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New Day
Ohio Official's Stand Against Anti-Asian Violence; New Jobless Claims; Migrants Risk their Lives to Evade Border Patrol; Pfizer Seeks Full Approval; Fans Return for Opening Day. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired April 01, 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]
LEE WONG, CHAIR, WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES: And I served this country honorably. And to say that to me, to my face, it hurts. So I -- I started to say something that -- I was very nervous to talk about things like that. No one wants to talk about it. And -- but I was so deep in the water I felt, now I'm in trouble. I've got to -- I just -- I don't know what came over me. And I was -- some anger or frustration inside, I just -- I pulled my shirt up and said, here is -- and so I showed my ugly -- ugly scar that -- from the -- I served this country --
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It was power --
WONG: For your freedom, democracy, all that you can say, liberty.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
WONG: And that we need to be kinder and gentler. That's all I say.
CAMEROTA: It was very powerful. We have a picture of you serving your country in uniform. And so, look at you there.
And do you want to tell us how you got that scar, what that patriotism looked like?
WONG: Well, that was just -- that was in basic combat training in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, in, you know, during those days -- in the old armies we do a lot of crazy things. The (INAUDIBLE) sergeant had us dive into -- under the World War II barracks, crawl to the other side, get a handful of grass and back. You better not be the last one. And I got cut up pretty bad. Just unlucky. There were some glass, old rocks down there. And it's -- it is not a combat wound. It's just a training wound.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
WONG: But they need to just --
CAMEROTA: You know, basic training, you know, some people think they're going to die through that. And so whatever, it's all patriotism. And I mean, obviously, it's just -- it was just such a visual -- a visually stunning moment to see that -- I mean, as you say, you thought you were dipping your toe in the water but then you dove in to make that point. And what was the response?
WONG: I was shocked. I never thought, from a little meeting, sleepy meeting to -- to this. And I was shocked that it went -- this message went out.
I'm glad that -- I just want people to know to be kinder and gentler and be more civil. We are all Americans. We are under one human race.
JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: And that is the essence of what our country offers, at its best, but too often, we have to confront the worst. And I wonder what you think has led to this rise in anti-Asian-American hate behavior and what just everyday Americans of every community can do to support the Asian-American community right now.
WONG: Well, we -- we need -- I kept saying, we need to be kinder. We are not here -- we shouldn't be -- attack each other racially or -- regardless of political affiliation. We are all human. (INAUDIBLE) that this violence -- increase in violence against Asian-Americans, it's just wrong. We are all hard-working Americans, law-abiding citizens, and we need to be treated equal like that's what our U.S. Constitution wrote beautifully. Better than a Bible.
CAMEROTA: In your experience, Mr. Wong, is it getting worse?
WONG: I'm hopeful it will get better.
CAMEROTA: I know you are. But I know -- and I understand that, and I love your message, but in the past year, have you been subject to more racism and more hate than you had, say, you know, a decade ago?
WONG: Yes. The last couple of years, that was the worst I've ever experienced. That was -- I just can't believe it was so bold that came to my face to tell me that. I was even wearing an Army jacket, Army retired cap, even holding a flag, and that you confront me that way saying that I wasn't -- and look American or patriotic. That -- that really hurt me deeply that we -- how American should look like?
AVLON: They should look like you. You're quintessentially patriotic American --
WONG: Yes.
AVLON: And we thank you for your service to our nation in so many different ways.
WONG: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: Thanks so much for that message as well.
WONG: Thank you for having me.
CAMEROTA: The message of what you're looking for and that everybody has to be kinder and gentler. It's great to talk to you, Mr. Wong. Thank you very much.
WONG: Thank you so much. Thank you. CAMEROTA: For more information about how you can take a stand against anti-Asian racism, go to cnn.com/impact.
AVLON: All right, new this morning, officials in Los Angeles say they now know the cause of Tiger Woods' crash, but cannot reveal it.
[08:35:05]
The golf legend suffered serious leg injuries when his SUV rolled off the road last month. The Los Angeles County Sheriff says the investigation is complete but details will not be released, quote, without the permission of the people involved. He says the department will ask Woods to waive any privacy issues. A fascinating twist.
CAMEROTA: OK, well, there certainly are some questions about what happened there and maybe Tiger Woods will explain it at some point or what he's learned.
AVLON: I think it would be difficult not to. And we, obviously, are grateful that he seems to be on the road to recovery, but that is a twist in the tale, as they say.
CAMEROTA: I mean it's obviously his prerogative, but people are certainly concerned.
AVLON: It is.
All right, is America's unemployment crisis getting better or worse? Well, ask Christine Romans, she's got the new numbers, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: New weekly jobless claims released just moments ago. And chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now.
What are you seeing, Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Holding near the lowest levels of the pandemic for jobless claims. And that's -- and that's what we want to be seeing here, 719,000 new filings.
[08:40:03]
You can see that's a little more than last week. But last week was the best we've seen of the entire pandemic and finally came below those great recession in 1982 record highs.
So the trend there going in the right direction. Let me fill out the numbers for you, 719,000. You add in the pandemic unemployment insurance, those are special programs. All together that's about a million people for the first time filing for jobless claims. Altogether, still 18.2 million people receiving some sort of benefit. So this is still a job market in crisis. But with vaccinations and warmer weather and slow reopenings, hoping these layoffs start to slow down. To the other top story we're following this morning, the corporate
response to that Georgia election law. We're hearing from a couple of CEOs of companies headquartered in Georgia. We heard from Ed Bastian, the Delta CEO. And this is what he says in a memo to his employees. It is evident that the Georgia law contains provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong. He goes on to say in his view here this was all built on the lie that there was election fraud in Georgia in the election.
And the Coca-Cola CEO, also based there in Georgia, had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES QUINCEY, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, COCA-COLA: Let me be crystal clear and unequivocal, this legislation is unacceptable. It is a step backwards and it does not promote principles we have stood for in Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: There had been pressure on these companies to say something. This is the state in which they base their operations, their employees, their customers want to know where they stood. Now we know.
John.
AVLON: Thank you, Christine, as always.
Now to the surge at the U.S. border with Mexico. In addition to hundreds of unaccompanied children, officials in Texas are focused on migrants who are risking their lives to evade checkpoints. They don't get caught by border agents.
CNN's Rosa Flores live in Laredo, Texas, with rare access to the operation.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning.
You know, the border crisis looks very different here. I just got here from the Rio Grande Valley where it's mostly women and children turning themselves into authorities in droves. Here in Laredo, it's very different. According to Border Patrol, it's mostly single adults who are getting smuggled into this country who don't want to get caught.
Let me show you what this looks like. We were on a ride-along with Border Patrol yesterday as a stash house was being dismantled. This stash house was in the middle of a neighborhood. There were 18 people inside that were apprehended. According to Border Patrol, there's been a 400 percent increase in the number of people that are arrested inside stash houses this year compared to last year.
Now, according to Border Patrol, from these stash houses, people are being smuggled in vehicles using the interstates and highways of this country. During our ride-along, there were two smuggling vehicle attempts that were interdicted. Nine people were arrested. You can see in that video how this was on the side of the road. Now, at least nine people were apprehended.
I spoke to the mayor of this city who says he's very concerned about the increase in the smuggling activity here and how this could increase in violence in his city.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE SAENZ, LAREDO, TEXAS: We're sitting on a box of dynamite, a powder keg. It could easily explode if we don't address it quickly, root it out and end it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Now the mayor also tells me, and Border Patrol confirms, that some of the Border Patrol resources here from Laredo have been moved to the Rio Grande Valley to deal with the crisis there. I asked Border Patrol about it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Do you feed into the cartels by leaving this area with fewer resources?
RAUL ORTIZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL DEPUTY CHIEF: Yes, most definitely. I mean, we're not feeding into the cartels' strategy, but we do recognize that every decision we make has an impact. And so what we're going to try and do is ensure that as we start to see these threats flair up or these increases flair up in different sectors, that we make sure that we move and transfer agents into the area to reinforce the already existing workforce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Now, according to the Border Patrol chief here in the Laredo sector, he says that here's what they're dealing with. They've seen a 140 percent increase in the number of arrests of illegal crossings.
John.
AVLON: Rosa Flores live in Laredo, Texas. Thank you very much.
All right, baseball is back, people. First pitch just hours away. But what can fans expect on opening day? Ali Camerota demands to know. We are live at Yankee Stadium, next.
CAMEROTA: Where did it go?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:49:09]
AVLON: New this morning, Pfizer is seeking full regulatory approval of its coronavirus vaccine. The drugmaker now reporting it's 91 percent, effective, even six months after someone gets vaccinated. More than 75 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have now been administered. And Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives us an exclusive look at the innovations in the development and manufacturing that made this all possible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): One year ago the process you are watching didn't even exist. And for Mike McDermott, Pfizer's president of global supply, a novel virus meant he needed a novel approach to vaccine manufacturing.
MIKE MCDERMOTT, PRESIDENT, PFIZER GLOBAL SUPPLY: This has been an amazing 12 months, like nothing I've ever experienced in my career.
GUPTA: Remember, until the end of last year, no vaccine using mRNA technology had ever been authorized.
[08:50:02]
And now I'm getting an exclusive look here in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at how Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, has produced millions of these vaccines.
MCDERMOTT: Sixty million doses are surrounding us, hugging us right now. Imagine the impact that this room will have, just the dose sitting here today on U.S. citizens and patients around the world.
GUPTA (on camera): Now that gives you goose bumps.
GUPTA (voice over): While Pfizer has more than doubled its output from a month ago, now producing at least 13 million doses a week, it's still not enough for McDermott.
MCDERMOTT: By the middle of this year, we're at 13 million doses. We'll be at 25 million doses in a couple months.
GUPTA (on camera): So 100 million a month?
MCDERMOTT: A hundred million a month.
GUPTA (voice over): And he's doing that by continuing to look for novel solutions, even seemingly simple ones. They found that their suppliers couldn't provide enough dry ice, so they decided to produce their own.
MCDERMOTT: High vis jackets so we can see each other. Hard hat.
GUPTA: It also means that you are now seeing things that President Biden didn't see when he was here just five weeks ago in February.
MCDERMOTT: This is our new formulation suite.
GUPTA: Here is part of how they scale up so fast. These prefab formulation suites, they're all built in Texas before being brought here. MCDERMOTT: If we built it wall by wall on site, it would have taken us
a year. By doing it modularly, we can cut that in half.
If you want to get on one side and I'll get on the other.
GUPTA: And, yes, as I found, it really is as easy as pushing it into place.
GUPTA (on camera): Man, that's amazing.
MCDERMOTT: That is pretty smart.
GUPTA (voice over): But for McDermott, it really all came down to this key part of the process.
MCDERMOTT: There's never been a commercial scale mRNA vaccine. So everything you see here is custom designed.
GUPTA: Remember, what makes up Pfizer's vaccine is basically mRNA housed in four different lipids, which is really just fat. And this tiny tool, called an impingement jet mixer, makes it possible.
Now, this is going to sound too simple, but here goes. On one side, mRNA is pumped in. On the other side, lipids. And they are forced together with around 400 pounds of pressure. Out comes a lipid nanoparticle, which McDermott says is the perfect package to deliver mRNA to your cells. That's the vaccine.
GUPTA (on camera): But when you start to really scale it up like that, how confident were you that it was going to work?
MCDERMOTT: So the first time somebody showed me this impingement jet mixer, I said, you can't be serious. How could you put billions of doses through here? So my confidence level was actually quite low. Not that it could be done. I knew it worked at this scale. But how could you multiply it?
GUPTA (voice over): Not only did McDermott crack that code and is now on his way to producing billions of doses for the world, his life has now come full circle.
MCDERMOTT: Because, as a kid, my dad worked for NASA. He was lucky enough to be in mission control in Houston when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, right, that amazing moment.
NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT: One giant leap for mankind.
MCDERMOTT: And the day we shipped the first doses out of this site, it rushed over me, like that was -- that was our moon shot.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: Our thanks to Sanjay for that incredible look. All right, it's opening day for Major League Baseball. Fans will be back in the stands, John, at reduced capacity, with plenty of pandemic precautions in place. Wow. I just said that.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is live at Yankee Stadium.
Set the scene for us, Polo.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, just a quick reminder that Yankee Stadium has actually been bustling with activity since February. That's because it's been doubling as a mass vaccination site for residents of the Bronx. And we're told that it will continue to offer those services through the rest of the month, of course, working around game schedules. But according to the MLB, the big story, of course, is Yankee Stadium or at least Yankee fans returning to Yankee Stadium for the first time since game five of the 2009 championship series. And, of course, they've been waiting a very long time to do so.
And when they head this way later this afternoon, they'll certainly be met with all sorts of reminders that we're still in the pandemic. You mentioned some of them, of course. Some of the fans will be required to actually show their negative COVID test results or proof that they've been recently vaccinated. Those fans will be sitting in individual pods, separated from the rest of their fellow fans inside the stadium.
And also, of course, the most important one here, reduced capacity. Yankee Stadium only welcoming back about 20 percent of the fans that typically arrive here on opening day, which it's about 11,000, which is just a small fraction of what you usually would expect on opening day. Sharp contrast with what we're seeing in Texas where the Texas Rangers welcoming back 100 percent of their capacity that could fill their stadium. That's drawing criticism of the commander in chief, calling it a mistake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's a mistake. They should listen to Dr. Fauci and the scientists and the experts.
[08:55:00]
And -- but I think it's not responsible.
You see what's happening in Europe now when they lifted the mandates. They're going back. I don't know why we just don't follow the science and beat this. Just flat out beat it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And looking ahead at the rest of the season, the president calling on fans to simply be responsible as they head out and enjoy the game, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Polo, thank you very much. Did you see those diehard fans in the dreary rain standing there for
sports?
AVLON: Yes. Because, look, be safe, be smart but baseball is back, baby. A big deal.
CAMEROTA: I didn't know it had left.
Polo, thank you very, very much.
SANDOVAL: Yes.
CAMEROTA: And CNN's coverage continues after this very quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:00]
