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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Biden Hosts GOP, Dem Leaders for Negotiations; Cheney Loses Leadership Job, Pledges to Fiercely Fight Trump; Biden Gives Update on Pandemic Response; Reign of Terror in Africa; Middle East Crisis; CDC Approves Pfizer Vaccine For Children Ages 12 to 15. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired May 12, 2021 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:01]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: They were festooned with Trump regalia and Trump flagpoles they that brought to beat up the Capitol police officers.
OK, on that note, THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts now.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Another ugly divorce related to Donald Trump.
THE LEAD --
(VIDEO GAP)
TAPPER: -- Congresswoman Liz Cheney warning she is playing the long game and will do all she can to keep Trump out of the White House.
Vaccines for the TikTok crowd. Hey, besties, the CDC panel now says that you can have Pfizer shots if you're between 12 and 15, and a major step toward squashing this pandemic.
Plus, rockets and explosions. More death and destruction. The Mideast leaning toward war, with no off-ramp on the horizon.
(MUSIC)
TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with major developments in our health lead.
Any minute, we expect to hear from President Biden speaking at the White House after a CDC panel recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine in kids 12 to 15. We will bring you his comments live.
But, first, we're going to turn to politics in our politics lead. The president hosting a crucial meeting in the Oval Office today, for the first time since taking office, the Republican and the Democratic leaders of both the House and the Senate were altogether and in one room. But things got pretty interesting after that meeting when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was asked if it's hard to make a deal when the Republicans continue to lie about the election having been stolen from Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I don't think that anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: You don't think that anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCARTHY: And President Trump won this election. So, everyone who's listening, do not be quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I mean, not only is what McCarthy said today a lie, it's a lie about a lie.
And it is not just what McCarthy has said and the lies he continues to support, Donald Trump has released more than a dozen statements in recent weeks falsely claiming the election was rigged against him, Arizona Republicans are conducting a bogus audit right now in a desperate attempt to prove voter fraud.
The minority leader's statements also undermined by the fact that just today, House Republicans led by Kevin McCarthy purged Congresswoman Liz Cheney from the leadership expressly because she refuses to lie about the election or the insurrection.
And just moments after that vote, Cheney boldly declared she is not going to back down on warning about the dangers of Trumpism, to not only the GOP but to the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office. We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Shortly after the Cheney's comments during a House hearing about the Capitol insurrection, two members of the House Republican Party, Liz Cheney's party, blatantly proceeded to lie about the events of January 6, and one of the two, we should note, Congressman Paul Gosar -- well, Gosar recently spoke at a white nationalist convention run by a racist and anti-Semite. And, ho, you did not miss the House Republican leadership led by Kevin McCarthy condemning Gosar or punishing Gosar.
Gosar also rallied Trump supporters to come to D.C. On January 6, he tweeted out, "stop the steal." Any punishment from McCarthy for Gosar lying about the election, inciting the crowd? Nope.
How about Congressman Mo Brooks who was there at the rally and helped incite the mob?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): Today is the day that the American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Kicking ass, huh? Any recriminations at all for Mo Brooks? Nope.
The only congressional Republican to face any consequences for actions related to the election and the insurrection was Cheney today, for refusing to lie about them.
And it wasn't just Republican lawmakers making stunning statements today during the House Oversight Committee hearing on the insurrection, Trump's former acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, made some jaw-dropping comments.
CNN's Jessica Schneider joins us now.
Jessica, what reasoning did Miller give for the very lengthy delay in getting more armed forces, National Guardsmen to the Capitol?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, the former acting defense secretary, he really defended, Jake, the response time for the National Guard troops moving in and safeguarding the Capitol, Miller said that there are vast complexities deploying forces in an urban environment.
[16:05:08]
But Miller didn't specifically address that hour and a half gap between the time D.C.'s mayor requested the troops from the army secretary until the time Miller formally authorized the mobilization of those troops.
But here's what Miller said in the face of the criticism that it took too long for the National Guard to arrive at the Capitol well after the attack got under way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER MILLER, FORMER ACTING DEFENSE SECRETARY: This isn't a video game where you can move forces with a flick of a thumb or the movie that glosses over the logistical challenges and the time required to coordinate and synchronize with the multitude of the other entities involved. Those of you with military experience or understand the nature of military deployments will recognize how rapid our response was.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHNEIDER: So a full throated defense there. Miller also said that there was initial reluctant to deploy the forces to the Capitol on January 6th mostly, because of the concerns of the use of the military during those protests around the White House and around Washington back on June 2020 at the height of the black lives matter movement, and reluctance because of the reports in the media that the president was advocating for martial law here.
So, a lot of defense coming from Miller today, Jake.
TAPPER: And, Jessica, Chris Miller was responsible for the biggest military in the world on January 6th, but he didn't even speak to President Trump that day, he testified, and he also modified a portion of his written testimony that we all get ahead of time, it had originally said that Trump encouraged protesters on January 6th, but he didn't say that. What did end up actually saying?
SCHNEIDER: Yeah, this actually led to a lot of contention here. So, in Miller's written testimony, he wrote that he believed former President Trump's comments encouraged the protesters that day, and that which was written out, and what he actually didn't say in the testimony today, it echoed a comment that he made on camera back in March. He said then but for the former president's rhetoric, the Capitol would not have been overrun, but when he was pressed today by Congressman Lynch this afternoon, Miller, he backtracked big time, and he basically said that because evidence has been turned up by investigators in recent months pointing to conspiracy between the rioters, plotting the attack, that now it does not fall on the president's words and action.
So, Jake, it is a point that Miller was pressed on repeatedly, but he did keep saying his assessment has since changed.
TAPPER: All right. Jessica Schneider, thanks so much.
Now, let's turn back to the only House Republican to face any career repercussions from fellow Republicans from the big lie that incited the insurrection. Astoundingly, that congressperson is Congresswoman Liz Cheney, because she is refusing to go along with the lie.
Let's bring in CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel and political analyst Gloria Borger.
And, Jamie, let me start with you. What are you hearing from House Republicans about the decision to oust Cheney, to purge Cheney from House Republican leadership?
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a big tent, but not big enough for Liz -- for Liz Cheney.
Look, our reporting was at that meeting, there were a smattering of boos, there was also a standing ovation. But what her colleagues know is she is not going away, and that's a problem for them, not because she is a distraction, because she is an embarrassment, because she keeps telling the truth. And I am told that a number of her colleagues over the last couple of
months have said that you are killing me when I go back to my district, and you are making me look bad with my voters.
TAPPER: Yeah, it's not that she is an embarrassment, is that her character embarrasses their lack thereof.
GANGEL: Correct.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah.
TAPPER: And, Gloria, today, we heard Minority Leader McCarthy tout another big lie that no one's questioning the legitimacy of the election.
BORGER: What?
TAPPER: He has been for one.
BORGER: What? Yeah, I don't -- I don't understand this. I mean, he is the one who questioned Arizona, questioned Pennsylvania. Elise Stefanik who is likely to be promoted into the leadership has been questioning the legitimacy of the states in 2020 election. I don't understand why he is saying this, and it is remarkable to me that he remains as popular as he is with Republicans.
And to go to what you were talking about before, in the House, the Republican after Republican that I talk to say, you know, she just went too far. And she's lost the confidence of Kevin McCarthy whom we all like so much, and how can she do that, and how dare she do that? That this wasn't about the substance, because they don't want to talk about that, but it's really about the fact that I was told that she's just not a team player, if you want to be on that team, right.
TAPPER: Yeah, well, anyway, I mean, I want to respond, but --
GANGEL: Yeah.
TAPPER: It's not my position, and you didn't say it.
[16:10:00]
Jamie, so, Liz Cheney knew that it was going to happen.
GANGEL: Right.
TAPPER: She knows that she is judged by history and her kids, she sleep soundly at night. But what next for her? Is she going to run for re-election next year? Is she possibly going to run for president? She's made it clear today that she's not done.
GANGEL: She has said she's going to run for re-election. You asked me yesterday, is she going to run for president? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised, because if her end game is to make sure that Donald Trump, quote, gets nowhere near the Oval Office, she may feel that if it's a sacrificial run that she wants to do that. Right now, I think that she is an effective messenger, she is a true conservative, but this is Donald Trump's party. And the question is, can she wrestle enough votes away to make a difference in some of these midterm elections.
TAPPER: And, Gloria, I just want to say the -- McCarthy, if he, you know, if he wanted to --
GANGEL: Yeah.
TAPPER: -- he could have made that vote today on Liz Cheney, whether to fire her, whether to purge her, he could have made it on the record, he decided not to, and he could have made it off of the record, but they count the votes, he decided not to. And it is the ultimate of aiding any sort of accountability.
BORGER: Yeah, it's a total cop out. We want to purge you, but we don't want any fingerprints on the purge. So if you had a recorded vote, there would have been any some kind of fingerprints, because you would have known where the caucus stood, and he decided, you know what, we want to move past this quickly, we don't want any reverberations of this in your district, people are still going to be asked how they voted, and they can say, well, that's a secret ballot, you know? And it was a voice vote, so it was not even a secret ballot.
GANGEL: Well, you would have had numbers and you have to wonder if Kevin McCarthy -- maybe it was not going to be as lopsided as he expected. She did not whip, but you can be certain he did. He knew what the vote.
BORGER: And this vote was as much about him because --
TAPPER: Sorry, President Biden is speaking right now giving an update on the pandemic response. Let's listen in.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tomorrow, we'll cross 250 million vaccine shots administered since I took office. I think it's a pretty consequential achievement for the nation.
I promised I'd keep you up to date every 50 million shots. Today, I have an important update. Last week, I launched a new phase of our vaccination program. At that time, I set two new goals for our country.
The first was getting 70 percent of adults their first shot by July the 4th. The second was having 160 million Americans of all ages, fully vaccinated by that same date. I'm pleased to report we've made strong progress on the adult vaccination efforts in just the past a few days, by making it easier than ever to get vaccinated. You can visit vaccine.gov or text your zip code to 438829 to find a vaccination site near you.
And we're also opened up thousands of federal pharmacy sites to vaccinations without appointment, so people can just walk up and get the shot. Now, more employers than ever are giving people time off as well to get their shots. More grocery and retail stores and sports teams are providing discounts and promotions to encourage customers and fans to get vaccinated.
I was -- talked to a bunch of governors yesterday. One, the governor of Maine points out that if you're a hunter or a fisherman in Maine and you want to get a license, no problem, you don't have to pay for it if you get your vaccination shot at the same time you get your license.
The whole point is, there's a lot more convenient places for people to get their vaccine shot.
From May 24th to July 4th, Uber and Lyft, and I think is incredibly generous of them, are going to offer everyone in America free rides to and from vaccination sites. So, go online, find out where the vaccination site is, call or Uber or Lyft. They will take you there, wait for you and take you back.
As a result, even though more than half of the adults in the country have already gotten their first shot, we have fewer people who need to be vaccinated than ever before. And we're actually seeing a slight increase in the pace of vaccinations across the past week. And we're now on track to 60 percent of adults with at least one shot by next week.
We still have a lot of work to do to get the adult vaccination rate to 70 percent, but I believe we're going to get there.
So, today, I want to talk about an exciting new development.
[16:15:02]
When I spoke last week, I said we were hoping to soon add a new element for our vaccination program. Vaccinations for adolescents ages 12 and older. And then on Monday after rigorous thorough review, the food and drug administration, the FDA authorized Pfizer vaccine for use in that age category, 12 and up.
Today, an independent advisory committee to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, voted to recommended use. Now pending the CDC's final -- final approval later today, we're going to have for the first time a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents over the 12 years of age. This is one more giant step on our fight against the pandemic.
I sincerely think the scientists, researchers and clinical trial participants deserve our thanks. They've all made this possible. Because of them, nearly 17 million more Americans are eligible to get vaccinated and now, now.
I encourage each of them and their parents to get their vaccinations shots right away, and here's why -- we know that kids at this age, 12 and above, are at risk from COVID-19. About 3 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in kids under 17 years of age. And teenagers can spread it to their friends, to their siblings, to their parents and to their grandparents.
Now that vaccine is authorized for ages 12 and up, and I encourage their parents to make sure they get the shot. As I promised last week, we're ready. This new population is going to find the vaccine rollout fast and efficient.
As of tomorrow, more than 15,000 pharmacies across this country will be ready to vaccinate this age group. Most of these pharmacies are close to family as -- their family home as the kids' school is to their family home. We're also going to be getting vaccines to pediatricians and family doctors, so parents and children can talk to their doctors who they trust about getting the vaccination, and they'll be able to do it at that office. We're also partnering with school-based clinics and community health centers.
Of course, we remain focused on equity in our vaccine program. The vaccine is free for everyone, free. Additionally, if teens are on the move this summer, they can get their first shot in one place and the second shot elsewhere.
And at the same time, we're also launching an important public education campaign. First and foremost, we're providing families with trusted medical information they need to make informed decisions about the vaccination and the vaccine.
Our medical and scientific experts at CDC and the National Institute of Health will be out there in the public every day to answer questions and get the facts out. We will also be partnering with the healthcare providers, schools, community organizations, states, and tribes and cities at the same time.
The bottom line is this: the vaccine for kids between the ages of 12 and 15 are safe, effective, easy, fast, and free.
So my hope is that parents will take advantage of the vaccine and get their kids vaccinated.
And let's remember that millions of 16 and 17 year olds have also been safely vaccinated. And as more and more Americans get vaccinated, COVID-19 hospitalizations and death rates continue to fall.
Today, "The New York Times" reported the number of COVID hospitalizations in the United States since April of 2020, right after the start of this pandemic, the lowest. Safe and effective vaccines are curbing the spread of the virus. And they're saving thousands of lives and allowing millions of Americans to start returning to a closer to normal life.
As I said earlier, for everyone 12 years and up, it's never been easier or more convenient to get vaccinated, visit vaccine.gov to find out where, or text your zip code to 438829. That is a 438829. Text your zip code to that number and you'll find the closest vaccine facilities to you as that moment. It's easy, it's convenient and it's free.
So if you haven't gotten vaccinated or still have questions, talk to someone you trust -- your physician, your pharmacist, your next door neighbor who got the shot. Talk to your faith leaders.
Look at the folks in your community who've gotten vaccinated and are getting back to living their lives.
[16:20:05]
The grandparents united with their grandkids, friends getting together again.
I've been saying for a long -- this for a long time, but I believe it. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is about life and death. It's about getting us closer to normal.
Let me conclude with this. In light of the end -- that we've been talking about -- there's a light at the end of the tunnel, well, it's growing brighter and brighter. And we need all of you to bring it home. Americans ages 12 and up get vaccinated. And July 4th, let's celebrate our independence as a nation and our independence from this virus.
We can do this. And as I said a little bit earlier day in another context, you know, I don't believe that the American people, there's any significant portion of American people who refuse to get vaccinated.
You keep hearing about how Republicans won't and this -- look, if it's available, if it's nearby, if it's convenient, people are getting vaccinated. I believe the vast majority of Americans are going to get vaccinated. That's the route we're going now.
So may God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. And if you're going to be vaccinated, you don't have to wear this outside around people, unless there's really large groups. And you don't have to wear it inside if you're with people that you -- that have also been vaccinated.
So protect yourself, protect your neighbors. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
REPORTER: Mr. President, what do you say to Americans who are worried about the supply of gas and rising prices right now?
BIDEN: We have been in very, very close contact with Colonial Pipeline, which is the one area you're talking about, where one of the reasons that gasoline prices are going up. And I think you're going to hear some good news in the next 24 hours. And I think we'll be getting that under control.
Secondly, I have in the meantime, made it easier for us to have lifted some of the restrictions on the transportation of fuel, as well as access to the United States military, providing fuel and with vehicles to get it there, where -- places where it's badly needed.
And I'd also point out that I think what this shows is that I think we have to make a greater investment in education as it relates to being able to train and graduate more people proficient in cybersecurity. And I've been saying for a long, long time now, I know you could probably say it for me, but I think that one of the most important things we have to do to reclaim our place as a leading innovator in the world is to have a better educated workforce.
And that goes back to the days long time ago now, or five years ago now when I was vice president and I surveyed all the Fortune 500 companies. Said, what do you most need? And remember what they said, better educated workforce.
But they're not spending money to educate the workforce. And -- but it's important that we do this, and the cybersecurity piece is one I think you're going to see where we need significantly larger number of experts in the area of cybersecurity, working for private companies, as well as private companies, being willing to share data as to how they're protecting themselves.
I think that's part of the long-term answer, not just in terms of energy, but across the board. I know that's not a direct response to your question, but it does impact on it I think down the road.
(CROSSTALK)
REPORTER: Mr. President, are you concerned about the violence in the Middle East, and can you talk about what conversations you have had with officials there?
BIDEN: My national security staff and defense staff has been in constant contact with our counterparts in the Middle East, not just with the Israelis, but also with everyone from the Egyptians and the Saudis to the Emiratis, et cetera. And I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu not too long ago. I'll be putting out a statement very shortly on that.
My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory. But I had a conversation for a while with the prime minister of Israel. And I think that my hope is that we'll see this coming to conclusion sooner than later.
[16:25:03]
Thank you.
REPORTER: What's your take on the end of your meeting, sir? Were you optimistic coming out of it today?
BIDEN: Which one of the 12 I've had?
(LAUGHTER)
REPORTER: Pelosi, Schumer and the crew. Infrastructure, sir. And in particular --
BIDEN: You guys are bad. I'm not supposed to be answering all these questions. I'm supposed to leave, but I can't resist your questions.
I came away encouraged, and -- but I want to make it clear to you. I'm encouraged, not just because of a solid meeting with the Republican leader in the House and with Mitch or Senator McConnell, who I've known a long, long time, I worked with. I've been meeting with bipartisan leaders for a long time now. I've met with, gosh knows how many. I mean -- and there's more than one single group. There's bipartisan org -- you know, groups that made up of 10 to 20 members. Or there's been groups that I met with.
For example, I met with yesterday with Kyrsten Sinema. I thought that was a -- and she purported and I believe her to speak for some of her friends who are both sides of the aisle about how to go forward with infrastructure.
So, I'm -- generically, I'm encouraged that there's room to have a compromise on a bipartisan bill that solid and significant. And a means by which to pay for it without dropping all of the burden on middle-class and working class people.
Look, what's the one thing people are concerned about with the gas? Gasoline prices going up, exactly right. And it matters if you make $40,000 a year. It matters if you're two family person making $80,000, $90,000, two family -- two wage earners. It matters.
And what I don't want to do, and this will be another discussion, we didn't get into today, is how to pay for it. And if everything is paid for by a user fee, well then, you know, the burden falls on working class folks who are having trouble. We're getting them out of -- they're coming around, but this has to be a burden shared across the spectrum.
Anyway, thank you, guys.
REPORTER: Should Americans be worried about inflation, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay, guys. Thank you.
TAPPER: All right. You've been listening to President Biden answering questions about his meetings with Republican and Democratic leaders, about fears about rising gas prices and violence in the Middle East. The president giving an update on the pandemic response, announcing that the U.S. is on track to hit 60 percent, 60 percent of adults with at least one shot by next week. He encouraged kids 12 to 15 to get vaccinated as soon as possible, after a CDC panel this afternoon official recommended that the Pfizer shot is okay for that age group.
CNN's chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins joins us now live.
And, Kaitlan, Biden made -- he said that the vaccine is safe, effective, easy, fast and free. Safe, effective, easy, fast and free. He thinks that this could be a big boost, the news today.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, because what the White House is looking at is the numbers here, as they are trying to get to that 70 percent with one shot at least by July 4th, and that's of adults. And he was saying that there, he believes they're going to -- that they have hit 60 percent, they're on track to hit 60 percent with one shot by next week. But the numbers that they're looking at where it comes to the 12 to 15-year-olds, Jake, is they amount to about 5 percent of the population. I mean, there's roughly 17 million 12 to 15-year-olds in the United States.
And, of course, not all of them are going to get vaccinated, but the White House is hoping that can help boost the vaccination numbers and drive cases down even further here in the United States. But one other interesting that President Biden said when he was talking about all of these conversations about people who are vaccine skeptics, and he said that he was skeptical about whether they were actually vaccine skeptics. He said that ultimately, he does believe a vast majority of citizens in the U.S. are going to get vaccinated.
And it is interesting that as the White House has navigated this, you know, looking at the demographics who have been less eager to get vaccinated, trying to make it easier for them to be vaccinated and you saw President Biden talking about the facets there, but there are people who the White House feels is difficult to reach, and there is a subset and the question of whether or not they're actually going to get vaccinated. It really still remains to be seen, but he seemed to be saying that he does not believe that there are true vaccine skeptics out there, that he thinks the vast majority is going to get vaccinated.
We'll see how this decision by the CDC to recommend this Pfizer for 12 to 15-year-olds plays a factor to that.
[16:30:00]
And we know that the White House had been preparing for this by saying last week that they were getting ready in case this decision did come down, as it did this week, making sure that they can get these vaccines not just to primary care doctors, but also to pediatricians and other doctors as well, to make it easier for people to actually get vaccinated, so they're not going out of their way. They can just go to their doctor and get the vaccine, Jake.
TAPPER: Yes, well, he tends to project optimism no matter what.
And he also did so, hinting that there are going to be announcements related to the hacking of that pipeline, as well as the violence in the Middle East. And I'm not sure if you have any idea of what he was talking about with either one of those teasers, but he did seem to suggest that good news would be coming in terms of ending the violence and maybe gas prices going down.
COLLINS: Yes.
And on the Colonial Pipeline, he said, in the next 24 hours, there's going to be some good news. It's not really clear what that's going to be about the restoration, because, of course, we have seen these shortages happening all across the Southeast, where people are panic buying gas.
And, initially, they were saying there wasn't a shortage. And now we are experiencing that, seeing what the reaction has been. And they have really been trying to communicate with state officials about what's going on here, trying to really blunt the impact of this. But the question I think that's facing people right now is, they know
this is going to end eventually. But how long is this gas shortage going to last, where people are waiting in line to go get gas or passing several gas stations without being able to do so?
On that other topic, when it comes to what's happening with -- in Israel and what President Biden, the news he just made there was saying that he has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We did not know that yet, Jake. We knew that his secretary of state, Tony Blinken, had been on the phone. We knew that there have been a lot of other conversations between lower-level staffers, but now seeing President Biden take that step to speak to Netanyahu, a readout that we have not gotten yet.
And he said he spoke to him for quite some time. Jake, this just makes what we reported earlier this morning all the more notable, which is that Biden came into office not prioritizing Middle East conflict or thinking he was going to get any kind of grand peace deal, like what we saw with the last administration.
But the events that have happened there have brought him back in. Now he's having these conversations with Netanyahu, someone he hasn't spoken to since that stampede happened in April. And so we will see where this goes and how it actually ends up, but it is notable that the conversations are now elevating to that level.
TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins at the White House for us, thank you so much.
Joining us now to discuss the big news from that press conference, the statement that the president made, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Sanjay, plenty of folks were waiting for the official CDC sign-off on the Pfizer vaccines for kids 12 to 15. And that finally just happened. So what does that mean?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It basically means that the vaccine, which is in high supply now in many places around the country, can be given to 12-to-15-year-olds.
There were states that were doing it on their own anyways. Federal sites were waiting for the CDC sign-off. But now all these sites can administer the vaccine.
There's doctors offices, there's pharmacies that President Biden mentioned. Even in some cases, some schools are going to probably start administering this. So we're going to see a significant sort of supply and availability to this now -- of this vaccine to that age group.
TAPPER: A CDC official said today that the benefits of the coronavirus vaccine outweigh the harms, the potential harms for kids 12 to 15. Give parents who are watching an honest assessment of what those
benefits and risks are.
GUPTA: So, that is the metric by which these emergency use authorizations are given, right? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
And that's why they make that point. So, first of all, just looking at the risk side of things, they looked at potential side effects, adverse events, and things like that. And it looked very good. There really weren't adverse events, even at the rate that we saw with some of the trials of 16-year-old-plus people.
So, the safety profile looked good. As far as the benefits go, there were two things they really looked at. One, does it actually prevent you from getting sick? And what they found was that, in terms of serious illness, it seemed 100 percent protective, meaning everyone who got sick in those trials was in the placebo group and not in the vaccinated group.
But, also, is it making enough of these antibodies, these neutralizing antibodies, a term that everyone knows nowadays? In fact, the 12-to- 15-year-olds made more antibodies than even people who are older. So their -- their immune systems really react to this, and then make plenty of these antibodies.
I think the biggest thing, Jake, in terms of the benefits, risks -- and my kids want to get the vaccine. I don't think they're worried, frankly, that much about getting sick. This will open doors for them, the things that they may be able to do this summer that they otherwise wouldn't have.
It'll change the entire metric, I think, going forward for the school year next year. I think it's going to give people a lot of comfort overall in terms of what they do this summer with -- as families.
[16:35:03]
TAPPER: The CDC said today that kids are making up a larger percentage of coronavirus cases now than they were a few months ago.
Is that just the percentage? I assume that that might be, because fewer older people are getting sick because so many older people are vaccinated. Therefore, the percentage of kids in the pool of people who are infected, it gets bigger. Or is it actually that more kids are getting sick?
GUPTA: I think it's more of what -- the first thing that you said...
TAPPER: OK.
GUPTA: ... Jake, to be honest, that it is more a larger percentage because it's a shrinking percentage of the other ones.
But I do want to show you this one graph. This is looking at flu vs. coronavirus. And I bring this up to give you an idea of sort of how things have transpired over the last several months. They were sort of tracking pretty similar there. The yellow is COVID. The blue is flu.
Look what happens sort of just more recently. Flu sort of has been pretty flat, but COVID now, this is hospitalizations among 12-to-17- year-olds. And I don't want people to panic by looking at this graph and say, oh, my God, this is going way up.
The point is that, overall, there's more hospitalizations as compared to flu. And I think that that's a sign that this is -- this virus can still cause illness, and that the vaccine can still be very helpful.
TAPPER: Yes, it's still a serious thing, to be taken very, very seriously.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
Rockets and missiles are flying, buildings are crumbling, Israeli troops are on the move, as the U.N. warns the Middle East is on the brink of war. We're live in the region next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:40:39]
TAPPER: In our world lead: the United Nations warning today the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is escalating toward a full-scale war.
After Hamas, an organization the U.S. government classifies as terrorists, fired hundreds of rockets from Gaza into Israel yesterday, the Israeli military is conducting airstrikes into Gaza, where full buildings are coming down as a result.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says strikes have killed at least 65 people, 16 of them children. Israeli officials reporting at least seven people dead in Israel, Hamas launching 130 more rockets towards Israel just hours ago.
CNN Hadas Gold joins me now live from Jerusalem.
Hadas, how are things on the ground right now?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, well, air raid sirens have continued to wail across Israel today, including in Tel Aviv.
More than 1,000 rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel since Monday. In Gaza, the Israeli military continues to target what it says are militant locations, hundreds of them across Gaza. They say they have killed more than 30 militants, including some senior Hamas operatives. They have leveled three buildings which they say contained important Hamas offices.
And, as you noted, the death toll is rising, and there doesn't seem to be calm coming anytime soon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GOLD (voice-over): It's a pattern that shouldn't be familiar, yet already is, Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets streaking across the sky from Gaza, sirens ringing out, warning Israelis to take cover, the Iron Dome intercepting as many incoming projectiles as possible.
The punishing retaliation of an air assault on Gaza targets by Israeli forces pushing the casualty count higher with each cycle, dimming the hopes for de-escalation of violence and exposing the harsh reality of a longstanding conflict boiling over into rage once again.
What started as a flash point over threatened evictions of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem and clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque is now a conflict that the U.N. special envoy to the Middle East says is escalating towards an all-out war.
Israel calling up reservists and moving tanks and heavy artillery to the Gaza border, refusing to rule out a ground offensive.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz making clear Israel has no intention of backing down.
BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): In hundreds of strikes, weapons production sites, tunnels and towers that have been serving terror organizations have crumbled, and they will keep crumbling. There are many more targets. This is just the beginning.
GOLD: Hamas confirming some leaders of their armed wing killed in the latest round of airstrikes, while vowing that nothing will stop their battle.
A Hamas spokesman calling for Palestinians to march in Jerusalem to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, saying: "Your alarm towards Al-Aqsa is a pledge of loyalty to the blood of the righteous martyrs in Gaza with honor and an affirmation of continuing the path of liberation."
Anger now spilling beyond Jerusalem into other cities, the city of Lod becoming the latest powder keg, a state of emergency and curfew now in effect, after an Arab Israeli man was shot dead, and rioters torched synagogues, cars and businesses there.
In the meantime, civilians continue to pay the heaviest price, as Gaza citizens try to salvage what's left of bombed-out buildings, all while mourning and burying their dead, with scores killed and several hundred injured, while, in Israel, with every siren, a warning that another missile might make it through, as several have already claimed lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLD: And, Jake, I want to emphasize the really worrying development of the growing communal violence we're seeing in these Jewish-Arab mixed towns.
We're seeing some really horrifying videos tonight of violence against Arabs, against Jews. That is a very worrying development here -- Jake. TAPPER: Hadas Gold live in Jerusalem for us, thank you so much.
And stick around.
In just a few minutes, the current Israeli ambassador to the United States will join me live to discuss what's going on in the region.
Also, in our world lead today, and thanks to CNN's global resources, we are going to shine a light on an outrageous violation of human rights, a reign of terror happening in Eastern Africa, in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray, which is along the border with Eritrea.
[16:45:03]
Desperately needed aid and supplies are being blocked as Ethiopian and Eritrean troops roam freely, some committing horrific atrocities.
It took tremendous coverage by CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir and her crew to bring you this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A show of force by Ethiopia's national defense force in its Tigray region, a government visibly flexing control.
We traveled outside of the capital Mekele, across the region, to see if the Ethiopian government has kept the promises to the world. Unimpeded access and the withdrawal of the Eritrean allies. The conflict for control of Tigray blazes on.
Days earlier, these Tigrean forces fighting for regional autonomy pushed out Eritrean troops from this town.
As we arrived, one young man Kasa (ph) wants to show us where his father, brother and cousin were taken and executed just days ago. The blood is still visible. It stains the ground.
They didn't want to wash away his blood. He says they wanted to leave it there. The body they took to the graveyard, but the blood, the place where his father was executed, he -- the family still wants that place marked.
Just a few meters from where Kasa's father died, his brother and cousin were executed, murdered, he says, by Eritreans. The same Eritreans who were supposed to have withdrawn.
We returned with Kasa to his family. In total, just this one family lost seven loved ones less than a week ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of us have to run and hide when they come, and even the women. They rape the women and then kill them. May God bring mercy on us, because we don't know what we can do.
ELBAGIR: The Eritreans are not only still here, but a day into our journey, and we have found evidence of fresh atrocities. We hear that the holy city of Axum to the west have been sealed off by
Eritrean soldiers for 12 days. We need to see for ourselves.
So, we head out towards Axum, but don't get very far. Something is not right. The team car behind us radios in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Locals said there was shooting up ahead.
ELBAGIR: There's a car coming.
A U.N. driver flashes us a warning, but we decide to press on.
Hello. Salam. Can we go ahead? We are going to go.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: No problem.
ELBAGIR: Thank you.
But the road ahead is blocked. We get out of the car with our hands up, and identify ourselves to the Ethiopian soldiers.
Hey, hello, hello, hello, CNN, CNN, we are CNN, journalist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's impossible.
ELBAGIR: We are journalists, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's impossible.
Before, ask our commander.
ELBAGIR: The soldier spot our camera, they're incredibly tense.
It's okay, it's okay.
The soldiers close in on us.
We asked, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not asking our commander?
ELBAGIR: Sir, sir, we asked.
As we're pulled to one side, we turn on our covert camera.
Are we detained? Unless we are detained, we're not giving them the camera.
We'll only go to the administration, the civilian administration. If you want to have detained a CNN team, then that's what happened now, because we're not going to the camp willingly.
We will go to meet the general in a civilian location, but it is still against our will, but we're going.
On the way to the headquarters, we're able to hide our footage and we are later released.
At the local hospital, we find out why the soldiers didn't us to film.
What happened? It's okay. You are clearly in shock. Just take a moment to breathe, and then tell us what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We were in the bus station when the shooting started and running to try to get away. That's when it happened.
ELBAGIR: This girl is so scared she is covering her face, but she wants to tell us what happened which is that a grenade detonated in front of a group of soldiers, and they started to randomly opening fire on civilians, and she is clearly not a soldier. She is a teenage girl, and she says that she was shot through the leg.
This is the main route to Axum. It's a vital supply artery, but for 12 days now, nothing has been able to pass.
First checkpoint, Ethiopian soldiers let us through, and ahead, we have been warned by senior Ethiopian military sources, we'll find the Eritrean soldiers.
[16:50:02]
As we cross the hill, before we reached the second checkpoint, we turn on our covert cameras.
Hello, sir. Can I show you our papers? We are CNN. Journalists. And we have permission to travel.
These are the Eritrean troops captured here for the first time on camera, a ragtag army in their distinctive light colored fatigues, some are also wearing a previously retired Ethiopian army uniform, a clear bid to sow confusion as to whether they are Ethiopian or Eritrean.
Eritrean solders are telling us that we don't have permission to travel, even though the Ethiopian soldiers waived us through. The other thing is, Eritrean solders are supposed to have begun withdrawing, but here they are manning a checkpoint and blocking us from going forward.
Hello, sir. How are you? Journalists. We have permission.
You are asking us to turn back? Okay. We have been sent back.
Both Eritrea and Ethiopia promised these troops would withdraw weeks ago and yet this foreign force is still here, and occupying, obstructing a key supply route with impunity.
After calling the interim government, military contacts and others, on our fourth attempt, we make it through. Three days after setting off, we finally arrived in Axum, a UNESCO heritage site, the holiest city of Ethiopia and place of pilgrimage, but even the act of worship here is dangerous one. The war is never far away. At a local health facility, we will see firsthand the consequences of
this almost two-week siege. Two-month-old Johannes' life is hanging in the balance. His mother risked her life and his to get him past the soldiers encircling the city so that he can receive life-saving oxygen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When he first got ill, it was a hard time so I couldn't bring him. There was an act of war, and he got weaker, but I could not find the transport and I had to travel roads along to get him here.
ELBAGIR: He is not out of danger yet, the hospital electricity flickers on and off and they are still waiting to get more cylinders of oxygen.
In the almost two weeks that Axum has been cut off from the outside world, violence has spiked. We find this 24-year-old teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found us, they took our money, beat the man, and raped the two of us.
ELGABIR: Do you know who did this to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eritreans.
ELBAGIR: Eritrean soldiers did this? I'm so sorry.
This is one case that we are able to capture, because we are here, but it is impossible to know how many more women this was done to while this city was closed off to from the outside world.
Another health facility, Axum referral hospital, soldiers walk in and out of the hospital with immunity. One spots the camera, and runs off.
They run out of blood here, doctors and the medical students are donating their own, but it's still not enough. People who could have been saved are dying.
Every patient you see here, the old, the young, the helpless, all injured in this conflict.
Our journey here has brought into focus the hollowness of Ethiopia's promises. As we live Axum, a line of soldier encircles the hospital, there is no respite.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELBAGIR (on camera): And, Jake, it's been over a month since the Ethiopian government assured that the United States that Eritrean soldiers had already begun withdrawing, and yet when we presented them with our findings, they he didn't respond to any of our requests for comment, neither did the Eritrean government -- Jake.
TAPPER: Nima, that was such a chilling and upsetting report, and very brave of you and your team. What has been the response of the U.S. government to your reporting in Ethiopia? ELBABIR: Well, it is actually heartening to see the USAID respond
almost immediately, and actually tweet out our reporting.
Clearly, this is something that they have seen for themselves on the ground. They are renewing urgently the call for unimpeded access, and really worryingly, they are saying that unless they and other humanitarian access on the ground are able to scale up and get into these areas that they believe they will not be able to save the lives that they need to in Tigray, Jake.
[16:55:10]
TAPPER: Nima Elbagir, thank you so much for what you do. We really always appreciate.
ELBAGIR: Thank you.
TAPPER: Coming up, new information about the ransom demand for criminal hackers who shut down a major U.S. pipeline, and as a result, gas prices surging, pumps running dry, patients running thin. Is it this year's toilet paper frenzy or an actual crisis here?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.
This hour, it's escalating toward a full scale war. That's the warning from one United Nations official as tensions between Israelis and Palestinians soar.
Israel's ambassador to the U.S. will join me live.
Plus, it took just 16 minutes today to change the apparent future of the Republican Party. House Republicans purging Congresswoman Liz Cheney from leadership for telling the truth about Trump and his lies about the election. How Cheney is responding, ahead.
And leading this hour --
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
TAPPER: We have breaking news on the cyber attack on the largest fuel pipe. CNN is now learning what the hackers are demanding and whether Colonial pipeline has agreed to pay up. This is as the panic buying has caused gas stations across the East Coast to run out of fuel, multiple states declaring a state of emergency, and in cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, some 70 percent of gas stations are all out, according to Gas Buddy.
We're covering all angles of this story with our correspondents.
Let's start with CNN's Evan Perez with breaking news on the cyber attack.
Evan, what can you tell us about the hackers' demands?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, the hackers are asking for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, bitcoin is what they're asking for, and so far, the company is not -- has not agreed to pay it, and it looks like it may not have to, because of some early actions that were taken during the time that the hackers were trying to steal some of the information, valuable information from the company, from the systems that they had infiltrated.
It appears that the company has been able to get back some of the information that it had and will be able to restart its systems.
Now, what's clear now, though, Jake, is that there's more to this hack than we first thought.
[17:00:00]
