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Backlash over Mixed Messaging on Reopening Schools; Caution Urged as States Ease Restrictions; Search for Suspect in Sicknick's; Former Teacher Dispels QAnon Lies Death. Aired 9:30-10a

Aired February 11, 2021 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:32:25]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: In just minutes, President Biden will meet with a group of bipartisan senators on the question of infrastructure. He's focusing on his agenda amid his predecessor's second impeachment trial. All focused on policy there at the White House.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: But one of the goals of the president's first 100 days in office, one of the biggest goals, has been reopening America's schools in the first 100 days. And we're learning more about some significant roadblocks to that this morning.

Let's go to our Jeremy Diamond at the White House.

Good morning, Jeremy.

I mean to hear Jen Psaki sort of qualify the statement yesterday and say at least one day a week, that had to have most parents pretty confused and scared.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, President Biden came into office having made this promise that most schools, he would like to see them open within his first 100 days. He did not say the extent of that opening, but you would assume that that would mean a return to in-person learning. But earlier this week, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki created some controversy when she said that that actually, an open school, only means in-person learning at least one day a week.

Just yesterday she was pressed on that further and she made very clear that she believes that this is a bar that the White House wants to exceed and they're not going to be celebrating if they meet that goal.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't he ever mention the small print that that was just going to be for one day a week as the goal? JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, again, the president

made -- set a goal of reopening the majority of schools within 100 days. And when you asked what that meant, I answered the question. So we are -- that is the -- that is not the ceiling. That is the -- that is the bar we're trying to leap over and exceed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Nonetheless, this is causing quite a bit of backlash and some of the administration's critics are saying that, look, many schools have already met this bar. In fact, data from a private data tracking company Burbio (ph) assesses that about 58 percent of K-12 students are already doing at least some in-person learning, which means that the White House's 100-day goal here, if it does mean indeed one day of in-person learning, may have already been met.

So, look, this is something that is a thorny, a controversial issue. This issue of in-person learning and something that has a lot of heated feelings both with the teachers unions and the parents who would like to see their kids go back to school.

The White House, though, tomorrow will be releasing that CDC guidance on school reopenings, so perhaps that will offer some clarity going forward.

Now, we're also going to hear from the president himself in the next hour. He's going to be meeting with a group of bipartisan senators to talk about infrastructure.

[09:35:02]

All of this, of course, happening amid the impeachment trial of his predecessor.

And I spoke with a White House official just a little bit ago who said that this is part of the White House's attempts to show that they are still doing the business of governing even as this impeachment trial goes on. They said that they are not going to slow down just because that impeachment trial is happening at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

HARLOW: OK.

Jeremy, we'll keep a close eye, especially on the schools thing. That's a -- that's a really big deal.

Thanks for the reporting.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says, quote, his words, open season for COVID-19 vaccines could begin as soon as April, adding that a majority of Americans could be vaccinated by the end of the summer.

SCIUTTO: Yes, it's interesting because Dr. Fauci has been very consistent on that for months, those goals, those times. And, look there, 45 million Americans have been vaccinated so far. Welcome news. Infection rates are dropping, too, but officials are still warning people not to let their guards down. Despite that, more state leaders are pushing plans to lift some restrictions.

Here's CNN's Erica Hill.

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ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Across the country, vaccine access is improving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finally. I've been trying for so long.

HILL: New mass vaccination sites announced in Texas and New York on Wednesday.

JEFF ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: We are deploying federal teams immediately to work hand in hand with the state and local jurisdiction.

HILL: More supply flowing into states.

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): They're sending us 5 percent more doses per week. That's nearly a 30 percent increase since the beginning of this administration.

HILL: Confidence is also growing. Seventy-one percent of Americans now say they'll get the vaccine. That's up 6 percent since December, though available doses still dwarfed by demand.

That same poll finding two-thirds of Americans are not satisfied with the rollout.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We could be doing half a million people a week if we had the supply.

HILL: The goal for Citi Field alone, 5,000 to 7,000 people a day. But on day one, just 200 shots in arms.

Still, the push is on to make sure New Yorkers are ready. As the White House announces members of its new COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

DR. MARCELLA NUNEZ-SMITH, CHAIRMAN, COVID-19 HEALTH EQUITY TASK FORCE: It is our top priority for anybody who is at "yes" and it is their turn that they're able to connect with vaccination.

HILL: The CDC updating its mask guidance, recommending moldable nose wires, wearing cloth masks over disposable ones, which can block over 92 percent of potentially infectious particles, and cinching masks for a tighter fit.

The fast-spreading variant first identified in the U.K. now linked to between 1 and 4 percent of U.S. cases, according to the CDC.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, CDC: We do not believe the variants are distributed equally across the country at this time.

HILL: California and Florida currently reporting the highest numbers. Despite the spread, new cases overall continue to drop. Hospitalizations, too. In New York, major stadiums and arenas can reopen at 10 percent capacity on February 23rd, with additional safety measures in place.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): A negative PCR test with face coverings, with social distancing, and then mandatory assigned seating.

HILL: Chicago boosting capacity for indoor dinning, bars and events as experts urge caution.

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND FORMER CITY HEALTH DIRECTOR OF DETROIT: If we let up to early, we risk having a new onset of new cases.

HILL: Erica Hill, CNN, New York.

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SCIUTTO: Well, major developments into the investigation in the death of the Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, including new video. It's been a big question for some time. Now a new theory about exactly how he died and who may be responsible.

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[09:43:10]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

Well, we've learned that federal authorities have now narrowed down a list of suspects in the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. This is largely because they have new video evidence.

SCIUTTO: It's important because this has been an open question, who was responsible for his death?

CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell, he's been following this story.

So, Josh, a new theory is that bear spray might be the key here used by rioters against them. I mean, one, how dangerous is bear spray? Has it been linked to deaths in the past? And does this lead them to any particular individuals among the rioters?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, this is an investigation that authorities have really struggled with. We've seen all the video evidence, we've seen the FBI come out with this publicity campaign to try to help identify so many of these rioters. But what our sources were telling CNN is that they had not yet gotten leads on the death of Officer Brian Sicknick.

Now, that all changes, sources tell CNN that they have narrowed down to a handful the number of people that may have been responsible for his death. And whereas before there was talk about possibly whether there was some type of blunt-force trauma towards the officer.

We're now being told that, no, that's not the case. It actually appears as the one leading theory is this use of this chemical agent, this bear spray. And for our viewers who may not know what that is, this is something that hikers use, campers and the like to try to serves as a deterrent, a chemical spray, not unlike what police officers sometimes use to disperse crowds. And one leading theory now is that the deployment of that bear spray may have caused a reaction with Brian Sicknick that then led to his death.

Now, we also heard yesterday from House impeachment managers in their exhibit about some of the techniques that these rioters were using to include the use of these chemical agents.

Take a listen.

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OFFICER: Cruiser 50, I copy. We're still taking rocks, bottles and pieces of flag and metal poles.

[09:45:01]

Cruiser 50, the crowd is using munitions against us. They have bear spray in the crowd. Bear spray in the crowd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: So there you hear that officer saying that to his fellow colleagues that they have bear spray they were using against these officers. One of the many techniques we saw there to include the use of trying to -- you know, objects to try to storm that building. So that remains a part of this investigation as authorities continue this murder investigation.

Now, finally, we're also learning new details about some of the strategies that some of these rioters are using in court. In particular, we're learning that one member of the Proud Boys, who's been charged with conspiracy, among other charges, is blaming Donald Trump, saying that he followed the entreaties of the former president, saying that but for the president actually asking them to go there, he probably wouldn't have been there.

That is interesting, obviously, to get that insight into the court strategy. But also, we can't forget, as this impeachment trial goes underway, this has to be uncomfortable for the Trump team to know that you now have rioters pointing to the president saying that he is to blame.

Jim and Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: OK, Josh Campbell, please keep us posted on where that goes. That -- his family deeply deserves answers. Thank you so much.

Fighting lies and fighting disinformation from QAnon on Instagram. This has one Minnesota mother of four calling herself America's government teacher. She'll join us, next.

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[09:50:48]

HARLOW: Well, CNN, as you know, has been bringing you story after story of families across the country being ripped apart because of QAnon. But one Minnesota woman is fighting to stop this vicious cycle of disinformation and lies. Her name is Sharon McMahon. She calls herself America's government teacher and she now has more than 400,000 people turning to her Instagram account for the facts.

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SHARON MCMAHON, FORMER AMERICAN GOVERNMENT TEACHER: But let me just tell you right off the bat, it is not possible for a sitting president to just decide I'm staying, sucks to be you. That's not a thing that can happen in the American political system. And I'm going to break down why that is with proof.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Well, Sharon McMahon joins me now.

I'm so glad you agreed to join us. My friend and colleague Stephanie did just an amazing piece on you this week and I said we have to have her on. So, thank you for joining us.

MCMAHON: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

HARLOW: Of course.

OK, so you have been told by, you know, more than just a few people that they believed these QAnon conspiracy theories before they came to your page.

What did they say to you about why?

MCMAHON: I think a lot of people maybe didn't even realize that what they were believing was related to QAnon. They had just seen something on FaceBook that sounded right to them.

You know, not everybody that's on my page is there, you know, deep trolling the message boards. So some of them said things like, I had no idea that it wasn't even in the Constitution that it said that or, you know, like, my -- my dad told me to believe this and now that I've done some actual research, I can see that it's not based in fact. So just knowing what the facts are.

HARLOW: You're a former government teacher. You used to teach school -- high school kids. You are a mother of four children. And I bet this was not your plan. But now you've got 400,000 people following you on Instagram looking for the facts. And you directly take on QAnon in a lot of this stuff. I mean you post things, for example, like this, and you wrote, QAnon is not a benevolent person, or a group trying to save your children. MCMAHON: No.

HARLOW: Did that movement inspire you to do this or was it something else?

MCMAHON: You know, I'm sure it is tied up with this massive wave of misinformation that we've seen. It was really seeing misinformation on social media that inspired me to do this. And QAnon is a part of that.

HARLOW: Let's show people your face. OK, let's pull up this image of your face. This is you reading disinformation. This is you reading what a lot of folks that are our neighbors and friends actually think and say and the lies that they repeat. And it's funny, but it's not a funny topic. But you -- you make it relatable to people, which is why I think your breaking through here.

I guess I find it interesting that you have never disclosed your political leanings and that's -- that's intentional.

MCMAHON: Right. You know, QAnon is not necessarily -- is not indicative of what most Republicans believe. It's not indicative of what Democrats believe. Facts exist outside of who you voted for. So QAnon and other misinformation, it needs to be combatted no matter who you voted for or what your beliefs are.

HARLOW: Why do you think it is that an era and a moment with more sources of information at people's finger tips than ever this is happening? Like, why are you needed right now when people can get straight news anywhere? They can watch us. They can read "The New York Times." They can go to cnn.com. But you're needed too.

MCMAHON: I think some of it just has to do with a little bit of a distrust of some media sources. They -- I'm sure you are familiar with this -- that some people don't trust the media. Some people feel overwhelmed and disheartened and don't know where to look.

[09:55:01]

They do a Google search and immediately feel anxious and so just disengage. And some people truly don't even know where to go to find the right information. They can't tell if a site that they're looking at is legitimate or not. And then that also ties into the viral nature of social media. It's so easy for something that sounds good to just spread like wildfire.

HARLOW: We've got to go in a sec, but what do your kids say about this? You've got four of them at home.

MCMAHON: Nothing will keep you humble like adolescent children. They're -- three of them are like, oh, snap (ph), that's nice, mom, OK. My daughter, my youngest, loves it.

HARLOW: You can tell your youngest she's smart and I agree with her and I think you're very cool. And good for you for -- I'm glad to see you doing well by doing good. Thank you for helping share the facts.

Sharon McMahon, looking forward to see what you do next.

MCMAHON: Thank you.

HARLOW: All right, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So glad she's doing what she's doing. It's necessary.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: House impeachment managers finish presenting their case today. What will prosecutors reveal when they wrap up their case? We'll have new details on their plans, next.

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