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Interview with Infectious Diseases Division Director at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Dr. Paul Spearman; President Biden to Meet with Senate Republicans Today; "Saved by the Bell" Star Dustin Diamond Dead at 44. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired February 01, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The package needs to be commensurate with the crises we're facing, the dual crises we're facing, hence why he proposed a package that's $1.9 trillion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And as the White House seeks COVID relief, President Biden's response team is tracking the more infectious variants of coronavirus. The CDC director says the one that was first detected in the U.K. has now been reported in more than half of the country, in 32 states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Variants remain a great concern, and we continue to detect them in the United States with at least 33 jurisdictions reporting 471 variant cases as of January 31st.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But the Biden team is also hailing a major plus toward tracking the virus, a new $230 million government contract to purchase a fully at-home coronavirus test. This would actually give users results before they even leave the house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SLAVITT, SENIOR ADVISER, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM: These are over-the-counter self-performed test kits that can detect COVID with roughly 95 percent accuracy within 15 minutes. They can be used if you feel symptoms of COVID-19, and also for screening for people without symptoms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: There is some more positive news in the U.S. pandemic. The weekly average for new cases, they're actually down, the weekly averages, they're down 12 percent and hospitalizations are down 11 percent. But still, the nation reported more than 110,000 new cases and nearly 1,800 deaths on Sunday. And January is now in the record books, the most deaths reported in

any month of the pandemic, 95,000 people dying from COVID just last month. Let's turn now to Dr. Paul Spearman, who is a professor and director of the Infectious Diseases Division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. And he's also a member of the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Board, but he's recused himself from coronavirus approvals for now because he's working as an investigator in these COVID vaccine trials.

Dr. Spearman, thank you so much for coming on. We're very curious, of course, about these variants that have now been found in more than half the country. Do they affect the timeline, do they push it back, of returning to normal? And if so, by how much?

PAUL SPEARMAN, DIRECTOR OF DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER: Good to be with you, Brianna. We're all concerned about the variants of course, because -- you know, for a number of reasons. But as far as affecting the timeline, if we can still roll out vaccines efficiently and if we can continue to see the rates, overall rates decline somewhat, which has been encouraging just in the last few weeks, it doesn't necessarily push back the timeline here in the U.S.

I'm hopeful that, you know, vaccine rollouts will continue to improve, and we still have very effective vaccines against these variants, despite some of the concerns that we're all watching carefully, globally and through laboratory work.

KEILAR: I also want to ask you about second doses of the vaccine, which of course the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines require. Today, the president's team urged care providers to not hold back vaccine, to not hold back a vaccine so that -- you know, to make sure that they have enough for a second dose for those Moderna and Pfizer vaccine. This is what Chief Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER: There are no doses that are hanging around. A dose that's available is going to go into someone's arm. If a person is ready for their second dose, that person will be prioritized. If a person has not gotten their first dose but you've taken care of all of the second dose people, then you go ahead with the first dose. So that's the policy that we've had, and that is working well now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So what do you say to this? Do you have any concerns about how delaying the second dose could impact the protection that the vaccine is supposed to offer?

SPEARMAN: Well, I don't think Dr. Fauci's really referring to having to delay many of the second doses. So you know, I think these -- the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines were studied well as a two-dose regimen, so we certainly want to continue with that because that's where we know that protection is quite, quite solid. But it -- the point, I think, is to get the vaccines in as many

people's arms as we can, and so I think what he's referring to is not wanting to sequester away a lot of vaccine, you know, for those second dose -- the folks who have just received a single dose. So that we can rely on continued shipments to still get the second dose.

And if -- in fact, if you miss, you know, that exact week when you're supposed to get that second dose, and you get it a week later or even a week after that or even further, it's still very likely that you'll be protected in that interim time, and you'll still get the booster effect.

So no, I'm not really worried about that. And I see the point, let's get the vaccines out to as many people as we can.

[14:05:01]

KEILAR: Let's talk about these home tests. I think so many people are curious about this, and they would love this convenience. This is something that is made by an Australian company -- it's called Ellume -- and they're expected to ship to the U.S. 100,000 test kits per month from February through July.

Of course, many more than that would be needed, and it looks like there is a grant from the -- or there's a payment coming from the U.S. government to try to make sure there are more.

How much of a game-changer could it be for people to take the test at home, know that it is, you know, 95 percent certain and that they would know very quickly?

SPEARMAN: Well, I think it's going to be another tool in the toolbox, a growing toolbox for testing. So it will be helpful, there's no doubt. It'll give, also, individuals who may feel like it's not so easy to get tested, even though we're all trying to, you know, make the accessibility to testing not a difficult chore, but it'll give them another option where they can do the tests themselves and get a very rapid result.

So I wouldn't call it a huge game-changer, but it's another tool that's going to just help us get the pandemic under control. The more people know, you know, whether they've been infected or whether their folks that they're around have been infected, the better they can quarantine, the better they can let their doctors know and take the right precautions.

KEILAR: And Dr. Fauci has also addressed people who are wondering, you know, which vaccine should I be getting? They might be waiting for a vaccine that shows higher efficacy. For instance, Pfizer, Moderna, and then you also have Johnson & Johnson. They all have excellent results for preventing serious sickness, that's what Fauci is saying. Of course, Johnson & Johnson has a lower efficacy rate, but it is just one dose.

What do you say to patients who are thinking, you know, maybe I'm going to pass on the Johnson & Johnson one because I want the one that's 90-something percent effective, Moderna or Pfizer?

SPEARMAN: I would say I completely understand what you're saying, but I think it would be advantageous to get a vaccine that is available to you in your local community at your phase of involvement in getting the vaccines. Because, you know, the objective is not necessarily to just prevent a very mild illness, but to completely prevent the deaths and prevent hospitalizations. And the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, from what we've heard, does that very, very well.

So despite having, you know, a little bit lower efficacy against milder disease, it is tremendously effective so it's still a very good vaccine, it's still more effective than some of the vaccines in general, like the annual flu vaccine that we encourage people to get. So it will be a good vaccine, and get what you can get. I think that is a -- for these times, I think that's good advice.

KEILAR: Yes. We've been spoiled with vaccines that are 90-something percent effective, it appears. Dr. Spearman, thank you so much for being with us.

SPEARMAN: Thank you, it's my pleasure.

KEILAR: Again, we are just a couple hours away from this big meeting between President Biden and 10 Republican senators in the Oval Office. They're looking to negotiate their counter-proposal to the White House's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan.

And here's what we know is in their $618 billion counteroffer. There's $160 billion for vaccines, for testing and other COVID-related supplies. There is $50 billion for small businesses, $132 billion for unemployment insurance through June, $220 billion in additional direct payments, but more targeted than the Biden plan. And then there's $20 billion for child care and $20 billion for school.

Now, there is some overlap here, but there's some major gaps between the two proposals as well. That includes funding for local and state governments. Let's talk about this now with CNN political director David Chalian.

The Republican plan, David, it costs about a third of what Biden's does. Does it stand a chance in today's meeting or, you know, is this just -- is it an overture, is it a jumping-off point to rev up negotiations? How do you see it?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: In a word on standing a chance? No, it doesn't. I think Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, made that clear at the briefing today. You know, this is, as you just went through, it's a proposal in a different universe than what we've heard from President Biden and his Treasury secretary and the head of his National Economic Council.

They have repeatedly said that they believe the biggest danger is going too small, not that the big -- not that there's a big danger in going too big in responding to sort of the dual crises, right? Of both dealing with the pandemic itself and vaccinations, but also the economic fallout. But, Brianna, to answer your question, no doubt this is an overture,

right? This is President Biden saying, OK, you guys put together an earnest proposal, even if it's one that doesn't match really what my administration's talking about, so come on into the Oval Office, come talk about it. It'll also be an opportunity, of course, for Biden to express why his proposal looks so different than theirs.

[14:10:09]

KEILAR: And you know, Republicans, of course, I think Biden would love to have them on board, he may not get that. He does need to win over Democrats, and there of course are Democrats in the Senate who still need some convincing.

TEXT: Differences in COVID Relief Bills: The Biden Plan: Cost $1.9 trillion; Direct payments $1,400 (income restrictions); Raises min. wage to $15 per hour; $350 billion for states. The GOP Plan: Cost $618 billion; Direct payments $1,000 (tighter income restrictions); Min. wage not included; States not included

CHALIAN: Yes, I think the optics of today's meeting, Brianna, are as much about that as they are about actually sort of bipartisan and trying to get Republicans on board. Think of Joe Manchin of West Virginia or Senator Sinema of Arizona.

I mean, here are two more moderate Democrats, and if indeed the Biden administration and the Democrats in Congress go with that process known as reconciliation and make it sort of a Democratic-only approach, they need every single one of them on board. Well, one thing to do to give moderates comfort is to show your willingness to deliver on the bipartisan calls you've made.

So having a President Biden meet with 10 Republican senators in the Oval Office, show that outreach, that's something that a Manchin and a Sinema can sort of hang their hat on, if indeed they get on board with a Democratic-only approach at the end of the day.

KEILAR: All right, David, thank you so much for taking us through that, David Chalian.

And next, President Trump scrambling to add new lawyers to his impeachment team because five others quit over the weekend. And the two men that he just hired have controversial backgrounds, we'll look at that.

Plus, new details about the number of people with ties to the military who have been charged in the Capitol riots.

And I'll be joined live by the mother of a teacher who was killed in the Parkland School shooting. Hear what happened when she spoke to Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman who has called that school shooting a hoax.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:10] KEILAR: Just in, CNN has learned that Dustin Diamond, the actor best known for his role as Screech on "Saved by the Bell," has died. Stephanie Elam has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DUSTIN DIAMOND, SCREECH: I'll be all the Screech that I can be. Ow.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dustin Diamond was best known by a different name --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Screech, hit it.

ELAM (voice-over): -- as Screech, Diamond was "Saved by the Bell"'s lovable geek. Diamond was only 11 when he joined the high school sitcom franchise in 1988, a part he would play for the next dozen years.

But long after Bayside High, Diamond couldn't escape Screech's shadow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dustin Diamond joins me from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nice to see, everybody's very excited --

ELAM (voice-over): Diamond had a lower-profile entertainment career in adulthood. He appeared on reality TV shows, landed small acting roles and performed stand-up comedy. But it wasn't always enough to make ends meet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still have checks coming in from "Saved by the Bell"?

DIAMOND: Oh yes, residuals for like, you know, three dollars, a dollar here and there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it's not as significant as people might think?

DIAMOND: No, no --

ELAM (voice-over): Diamond filed for bankruptcy in 2001. He turned to selling T-shirts online to avoid foreclosure on his home in 2006.

DIAMOND: It's time to save Screech's house.

ELAM (voice-over): To raise money that same year, he made and released a sex tape that he later said used a body double. In interviews, Diamond said the tape was one of his biggest regrets, along with a ghostwritten book.

He claimed the 2009 tell-all included fabricated details about his co- stars. He apologized to the "Saved by the Bell" cast, including former co-star Mario Lopez, on "Extra."

MARIO LOPEZ, EXTRA HOST: Is there anything you'd like to say to them if you saw them?

DIAMOND: Gosh, yes, I would just like to give them a hug and tell them how proud I am of what they've been doing, and you know, ask for forgiveness for any kind of, you know, misunderstandings that may have come about by the book.

ELAM (voice-over): In 2015, Diamond asked a judge for forgiveness for pulling a knife in a bar fight.

DIAMOND: Having been in the public eye ever since I was a little boy has taught me to be careful about every step I make.

ELAM (voice-over): Diamond was convicted of two misdemeanor charges, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct with a concealed weapon. He served three months in jail, and was arrested in 2016 for violating probation after testing positive for oxycodone.

In January 2021, Diamond announced he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. After a series of public struggles, it was the toughest fight yet for a performer who gave us one of TV's most lovable characters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Diamond was just 44 years old.

With his second impeachment trial set to get under way next week, former President Trump now has a brand-new defense team. All five members of his previous defense team decided to walk away over the weekend after Trump reportedly wanted them to push his big lie at his Senate trial, and falsely claim that the election was stolen from him.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, with just a week to go until his impeachment trial, President Trump announcing that he'll be represented by a pair of controversial attorneys.

TEXT: Trump Names New Impeachment Lawyers. David Castor: District attorney, Montgomery County, PA from 2000-2008; Declined to prosecute Bill Cosby in 2005; Served as solicitor general and acting attorney general for PA

DIAMOND: First, there's Bruce Castor, a former prosecutor who famously declined to prosecute Bill Cosby over sexual assault allegations back in 2005.

And then there's Davie Schoen. He represented the president's adviser Roger Stone when he was prosecuted by Robert Mueller. He also was in talks to defend Jeffrey Epstein -- met with him just days before Epstein died by suicide -- and has promoted the conspiracy theory that Epstein's death was not a suicide.

Now, the president, only going with these attorneys after he and the five previous attorneys who were set to represent him, they split over disagreements over the legal strategy for this impeachment trial.

[14:20:02] The president wanted them to promote these baseless conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, while the attorneys wanted to do what a lot of Republicans are talking about, arguing that it is unconstitutional to try a former president and convict him in the Senate -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Jeremy, thank you.

I want to talk now with John Dean, who is a CNN contributor and former White House Counsel to President Nixon.

You know, John, if the president's defense does bring up this false election fraud claim on the Senate floor, do court rules apply in a Senate impeachment trial? Could Trump's attorneys open themselves to legal sanctions for making false claims?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's a difficult question because, first, the rules have not been issued for this trial, we don't really know even if they can have witnesses or what limits or restrictions, that's all still being, apparently, negotiated. It is very much like a normal courtroom. However, sanctions are very rare in an impeachment situation.

The issue came up in the last impeachment trial by Trump, where some of his lawyers made false statements, much to the chagrin of the House managers who tried to deal with it at the time, and found there was nothing they could really do, although they've dealt with it for the sake of history, calling out people who made false statements.

So there's no immediate solution, and it will -- it could upset the Senate, which has already clearly shown a disposition to hold on the Republican side, that this is an unconstitutional trial. But they may change their mind if they have to vote on whether it's a fraudulent election.

KEILAR: If he alleges that, that it's a fraudulent election, is that something that plays right into what Democrats are basically alleging that he did and that led to the insurrection?

DEAN: It certainly is what he did, it is the big lie that you referred to. And it's the reason, apparently, his five counsel walked because they were unprepared to present that defense, which he apparently still wants to pursue.

So I don't know what he's worked out with these new lawyers. I think there's probably a way they could say, this is what my client believes and this is why he acted the way he did, and make that argument and not take it on as their own argument. And then also raise the constitutional defense that seems to be favored by the Republicans, who don't want to address the issue of whether it was a fraudulent election or the big lie, if you will.

KEILAR: Yes. I mean, they don't have the same -- the defense, and there's many of them, actually, that Republican senators have been giving, but none of them have taken this one, that he --

DEAN: No.

KEILAR: -- appears to be prepping or could be prepping. So he doesn't even have a coherent defense, or one that is in line with what the senators, Republican senators, are saying. And yet Republican senators largely have already decided that he should be acquitted. What does that say to you?

DEAN: Well, it says to me that -- and I think mistakenly -- both Republicans and Democrats now, since they've had this test vote, are rushing to get this behind them.

I don't understand why they don't refer this to an impeachment committee, which is done with federal judges. It theoretically was not written for a presidential trial, but he is not a president, he's an ex-president. And the Rule 11 Committee, as they're called, could very well explore this.

They could hold witnesses, they could educate the public, and they might change the mind of some Republican senators if this evidence were elicited, and educated the public along with them as to what Trump knew and when he really knew and how deeply involved he was in something he knew would result in the kind of travesty it did on the Capitol.

KEILAR: Do you expect that witnesses will be called to testify? And if so, do you have any idea what we might expect?

DEAN: There's certainly a lot of people who could be witnesses. And the question is do they go after the White House staff, try to break through privilege and get that information in front of the Senate? That's the real issue. It's not unlike Nixon, what did he know, when did he know it. What did Trump know about the nature of this crowd, was he involved in some of the planning that he knew would be very dangerous if not life-threatening to members of Congress.

So those are the big issues that are being brushed over and rushed over, if you will, and that's one of the reasons I think a Rule 11 impeachment committee is just the ticket here, that could solve everyone's problem. They could keep going on the Senate floor, get on with Mr. Biden's business, which is vital to the country, and yet educate the public as to what happened during that travesty on January 6th.

[14:25:00]

KEILAR: John Dean, it's always great to get your perspective. Thanks for coming on.

DEAN: Thanks, Brianna.

KEILAR: Next, the mother of a Parkland School shooting victim insists on talking to the Georgia congresswoman who has claimed that the school shooting was a hoax. That mom will join me live to tell us what Greene had to say for herself when confronted with her lies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:30:02]

KEILAR: Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is expected to deliver an ultimatum to Republican leadership today.