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Biden to Hold First News Conference Amid Growing Crises; Shooting Suspect Expected to Make First Court Appearance; Vice President Harris Tasked with Handling Crisis at Southern Border; North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles in Challenge to Biden. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired March 25, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There are many issues that people can bring up with President Biden, including his new push for gun reform, immigration, legislation.

[06:00:46]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biden is appointing Vice President Kamala Harris to lead efforts to stem the flow of migrants from Central America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a huge problem. This is not going to be solved overnight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators continue to collect evidence and search for a possible motive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As many continue to mourn that there's a national outcry for Congress to act.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many more have to die? How many more officers have to face down a mad man with a gun?

(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 Thursday, March 25, 6 a.m. here in New York. Ready?

Vaccination, immigration, economic stimulation, gun violence, voting rights, Biden has a dog that bites. No, the president didn't start the fire, as Billy Joel wrote in one of his few bad songs.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well done.

BERMAN: But these are all subjects he has to deal with in his first formal news conference in just a few hours. Add to that North Korea, missile tests, filibuster rules, which are hard to rhyme, by the way, which is why they didn't make it. CAMEROTA: I know you've been trying all morning.

BERMAN: School openings. Major questions and major tests for the president.

So when he scheduled this news conference, he likely wanted to talk economic relief and vaccination goals, but it's a reminder that presidents are really about the unexpected, the challenges you can't predict. So this White House event will be fascinating to watch today.

CAMEROTA: Also, this morning, the suspect in the grocery store massacre is scheduled to make his first court appearance. He faces ten counts of first-degree murder.

Investigators still trying to figure out why he did this and why this grocery store in Boulder was targeted. Overnight, tributes to honor the ten victims, hundreds of people gathering outside the Boulder County courthouse for this candlelight vigil. Others lining the streets to honor police officer Eric Talley, the first officer on the scene who paid with his life. A sea of flowers covering Officer Talley's patrol car still parked outside the Boulder police station.

But we begin with CNN's Jeremy Diamond and what to expect today at President Biden's first news conference. Feel free to sing your answer, Jeremy.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I don't know that I can do it quite the justice as John did, but, listen, Alisyn, today will be a big day for President Joe Biden in his presidency.

This is a president who came into office facing two key crises: the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying economic crisis that accompanied that. And President Biden has focused on that for most of his last -- last weeks in office.

The president has passed that $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. He has increased the number of daily vaccinations happening in this country to about 2.5 million vaccinations administered per day on average. And so that is where the president's head has been at in the first weeks of his presidency.

But so much has happened since. So much has happened even in just the last nine days, since President Biden announced that this news conference was going to be taking place.

Those two shootings, the deadly shooting in Atlanta, the deadly shooting earlier this week in Boulder, Colorado, and that has really upended so much of the focus that President Biden has had on this coronavirus pandemic, pressing him instead to try and look at gun reform, for example, as one of the top priorities on his agenda.

And, of course, there's the immigration crisis on the southern border. Hundreds of children entering U.S. custody every day, overwhelming, really, the border facilities on the southern border.

So there is a lot that President Biden is going to have to answer for today beyond the message that he wants to deliver, but he will try and steer the conversation in a certain direction, and that's because today President Biden will announce his next goal for -- for vaccinations going forward after he already met that 100 million shots, not in 100 days as he first laid out, but in about 60 days in office.

BERMAN: Look. The math is if they continue at the current pace, they'll hit 200 million shots in the first 100 days. I expect we'll hear something along those lines. I mean, that's where the president wanted to be today, as you said, where the White House wants to be and actually is two vastly different questions.

[06:05:09]

So what are the unanswered questions? What are the open questions you think that the White House -- or the president needs to respond to today?

DIAMOND: Well, certainly, on the question of gun reform, I think that's going to be probably the No. 1 issue at this news conference, and it is so because President Biden came out so strongly in the wake of that shooting in Boulder, Colorado.

You know, it's interesting to see how the president's response was different in the wake of the shooting in Atlanta last week, when he really didn't mention gun reform at all. And then after the shooting in Boulder, Colorado, the president, within 24 hours, coming out strongly, talking about specific pieces of legislation that he believes Congress needs to pass; also talking about the prospects of executive action.

So certainly, how he will approach this issue, which is so intractable and which President Biden knows so well how intractable it is, because of his experience leading that gun reform task force under President Obama in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting.

The president's going to be asked, you know, what has changed in the political dynamics. What gives you hope to be able to try and make progress on this issue that you yourself have failed to make progress on so many times before.

And I don't know that he will have an answer for that, but he will certainly have to address how he plans to tackle this and what his priorities will be, especially because yesterday, we heard Vice President Kamala Harris put such an emphasis on the need for legislation, even as the White House here is clearly considering several executive actions that President Biden can take on his own.

CAMEROTA: And doesn't that lead right to the question of the Senate filibuster? Do you know, Jeremy, if his position has changed on that?

DIAMOND: White House officials I've been speaking with have emphasized that the president's position remains the same as the one he laid out in that ABC News interview when he did seem to shift on his opinion previously. Previously, the White House suggested that President Biden didn't want

to make any changes to the filibuster rule. The president came out and said that he supported creating a -- establishing a talking filibuster, requiring senators in opposition to legislation to actually hold the floor, talking for hours on end, to at least make that filibuster more painful.

But he did not address the fundamental question, which is whether or not he would also want to do away with that 60-vote threshold. That is the real impediment to Democrats passing their legislative agenda here, and unless they -- unless they address that, the prospects of bipartisanship on issues like gun reform, immigration reform. They really not all that high -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much for all of that preview. Obviously, we will be diving into it throughout the program.

And now to this. The suspected gunman in the Boulder grocery store massacre is expected to make his first court appearance this morning.

CNN's Dan Simon is live outside of the courthouse in Boulder with more. What do we expect, Dan?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Well, these hearings are usually brief and routine, where the suspect is told his charges and advised of his rights, but given the enormity of this case, it's fair to say it will be anything but routine as the community gathers to mourn the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON (voice-over): A memorial is growing outside the King Soopers in Colorado as the community mourns the victims of Monday's mass shooting.

Denny Stong was the youngest victim Monday, just 20 years old.

BIANCA PORTER, FRIEND OF BOULDER SHOOTING VICTIM DENNY STONG: He was passionate. Denny had a work ethic like no one else that I've met.

SIMON: He worked with Rikki Olds, a manager at the store.

ROBERT OLDS, RIKKI OLDS' UNCLE: Sad in that she didn't get to experience motherhood. She didn't get to experience marriage. She didn't get to -- she was 25 years old.

SIMON: Suzanne Fountain was an actress. Her friends say she had a smile that could cheer anyone up.

MARTHA HARMON PARDEE, FRIEND OF BOULDER SHOOTING VICTIM SUZANNE FOUNTAIN: She was authentic, down to earth. A lovely hostess. Boy, did you eat and drink well when you went to their House. A beautiful actress.

SIMON: People lined the streets to watch a procession and say a final farewell to Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley.

They are among the ten people who lost their lives in the massacre. Now investigators are reconstructing what happened Monday and searching for a motive. They are also questioning why the suspect chose this particular store, 30 minutes away from his home.

The FBI is interviewing his friends and relatives and searching through his online history, a law enforcement tells CNN.

In Washington, D.C., the Biden administration says the president may take executive action to advance stricter gun rules.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If we want something to be permanent, if we want it to be lasting, there needs to be legislation. But there are also executive actions under consideration.

SIMON: And on Capitol Hill, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet urging his colleagues to take action.

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): Our failure to act has helped create these conditions, and we can't wait any longer. The Senate needs to act.

[06:10:02]

SIMON: Meanwhile, for the Boulder community, through its grief, outrage over the senseless violence that happened here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm angry, because this could be anyone's town.

SIMON: As the city mourns the members of their community taken far too soon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems like, you know, enough time passes where we forget the last shooting, and then another one happens, and we don't do anything about it. We don't act on it. And I think that's really frustrating to see you keep losing lives and innocent people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Back here at the courthouse, while most of the proceedings have been taking place by video, given the pandemic, the judge has actually ordered the alleged shooter to be here in person unless he waives that right in writing, and we're not aware if he's done so -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Dan Simon, please keep us posted. Thank you for being there.

Joining us now, Colorado State representative Judy Amabile. She represents Boulder and knows one of the ten victims. Also with us, Daniel Oates. He's the former chief of police during the Aurora movie massacre nearly a decade ago.

Representative, I want to start with you. You know Jody Waters. It seems like everyone in Boulder knew Jody Waters. Just talk to us about her, who she was, and what we lost.

JUDY AMABILE (D), COLORADO STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Hi. Thank you so much for having me this morning.

Yes, Jody was just an amazing person. She owned a store on the Pearl Street Mall called Applause. That was the place where everybody went. They sold clothes for little kids, and toys, and really unique things. And they also had stuff for the mothers.

So, so many people have been reaching out, saying -- sharing their memories of Jody. She was really a special person.

Then, in more recent years, she was working at a different store on Pearl Street. And I hadn't seen her in a couple of years, and I walked in, and, she, of course, remembered me and knew kind of what I was doing and just was really relatable and just really a lovely human being.

CAMEROTA: And Representative, I was so struck that you knowing Jody is only one of your many connections to this grocery store. Your son used to work there, and as I understand it, his girlfriend still works there. And so what is the feeling in your home about what has to happen now?

AMABILE: Yes. I mean, we need to take action now. I know everybody keeps saying that, but it's true. We were asked to have a moment of silence on the floor of the House, and I understand that's to honor the victims, but I think we honor the victims by making some really substantial changes in our gun laws, and also in the way that we address mental health in our country.

This -- this gunman was able to buy this gun in about five minutes. If he had wanted to make an appointment with a psychiatrist, that would have probably taken him two months, and that's not a good balance. We really need to change that.

BERMAN: Chief, we are waiting to see if the suspect appears in court this morning, and we are hearing dribs and drabs from investigator about where this is headed. They're looking at such things as why this grocery store was chosen when there were many other grocery stores that were closer to the home. What jumps out as you as the investigative threads most important to follow up on this morning?

DANIEL OATES, FORMER AURORA, COLORADO, POLICE CHIEF: Well, for the investigators, it's a comprehensive investigation into everything about this person. They're looking for signs of premeditation, planning for this event.

You know, they're preparing to defend against an insanity defense, and everything will count in front of a jury. What he had said and done, what he had done on social media, what he had said and done with friends, family, acquaintances in the many, many months beforehand. Did he appear to be rational in his behavior, in his decision-making? Those are going to be all be clues.

You know, it's interesting, with the appearance in court today, we might want to look at what the -- what the defense attorney says to the media afterward. If he begins to drop hints about his client's mental state, then we'll know what direction we're going in. in terms of a defense.

CAMEROTA: Chief, doesn't it just stand to reason that that's the standard direction that they'll go in, in part because that's the family -- the family says that he was mentally unstable. The family says that he was paranoid, that people were chasing him for years.

And so, you know, Judy just made, I think, a very compelling simple argument for the balance that needs to be shifted between mow easy it is to get a gun; how hard it is to get mental health help. What do you, from the law enforcement perspective, think needs to change today? What's the one thing that we could change to get out of this cycle?

[06:15:09]

OATES: Well, the law enforcement leadership lament for decades has been that we do not provide enough mental health services to the disturbed people who we in law enforcement would run into all the time, you know, in circumstances on the street, our cops run into on the street.

As a society, we don't provide enough services to folks like that, and it plays out in violence, it plays out in criminal activity, and it plays out in these kinds of tragedies, as well. So that's probably the most important.

I know we can talk about gun policy. There is one really easy and simple gun policy reform, and that is to pass universal background checks, which are supported by something like 90 percent of Americans. That's probably the easiest legislative solution at -- at the congressional level. So we would hope for that, as well.

BERMAN: Chief, Representative, thank you both for being with us this morning. And Representative, you know, please send our love to the entire community.

AMABILE: I will. Thank you very much for having me.

OATES; Thank you.

CAMEROTA: President Biden is tapping his vice president to handle the crisis at the southern border, so will Americans get to see the reality inside some of these border facilities that are over capacity?

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[06:20:31]

CAMEROTA: Vice President Kamala Harris now in charge of figuring out how to stem the surge of migrants on the southern border. The media was allowed into a border facility for the first time yesterday, but not one that is over capacity.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is live in Dallas with the latest. What's happened, Priscilla? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN IMMIGRATION CORRESPONDENT: The administration is taking a number of steps just in the last few days, Alisyn, to try to get a grasp on the situation on the U.S./Mexico border.

One of those steps, the one that you mentioned, President Biden tapping his vice president, Kamala Harris, to oversee efforts in Central America.

This actually mimics something that Biden himself did under the Obama administration, when there, too, was a surge of unaccompanied children on the border.

Now, this is also part of the broader effort by the administration to address the root causes of migration.

This announcement coming as the administration opened -- opened a facility to some press access, a Health and Human Services facility that is intended for migrant children. It is equipped with medical services, sleeping quarters, and other support. Notably different from the Border Patrol facility photos that we saw earlier this week. That Border Patrol facility, an overflow facility in Donna (ph), Texas, that showed crowded conditions, children sleeping on mats, on floors.

So the administration making some inroads here on finding those shelter spaces for children. We are learning just this morning that the Health and Human Services Department is partnering with the Pentagon to work to set up two military sites that would accommodate more than 5,000 children.

So all of this happening, Alisyn, very quickly, as the administration also releases government data that shows that there are more than 16,000 children in U.S. government custody, nearly 5,000 of those still in Border Patrol facilities -- John.

CAMEROTA: I'll take it, Priscilla. Thank you very much. We really appreciate your reporting -- John.

BERMAN: Also this morning, North Korea firing two ballistic missiles overnight, that country's second weapons test in less than a week.

CNN's Will Ripley live in Hong Kong with more. Will, what's going on here? It really looks like Kim Jong-un is basically trying to say, "Pay attention to me."

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is exactly what he's doing. The North Koreans know that President Biden will be holding a news conference later today in the U.S. They will certainly be watching, and they want questions to be about North Korea.

Because, frankly, the Biden administration has moved pretty slowly in announcing its North Korea policies. So by launching these ballistic missiles, which is a test that is highly provocative but doesn't cause an international crisis like an intercontinental ballistic missile launched, like in late 2017, or a nuclear test.

But what this launch does do is get North Korea in the headlines on the day that the U.S. president will be taking questions from reporters, because the North Koreans want the U.S. to know that they expect sanctions relief. They expect to be treated as equals at the negotiating table, and they don't want what they call a hostile policy to continue against their country.

And they may feel emboldened right now, John, because Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been exchanging pleasantries through their state media in the recent days. And so, given that China does not seem to be putting pressure right now on the North to stop this, at least not publicly, Kim could be emboldened to launch more missiles and perhaps take even more steps to pressure the United States and to try to get something from the Biden administration.

BERMAN: Yes. This type of test doesn't seem to cross that line that would elicit a more solid response, but it seems to be getting closer every day, Will. Will Ripley watching this for us. Thank you very much.

RIPLEY: Yes.

BERMAN: President Biden expected to boost his goal for vaccinations, an announcement today. But some states lagging behind. We'll take you to one vaccine center opening today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:28:30]

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I continue to be worried about the latest data and the apparent stall we are seeing in the trajectory of the pandemic.

CDC is watching these numbers very closely. We've made such extraordinary progress in the last several weeks, and if we choose to invest in prevention right now, we will ultimately come out of this pandemic faster and with fewer lives lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CDC director Rochelle Walensky says she is concerned about the current state of the pandemic in the United States. New cases rising. In 18 states, every state you see there in red and orange, about 55,000 cases a day, new cases a day.

The deaths, the daily reported deaths, continue to drop, but hospitalizations, you can see they really have leveled off at about 40,000 Americans.

Fourteen percent of Americans are new fully vaccinated.

Overnight, AstraZeneca released new information on its vaccine days after a U.S. safety board expressed concerns its data was outdated. AstraZeneca has lowered its vaccine's efficacy rate to 76 percent, amid questions about the data they reported earlier this week. Still, I think, completely effective, they say, against serious illness and hospitalization.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, John, Georgia becomes the latest state to expand vaccine eligibility to all residents over the age of 16. And CNN's Natasha Chen is live in Dekalb County with more. So what's happening, Natasha?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, we're at one of two county- run sites behind us today there will be about 4 or 500 people vaccinated here.

Downtown Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium where we've been a lot this month, that's turned into a FEMA-supported site this week. So they're ramping up to 6,000 vaccinations.