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New Day

Coronavirus Update from Around the World; Defense In Chauvin Trial; Schools Struggle with Virtual Class. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 31, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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


[08:30:00]

DR. CHRIS T. PERNELL, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE FELLOW: Why states, our regions, municipalities, institutions, schools will need to be poised and ready to execute on a distribution plan when that vaccine is available.

And another thing that I am looking to hear, especially as this data gets combed through, is, are we going to have the same transport and the same mobility issues that we've had with the Pfizer vaccine for adults, the (ph) ultra-cold storage, the refrigerator shelf life is not that long. So I'll be really curious to know, are those issues the same when this -- this permutation (ph) of the vaccine for children or has Pfizer began to solve some of those issues.

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Chris Pernell, it is great to see you, as always, but especially on one of those rare days when we have good news in the fight against COVID.

PERNELL: Yes.

AVLON: Thank you very much.

PERNELL: Yes.

AVLON: Be well.

All right, French President Emmanuel Macron will address his nation tonight as his country faces a major surge in coronavirus cases. CNN reporters are, of course, covering the pandemic around the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Melissa Bell in Paris.

The French president will address the nation tonight after meeting with his ministers this morning to discuss whether fresh restrictions are now needed to bring down France's surging COVID-19 figures. The number of COVID-19 patients in French ICUs now exceeds 5,000 for the first time since the month of April.

Meanwhile, Germany has become the latest European country to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to older populations after several patients and, in particular, younger women were found to have developed blood clots after being inoculated.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

The British prime minister, the French president, the German chancellor and more than 20 other world leaders signed an open letter calling for an international treaty for pandemic preparedness. They say coronavirus has posed the biggest threat to the world since World War II and they want to see an all of society, all of government approach to deal with future health crises. They describe immunizations as a global public good and they say no country is safe until all countries are safe.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Steven Jiang in Beijing where the government has said the WHO report on COVID origins demonstrated China's openness and transparency, while again calling for investigations to be conducted in other countries with officials here often pointing fingers at the U.S.

This came as the head of the WHO considered pro-Beijing by critics surprised many by saying that more data and studies are needed for the Wuhan lab leak theory while also saying the agency's experts encountered difficulties in accessing raw Chinese data during their investigation in the country.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The biggest cabinet shake-up since Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office. On Tuesday, his government announced that the leaders of all three branches of the armed forces were being replaced. The reshuffling an indication of how much pressure Bolsonaro is under as COVID-19 continues to ravage the country.

On Tuesday, Brazil registered a new record number of deaths from COVID-19, more than 3,700. The total death toll is over 300,000 people, and the vaccine rollout has been slow and plagued by political infighting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Our thanks to all of our correspondents.

So witnesses describing the emotional final moments of George Floyd's life as prosecutors make their case against former Officer Derek Chauvin. What is the defense strategy? We have that and more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:37:36]

CAMEROTA: Testimony resumes this morning in the Derek Chauvin murder trial with an off-duty firefighter who says she was desperate to help George Floyd in his final moments. Chauvin's defense attorney, at times, tried to portray many of the eyewitnesses as members of an angry mob.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY OF DEREK CHAUVIN: Do you recall saying, I dare you to touch me like that. I swear I'll slap the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of both of you?

DONALD WYNN WILLIAMS, WITNESS: Yes, I did. I mean (ph) too.

NELSON: So, again, sir, it's fair to say that you grew angrier and angrier?

WILLIAMS: No, I grew professional and professional. I stayed in my body. You can't paint me out to being angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Joining us now, Mark O'Mara, he helped the legal defense of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Also with us, CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers. He's an attorney and author of "My Vanishing Country."

Gentlemen, great to see you.

Mark O'Mara, I want to start with you. How do you think that the defense team is doing with these witnesses and trying to depict them as a distracting, at best, and, at worst, angry mob?

MARK O'MARA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND FORMER PROSECUTOR: I understand the purpose. I think they need to be careful with their philosophy of the case. Don't forget, the only people that count here, even though there's a lot going on outside the courtroom, the only people who count are those 12 people that they're talking to. And if those 12 people are listening to an EMT, listening to the girl who did the videotaping, if they see the defense attacking them for not good reasons, then they're going to turn against them. And the credibility that the defense team has, which will drip over onto the defendant, is so important, particularly in the early stages. Don't forget, lawyers are sought -- sort of seen to be arrogant and all that to begin with, so we can't feed into that. These people are not necessarily hurting the defense right now. It is what it is. Arguing that there's an angry mob, particularly with a racial undertones of that, I think is very dangerous.

AVLON: Yes.

Bakari, that's what I want to get into. This goes way beyond sort of blaming the crowd for being an angry mob and saying that somehow would excuse Derek Chauvin's actions. We saw the recitation of an uglier, older trope. I want to play for you a clip from the questioning of Mr. Williams.

S6.

[08:40:03]

CAMEROTA: Oh, that's the one that we just heard.

Oh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY OF DEREK CHAUVIN: Do you recall saying, I dare you to touch me like that. I swear I'll slap the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of both of you?

DONALD WYNN WILLIAMS, WITNESS: Yes, I did. I mean (ph) too.

NELSON: So, again, sir, it's fair to say that you grew angrier and angrier?

WILLIAMS: No, I grew professional and professional. I stayed in my body. You can't paint me out to being angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: I wanted to play that again, Bakari, because it goes really directly to the heart of trying to paint this witness as an angry black man.

How does that not create blowback in the courtroom?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, we'll see. We'll see. I mean, you know, this is -- this was only day two. Today is day three of the trial. And we'll have to piece that all together.

But the witness did a great job. I mean, what the defense was trying to do is put the witness in this corner to help piece together the defense's theme, which I agree -- I agree with Mark is not the best theme in the world. That somehow there was this angry mob out there that distracted the cops and, therefore, he wasn't able to do his job appropriately or felt threatened by them.

And what he's attempting to do is push the buttons of these witnesses so that they will react, so that they will lash out. And the jury can see them react and lash out.

But that's not what's happening. And when you attempt a strategy that doesn't work, sometimes you just need to shut up and move on. I mean that -- that is usually what criminal defense lawyers will do.

So I don't expect the questioning this morning of the EMT witness to go much further than it went yesterday. You attempted to impeach her. You got some reaction out of her. You got her scolded by the -- by the judge. So today I expect them to move on.

I'm not sure this strategy is one that's going to work. But, again, convicting cops in the United States of America is extremely difficult.

AVLON: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Mark, it was interesting yesterday how many of the witnesses couldn't be on camera because I guess there was a rule that if you were a minor at the -- during the time of the crime, they don't show your face. And so we heard these voices, really, I think, compelling voices of people who we couldn't see, which was just, you know, an interesting framework in the courtroom.

Is that unusual, number one, and, number two, is it risky to put such young nine-year-old witnesses on the stand?

O'MARA: Well, one, it is unusual, but we do protect our children. So we make sure that the trauma that just exists in a courtroom is not going to be visited upon them. So with children we do it that way, sometimes by videotape, sometimes this way.

So, yes, it's not unusual. But it is, I think, almost more impactful than a live witness because, of course, the jury, again, those 12 people who only count, are listening to almost this disembodied voice of a nine-year-old and it's just utterly compelling and very emotional. And for any mom on that jury or dad for that matter to have to sit back and listen to what a nine-year-old saw, that has an emotional impact.

You know, we, as lawyers, get to be rational and unemotional, but a mom or a dad sitting on that panel, even though they said they're going to listen to the law and apply the facts, they're going to listen to a nine-year-old or an EMT who we know is a first responder we all love or a guy who was sitting there pleading for a life. These are some of the best days of the prosecution's case because they're dealing with raw, human emotions.

It's going to get worse for the prosecution when we start getting into experts and cause of death and what they're going to have to focus on as a defense team. But these first few days you cannot deny the emotional impact of human beings watching another one die.

AVLON: Bakari, I want to play a clip of one of the children who witnessed the death of George Floyd and get your reaction along those lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EYEWITNESS J.R.: I saw the officer put a knee on the neck of George Floyd. I was sad and kind of mad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Just heartbreaking. What's the kind of impact from that testimony and that witness on the individual?

SELLERS: Well, you know, you just have to pray for the individual. I mean that's when you think about individuals who say that they are a product of the proverb, it takes a community or a village to raise a child. And the village is going to have to be there for that child because these images will be seared into her brain for a very long period of time. And so we lift her up in prayer.

You know, they -- these children do play a role because under Minnesota law, you know, in the presence that these actions are committed in the presence of children, then these are considered to be aggravating circumstances. And these aggravating circumstances can lead to enhanced penalties, which is what the prosecution is trying to do by having these children there. That's first.

But even more importantly, as Mark said, before you start getting into the weeds and the nuance of this case, which is going to boil down to, I think, two things, one is intent and the other is cause of death, these are really the days because of the emotion that goes along with them.

[08:45:08]

And I -- you have no more emotional clarity than the words of children. And I think that that is going to be something that is remembered. I can -- I can honestly say that if I was prosecuting this case, I would use those words again in my closing argument and maybe even her voice again so that that's one of the last things that the jury hears when they walk back into the jury room.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean I get, just on a human level, I, again, was just so struck by the lasting trauma that everybody who saw this carries with them from a nine-year-old to a teenager through an EMT.

Mark, in terms of the strategy here, the defense strategy, when would they decide to put Derek Chauvin on the stand, and would that be a smart idea?

O'MARA: Extraordinarily dangerous in any criminal case. You know, a defendant has the absolute right not to help the prosecution convict him or her. Always very dangerous. It's always a last-minute decision where it's weighing between how well is our case going without him or her, how strong is the state's case and how necessary it is for Chauvin to explain his behavior.

You know, in self-defense cases, where you almost have to put the defendant on to say, here is why I did it, you almost have that case here with Chauvin because he's got to explain why, not just the first three minutes, six minutes, but minutes seven, eight, nine, nine and a half why he wants that jury to believe that it was an appropriate training situation for him. And that can really only come from his words. But, my God, it's an extraordinarily dangerous decision to make in any criminal case.

CAMEROTA: Bakari, Mark, thank you both very much.

SELLERS: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So many school districts are seeing a drop in attendance and, of course, remote learning makes finding those lost students hard. So we're going to hear from educators trying to track down these students falling through the cracks, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:17]

CAMEROTA: For some students, virtual learning has meant no learning. The coronavirus pandemic is bringing new challenges to school districts struggling to connect with their students who are not logging into their online classrooms.

CNN's Ryan Young is live in Atlanta with more.

What have you learned, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, as you can imagine, look, this has been very tough, turning over school learning to computers and hot spots, but some kids never really connected with the technology and school systems really had to dig in to find their students.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to give you a call and touch base about --

YOUNG (voice over): Hundreds of calls like this one are being made each day. Calls that could help change a kid's life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he's only missed one single day since the beginning of the semester.

YOUNG: Kathleen Richardson (ph) works for a non-profit helping find students who aren't participating in class or logging in to online classes at all. Something school districts around the country are struggling with.

ERIC WATSON, PRINCIPAL, STOCKBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL: It is concerning. It's disheartening.

YOUNG: Eric Watson is a principal here at Stockbridge High School outside Atlanta. He along with other schools in his district has created local care teams to make sure students who are learning virtually are engaging the same way they would be in a classroom.

YOUNG (on camera): What's your concern when you see a kid that's not logging on?

WATSON: I mean you just don't know, you know, what's going on in the home because we normally spend more time with the students than their parents do.

YOUNG (voice over): Henry County Public Schools has nearly 43,000 students from pre-k through 12th grade. Out of the 1,400 students that would normally be roaming the halls of this high school, Watson says only 200 per day attend classes in person, while the school is still majority virtual. Their cares team is making phone calls, doing home visits and checking students' social media.

CHON HESTER, HENRY COUNTY FAMILY AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES: Sometimes we go on their FaceBook. Sometimes we go on their Instagram.

YOUNG: School officials are especially concerned about the learning loss made worse by the pandemic. YOUNG (on camera): You know kids are losing out on this precious

amount of time for education that might change their lives. And you're an educator. So how does that hit you when you realize that this is really going on?

HESTER: That's the one that pulls on all of our hearts as educators because what do we do? We educate. We love on our children and we like them to be in front of us. But we do everything that we can to wrap our arms around those babies from a distance.

YOUNG (voice over): A survey by the EdWeek Research Center showed that student absences nationally have doubled during the pandemic. Daily absentee rates among high schoolers were the highest at 13 percent with middle school absentee rates at 11 percent and elementary school rates at the lowest of 9 percent. And it's not necessarily long-term absences that are most worrying, according to the Georgia department of education. Missing more than five days of school each year begins to impact student academic performance.

And these school districts are deploying more resources to make sure their students have what they need to log on from class.

JESSICA STORMER, HENRY COUNTY FAMILY AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES: We've had partnerships to provide hot spots to students, but then also providing them with that real live support on walking them through, how do you log on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I need you. I need a hot spot and (INAUDIBLE).

YOUNG: At Marietta City Schools, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rollout of a program to get Google Chromebooks to all 8,900 students.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What -- it's making sure that we were out there providing the necessities for these families. We've been able to change the narrative of what school looks like and what we do.

YOUNG: But even with the resources to log on, Mosley's (ph) team is still actively tracking students working with police in extreme cases. Keeping kids in school is a part of the job, but these missing children are something that's personal to these educators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But when you can't find a kid, it's almost like you lost one of your own. And so you don't give up. You never stop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:55:06]

YOUNG: Yes, we were talking to that educator. You think about this, COVID-19 has hit kids in such a different way. Yes, a lot of them may not be getting sick, but a lot of their parents are. And so that's the impact. These teachers have really turning out to be a lifeline, sometimes centering the kids to give them something else to think about. Something that we've been able to see, the school behind us is open. Seeing kids high-five their teachers as they go in is something to put a smile on your face. But you understand, that is not happening all across the country just yet. You understand why there's such a big push to get kids back in school.

Back to you.

CAMEROTA: Ryan, I mean you're so right. I mean one of the silver linings, kids wanting to be back in their classrooms.

AVLON: How about that?

CAMEROTA: You know, who would have thought it.

YOUNG: Yes.

CAMEROTA: But that's what's happening around the country.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much for all of that reporting.

AVLON: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: I'll see you tomorrow?

AVLON: Absolutely.

CNN's coverage continues after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:00:00]