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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Deadly Police Shooting In Minnesota; Ukrainian President Tours Front Line With CNN Amid Russia Tensions; Hideki Matsuyama Makes History At The Masters. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 12, 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]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to see you. It's 30 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. I'm Christine Romans.

And breaking overnight, another deadly police shooting of a black man in Minnesota, this time north of Minneapolis. By Sunday evening, a large crowd grew and marched toward the town of Brooklyn Center police headquarters. This happened just 10 miles north of where former officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for killing George Floyd.

Authorities say officers were attempting to take 20-year-old Daunte Wright into custody over an outstanding warrant, but police say he got back into his car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HARRINGTON, COMMISSIONER, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: One officer had fired a weapon, striking the driver. The vehicle continued and eventually crashed and medical resources were then deployed to the scene to aid the people in both the vehicle that was crashed into and the original.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Daunte Wright died at the scene. Police say body cameras and dashboard cameras were activated during the shooting, so more to come on that for sure.

Wright's mother says she spoke to her son right before all this unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE WRIGHT, MOTHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: He said he was getting pulled over by the police and I said well why did you get pulled over? He said he had -- they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from the rearview mirror.

A minute later, I called and his girlfriend answered, which was the passenger in the car, and said that he'd been shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Police say protesters threw rocks and other objects and that they had reports of shots fired in the area. At least 20 businesses were broken into. And the city's mayor has declared a curfew until 6:00 a.m. local time. The Minnesota National Guard is now being deployed and Brooklyn Center schools are closed today out of what they say is an abundance of caution.

ROMANS: All right, 31 minutes past the hour.

Remember how hard it was to find a COVID vaccine appointment for months? A former FDA commissioner now says the supply of vaccine in the U.S. will soon exceed the demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FDA: It's going to be a shame to look back and in retrospect realize that we probably should have put more vaccine into some of these hotspots to snuff them out earlier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That's a clear reference to Michigan, which has -- was denied extra doses to slow a COVID wave driven by the U.K. variant.

JARRETT: Right now, 46 percent of American adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine, but just 22 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated because most people need two shots. Now, of course, kids are not yet eligible for any COVID vaccines and they can spread the virus, as well as people who are unwilling to get the shot.

So here's the thing. Data shows vaccines are safe and adverse reactions to these vaccines are extremely rare. Bottom line, you are much better protected with a vaccine than without one.

CNN has the pandemic covered coast-to-coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Polo Sandoval in Detroit.

In the state of Michigan, authorities continue to plead with the Biden administration to increase the number of COVID-19 vaccinations it's sending here to the Wolverine State. This, as the state unquestionably remains a COVID hotspot.

The Biden administration, for its part, announcing over the weekend they will be sending about 160 FEMA personnel that are supposed to assist in administering vaccinations, but at this point has no plan to actually increase Michigan's vaccine allotment.

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

A major step forward in the push to get more people vaccinated. Pfizer announcing it has applied to the FDA to allow for use of its COVID vaccine among 12 to 15-year-olds. That after the company released data showing the vaccine is 100 percent effective in that age group.

The acting chairman of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee saying it's highly likely that the FDA will allow for that and that the FDA could act fairly quickly.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Natasha Chen in Atlanta.

Atlanta Public Schools are hoping to prevent a spring break spike in COVID-19 cases by temporarily returning to online learning this week. Last week was spring break and the district anticipates many students and staff may have traveled during that time.

Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia's largest school system, has instructed only students and staff who have traveled internationally to not return in person the week after spring break.

This comes at a time when new cases, especially of COVID-19 variants, are rising among younger people. The CDC director says afterschool activities are creating clusters where coronavirus can spread among children.

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Evan McMorris-Santoro.

Duke University is the latest institution of higher learning to require all students prove they've been fully vaccinated before they can return to classes on campus this fall. Duke joins a list of at least 15 other schools, including major schools like Boston University and Syracuse University, and Notre Dame, requiring some kind of vaccine proof before students can return. That list is expected to grow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:35:00]

ROMANS: Yes, and some of these universities already have vaccine reporting portals, Laura, because they already require vaccinations for so many kids. So it's not as if they're making this --

JARRETT: They know how to do this.

ROMANS: They know how to do this.

JARRETT: Yes.

ROMANS: They already require these vaccinations.

JARRETT: Yes.

ROMANS: This will be a new one that is required.

JARRETT: And it's to keep everyone safe.

ROMANS: Absolutely, absolutely.

All right. Today, the president -- President Biden will host members of both parties and from both houses of Congress to push his infrastructure plan.

It's time for three questions in three minutes this Monday morning and today we have CNN White House correspondent John Harwood. So nice to see you this morning, John.

You know, the White House is really trying to push this big infrastructure plan and trying to really define this not just as roads and bridges and pipes, but infrastructure for your life. Money to care for kids and parents, money to make the Internet work and your phone work faster, cybersecurity.

How does the White House convince detractors that all of this is infrastructure, like roads and bridges?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they probably won't, Christine. They're going to try to make that case and the president's having Republicans as well as Democrats in.

The challenge is that Republicans in the Congress have an objection both to the size of the package, although they support some of the elements of physical infrastructure, to the breadth of the packing, including some of those caregiving elements -- the human capital elements that we're going to get more of from the president in a couple of weeks.

And they also object to how they plan to pay for it. That is through raising corporate taxes. Now, I think of all of those elements, the White House is most prepared to compromise on paying for it with those corporate taxes. They could come down in that area and borrow more of the money but Republicans might have problems with that, too.

So, a big challenge for the president in trying to get bipartisan support. He is defining bipartisan as -- of course, as proposals that have support among Republicans out in the country, if not in the Congress. Not much expectation he's going to get it in the Congress but they've got to play out that conversation and that process begins today.

JARRETT: So, John, you have a piece up on CNN this morning about how the president has been sort of quietly reinforcing the foundations of another issue that matters to all Americans, and that's healthcare. And you talked about how President Biden reopened sign-ups for Obamacare, and the American Rescue Plan provides bigger subsidies for healthcare. And you write that President Biden creating his own legacy is also strengthening the legacy of his former boss, as Obamacare has been embattled for years now.

Talk to us about this.

HARWOOD: Well, he's been very strategic in how he's used the early weeks of his presidency to try to shore up Obamacare which, of course, Republicans tried repeatedly over the years to repeal and then to weaken by effectively eliminating the individual mandate -- legal challenges, of course.

We all remember Joe Biden, as vice president, whispered to the president when he was signing the bill this is a BFD. And it was but it had been weakened.

Now, through the COVID relief bill, he's expanded the subsidies and made it easier for people to afford Obamacare on a temporary basis. He's extended the amount of sign-up time that you can have due to the pandemic. And he's also increased the marketing for Obamacare. So what we're seeing on these exchanges is potentially, by the end of the year, you could have more people signed up for those Obama marketplace policies than we saw in the peak period of the Obama presidency.

He is also trying to get states -- the 12 states that have declined to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, which is a big source of additional coverage -- trying to provide big financial incentives for them to do so. They haven't taken the incentives yet but that next phase of the infrastructure plan that I was talking about with Christine a moment ago may include a mechanism through a public option for some of those potential Medicaid recipients to get them covered even if red states don't want to do that.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: It feels like it was one of the more impactful pieces of the American Rescue Plan, but it actually sort of flew under the radar -- it's interesting.

ROMANS: There's so much in there, too.

HARWOOD: That's right.

ROMANS: I mean, just a reminder just how big all this is and all of these rescues underway in the economy.

John, I want to -- I want to switch quickly to this remarkable Zoom call this weekend. One hundred corporate executives getting together over Zoom to talk about their responsibility to fight these controversial voting restrictions bills or bills that are seen as restricting voting.

Remember, Mitch McConnell said last week that corporations should stay out of politics -- I guess except if they're giving money to candidates.

But the companies are facing headwinds here. Should these CEOs be taking a stand? How remarkable is it that these CEOs are taking a stand on voting rights?

HARWOOD: Well, Christine, this reflects the underlying shift in the American -- the basis of the American economy and has political ramifications.

[05:40:00]

These big companies are globally connected. They draw from a highly educated and globally connected workplace. Those people are more progressive than people in other parts of the country -- more the red states of the country where the economies are more based on natural resource extraction, mining, minerals -- that sort of thing.

And so you get these big companies -- they're going to get pressure from their employees --

ROMANS: Yes.

HARWOOD: -- from their customer base, and also from some of their shareholders, and they're not going to restrain themselves from speaking out. They still want the tax cuts that Republicans provide.

And you don't see a lot of those companies lining up to say yes, raise our taxes to pay for the Biden infrastructure program. But on these cultural issues they are going to speak out whether or not Republican leaders want them to or not.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: Yes.

ROMANS: A lot of pressure from customers and from employees who want to know where their company stands on these issues.

And, you know, 25 years ago they would say it's all about returning value to shareholders -- that's our primary goal. Now it's about where they live and what kind of business environment they're working in --

HARWOOD: Bingo.

ROMANS: -- and stability. So it really has been an interesting sea change.

John Harwood, so nice to see you. Thanks, John.

JARRETT: Thanks, John.

ROMANS: All right, 40 minutes past the hour.

The U.S. considering sending warships to the Black Sea as tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalate. There are 50,000 additional Russian troops in the border region in Crimea. This is more troops -- that's more troops than any time since 2014 when the peninsula of Crimea was annexed.

Matthew Chance for us right now, live in Kyiv. Matthew, you went along with Ukraine's president as he toured the front line with CNN. Bring us some of that, please.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Christine. Extraordinary access, actually, we got with Volodymyr Zelensky, the name of the Ukrainian president -- up in the frontline region in eastern Ukraine where Ukrainian forces are facing off against Russian-backed rebels.

I mean, it's an incredible scene. A warrant (ph) of trenches that have been dug out of the flat landscape there. You're ankle-deep in mud. It's very tense.

There's not full major combat operations underway right now but a lot of sniper activity. At one point, the president and I had to make a dash for it together across open ground because it was so dangerous, because the threat of sniper attack is so real. Over 20 Ukrainian soldiers gunned down by snipers from the other side so far this year.

And there are concerns, of course, about that situation escalating, particularly with the buildup of Russian forces across the border in western Russia -- across the border in Russia and in Crimea as well. Fifty thousand additional forces is what Ukrainian Ministry officials are telling me they're now estimating have been built up there by the -- by the -- by the Russians. The Russians say that's merely part of a military exercise. It doesn't threat anyone -- threaten anyone.

But, of course, the concern at the White House, the concern across the European alliances, the concern in Ukraine is that the real reason is much more ominous.

Take a listen to what President Zelensky had to say to me as we walked together through that front line region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE (on camera): Is there a chance that the Russians could be planning an invasion?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Of course. Of course, we know it. Beginning from 2014 we know that it can be -- it can be anywhere and each day it can be. So we are ready and -- but we are also ready because we are on our land -- on our land and our territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: The Ukrainians saying that they're potentially ready and dug in for any push by Russian forces or Russian-backed forces. They've been doing that with the help of the United States and other allies as well, providing weaponry and training.

But what the Ukrainian president says is that he wants much more from President Biden. More weapons to help the country defend itself against the potential Russian threat. More money to pay the soldiers and to pay for what is a very expensive campaign in the east of the country.

But also, crucially, more support from Washington for Ukraine to move closer towards NATO -- the western military alliance. And that's risky because if that were to happen, the Russians may react very badly. In fact, just on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a

statement that if there were to be a closer movement from Ukraine towards NATO's membership, that could have -- listen to this -- irreversible consequences for Ukraine's statehood. If that's not a threat, Christine, then I don't know what is.

ROMANS: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much for taking us there with you behind the scenes.

All right, to the world of sports. A victory unlike any other.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:48:42]

JARRETT: This morning, heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin arrives in Israel, the highest-level trip there by the Biden White House. The trip is complicated by a blackout at the Iranian underground nuclear facility in Natanz. Now, details are thin here but Iran's nuclear chief calls it terrorism and the foreign minister is vowing revenge. All this injecting only more uncertainty into efforts to salvage the Iranian nuclear deal.

Hadas Gold is live in Jerusalem for us. Hadas, the Israeli army chief appears to be hinting at a possible role in all of this. What more are you learning?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laura, the Iranians are pointing the finger directly at Israel but we have not had any official comment from the Israelis. However, Israeli media is citing unnamed sources, saying that it was Israeli Mossad involved in this incident.

And as you noted, the Israeli Army chief did seem to hint at some sort of involvement yesterday. Just hours after the incident, he said Israeli's operations throughout the Middle East are not hidden from the eyes of the enemy.

And, in fact, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also, yesterday, said in regards to Iran that the situation that exists today will not necessarily be the situation that will exist tomorrow.

This is all happening during very interesting timing as U.S. Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin is in Israel as we speak, meeting with the defense minister here. He will be meeting with the prime minister in just a few hours.

[05:50:08]

He was actually asked about this incident just a few hours ago by reporters that were traveling with him and he didn't necessarily engage directly with it. All he said was that in terms of their efforts to engage diplomatically with Iran on the Iran nuclear deal, he said that those efforts will continue.

He was asked if this incident will somehow be an impediment to that process and all he said is they'll continue to focus on what President Biden wishes to achieve. What President Biden wishes to achieve is some sort of new Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA. But Israel is vehemently against any sort of return to the 2015 deal, saying that doing so -- saying that doing so will only give Iran a green light to a nuclear weapon.

We are expecting Lloyd Austin to be speaking alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu in just a few hours, and I think the tone of that meeting will be very important to watch, Laura.

JARRETT: Yes, very revealing for sure. Hadas, thank you so much.

ROMANS: All right, it's that time on a Monday morning, so let's get a check on CNN Business this Monday. Looking at markets to start a new trading week, it looks like a mixed performance so far in global markets.

On Wall Street, U.S. stock index futures are pointing down a little bit after a record week for the Dow and the S&P, ending last week with record highs. The S&P 500, in fact, posted records four out of the last five trading days last week. Look at that -- it is up 10 percent year-to-date. It is up 48 percent over the past 52 weeks.

So how much are your purchases harming the environment? MasterCard has created a carbon calculator so customers can see how much their spending habits contribute to carbon emissions and global warming. This tool calculates based on categories, using average numbers for industries like food and clothing.

In January, MasterCard joined a growing list of major companies promising to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

JARRETT: Golfer Hideki Matsuyama making history for Japan with his victory at the Masters.

Coy Wire has this morning's Bleacher Report from Augusta, Georgia. Coy, what a win.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Laura.

A new era of golf has dawned in the land of the rising sun thanks to Hideki Matsuyama. No Japanese man had ever won a Major, let alone the Masters, the most prestigious of them all.

He started the day with a commanding four-shot lead. I was less than 10 feet away from him, Laura, at the first tee and I can't imagine he wasn't thinking about just how massive a win it would be. He continued, though, to distance himself from the chasing pack and then, in the end, he held on to win by just one shot.

Ten years ago, Matsuyama actually finished as the leading amateur at Augusta National. Now, he will forever return to this iconic venue as a Masters champ.

I asked him afterwards what it means to be an inspiration to kids all across Japan and beyond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA, 2021 MASTERS CHAMPION (through translator): It's thrilling to think that there are a lot of youngsters in Japan watching today. Hopefully, in five, 10 years when they get a little older -- hopefully some of them will be competing on the world stage. I still have a lot of years left so they're going to have to compete against me, still. So I'm happy for them because hopefully, they'll be able to follow in my footsteps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, with the postponed Olympics in Tokyo being moved -- they're just about three months away from now -- Japan's prime minister said that Matsuyama's win was, quote "moved our hearts and gave us courage."

Tiger Woods and others also echoing that statement. Here's what Tiger tweeted. He said, "Making Japan proud, Hideki. Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical Masters win will impact the entire golf world."

And six-time Masters champ Jack Nicklaus posting, quote, "I want to send my heartfelt congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama for his Masters Tournament victory, and for being the first Japanese male golfer to win a major championship. I'm not only very happy and pleased for Hideki, but also the whole golfing world of Japan."

There weren't huge groups of Japanese media following Matsuyama's every move due to COVID and travel restrictions. He said that allowed him to be more relaxed. He wasn't as nervous.

And the significance of this achievement -- well, it isn't lost on his fellow golfers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XANDER SCHAUFFELE, 4-TIME PGA TOUR WINNER: Everyone wants to talk about much pressure is on him. Look at the media that follows him. Look at what he's done in his career. He's a -- he's a top-ranked player with a ton of pressure on him and that's the hardest way to play.

JORDAN SPIETH, 2015 MASTERS CHAMPION: I think it's really good for the game of golf globally. He's a great young player who inevitably was going to win major championships in my opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Twenty-thirteen Masters champ Adam Scott put this into perspective, Laura and Christine. He said that Hideki is already to Japan what Tiger is to the rest of the world. And now, we have those Olympics coming up. Imagine if you were to walk out in that opening ceremony wearing that iconic green jacket.

JARRETT: Wow, so cool.

ROMANS: Coy, how lucky for you to be there and cover it. What a great -- what a great weekend.

[05:55:02]

WIRE: Yes.

JARRETT: I love that he says kids are going to get used to seeing me. I'm going to be here a while.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: It's so great. Thanks, Coy.

ROMANS: All right -- bring it on, he says.

All right, Coy Wire, nice to see you.

Thanks for joining us, everybody --

WIRE: Thank you.

ROMANS: -- this Monday morning. I'm Christine Romans.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:25]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, April 12th. It's 6:00 here in New York.

I'm John Berman. My friend Poppy Harlow with me here all week. Great to have you here.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to be here.

BERMAN: We do begin with breaking news. A fatal police shooting in Minneapolis 10 miles from the courthouse where Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Twenty-year-old Daunte Wright was shot by police during a traffic stop last night. This happened in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis. His mother says he called her when he was pulled over and told her he was stopped because an air freshener was blocking his rearview mirror.

Authorities say they had an outstanding warrant on Wright. Police say when they tried to arrest him he got back in the car.