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Two Boeing Jets Shed Parts After Engine Fires Within 24 Hours; 777 Engine Explodes Midair, Rains Debris Over Colorado; Fourteen-Plus Million Texans Still Without Clean Water; Sixty-Three-Plus Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered In The U.S.; House Poised To Pass Biden's $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 21, 2021 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:00:23]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We're following several developing stories this hour.
First a pair of terrifying moments as two Boeing planes over separate continents have engine fires just hours apart.
In the U.S., passengers on a United Airlines flight, a Boeing 777, captured the moments an engine failed shortly after takeoff. Brand new video in to CNN showing chunks of debris raining down over a Denver suburb, one piece crashing onto a man's parked truck.
And we're also getting breaking details about a second plane over the Netherlands. Two people were injured by falling debris after an engine caught fire on a Boeing 747 cargo plane. Pieces of that plane went slamming into cars and houses.
Meanwhile, back stateside in Texas nearly half of the state, more than 14 million people, are still without clean water after that brutal massive winter storm knocked out power and burst pipes across the state.
And as the U.S. nears a devastating marker in the coronavirus battle, nearly 500,000 deaths -- Dr. Fauci warning today Americans are not out of the woods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's something that is historic. It's nothing like we've ever been through in the last 102 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic. It really is a terrible situation that we've been through and that we're still going through.
That's the reason why we keep insisting to continue with the public health measures, because we don't want this to get much worse than it already is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll get back to coronavirus.
I want to begin now with these two serious incidents involving Boeing planes.
CNN's Richard Quest joining right now. So Richard, what's your best estimation as to what investigators will focus on?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, I think the important thing to recognize is that these events happen very rarely and it is an unfortunate coincidence that two have happened on consecutive days.
The one in the Netherlands, the plane, 747 long-tail cargo plane, was taking off from Maastricht on its way to New York when it started to shed parts of the aircraft engine, the number 1 engine, which then fell on a local town.
An elderly lady was injured, thankfully not too seriously, we believe. The plane did an emergency landing.
Now the temptation is to focus and say, two Boeing planes that engine bits have fallen off. I think that would be a very serious mistake for the simple reason that these incidents -- I'm pretty 99 percent certain -- will be unrelated.
And there are numerous cases every year where bits fall off planes. Not numerous, there are cases every year where bits fall off planes.
And what you look at, Fred, in those cases is two sides of the story. The plane, what happened, how serious; and those on the ground, what happened, how serious.
Now, if there is a failure on the plane, as there has been in both of these cases, an uncontained engine explosion or some form of incident, then inevitably, by definition, it's going to have serious ramifications for those on the ground.
And so that's what we're looking at now. Two incidents, and Fredricka, the fact that they are Boeing planes is an irrelevance.
WHITFIELD: Really.
QUEST: They could have been other airplanes, they could have been other aircraft. The Boeing aspect is not relevant, I promise you, to what has happened here.
WHITFIELD: Well, I know you say, you know, that these are unfortunate incidents and it may not be very usual for bits to come off, but when you look at, at least one of those pieces, particularly in Colorado, where, you know, it weighs about a ton, according to at least analyst. I mean that's pretty significant and those are vital pieces to keep the plane in the air. I mean the pilot said so, that he had to turn around. So talk to us about how that pilot was able to make that kind of call, maneuver and then land that aircraft safely.
QUEST: Right. So the first thing is you're absolutely right. The United case is truly horrific because the nacelle, the cowling, fell off the front of --, as you can see. Basically, the whole nacelle came off the aircraft of that engine.
[14:04:56]
QUEST: And that nacelle, those bits that you're looking at, they are designed to contain whatever happens within the engine. There's always been an understanding -- at the end of the day, the engine is a combustion engine, a jet propulsion combustion engine which could combust.
And so the idea is that the cowling and the nacelle is supposed to contain it. Now, what happened with the United plane is an exceptionally serious failure of that procedure.
As a result, you focus on what happened to the people on the ground and thank God nobody was injured.
But to your point, for the pilot, his first job in this case was determine how flyable is the plane? Have I got an airworthy aircraft?
And is you listen to the tape of what he said to air traffic control as he's vectoring to come in for his emergency landing, he says, we have some checks to do.
In other words, they need to know, is that engine going to pull a wing off? Is it likely to blow up, even though we've switched it off?
Number two, what hydraulics do we have that will be able to slow the plane? Can we deploy (INAUDIBLE). All these sorts of things he will need to know and establish.
In the case of the 747-400 out of Maastricht, exactly the same issue. In the case of the 747 a lot -- I mean if the piece hit you on the head -- this is going to sound silly. It's a lot less serious, the Maastricht case because not the big pieces fell unless you happen to be the person underneath it.
My point is the danger that we face with falling bits from aircraft -- and there've been bits of lavatories, cargo doors, urine, blocks of ice, over the years, all of these things have come off planes. The danger is well known and understood.
What we must not do is -- you know, it's like at the beach in the summer. A shark bites somebody and the next day there is another incident, and before long, everybody is saying shark alert, shark alert, shark alert.
WHITFIELD: Well, it's certainly -- yes.
(CROSSTALK) WHITFIELD: It's certainly alarming. I don't know how many people were that familiar with the fact that, you know, bits come off a plane on a fairly regular basis.
But like you said, thankfully no one was injured in the U.S., but we have heard at least two people were hurt in the Netherlands from falling debris. We're still awaiting details on the extent of those injuries.
Richard Quest, always good to see you. Thank you. We'll check back with you.
All right. So now to that terrifying flight over Colorado. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the debris that scattered all over a Denver suburb.
CNN's Lucy Kafanov has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Terrifying video from onboard United Flight 328 showing the right engine on fire.
NATE SWISHER, PASSENGER: All of a sudden, there was a loud sound and then it got really, really bad. I thought lightning struck the plane at first.
TRAUS LOOCK (PH) PASSENGER: There was a big boom, and the kind of sound you don't want to hear when you're on an airplane. And I instantly put my shade up and I was pretty frightened to see that the engine on my side was missing.
KAFANOV: The Boeing 777 traveling from Denver to Honolulu experiencing engine failure minutes after takeoff.
BOB BROWN, PASSENGER: We looked at each other, my wife and I, and held hands and, I guess, wished our kids that we would see them again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what it is.
KAFANOV: Eyewitnesses on the ground seeing pieces of the aircraft falling from the sky in the Denver suburbs of Broomfield.
KIERAN CAIN, EYEWITNESS: I was playing on the basketball court, just having fun. An airplane was flying really high overhead, and basically what sounded like a sonic boom made everybody look up.
As we did, we could see there was a giant black cloud of smoke high up in the sky immediately followed by, you know, what looked like pieces of the aircraft really just coming off, and basically a shower of things that were falling out of the sky.
KAFANOV: The debris field spread over a mile, according to Broomfield police. Massive pieces of metal puncturing a roof, strewn over a soccer field and lawns. KIRBY KLEMENTS, EYEWITNESS: My wife and I were sitting inside the
house just finishing up with the paper. and we heard this big bang. And we kind of looked at each other and go, what was that?
Then all of a sudden there was a bang and a crash and this object just rolled right in front of our house right out the front window. So I get up and look outside, and I'm trying to figure out what it is, and as soon as I open the door, I go, uh-oh, it's an engine part.
KAFANOV: It was just after 1:00 p.m. local When the pilot of the 777 with 241 people on board declared an emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday, mayday, United Air28, 328 heavy. Mayday, mayday aircraft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 328 heavy. Say again please. Repeat all that again.
[14:09:58]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Denver. Departure United 328 heavy. Mayday. Aircraft just experienced engine failure. Need to turn immediately.
KAFANOV: The crew keeping the airplane under control and safely landing back at Denver International airport.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My daughter was sitting at the window, and she was -- I was just like, don't look, let's close it up and let's just pray. So that's what we did. We kind of just held hands and said some prayers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We took some time to pray with each other and there were people around me praying. But I felt fairly confident that we were going to make it back to the airport.
KAFANOV: According to United, none of the passengers or crew suffered any injuries. And incredibly, no one on the ground was injured.
(on camera): This park, on a day like today when it's not as cold as it was last weekend, we could have hundreds of people here. And the fact that we are still not getting reports of any injuries, it's absolutely shocking at this point. It's amazing.
KAFANOV (voice over): Debris from the damaged is being taken to Denver Airport for analysis. The National Transportation Safety Board, the FAA and Boeing are investigating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Lucy Kafanov, thank you so much.
All right. So more than 14 million people are still facing water problems in Texas after a deadly winter storm.
CNN's Natasha Chen is live for us in Houston.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Another water distribution event is just getting underway here as Houston remains under a boil water notice.
Coming up, we can talk about what it will take to lift out of that notice and what it's like right now for so many people still without running water.
WHITFIELD: Plus, how much longer will we have to wear masks? CNN goes one on one with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
And then later, the U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland is expected to call the Capitol riot a quote, "heinous attack". Find out what else he plans to say about white supremacist at his confirmation hearing.
[14:11:50]
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WHITFIELD: All right. Texas is warming up and thawing out, but the state remains in a major crisis. More than 14 million residents, about half the state's population, are still without clean water. They remain under a boil water advisory after the frigid temperatures froze or broke countless water pipes. The severe weather is to blame for at least 50 deaths in several states.
For the very latest, let's bring in Natasha Chen in Houston. So, residents there once again lining up this time to get their hands on water. Natasha, what are you seeing and hearing?
CHEN: Yes, Fred, you can tell by just the number of cars that are now pulling up right behind us, there are a lot of people here who really need bottled water at this time. That's because Houston remains under a boil water notice.
Now, the water pressure here has actually improved over the last few days, but the city says they've sent water samples to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. That agency needs to approve those test samples and then the boil water notice can be lifted which the city hopes can happen as early as Monday.
145 boil water notices across the state have been lifted as of this morning, and that includes now Galveston which is about 50 miles southeast of here on the coast.
Now, as far as water disruption, still more than 14 million Texans don't have water service right now. That includes a couple of homeowners we met yesterday who said they've been hauling water from their neighbor's house four or five times a day just to flush toilets and wash their dishes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DELORES LOZANO, HOUSTON RESIDENT: I think I'm going to be sore by next week from just carrying jugs of water.
KORY HAYWOOD, HOUSTON RESIDENT: I know there is a two to three-week wait for plumbers right now in the city, and also the supplies are very low. So as soon as we can get some more pipes into the city, and as soon as we can get some more work and some more people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: They said at one point during the worst of the storm, it was colder inside their house than outside. They showed their home and the damage to a few congressmen yesterday, Representative Al Green, Representative Sylvia Garcia here in Texas and also to Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who flew in to Houston to volunteer and tour the area. She has helped raise now close to $4.7 million for Texas organizations and she plans to leave Houston today after more volunteering, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Yes, that's a big number and that's going to be a big help for a lot of people. So many folks who are so much colder in their house, that's why so many went to their cars to warm up, but that brought some potential dangers, too.
Natasha Chen, thank you so much.
All right. So for more now on the crisis in Texas, let's talk to Ron Nirenberg. He is the mayor of San Antonio, the second biggest city in the state. Mayor, good to see you.
MAYOR RON NIRENBERG (I), SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: You too, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So give me an update now on the power and the water situation in your city.
NIRENBERG: Sure. Well, the sun and the weather have improved things here in San Antonio. And as you've seen our systems are starting to come back online. Virtually all of our service area with power is now on and we are starting to see some of the boil water notices lifted in San Antonio.
In fact, less than 10 percent of our service area was no longer getting service from water as of yesterday. So we do hope to see that improved over the hours to come.
The real challenge now though is as the sun comes out, we're revealing the damage and the suffering that's occurred. And so we've been out all day the last several days at distribution sites where people made clean potable water. They also need food because a lot of that is spoiled with power outages.
There's been, you know, a run on supplies. We're seeing a lot of the materials at plumbing stores and hardware stores, you know, begin to run out. And a lot of people still don't have water because they're in facilities whose power tripped pumps.
[14:19:57]
NIRENBERG: So there's still quite a lot of suffering, and we're dealing with all that right now.
WHITFIELD: So yesterday we talked with the mayor of Manor, Texas. I know that's about 80 miles, 100 miles outside of your city. And he expressed frustration with the lack of communication from county and state leaders and beyond during the crisis.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR LARRY WALLACE, MANOR TEXAS: Honestly, I have lost all faith in senior leadership. I have only heard from council members and fellow mayors that I've built relationships with around here, my county commissioner and our brand new county judge. Everybody else is a lost hope. I'm just going to be frank with it and that's how everybody feels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So Mr. Mayor, have you had any better luck with communication with senior leadership? And if so, has it been helpful?
NIRENBERG: You know, it's been a challenge. The blackout was virtually a blackout on communications as well at the start of this, you know. But as things have started to thaw out, we are starting to get more communication and assistance from state leaders as well as federal leaders to bring relief to us.
The challenge though is when all this occurred, again, we weren't given any notice. We were planning on an ice event which typically freezes roadways. We were out there preparing infrastructure.
But when this hit in the middle of the night, it went from normal condition to critical condition and rolling blackouts with no notice. So there was very little opportunity for us to prepare our communities, and there was certainly no anticipation that those so- called rolling blackouts would basically leave folks freezing in their homes for almost a week.
WHITFIELD: It caught everybody by surprise, clearly. The mayor of Manor also, you know, expressed frustration with the local water company. The company did hear him in my interview yesterday and now says a key supply line broke and hopes to have it repaired today and bottled water will soon be delivered.
How about for you? I know you mentioned that there are were still a few water obstacles in your city. Is the water company coming to your aid? What's happening?
NIRENBERG: We are. So we have had central distribution points for volume water straight from the water utility for a couple days now. We've also had about 15 different locations for bottled water being distributed all around town. So that has been -- that has been good. There's been a lot of cooperation there.
We've also seen an incredible outpouring of support from our San Antonio Food Bank and volunteers, giving folks the essentials that they need.
The real challenge now is going to be in terms of fixing infrastructure, so we're seeing relief from the state and the Fed with regard to making funds reimbursable. We're also working locally with our public sector and private philanthropy to make sure that people don't have to wait to begin repairs.
We're cutting red tape so that we can ensure that repairs get underway quickly because as the weather has subsided, we're now starting to anticipate what will be a catastrophic crisis with regard to breakage in lines, piping in people's homes, things like that and the last people to bear more of this burden are the people who have been suffering in our communities for the last week through this weather event.
WHITFIELD: Right. And, you know, adding insult to injury, there are so many residents who are already beginning to endure major economic hardships because of this weather disaster.
In fact this morning, one Texas Congressman told CNN that he believes federal aid will help residents pay the bills. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: I assume you're going to do something to help people pay those bills. Are you saying you'll use the disaster relief funding from the federal government.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): Yes. Yes, that's the current plan with the federal assistance will be able to help the homeowners both to repair. We have a lot of waterways, a lot of water damage, pipes bursting but also their electricity bills as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So today the mayors of Houston and Fort Worth both said the state should pay for these sky-high water bills, power bills -- where are you on this?
NIRENBERG: Absolutely. It would be unconscionable for bills to go up and for bills to be put on the backs of residents of this state that have been suffering and freezing in their homes for the last week through no fault of their own.
This was a total failure by the state's energy management, and they need to be held accountable. And in doing so, certainly not put the cost of this crisis on the backs of Texans.
[14:24:50]
NIRENBERG: And as far as I'm concerned, that bill should be sent to ERCOT. And there will be hell to pay if there is any notion that the residents of this state should pay for this disaster.
WHITFIELD: All the best to you and everyone there in San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Thanks so much.
NIRENBERG: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So as Texas begins thawing out from last week's storm, parts of the Midwest and Northeast are now bracing for more snow.
Right now six million people are under winter weather alerts from Colorado to Illinois. The area could get hit with another two to four inches tomorrow.
The Midwest has been digging out all winter long with many cities breaking snow records like Chicago which has seen 45 inches of snow so far this season. The city usually receives about 25 inches. Detroit received about 40 inches of snow, 10 inches above normal.
We'll be right back.
[14:25:46]
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[14:30:17]
WHITFIELD: About 63 million coronavirus vaccine doses have now been administered across the United States. This as new research shows evidence that a single dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine might be enough to significantly reduce disease. That data prompting renewed calls for the U.S. to delay second doses in order to prioritize first doses for more people now.
Dr. Anthony Fauci shooting that idea down in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash this morning, saying the nation's current vaccine schedule is backed up by data from clinical trials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We know for sure that when you give a prime with the Pfizer followed by a boost 21 days later, that you get a 94 percent to 95 percent efficacy, and the difference between the level of antibodies after one dose versus two doses is about tenfold higher.
And that is really important, because when you have that high a degree comparable to the single dose alone, that's the cushion that you would like to have when you get a variant that isn't as well-protected against by the antibodies induced by the vaccine. But you have enough level to be able to prevent at least severe disease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Joining me now to discuss, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist. She is also the host of the epidemic podcast.
Doctor, good to see you.
DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: Well, I'm going to guess that you agree with Dr. Fauci. How important are those points that he is making? GOUNDER: Right. There's an expression, an apple a day keeps the doctor
away. And the way I think about the first and second dose of the vaccine, is the first dose gets you to ten apples, the second dose gets you to 100 apples. While ten apples might be enough for your common strain of the coronavirus, with these new variants, you may need 20 or 50. And so, in a sense, if you are using only one dose, you maybe selecting for those concerning and mutant variants.
And so, until we have data that shows otherwise, we really should be sticking with what we have, science from the clinical trials demonstrating as effective, and until proven otherwise, that's really the appropriate path to be taking.
WHITFIELD: OK. Something else Dr. Fauci said, he says it is possible that Americans still need to wear masks into 2022 to protect against coronavirus. You're one of the members of President Biden's former advisory board who called on the administration to widely recommend the use of N95 masks. So, how beneficial would that be?
GOUNDER: Our big concern right now is that we're seeing a dramatic rise in the B117 variant. This is the one that originated from the U.K. It is a much more contagious variants. So, it spreads from one person to another more easily. And it also causes more severe disease.
The CDC is estimating by the end of March, this is going to be the dominant strain here in the United States. This is why Dr. Fauci and Dr. Walensky at the CDC have recommended double masking. But for people working in extremely high risk setting, so for example people working in meat packing, food processing, the folks who are working as warden officers in jails and prisons, not to mention inmates, these are people at extremely high risk for exposure and infection where they don't have the ventilation that may have in hospitals for example to protect us. And we also have masks in addition to that.
WHITFIELD: I like the explanation of one doctor who said that when you are wearing the two, the great benefit of the cloth mask over it is that it will create the masks to fit tighter on your face so that you have, you know, fewer spaces in between the masks that many of us experience with the just one medical-grade masks.
So, House Democrats are expected to also pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package this week. The bill includes a lot of things, $15 minimum federal wage, and funding for stimulus checks, schools in the rollout. But how concerned are you that those things could potentially delay the COVID response funding that is necessary?
GOUNDER: I am very hopeful that Congress will see the necessity of all of these different components. Unfortunately, small businesses have been left out in the cold over the last year where they have been forced to choose between their economic survival and public health.
[14:35:03]
We need to be supporting small businesses, restaurants, bars, gyms and the like to be able to do the right thing by public health without going themselves under. So those are the kinds of the provisions that are in this bill that make a lot of sense, and I think that we need to be passing that now.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you so much.
Coronavirus relief is about to take center stage in Washington, D.C. The House is expected to take up the $1.9 trillion bill this week. Now, there are questions about the price tag and a proposal to increase minimum wage.
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WHITFIELD: All right. It's going to be a critical week on Capitol Hill. The House is set to debate and likely pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID package. It's the first real legislative test for the new Biden administration and it comes as the U.S. Senate begins the confirmation process for Biden's U.S. general attorney nominee Merrick Garland.
[14:40:04]
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Arlette Saenz are following all of these developments.
Suzanne, let's begin with you.
What will this process to pass Biden's bill likely look like?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it's going to happen very fast, just within a couple weeks. Tomorrow is when the House budget committee will take up this massive bill. It will hand it off to the full house for a vote by the end of the week, then it goes back and forth from the Senate, back to the House. The key deadline, of course, March 14th. That is when some critical unemployment benefits will expire. So they're hoping the president will sign it before that.
Much of what's in this bill Democrats can agree on, the $1,400 stimulus checks, the child tax credits, as well as money for vaccinations and schools. What is controversial here, of course, is the $15 minimum wage increase. Progressives in the party are pushing saying this must be included in this relief package, but it is far from certain that that's going to happen. They are debating fiercely this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): This $15 minimum wage increase would mean 13 million Americans would get a raise, a million Americans would come out of poverty, and 30 percent of those minimum wage workers are Black, 25 percent are Latinx. It is absolutely essential that we do it, and I believe the Senate will do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Fred, first, the Senate parliamentarian would have to rule and say it's okay to have this in a budget bill, that it's not an extraneous type of provision, in order to get that simple majority for this pass. So, that is the first hurdle. The second, of course, is there are some Democratic senators who believe that they should be included within this COVID package. So, it is not likely, Fred, that this is going to pass with that minimum wage requirement.
WHITFIELD: And, Arlette, President Biden is defending this massive $1.9 trillion price tag. What are you hearing from the White House?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the White House is aware that they are entering this critical stretch as this bill is set to move through the House and make its way over to the Senate.
And on Friday, the president defended that $1.9 trillion price tag and calling on the Republicans to point out exactly what they would cut from the bill. But he did say he that is open to hearing ideas on how to make it less expensive. So we will see whether there's actually any room for negotiation once this bill makes it over to the Senate, but at this moment, the White House seems as if they are on track to pass this without Republicans' support.
Now, as Suzanne was talking about, one big question is that $15 federal minimum wage, and whether that remains in the bill, the White House has insisted it is a priority for the president, that is why he included it in his initial request. This is even as the president has spoken both publicly and privately saying that it may not actually survive in the final legislation. But bottom line here, this is really a critical three-week test for the Biden administration.
The president has promised that relief will come quickly to Americans, and as they are looking to push this bill through, that is how he is trying to make good on the promise, especially when you think about the fact that those unemployment benefits are set to expire three weeks from today.
WHITFIELD: And, Suzanne, it is not just about the bill, right? Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is set to begin the confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland. What are you learning about that?
MALVEAUX: As far as we know, that likely he will pass this nomination process, that he will get -- become the attorney general, but not without some very tough questions ahead of time. The big question, of course, and this is something that Senator Mitch McConnell had introduced, whether or not there would be criminal charges, investigations from the Justice Department. That will be questions that will becoming to him, also, how he is going to handle the riots that occur at the U.S. Capitol, January 6.
He released a part of his opening remarks, statements saying here, emphasizing the importance of rule of law and civil rights, saying, if confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the capitol on January 6, a heinous attack that sought to disrupt the cornerstone of our democracy, the peaceful transition of power to a newly elected government.
But he will also be asked as well, Fred, as we know from Senator Lindsey Graham, the Judiciary Committee, about investigations regarding the president's son Hunter Biden, as well as the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo about investigations into whether or not they will be pursued, whether or not this Justice Department and this attorney general will move forward on those as well -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. There's a lot potentially on the plate.
Suzanne Malveaux, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.
So, it has been exactly a month since that transition of power, since President Biden's swearing in. And now, another signal that his predecessor may be dipping his toe back into the political arena. Donald Trump is set to speak at CPAC a week from today. It will be his first public appearance since leaving the White House.
[14:45:00]
And now, some of Trump's family members say the former president maybe open to taking another shot at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARA TRUMP, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TRUMP CAMPAIGN: He has indicated that he probably would be interested in running again in 2024. Look, he is the head of the Republican Party. He is really the person that everyone will continue to turn to in order to help them get across the line, whether we're talking about 2022 or beyond, I think. This man has changed politics and he's changed our party, the Republican Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: But notably absent from the event, his former vice president, Mike Pence, who declined an invitation. It comes as the Republican Party faces an identity crisis with some members saying the GOP should move beyond the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R), ARKANSAS: I would not support him for re- election in 2024. He is going to have a voice, but as former presidents do, but there is many voices in the party, and again, he should not define our future. We have to define it for ourselves, and that has to be based upon the principles that really gave us the strength in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And speaking of presidents, tonight, Lincoln's story continues. See how his debates with Steven Douglas over the expansion of slavery propelled him on to the national stage and helped him to pave the way to his presidency. "LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND" continues tonight at 10:00 Eastern on CNN.
And we'll be right back.
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[14:51:03]
WHITFIELD: All right. This was the reaction last week in the NASA control room when the Mars rover "Perseverance" touched down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Touchdown confirmed! "Perseverance" safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the sands of past life.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ooh, that was some excitement.
Well, the Mars rover immediately began sending back some spectacular pictures and it began the two-year mission of sending back signs of life on the Red Planet.
And one of those cheering most loudly from home was a student at Georgia Tech University senior Breanna Ivey helped to test out the math used by the rover as it moves around, while she was on an internship with NASA's mobility team last year.
And she's joining me right now.
Congratulations, Breanna.
BREANNA IVEY, GEORGIA TECH STUDENT/ASSISTED ON MARS ROVER MISSION: Thank you so much. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Oh my guys. Did you, you know, feel like those in the control room? Were you cheering, jumping up and down at home? What happened?
IVEY: Absolutely. Watching the rover landing was like watching a movie. I was on the edge of my seat. It was so exciting to see it land successfully. It was so exciting.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So, when you were part of that project last year, did you see this really could happen, that all of the work you put into it could actually help make things happen on Mars with perseverance?
IVEY: To be honest, I really didn't think about it, I was just so focused on doing my job and doing it well that this week has just been extraordinary, to actually see something that I had a role in, landing on Mars successfully, has been incredible. This is the week I actually realized what I was doing and what has happened.
WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, you helped do this. That is tremendous. And I love the smile on your face.
So you worked on checking some of the math used to tell rover how to move while it was on its mission. Is there a way for us, you know, neophytes to understand how you went about that? Explain it to me. IVEY: Sure of the one of the abilities of the rover is you should be
able to put in a location for the rover to travel to autonomously. So my job was to make sure that all the distances and all angles and any mathematical transformation that had to be done were being done correctly by the rover. And it was a lot of math and simulation and coding, that type of thing, but it was a great learning experience and it was a lot of fun.
WHITFIELD: Oh, this is so great. So, you did this because you love it. But that you are doing it also means that you are a role model, especially to young black boys and girls everywhere.
What do you want to convey to encourage everyone, all young people, and most especially, perhaps, women and men of color to be leaders in STEM sciences?
IVEY: Two things really stand out that I would like to say. The first is always trust your journey and your process no matter what obstacles you may encounter or what odds are against you, because you have all the tools to be successful and you are capable. The second thing is always know that you belong in whatever space you set foot in, every conversation that's being had, every place you step foot in, you have something important to say and you are valuable. And don't be afraid to be in those places because you will change the world.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I love it. I could not have said it better, nobody else could have said it better than you.
Breanna Ivey, thank you so much. Congratulations, you're such an amazing, amazing inspiration.
IVEY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All the best to you. I can't wait to hear more because I know there's more coming from you in the near future. So, we'll have you back on and let's talk about your future and what you have planned.
Fantastic, Breanna, thank you.
All right. Straight ahead, one of the suspects in the Capitol Hill riot claims she met with the Secret Service before the insurrection, and that's not all.
[14:55:02]
We'll have the shocking new details, next.
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WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
