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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Testimony From Supervisor Deals Blow To Former Officer's Defense; Vatican Scales Back Holy Weekend Events Amid Spike In Italy; Biden Enlists Cabinet Members To Help Sell Infrastructure Plan. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 02, 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]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A parade of witnesses, one after the next, painting a picture of a police officer who went way too far and should have known.

The first trial witness Thursday, one who knew George Floyd personally, his girlfriend. She talked about his struggles that left him vulnerable but should not have led to his death.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: A day that started with a personal witness ended with a professional one who told the jury Chauvin kept pressing down on George Floyd's neck much longer than necessary.

CNN's Josh Campbell joins us live from Minneapolis. Josh, I was struck by just how frank and candid that former sergeant was. He didn't try to qualify his answers at all when it came to the use of force. Were you surprised?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. You know, there were several witnesses there that provided this new insight into what happened on that day whenever George Floyd died -- that supervisor certainly one of them.

We heard from a number of people, including two paramedics who were there on the scene. They attempted unsuccessfully to try to resuscitate George Floyd. One of them saying that when he arrived he had to ask Derek Chauvin to get his knee off of George Floyd -- he was still on top of him. So we got that insight.

And, of course, as you mentioned, the supervisor -- this now-retired officer who served as the leader involved in investigations of use of force -- was really the key witness yesterday and he was a topic of serious debate. The defense counsel did not want him to be able to answer the question about whether Chauvin's use of force was reasonable.

In fact, at one point, the judge excused the jury as defense and prosecutors hashed that out. Finally, the judge brought the jury back in, allowed that witness to answer that question, which really dealt a serious blow to the defense. Take a listen to his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN SCHLEICHER, MINNESOTA SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of Mr. Floyd should have ended in this encounter?

RETIRED SGT. DAVID PLOEGER, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Yes.

SCHLEICHER: What is it?

PLOEGER: When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers they could have ended their restraint.

SCHLEICHER: And that is after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resisting?

PLOEGER: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: So again, in his view, at the moment that George Floyd was no longer resisting, that restraint should have stopped. Again, a serious blow there to the defense.

Now, we also heard from a witness who really provided some of the human side of George Floyd. Actually, we know him as a victim but she knew him as a person. This was George Floyd's girlfriend talking about him, talking about he loved his children, talking about his hopes, his dreams -- really, the personal side of George Floyd.

She also talked about some of the struggles that they faced and their use of drugs. Now, this was actually brought head-on by the prosecution who brought the topic up about their drug use. Here's what she said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTENEY BATYA ROSS, GIRLFRIEND OF GEORGE FLOYD: Both -- our story, it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. We both suffered from chronic pain. Mine was in my neck and his was in his back. We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now again, prosecutors bringing up the drug use and people wondered why. We talked to legal experts who say that was likely a preemptive strike.

Again, the defense has tried to make this case about George Floyd, saying that he was under the influence on the day of his death -- that may have led to his ultimate death. But prosecutors saying that look, there are two separate things here. Yes, there was drug use but it was George -- excuse me, to Derek Chauvin's actions on that day that were ultimately responsible for George Floyd's death.

The trial continues today. We're expected to hear from additional witnesses today as this trial continues here in Minneapolis -- Laura.

JARRETT: Yes. It seemed like with the girlfriend they were also trying to get out the point that Floyd had enough experience with drugs that sadly, his system had built up enough of a tolerance that it couldn't have been the drugs that were the reason he died that day.

Josh, thank you for being on the ground there for us and waking up early -- appreciate it.

All right. Canada's three largest provinces, three-quarters of the country's population, now imposing new coronavirus restrictions. The spread of all these variants driving the increase in new cases and hospitalizations.

Following Quebec and British Columbia, Ontario announcing a four-week limited lockdown. It's the third since the start of the pandemic. All indoor activities, except school, will be banned.

ROMANS: Ontario's U.S. neighbor, Michigan, has seen an alarming variant-driven uptick in cases.

The good news, there's growing evidence the three vaccines out right now protect you against the variants. Still, more than 60 percent of American adults are not yet vaccinated. The more people lacking immunity the better chance the virus has to mutate into new variants.

[05:35:00]

CNN has the pandemic covered coast-to-coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Miguel Marquez in Detroit, Michigan. It's a state that is dealing with another surge of the coronavirus. This is a state that has seen a large number of cases of the B117 or the U.K. variant of the coronavirus.

Hospitals around the state saying that they are seeing an increased number of patients. Outbreaks in schools, as well, causing concern for parents and students.

The governor asking the president to surge vaccine into the state. The president denied that request. But next week, all Michiganders who want a vaccine will be able to get one.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Athena Jones.

Like much of the nation, Ohio is now seeing increased COVID-19 activity and more hospitalizations. Cases of variants are also on the rise going from 92 on March 12th to 620 Thursday, according to the state's chief medical officer.

Beginning next week, Ohio will start working to vaccinate all college students who want the vaccine -- part of an effort to increase the vaccination rate.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Alexandra Field in New York.

The state is taking its next steps toward reopening, allowing arts, entertainment, and event venues to reopen at 33 percent capacity. In cases where everyone in attendance can show proof of a negative COVID test, slightly larger crowds can gather, but the state says that masks and social distancing practices will still be required.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Pete Muntean in Washington.

Air travel continues to break records of the pandemic even though the CDC is still warning against it. The TSA screened more than 38 million people at airports across the country in the month of March, the busiest month of the pandemic. More than a million people flew each day during the month of March, all but five days.

It is welcome news for major airlines. United Airlines just announced it is hiring pilots for the first time in more than a year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right.

A year after Italy was devastated by coronavirus, becoming the original European epicenter, its people face another big wave of cases. Restrictions have been extended now to the end of April. Even the Vatican is making adjustments for the holy weekend that starts today.

CNN's Delia Gallagher live in Rome. What can we expect this year, Delia?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, unfortunately, this year, like last year, heading into the Easter weekend, a full national lockdown.

That is in addition, of course, to the regional lockdowns that have already been happening throughout Italy for the last two weeks. So that means no travel from your city of residence. That means even family gatherings in private homes -- they want to limit the number of people there. The curfew at 10:00.

Pope Francis will be holding Good Friday services, as he will be doing Easter celebrations throughout the weekend, but without the presence of the faithful, just like last year. And without the presence of the thousands of tourists that we're used to seeing come to Italy and to the Vatican this time of year. Certainly, the economic impact of that is going to be very important going forward.

Of course, the focus for the government now on amping up their vaccination program. They got a slow start. They have an ambitious plan to get all Italian adults vaccinated by the end of the summer. Interestingly, just this week, they decreed that any health care workers that are working directly with patients must be vaccinated. If they refuse to get vaccinated, Christine, they will be subject to suspension of their jobs without pay -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Delia Gallagher for us in Rome. Thank you so much -- Laura.

JARRETT: President Biden is enlisting members of his cabinet to go out and sell his American jobs plan. It's a historic investment in infrastructure, climate, and technology nationwide.

CNN's Jasmine Wright is live at the White House for us. Jasmine, good morning to you.

It seems like, once again, the president aiming not just at what Washington thinks about this plan but outside actually, in states and cities all around the country. Tell us, what is his team planning to do?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Big, bold, and transformative, Laura. That is how the White House is describing this infrastructure and jobs bill of President Biden's.

And we know, as the White House knows, that anything with those names in it is going to be a heavy lift in Congress. So the White House has appointed five cabinet secretaries to really run point on this issue and that includes Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, Housing Sec. Marcia Fudge, along with energy, commerce, and labor.

And they're going to have really two goals. One is to run point within Congress for President Biden, being his representative, and already they've held briefings and calls with lawmakers. But also, is to run point on messaging outside of D.C. with the American people.

Now, the White House says that these are all former mayors and governors -- perfect people to remind folks of why they need new bridges, why they need new roads, why they need upgrades to their schools, and climate measures.

[05:40:06]

Now listen, this is a similar playbook to what we saw during the last few months of that COVID relief bill being pushed, right? President Biden -- remember, he said that this bill was bipartisan not because of the Republicans in Congress who support it -- because listen, none of them did -- but because of the Republican voters outside of D.C. who approved of this bill making sure that it was allowing Democrats to get it done.

So we're going to -- we're already starting to see some of that same playbook here. But, of course, Laura, we are a little bit too soon into the process to declare that President Biden is not going to get any Republican votes. This thing still hasn't even been written into bills yet. That is the stage that they're working on, negotiating on what goes in and what goes out. But these five cabinet members are going to be influential in this

process in determining what this bill actually looks like when it gets to Congress -- Laura.

JARRETT: Jasmine, while I have you, Vice President Kamala Harris -- you covered her on the campaign trail.

WRIGHT: Yes.

JARRETT: She's now expanding her portfolio, this time on vaccines. Yesterday she unveiled this new --

WRIGHT: I can't hear.

JARRETT: -- project to try to get communities vaccinated. Tell us more about that if you can.

WRIGHT: Just tell me when to go.

JARRETT: All right, Jasmine -- if you can hear me, Jasmine, I would love to get your thoughts on the vice president. All right, it looks like we may have lost Jasmine there. But thanks to you, Jasmine, as usual, for your insight on what's going on at the White House -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, let's hit markets real quickly here. The global supply chain for semiconductor chips suffered some big setbacks during the pandemic and it could take a long time to recover. Suppliers have become more concentrated geographically. Many of the chips are made in places that have seen political and natural disruptions, like Taiwan, Japan, and Texas.

Automakers are paying a big price. The chip shortage is delaying deliveries of pickup trucks and SUVs. Now, the pandemic cut demand for new cars so automakers, of course, cut their orders for chips. But then demand surged for computers and gaming systems and that caused a shortage when car production ramped back up.

We know demand is now picking up for autos. Toyota sales rose 22 percent in the first quarter. General Motors sales up four percent.

Ford up one percent. Ford said, though, it will close its Dearborn plant for two weeks because of the chip shortage, stopping production of the F150 -- the Ford F150, the nation's best-selling vehicle.

President Biden's infrastructure plan includes $50 billion in investment in the U.S. chip industry.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:46:45]

ROMANS: Police say in Orange, California -- say the gunman knew his victims when he opened fire late Wednesday killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy. The office complex where the victims were found, it's a real estate business specializing in mobile homes. Police say when officers first arrived they found the gates to the complex locked from the inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JENNIFER AMAT, ORANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationship and this was not a random act of violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: In the office courtyard, officers found the deceased boy in the arms of an adult woman who survived and is in critical condition.

There have been 20 mass shootings in the U.S. since the Atlanta massacre March 16th. That's more than one per day.

JARRETT: At the same time as this renewed conversation about gun violence, FBI background checks for firearm purchases soaring in March. The FBI says about 4.7 million Americans initiated a background check last month. That's a 36 percent increase over February.

ROMANS: Police arresting a woman in Ohio after possibly the worst April fool's joke you've ever heard. Authorities say Pamela Sisco texted her sister that a man who had been fired from the manufacturing plant where she works returned with a gun and that they were all hiding. Her sister then called police who scrambled to the scene and found no threat.

Sisco is charged with inducing panic and disrupting public service.

JARRETT: Just over a year after the death of Breonna Taylor, Kentucky lawmakers approving a bill that restricts but doesn't outlaw so-called no-knock warrants. The Louisville EMT was killed by police after they executed a no-knock warrant at her home, breaking down the door in the middle of the night and exchanging gunfire with her boyfriend.

Among other things, this new bill limits the hours that police can execute warrants and the types of cases they can be used in.

Taylor's family says it's not an outright ban that they wanted but they hope the measure will save lives.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this morning -- American comeback. Markets around the world closed today for Good Friday but the second quarter began with U.S. stocks forecasting an economic boom.

The Dow closed up 171 points. The S&P 500 topped 4,000 for the first time ever. The Nasdaq jumped nearly two percent.

Look, factories around the world are revving back up. Demand is coming back. United Airlines is starting to hire again. People are traveling. And the U.S. Institute for Supply Management said manufacturing activity here grew for the 10th month in a row to a 37-year high. So will it be a great American jobs comeback from a deep jobs hole? We'll get critical new evidence today when the Labor Department releases the jobs report.

Economists expect 647,000 jobs were added back in March and the unemployment rate dropped slightly to six percent. If that happens, the economy will still be down about 8.8 million jobs since February last year.

The jobs recovery uneven, too. Some industries are back to their pre- pandemic levels, like delivery services boomed in the last year. Jobs in that sector grew between 17 percent between February 2020 and February 2021, the biggest percentage gain of any industry.

All right, relief check this morning. The IRS and the Treasury Department sent out another four million stimulus checks, bringing the total to more than 130 million payments worth $335 billion.

[05:50:01]

Now, the first two batches of checks primarily went to people who had filed their 2019 or 2020 taxes. The IRS said payments will start going to Social Security recipients today.

JARRETT: With baseball's opening day in the books, pressure mounts over the All-Star Game still more than three months away.

Coy Wire has this morning's Bleacher Report. Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Laura.

Everyone from President Biden to the players are saying that moving the All-Star Game out of Georgia in response to the state's recently passed voting laws should be on the table.

Commissioner Rob Manfred says no decision has been made but he told ESPN he's having discussions with the head of the player's union and team owners about this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB MANFRED, COMMISSIONER, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: Well, I think first and most important, baseball has always been opposed to any law that unfairly restricts access to voting rights.

When you think about the game itself, it -- there are very difficult issues. We plan these games years in advance and this game is only three months away. It's one thing to say the game should be moved. It's another thing to figure out how to move it on that short timeframe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, Braves first baseman and reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman weighing in on the divisive issue saying, quote, "I think it's a conversation to be had. What's happened in the last couple of months has already gone through, so why not use what we already have here as a platform in the city and state that it has been passed through?"

All right, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo says he doesn't know when the team will be able to play a season opener as more players test positive for COVID-19. At least three Nationals players have tested positive prompting yesterday's game against the Mets to be postponed due to ongoing contact tracing. The team also says a fourth player is likely going to be considered likely positive.

The Nationals' next scheduled game is tomorrow.

One of college basketball's greatest coaches of all time is retiring. North Carolina's Hall of Famer Roy Williams making the announcement yesterday after a 33-year career as head coach for both the Tar Heels and Kansas. The 70-year-old led his team to nine Final Four appearances and three national championships.

Congrats to Coach Williams on an amazing career.

Now, for one more thing you have to see, Laura and Christine, from opening day. Tigers and Indians in a winter wonderland in Detroit.

And Miguel Cabrera starts the season with a bang in the first inning, sending reigning Cy Young winner Shane Bieber's pitch over the fence. But Miggy doesn't know it. He slides into second base thinking he hit a double. He lost the white ball in the snow.

Well, that snowball homer ends up being the difference. Tigers win 3- 2. It is not often that you see baseball being played with white confetti falling everywhere but that's pretty sweet -- like a party happening the entire game.

ROMANS: I grew up in the Midwest and I'll tell you, it's almost spring and then it starts snowing again in April. It's just like one of those crazy flukes but -- all right, thanks so much. Nice to see you, Coy.

WIRE: Thank you.

ROMANS: A frightening moment on a school bus in Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Deer crashes through school bus window, landing on student.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: OK, that's a deer crashing through the windshield, landing on a sleeping student.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDAN MARTIN, DEER LANDED ON HIM ON SCHOOL BUS: Instantly, I hear like a loud noise. I was really confused because I was trying to sleep and I woke up to something like that. So -- and then I realized it was a deer and I was very confused because I'd never seen a deer actually jump through a windshield and then land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: I can't -- I just can't believe it. OK, the animal thrashed around the bus before running out when the driver opened the doors. No one was injured.

JARRETT: So glad everyone is OK.

Well, the gap is back. Actually, it never even left. After announcing he was fixing the signature gap between his two front teeth, Michael Strahan revealed what many had suspected all along.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STRAHAN, ABC HOST, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": So I just wanted to say April Fools. Come on, man -- the gap, it's here to stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Strahan says he was surprised by all the online debate that was sparked by his supposed decision to alter his signature look. Christine Romans called this one all along.

ROMANS: Yes. I just -- you know, that's his look. It's his brand. He looks so good with the gap.

I have a little boy with a big gap in the front of his teeth and so I kind of am partial -- I'm partial to the gap.

JARRETT: That was a -- that was way better April fool's joke than calling the police for a false flag of a shooting.

ROMANS: Oh my God.

JARRETT: So good for Michael Strahan.

ROMANS: He wins -- Michael Strahan, you win April Fools.

JARRETT: Yes.

ROMANS: You win.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:20]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The moments when paramedics arrived and George Floyd appeared unresponsive in May 2020 are coming into clear focus. DEREK CHAUVIN, CHARGED WITH MURDERING GEORGE FLOYD: We just had to

hold the guy down. He was going crazy.

SETH BRAVINDER, PARAMEDIC: In lay terms, I thought he was dead.

PLOEGER: When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers they could have ended their restraint.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prosecutors are looking into a relationship with a woman that began when she was just 17.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sex trafficking from a relationship with one minor is a serious offense in and of itself. But to facilitate that sort of activity -- God, it just makes it a hundred times worse.

(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 Friday, April second, 6:00 here in New York.

John Berman is off.