Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Mass Shootings In The U.S.; Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) Is Interviewed About Mass Shootings, Marjorie Taylor Greene And Afghanistan; The Success Of The Vaccine Rollout And Vaccine Hesitancy; Rupert Murdoch's Media Business Blasted By Malcolm Turnbull; Wall Street And The Big Gains Of The Airline Industry And Apple Launch. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 18, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Breaking news at this hour. We can now report that there have been at least 50 mass shootings in the United States in the last month. Some of them happening in the last 24 hours.

In Austin, Texas, at least three people are dead near a large shopping center. Police say it appears to be an isolated domestic related, but they are still warning people to shelter in place right now.

Overnight, three people were shot and killed, two others injured when gunfire broke out at a tavern near Kenosha, Wisconsin. In Columbus, Ohio, one person is dead, five others injured after someone opened fire in a parking lot where a vigil was being held.

And in Omaha, Nebraska, police have arrested two teenagers after Saturday's mall shooting that killed one person and injured another. Also this weekend, there are nationwide protest over cases of police violence and excessive use of force. This is a look at downtown Minneapolis this afternoon.

Demonstrators gathering near the place where George Floyd died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last year. The city is very tense of course ahead of tomorrow's closing arguments in the murder trial of that now former police officer, Derek Chauvin. Let's go live to Minneapolis now and CNN's Sara Sidner.

Sara, in that last hour you had just an incredible look at the scene behind you. As you know, there was violence in Minneapolis overnight. Several members of the National Guard suffered minor injuries after someone fired at them. What's the latest? What can you tell us?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'll wait until that cart goes by. Just right on cue. Okay. I do want to get you quickly to, and then we'll show you the scene here, which is gorgeous. A lot of people are coming together.

But I do want to quickly get you to what we have just learned from the lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor made an incredibly strong statement that will both hearten some people and infuriate others. She said that Minnesota is not a safe place for black people. And that is a quote just coming out at this hour.

I will read you a little bit more of what the lieutenant governor said, who by the way is Native-American, one of the first Native- American lieutenant governors in this country. She says, "I've had heartbreaking conversations with my daughter about the killing of Daunte Wright. She doesn't understand why he's dead and why this keeps happening. As a child advocate I am grappling with the stark reality. Minnesota is a place where it is not safe to be black."

That is coming from Minnesota's lieutenant governor just this hour. And she says this as people are here mourning the death of George Floyd and waiting for the trial of the officer -- former officer accused of killing him wraps up. The jury should get to the case probably Monday. There will be closing arguments.

But this is what's happening in the streets right outside of where George Floyd was killed. You have hundreds of people here. There are black folks. There are white folks. There are native folks. There are Latino folks. There were Asian folks. They are all gathering here together to send one message. And that message is, stop the hate.

Whoever it is aimed at, stop it. Stop the violence. Stop the hate. They are all coming together to make that very clear. And the message is to police. The message is to anyone who is hateful towards anyone. We have heard singing, which is what you're hearing now. Somebody is rapping right now.

And then if I give you just a look of this area, if you look straight over, you will see -- that used to be a place where you went and got gas, a gas station. They have changed this into George Floyd Square and taken that over, saying where there is people, there is power. And that is what you are seeing here.

You are seeing people power, people coming together, trying to get the message out that the hate of Asians or blacks or whites, or Native- Americans or Latinos unacceptable in this country. And we have to change that. That's the message being spread, knowing that there is a verdict that will likely come potentially this week.

[17:04:58]

Starting Monday, the jury gets the case in the trial of Derek Chauvin. Right now, peace prevails right here in George Floyd Square.

ACOSTA: That is just a powerful image and a powerfully positive image as well, Sara Sidner. Thanks so much for bringing that to us. We appreciate it. And joining me now to talk about more of this is the anchor of "CNN TONIGHT," Don Lemon.

His new book is "This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism." Don's book just doing terrifically right now because it's so important, so timely. Don, this week, we could have a verdict in the Chauvin trial, as you know. You've been covering it every night. Overnight, Minnesota state and National Guard and Minnesota -- Minneapolis police teams were fired upon. We're also seeing protest across the country following the fatal police shootings of Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright. What are you worried about what could happen next in this country? I mean, it's really happening just day by day now. It's a daily thing that we have to talk about in this country.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes and worried about a how bad it could get if people are not happy with the verdict that comes out of the Derek Chauvin trial. And we have seen unrest in the country before. People want justice and rightfully so.

I'm not sure exactly what justice will mean. If that will mean a murder charge or one of a manslaughter charges, but only -- we will only know once the verdict is rendered and once we find out exactly what that verdict is.

But obviously as I think is everyone, I am concerned about violence in the country. Protesting is one thing, constitutionally guaranteed, but violence is another and I think that that is not a possibility I think if the verdict is not one that people find to their liking. I think that there -- the likelihood that there is unrest is guaranteed.

ACOSTA: And Don, I want to talk about your book in just a second, but what do you make of what Sara Sidner was just reporting in the last few minutes. The Minnesota lieutenant governor saying something and I think this is remarkable, that it is not safe to be black in her state right now. I mean, that's an extraordinary statement to make.

LEMON: It is an extraordinary statement and I'll lead that statement off to her, but I think that the dangers of being black in Minnesota and in many other places is quite real and the dangers -- that quite different than being a dangerous -- than any other ethnicity I should say, but yes, I think that danger is real.

Look, her statement is her statement. Those are not my words. I wouldn't quite put it in -- I wouldn't quite put it that way, but my friend and colleague, Jonathan Capehart, wrote a very good piece in "The Washington Post" talking about how exhausting it is to be black in this country especially at this time watching all of these things happening especially with black men dying on camera in front of our faces, seeing an Army lieutenant being treated in uniform who served the country, being treated the way that he is treated so disrespectfully by law enforcement in this country.

Yes, it is -- it's tough in this country to be black and witness these things. It's traumatizing in many ways to have to experience this over and over on television every day to watch these things unfold.

ACOSTA: And let's talk about the story you shared Friday night. I mean, I think this was remarkable. Personal experience of how you were welcomed by Chicago police when you moved there and the racism that you experienced in that city. That really has stayed with you all these years.

LEMON: Well, that instance, it did because that was my entre into Chicago. There were I think two instances that I can remember with police. One was when I first got there and I didn't have a license that was from the state and I explained to them.

But one also when I was waiting to park on a street and not used to Chicago and I didn't move fast enough and someone was doing a valet and the cop yanked me out of my car, pushed me up against the car and said -- and I said I'm just -- I don't understand what's going on. What's happening? I'm new here or whatever I said. I've never been treated this way by a police officer before. And he said welcome to Chicago.

And so that was my entre into Chicago and, you know, after that, I got to experience, you know, racism in very subtle but real ways, even from some of the people I worked with and even from newspaper reporters and the reporting that they did on me while I was in Chicago.

So, it was -- it's obvious Chicago is as Marin Luther King experienced and wrote about, Martin Luther King, Jr., that it was the most, he believed, the most racist city in the country and, you know, how they house people and segregated people. I did find it one of the most polarized and segregated city in the country that I've ever lived in, I should say -- I should say in the country that I've ever lived in.

ACOSTA: And Don, your book is very timely. It's titled, "This is the Fire" What I Say to My Friends About Racism" in the past few days. What have your conversations with your friends sounded like? We're all talking about everything that's happening right now. The Chauvin trial, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo in Chicago, you know, we're having this conversation in real time now.

[17:10:03]

LEMON: It's interesting, Jim, because, you know, when you write books about race, you know, people want happy -- happy, happy, joy, joy, right, and things that make them feel good. And when you write about the subject of race, people don't often want to hear about it so I was actually concerned that people would not want to hear the message that I was sending.

But it's resonating because every single thing I write about in the book, police brutality, white supremacy, reparations, education, policing, all of it is playing out right in front of our very eyes right now. So I think that's why the book is doing so well because it's resonating and people are realizing that we have to get a handle on what's happening in this country.

So, if you know, my conversations with my friends, read the book. Those conversations are in that book. But I went to dinner with a couple of friends last night and gave them the book as a gift and we started talking about these issues. And at the end of the night, we all realized that we all needed to have conversations like this.

And many of the folks at the dinner didn't look like me. They were white people. And we started having these conversations and they felt comfortable enough to be able to talk to me about issues without me judging the, and with me and them giving -- both us giving each other grace in the conversation to be able to discuss them in legitimate ways and without castigating people.

But holding them to account and telling them that they needed to do the work. We all need to do the work.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it's that kind of dialogue. I mean, that's how we get to know each other. Understand what one another are going through. Don, let me ask you, getting back to the Chauvin case. We've seen a number of members of the law enforcement testify for the prosecution against Chauvin.

In the Daunte Wright case, the officer resigned immediately. The police chief also resigned. The officer involved was arrested and charged by mid-week. Is that progress? Looking at what you have written about, what you experienced yourself personally, do you think things are changing when you see what has happened in the last week, from an accountability standpoint?

LEMON: Well, let's -- I want to see -- let's see what the verdict is.

ACOSTA: Right.

LEMON: And let's see what happens with the other officer in Brooklyn Center. But listen, I want to make it perfectly clear. I think things -- yes, I think things are advancing. But I also think that not every police shooting is equal. They should all be looked at on their own merit.

And so each person -- everything isn't a five-alarm, someone must get the murder, you know, must receive murder or manslaughter or what have you. I think they all should be judged on their own merits. But I think it is high time that police officers are held accountable and that they are -- that they don't -- they aren't allowed to brutalize people and kill people with impunity.

That is not allowed in any other profession in the country or in the world. Any other profession. So policing, yes, it's a hard job, but police officers sign up and train for that hard job. That's part of the oath that they take, so to speak, is that they go into places of danger.

And in order to go into places of danger, one must be trained to do so and to do it properly, and to de-escalate and to realize that a traffic stop is not worth someone losing their life. If someone is a murder suspect, that's a different story. But if someone has an expired license or if you're pulling someone over for a traffic ticket, there is no need to pull out a gun unless the officer's life is in danger.

And someone trying to flee from a police officer who is unharmed is not placing the officer's life in danger when you have their driver's license and their address and their information and you know where to get them. Don't shoot them. Let them go. Go to their house, pick him up the next day or whatever it is that you need to do. But we need to figure out officers cannot be allowed to kill people with impunity in this country.

So, is it progress? I think we're headed that way, but let's see what the verdict is for Derek Chauvin and what happens with the officer in Brooklyn Center.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. All right. Great insights, Don. As always, Don Lemon, thanks so much. And make sure to read Don's book, "This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism." It's out now. It's terrific. Don, always starting great conversations, whatever he does and he's doing it again with this book. We appreciate it.

Multiple mass shootings as we have been saying in the past 24 hours. Fifty since March 16th. All of these renewing calls for Congress to act on gun reform. GOP Congressman Mike Waltz joins me next and we'll talk to him about all of this. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

ACOSTA: Breaking news. We have just learned that the suspect in the shooting of three people in Austin, Texas is a former detective with the Travis County sheriff's office. We are told the suspect, Steven Nicholas Broderick resigned from the department last year after he was charged -- arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child.

At this hour, police are still searching for him and are warning folks in the area to shelter in place. So we'll keep an eye on that story, bring any developments that come in.

In the meantime, 50 mass shootings in the span of a single month. That's the current state of America. And from coast to coast, as families bury their loved ones, Americans are once again looking to Washington to see if this time our leaders are finally ready to do something to stop the carnage.

And Republican Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida joins me now to talk about this and other issues. He's also a former Green Beret. Congressman, you're against a ban on assault weapons. We know our soldiers need weapons like these on the battlefield, but do they really belong on American streets?

REP. MIKE WALTZ (R-FL): Yes, hey, thanks for having me on, Jim. And I'll tell you, we all want to solve this problem. The data shows that the vast majority of gun violence, the vast majority of these crimes are committed actually with people using pistols not necessarily those weapons. But I think in the bigger picture --

[17:20:00]

ACOSTA: Well, a lot of these -- a lot of these mass shootings happen that involved AR-15s and those kinds of assault-style rifles.

WALTZ: -- if you look at these -- and we look at these mass shootings. Excuse me. Hang on. If we look at these shootings and the legislation's currently before us, my issue is it just doesn't fix the problem. If you look in the tragedy in Atlanta, you look at the tragedy in Colorado, those individuals, those shooters actually got their guns legally through the existing background check system.

And I think it points to the fact that we have a real mental health crisis in this country regardless of which type of firearm you use, right? I mean, if you look at Florida, we had the Parkland shooting and you look at the legislation, our legislature passed after that including a red flag law that with due process, and that's an important point, with due process you present to a judge that someone has a mental health crisis.

Oftentimes, these shooters are flagging on social media, to their relatives, their friends or others that they intend to do harm and intend to do violence. We now have a mechanism with due process in place where you can take those firearms out of their hands temporarily. Our judges support it. Our law enforcement supports it.

ACOSTA: Congressman, are you aware though in Indianapolis. Let me just jump in if I may.

WALTZ: And it's been used 3,500 times since then to good effect. Yes, I'm sorry.

ACOSTA: Congressman, if I -- right. But if I may, Congressman, in Indianapolis, you may have seen reports that there were red flags raised there.

WALTZ: Right.

ACOSTA: And yet the shooter was able to do what he did in Indianapolis. So that these red flag laws aren't always going to stop these things from happening. Are there any gun safety laws you could support?

WALTZ: Yes, absolutely. And I've supported in the past for example, fixing the database that currently exists called the NICS database. And bipartisan legislation has moved through to fix that database. If you look at the mass shooting in Texas for example at a church there, the shooter was an Air Force veteran.

His data which would have precluded him from getting a firearm wasn't shared with the FBI. This legislation is making these database work together better, and importantly, is encouraging states to share their data and courts to share their data with the database.

So I think that's an example. And from my understanding, over 6 million more records just in the last year have been shared with this database. So I think we need to take a hard look at fixing the system as it exists and make it work better. But putting things in place --

ACOSTA: Yes. The system is not working right now.

WALTZ: -- to make it harder for law-abiding citizens in contravention of the constitution to have a weapon. You know, prison -- Jim, this is important. Prison surveys are showing that the vast majority of criminals get their weapons on the black market not through these kind of lawful systems. And I think that's where the solutions need to be focused.

ACOSTA: Let's talk about Afghanistan because I wanted to talk to you about President Biden's announcement that he is going to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

WALTZ: Yes.

ACOSTA: You have expressed concern about this. Let me ask you, if not now, when?

WALTZ: Well, you know, first I want to say, I think lost in this is that we currently have an American being held hostage by the Taliban, Mark Frerichs. For whatever reason, the president didn't mention him at all. I know the family has got to be absolutely devastated and we are now withdrawing all of our leverage, which is our troops and our ability to rescue him out of Afghanistan just as we did.

We left Americans behind in the Iran deal. We are now leaving them behind in this deal. You know, my overall issue, Jim, is that it doesn't present a plan for how to keep a lid on terrorism going forward, right? I mean half the world's terrorist organizations still exist there. Al Qaeda will come roaring back just as ISIS did when Obama pulled out of Iraq. Except here's where it's worse. We don't have any other bases in Afghanistan except that the one that we're about to close.

So, for how our counterterrorism forces, you know, I support of leaving a very small presence there. We'll be able to continue because to strike these groups, because when we pull the military out, we pull the CIA and everyone else out as well. And we're going to now be blind in that region of the world.

ACOSTA: And Congressman just very quickly, I want to ask you about Marjorie Taylor Green scrapping her efforts to form an America First Caucus there in the House.

WALTZ: Yes.

ACOSTA: Did you have any plans to join that caucus and what do you make of that idea?

WALTZ: You know, I haven't seen anything besides what was reported. I saw her statement saying there are some things floating around in the draft, but she had no plans to launch anything. But Jim, you know, I would hope you also have Democrats on and ask them if they agree with Maxine Waters calling for more confrontation in Minneapolis as we speak with such a counter-peg. I think we need to tone down the temperature and the rhetoric on all sides that is on the left or the right.

[17:25:03]

ACOSTA: But I just wanted to ask you. You didn't have and -- you didn't have any plans to join that caucus because you -- sir?

WALTZ: We need to tone it all down. I'm sorry. ACOSTA: You were not in favor of that caucus, that idea, were you?

WALTZ: Look, you know, let me tell you what I'm in favor of. I'm in favor of something that is merit based that is focused on where the country needs to go. That's how I was raised in the military. I was also raised with Martin Luther King's sayings and teachings on how to move towards a colorless society. His dream for his children was that we all focus on black, white or brown. We're focused on the country going forward.

ACOSTA: You're not saying you reject that idea of America First Caucus?

WALTZ: I hadn't seen anything about that caucus and I wouldn't plan to join at least as it was reported, but again, I think it was -- I think it's non-existent at this point.

ACOSTA: Sounds to be the case, so. And we're all better for it. All right, Congressman Mike Waltz, thanks so much for coming on. We appreciate it.

WALTZ: All right, Jim. Hey, come on down to Florida, Jim. The economy is open. We are dealing with the pandemic and I think you have some good things in place to deal with gun violence.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll check that out. Thanks so much Congressman.

WALTZ: All right. All right. Thanks so much.

ACOSTA: Moving on, the U.S. has crossed an incredible milestone in the race to get Americans vaccinated. Fifty percent of U.S. adults have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot. Our medical experts are here to discuss what this means for our hopes for a return to normalcy. That's next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

ACOSTA: Dr. Anthony Fauci is predicting the nationwide pause on administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be lifted soon. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUSU DISEASES: -- then they put a pause, take a look, see what's going on, make sure you know the scope of what's going on, and then make a decision. So hopefully by Friday we will get back on track one way or the other.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: By Friday? The CDC advisers are meeting on Friday, but you think that that is actually when J&J will be unpaused?

FAUCI: Well, I think by that time we are going to have a decision. Now, I don't want to get ahead of the CDC and the FDA and the advisory committee, but I would imagine that what we will see is that it would come back and it would come back in some sort of either warning or restriction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The pause was ordered so that experts could examine whether a handful of unusual blood clots were linked to the shot. The case is exceedingly rare, just six reported out of nearly 7 million doses administered.

And joining me now to talk about it is Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a CNN medical analyst and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

Dr. Offit, do you expect this pause to be lifted like Dr. Anthony Fauci was saying and what kind of restrictions might we expect?

PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: Yes, I do. I think the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices which advises the CDC is going to meet on Friday and do basically what European countries did when they found a similar problem with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is to -- I'm going to guess, would likely say restrict it to a certain age group for example, just those over 50.

Because this problem, which is exceedingly rare as you noted, occurs primarily in those less than 50 and also primarily women. So I think by saying over 50 they will take what's already an extremely rare problem and either makes it even rarer or non-existent.

ACOSTA: And Dr. Reiner, 50 percent of U.S. adults have now had at least one vaccine dose. But vaccine hesitancy is still a major concern in part because of the rhetoric from people like Fox's Tucker Carlson. Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: For months, he and the rest of the public health establishment had been badgering the country to take a vaccine they claim as absolutely perfectly safe. That's what they told us until yesterday. It seems possible there may be more going on here. It is possible, in fact, that this vaccine is more dangerous than they're indicating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: How dangerous is that type of rhetoric do you think doctor?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Super dangerous. It's interesting that Tucker Carlson, you know, for a long time, you know, wanted to know why the former president wasn't getting greater credit for the rollout of these vaccines. And now with the vaccines rolling out at really record paces, he is now casting doubt on the safety of these vaccines. So, to be clear, the vaccines are incredibly safe. We have given these

vaccines now to over 200 million Americans. It's a remarkable achievement -- sorry -- we have given 200 million shots. It's a remarkable achievement. And the safety data is terrific.

But you are right, there is a lot of vaccine hesitancy. And a lot of it breaks down along party lines. About 80 percent of Democrats say they either gotten shot or eager to get it. But only 49 percent or so of Republicans say the same thing.

Younger people as well show an increased hesitancy. And even we are seeing about a third of -- only about a third of evangelical Christians say that they plan to get the vaccine. So we have a lot of work to do on the grassroots level, really getting people to appeal to these particular interest groups.

And particularly for, you know, Republicans, it should be coming from established Republican leaders. I'd love to hear the former president speak out forcefully for vaccination. I would like to hear more people on Fox News speak out forcefully for vaccination. These folks don't want to hear it from me. They want to hear it from people that, you know, they identify with, that they trust, but it's a big deal. It's a big deal.

[17:34:59]

We need to get to about 75 percent to 80 percent vaccination in this country if we really want to achieve what most people consider herd immunity is. And without these interest groups it's going to be very difficult to get there.

ACOSTA: And Dr. Offit, we are also seeing more and more pushback to the COVID restrictions from Republicans. Case in point, Senator Ted Cruz who says he no longer plans to wear a face mask on the capitol halls or on the Senator floor. Here was his explanation on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): At this point, I have been vaccinated. Everyone working in the Senate has been vaccinated. The CDC has said in small groups, particularly with people who are vaccinated, you can not wear a mask. At this point, virtually everyone here has been vaccinated and everybody had the opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Many staff members and reporters in the Capitol have not yet been fully vaccinated. Why is it important for people to still wear masks?

OFFIT: Because of the variants. As Dr. Fauci has made very clear, I mean, I'm fully vaccinated but when I go out to the deli down the street and walk in with a group of people, it's the variants that scare me, variants like the South African variant or the Brazilian variant or the New York variant or the California variant, they are in this country and they are circulating in this country. And we know for a fact that your protection with these vaccines will

extend to severe critical disease but will not extend to mild or moderate disease. So you could still get sick because of those variants. That's the reason to still wear the mask as Dr. Fauci has explained many times. I guess this hasn't filtered down to Senator Cruz yet.

ACOSTA: Yes. We have got to get that case load under control. It's just not under control. And Dr. Reiner, Pfizer's CEO now says a third booster shot of their vaccine is likely needed within six to 12 months in part because of, you know, people not wanting to wear masks and so on and these variants spreading around I suppose. How will Americans who are already fully vaccinated with Pfizer know when it's time to go back for that additional shot?

REINER: Well, first of all, you know, we are used to having from time to time to get boosters for various vaccines. Think of the flu shot. We get a new flu shot every year. I was interested if what Albert Bourla said because we actually haven't seen the data that suggests when we'll need this.

The six-month data for the Pfizer vaccine for instance shows very robust immunity out six months. We'll have 12-month data very soon. Remember, the trials began about a year ago. So we'll start to see 12- month data come forward, but we have not yet seen any evidence that the efficacy of these vaccines is waning certainly not within the first year.

I think what Mr. Bourla really is talking about is that these vaccines are going to evolve to more critically focus on the variants. So, sometime next year perhaps there'll be variants that are even more effective against for instance the b117 or the South African or the Brazilian variant or whatever new variant develops in the interim.

And we should, you know, we should understand that we're going to have to learn how to live with this particular virus. And the way we're going to live with it is that we are going to evolve with it. We're going to be evolve our vaccines to cover these as we detect them going forward.

ACOSTA: All right, great discussion. Thanks so much Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Jonathan Reiner. We appreciate it.

And coming up, CNN's Brian Stelter joins me live. We'll look at the family that's making money off of hateful rhetoric like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLSON: Now, I know that the left and all the little gate keepers on twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term replacement. If you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate, the voters now casting ballots with new people, more obedient voters from the third world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

ACOSTA: Federal regulators have released terrifying video of a child being pulled under a Peloton treadmill as it urgently warns consumers with kids or pets, please stop using these tread mills immediately. Before we show you the video, we want to stress the child in this case was not injured, but take a look at this.

In the video, you see a 2-year-old boy gets stuck beneath it. He then struggles to get free. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission says there have been 39 of these incidents involving the Peloton treadmill, plus including the death of one child.

And again, they want consumers with small children -- you can see the video again here. It's just frightening. People with children or animals to stop using these products. Peloton we should note has slammed the warning as inaccurate and misleading.

Now from his role as essentially state-run media during the Trump administration, to Tucker Carlson's current run as Fox News's chief white power correspondent, the diamond of the Murdoch media empire continues to exert its influence on politics and policy in America and around the world.

Fox News is just one part of the Murdoch media empire. And joining us to talk about this now is CNN chief media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources" Brian Stelter. Brian, you spoke with the former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull.

Fascinating discussion. He recently spoke out against the Australian- born Rupert Murdoch and the family. And you found he was specifically concerned about what is going on here in the U.S. Did that surprise you?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It did and it's quite rare to see a former world leader, of Turnbull's stature speaking out against the Murdoch's so forcefully. For example, former President Barack Obama here in the U.S. has talked about Fox News being a destructive force, but sometimes in very carefully worded ways, not to poke at the Murdoch's very directly.

I would say it is very uncommon to hear someone like Malcolm Turnbull speak about the Murdoch's as bluntly as you are about to hear. This is Turnbull's point about the riot in January and he linked it directly to Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:44:55]

MALCOLM TURNBULL, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: The Murdoch media empire has enormous political power. It is the most potent political force in Australia. It does not operate as a conventional news or journalistic operation any longer. Its influence in the United States, in Britain, in all of the countries where it is to be found is now utterly partisan.

It is more like a political party but the only members are the Murdoch's. And as you know, it has driven populist right-wing agendas, denying climate change, supporting extremism on the right of politics, of populous politics to the extent most irresponsibly of all you might think, supporting the proposition that Joe Biden had in fact stolen the election and was not legitimately elected president.

And that of course was directly connected to the sacking -- the assault, the violent assault on the United States capitol. A shocking event and one of the darkest days in America's political history.

STELTER: You, Mr. Turnbull, seem more disturbed by the attack on the U.S. Capitol than a lot of people here in the United States. A lot of conservatives are trying to deny what happened and pretend it wasn't that bad. But I appreciate that you saw it for what it was.

TURNBULL: Well, it was an assault on democracy. It was -- and it -- and you see, what Murdoch has delivered largely through Fox News in the United States is exactly what Vladimir Putin wanted to achieve with his disinformation campaigns. Turning one part of America against another. So exacerbating the divisions that already exist in American society. And undermine the trust Americans have in their democratic institutions.

Now, that's the -- that was the objective of the Russian disinformation campaign. And that is exactly what is being delivered from -- by Fox News and by other players in that right wing populist, you know, media ecosystem. And it is in effect, what they have created is a market for crazy.

They have become unhinged from the facts. It is now basically, they have worked out that you can just make stuff up. They -- we -- you know, everyone talks about and complains about social media. But what is being done by curated media, mainstream media, including, and in particular, Fox News, has done enormous damage to the United States.

I mean the question you have to ask yourself is, is America a more divided country than it was before thanks to Murdoch's influence? The answer must be yes.

Do Americans have less faith in their electoral institutions and their legitimate institutions of government as a result of Murdoch? Yes. Now, that is a terrible outcome. That is a terrible outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: And Turnbull there, the former prime minister of Australia, was the center right leader in Australian politics before being ousted a few years ago. He testified recently to the Australian parliament about Murdoch and the insidious influence of these media brands.

And Jim, what he's saying is what starts in the U.S., what happens on Fox has consequences around the world. The words that stuck with me most were the market for crazy. That the Murdoch's are creating a market for crazy. ACOSTA: True.

STELTER: He also says Lachlan, Rupert's son, is more right-wing than Rupert. And Lachlan of course now living in Australia, running Fox from afar, it's as if he ran away from the U.S., Lachlan Murdoch. And now he's running Fox News from a world away.

ACOSTA: And just incredible to hear an Australian leader talk about what's happening in their country and it's sounding so relevant to what we are dealing with in this country right now.

STELTER: Yes. Yes.

ACOSTA: Brian Stelter, just a fascinating conversation. For folks out there who want to see more of it, you can find it online. And of course, Brian's show airs every Sunday, "Reliable Sources" airs every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Great conversation with the prime minister there.

STELTER: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Brian, we appreciate it. Thanks so much.

And major reports from corporate America and a new launch from Apple. That's what Wall Street is watching this week. CNN's Christine Romans has your "Before the Bell Report."

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. It is another big week for corporate earnings this week. United Airlines, American Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola and Netflix all report results. And expectations for the quarter are pretty high.

But analysts say blowout earnings don't necessarily mean a blowout market. According to Bank of America, in the fourth quarter, companies that beat on earnings underperformed in subsequent days, that suggests the stock market has already priced in the good news.

[17:49:58]

Bank of America says, that's likely to be the case again this earning season making forward looking guidance from companies even more critical. Beyond earnings, investors lawsuit (ph) tune in to Apples product launch on Tuesday. It's expected to refresh its iPad lineup and also unveil next generation air pods.

Apple stock pulled back in March like much of the tech sector, but shares have since rebounded. The company is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on April 28th. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: In Chicago, another community is reeling after the shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. Toledo was shot and killed by an officer during a chase last month, but it was the release of the body cam footage which sparked outrage and debate across the nation.

CNN's Ryan Young joins me now from Chicago where a peace walk honoring Adam Toledo is about to take place. Ryan, this is just going to be a very moving moment there, I'm sure for that community. We saw a large crowd turnout in protest yesterday. What are you seeing so far today?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Friday thousands of people showed up. Right now the crowd is a lot smaller, but we think it may grow. As you can see what's going on right now, you have this a group that's performing for the crowd that's gathered here. They're trying to make the place (inaudible) and I could tell you over and over again, they don't feel like the community is getting the word out enough.

If you look here for the sign, you can see "Justice for Adam Toledo." All this happening just steps away from where the young man was shot. And we've talked to so many people in this community who want their voices heard and believe that no one is listening to the fact, that CPD is bothering them all the time. In fact, take a listen to when we just talked to someone a just minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: There's just so much trauma right now and there's a lot of hurt and pain that, I mean, community really needs to come together and I hope it does. And it cannot stop here. It has to continue.

[17:55:00]

You know, cops need to come in, police, city, the mayor needs to come in and listen to the needs of the neighborhood, not just put more cops out there. That's obviously not the solution.

YOUNG: Jim, this is a tough neighborhood. In fact, they were just talking about the fact that someone else lost their life just very recently here and they are hoping to put a spotlight on all that and hope to make changes, and we'll continue to follow this as it goes on, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Ryan Young, thanks for bringing that to us. Well, that's news. Reporting from Washington. I am Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. eastern. Pamela Brown takes over the CNN NEWSROOM live after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:59]