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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Biden Touts Progress as U.S. Nears 100M Shots Under His Presidency; Fauci: We are in a Race Between Vaccines and Variants; Atlanta Police "Don't Have a Position" On If Shootings Were a Hate Crime, Say "Nothing is Off the Table"; Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) is Interviewed About Discrimination Against Asian Americans. Aired on 4- 4:30p ET

Aired March 18, 2021 - 16:00   ET

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

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: I'm Brooke Baldwin here in New York. Let's go to Washington, D.C.

THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts right now.

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

And we begin today with the health lead. Moments ago, President Biden touted the progress that the Biden administration has made in vaccinating Americans against COVID-19. The nation is closing in on his goal of 100 million shots earlier than the 100 days Biden initially promised.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into administration, we have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans. That's weeks ahead of schedule. We have gone from 1 million shots a day that I promised in December before we were sworn in to an average of 2.5 million shots a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: When he took office, they were almost at 1 million shots a day, we should note. Right now, 12 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Experts estimate we need that number to be 70 to 85 percent in order for the U.S. to achieve something like herd immunity.

The president is also still standing by his promise of enough vaccine supply for every American adult by the end of May. And those life- saving vaccines could not come soon enough. Progress in bringing down coronavirus cases is stalling. More states in the U.S. are seeing cases on the rise right now than a decline in new infections. And President Biden is warning against dangerous variants of the virus.

Also today, some major news that could likely mean more children in classrooms sooner. An official tells CNN that the CDC is expected to update its guidance for physical distancing in schools tomorrow, changing the guidelines from six feet of distancing to three feet.

We're covering all angles of the developments in the pandemic today with our correspondents.

Let's start with our chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

So, Kaitlan, as Biden is touting this major accomplishment, we're are also learning that the White House is considering sending some vaccines to our neighboring countries?

KAITLAN COLLINS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes, they are. But, first on these remarks this afternoon that you saw from President Biden. He's touting this, citing their use of the Defense Production Act and work with vaccine manufacturers as the reason they're hitting this goal so much earlier than they believed they were going to, when he first set this goal. Of course, you noted what they were already on track to do when President Biden took office. And they're only counting the doses administered since he took office.

If you look at the CDC data, it's actually closer to 115 million doses have been administered since the first vaccine was approved here in the U.S. But now that they are going to hit this goal much earlier than President Biden anticipated, he says next week he's going to announce a new vaccination goal. We don't yet know what that's going to be, Jake, but we'll be waiting to hear from him on what that is going to look like.

But, yes, right now behind the scenes, there are conversations going on between the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the United States to send AstraZeneca doses vaccine to those two Chris. They've been pleading with President Biden with help on getting their vaccine supply up. They are currently in talks to send 2.5 million doses to Mexico, 1.5 million to Canada. That's a vaccine that's not been approved here in the U.S. So, it's basically sitting in these manufacturing facilities right now, not being used by anyone.

And the White House, we should note, is framing this as a loan, Jake. You can read into that what you will, if that is going to be reimbursed or how it will be worked out later on between the three countries.

TAPPER: Kaitlan, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said we're in a race between the virus and vaccines. The challenge, of course, to vaccinate as many people as possible and stay ahead of these emerging new virus mutations as CNN's Nick Watt now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I think it's pretty clear that there are some states now that are pulling back, I believe, a bit more prematurely than they should. NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A couple of weeks

ago Alabama eased some restrictions.

GOV. KAY IVEY (R), ALABAMA: Y'all, this is definitely an indication that we're moving in the right direction.

WATT: Not anymore. Alabama's average daily case count just climbed 90 percent in a week. In Michigan, up 50 percent, while hotels prep for spring breakers.

TREVOR TKACH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, TRAVERSE CITY TOURISM: A lot of the restaurants, of course, are available for seated dining again.

WATT: Average daily case counts now rising in 17 states.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that we are on the cusp of a fourth surge right now.

WATT: Meanwhile on the Hill, they're arguing over guidance that the vaccinated still wear masks.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): You won't be able to wear masks for a couple of years.

FAUCI: No.

PAUL: You've been vaccinated and parade around in masks for show.

FAUCI: No. Masks are not theater. Masks are protective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day that goes by when the entire population hasn't been vaccinated, you know, you worry.

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WATT: It's a race. The virus and its variants versus vaccines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little prick.

WATT: About one in eight Americans are now fully vaccinated. The president promised 100 million shots in 100 days. Just might meet that tomorrow, day 58.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): We have got to get the schools reopened.

WATT: Quarter of parents with kids in online school reported harm to their kids' mental and emotional health. Also, mitigation measures can, even in high schools, significantly slow spread. All this, according to CDC reports published today.

COLLINS: When we discussed this issue recently, I really detected a lack of a sense of urgency on your part.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: We are actively looking at our guidance to update it to address that science.

WATT: The CDC now expected to announce tomorrow that in the classroom, three feet of social distance, not six, will work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): Now, out here in California, we just heard that April 1st, Six Flags Magic Mountain will open again with some restrictions, of course. The same day the Oakland A's are going to welcome some fans back into the stands for opening day.

Of course, all this adds fuel to the argument that if theme parks are okay, enough already with the school closures -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Nick, thanks so much.

Let's bring in CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to discuss.

And, Sanjay, let's start with President Biden's announcement. Retired Admiral Brett Giroir, who was on the Trump task force told me earlier this week that he expected the vaccine rate to increase about this pace when he left the White House. Do we need to be doing more faster, and how do we do that?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, I think this race metaphor, it holds up. I mean, we're trying to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, and make sure that the right people, meaning people who are going to benefit the most from the vaccines, are getting it first. People who are elderly, have pre- existing conditions or are otherwise vulnerable.

You know, you're seeing some of the strategies, Jake. I mean, incorporating pharmacies and primary care doctor's offices, but also these big vaccine fairs in hard-to-reach areas. There's still an issue of hesitancy and there's still an issue of what I call vaccine fade. Not necessarily hesitant, but look, numbers are getting better. Do I still need this?

Those issues still need to be addressed. But I think overall, the trajectory, as you point out, is continuing to improve.

TAPPER: The Biden administration is in talks to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, not approved for us in the U.S., to Canada and Mexico. It is possible that AstraZeneca will be approved in the U.S. obviously, we still need more vaccine supply. What do you make of this potential deal?

GUPTA: Well, you know, this is -- this is an interesting because we've been stockpiling, you know, some of this AstraZeneca vaccine in the anticipation that at some point it will be authorized. Obviously, we don't have that yet.

So, in the meantime, it is authorized in some of these other countries, so this is a question of sort of almost the obligation to other countries.

We can show the vaccine supply that we're likely to have even without AstraZeneca by May, as President Biden has talked about when people will be able to get the vaccine. If you do the math there, that's 300 million people, because 200 million between Moderna and Pfizer, and another 100 million with Johnson & Johnson. The kids are not yet eligible for the vaccine. There's 250 million adults roughly.

So, we have enough vaccine potentially. But in the meantime, if AstraZeneca does get approved there will be another 150 million of those doses and 300 million total of those doses have been purchased.

Point is, we bought a lot more than we need, leaving aside what we may need for boosters and such. They've asked for it. It's authorized in these countries and not authorized here yet. I think it was just a decision.

By the way, the United States has given $4 billion to COVAX to buy vaccines for other countries around the world.

TAPPER: There have been concerns about whether or not AstraZeneca is related to blood clots in some patients. You and I have been discussing this all week. The numbers are pretty small and it may be that some of these politicians, in pulling the AstraZeneca vaccine overreacted.

Today, the European Medicine Agency said the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe but cannot rule out a link with blood clots. That's not what you -- all week you've been saying that the European agency needs to is have a clear and definitive statement. That doesn't sound like a clear and definitive statement to me.

What do you think?

GUPTA: No. I'm -- that's too bad. It's not clear and definitive. It's like, it's safe. The risks are outweighed by the benefits, but we can't rule that out.

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I mean, what is the average person to do with that sort of information? Let me tell you, you said the numbers are small. Let me tell you how small we're talking about Jake. Nearly 20 million of these vaccine doses have been administered. There's different types of clotting disorders that they looked at here. Overall, there was around 30 or so people who developed any kind of clotting disorder but one of them, clotting disorder of concern is a type of clotting that occurs in all these blood vessels in the body, disseminated coagulation.

Just in the background rate you would expect that there would be at least one person who would develop that problem spontaneously. What they found among this population is that there was five. It was definitely higher than what you typically expect with the background rate but look how small these numbers are. They're fractions of percents.

Unfortunately, Jake, the point you're making and I think it's accurate, this is going to affect vaccine hesitancy. These countries now are saying that they're going to go ahead and start resuming vaccinations, but you're hearing that a lot of people are reluctant. I mean, you can't rule it out. You can't rule out a clotting disorder in women under the age of 55 typically. I think it's going to be a problem.

TAPPER: I want you to take a live to a tense exchange earlier today between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: What studies do you have that people who have had the vaccine or have had the infection are spreading the infection? If we're not spreading the infection, isn't it just theater?

FAUCI: No.

PAUL: You have the vaccine and you're wearing two masks. Isn't that theater?

FAUCI: No. Here we go again with the theater. Let's get down to the facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Let's talk about the facts here, Sanjay. If somebody has gotten both vaccines for Moderna and Pfizer or just the one for J&J, and two weeks have passed, why does that person need to wear a mask if they go in public?

GUPTA: Well, you know, if you look at the science overall, you know, you have to sort of determine what level of evidence are you willing to sort of make these decisions on?

It makes a lot of sense, I think, that if it's just the virus that's circulating that we've been talking about the last year, you take the vaccine, it should reduce the viral load that you could potentially carry, make it unlikely you're infected and less likely that you could transmit it to others.

But I think it's two points keep coming up. One, there's still a lot of virus out there. So, when you have that much virus out there, could you still actually be exposed? Even though it's unlikely, become an inadvertent carrier?

But the other -- at some point when we get to a low enough level, a few thousand cases a day, not 40,000 or 50,000 cases per day, you can say at that point, the likelihood of someone being exposed is so small, we could start to not worry about masks. There's another point quickly, Jake. People who are vaccinated, they get exposed to the virus. The virus learns then how to sort of adapt and mutate now to a vaccinated person. So, in some ways, by exposing vaccinated people to the virus, you could start to inspire more and more mutations, which is something you don't want to do.

So, until the vaccine is contained -- I'm sorry, the virus is contained, I think, you know, masks at least in public, will be recommended.

TAPPER: All right. The only theater was what rand Paul was doing in that hearing.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Investigators released new information about the deadly spa shootings in Georgia and what the gunman did before the killings. The latest on that, next.

Plus, one Republican congressman is using racist imagery during a hearing on racism. Why did he? We'll talk about that.

Then you may want to bundle up. Things are getting chilly between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Stay with us.

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TAPPER: In our national lead, Atlanta police say they're still trying to figure out the suspect's motive for killing eight people, six of them Asian women at three Atlanta area spas. When asked if the shootings were a hate crime police said, quote, nothing is off the table.

CNN's Amara Walker joins us now.

Atlanta's mayor says she thinks racism played a role in the suspect's motive but police have not said that. They've stopped short, right?

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they sure did, Jake. You're right when you said the Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms believes race played a role. She says she just can't ignored the fact that six out of the eight victims were Asian women. Many Asian American elected officials at the state, federal level, many of them believing this was racially motivated as well.

But we just heard from the Atlanta police department. We learned the suspect had frequented these two spas, so he was familiar with them. As you mentioned, in terms of the investigation, they say nothing is off the table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER (voice-over): As investigators take a hard look into what motivated the suspect to go on a mass shooting spree in the Atlanta area that left eight dead, including six Asian women, comments and actions from a captain with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department are creating backlash. The spokesman, Captain Jay Baker, allegedly posted an image of this racist shirt last April on a Facebook page that's since been deleted, encouraging people to buy the shirt that reads "COVID-19 imported virus from Chy-na."

He also made these controversial remarks at a press conference Wednesday. CAPTAIN JAY BAKER, CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S SPOKESPERSON: He

understood the gravity of it, and he was pretty much fed up, kind of at the end of his rope and yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.

WALKER: Some in the Asian-American community angry that a law enforcement official would diminish the depravity of the suspect's killing spree.

REP. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): He sounds more like a spokesperson for the killer. This is something where we should try to downplay what happened. We should be speaking about it with the rawness of which it is, which is a mass murder.

WALKER: At the same press conference, Baker saying the suspect, Robert Aaron Long, indicated he had a sex addiction, claiming the attacks were not racially motivated.

BEE NGUYEN (D), GEORGIA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: The fact that he's saying this is as eliminating some sort of sex addiction problem is dehumanizing and directed at women who work in this industry.

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REP. GRACE MENG (D-NY): But we also need to look at these incidents and crimes with a wider lens and wider perspective. We hope that law enforcement are doing due diligence.

WALKER: Meanwhile, the investigation continues. Authorities have not ruled out hate crime charges.

DEPUTY CHIEF CHARLES HAMPTON, ATLANTA POLICE: Our investigation has not concluded and is still ongoing. Nothing is off the table.

WALKER: Long remains behind bars without bond in a Cherokee County jail. In a statement, his lawyer said the alleged shooter waived his right to a first court appearance. Still, the fear among those in the Asian community is palpable. Some U.S. cities have ramped up patrolling areas in New York and Seattle. The South Korean consulate in Atlanta issuing warnings for Koreans to take extra caution due to the attacks.

MISEON, ATLANTA RESIDENT: I am very cautious, but I am more concerned about my niece and my nephew and, of course, my parents who are elderly. You know, I tell them, hey, don't go out unless you need to. Call me. I'll run the errands for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER (on camera): And, Jake, in regards to those comments by Captain Baker that the suspect just had a bad day, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department released a statement just earlier today. And it reads in part: The comments were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of the tragedy or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect. But, Jake, I've got to tell you, these are the kinds of comments,

especially coming from law enforcement, that really erode the trust within the Asian-American community that already feels like the crimes against Asians are not being taken seriously. And I'm told that this is one of the many issues that will be brought up when Asian-American leaders meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tomorrow afternoon here in Atlanta -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Amara, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it.

Let's talk about this with Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui of California.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

We still don't have a definitive motive from the Atlanta police, but this all, of course, has sparked a national conversation on hate crimes against Asian Americans, given that six of the eight victims were Asian-Americans. You were born in an internment camp. Do you feel any hope that the conversation that we're having, the current focus on discrimination against Asian Americans could lead to change?

REP. DORIS MATSUI (D-CA): Thank you, Jake, for having me on. I'm sorry it has to be under this topic. But I must say that it's really important that we have this conversation.

Yes, I was born in an internment camp. And it took many, many years and decades in order for the government itself to recognize the harm they've done to Japanese Americans who were citizens and put into these internment camps.

But what we've seen today is more of a realization, particularly among Asian-American community that things are happening, particularly with the -- last year with the so-called China virus that President Trump started, in a sense, blaming China for this and also, you know, relating that in some way to people in this country who happen to be Chinese-Americans.

You know, leadership, it counts a lot. And what he said really did affect Americans of Asian ancestry very much. It doesn't matter what generation, first, fifth, sixth, or ethnicity. You feel like, wait a minute, now. It's happening.

And I really feel like among Asian-Americans, particularly -- and Asian-Americans who really have the ability to stand up, it's important to ensure that the Asian-American community know that they have people who will stand up for them. And that's why it's important that we have a hearing today.

TAPPER: Have you, yourself, felt an uptick in prejudice against you or people in your family?

MATSUI: You know, honestly, I have not, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist at all. I see what's going on in my community in Sacramento. They are -- small businesses are being targeted. People are being called names. Those are the things that are happening.

And so, you know that can be, generally speaking, it can be applied to anyone who is Asian-American heritage. So, you know, I am not, in essence, special in that regard at all. I could be like anyone else. And among the Asian-American community, we're in solidarity, because it could be any one of us.

TAPPER: You testified in a House hearing on hate crimes against Asian-Americans today, Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy was trying to make a differentiation between people who commit evil acts and people who say evil things. And during that discourse, he said something that upset a lot of people.

I want to play that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): Old sayings in Texas about, you know, find all the rope in Texas and get a tall oak tree.

[16:25:04]

You know, we take justice very seriously, and we ought to do that. Round up the bad guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: And, again, I don't think he was -- I'm not going to justify what he was saying. I don't think he was trying to invoke a lynch mob in order to justify lynch mobs, but obviously I know it hit people very -- people didn't like what he said. What was your reaction?

MATSUI: I felt the same way. It was very hurtful. And I believe it was hurtful to anyone who has, any community that has felt discrimination in any form, that felt that people were judging them in a way that they shouldn't be judged at all.

That kind of talk cannot happen. I mean, it's not about free speech or anything like that. It really is about the dignity and the respect we have for our fellow citizens and human beings.

TAPPER: Do you think that Asian-Americans have been left out of the conversation on racism in recent years? Because obviously, for obvious historical reasons, they've focused a lot on black Americans, African- Americans, because of the legacy of race -- of slavery. It's focused a lot on Latinos because of the immigration issue and the way that has been demonized, continues to be demonized.

Do you think that Asian-Americans have been left out of the conversation?

MATSUI: I believe that to a certain degree, they have. I mean, when they take data, statistics, it seems to me that people feel like they're a very small part of the population. But the population is growing and it's -- they're spread all over the country. They've been very active in politics now. Look what happened in Georgia, with the election of two senators.

A lot is happening now. And besides that, what's been happening now with the awakening of the fact that there's been inequity in the system and the fact of what's happened with George Floyd, what's happened with COVID. There is a sense today that our country needs to address this. And I believe they are. And more people are getting involved in this.

We have allies across the world and allies in our country. To me, it's a very important moment. And I believe there's something that we need to do now. People are standing up.

TAPPER: Uh-huh.

MATSUI: My father once said to me that he felt that if people had stood up at the time when they were put into internment camps, maybe they wouldn't have, you know? So, it's so important now, the discussion that's going on today.

TAPPER: Yeah, they didn't put Italian-Americans or German-Americans into internment camps back then.

MATSUI: Right.

TAPPER: Thank you so much, Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui of California, appreciate your time today.

New video of MAGA terrorists beating police officers with bats, smashing officers' heads in doors. Now the FBI wants your help.

Stay with us.

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