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Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Begins; CDC Advisers Set to Vote on Vaccinating Ages 5-11; Election Day. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired November 02, 2021 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

AYESHA RASCOE, NPR: Are they going to have ranch or blue cheese with the wing? That's the question.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: See, it's tough to be mayor. Tough questions from people like this.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: Oh, I got a ranch in the air right there.

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KING: Thanks for spending your time with us on INSIDE POLITICS today.

Stay with us. I will be here all night counting votes.

And don't go anywhere, busy day. Ana Cabrera up our coverage right now.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello, and thanks for being with us. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

And it is Election Day in America. Voters are heading to the polls in cities and states nationwide, the off-year election seen as an early referendum on Joe Biden's presidency and on the Democratically held Congress. And right now all eyes are on Virginia.

President Biden won the commonwealth by 10 points a year ago. But the battle for governor is a tossup right now between Biden-style Democrat Terry McAuliffe and GOP outsider Glenn Youngkin, who has tapped into the Trump movement without actually embracing the man himself.

It is the first major race of the post-Trump post-insurrection landscape. And the outcome could tell us a lot about what's on the horizon for the midterms.

CNN's Sara Murray is live in Richmond for us.

Sara, this race may come down to turnout. What are we hearing from the candidates? And what are you seeing on the ground?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Ana. We heard from election officials here in Virginia just a short time ago that things are running relatively smoothly as in person voting got under way early this morning. And the last 24 hours or so are really crucial for these candidates to make their final pitch to voters. We saw Glenn Youngkin doing just that this morning.

Here's a taste of his final message to voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We feel pretty darn good, I have to say, so I'm happy to take some questions.

QUESTION: You spoke with a lot of optimism last night. How have you been able to keep that tone optimistic when you have been hit with a couple shots from the other side?

YOUNGKIN: Well, I will be honest. I have just felt this great surge of momentum for the last six to eight weeks. I mean, these kitchen table issues of low taxes and the best schools and the best jobs and safe communities, this is what people are worried about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Now, Youngkin is there talking about these sort of kitchen table issues. He's tried to make this a local race.

But he did acknowledge all eyes are on Virginia, the nation is watching. And for Terry McAuliffe, his argument to voters has been do not get complacent, show up, turn out, make sure you cast your ballot.

Ana, as you pointed out there is a bigger national landscape at play. People are looking to this race to see whether voters will have soured on Democrats in the past year. And they're also looking to Glenn Youngkin to see if he is writing a road map for other Republicans to see how you can run as a Republican and not fully wrap your arms around Trump and perhaps still unseat a Democrat.

But we will wait. The voters will have the final word today, Ana.

CABRERA: Yes, in just a matter of hours is when the polls will close. Sara Murray, thank you.

Let's bring in CNN political commentator and former Republican Congressman Charlie dent and CNN political director David Chalian.

David, what kind of national litmus test is this election?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I think we will over- read the results, no doubt. But there are national implications here, both psychologically for both parties, but also to give us a sense of where people are a year into Biden's presidency.

You noted, of course, that Biden won Virginia a year ago by 10 points. This is a moment. We're going to see the great pendulum in American politics tonight. And one of the things we're going to watch for is, how significantly does it swing?

We know the history in Virginia going back four decades is that the party that didn't win the White House tends to win and does win that gubernatorial race the year after, except for one example, which was Terry McAuliffe himself in 2013.

But we're going to look and see, what does the Biden political environment look like? That's one thing. And then, of course, we're going to see -- and this will have national implications as well for Republicans -- is sort of, how do you navigate Trump? And is Trump still a potent force?

We know it is inside the Republican Party. Is it still a motivating force for Democrats?

CABRERA: Yes, I'm looking at the results from 2017, when a Democrat one in Virginia that became governor, Ralph Northam, who won by almost nine points. Then you have Biden winning by almost 10 points up against Trump, and yet Trump is playing a role in this election.

Congressman, Trump has fully thrown his support behind Youngkin. Youngkin has been careful not to fully embrace Trump. He doesn't say his name. He didn't participate in Trump tele-rally last night. Clearly, he's not too worried about the Trump base.

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think Youngkin has actually played the Trump situation fairly well. He is stiff-arming Donald Trump right now. He doesn't want Donald Trump anywhere near the state of Virginia.

But I think Youngkin, he has all the momentum. He has all the energy. It is on his side. When you really look at what's happened here, it just seems to me that the Democrats have misplayed this. I mean, they have nationalized this election.

[13:05:05]

They're trying to make it about Trump. But, truthfully, this midterm election and this odd-year election is really much more about the party in power. That would be Joe Biden and the Democrats. And that's their challenge.

And this gaffe of McAuliffe on children, the parents and the schools, I mean, it's just a unicorn issue. It has motivated the GOP base. It has also persuaded independents, and it's cracked into Democratic constituencies. So Youngkin is on offense, and McAuliffe is on defense.

And that's where it is. We will see what happens. And, by the way, I should also point out that it seems that -- I talk to pollsters regularly. And they tell me that Youngkin is meeting all his benchmarks in the Northern Virginia suburbs, in the Richmond and the Norfolk markets, so that bodes very well for Youngkin, as far as I can tell.

CABRERA: When you look at the strategy that's taken place there in Virginia, David McAuliffe has tried very hard to tie Youngkin to Trump. His messaging has largely been anti-Trump. But in making that his focus, I wonder, did he lose sight of specific issues that a lot of voters care about?

CHALIAN: Ana, I think it's a great question. And it's one that the voters are going to answer for us today, because we're going to learn in the exit polls what Virginia voters say sort of is their top issue, what was their driving force, what other factors were there in their thinking in casting their ballot.

And so it is clear that Terry McAuliffe, you're right, has just relied heavily on this Trump -- anti-Trump message to try and motivate and generate enthusiasm among Democrats. But you also see he's not entirely sold on that message, because, at the end, he's had something like 11 different ads on the air.

And his message has been much more multifaceted at the end here, when you were just playing Glenn Youngkin this morning talking to reporters. His message is exactly what it was today as it was when he launched the general election campaign in June. And that kind of consistency on messaging all throughout is usually an advantage for candidates.

But, again, this state has grown more Democratic. So everything Charlie said, I totally agree with in terms of where momentum is on the ground. The question is, is the math there for a Republican in 2021 to actually win Virginia or has it become so Democratic just in its DNA that that is what pulls McAuliffe across the finish line?

We will take a look tonight.

CABRERA: Well, perhaps what has made this race more competitive is not what's happening in Virginia, but what's happening in Washington right now with his big logjam when it comes to Democrats trying to pass the Biden agenda.

How much has the Democratic infighting, Congressman Dent, in Congress, do you think, dragged on McAuliffe?

DENT: Well, McConnell said it himself. The dysfunction in Washington, the inability to deliver a product is a problem.

I mean, I think the Democrats are going to look back on this failure to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill as a huge mistake. I mean, they could have passed that thing in August with 80 Republican votes, a bipartisan victory. They could have celebrated, we get things done.

But, instead, their leadership caved to the progressive wing of the party that tied the two bills together, Build Back Better and the infrastructure bill. And they don't have either right now. So I can't understand why they wouldn't take a win. McAuliffe was all but begging them to do something. He wants Washington do something, anything to help him.

But now we're beyond that. And so I think it is hurting McAuliffe and McAuliffe said it himself. CABRERA: Let's turn the corner and talk more about that, David,

because, on infrastructure, we keep hearing a vote this week, a vote this week. Do you think there will actually be a vote this week?

CHALIAN: I mean, the House Democratic leadership is certainly going through the motions like they want to get a vote on both bills this week, getting the bill prepared.

But what we know just from this morning's reporting outside of -- out of the Democratic Caucus from our colleagues on Capitol Hill, there are still outstanding issues that Democrats are trying to negotiate in terms of what gets in that final bill that will go to the House floor, specifically dealing with immigration and prescription drug prices.

And so Democrats are still in a bit of a negotiation and hammering out final details phase. If that drags on a little bit longer, it's hard to see a vote coming this week. But that's clearly their stated goal. They would love to deliver both these bills out of the House not shortly after President Biden gets back to the States.

CABRERA: Well, I'm sure Republicans would be very happy to keep this process dragged out and to continue to obstruct.

How much does the Republican political future depend on what happens with these two major bills that Democrats are trying to pass, because there's a lot that's popular here, Congressman? Could it be a political game-changer?

DENT: Well, I think Democrats and Republicans will be able to celebrate the infrastructure bill.

I would argue that the Build Back Better proposal is not as popular as they think. I think the Democrats have misread their mandate. This -- their election victory in 2020 was not one to go big. It was about stability, normalcy, dealing with COVID like an adult.

[13:10:06]

It wasn't -- the scale that they're proposing these proposals on, I have always felt has been too big. Yes, people want expanded child care or preschool, or pre-K. They want a lot of things. But they're looking at this not in a vacuum. They're looking at $6 trillion in COVID spending, an Afghanistan fiasco, inflationary pressure, supply chain shortages, mayhem at the border, all that -- it's a really -- it's a devil's brew here.

So I don't think this bill, this Build Back Better, is going to provide much benefit to them. It didn't do the Republicans a lot of good to pass tax reform in 2017. They didn't get rewarded for it. I would not expect Democrats be rewarded for this bill.

CABRERA: Charlie Dent and David Chalian, appreciate you both. Thank you.

CHALIAN: Thanks, Ana.

DENT: Thank you.

CABRERA: Our special live coverage of election night in America begins at 6:00 Eastern tonight.

We have got David, among all of our other experts and analysts. So stay with CNN for that.

In just a matter of hours, parents could finally have the green light to vaccinate their children as young as 5. What you need to know ahead of the CDC's big decision.

Plus, right now, opening statements are under way in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. He was 17 when he went to a Wisconsin protest last year and he killed two people, he injured another. How his lawyers and prosecutors are laying out their cases.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:48]

CABRERA: Right now, a key meeting is under way to determine if and when children under 12 can get a COVID shot. The FDA did its part. Now it's up to the CDC.

In just a few hours, CDC vaccine advisers will vote on whether to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. It is expected to pass easily. After that, we wait for the CDC director to sign off. And assuming that happens, shots for younger kids could start this week.

Last week, nearly 101,000 infections in children were reported here in the U.S. That is nearly a quarter of all new cases last week.

I want to bring in Dr. Peter Hotez, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital. He is also the dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Hotez, thanks so much for being here.

Given your expertise, is there anything about this vaccine for 5-to- 11-year-olds, that age group specifically that gives you pause?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, not really, Ana.

I mean, it's been pretty well vetted through the adolescent age group, and it's done really well. And it's been highly effective, 90 percent protective in clinical trials of the younger kids 5 to 11. And we need this, Ana. I mean, look what's happening.

We have had 8, 300 hospitalizations. This COVID Delta wave has been devastating for children, a fivefold rise in hospitalizations among kids this summer. So this is all because of the Delta variant that's been really pummeling our schools. We have had thousands of school closures as a consequence. And then the other thing that nobody talks about is the long COVID

signs and symptoms. Now we have some new data that was just published out of the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the U.K. suggesting that 14 percent of kids have long COVID symptoms lasting more than 15 months after infection.

So you put all that together, we really do need this vaccine.

CABRERA: For parents who may be afraid of potential side effects of the vaccine for their child, for longer-term side effects, who are saying this is kind of a new vaccine, we have heard about myocarditis. Parents know that that's a potential side effect. Although rare, it is still possible.

And I don't want to hyperfocus on that issue, but it is now part of anti-vax messaging to parents. So I want to make sure we arm our viewers with the facts.

What do we know, Doctor, about myocarditis in kids after vaccination?

HOTEZ: Well, first of all, it's important to stress, Ana, that myocarditis is far more common because of COVID-19, by a factor of at least five-, maybe 10-fold, and not just myocarditis, other heart symptoms and signs, including thrombotic events as well.

So COVID-19 is a bad actor in kids, number one. And, number two, yes, myocarditis does occur in the -- in young male adults ages 16 to 25. The numbers are about one in 10,000. We don't know that rate yet in the 5-to-11-year-olds.

But one thing that's very important to remember is the amount of mRNA in the vaccine for the young kids 5 to 11 is a lot less. So it doesn't necessarily mean there's going to be even a lower rate of myocarditis. But you put all these things together, it's all about the fact that we're very concerned about what happens if your child gets COVID-19.

CABRERA: And should parents be on the lookout for anything related to that potential side effect?

HOTEZ: Well, you could. I mean, it's -- as I say, it's extremely rare. We're talking about one in 10,000. I mean, the real numbers like 5 to 16 per 10,000, but you split it down the middle, one in 10,000 among young adults.

If it does happen, it's going to happen within a few days, up to a week, after usually the second vaccination. And it could present as some shortness of breath or chest pain or heart palpitations. But I think it's important to keep in mind that this is still an exceedingly rare event.

And the big problem is the fact that we're hospitalizing so many kids right now from COVID.

CABRERA: Absolutely. So it would be a great thing, obviously, to have this vaccine available for that population. That's like 28 million more people who would be eligible as soon as this green light is given for the 5-to-11-year-old age group.

[13:20:08]

Dr. Hotez, as always thank you so much for being there for us. We appreciate it.

HOTEZ: Thank you.

CABRERA: "Life is important. Life is more important than property" -- that quote from prosecutors just moments ago as they deliver opening statements in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

He's the teen who went to a Wisconsin protest last year and he shot three people, killing two. The defense now laying out their case. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:30]

CABRERA: We're back with some breaking news.

Opening statements are under way in the homicide trial of 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. He faces multiple charges after killing two people and wounding the third with an AR-15-style weapon at the protest last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That protest followed the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer.

Blake was left paralyzed, and that shooting sparked days of protests in Kenosha. It also came just three months after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. And it followed a wave of Black Lives Matter protests all across the country.

Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha on the second night of protests, and clashed with a group of people who had gathered at a car dealership. Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum. He then shot and killed Anthony Huber after he was pursued by a group of people on the scene.

Defense lawyers argue both killings were self-defense. Prosecutors characterize Rittenhouse as a vigilante who showed up to the protest with an AR-15-style weapon intending to take the law into his own hands. Before the shooting, Rittenhouse encountered police officers during the protests, who offered him some water.

And after the shooting, Rittenhouse tried to surrender to police with his hands up, but they completely passed him by. He later surrendered at a police station.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is covering the trial for us.

Adrienne, what are we hearing from the lawyers in these opening statements? How are they laying out their respective cases?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, both are laying the foundations. Let's start with the prosecution, who we heard from first this

morning. They're making the case that this is not a case of self- defense. In fact, they're saying Kyle Rittenhouse never should have had a gun on that night, because, under Wisconsin law, it's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase a gun.

They're saying it's not a case of self-defense and pointing out who they will bring to the stand over the next two weeks, also essentially saying how Rittenhouse showed up for fight.

By contrast, the defense is saying just the opposite. Some of them are going to bring the same witnesses to the stand. We will hear likely different stories from those witnesses, the defense saying this was a case of self-defense, painting the picture of who Kyle Rittenhouse was telling, us that he has ties to Kenosha, also early in the defense's opening statements saying that Rittenhouse was a lifeguard, really painting the picture that Rittenhouse was someone who was passionate, who was in Kenosha to help protect property and offering his services to business owners.

Listen in to some of those opening statements. And we will begin with the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS BINGER, KENOSHA COUNTY ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Sunday night and Monday night, were two of the roughest nights that our community has ever seen. We are well aware of the damage.

Fortunately, in the entire sequence of events, this was all property damage. And one of the things we all agreed on yesterday is, life is more important than property.

MARK RICHARDS, ATTORNEY FOR KYLE RITTENHOUSE: Mr. Binger makes a big thing out of Kyle Rittenhouse was the only person who shot somebody that evening. True.

Mr. Rittenhouse was the only person who was chased by Joseph Rosenbaum that evening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: So both sides highlighting what they believe the evidence will show, the prosecution very textbook, presenting a linear case in its opening arguments.

By contrast, the defense doing something the judge even called unusual, showing video and pictures during the opening statement -- Ana.

CABRERA: Adrienne Broaddus, thank you for that.

Let's bring in CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates. She's also a former federal prosecutor

And, Laura, one thing that has stood out from the -- what we have heard so far in the opening statement is that we will hear directly from Rittenhouse in this trial. He will testify in his own defense, it sounds like. What do you make of that?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it should come as no surprise, even in a self-defense case, when somebody like him -- he had a very big groundswell of support even after the shooting.

If you can recall, this was something that was a bit of a flash point about protecting this defendant very early on.