing something wrong.

But the other thing, the overamping thing, John, is you cannot have leadership -- and we're seeing this with the vaccine. You cannot have leadership validating people's anger. You cannot tell people that it's OK to demonstrate in an angry way if you don't like immigration. I think this is a political problem as much as it is a law enforcement problem. Politicians have to say, Stop, I don't care. You can't do it. BERMAN: It's a good point. Phil Mudd, as always. Thanks so much for

being with us this morning.

MUDD: Thanks.

[06:25:08]

BERMAN: A convention center in Dallas will soon be used to house thousands of unaccompanied migrant teenagers. We have new information at the surge at the border and what the Biden administration is doing about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Developing this morning, the Biden administration plans to move thousands of teenage migrants to a convention center in Dallas to relieve overcrowding at facilities on the U.S./Mexico border.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez covers this for us. She joins us live with the latest.

Priscilla, what should we see in this?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN IMMIGRATION CORRESPONDENT: John, the administration here is trying to keep up with the sheer number of minors crossing the U.S./Mexico border alone.

And one of the steps that they are now taking is to use a convention center in Dallas for boys ages 15 to 17 years old to, as you mentioned, alleviate overcrowding in Border Patrol facilities.