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Kids Ages 5 To 11 Receive First Doses of Pfizer COVID Vaccine; Rittenhouse Trial Resumes, Jury Watches Video of Fatal Shots; Attorney Says Armorer Took Bullets from Box Labeled "Dummy Rounds"; Fed Announces First Step Toward Slowing Stimulus Program. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired November 03, 2021 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Some parents are moving pretty quickly to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 now that the CDC has OK'd emergency use of Pfizer's low dose vaccine.

Listen to this from officials at a Texas children's hospital. They say that nearly 37,000 appointments have already been booked. We're also hearing from some kids who are telling us what the shot means to them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOFIA MUJICA, RECEIVED COVID-19 SHOT: I was pretty nervous, but then I said to myself that night, I have to do it to protect the world.

DANNY, RECEIVED COVID-19 SHOT: I'm pretty excited to get back to playing sports because I really love basketball, so it will be great to actually be able to play back indoors. And also, I like being able to go to school without a mask.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: I have to do it to protect the world. Shipments of millions of doses have already left Pfizer's facilities. They're headed to distribution centers and pediatric offices across the country.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles. Vaccinations have already begun there. So, what are you hearing, what are you seeing there with the parents?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, there's no way around it. This is an exciting day for a lot of these children and their parents, especially those who have children who have some under lying conditions.

And that's what we saw at Children's Hospital Los Angeles today. There's some kids, not so thrilled, maybe some tears about getting the vaccine, and other kids came up and put their arm out, happy to do it.

And I want to introduce you to 7-year-old Ari, who according to his mom and dad, she said one day the kids came home and said we want to get vaccinated and it was about three weeks ago. They talked to their doctor. They answered their questions, and they decided to go ahead and do it. But listen to Ari explain why he wanted to get vaccinated today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARI ALLEYNE, 7-YEAR-OLD WHO RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINE: I just want to be safe from COVID, and I already got a COVID test, which is just like the nose swab. But I think I could do more, so I got the vaccine, and it was really a me choice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: He said it's really a me choice. And his younger sister, 5-year- old Alayna she said she pretty much does what her big brother does. That's pretty standard but she was happy to get her vaccination today as well. So as a family, they were here. And he has an underlying condition of diabetes, so that was part of the reason why they really wanted to protect them as a family. And to do this, Victor.

So, encouraging to see these young kids knowing what they want to do for their health and for the health of their families as well.

BLACKWELL: Yes, so many of them excited to get the shot. Stephanie Elam in Los Angeles, thank you.

And of course, we understand that there are a lot of questions that parents have about this vaccine for young children. So here to answer some of them is Dr. Mark Ghaly. He is the Secretary of California's Health and Human Services Agency. Doctor, good to have you.

You know, we have obviously seen that there are some parents who are excited. 37,000 appointments at that Texas children's hospital, and then we know that there's the other end of the spectrum, those who are resistant or reluctant. I want you to speak to that middle section that's significant. Those who are not opposed to it, but they're in no rush. They'll wait and see. What do you tell them about the urgency of getting their kids vaccinated?

DR. MARK GHALY, SECRETARY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY: Well, Victor, thanks for the question, and thanks for having me as both the Secretary of Health and Human Services but also a pediatrician. Been in office or room with a number of families and parents about vaccines, and other treatments.

And I think the first thing is to really do what Ari's family did, the young boy in L.A. And they asked the questions. They went in and raised a number of the different concerns that they might have, maybe the newness of the vaccine, concern around adverse reactions and really share the information and the data that these are safe vaccines, that the trials have been really robust, that we continue to monitor for concerns.

[15:35:00[

But that this is one of the most important ways that we not just protect our communities but really support our young people to do the things that those kids in Texas and Los Angeles are talking about. Getting back to being safe, not having the concern and really avoiding some of the tragedies of getting infected and the consequences.

BLACKWELL: Yes, for their lives, but for really the larger family. We are now in Christmas season, holiday season, I should say -- I'm starting to see the holiday commercials so I know it's real.

We know that it's not just about vaccinating and protecting the 7- year-old, but also explain the protection it offers the 77-year-old grandmother that potentially you'll see in a few weeks by getting the kids vaccinated, how that protects the rest of the family?

GHALY: Yes, I think that's a really important part of it, Victor, that getting young people vaccinated means they're less likely to be infected, less likely to be able to transmit it to other people, who might be because of their age or another condition, more vulnerable to getting really sick. But I do want to emphasize, that this is first and foremost about the kids and making sure they don't have to face the consequences of COVID.

You know, the CDC and the FDA have identified it as the 8th leading cause of death for young people in our nation. And so, every preventable young person's death is something as a nation we should strive for, so this is a really important step, not just for our communities and our families, but for the young people themselves.

BLACKWELL: Yes, let me ask you the practice which you preach Question. I understand you have four kids. I don't know the age range

but are they vaccinated, and if not yet, I know it's day one, how soon?

GHALY: Yes, so one is she's 13, but three are 11 and under, and they're -- we did what so many families did, this morning, looked for an appointment, we're getting these three kids vaccinated within the next 24 hours. We're hoping to do it today, but we're among that eager crew of parents because we've looked at the information and think it's the right choice for them and for our family. So, we're moving forward.

BLACKWELL: Dr. Mark Ghaly. Thank you very much.

GHALY: Thanks, Victor, take care, thank you.

BLACKWELL: So stunning allegations now from the attorneys representing the "Rust" armorer who is now suggesting sabotage may have led to the fatal on-set shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Let's get you to the latest now on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. We heard from a witness today who live streamed the teenager during protests over police shooting last summer. Now, the video shows Rittenhouse and protesters at a car dealership. We also see the subsequent shots that he fired. Rittenhouse is charged with shooting and killing two men, wounding another.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has been watching the trial closely. So, we understand there was some dispute over video evidence but the trial has now resumed. What's happening?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there was and it was whether or not the prosecutors can play some of the narration that is on this social media video. It's been a day of video, really, for prosecutors here who have spent the day showing all the social media video that we have seen in the days and really minutes after this shooting.

We have all seen this video. Some of it really graphic and hard to watch. That video, some of it's still being played, showing some of the people being shot. A lot of it showing Kyle Rittenhouse himself walking around with that large weapon.

Some of the jurors now perhaps maybe even for the first time seeing some of the victims as they were shot being carried off, some of the jurors getting -- some reacting to seeing some of this video, moving around in their seats. Kyle Rittenhouse at one point moving around as this video was being shown.

What's most important is for prosecutors to show kind of -- get the jurors back to that night and show them what the situation was like on the streets here in Kenosha. One of those witnesses who testified, Corey Washington, he filmed it live. Here's what he said about what he saw Kyle Rittenhouse doing that night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREY WASHINGTON, FILMED KYLE RITTENHOUSE: So, I just took a mental note of that. There wasn't anything I would say malicious, I just you know, a young person in a situation, honestly, I would say it was mainly the gloves. I didn't know why he had the gloves on. It kind of stood out, so I was like all right, I mean just kind of remembered that I suppose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ: And that was it, Victor. You know, for this guy who was taking this video, he said seeing how young Kyle Rittenhouse was at the time, seeing him walk around chain smoking, he seemed very nervous.

But he also said that one of the victims, one of the people who were shot here, Joseph Rosenbaum, he told the defense under cross examination that he was acting erratic, so of course the defense attorneys seized on that. But for today so far, it has been a day for prosecutors to just take jurors back to that night.

They have been showing videos for most of the day. The defense attorneys cross examining some of the witnesses today. But right now, a detective who was investigating this case, and who was working the case since the night of the shootings is still on the stand as he's showing the videos to these jurors. BLACKWELL: Shimon Prokupecz in Kenosha, Wisconsin, thank you.

Let's turn you to the fatal shooting on the set of that movie "Rust" and new defenses from two key players who handled the gun that Alec Baldwin eventually shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with.

[15:45:02]

The assistant director, David Halls claims it was not his responsibility to check that gun, and attorney for armorer Hannah Gutierrez says that the bullets used to load the gun were labeled as "dummy rounds."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BOWLES, ATTORNEY FOR "RUST" ARMORER HANNAH GUTIERREZ: There was a box of dummy rounds, and the box is labeled dummy. Hannah did take from that box, which she by all accounts should have been able to rely on. That contains only dummy rounds.

She loaded rounds from that box into the handgun only later to find out, there is a -- she had no idea, she inspected the rounds, that there was a live round.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Now, the attorney also suggested that something malicious was at play. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOWLES: We're assuming somebody put the live round in that box, which, if you think about that, the person who put the live round in the box of dummy rounds had to have the purpose of sabotaging this set. I believe that somebody who would do that would want to sabotage the set, wanted to prove a point, wanted to say they're disgruntled, they're unhappy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: We're also learning about accusations of massive safety issues on that set from two members of the film crew. They both resigned just one day before that fatal shooting.

One of them told CNN during the filming of gunfights on this job, things are often played very fast and loose.

In my ten years as a camera assistant, I have never worked on a show that cares so little for the safety of its crew.

But on Instagram, Baldwin disputed the characterization and reposted comments from a fellow crew members called out the narrative that the crew was overworked and surrounded by unsafe chaotic conditions.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is finally hitting the brakes, and slowing the pace of monthly bond purchases, as inflation is on the rise and is taking over the holiday season. We'll explain what all that means.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Nineteen months since the launch of its economic stimulus program. The Federal Reserve will start to tap the brakes now and also slow down its bond purchases. But some economists fear that the inflation is now on the rise and it's just too late for this.

Let's take a look at the big board now. Stocks are doing pretty well before the closing bell. Up almost 100 points. Stocks once again finished with a triple record on Tuesday. Could do that again today for the third day.

CNN's Matt Egan is here. So first, break down what this means. What the Fed's doing, what it means for people watching.

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a major milestone. It's the first time we've seen the Fed take an actual concrete step to address something that is causing anxiety for millions of Americans right now. And that's inflation.

When COVID erupted, the Fed came out and they took all the steps that they could possibly think of to try to save the economy. Unprecedented stimulus. And in a lot of ways, it was really successful. I mean if anything, the economy has come back so strong that supply hasn't kept up with demand. That's why we've seen these price spikes on groceries, used cars and energy.

And so, the Fed actually kept its foot on the pedal the whole time, buying $120 billion a month since March of 2020. What's happened today is they say, 19 months later, they're going to ease their foot off the accelerator just a bit. They're slowing these purchases.

I think that the big question here is, you know, is the Fed responding to inflation fast enough? Because they're still pumping in money every month, just not as much, but interest rates are still at zero.

And inflation is a real significant issue here. The wild card is energy prices because that is obviously causing people a lot of concern right now. The cost of gasoline, $3.40 a gallon nationally, that's up from $3.19 a month ago, $2.12 a year ago.

Now the good news for drivers is that oil prices are actually dropped really sharply today, the worse day since July. The bad news is Bank of America is saying they think oil prices are going to go up another 45 percent to $120 a barrel. That, if they are right, that would obviously just add to concern about inflation and raise the cost of living even further.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I mean it's bad on a day-to-day basis but as we go into the holiday season, of course, that is terrible news for people who love to travel and flight tickets are going up. Matt Egan, thanks so much.

EGAN: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: So, after decades of frustration, Atlanta has something to celebrate. Braves win! Braves win! We'll be back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:00]

BLACKWELL: So, listen, I just moved to New York from Georgia so I've got to take a moment to celebrate with all these weary Atlanta sports fans who are pinching themselves today. They have been through years, decades, of false hopes and missed opportunities, but now the Braves, they clinched a decisive 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros marking the end of a more than two-decade world series drought.

Emotional home run made by Jorge Soler, soared 446 feet to an apartment complex across from the stadium there in Cobb County where I used to live. Soler was named the World Series MVP. The second Cuban to ever win that trophy. Congratulations to all the sport sports fans there in Atlanta.

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