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New Day

Biden to Hold First News Conference Today amid Growing Crises; Grocery Store Barista Risked His Life to Save Others During Shooting; France, Germany, Canada and Brazil Sound Alarm over U.K. Variant. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 25, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN NEW DAY: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day.

And President Biden will hold a press conference this afternoon, his first since taking office. He has a lot to address, much of it he had not wanted on his agenda, like more mass shootings and a surge at the border. The president had hoped to tout his accomplishments, like getting stimulus checks to struggling Americans and far exceeding his nationwide vaccination goal.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: Later this morning, we will see the 21- year-old gunman accused of carrying out the Boulder massacre in court. He's faces ten counts of first-degree murder.

The people in Boulder on the street are paying tribute to the neighbors that they have lost.

We're going to begin though with the president's news conference, his first formal event like this of his presidency. Joining us now is CNN Political Analyst Maggie Haberman, she's a Washington Correspondent for The New York Times.

And, Maggie, you know that when the White House scheduled this, the plan was to have the president go out and talk about the success with vaccinations, to talk about the relief bill, tout the fact that checks are getting into people's pockets. That was the plan. That seems to be, to an extent, a little bit out the window at this point with all the news and the challenges that he faces. What do you expect to see?

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: John, I still think there will be a reference to that. To be clear, I don't think that it's going to be without acknowledging what the administration sees as very strong accomplishments that they have done within a very short amount of time, but clearly they know that the topics they're going to be asked have changed dramatically and it is because of the events that are happening around the country.

I wonder if we'll see the president try to sort of set the table when he steps out of this press conference by announcing some kind of executive measures on guns or something preemptive to try to steer the direction of the press conference.

Beyond that, he's been preparing for many days. They know they are going to phase a wide range of questions, from the very easy for him to answer to potentially uncomfortable. But we'll just have to see where he goes with it, how long he takes -- how many questions he takes, how long he stands there. And there is the obvious question of, these are not generally great formats for him, so we will see how he does.

CAMEROTA: What will you be watching most closely?

HABERMAN: Look. I'll be watching, Alisyn, whether he loses his -- these are stylistic points, to be clear. There are these substance issues, which are guns, gun safety, issues related to vaccinations, issues related to the coronavirus variant, you know, and so forth, concerns within the Democratic Party.

Stylistically, what I will be looking for is how does he handle the press? He has a time certainly on the campaign, got irritated with questions he didn't like. How does he do -- what is his demeanor, what is his style? Some of this will set the tone for how he does what the press corps going forward for a while.

Listen, it is in our interest and the press' interest and, frankly, the public's interest for elected officials, particularly a president, to hold a press conference. I understand why the White House didn't think it was in theirs to do it until now, but I think this is going to tell a lot.

BERMAN: To an extent, he doesn't set the course of how this news conference will go. He can't plan the questions. The press gets the questions here, but you're right. He has some control, which is you can walk out there with an opening statement and we expect to make an announcement -- him to make an announcement on vaccinations, setting a new goal. It was initially 100 million within the first 100 days. He has blown past that. He could announce that they plan to double that in the 100 days. They're on course for that. And, as you said, he could choose to make news in terms of guns.

How much off their initial course though that this White House wants to go? He's traveling the country touting the relief bill. He's got the infrastructure rollout that he wants to make.

HABERMAN: I don't -- look, I don't think very far, John. I think they recognize, however, they're going to have to do it somewhat. I think the two mass shootings since he became president is enormous and it resurfaces as an issue that we have seen repeatedly in this country over many decades, but particularly in a pointed way for the last ten years. This is an issue that Joe Biden has cared about historically, been involved with historically, gun safety, and trying to pass gun safety measures.

So I do think we're going to hear him speak and speak from a place of compassion on this issue.

[07:05:03] But I think you're right. I think what they want to talk about for understandable reasons things they have gotten done and things they still need to get done related to the coronavirus. There are a number of other pieces of legislation that Joe Biden would like to look at. Infrastructure is one of them and whether that is something that is possible.

I don't expect him to delve that far into that. I think, again, this is going to be about talking about what they've achieved, setting new goals, as you say, related to what they have achieved and then taking questions on the topics of the day.

CAMEROTA: Maggie, how about his health? He tripped going up the stairs of Air Force One last week and he hasn't recently released updated medical records. How will he tackle that?

HABERMAN: It's an excellent question, Alisyn, and I think we have to see. They know this is a question that he is likely to get asked. They're certainly aware of the video of him tripping went viral and was likely to raise new questions about his health. It is also true that he has not released records since 2019. I think they know that that's not going to be sustainable forever.

So what I envision happening, and this may not happen, but I can see them setting a date when they will release more health records. I would be surprised if that happens today as some kind of a delivery to the press of what exactly is in his health records. But, look, they know that this is an issue. They know that this is something that has new focus. And they know that it's something that came up during President Trump's -- former President Trump's tenure in office. They know that it's going to continue here. We'll see how they handle it.

BERMAN: What kind of a contrast do you expect to see with the former president who did do news conference-type events more frequently, but it doesn't mean there was necessarily a lot of substance or policy depth in that? So what would the major differences be?

HABERMAN: Look, I think the major differences will both be, John, in substance and in style. I do expect him to speak pretty easily about the substance of what his government is doing. That was not always, as you know, something that was Donald Trump's strong suit, especially during the coronavirus. He often found himself drifting off into cul- de-sacs about things like bleach and disinfectant.

I expect that Biden is going to be able to talk about what his administration is doing with ease and answer questions. I mean, bluntly, I don't expect him to scream fake news at people. I don't expect them to get into theatrical displays of fighting with reporters just for the sake of it.

That doesn't mean that he won't fight with reporters. What I was alluding to you before is that he can get thin-skinned when he gets asked questions that he doesn't like. Senators, just what he was for decades, don't typically hold press conferences. They do engage with reporters but in a different way. And so I expect we'll see a taking down of the temperature, but that doesn't mean that it's all going to be easy and comfortable.

CAMEROTA: Maggie, let's talk about what else is going on around the country. And that, as of last month, 43 states across the country have introduced some kind of legislation to restrict voting rights since this past election. Senator Amy Klobuchar talked about basically how if 2020, which was, you know, the sort of most efficiently run election in our recent history, with as few problems as we've ever had, if that's what you think needs to be question, she questions the

logic. So here is that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): I've been hearing the word, chaos, tossed around. Well, let me tell you what chaos is. Chaos, like what we've seen in the last few years, five hours, six-hour lines in states like Arizona, chaos is purging names of longtime voters from a voter list so they can't go vote in states like Georgia.

Chaos is a state of Texas declaring that you can only have one drop- off box for votes and ballots in their state, including huge counties, like Harris County, with nearly 5 million people.

And chaos is what we saw happen at the Capitol when people heard for an entire year that our election isn't sound and they decided to come here and take it under their own hands. That angry mob, that was chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Yes, but these restrictions aren't going away, Maggie.

HABERMAN: No, they're not, Alisyn. And, look, this is ultimately -- yes, it is -- the senator is correct. This, in some ways, in many ways, stems from what Donald Trump was saying for the course of a year about voting and about the availability of voting during the pandemic and certainly then it stems from what he was saying about the election.

This is something that Republicans have wanted to focus on for a while, which is trying to roll back certain voting measures that allow for more expansive participation in the voting system. I think that we saw last year, Democrats did better than Republicans in the national popular vote, not necessarily in specific states.

[07:10:02]

And so it is unsurprising that that is where this is going, particularly because the way Donald Trump framed everything was fraud, which is a legal term and not one that he was ever able to prove, it is not surprising the Democrats are going to try to draw the line and point to what was an increase in participation last year. But this is going to be a dominant fight heading into the midterms in 2022.

BERMAN: Maggie Haberman, great to see you, thanks so much. I know you'll be watching the news conference along with all of us. In just hours, the alleged gunman of the Boulder grocery store massacre will make his appearance in court, we think, as hundreds gather last night to honor the ten murder victims.

CNN's Dan Simon live outside the courthouse in Boulder, Colorado. Dan, what can we expect?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. It was a very somber evening last night when hundreds of people gathered throughout the community for a series of candlelight vigils, people huddling in the freezing cold to honor and mourn the victims.

Now, as far as the investigation is concerned, authorities are still trying to ascertain a motive, trying to figure out why the alleged shooter targeted that particular grocery store. After all, there were grocery stores closer to his home. This one was 30 minutes away, but it's also probably mental issues.

We do know that the suspect is set for his initial court appearance today. This is will be relatively quick and routine, well, at least it's supposed to be. But given the enormity of the case, it's fair to say it will be anything but routine. This is a court appearance where he's going to be told of his rights and told of the ten counts of murder. And as far as how long it will go, we'll just have to see.

But we do know that he is expected to be here in person or at least he has been told by the judge to be here in person. He can waive that right, but he'll have to do so in writing. John, I'll send it back to you.

BERMAN: All right. Dan Simon, we know you're watching very closely. Please keep us posted.

He risked his life to protect others when a gunman opened fire, a hero employee who was credited with saving lives tells us his story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

CAMEROTA: More harrowing stories from inside a Boulder grocery store where ten people were gunned down on Monday. Our next guest was working as a barista and he risked his life to save others. He was also friends with two of the victims, including the youngest, 20-year- old Denny Stong, and the front manager of the King Soopers, 25-year- old Rikki Olds. Logan Smith, that employee, joins us now. Logan, thanks so much for being here. We're so sorry for the loss of your friends.

LOGAN SMITH, BARISTA AT BOULDER GROCERY STORE WHO SURVIVED MASSACRE: It's all good. Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: As I understand it, you heard the first gunshot outside and you had the presence of mind to call 911.

SMITH: Yes. CAMEROTA: And then what happened.

SMITH: So after a customer reported there were gunshots outside, I grabbed 911 and the shooting began inside while I was on the phone. As soon as that happened, I dropped the phone. I immediately went to find my co-worker who I was with behind the kiosk and I knew I had to protect her first over myself. She's older than me. She's my elder, and her life was more valuable than mine at that time. And so I pushed her into a corner and I barricaded her with trash cans. And then from that moment, it was game on. I knew I was in a life-threatening situation, didn't know the extent of it, and I just tried to find a place for myself.

CAMEROTA: I want to show a picture of you with Helen, your co-worker, who you hid behind garbage cans. There you guys are. You work together in the Starbucks kiosk. And, oh, my gosh, Logan, I mean, again, just the idea that your first instinct was to save your co-worker over yourself. Was she talking to you during that time? Were you giving her instructions? How did you get her to hide behind those garbage cans? I mean, what were those moments like?

SMITH: Yes. We had a brief conversation. I was instructing her to stay calm. She didn't have her phone on her and it was on sound mode, and so that was a little risky. But I told her to remain calm, don't go out, don't grab your phone and just wait until help arrives.

CAMEROTA: Have you seen her since this shooting?

SMITH: Since the day of, I have not seen her or communicated with her at all.

CAMEROTA: Well, I'm guessing that she is very grateful to you. And then after you hid her and took care of her, you had to hide. You're 6'4", as you point out, and that was no easy feat. So then what did you do?

SMITH: I just tried to hide as far away from sight as I could. I pinned my back against a wall. I had a trash can to the left side of me to block my chest. My head was visible, so that wasn't a great situation. And I just waited for police. There were moments where I did see the gunman like 15 feet away from me at times. He never noticed me, which I'm grateful for.

CAMEROTA: That's terrifying, Logan, just terrifying that you watched some of this. And you saw someone get shot, didn't you?

SMITH: I saw two people get shot. I -- when the customer reported that there was gunshots outside, I ran outside myself, I saw the gunman, I saw him shoot down a customer who was trying to run into the store. The customer was shot in the back and fell to the ground and died almost immediately.

And then shortly after gunshots began inside, I was peeking outside of my kiosk, and I saw my best friend, my co-worker, Rikki Olds, get shot as well.

[07:20:09]

And she fell to the floor.

That moment, it -- there was a split time in my mind that I wanted to run over to her, comfort her, and I was unaware if it was just one assailant or if there was multiple. If there was one, I probably would have made the decision to run and comfort her.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, Logan, the idea that you had to make those split-second decision and that you saw make that, are you able to get that image out of your mind?

SMITH: I don't think I ever will. I just hope it fades slowly.

CAMEROTA: Tell us about Rikki, your friend.

SMITH: Yes. So I -- the first day I joined King Soopers, I got to know Rikki. She was very charismatic, very expressive person. Her laughter lit up the room like no other. If you heard her laugh, you knew Rikki's.

Our relationship together as co-workers got -- she was basically -- she was 25. I considered her my work sister. That's how close we were. We picked on each other every single day. Me and her worked basically every single day together and we were best friends.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, Logan, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you were also friends with Denny Stong, who was 20 years old, and you and he were pals and you and he were, I think, gun enthusiasts, and you would go to the shooting range together on the weekends. And we have some pictures of you guys.

And so -- I mean, do you have -- have you been able to, in your mind, piece together anything about what you think should happen as a result of this horror?

SMITH: In terms of what should happen, I -- this situation is definitely a divisive and controversial situation. People support guns. People are against. I just want people to be united and come together for the loss of life. I want action taken within my company to ensure the safety of employees and customers, however they pursue that. I don't think the lives of employees and customers will be guaranteed until that is taken.

CAMEROTA: I understand. Logan Smith, take care of yourself. We're so sorry that you had to endure all of this and that you will forever have these images in your head. Please get help. Take care of yourself because this is just incredibly traumatic. We'll check in with you as well.

BERMAN: it's really -- for him and for so many people, it's the dual challenges. It's the loss. It's dealing with the holes now that are in your life and also the sheer terror of what he saw.

CAMEROTA: I mean, his life will never be the same. He is in his early 20s. He is a young man. And in a flash of a moment, because somebody violent had a gun, he now has these images burned into his mind as well as, as you say, losing his best friend. It's just unthinkable.

BERMAN: That was a nice conversation.

All right, France, Germany, and Canada all sounding the alarm about the U.K. coronavirus variant. Are we vaccinating Americans fast enough to fight this, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: France, Germany, Canada, Brazil, all raising concerns over the highly contagious variant first found in the United Kingdom of coronavirus B117. How big of a threat is it here in the United States?

Joining us now is Michael Osterholm. He is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Professor, as always, thanks so much.

We don't have to look to Brazil. We don't have to look to France. What about Michigan? I mean you can look to your left from where you are in Minnesota and start to worry about the possibilities of the variant here. Cases on the rise, steeply on the rise in Michigan, hospitalizations, clearly on the rise in that state. So why? What's happening there? How concerned are you?

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTO, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Well, thanks very much for having me on this morning. This is a tale that we've been talking on this very show and what would happen. I don't have to look any further than where I'm sitting right now. In Minnesota, we've had a 23 percent increase in cases just in the last seven days here in our state.

Right now, 33 states in the United States have seen over the last seven days increase in number cases. 11 of those cases have had more than 20 percent increases in cases. And this is exactly what we have been talking about, that once this variant, the B117, which is at least 50 percent to 60 percent more efficient in transmission, 50 percent effective more in terms causing illness is now widespread throughout the United States. And we're going to see as we open up more and more this virus move quickly and unfortunately infect a number of people.

CAMEROTA: Professor, why is this variant, the U.K. variant, as it's called, seem to be infecting younger people and making them have more severe illness?

OSTERHOLM: Well, this is one of the great questions, Alisyn, that we don't really understand. One of the reasons why I was a strong proponent, really in support of opening schools, particularly K through eighth grade, was then up until this variant's presence, we saw very little transmission by children to children or by children to teachers or even other family members, that's all changed with the B117.

[07:30:02] Now, they are just like the rest of us. They're not transferring it any more frequently than young adults or older adults, but they are now transmitting.