Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Investigation into "Rust" Shooting; Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is Interviewed about Biden on Capitol Hill; Heath Officials Worry about New Threats; Poll on Parents Vaccinating Kids. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 28, 2021 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Of what we know today, we know what they're still focusing in on, but we're also learning a little bit more about the gun, as I understand it, Lucy.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Erica.

For starters we're learning that it was a real gun and not a prop that recovered -- was recovered on scene by the authorities. It was one of three seized on set. It was the only functional weapon, the other two were not. Authorities collected 500 rounds of ammunition. Some of them were blanks. But the sheriff said he suspects some were actually live rounds. They believe they have the firearm used in the shooting, as well as the spent casing.

And the sheriff says he can't determine how the bullet got there. As you point out, that's part of the investigation. They have extracted it from the shoulder of director Joel Souza. They've sent it off to an FBI crime lab for testing, along with other evidence. And as the Santa Fe district attorney told my colleague Josh Campbell, the investigation is going to -- the linchpin for the charges will be the question of how that live ammunition got on set and got into the gun.

Now, you mentioned that the investigate is focusing on two people right now. Those are Dave Halls, the assistant director. He issued a chilling admission to detectives according to a newly released court documents in which he said that he failed to check the weapon that was used in that deadly shooting. He told detectives, I'm going to read from this affidavit, he said, he failed to check the firearm properly, saying he could, quote, only remember seeing three rounds. He advised he should have checked all of them, but he didn't.

Hannah Gutierrez was also interviewed by that same detective. She said that she checked the gun for, quote/unquote dummies, fake bullets, blanks, and ensured that they were not, quote, hot rounds. The armorer also told detectives that no live ammo is ever kept on set. And, of course, the sheriff contradicting her in yesterday's press conference saying they do suspect that live ammunition was on that set.

Now, the sheriff did say that both of those people were the target of the investigation right now. We know that everyone is cooperating. Alec Baldwin has been interviewed multiple times. The sheriff also told Anderson Cooper yesterday that Halls, the

assistant director, he retained legal counsel and the sheriff is now working through that attorney to get another statement to answer some more questions.

Erica.

HILL: And there are still so many questions.

Lucy Kafanov, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still to come, a new poll shows less than a third of parents say they plan to get their children vaccinated right away once those shots are available for five to 11-year-olds. We're going to talk with a doctor about what that could mean and whether there's anything that she thinks could move the needle for some of those who are hesitant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:37:07]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: We are live in Rome, where in just a few hours President Joe Biden will arrive for his first G-20 Summit as commander in chief. But his departure from the U.S. delayed as he tries to move his broad economic agenda across the finish line, trying to get members of his own party on board. He arrived on Capitol Hill a short time ago to make that pitch to say in effect to Democratic lawmakers, trust me, this framework is enough, we can move forward.

One of the senators who will be considering that plan, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Democrat, joins us now this morning.

Senator, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): Thank you. Good morning.

SCIUTTO: You can forgive me, I imagine, and others watching this broadcast now, who are confused as to what exactly is going on, on The Hill, because the president is going there, putting his muscle behind this, asking lawmakers to trust him on the framework. Steny Hoyer says he wants to have a vote today, but Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar in the House saying they won't move forward, they need the language of this, they're -- they're not going to move unless they have clarity.

Can you tell us, based on your conversations with Democratic leadership, what's happening?

MARKEY: Well, again, I'm not privy to exactly what the president is saying right now inside of the Democratic caucus. But my own belief is that, yes, the bill that has roads and bridges in it, it's very important. But so is the bill that has universal pre-k, that has childcare, that has the climate provisions, the climate accelerated, the climate -- the energy tax breaks, the civilian climate corps. That's also critically important. And it's inside of the framework, but the devil is in the details.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MARKEY: And we still have, today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, we can resolve all of these issues. We can just sit down and get it to the table so that we're not just dealing with the framework, but we actually have the specifics, the details so that we understand completely what it is that we are voting upon.

SCIUTTO: It sounds like you don't feel the urgency as some Democratic leaders do and the president, frankly, of coming to an agreement today. Are you comfortable with the Democratic Party sending their own president to Europe to G-20 empty handed? The president has acknowledged his credibility is on the line, that if he can't deliver before coming here, he will arrive here somewhat diminished. Are you comfortable sending him here empty handed?

MARKEY: Well, I, obviously, trust Joe Biden. I know that he is going to advocate for the strongest possible social programs, for the strongest possible climate provisions. And a lot of that is in this bill. If we can complete it. But, ultimately, we still have more time before next week when Joe Biden is in Glasgow.

[09:40:00]

And my belief is that we can resolve all these issues and then with certainty the Democrats can vote both for the infrastructure bill and for Joe Biden's Build Back Better program with all of the details that are very clear to everyone, not just in the Congress, but all across the country.

SCIUTTO: It sounds like you're almost granting accepting that this is not going to happen today.

MARKEY: Well, I have not seen any specific legislative text with regard to what is in the legislation on taxes, on Medicare, on Medicaid, or on the exact formulation of any of the climate provisions. Even though I'm very optimistic that we'll have a very bold program, I think it is wise for the members of Congress to actually see the legislative language before we're asked to support it.

SCIUTTO: So -- so it's -- so you're saying that a framework that lays out this plan in broad strokes is not enough for you? You want to see the language in the law as some other Democratic lawmakers are demanding?

MARKEY: I want to ensure that we have 50 votes in the Senate for the framework and for what the details that would be filled in for that framework. And right now we don't have a commitment for 50 votes. And at that point, I'm more than willing to vote for the roads and bridges, the infrastructure bill, and for the social programs and the climate provisions. So I think that we're very close right now. We have a chance to get it done, we just have to keep our nose to the grindstone up here on The Hill, keep working as hard as we can for the next three or four days and we can finish it and give a package to the president that he can talk to the rest of the world about. SCIUTTO: You're, of course, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

As I mentioned earlier, the president has acknowledged that his credibility, not just at home but on the world stage is at stake in these negotiations, primarily on climate commitments because from here in Rome he goes on to Scotland, as you mentioned, for the U.N. climate summit.

You hear from allies, I've spoken to diplomats, who see a diminished presidency here. Are you concerned that Joe Biden's position now and the country's position in the world has lost some of the shine that it had when he came into office?

MARKEY: I think, as Joe Biden arrives in Glasgow, he's ready to reclaim the leadership of the -- for the United States on climate change. He's not going to be preaching temperance from a barstool. He's not going to be telling the rest the world to do something that we're not doing ourselves. That's why the outline of the provisions which are in -- potentially going to be voted upon successfully in the Senate are so important. And combined with what will happen at the state level, combined with what the administration can do on raising fuel economy standards with executive action, there's a real promise and real leadership that Joe Biden is going to provide for the rest of the world.

So I'm confident that that will happen. And let's work as hard as we can for the next three or four days to finish it off so he'll have it there next Monday and Tuesday for the world leaders.

SCIUTTO: Briefly on China, there are genuine concerns about growing tensions between the U.S. and China. And we heard from the Taiwanese president today acknowledging for the first time publicly that U.S. troops are on the ground in Taiwan. This is something that China opposes greatly. It's an enormous step to publicly acknowledge that.

Do you believe that that is a necessary deterrent against China invading Taiwan?

MARKEY: Well, again, our official policy is a one China policy and it should continue to be a one China policy. We do not want to in any way be precipitating a military conflict between China and the United States that would ultimately be catastrophic for both countries and for the rest of the world. We're talking about two countries that have nuclear weapons that are already deployed. So there has to be ultimately a diplomatic resolution of any of the conflicts that we have with China, including climate change and Taiwan. There is no military solution to any of these issues with China.

SCIUTTO: OK.

MARKEY: So having military there from the United States may be one thing, but it would not be sufficient in any way in order to affect positively a military conflict with China. It would be catastrophic.

SCIUTTO: OK.

Senator Ed Markey, thanks so much for joining us this morning. MARKEY: No, thank you for having me on.

SCIUTTO: We are live in Rome where President Biden will arrive in a matter of hours for the G-20 Summit. We'll have much more in the coming hour.

[09:45:00]

Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: COVID-19 vaccines for younger children could be available as early as next week. And while plenty of families, especially those with kids ages five to 11 have been waiting for that moment, a number of public health groups are expressing concern that it could also trigger an increase in anti-vaccine protests and threats to their safety.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard is joining me now with more.

[09:50:02]

I find this so disturbing and there are real threats, real harassment, genuine concerns that they're talking about potentially getting worse at this point.

JAQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Erica, there is definitely genuine concern. And I spoke with the head of the National Association of Country and City Health Officials, and she says that anytime a new COVID-19 mitigation measure is introduced to the public, whether it's masks or vaccines, that typically leads to an increase in the intimidating threats and harassment that public health officers face. And we all know that the nation is approaching another mitigation measure, vaccines for kids.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORI TREMMEL FREEMAN, CEO, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIALS: The rollout of the pediatric vaccine is another critical turning point. And we anticipate that there will be people who may again target public health officials and their messaging related to the rollout of this latest mitigation measure.

We are so concerned that as time goes on, as this pandemic goes on, that these threats, intimidation, harassment, and really are advancing in some cases and becoming more dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: So, Erica, you hear there, of course, this has been an ongoing problem throughout the pandemic. But there is concern about threats becoming more dangerous as well. And the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, political violence, and extremist organizations, the center says that it has noticed threats against public health officials might be coming from individuals tied to extremist groups. The Center tells CNN, quote, our research indicated that some of the threats have come from individuals with known affiliation with far-right organizations that have been advocating and participating in violence.

So this is also something The Center is keeping a close eye on as well, Erica, where we rely on our public health officers to keep us safe but now there is concern for their safety.

HILL: Yes, one quick look at social media and you can see why that concern is there.

HOWARD: Yes.

HILL: The comments, the threats that are put out there on a daily basis to so many people, it is -- it is -- it is frightening and it is incredibly disturbing.

Jacqueline Howard, really appreciate it. It's such an important story that we'll need to stay on.

Meantime, when we look at those vaccines for children, there's a new survey out this morning which suggests a majority of parents do not plan to immediately vaccinate their younger children for COVID. This despite the FDA panel, the independent advisory panel, of course, which recommended that the FDA authorize Pfizer's vaccine for five to 11-year-olds. This new polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds 27 percent of parents say they will get their kids that shot right away, 33 percent say they want to wait and see, 30 percent say they are a hard no.

Joining me now to drill down on this, CNN medial analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

Dr. Wen, always good to have you here and your insights.

So we look at those numbers. I'm curious, we have such excellent data. And even what we heard coming out of that independent advisory board on Tuesday of last week as to why they recommended the FDA should authorize this vaccine for five to 11-year-olds, it's highly effective.

What do you think could move the needle for some of these parents?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that you -- 30 percent of parents who are the hard no, I'm not sure that we can move them so easily because very likely they are the same individuals who have not gotten the vaccine themselves and it's unlikely that they're going to then get their kids vaccinated.

However, this wait-and-see group I'm really optimistic about. I think that many of these parents just want to know. They want a bit more experience with the vaccines. And I actually think that that's OK. I mean all of us parents want what's best for our children. There are some parents who are extremely eager to get their kids vaccinated. They want to be first in line for a number of reasons. Maybe they have children with underlying medical conditions. Maybe their in -- their kids are in schools without masks. Maybe they have other risk factors including maybe they live at home with an immunocompromised family member and they want to protect that family member.

I think it's OK to let those parents who are so eager go first and then that middle 33 percent, who are in the wait-and-see category, I believe that they will follow.

HILL: You know, one of the other things that stood out to me in this polling is the fact that -- and, you know, I know you and I have talked about this, we've seen Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, say on numerous occasions there is no data to suggest that the COVID vaccines in any way interfere with a women's fertility. Sixty-six percent said they're concerned the vaccine's impact -- about the vaccine's impact on their child's future fertility.

The fact that there is such a large number of parents, right, who are still looking at this misinformation, what does that tell you? What needs to change in terms of messaging?

WEN: Yes, I know that parents, of course, we all are concerned about what might happen to our children later. We want to give them the best chance for opportunities, for growth, for their health.

[09:55:00]

I think we're looking at the wrong thing, which is that parents should be thinking about the long-term consequences of COVID-19.

We know that in this age group of five to 11-year-olds, more than 8,000 children have been hospitalized due to COVID. More than 140 of them have died, and thousands may be living with long-term consequences, not from a vaccine, but from the coronavirus. That's what we should be focused on. There is no evidence whatsoever for any other vaccine causing long-term consequences for children. There's no evidence that in some way that this may impact fertility or anything long term when it comes to the vaccine. And so we really should be a lot more worried about the virus in the short term as well as long- term consequences on our children as opposed to the vaccine.

HILL: That's such a great point.

Dr. Wen, always good to see you. Thank you.

WEN: Thank you.

HILL: At any moment, Democrats may emerge from a key meeting with President Biden on Capitol Hill. So, are they going to be able to get a deal done with just hours to spare before the president leaves for Europe? Our live team coverage continues next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:07]

SCIUTTO: A very good Thursday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto