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Biden Reflects on First 100 Days in Office; Biden Outlines Sweeping, Ambitious Economic Plan; Biden: Biden's Speech Aims to Reassert U.S. As Global Leaser; Navalny Appears in Court by Video Link; Hospitals Across South and Central America Struggling; India's Covid Surge Spills into Neighboring Countries. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 29, 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]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
It was a night for big ambitions, President Joe Biden delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress since taking office 100 days ago. He outlined a sweeping plan to reshape America's economy and social safety net, proposing huge new spending on things like childcare, family leave and community college. But the president also took a moment to reflect on his first few months in office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I stand here tonight one day shy of the 100th day of my administration. A 100 days since I took the oath of office and lifted my hand off our family bible and inherited a nation-- we all did -- that was in crisis. The worst pandemic in a century. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. Now after just 100 days I can report to the nation, America is on the move again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Now, according to our polling many Americans who watched the president's speech came away feeling optimistic. A CNN poll shows just over half felt very positive about what the president had to say. In fact, 73 percent of viewers thought his policies would move the country in the right direction.
Now, we should note the audience is more Democratic than the population as a whole and it's also worth noting President Biden's first address to Congress was actually less warmly received than those of the past three presidents before him.
With me now from Los Angeles is CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He is also senior for the Atlantic. Thanks so much for being here. So listen, it's big, it's bold, it's expensive. How effectively did the president make his case? RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think he made the case
about as effectively as he could, but it is all of those things that you say. I mean, the biggest take away, I think, from the speech is just the sheer magnitude of what he is seeking to do, especially when juxtaposed with the narrowness of his majority in Congress and the narrowness of his public standing.
You know, if you add the stimulus plan to the infrastructure plan to the families plan which is what he unveiled today, you're talking about over $5 trillion in spending, another roughly trillion in tax cuts including a vast expansion of a child tax credit that would really amount to Social Security for kids and represent in some ways the largest expansion of the American social safety net since Medicare and Medicaid.
[04:35:00]
And he is trying to do all this while holding 50 seats in the Senate and, what, a four or five-seat majority in the House and with an approval rating that is just over 50 percent in a very closely divided country.
I mean, you are talking about trying to achieve change, really at the magnitude of Franklin Roosevelt with the New Deal, Lyndon Johnson with the Great Society, but with the narrowest of Congressional majorities and a closely divided country. It is a high wire act. If he gets to the other side he will fundamentally transform the way Americans interact with their government, but it is a precarious crossing.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, those margins are super tight, as you say. Now, his plan to pay for it specifically the piece about tax increases for the wealthy being labeled as a huge tax grab by Republicans. Your tax dollars will go up. It's class warfare and so on. Democrats haven't traditionally been great at seizing the narrative especially on this end here. Did he do a good enough job walking through this piece of it? And going forward what do Democrats have to do to sell this part of it, how they're going to pay for it and break through all the noise and misinformation that will be out there?
BROWNSTEIN: I actually thought that may have been his most effective section of the speech when he basically said -- you know, he talked about the financial strains on average families and how much wealth a few billionaires have accumulated during this. And he said trickledown economics doesn't work. We need to build the economy from the middle out, from the bottom up. I think those are popular ideas.
Raising taxes on corporation toss fund benefits for average Americans, raising taxes on the wealthiest, by-and-large they poll well. You know, the challenge for Biden really isn't any individual element of this vast and sprawling economic side of the plan. I mean, most of the ideas in here, universal pre-K, expanded access to community college, the child tax credit, building more bridges and roads, broadband, the transfer to the clean economy, all of those poll well as individuals. The problem is when you add them all up. Can he maintain support?
Republicans are much more likely to go after kind of the comprehensive size of this rather than the individual elements.
BRUNHUBER: Lastly, to get to the Republican response, Senator Tim Scott he was saying that this was no overture to bipartisanship, even moderate Republican Senators Murkowski and Romney said it was too big to be bipartisan. Is there any hope that the parties can come together or is the very idea as you said that big government is good government just anathema and Democrats will have to pass as much as of this as they can, the financial pieces, anyway, using reconciliation?
BROWNSTEIN: Right. It's virtually impossible to see the ten Republican votes you would need in the Senate to break a filibuster for anything approaching what like Biden laid out tonight, both on the economic side, much less on the noneconomic side, voting rights, LGBTQ equality, gun control, immigration reform. Very hard to see.
As you know, for most of the first half of that speech he can pass those ideas through what's called reconciliation if he can unify all 50 Democratic votes. Most of the second half of the speech would not be eligible for reconciliation and that will be doomed unless Democrats agree to in some way curtail or restrict the filibuster.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much Rob Brownstein. I appreciate you joining us.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
BRUNHUBER: Well the president's speech devoted just a few minutes to foreign policy and most of those comments were directed at China and its leader. He said the vibrant and modernized American economy is critical if the U.S. is to counter China's rising influence in the world. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: In my discussions with President Xi I told him we welcome the competition. We are not looking for conflict. But I made absolutely clear that we will defend America's interest across the board. America will stand up to unfair trade practices that undercut American workers and American industries like subsidies from state to state owned operations and enterprises and the theft of American technology and intellectual property. I also told President Xi that we will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do with NATO and Europe. Not to start a conflict, but to prevent one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well Nic Robertson is our international diplomatic editor and joins from London. So Nic, Biden mentioned China, I believe four times and President Xi three times by name. Now he said he didn't want confrontation, but then basically said our entire democracy is at stake here. So take us through what Biden said and what it means beyond its importance here for the domestic audience.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think part of it clearly because he led up to what -- he led up to it during his speech, he said that -- he laid out how China was connected to the U.S. economy, that the U.S. economy really needs to step up and that's what he was doing.
[04:40:00]
Because there is this competition with China. But the message to China was very clear -- as it is around the world -- that they must play in business terms on the same level playing field as everyone else. No property theft, no intellectual rights, no technology theft, no intellectual property rights theft. All of those things that China has been accused of -- unfair business practices.
But also he made a point about the climate as well, China, India, Russia, should all play on the same level playing field. He pointed to the fact that he had called a global climate summit, a virtual one, where those nations were present, represented by their leaders, and he pointed to that as being a way that, again, the United States was going to keep that playing field level.
But I think one of the -- you know, one of the sort of big picture pieces of Biden's international foreign policy is the consistency that if you transgress against U.S. interests unfairly there will be consequences. And he laid that out in the case of Russia. Saying again, that he wasn't looking for escalation, that he was looking to show Russia that if they interfere in the U.S. elections as they did, if they -- if they hack and interfere with U.S. businesses as they have, then there will be a response. He described it as a proportional response.
So this in a way Russia is the -- his response to Russia is the object lesson for China, that China threat and issue is on a much bigger scale. And that, I think, is why we heard President Biden talking about that point that he will maintain a military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, something China does not like in the same way that the United States does in Europe. Which is -- which is not by and large causing significant tensions other than with Russia. But it is in many ways seen as a historically a stabilizing force. So that was a message there to China on that. The U.S. has a presence and it's going to maintain it and will hold China accountable.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks for breaking it down for us. Nic Robertson in London. Appreciate it.
BRUNHUBER: Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny gets another day in court, but he is not there in-person. And well, he won't be getting out of prison. We're live in Moscow after a short break. Stay with us.
[04:45:00]
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BRUNHUBER: Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny appeared by video link in a Moscow courtroom a short time ago. It's the first time he has been seen in public since he ended his month- long prison hunger strike last week. Navalny is appealing his conviction for slandering a World War II veteran who appeared in a promotional video backing President Vladimir Putin. Our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is live this hour
in Moscow outside the courtroom. So Fred, our first chance to see him and even from what I'm reading a tender moment in court there. But let's start with what many were wondering. What did he look like after all those medical problems and the hunger strike?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, he certainly looked like someone who had gone through a very rough time, Kim. He was seen on video link, he's still being seen on video link, actually. He dressed in a very dark prison uniform, his head is shaved, and he certainly does look very skinny as well.
One of the things that he was saying is that he had lost a lot of weight during his hunger strike, obviously. He currently even said that inside the courtroom that he's currently only eating about five tablespoons of porridge every day. He said that he had also made a petition to the court to get some fresh carrots but has not received an answer on that yet.
And you're absolutely right, he did have that personal moment also with his wife, Yulia Navalny, who is inside the courtroom here and obviously is seeing him on that video link. He asked her to get up and to take off her mask -- that she's obviously wearing because of the pandemic measures here -- so that he could see her better. And then obviously, he said he was very happy to see her, and she also said the same thing about him as well.
So certainly a very personal moment there as this appeals hearing is going on. Alexey Navalny certainly looking like someone who was somewhat weakened by that hunger strike and who is still very much in recovery right now and it certainly looks like in some very, very difficult circumstances there in that jail -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Fred Pleitgen in Moscow. Appreciate it.
Hospitalizations are at an all-time high in parts of South and Central America as COVID infections continue to climb. The latest from the region ahead. Stay with us.
[04:50:00]
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BRUNHUBER: Hospitals across South and Central America are struggling to cope with the rising number of COVID infections and patients. Variants and slow vaccinations are combining to drive the surge. CNN's Matt Rivers reports from New Mexico -- or from Mexico City, rather.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well we continue to get reminders that throughout the Western hemisphere in the Americas this pandemic just isn't getting better as fast as many of us hoped that it would at this point. The Pan American Health Organization saying that in the last week of all the COVID-related deaths worldwide one in four were recorded in the Americas.
Meanwhile, looking throughout Latin America, PAHO, Pan American Health Organization says that infections in just about every country throughout this region are rising. We're seeing concerns trends in places like Costa Rica. Hospitals filling up in Guatemala. And even down in Colombia infections rates are nearing what they were in January as ICU occupancy rates continue to be a major concern in major cities like Bogota.
Meanwhile, we're hearing from Brazil, a new study suggests that 90 percent roughly of new COVID infections in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo are due to the P-1 variant. That's concerning of course because Scientists say that this P-1 variant is more easily transmissible than other variants.
Some good news though with Mexico and Russia announcing that Mexico will begin to start packaging domestically the Russian vaccine. More than one million doses of that Russian vaccine have been given out here in Mexico. That domestic packaging of that vaccine expected to start in the coming weeks.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well earlier in the program we explored the crisis facing India but it's not the only South Asian country suffering through a surge in COVID cases. Several of its neighbors are enforcing lock downs and strategies to try to avoid the devastation India is suffering. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout looks at the crisis growing across the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fueled in part by the devastating second wave burning through India, the number of global cases of COVID-19 has been on the rise for nine consecutive weeks. As you can see on this map of cumulative COVID-19 cases by Johns Hopkins University, India is not the only place in Asia hit hard.
Cases are spiking in neighboring Nepal. The border city of Nepalgunj has become a COVID-19 hot spot. Local lockdowns have been imposed in cities including Kathmandu and there have been reports that tourists at Mt. Everest base camp were infected, but the Nepalese government has denied this.
Other neighbors are not taking any chances. Pakistan has deployed the army in 16 cities to enforce pandemic safety protocols. Bangladesh has imposed a strict lockdown, on Monday it sealed its border with India for 14 days, the trade will continue.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is bracing for a third wave of infection. Local media report that all ICU beds in hospitals are full after Sri Lanka detected a new variant over the weekend. And starting Wednesday schools across the country will close. Residents in designated areas are required to remain indoors and a police curfew is in force. [04:55:00]
Indonesia is also battling one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia with over 1.65 million infections since the pandemic began. To prevent the spread of the new variant Indonesia has stopped issuing visas for travelers who recently spent time in India.
And this week the Philippines logged its one millionth case of the virus. A grim new milestone as it struggles to boost health care capacity.
About 16 months after the virus was first identified in China the surrounding region is being ravaged again, and medical workers across Asia are struggling to push back the pandemic.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that COVID restrictions will be extended until mid-May in metro Manila and surrounding areas. The nation's leader apologized for the extension but scolded those who violated health protocols. Duterte said that the government is running out of resources and lines are forming for admissions to hospitals.
With less than three months to go Olympic organizers are releasing new COVID protocols for the Tokyo games. The updated Olympic playbook says athletes won't have to quarantine when they arrive, but they will be tested daily. Their movements will also be tracked through an app. Now this comes as Japan is facing its fourth wave of the virus. Organizers say they will decide in June how many local spectators can attend the games.
Michael Collins the American astronaut who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon has died. His family said he had been fighting cancer when he passed away at 90 years old. Some called Collins the loneliest man in history. But he said he enjoyed the solitude of orbiting the moon alone while his two colleagues were the first to walk on the lunar surface. Collins once told CNN that he remembered how he marveled at the sky as a child, wanting to know more. Great man.
Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "EARLY START" is next.
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