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Change in National Guard Protocol Blamed for Slow Response; International Criminal Court to Probe Alleged War Crimes in Palestinian Territories; Prince Philip Underwent Heart Procedure; Dramatic Escalation of Violence in Myanmar Against Protesters; More African Nations Start Vaccinations Thanks to COVAX; Brazil Reports Highest Daily Death Toll for COVID-19. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 04, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Police have stepped up security around the U.S. Capitol amid warnings about the potential for violence later today. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have warned of increased chatter among extremists discussing possible plots against the Capitol.

In a rare move, concerns over security prompted House lawmakers to change their schedule and they won't meet today on The Hill. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe spoke to CNN about the security measures. McCabe who is also a CNN senior law enforcement analyst says it's the right approach and should have happen prior to January 6th.

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ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I think what you're seeing here is a very understandable kind of recalibration among the law enforcement and intelligence community to what they're hearing in publicly available chatter on social media groups, and things like that.

There's obviously been a lot of criticism about how they handled some of that same sort of chatter leading up to the January 6th riot and I think what you're seeing now is an overabundance of caution. Folks are taking that sort of information very seriously. They're passing it along to Congressional leadership and everybody is taking the sort of precautions that had we done that on January 6th or on January 5th, we may have been in a much better situation. So I think it's a responsible way to handle this information.

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BRUNHUBER: The former Vice President is breaking his silence on the insurrection. In an op-ed for "The Daily Signal," Mike Pence opposes a house bill that would broaden the ability to vote and he peddles some of the same false claims that brought on the Capitol riot. He wrote.

After an election marked by significant voting irregularities and numerous instances of officials setting aside state election law, I share the concerns of millions of Americans about the integrity of the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, the head of D.C.'s National Guard says an unusual memo and change in protocol slowed the security response to the Capitol riot. Oren Liebermann has more on Wednesday's Senate hearing into those failures.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From this moment that you see here, it took three hours and 19 minutes to deploy the D.C. National Guard to help secure the Capitol. At 1.49 p.m. a frantic phone call from the Capitol Police to the D.C. Guard pleading for help.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WALKER, COMMANDING GENERAL DC NATIONAL GUARD: Chief Sund, his voice cracking with emotion indicated that there was a dire emergency at the Capitol.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): But Major General William Walker, commander of the D.C. Guard, says his hands were tied. Walker had guardsmen at the armory but to move them be needed approval from his superiors. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, that included for a 40-person quick reaction force that had been tasked to help with traffic control.

WALKER: Just to be clear, the secretary of defense said I could use it as a last resort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last resort, right?

WALKER: But the secretary of the army says that I could only use it after he gave me permission.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Some 30 minutes later, as this was unfolding on Capitol Hill, D.C. officials got on the phone with the Pentagon.

[04:35:00]

Walker was on that call, and he heard hesitation and a concern about the optics about deploying troops to the streets of the Capitol.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Everyone has seen this on TV and they're not immediately approving your request. And in your recent testimony, you just said, hey, I could have gotten them on those buses and ready to go. Is that correct?

WALKER: That is correct, Senator.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Walker says he could have had 154 troops to the Capitol within 20 minutes, but it wasn't his call.

WALKER: The word that I was -- I kept hearing was the optics of it. And there was concern that it could inflame the protesters.

LIEBERMANN: Robert Salesses, acting assistant secretary of defense for homeland security said the acting secretary of defense wanted final authority because of the sensitivity of deploying U.S. troops against a civil disturbance involving American citizens.

ROBERT SALESSES, U.S. ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY: There is no ability for the military to respond without the secretary's approval for civil disturbance operations.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The Pentagon offered more guardsmen multiple times before January 6th, but Capitol police and D.C. officials repeatedly said no. Without a formal request for help, military officials couldn't plan for a specific mission until the riot was already unfolding.

At 3 p.m., about 90 minutes after the evacuation of the Capitol, acting Defense Secretary Miller approved the call up of the full National Guard. Within an hour of the call with Walker and city officials, he moved available guardsmen from the armory to the Capitol later.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley insisted the Pentagon responded with sprint speed to the request for help according to "the Washington Post."

They reacted faster than our most elite forces from a cold start, Milley said. It's an argument senators weren't buying.

KLOBUCHAR: And so, you could have had them there earlier, hours earlier if it had been approved.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): As security at the Capitol broke down, so too did communication. Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller approved the D.C. National Guard to help clear and secure the Capitol at 4.32. General Walker said he didn't find out about that approval for more than 30 minutes.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.

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BRUNHUBER: The furious response from Israel after the international criminal courts chief prosecutor announced a probe of alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Let's go to senior international correspond Sam Kiley in Jerusalem for details and reaction. Sam, tell us more about exactly what they'll be looking into here.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, the reaction from Israel has been a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, who goes as part of the faces of re-election, of battles at the re-election of March 23rd. But nonetheless is taking a very robust line, indeed, calling this undiluted anti-Semitism and questioning the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court here. Oddly enough, Hamas has, which is the power that rules in Gaza, an

organization that is labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and many European governments, has welcomed the investigation even though it is like Israel specifically named as part of this investigation. I think perhaps Hamas is rather enjoying what the Israelis find repugnant, which is some kind of potential moral equivalent given that they've been lumped into the same investigation.

Now, Kim, those investigations focus on the actions of Israel and the Palestinian armed groups during the Gaza war in which there were casualties, heavy casualties, particularly on the Palestinian side. The casualties on both sides during the so-called Marches of Return back in 2018. Again, and there were casualties on both sides.

And then perhaps more problematically from the Israeli perspective, investigations into the continuing spread of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which is considered occupied territory under international law. But above all, the Israelis are promising that they're going to fight this all the way.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Sam Kiley in Jerusalem. Thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.

And stay with CNN. We're following breaking news that the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, underwent a heart procedure while in the hospital. We'll have a live report ahead. We'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, breaking news just into CNN about Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. The 99-year-old British royal has undergone a successful heart procedure in a U.K. hospital. Let's bring in CNN royal correspondent Max Foster who joins us with the latest. Max, I understand this was a pre-existing condition, but what more can you tell us about this?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a patchwork of information really, I think. Because the palace has been really clear they don't want to give a running commentary of Prince Philip's condition. So over time we're getting a better sense really of why he was feeling unwell. So initially it was he had an infection. Then he had this pre-existing heart condition and got moved to hospital. This is a major center for expertise in cardiac surgery, this hospital. And now we're told he has actually had an operation on the heart and that it was successful. So that's positive news.

It all happened yesterday. They add that his royal highness will remain in hospital for treatments, rest and recuperation for a number of days. Of course, he's 99-years-old. So any sort of treatment that he does receive needs to be monitored very carefully. So he's not quite out of the woods yet, but as far as the operation is concerned, it has gone successfully.

A few years ago he had an operation to have a stent put in, so perhaps -- I mean, a lot of speculation has been that the stent has had to be replaced, or something around that. We don't have the detail. But it does seem as though it's gone well so far. But he will remain in hospital as they monitor his condition.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well obviously, we all wish him well and we will stay on this story. Thank you so much, Max. We really appreciate it.

Demonstrators defiant and determined are back on the streets of Myanmar just one day after security forces intensify their crackdown killing dozens. I'll have the latest in a live report next.

Plus, Alexey Navalny is waiting in a Russian detention center, unsure of where he'll go to serve his prison sentence. We go live to Moscow for the latest. Stay with CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: There's an urgent call for an international response after a dramatic and disturbing surge of violence across Myanmar. Wednesday was the deadliest day of protests which have been going and gone since the military coup one month ago. At least 38 people were killed at the hands of security sources who have escalated their crackdown. Those forces were seen ordering three charity workers out of their ambulance before taking and severely beating them.

The United Nations will meet tomorrow. But ahead of that the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar says, the international community has to come together to stop the deteriorating situation. The U.S. says its looking at policy options as it weighs its response.

Paula Hancocks is in Seoul with the latest. Just horrific scenes there, 38 dead, maybe even more, Paula, what's the latest?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kim, this is the fear that many activists on the ground do actually have. The U.N. saying that from February 1st until now they believe at least 50 people have been killed, but activists say they fear that death toll is actually a lot higher. It's very difficult to keep a tally on the ground with everything that's going on.

But we are still seeing, Kim, people coming out onto the streets despite the fact that Wednesday was the deadliest since the coup. So the protesters are not being convinced to stay home. Many say that they are afraid. They're fearful of what might happen, but they also say that they feel like this is the final battle.

[04:50:00]

That they have to win this battle against what they call the military dictatorship, otherwise they will be living under it forever more.

So certainly, there is a case to be made that protesters are being galvanized by what we are seeing on the streets. But there's no doubt that the level of force that security forces are using now against protesters is increasing.

And one thing we also heard from the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar also talking about the fact that Wednesday was the deadliest day, saying that she had been speaking to a military representative in Myanmar from the military leadership and had said there would be strong measures against them. And the answer was that they were used to sanctions. That they had survived under sanctions many times before. Also saying that they have learned to live with only a few friends.

So certainly this is ominous and it's worrying for the international community seeing all the condemnation and sanctions they have put forward so far has had very little if any impact on the military leadership. In fact, what we have seen over recent days, certainly since Sunday, is that level of force against protestors increasing -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, an ominous response, exactly the right word there. Paula Hancocks in Seoul. Thanks so much for that.

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is in quarantine while being held in a detention center. That's according to his lawyer, who says right now Navalny is being isolated with two other people at a detention center east of Moscow.

CNN's Matthew Chance joins me from Moscow. Matthew, we finally got an update directly from Navalny, which is reassuring, considering he sort of disappeared. What's he saying? Oh, we lost Matthew there. Apologies.

Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal are some of the latest countries to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the international COVAX partnership. It's partnered with the World Health Organization and so far, has given more than 10 million shots to more than a dozen countries, most of them in Africa.

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BRUNHUBER (voice over): Touching down in Nairobi, COVID-19 vaccinations arrive in Kenya for the very first time. It becomes one of the latest countries to receive doses as a global vaccine sharing program rolls out across Africa.

MUTAHI KAGWE, KENYAN HEALTH MINISTER: We've been fighting this virus, but we have been fighting it with rubber bullets. What we have received here is the equivalent, metaphorically speaking, to acquisition of machine guns, bazooka's and tanks to fight this war against COVID-19.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Kenya received its initial shipment of just over one million doses as part of the COVAX program, an initiative backed by the World Health Organization aim at reducing vaccine inequality. It got underway last week starting with the delivery to Ghana. The country's president became one of the first to publicly get vaccinated through the program.

NANA AKUFO-ADDO, PRESIDENT OF GHANA: It is important that I set the example that this vaccine is safe by being the first to have it. BRUNHUBER (voice-over): In addition to Ghana and Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and the Ivory Coast are among the countries to recently receive low cost or free vaccines through COVAX, but it comes after a long wait, far behind wealthier nations that can pay full price. That's partially due to difficulty securing supplies from manufacturers.

Now coordinators promise that access in lower income countries will continue to accelerate.

SETH BERKLEY, CEO, GAVI, THE VACCINE ALLIANCE: We've delivered 10 million doses in 14 countries, so far. And we will now be doing at least another 10 million in the next week and scaling up from there. So, yes, not enough doses and not as quick as we would've liked, it took us 83 days from the first jab in the U.K. to the first jab in Africa, but now we are off to try to get as much as this out as we can.

BRUNHUBER: I'm told COVAX aims to deliver to deliver two billion doses by the end of this year. Out of over 180 total participants in the program, 92 countries qualify for cheaper or free vaccines. Low and middle-income countries are now hopefully catching up in the race to vaccinate the world against coronavirus.

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BRUNHUBER (on camera): For the second day in a row, Brazil has reported its highest daily death toll from COVID-19. Almost 2,000 people died on Wednesday pushing the country's seven-day average to its worst level yet. CNN's Shasta Darlington has the details.

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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Brazil, more than 1,900 people died from COVID-19 on Wednesday. A new daily record in a country where the total death toll has already surpassed a quarter of a million.

The health registry also registered more than 71,000 new cases bringing the total number of cases to 10.7 million and pushing the health system to the limit.

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ICUs across the country near or at capacity with 1/3 of state governments reporting ICU occupation at over 90 percent.

The new wave of infections and deaths has been blamed on a more relaxed attitude with a rash of big parties around Carnival time as well as a more contagious variant. The governor of Brazil's biggest state, San Paolo, announced on Wednesday, that more restrictive measures, known as the red phase, would be imposed starting this weekend. That means all but essential businesses must close.

Governor Joao Doria warns that the state's health system was on the verge of collapse if drastic measures weren't taken. He joins a growing list of mayors and governors who have imposed tighter measures in the hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Brazil has vaccinated less than 4 percent of the population and the national vaccination program has suffered from repeated delays and political infighting.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.

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BRUNHUBER: And breaking news just into CNN about Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. The 99-year-old British royal has undergone a successful procedure in a U.K. hospital for a pre-existing heart condition.

All right. Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett is next.

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