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President Biden to Deliver Prime-Time Address Marking Anniversary of COVID Crisis; President Biden Nominates Two Female Generals For Four Stars. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired March 08, 2021 - 16:30   ET

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

[16:30:01]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Kamala Harris, the first female vice president of the United States, is speaking now at the White House on International Women's Day, before President Biden delivers remarks.

Let's listen.

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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And, today, women military members are stationed around the world.

I say this to remind us, while it has only been five years since all combat jobs have opened to women, women have been in the line of fire, risking their lives to protect our nation long before that.

Today, we know women make up 16 percent of our active-duty military and 19 percent of our enlisted officers. We also know that women want to serve and that our military is stronger when they do.

Look no further than General Van Ovost and Lieutenant General Richardson for proof. Recruiting more women to our military, adjusting policies to retain more women, enforcing policies to protect women, and ensure they are heard and advancing more women on fair and equal footing will, without any question, make our nation safer.

And that's the work ahead. So, for now, let me congratulate General Van Ovost and Lieutenant General Richardson.

And with that, it is my great honor to introduce our commander in chief, President Joe Biden.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Madam Vice President.

And thank you, Mr. Secretary.

On Friday, I submitted to the Senate for confirmation my first slate of nominations for four-star command positions in our armed forces, among them, two outstanding and eminently qualified warriors and patriots.

General Jacqueline Van Ovost, in United States Air Force, currently the only female four-star officer serving in our military. I nominated her as commander of United States Transportation Command. And when confirmed, the Lieutenant General Laura Richardson of the United States Army will be promoted to the rank and join General Van Ovost as only four-star -- as another four-star general.

I nominated her as command of United States Southern command. And when confirmed, they will become the second and third women in the history of the United States armed forces to lead combatant commands. Each of these women have led careers demonstrating incomparable skill, integrity and duty to country.

And at every step, they have also helped push open the doors of opportunity to women in our military, blazing the trail a little wider, a little brighter, for all proud women following in their path and looking to their example.

And I wanted to shine the light on these accomplishments for those women today, because General Van Ovost has reiterated in an interview this last week -- and I am the second person to say this -- it's hard to be what you can't see. It's hard to be what you can't see, but you will soon see.

Today is International Women's Day. And we all need to see and to recognize the barrier-breaking accomplishments of these women. We need the young women just beginning their careers in the military service to see it and know that no door will be closed to them.

We need women and men throughout their ranks to see and celebrate women's accomplishments and leadership in the services. We need little girls and boys both who have grown up dreaming of serving their country to know this is what generals in the United States armed forces look like. This is what vice presidents of the United States look like.

So, I would like to spend just a few minutes today making sure that America knows who General Van Ovost is and who Lieutenant General Richardson is. They're aviators.

Both learned to fly planes before they were old enough to drive a car. General Van Ovost, a first-generation -- is a first-generation American, the daughter of Dutch immigrants who owned a flying operation. She loved the freedom of flight and, as a teenager, flew herself to see Sally Ride lift off as the first woman in space, 16 years old, goes down to see Sally Ride.

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She said she was at several thousand feet watching from a distance. You know, women were banned from flying combat missions when the general joined the force. So, she focused on becoming a test pilot. And instead of learning to fly just one plane, she learned to fly everything, including Air Force Two when I was vice president.

General Van Ovost currently is -- oversees Air Mobility Command, approximately 107,000 airmen and 1,100 planes that enable airpower and humanitarian assistance to go everywhere in the world, if need be. From flying water to Texas after the recent storms, to ensuring our wounded warriors are evacuated for medical care from anywhere in the world, she gets it done.

Lieutenant General Richardson's parents were proud patriots. It must have rubbed off, because Lieutenant General Richardson and her brother and sister all joined the Army. Her father encouraged her to join ROTC in college, even though that meant commuting to a different school.

When Lieutenant General Richardson joined the Army, Aviation Branch, women were banned from flying attack helicopters. She flew in support of combatant -- combat missions and conducting lift operations of her Huey-1, the so-called Huey, and the Black Hawks.

Now, as the commanding general of the United States Army North, Lieutenant General Richardson overseas military ground responses here in North America. All over -- all over the last year, that has meant getting military medical personnel deployed to help in our response to this pandemic, more than 4,500 military medical personnel deployed in hospitals across 14 states and the Navajo Nation to treat COVID-19 patients.

It means more than 2,200 medical personnel are working or soon will be at vaccination sites in eight states in the United States Virgin Islands. I'm so proud of the incredible work Lieutenant General Richardson and her team have done to support the American people this year. And the American people are as well.

They're warriors. They're crisis-tested commanders. But, best of all, best of all, they're not done yet. Neither of these incredible generals is resting on her laurels or on her stars. They're using their voices and actively working to change policies in the military to make it easier and safer for more women, not the just to join the military, but to stay in the military and to thrive.

I'm incredibly proud that, in 2015, under the Obama/Biden administration, we took the final steps to open up all positions in the military to anyone qualified to serve in them.

The women who join today's military aren't told no when they apply to fly fighter jets or attack helicopters just because of their gender. They aren't told no when they want to apply to Ranger School or infantry officer basic training. But they all know that there's much, much more work to be done to ensure that women's leadership is recognized, that we have more diverse leaders, we reach the top echelons of command for all who are qualified, including all women, all women, and that all women feel safe and respected in our military, period.

You know, some of it is relatively straightforward work, where we're making good progress designing body armor that fits women properly, tailoring combat uniforms for women, creating maternity flight suits, updating requirements for their hairstyles.

And some of it is going to take an intensity of purpose and mission to really change the culture and habits that cause women to leave the military. And women are making sure more diverse candidates are considering -- being considered for career-advancing opportunities at every single level, that women aren't penalized in their careers for having children, that women aren't just token members, but integral parts throughout all branches and all divisions, and that they can completely, fairly engage in promotion and compete all across the board, including on the -- on age and gender neutrality and physical fitness test.

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You know that both members of the military, couples can thrive while serving, like Lieutenant General Richardson and her husband, Lieutenant General Richardson, who I might add I want to thank him for getting me off of a mountain. It was about 12,000 to 14,000 feet up on a goat path when our helicopter went down in a snowstorm.

It's good to see you, General. The ride down that mountain was more perilous in the truck than it was in the helicopter, but thank you.

And we have to take on sexual assault and harassment and violence against women in the military. Sexual assault is abhorrent and wrong at any time. And in our military, so much of unit cohesion is built on trusting your fellow service members to have your back. There's nothing less than a threat to our national security.

I know Secretary Austin takes this as seriously as Vice President Harris and I do. That's why his first memo as secretary was a directive to take on sexual assault in the military and why he stepped up independent review -- he set up an independent review commission on sexual assault to make concrete recommendations for changes.

This is going to be an all-hands-on-deck effort under my administration to end the scourge of sexual assault in the military. And we're going to be focused on that from the very top. I know that we can do it.

The U.S. military has defeated American enemies on land, in air and at sea. And this is not beyond us.

I want to thank General Van Ovost and Lieutenant General Richardson for their exemplary careers in service to our country.

You're America's patriotism at its finest, undaunted and absolutely, absolutely able to do anything, by any obstacle, determined to open wide the doors of opportunity, and ready for the next challenge.

It's my great honor to serve as your commander in chief. And I look forward to hearing your active-duty and recommendations of how we are going to work together to keep the American people safe, meet every challenge in the 21st century.

So, I want to thank you both. And I want to thank the -- the former general. I keep calling him general, my -- the guy who runs that outfit over there. I want to make sure we thank the secretary for all he has done to try to implement what we have just talked about and for recommending these two women for promotion.

Thank you all. May God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

BROWN: You have been listening to President Biden marking International Women's Day, along with Kamala Harris, the first female vice president in this nation's history.

President Biden announced the nominations of two female general officers to become four-star combatant commanders. And, if confirmed, they will be the second and third women and U.S. history to lead a combatant command.

Let's bring in CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

So, Kaitlan, today kicks off a major week for President Biden.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It certainly does, Pam.

And we should note that what President Biden did not mention there is this is what "The New York Times" reported. Those are those two female generals whose promotions had actually already been decided upon months ago. But they were held up at the Pentagon because officials there, including former President Trump's defense secretary at the time, were so worried that, if they recommended them to the White House in that normal process, that somehow they would be thwarted by former President Trump.

And so they held off on actually recommending them to be promoted and nominated for these four-star commands. And so we should note that as well, something President Biden did not mentioned in his remarks, but was certainly notable as well.

And you're right. This is going to be a big week for the White House. This is President Biden's first speech of the week, but it's not going to be his last, because he does have his first prime-time address happening on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): President Biden will deliver his first prime- time address to the nation Thursday to mark the anniversary of the coronavirus crisis.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This week marks one year since the country was essentially shut down.

COLLINS: Biden's Oval Office address will happen exactly one year after this one:

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low.

[18:45:04] COLLINS: Biden's first big address comes as he's also set to sign his first major piece of legislation.

REPORTER: When are you going to sign the bill?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As soon as I get it.

COLLINS: House lawmakers are now expected to vote Wednesday on his $1.9 trillion relief package, meaning Biden could sign by the end of the week.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Our focus right now is on getting this bill across the finish line, getting the relief out to the American people.

COLLINS: The bill is a dramatic expansion of pandemic aid and federal safety net programs and underwent several changes before being passed by the Senate. Now, jobless benefits will remain at $300 instead of $400 and go through September while stimulus checks will be limited to those making under $80,000.

Stimulus checks should start going out this month, but the White House won't say if Biden's name will appear on them, something Trump insisted on when he was in office.

PSAKI: This is a very popular question. In terms of what the checks will look like, I just don't have an update on that for you today.

COLLINS: Not a single Republican voted for the stimulus bill, with many complaining it was too bloated.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO(R-WY): This was not really about coronavirus in terms of the spending. This was a liberal wish list of liberal spending.

BIDEN: Every public opinion poll shows people want this. They believe it's needed.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, Biden is also facing a growing crisis on the southern U.S. border amid a surge of migrant crossings.

JULISSA REYNOSO, FIRST LADY'S CHIEF OF STAFF: As you all know, we inherited a broken system.

COLLINS: A delegation of senior officials traveled to the border for briefings and to see the first facility for children that opened since Biden took office.

PSAKI: They went there because the president asked them to go, because he wanted to hear and understand tangibly what's happening on the ground.

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COLLINS (on camera): Now, Pam, two other things that we should note happened at the White House today. One, President Biden signed an executive order forming the gender policy, taking efforts to make sure gender equality in foreign and domestic. That's going to be a body that reports directly to President Biden.

And he also has instructed the education secretary to reassess some of those Trump era policies that had to do with sexual assault on school campuses, something critics said really afforded too much protection to those students accused of sexual assault and not the ones who said they were victims of sexual assault. So, you're seeing all this come together on International Women's Day. And, of course, the White House said that timing was not coincidental.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right. Kaitlan, thank you for bringing us the latest from the White House.

And I want to bring in my panel now, Dana Bash, Jackie Alemany.

Thanks, ladies, for coming on.

Dana, let's start with you. Let's talk about this relief bill.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Uh-huh.

BROWN: It is a huge accomplishment for the Biden administration, should it pass. And it's not just for the checks going to all Americans. It will give money to reopen schools, struggling small businesses, child tax credits, health insurance subsidies. How significant is it?

BASH: It's incredibly significant for all the reasons that you just listed and much, much more. First and foremost, to get people help who need it. Secondly, just more broadly, to attack the still very big issue with funding to continue the vaccine rollout, testing and, you know, schools and other things related to the coronavirus but also the economy.

But then it's also just beyond the content of this bill, Pamela. You know, it's also about the setting of the agenda and putting a marker down for this president. It is his first big piece of legislation he made along with his top aides a very strategic decision to choose to do this, despite the fact that he did promise bipartisanship, saying pretty publicly, at least his aides have, he didn't think Republicans were going to come along in a way that was big enough to do what it needed to do. He was right, because we haven't seen any Republican votes.

And so we're going to see it likely to pass in the House, big-time Democratic unity, largely because of the content of this and because it is intended to give a win to their new president. We'll see what happens with other pieces of legislation down the road.

BROWN: That is a big question, too, how much will that hold, within the party hold? Biden, of course, has his first prime time address on Thursday and will likely be touting this major accomplishment of having this bill passed, Jackie.

What tone do you expect him to take? JACQUELINE ALEMANY, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE WASHINGTON POST:

Yeah, we heard from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and administration officials that this prime time address that's going to be touting the -- you know, one of the biggest legislative packages in history with a single-year impact is also going to focus on a lot of the sacrifices with, you know, individual Americans' stories that people have made over the course of this year and pandemic that has killed nearly 600,000 Americans.

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But, look, Biden's ability to communicate this bill is really integral to Democrats' 2022 electoral success and his ability to set the stage for his ambitious legislative agenda going forward, that infrastructure package that you and Dana mentioned. So, that's why we're already seeing this White House in sell mode ahead of this Thursday address. Administrative officials and Democrats from one stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other are already working very hard to communicate to Americans the tangible benefits that are going to make the lives of Americans better.

So, yes, we're going to see President Biden on Thursday night speaking directly from the bully pulpit to Americans, but on a week like International Women's Day, where we're celebrating and highlighting women's accomplishments, there is also no better spokesperson, perhaps, than someone like Vice President Kamala Harris who also has been touting the benefits of this bill and how it can directly impact women's lives.

Of course, you know, it's not just incumbent upon women to speak to these issues like the child tax credit that you both mentioned but again she is a uniquely important messenger for the White House. That's why you've seen her out there, speaking to the E.U. parliament today, hitting up various stops at women's small businesses in Virginia last week. And I think we're going to continue to see that leading up to this Thursday address.

BROWN: All right. Jackie, Dana, thanks so much.

And in the meantime, more women come forward with sexual harassment claims against New York Governor Cuomo. And now, a key political ally says it's time for him to go.

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BROWN: Breaking news, in our politics lead, the New York state attorney general has picked the leads on the investigation into sexual harassment claims against Governor Andrew Cuomo. This as two more former aides have come forward alleging inappropriate conduct, bringing the total to five women. And now, a growing list of New York state Democratic lawmakers, including the state Senate majority leader, are calling for Governor Cuomo to resign.

But as CNN's Brynn Gingras reports, the governor says he's not going anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): It was a painful year.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a COVID-19 vaccine event today in New York City, no mention of sexual harassment allegations against Governor Andrew Cuomo. The city's mayor joined a growing chorus of other state Democrats calling for Cuomo to step down.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: I just don't see how he can govern effectively when fewer and fewer people believe him.

ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS (D), NEW YORK STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I think he would have to resign.

GINGRAS: New York state Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart Cousins putting out this statement, we need to govern without daily distraction for the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign. It was quickly supported by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other state senators, to which Cuomo said Sunday --

CUOMO: There is no way I resign.

GINGRAS: But while the governor is losing some support in Albany, the state's Democratic leaders in Washington still not going as far.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I've always believed that sexual harassment is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. I called for our attorney general to do a full and thorough investigation.

GINGRAS: This, as two more allegations that the governor acted inappropriately with former staffers were made public over the weekend.

Karen Hinton, once a paid consultant to Cuomo, said he inappropriately hugged her in a Los Angeles hotel room 21 years ago. The claims were corroborated to CNN by a friend of Hinton's. The governor denies them and called Hinton a long-time political adversary.

And on the list, who served as a policy and operations aide to Cuomo for two years says the governor asked her if she had a boyfriend, called her sweetheart, touched her on her lower back at a reception and once kissed her hand when she rose from her desk, according to "The Wall Street Journal.."

CUOMO: I say to people in the office, how are you doing? How is everything? Are you going out? Are you dating? That's my way of doing friendly banter.

GINGRAS: Now, five women, four who formally worked for the governor, have lodged accusations.

CHARLOTTE BENNETT, FORMER CUOMO AIDE: He is a textbook abuser. GINGRAS: The lawyer for accuser Charlotte Bennett telling CNN that

the New York attorney general's probe should look into more than just the governor.

DEBRA KATZ, ATTORNEY FOR CHARLOTTE BENNETT: In any sexual harassment scenario, there are always enablers, people who allow the harassment to continue and simply transfer the women out, and we see that here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GINGRAS (on camera): And Cuomo says he and his staff will cooperate fully with the attorney general's investigation, and Pam, we just learned from the attorney general who she will appoint to oversee, conduct that investigation. She tapped former U.S. attorney for the SDNY, Joon Kim, and an employment discrimination attorney named Anne Clark. Now, they are going to have access to documents, and records. They have subpoena power and we're told they will have to report to Letitia James weekly before finalizing their report on these sexual harassment allegations which will then, of course, be made public -- Pam.

BROWN: And we could hear the governor address all of this in the very near future. Is that right?

GINGRAS: Yeah, that's right. Today, we tried to ask more questions of the allegations while he was in New York City. It was very much talk about the vaccine today.

But a spokesperson did say that he will be available for questions and answers later this week. And, of course, we would love to hear a response about these two appointments made by the attorney general for this investigation that will be mainly focused on him -- Pam.

BROWN: Yeah, a lot of questions.

All right. Brynn Gingras, thank you so much, reporting live from New York.

Follow me on Twitter @PamelaBrownCNN, or tweet the show @TheLeadCNN.

Our coverage continues right now.

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