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New Day

Mayor Gelber Talks About Spring Break And The Concern For A Rise In COVID Cases; Two Dozen Country Diplomats Denied Access To A Chinese Courtroom With A Canadian Citizen On Trial; Congressman Tom Reed Is Apologizing To A Former Lobbyist After She Claimed Sexual Misconduct; The Biden Administration Is Rolling Out The Historic Rescue Of Low And Middle Income Americans; AstraZeneca Vaccine Trial Shows That It Is 79 Percent Effective. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 22, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH, FL: You know, you're not supposed to be on the streets. So we do not - we will not be having, you know, restaurants, bars, everything is closed down after 8 p.m. from Thursday until Monday.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So meaning just this coming weekend?

GELBER: Yes, although we're going to - we have it set to extend every week until it's not necessary. Hopefully it will be unnecessary soon, but it's necessary now because we just can't - it's unacceptable what we're seeing, and we can't allow our police, our residents, and frankly our visitors also to be in any kind of danger. That's just not something our city can tolerate.

CAMEROTA: Speaking of your visitors, I mean, obviously Americans have felt so pent up. They're desperate to get out this spring and travel. Have you considered telling people not to come to Miami Beach?

GELBER: Well I think we've sort of messaged out if you're coming here to do what you're watching, don't come here. I don't have any problem saying that. And by the way, don't come here in the evening because we have a curfew right now. We have been, you know, sending out messages of vacation responsibly.

We have signs, social media posts, pop ups that tell people what the rules of the road are. It's not exactly what a typically hospitality city would do, but these are different moments. Very few places are open right now. And so, we're getting a surge of people, cheap air fair, discount rooms are not helping, and the result is that there's too many people and too many of the people coming feel like it's time to act out in ways that are just not consistent with appropriate conduct.

CAMEROTA: How did it get to this point? I mean, who do you blame for it reaching this level?

GELBER: I don't believe in finger pointing. I can just tell you this that right now we're being asked to, you know, take all people who are coming. Governor said everything's open. Come on down, but the problem is that we're still in the midst - in the midst of a pandemic.

It's not in our rearview mirror yet by any means and it's certainly not in my county and my city, so that's a challenge. And with this many people coming we have all - we have sort of a triple threat of too many crowds, too many people acting out, and a pandemic, and those three together just create a very challenging moment.

CAMEROTA: And when the governor says everything's open, come on down, that's not true anymore.

GELBER: Well it's not true in our city. Don't come down after eight. And if - and if you're trying to get here after 10 you're not going to even be able to make it because we're not allowing people over the causeway.

CAMEROTA: Here are the new cases as we look at them over the past week in Florida. So they're basically holding - well not holding. I mean, they're plateauing I guess at about 5,000. So the new cases were 4,700 a week ago, 4,500, then 5,000, then 5,100, then 5,100. What's happening with the hospitals in Miami Beach? Are they bracing for another surge?

GELBER: Well I - we view the hospitals country-wide because there - it's really a county system of healthcare. 50 to 100 people check into a day county hospital every single day with the virus. That's how sick they are, and anywhere from a handful to many dozen will die every single day in our city, so - in our county.

So anyone who says it's over is wrong. We have a lot of people vaccinated and that's great. And I hope more will get vaccinated, but this pandemic is not behind us yet, and in Dade County especially where we have about 1,000 infections a day it's clearly not behind us.

CAMEROTA: Mayor Dan Gelber, we're thinking of you. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk today.

GELBER: Thank you. Thanks, thanks.

CAMEROTA: John -

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY HOST: So developing at this hour, diplomats of more than two dozen countries denied access today to a Chinese courtroom as a Canadian citizen goes on trial on espionage charges. CNN's Will Ripley live in Hong Kong to explain. What's going on here, Will?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There were diplomats from 28 different countries, John, that tried to get into that courthouse in Beijing, but they were denied. Police barricading the area, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying it is a secret trial because state secrets are involved.

Now this Canadian, Michael Kovrig, is a former diplomat, and he's accused of using his contacts in China to steal sensitive information since 2017, similar charges to Michael Spavor, a businessman, also a Canadian who was arrested around the same time two years ago as Kovrig.

So Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor both have been detained without access to counselor officials (ph), and the U.S. embassy in Beijing says it needs to stop.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM KLEIN, U.S. EMBASSY'S ATING DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION IN CHINA: Recently over 50 countries signed a declaration against arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations. Together they condemn the practice of governments using arbitrary detention as bargaining leverage over other countries.

The United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada in calling for the immediate release of their two citizens from arbitrary detention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:35:00]

RIPLEY: The trial on Friday lasted for two hours and we just got word that today's trial also wrapped up in a day, which raises questions about China's 99 percent conviction rate and whether these two Canadians ever had a fair shot. Of course, they were arrested just after Canada detained the Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou.

She's wanted in the United States, accused of violating Iran's sanctions, and her extradition hearing is underway in Vancouver. Of course, she's been under house arrest for the last two years, very different conditions from this being experienced by these two Canadians.

BERMAN: Yes, wildly different. This is not transparency to say the least. Will Ripley, important. Thank you so much for bringing this to us.

So a Republican member of Congress now apologizing after being accused of sexual misconduct. What he is accused of doing and what he's saying now, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:07]

CAMEROTA: Developing this morning, Republican Congressman Tom Reed is apologizing to a former lobbyist after she made sexual misconduct claims against him. Reed says he takes full responsibility and will not run for public office next year. CNN's Lauren Fox is live on Capitol Hill with more. So what did he say, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well remember the story broke on Friday in The Washington Post. This young woman alleging that when she was just 25-years-old and she was working as a lobbyist she was at a dinner with the congressman when he touched her inappropriately according to The Washington Post.

Now on Friday, Reed's office released a statement saying that he disputed the claims over the weekend. He released a new and very lengthy statement in which he said he took full responsibility, and I want to read you part of this statement.

It says, quote, "I hear her voice and I will not dismiss her. In reflection, my personal depiction of this even is irrelevant. Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, shower her disrespect, and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility."

Reed also saying in this statement that he will not run for reelection in 2022. He had always promised he was just going to run for six terms, so he wasn't on the schedule to run for Congress again in 2022 to begin with, but he also said he's not going to run for any other office, including of course Governor of the state of New York.

So the question now, of course, is what does Tom Reed do next on Capitol Hill? We also know that in this lengthy statement he said at the time in 2017 when the incident allegedly occurred he was struggling with alcohol. He said he has since worked on that and he is going to commit his life further to helping those with addiction. John -

BERMAN: Lauren Fox for us on Capitol Hill. Lauren, thank you very much. Joining us now is Jesse McKinley. He's the Albany Bureau Chief for The New York Times, and Jesse obviously has been covering the situations with Governor Cuomo so closely now for the last several weeks.

Just so people know - I want people to know also what Tom Reed is accused of in these articles. At this dinner he allegedly according to reports unhooked this lobbyist's bra strap right in the middle of the meal, so it's pretty gross stuff that he's accused of there and he is now apologizing for.

So Jesse, when you look at this and see how Tom Reed has chosen to handle this, tell me who by the way it just like what was a week ago was speculated that he might run for governor and announced he won't run for any office. How does this differ from how Governor Cuomo has handled the accusations?

JESSE MCKINLEY, ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF, NEW YORK TIMES: Well I don't think it's any accident that Tom Reed stepped aside at least for re- election next year in this environment. Obviously the Republicans in the state of New York who haven't won a state-wide election here in two decades have some hope now because Cuomo is in such perilous political straights (ph).

And I think the look of having Tom Reed with this very serious allegation hanging over his head and then not asking for him to step aside was simply not tenable. And of course there are parallels that are going to be drawn between

Tom Reed's handling of this, which was a very quick, you know, assumption of responsibility, of an apology by name to Nicolette Davis, and Mr. Cuomo's, you know, defiant refusal to resign, his only sparing use of the accusers'' names, and his kind of stance that he's not going anywhere until the investigations, two of which are pending, are complete and, you know, feed off (ph) of the facts of these matters. So there is obviously juxtaposition between the handling of both of these cases.

CAMEROTA: And you know, Jesse, I just want to reiterate it one more time. I mean, I know Lauren covered it but because I think it is a master class frankly from Tom Reed in the language of responsibility that, you know, certainly the women on the receiving end look for.

And so, when he says like, "I hear her voice and I will not dismiss her. In reflection my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant. Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility."

I mean, you just rarely - I think it's so notable because you rarely hear that from a politician. And in fact in the absence of that the women at least who are accusing of Governor Cuomo of this say that part of it is that he's not saying anything like that for their experience. And so, that in some way is causing this ground swell it sounds like of other women whom you've spoken to to come forward and say I support, you know, this other woman. This happened to me, too.

MCKINLEY: Yes. In fact on Friday from here we (ph) published the account of Alyssa McGrath who is a 33-year-old woman who actually still works in the governor's chamber who recused (ph) the governor of sexual harassment, actually went in for a shift this week and is my understanding.

And in those cases the governor has often tried to kind of explain his actions, saying well I was - I'm old fashioned, so perhaps Ms. McGrath misunderstood my intentions or what I was saying. In other instances he's questions the motivations of some of the accusers.

[07:45:00]

So yes, there is this difference between stepping forward, taking responsibility for your actions, and trying to otherwise explain them away, which Mr. Cuomo seems to be guilty of in a couple of occasions.

BERMAN: You know, Jesse, I'm glad you brought up this reporting - your remarkable reporting about Alyssa McGrath. This is someone who's currently in the office. How is that going to work? I mean, how will that work going forward during their investigation?

MCKINLEY: Well certainly it will be a complicated situation. I suspect that Ms. McGrath will be part of the ongoing investigation by the Attorney General Tish James. I'm certain that she'll be interviewed. The state assembly has a slightly more lugubrious approach to their investigation at this point, but they are also supposed to investigate these sexual harassment claims, and I suspect Ms. McGrath will be on short list to talk to investigators there.

But as you point out, John, you know, she is still in the office. She is still going to work, and I think that indicates both the severity of the allegation she's put forth as well as the bravery of her account.

CAMEROTA: I mean, you've called the investigation lugubrious. How long do we expect these to take to get answers?

MCKINLEY: My understanding is that the attorney general's investigation is moving ahead of the pace, you know, that they are - they've already interviewed I think three of the accusers. The state assembly is taking a little bit more time. Only just last week hired a law firm, but I think we're looking at weeks probably in the case of Tish James's investigation, and perhaps months in terms of the state assembly.

BERMAN: In terms of the political impact here, Quinnipiac just put out a poll saying that 66 percent of New York voters do not want Governor Cuomo to run for re-election. That's up from 59 percent just a little short few weeks ago. So where do you see this headed in terms of in politically?

MCKINLEY: Well I think just to bring it back to Tom Reed for a second, the Q polls, the number that jumped out at me there was the fact that only 25 percent of New Yorkers wanted Mr. Cuomo to run for a fourth term. That would be in 2022. Obviously Tom Reed was mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate.

So that sort of number, like a quarter of a state like New York, which is a Democratic state, only a quarter of voters want him to pursue term number four next year. For Mr. Cuomo that's not a great number.

CAMEROTA: Jesse McKinley, thank you very much for sharing your reporting as always.

MCKINLEY: Of course.

CAMEROTA: So critical relief for millions of American families may now be delayed. We have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:54]

BERMAN: The Biden administration is rolling out the historic rescue of low and middle-income Americans. CNN Chief Business Correspondent, Christine Romans, here to explain why some relief for millions may be delayed. Romans -

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, the IRS is juggling the tax season, the $1,400 stimulus checks, and all the other demands of the American Rescue Plan including that critical child tax credit. The head of the IRS now warns payments may not be ready in July as the law requires. The agency has to design a new portal to send families monthly checks. This is a significant change for families. Instead of a lump sum at tax time it's a guaranteed income for the year for low-income families, and it could cut child poverty nearly in half.

Now the law overhauled and expanded that child tax credit from $2,000 a year per child to as much as $3,600 for a child six and under and $3,000 for older children. Monthly checks were supposed to begin in July and run through December. The goal, of course, get money to families right away so they could pay bills instead of wait for a tax refund, but the IRS is in the middle of tax filing season.

The tax deadline has now been extended from April 15 to Monday, May 17. The IRS Commissioner says the longer tax season gives the agency a month less time to get ready for that July child tax credit deadline.

It's also delivering of course the IRS record relief directly to Americans. 90 million stimulus payments last week alone, 150,000 paper checks, Alisyn, so the IRS juggling a lot here. It's a big law. There's a lot in there for families. Patience here is what we're cautioning.

CAMEROTA: Thank you very much, Christine, for all of that. So memorials and rallies and cities across the country this weekend calling for an end to anti-Asian violence and remembering the eight people killed at three Atlanta area spas, six of whom were Asian women.

CNN's Natasha Chen spoke to the family of one of the victims, and she joins us now live. That interview is just heartbreaking, Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn. They talked about how they're just overwhelmed with the love and support that they're seeing from the community, and they also paid their own visit to Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County, put down flowers in the - in front of the door as so many have done at all the spa locations, including the one behind us. And we also see so many signs, stop Asian hate.

Now the family of Xiaojie Tan say that they really understand this moment, how the Asian American community feels, but not quite ready to make that racial connection to these killings until the police finish their work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Xiaojie Tan's family says she was living the American dream. After moving to the U.S., Xiaojie, whom friends and clients called Emily, started as a nail technician before working her way up to buy two spas outside of Atlanta. Beloved by her family, customers, and neighboring business owners, Tan was killed just two days before her 50th birthday.

JAMI WEBB, MOTHER KILLED IN SPA SHOOTING: I was just planning to get a cake and have a big dinner afterward.

[07:55:00] Her only child, Jami Webb, had plans to meet up with her mom last Sunday, but she overslept. She would never have the opportunity to see her mother again.

J. WEBB: When I thought that I have all this time with here, I mean, just because I missed that Sunday meeting with my mom I thought we can always meet like any Sunday, any other day just like before.

CHEN: Instead two days later Webb spent six hours in a hospital waiting room as news of a shooting at Young's Asian Massage, her mother's business, dominated the headlines.

J. WEBB: I was just hoping that it was not my mom, it was not my mom.

CHEN: Webb says the extended family is still in China and no one has had the heart to tell Webb's grandmother.

J. WEBB: They were celebrating the birthday, and my grandmother was the only one who doesn't know my mom that she passed away.

CHEN: Tan's ex-husband, Michael Webb, said Tan often worked seven days a week and talked about retiring and travelling the world.

MICHAEL WEBB, EX-HUSBAND OF SHOOTING VICTIM XIAOJIE TAN: And she'll never get to enjoy that. She just worked to die.

CHEN: The fact that six of the eight victims were Asian women, the fact that these businesses were owned by Asian people is hard to ignore. Jami Webb says she understands the Asian American community's overall anxiety over the rise of anti-Asian assaults, but this family is not ready to connect that with Tuesday's killings right now.

M. WEBB: I don't think we're trying to say that there's not racial bias in this country. There certainly is. We don't know what motivated this at this point. We just know how we feel, and we know what we lost.

CHEN: And in the wake of the tragedy demonstrators from coast-to- coast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Asian and I'm a woman, and if I don't stand up for myself then no one else will.

CHEN: Thousands of people gathering in solidarity with Asian Americans. And in Atlanta a church services outside those businesses with a community hoping for change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And at that service one of the pastors told me that this is a moment of awakening for many Asian Americans. In especially his congregation he said that traditionally they may have really focused on their own survival, but now there's this eagerness to participate in the social justice issues and stand with other communities of color, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Natasha, what do you know about the other church service, the one that the suspect's family attended?

CHEN: Right, Crabapple First Baptist Church said that the suspect's family had been part of their church community for a long time. The suspect grew up in that community, but this weekend they formally removed the suspect from the church membership. They said they can no longer affirm him as truly regenerate believer in Jesus Christ, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Natasha Chen, thank you very much for all of your reporting for us.

CHEN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: And New Day continues right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Health officials worry about Americans getting complacent in the fight against COVID-19.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm concerned that the behavior is getting a little bit more for us to be able to handle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crunch time. This is going to be our most difficult period right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protestors demand justice for the victims, among them six Asian women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want people to finally hear us for us, not only when we're trending.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This awakening moment for Asian Americans to stand strong, stand up, and raise our voice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Law enforcement will go through the work that they need to do, but we all know hate when we see it.

ANNOUNCER: This is New Day with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

CAMEROTA: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. A fourth coronavirus vaccine could be heading to a state near you soon.

AstraZeneca says results of a large U.S. trial show that their vaccine is 79 percent effective in preventing symptoms and 100 percent effective against severe illness and hospitalization. The trial showed no serious effects including any rare blood clots that caused some countries to pause use of this vaccine. It will; not go for FDA emergency use approval.

As of this morning nearly one in four Americans has been at least partially vaccinated and more than 13 percent are fully vaccinated, but there are still hot spots around the country. Overnight, the city of Miami Beach extending its curfew in response to rowdy spring breakers. Police once again called to reign in those who ignored the orders. Over the weekend police used pepper balls to disperse the largely maskless cloud of revelers who were disobeying the curfew. BERMAN: Overnight, the man who led the federal investigation into the Capitol insurrection.