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Nearly Half of Texas Hit By Water Crisis on Top of Power Crisis; Biden Gives First Major Speech to World Leaders as President; Fauci Says, Data on Vaccine Safety on Teens Due in the Fall. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired February 19, 2021 - 13:00   ET

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

STEPHEN FOWLER, HOST, BATTLEGROUND, BALLOT BOX: Voters put their driver's license number on the ballot on the logo (ph) and they return it.

[13:00:04]

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: Absolutely critical, the conversation in your state and nationwide. We'll continue to stay on top of this. Stephen Fowler, (INAUDIBLE), I'm grateful for your reporting and your help here today.

I'm grateful for your time today as well. I hope to see you here Monday. Have a great weekend. Brianna picks up right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN RIGHT NOW: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world.

The days' long disaster in Texas is sending millions on the search for clean water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a nightmare. Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The organization that manages Texas' power grid is declaring its emergency over with much of the power restored in the state, but now nearly half of Texas is under a boil water advisory. That is about 13 million people who are not able to drink the water in their home safely unless they boil it, after 700-plus water supply systems were damaged from the winter storm and the bitter cold that overwhelmed the Texas power grid.

The state's capital alone lost a whopping 325million gallons due to pipes that burst. Those pipes damaged countless homes as well, as you can see in pictures we've been showing you. Shelter and clean water, they are just some of the basics of life that Texans are struggling to find in the most energy-rich state in the nation about to face another night of record lows. Survival stories include an eight-hour hunt to find groceries, a woman burning her child's toy blocks as firewood, a daughter with a home flooded by a broken pipe, afraid to stay with her parents who are high risk for COVID.

And then there are people who live at this San Antonio apartment complex. Firefighters doing what they could despite frozen hydrants and having to truck in water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA WEBB, TEXAS HOME DESTROYED BY FIRE: My daughter, and it's just me and her, and so all our stuff is in there.

I haven't been able to go to work all week long, and now everything we have in there is gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But some stories are not of survival. One fire chief tells us he found a man dead, frozen in his bed, under multiple blankets. There have been at least 15 deaths in Texas.

ERCOT, which operates the state's power grid, says it could have been much worse, adding the agency's actions prevented a complete collapse of the grid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAGNESS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS: Well, I think we're going to have to look at this very carefully and understand how we can manage the events better as an entire industry. So not a success, but there were worse outcomes, as bad as these were, that we needed to step in and prevent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Omar Jimenez is live for us from Austin. Tell us what you're seeing there, Omar. Is it getting easier for people to get what they need?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Brianna, it is slowly but steadily getting easier for people to literally survive. I mean, one of the encouraging signs is you hear crackling in the trees as snow begins to melt. You look down and what was ice now is water flowing through parts of the streets. And, again, if you look at some of the trees, you see some of those icicles getting thinner and thinner.

But this downed power line here is a symbol of what people have been going through over the course of this week, trying to find creative ways to literally survive doing things they have never had to do before. And don't just take my word for it. Here is a resident we spoke to not too long ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENN STUDEBAKER, LIVES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: We started with some chairs. I have some really crappy IKEA chairs that we burned first, and then some bookshelf inserts and then we realized the power wasn't going to come on about seven or eight hours in.

So we went to go try to find wood but all the stores were closed, so then we went and dragged some pallets from the back of the grocery store to pull apart, then we went and just grabbing wood from all of the creek beds and everything like that, which was frozen, so we had to thaw it out and then take shifts with fire.

But then we ended bringing bean cans to make warm water. Luckily, we had water through -- the really bad ones. Now don't have water, so we're trying to melt snow in the bathtub.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And that last thing that Jenn mentioned is really the next frontier here, that as power is starting to get restored to places across Texas, water is really that next issue. You touched on how many people across the state are under a boil water advisory. That includes everyone here in the city of Austin.

And we were in Jenn's apartment and we tried to turn on the water. And for her, she can't even boil water because there's nothing even coming out in the first place.

And people here are being told to think in terms of days, not hours, when it comes to having that come back online.

And let's remember one quick point, this isn't happening in a vacuum. We are still in the middle of pandemic and vaccinations site and testing sites have had to be closed down until they feel it is reliably safe enough to reopen. Brianna?

[13:05:00]

KEILAR: Yes. Omar Jimenez, thank you for that.

Much of Texas has been caught in this deep freeze without power for several days now. El Paso, though, the sixth largest city in the state, escaped the bitter cold snap without any power outages. Tucked on the far western edge of Texas, El Paso also has its fair share of snow and cold this week, but the city managed to avoid the devastating power outages largely because El Paso is not part of the Texas power grid.

Eddie Gutierrez is the Vice President of Strategic Communications, Customer and Community Engagement for El Paso Electric.

This is a fascinating case to look at what you do in El Paso. Tell us why El Paso, Eddie, is not part of the Texas power grid.

EDDIE GUTIERREZ, VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EL PASO ELECTRIC: Yes, there is a lot of history around isolation and geography and being able to have energy independence, a diversity of energy resources in here in the Sun City, we are strong and resilient. And our energy here is a combination of natural gas, nuclear power, solar, and in the future it will be battery at a large scale.

But it was also the lesson of ten years ago. We had a very significant and difficult freeze here back in 2011. We learned to weatherize our equipment and have more focus on local generation.

So this is really the story for our community, strong operations team and our customer teams around the clock helping our customers in this time.

KEILAR: That's one of the things, you mentioned 2011 when you had this disastrous deep freeze that forced the rolling blackouts. You had millions of dollars in damages to homes and businesses in El Paso. And because of that, your company decided to winterize your power plants. Tell us exactly what those changes entailed.

GUTIERREZ: Sure. I'll start off by saying our hearts go out to our Texas neighbors and certainly to our neighbors in Mexico for what they're dealing with. Here in El Paso ten years ago, it was making sure that our instruments and our equipment could weatherize and be able to sustain extreme cold weather, minus ten degrees. It was making sure that we have local generation. We have some outs here in Far East El Paso that now are being able to have dual fuel capability.

And, really, the story is our operations team. They worked really around the clock to make sure to restore power. And you saw it in our impact over the weekend, we had less than 3,000 people that are out of lights, and of those 3,000 people, only a thousand had people with less than five minutes of an outage. It tells you really the story of resilience here.

KEILAR: Should state officials and ERCOT have been looking at El Paso 2011 knowing that this was something they needed to prepare for?

GUTIERREZ: I think that's a good question. I think it's a lesson learned but I think it's also a path forward. I think the solutions that we certainly have here, the Sun City that are resilient here. It's geography-based. It's our isolation to the rest of the country and be able to have our own power, but it's also a story about our customers. We stand in our commitment. We're proud of our community here and able to provide reliably is something here that we take very seriously.

KEILAR: Eduardo Gutierrez with El Paso Electric, thank you, sir, for joining us.

GUTIERREZ: Thank you.

KEILAR: Capitol police are now telling lawmakers that razor wire fencing installed around the Capitol after the January 6 riots should remain in place until at least September. This fencing is set to come down in March, but a source tells CNN that Capitol police feel lingering threats against members of Congress continue to be a security concern and will remain that way for a while.

CNN's Whitney Wild is tracking all of this for us. Tell us what you're learning, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is coming at this greater context which is that the acting chief of police had asked for this permanent fencing. And that came with a lot of scrutiny. Mayor Muriel Bowser, for example, the mayor here in D.C., saying that she did not want to see this fencing become permanent, lawmakers echo that sentiment, they don't want to see the fencing become permanent either.

So it seems like acting Chief Pittman is continuing to try to make this at least a fixture for a while, perhaps splitting the difference between what is temporary and what is permanent, Brianna.

But, again, as you point out, this is very important. This is because there is still a very real concern that there are threats against lawmakers. However, intelligence officials are also telling us that there is no credible threat, but, again, it's just this concern about this online chatter and I think a heightened concern because the intelligence before was either missed or not acted upon, which is why it resulted in this riot on January 6th in the first place, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, we see the pictures. The fence is an eyesore. It does not look like what you expect of Washington, D.C.

And, Whitney, I know you also have some reporting. Tell us about the judge who was now saying the gunman who killed her son and wounded her husband was also targeting Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

WILD: This development in this case is just so chilling. And this judge who was targeted, who tragically lost her son, is telling 60 Minutes that it's her understanding investigators also found some very scary evidence in a locker that was being used by the gunman. Here is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did they find? What was in the locker?

[13:10:00]

U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE ESTHER SALAS, GUNMAN KILLED SON, INJURED HUSBAND: They found another gun, a glock, more ammunition. But the most troubling thing they found was a manila folder with a workup on Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor?

SALAS: Yes, chilling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think when you find a Supreme Court justice was on his list?

SALAS: More than on his list, on his sights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Brianna, this judge is hoping to do everything she can to make sure something like this never happens again. Right now, she's pushing for legislation that would effectively wipe a judge's personal information from the internet so people can't track them down, as they did in this case, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, heartbreaking story. Whitney Wild, thank you so much for that.

Ahead, we'll roll the tape on Ted Cruz's big adventure and a variety of excuses that followed in his mea culpa tour.

Plus, President Biden having his first big moment on the world stage, speaking before the G7 and making surprise announcement about Iran.

And an alarming new study just in that 30 percent of coronavirus long- haulers report symptoms lasting nine months.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:00]

KEILAR: President Biden today giving his first major speech as president to world leaders and making a promise that America is back. The president reassuring U.S. allies that after four years of Donald Trump, things are going to be different. He announced he has halted the withdrawal of American troops from Germany, something his predecessor said that he wanted to do, and saying that the U.S. will, quote, win back our position of trusted leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back. And we are not looking backward. We are looking forward together.

We continue to support the goal of a Europe whole and free and at peace. The United States is fully committed to our NATO alliance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I'm joined now by CNN Political Analyst Josh Rogin. He is also a Foreign Policy Columnist for The Washington Post.

I know you're watching all of this carefully, Josh. Biden was very much trying to reassure allies in this speech. He said, U.S. partnerships are rooted in democracy. They are not transactional, not extractive. What stood out to you?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the message is clear and simple. The Biden administration wants to turn around the page from a Trump administration that was constantly attacking our allies and our adversaries at the same time. They have priorities. It's the pandemic, climate change and China pretty much in that order. What stood out to me is that while it's very good that the Biden administration, and very reassuring to the European allies, that they're not going to do intentional damage, there is not a lot of specifics in terms of what they're actually going to do to try to solve all of these big problems. Repairing the relationship is nice, and we do have shared values but we don't always have shared interests.

So now, the challenge will be how do we actually solve these problems, and the first challenge and problem that they're going try to solve is the Iran issue, and that's a difficult one to start with.

KEILAR: And the president says the U.S. is willing to sit down with Iran leaders and other world leaders for talks on the nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018 that was hard fought and also controversial, something that the Obama administration had done. What issues does that raise?

ROGIN: What issues does that not raise? I mean, we're talking about a country in Iran that threatens Israel, that its proxies are attacking U.S. forces in Iraq, and that it's building a nuclear arsenal that could quickly be used towards building a nuclear weapons program. And all of those things are difficult problems if you didn't have the domestic opposition from the last Iran deal in the first place.

Make no mistake, these negotiations are already going on. White House officials have been quietly reaching out to all members of the P-5 plus 1, including China, including Iran. What they're moving through is a public version of that diplomacy. And that will allow everyone to see what they're up to and to see what their plans are.

The plan is to return to the old deal in order to use it as a stepping stone to getting a new and better deal. Each one of those steps is going to be very, very difficult, but they can't get there unless they start. And what the Biden administration is saying is this is our priority. This is where we're going to spend our limited political and diplomatic capital, and it's going to be a hard fight both inside the United States and around the world.

KEILAR: Yes, you are going to be very busy. Josh Rogin, thank you so much for being with us.

And next, just in, 30 percent of coronavirus long-haulers report symptoms that last nine months. We'll have Dr. Sanjay Gupta with us on that story.

Plus, moments from now, we'll see our first pictures of Mars from the Perseverance Rover, which made a dramatic journey to the planet.

And Ted Cruz's explanations for going to Cancun during the disaster in Texas, no doubt, evolved. We'll roll the tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:00] KEILAR: The White House COVID-19 response team just wrapped up today's briefing, and in it Dr. Anthony Fauci updated parents on when they can expect vaccines for their children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It is highly likely that sometime in the fall, we will have data that will give us the capability of seeing the safety and comparable efficacy in children 12 to 17, 18 years old.

With the studies that I just mentioned, to getting the information to make the decision in elementary school children almost certainly will not be firmed down until the first quarter of 2022.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:25:01]

KEILAR: As for the vaccines that are delayed because of severe weather, the response team's senior adviser says the White House is working on getting the deliveries back on track. But he adds that everyone needs to work together. As UPS and FedEx will work through the weekend, he asked that vaccination sites stay open longer to accommodate the extra wave of people.

There is some good news about the numbers. The five-week decline of new cases continuing to go down and the number of new hospital admissions also continues to drop.

A newly released study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has discouraging news for coronavirus long-haulers. It found that 30 percent of their participants with COVID-19 had symptoms lasting up to nine months.

Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains this post- COVID syndrome and what one hospital is doing to find a cure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL REAGAN, COVID-19 LONG-HAULER: I have constant chest pain and pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have some bad brain fog and like feelings of confusion.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What you're hearing is the description of a relatively new phenomenon, Post COVID Syndrome. Many people who have it, like 34-year-old Stephanie Condra and 50-year-old Michael Reagan call themselves long-haulers. They were diagnosed with COVID, thought they would get better soon, but are still feeling the symptoms months later.

You think about a viral infection like this, you think it's going to resolve. But 11 months later, would you say that you're worse now than you were at the beginning of all this? REAGAN: I had a brief period where I felt like I was on the mend and then the seizures started and more complicated issues started.

GUTPA: Reagan has always been an on-the-go kind of guy, traveling, rock-climbing, running. But last March, after waking up in a sweat, he ended up in the hospital for two months.

We first spoke last summer.

I honestly thought that when I would speak to you again that we would be having a very different conversation.

REAGAN: The last time I spoke to you, I thought six months later that thought I would be doing cartwheels down Madison Avenue or something.

I've been on steroids. I have been on anti-inflammatories. I have been on anti-virals and nothing is fixing it.

GUTPA: So far, the treatments have largely been focused on symptoms, nothing yet for the underlying disease itself. And you may be wondering just how common then is Post COVID long-haulers.

Well, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 30 percent of participants who had COVID still had symptoms up to nine months later, 30 percent. The most common, fatigue and loss of smell and taste.

DR. ZIJIAN CHEN, MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR POST-COVID CARE, MOUNT SINAI: It was very hard to look at these symptoms.

GUTPA: Dr. Chen is Medical Director of the Post-COVID Care Center for the Mount Sinai Health System. They have seen more than 1,600 patients since they opened their doors in May, patients now waiting months to get an appointment.

CHEN: Patients we've seen at the center, they're of all races. They span anywhere from their 20s to 70s and 80s. We have patients who are both male and female of equal distribution.

GUTPA: People who have milder illnesses, are they less likely to have persistent symptoms?

CHEN: I would presume that if you had a preexisting condition, that the infection with the virus can worsen that condition. But, again, we're also seeing patients who are previously healthy had somewhat relatively mild illness.

GUTPA: In fact, more severe disease who were advanced age do not seem to be predictors of post-COVID. Many coming to the center are under the age of 50 and they never went to the hospital, like Stephanie.

Six months after her positive test, she still has inflammation in her heart tissue and has memory issues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The neurologist explained there is probably a slight inflammation in your brain, which is why you're feeling the brain fog.

GUTPA: The theory is that the body is essentially now attacking itself, explains Dr. Dayna McCarthy, who is also a part of Mount Sinai's Post COVID Center.

DR. DAYNA MCCARTHY, MOUNT SINAI CENTER FOR POST-COVID CARE: An individual's body is now responding to fight off the virus, but in that process, it is identifying itself as being something that is foreign as well.

GUTPA: A year into this pandemic, there is still so little known about what is driving this. Moste striking is that a respiratory virus could then manifest into cardiac issues and neurological ones as well.

MCCARTHY: When you're young and healthy and you're used to being in kind of fifth gear, or you're full steam ahead, and now we're telling you, you really have to kind of shift down to allow your body what it needs to recuperate and recover. We are seeing patients get better, it's just glacially slow.

CHEN: These people aren't just suffering from fatigue or malaise or whatever, but they actually have a very real disease.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTPA (on camera): So, Brianna, I think a lot of people do believe the inflammation that occurs in response to the infection is probably driving a lot of these long COVID symptoms. But why do some people develop and others don't is that the psychological and physical stress of being diagnosed.

[13:30:03]