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Top Trump Administration Health Officials Speak Out On COVID Response; Cargo Ship Blocking Suez Canal Nearly Freed; U.K. Government Advises All Britons In Myanmar To Leave Country. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired March 29, 2021 - 05:30   ET

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


[05:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Health emergency are best held by medical experts.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Next -- next, please.

HAHN: When the president, from whatever podium he was at, talked about a therapeutic or some medical intervention, that became a political football, frankly -- and it was an unfortunate situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: And then there was this, a surprising opinion from former CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, who without any evidence says he believes COVID-19 was released from a lab in China accidentally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: You know, I am of the point of view that I still think the most likely ideology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory -- you know, escaped. If other people don't believe that, that's fine. Science will eventually figure it out.

I do not believe this somehow came from a bat to a human and at that moment in time, the virus came to the human and became one of the most infectious viruses that we know in humanity for human-to-human transmission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Dr. Redfield says it's his opinion. The World Health Organization says this lab theory is extremely unlikely.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Certainly a blockbuster reveal there.

Today, the president and vice president receive a briefing from their COVID response team on the pandemic and where the country stands with vaccinations.

CNN's Jasmine Wright live at the White House again for us this morning. Nice to see you this Monday morning, Jasmine.

We hear the president will deliver some remarks on COVID. What do we know?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well look, the White -- I mean, the White House is trying to bring the country along -- trying to turn the corner on the coronavirus pandemic and continue pushing to make sure that people get these vaccinations day in and day out.

This is as the CDC has been warning this week, including Dir. Rochelle Walensky, that cases and hospital admissions are starting to increase and they are seeing that as these different states are easing their restrictions. So we will likely hear some form of listen guys, there's still a pandemic going on -- mask up -- from President Biden as he delivers remarks both after that briefing and on the state of vaccinations.

We know that President Biden really upped his goal -- expanded it from that initial 100 million shots in his first 100 days. They hit that. Now their goal is 200 million shots in the first 100 days. So we will likely also get an update on whether or not they are on track to hit that goal.

One thing, though, that we haven't from President Biden is whether or not he has any concerns or any comments on that -- what we heard from the former CDC director Redfield about where this virus came from. President Biden was asked about it on Friday and he did not want to comment, saying he was going to leave it to the scientific community to take the cue. So we'll see if President Biden has anything further to say on that -- Christine.

ROMANS: Yes, it certainly has been so interesting to see those doctors talk about the path that we've been on here and lessons learned.

Jasmine, thank you so much for that -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. With his $1.9 trillion rescue bill successfully passed into law, President Biden is on to the next one. His Build Back Better package includes plans to hike taxes this time, with the wealthiest Americans and the biggest businesses most likely to take a hit.

CNN's John Harwood joins us this morning. John, nice to see you.

He's fresh off this victory from the American Rescue Plan. You have a great piece up on cnn.com right now about why this latest one, though, might be a harder sell this time around. Tell us why.

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well look, $1.9 trillion is a lot of money to spend. It was borrowed money.

This new plan -- the infrastructure and human capital plan that Biden's going to offer, that's going to be $3 trillion to $4 trillion, OK? So there's a topline sticker shock that some people are going to have to deal with.

Secondly, there are components in the plan -- the elements meant to address climate change. Republicans think those -- some of those are radical, changing the energy mix in the country. They represent a lot of fossil fuel extraction states, and so there's going to be resistance to that.

They think some of the human capital development programs -- child tax credit, universal pre-K, free community college -- they equate those to welfare.

And then finally, there's the method of paying for it. The Biden team wants to borrow some money in this new package but they also want to raise taxes on U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals, and Republicans across-the-board have resistance to tax increases.

So it all adds up to a significant intensity of opposition from Republicans that makes it likely they're going to need to pursue that same path they did for COVID relief, which is a Democrats-only plan through special budget rules. And we'll see if they can pull that off.

ROMANS: You know, John -- you know, the president says he wants to reward work, not wealth. These will be tax hikes for the wealthiest people and for companies.

So listen here to the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.

[05:35:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We're hearing the next few months might bring a so-called infrastructure proposal. It may actually be a Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing, left-wing policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: They're going to try to paint this as liberal overreach. But many of these things that Joe Biden is trying to do are incredibly popular. I mean, the Republicans can call it welfare but when you're talking about quality universal pre-K and you're talking about making those child tax credits permanent, those are popular items with the public.

HARWOOD: They are, and let's take a step back and put leader McConnell's comments into context. Job-killing is what Republicans described the tax hikes that Bill Clinton offered in early 19 -- the early 1990s to try to curb the deficit. It's what they said about Obamacare and the tax increases that Barack Obama ushered in.

In neither case was that proven to be true. Tremendous job growth during the Clinton years. Record -- starting a record streak of private-sector job growth, as you know, Christine, under President Obama. But what happens when you get proposals of this kind, Republicans try

to make the case to voters who were suspicious of government that, yes, they say they're going to raise taxes on other people but they're really going to raise taxes --

ROMANS: Yes.

HARWOOD: -- on you.

And because there's so much distrust of government, many voters will believe that. That makes a critical massive opposition. And, of course, they're going to make the same arguments about spending and debt.

ROMANS: Yes, but I will point out the Republicans also made this big promise that the tax cuts in the Trump administration would supercharge the American economy and that would create a bunch of jobs. It really created a lot of welfare --

HARWOOD: It did not happen.

ROMANS: It did not happen. So I wonder how long the memory the public has, Laura.

JARRETT: Well -- so, John, the president says he wants to pass this one, also with Republican support, like he said that last time -- it didn't happen. But does he need Republican support in Congress if he has support from Republican voters, right? If this is -- if this is actually so possible because Republican voters actually get on board with this, does it matter what happens in Congress?

HARWOOD: Well, it matters to some degree. And as you know, Laura, that's the consistent distinction the Biden White House has been making.

We've got Republicans in the country supporting us whether or not Republican legislators who face particular incentives, the fear of primary challenges from the right, mean messages from Donald Trump -- all of those things is something that the Biden campaign has said during COVID relief and they're going to say it again now.

They are going to try with some elements of this plan, particularly infrastructure -- roads, bridges, airports -- those are things that do have universal support even though they ended up -- end up getting dragged into political opposition from Republicans. They're going to try to make the case that come along with us on part of this.

But the evidence, so far, is that there is not going to be a sufficient level of Republican cooperation that they can get this done -- they can get the 10 Republican votes to get past the filibuster. If that is true -- if that expectation is borne out, then it's all going to get rolled together in one big package, and the challenge --

ROMANS: Yes.

HARWOOD: -- will be keeping Democrats together. And remember, as you guys know, Democrats, for decades, have been making the case this economy is unfair, it's unequal.

ROMANS: Yes.

HARWOOD: People at the top doing well, people at the bottom not doing well. This is a very aggressive attempt to deal with that and they're going to count on that to hold their party together.

ROMANS: Can we just mark for the moment, John, how big and aggressive this whole strategy is from this president right out of the gate? I mean, you and I remember covering the financial crisis last time around how cautious the Obama administration seemed in hindsight about how big to go and how not to turn off Congress by spending too much money or having too many targeted liberals policies.

I mean, am I right? This is just a completely different strategy than a dozen years ago.

HARWOOD: Yes, and it reflects two things, Christine.

One is within the community of economists there's a greater recognition that we're not about to tip over and become Greece or a third-world country because when we borrow that much money our interest rates are going to skyrocket and we can't afford it. So it's clearly more -- we're more able to afford it.

And secondly, you have a Democratic Party that has fewer conservative members -- that's more homogeneously united behind the goals that President Biden and President Obama share.

ROMANS: All right, John Harwood. Nice to see you bright and early this Monday morning. We'll tweet out a link to your --

HARWOOD: You bet.

ROMANS: -- fantastic column. Thanks, John.

JARRETT: Thanks, John.

ROMANS: All right.

This morning, the gigantic cargo ship that's been, of course, blocking the Suez Canal for nearly a week -- it's mostly freed. They've refloat -- partially refloated this behemoth and traffic could begin flowing again in a matter of hours, we're told -- maybe.

Ben Wedeman is in Cairo. He's tracking the latest developments. This has been such an amazing story. Do they have this monster moving?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The word you said there "maybe" is probably correct.

[05:40:01]

What we did hear is that just before sunrise in Cairo that they were able to get the stern sort of moved over to the opposite bank and therefore, the Ever Given is no longer straddling the Suez Canal. But the canal is still not navigable.

Basically, also, we've heard from the CEO of the Dutch dredging company that's helping the Egyptians in the effort to free the Ever Given that the bow of the ship is still, in the words of the CEO of that company, rock-solid stuck in clay on the bank.

Now, at this very moment, the Suez Canal is at a high-tide level and they are hoping that will be able to provide that extra support or help from Mother Nature to move that ship along.

In the meantime, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has just put out a statement saying that the Egyptians have succeeded in overcoming that crisis. That level of optimism may be premature. Progress, there has been, but the crisis isn't over it, Christine.

ROMANS: Indeed, and so much trade has been stalled through that route. People rerouting their shipments. We'll see if that follows through in higher prices down the road, at least temporarily.

Ben Wedeman, thank you so much for that for us this morning.

And oil prices actually falling on hopes that the Suez Canal will reopen soon. The ship blocking that trade route has been partially freed. Brent Crude futures are the global benchmark, falling a little bit here. We also have WTI futures, the U.S. benchmark, falling as well.

The Ever Given has been stuck for nearly a week, disrupting global trade which had already been under pressure because of the pandemic. Analysts had warned of higher prices if the traffic jam caused by the Ever Given dragged on for another week. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the Suez Canal. We're talking containers full of oil, car parts, and TVs, instant coffee, even livestock all delayed.

Gas prices were already rising. Some states seeing $3.00 a gallon gas as the economy opens up and people start driving again.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:46:25]

JARRETT: Welcome back. Forty-six past the hour here in New York.

And the U.K. government this morning urging all British nationals in Myanmar to leave the country immediately due to the increase in violence. United Nations officials are condemning Myanmar's military after the bloodiest day of protests since a military coup last month. More than 100 people were killed just this weekend.

CNN's Ivan Watson is live with the very latest this morning. Ivan, everyone is condemning this violence, but what is it actually going to take to make it stop? IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's the question everybody's asking -- where is the off-ramp for this? And it's very hard to answer that question.

The savagery of the weekend is all the more obscene because the military dictatorship was throwing itself a party -- a parade and black-tie dinner on Saturday for what's called Armed Forces Day -- even as the security forces were butchering people in more than 40 cities and towns across the city. Pretty perverse.

And it's been condemned by the U.S., the United Nations, which called this widespread lethal, increasingly systematic attacks, by the E.U., by Britain. Notably, Russia -- it sent a delegation and a military officer to sit at the military parade.

As the killing was going on you also had an expansion of the fighting to border areas where there have been ethnic armed groups for decades that have fought against the central government that control enclaves. The military carrying out airstrikes in one of those regions both Saturday and Sunday and sending refugees across the border fleeing to neighboring Thailand. It's all adding up to a growing problem.

And what one of the ethnic armed group's leaders told CNN -- he says that Myanmar is teetering towards becoming a failed state.

Back to you.

JARRETT: Just a very disturbing situation. Thank you for staying on top of it -- Ivan Watson.

All right, back here in the U.S., the Biden administration working on a passport system for people to prove they've been vaccinated against coronavirus. In New York, they've already got a head start.

CNN has the pandemic covered coast-to-coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hi, I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City where the state is launching a new, free, voluntary platform that will help New Yorkers prove their latest COVID-19 test results came back negative. The so-called Excelsior Pass is not only meant to confirm a person's test results but also to show that they've been recently vaccinated for the virus.

State officials are hopeful that this will help fast-track business and venue reopenings, including arenas, stadiums, wedding venues -- basically, any kind of establishment that caters to events over social gathering limits.

By this weekend, smaller arts and entertainment venues here in the state of New York will be able to participate in the pilot program.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN REPORTER (on camera): I'm Paul Vercammen at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California. And as a sign that they are easing up restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic era, this park will open on Thursday and it will do so with strict safety protocols.

The guests will come in through a fancy thermometer-like structure and have their temperature taken. They will go through security with imaging. They will also have their tickets on their phone so everything is contactless. When they're on the rides they must wear their masks, and if a mask falls off there are workers who will stand by and provide them with an extra one.

They will open here at 15 percent capacity but that could soon change. They expect to ramp up and put 1,500 people back to work, so it's a boost to the California economy.

[05:50:10]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Erica Hill in New York.

Some 12,000 college students across 20 campuses in the country are part of a new clinical trial involving COVID vaccines. In announcing it on Friday, Dr. Fauci said the trial could tell us whether fully- vaccinated people can still get infected asymptomatically and if so, whether they can transmit the virus to others. The trial could also determine whether fully-vaccinated people still need to continue physical distancing and wearing masks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right.

This morning, new evidence of racial disparities in the healthcare system. Black patients faring far worse than white patients in hospitals. That's according to a just-released analysis of more than 2,300 hospitals in 26 states.

It found Black patients had a significantly higher rate of adverse events like infections after surgical procedures. The study also showed Black patients were less likely to be admitted to high-quality hospitals.

JARRETT: At least four people are dead in Nashville, Tennessee as extreme flash flooding forced people from their homes in a frantic search for higher ground there. Unrelenting rainfall Saturday and Sunday swept through neighborhoods, flooding houses and leaving dozens of people stranded. It was the second-highest two-day rainfall in Nashville's history.

Fire and emergency officials launched boats to rescue at least 130 people from vehicles and homes.

The city's mayor has now declared a local state of emergency and is asking federal resources for help to recover from the devastation.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this morning -- this Monday morning.

Looking at markets around the world to start the week, Asian shares closed higher. Europe has opened slightly mixed here. And on Wall Street, futures down a little bit after record highs for the Dow and S&P 500 on Friday.

Investors looking ahead for more details about the president's infrastructure push. We'll hear about that this week.

And also, there's a jobs report Friday and economists are hoping for job growth as more people have been vaccinated and stimulus takes hold. The economy is still in a jobs hold, down 9 1/2 million jobs since February of last year.

It's a short week for investors. Markets will be closed Friday for Good Friday.

Tariffs on China are staying for now. Katherine Tai, the new U.S. trade representative, told "The Wall Street Journal" in an interview the U.S. is open to trade talks with China but has no plans right now to lift tariffs on Chinese goods.

The Trump administration put tariffs on about $370 billion worth of goods during a years' long trade war that hurt businesses and U.S. consumers. The U.S. and China signed a deal in 2020 to end that trade war but the tariffs stayed on as leverage against China to keep its end of the bargain, including China buying more U.S. farm products.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Scene from Disney "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: New content means higher prices. Disney+ raised the price of its monthly subscription by a dollar on Friday. That brings the cost to $7.99. A dollar might not seem like much but it matters as consumers add more streaming services to their wallets.

And it may be the first of many as Disney's library grows. Disney plans on spending up to $16 billion across its streaming ventures in the next few years. That money has to come from somewhere.

I can tell you, though, that's a -- "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" fantastic, fantastic program. My kids are hooked.

JARRETT: All right.

Finally this morning, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" returning from its winter break just in time for spring break as many baby boomers celebrate their vaccinations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" raps that 'Boomers Got the Vax."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: I laughed out loud so hard it crashed the economy three whole times.

JARRETT: I knew that was the part you were going to like. I like the part where the grandmas are hugging their grandkids and then they kick them to the curb. They got plans now.

ROMANS: I don't really like generational warfare but sometimes it is funny to laugh.

JARRETT: It was a solid bit.

ROMANS: It really was.

All right, thanks for joining us this Monday morning, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cases are starting to rise again in some states.

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: A lot of the spread is happening among younger people -- kind of relaxing and getting infected.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Was there a moment, Dr. Fauci, when you said OK, this is the big one?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Yes. The decision to go all out and develop a vaccine may have been the best decision that I've ever made.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are continuing to see the fallout of this sweeping elections bill that passed in the state of Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are gaslighting these improvements and fearmongering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to do everything I can so that we can expand on democracy rather than contract it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Monday, March 29th, 6:00 here in New York.

John is off, and John Avlon joins me. Great to have you. JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Great to be here.

CAMEROTA: A very busy news day because we begin this morning with new revelations about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. This is based on new interviews with the top health officials in the country. It aired last night in a CNN documentary.