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Republicans Threatening Government Shutdown; January 6 Investigation Ramping Up; President Biden to Unveil Winter COVID Plan. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired December 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]

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DOUGLAS EMHOFF, SECOND GENTLEMAN: On behalf of all the Jewish families and communities out there across our country.

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JOHN KING, CNN HOST: The menorah used in that ceremony last night was made by artists and Holocaust survivor Manfred Anson.

Thanks for joining today on INSIDE POLITICS. Hope to see you back here this time tomorrow.

Ana Cabrera picks up our coverage on a very busy news day right now.

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

This hour, President Biden visits the National Institutes of Health and soon addresses the nation to unveil his winter strategy to combat COVID-19. We're learning at the core of his plan is more access to testing, more boosting and more requirements for traveling, as the CDC now predicts total COVID deaths in the U.S. could top 800,000 by Christmas.

We're thinking of all those families. Biden's speech also coming as a second case of the Omicron variant has now been detected in the U.S. More on that in a moment.

But, first, let's go to CNN's Phil Mattingly at the White House with a sneak peek of the president's new plan.

Phil, what is the president's goal today?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think, if you had one way to summarize this -- obviously, this is an evolution. The White House has been continuously updating its effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic since it took office in January.

But this latest one is going to be primarily focused on boosting vaccinations and boosters and testing. I think there's no question about that. And, yes, that's absolutely because of concerns about this new variant that's arrived in the United States. But it's also because the U.S. is entering the winter months. The Delta variant is still dominant inside the country and case counts and deaths are actually still going up.

So we have a sense of what the president's going to outline today. And I will walk through it a little bit. We have heard about potential changes on the travel side of things. All international travelers, even those vaccinated will now have to get a test that shows negative testing within 24 hours of departure.

There will also be an extension of the current mask mandate for domestic travel. That will be on the travel side of things. When it comes to vaccines, look, if you talk to administration officials, they make very clear, because of the variants, certainly, but also more broadly, boosters is a huge focus right now for them.

You're going to see a national campaign really rolled out on the booster side of things. Ana, if you look at all U.S. adults, more than 70 percent are fully vaccinated. But of that total, only 22 percent have been boosted. The administration wants to dramatically change that.

They also want to increase access to vaccines and boosters. They are going to be deploying hundreds of family vaccination clinics to try and help that process. And then, on the testing, I think this is one of the more interesting pieces. They will be writing rules to essentially allow for insurers to make whole any money that's spent on at-home rapid tests, really trying to expand for the 150-million-plus with private insurance the ability to get tests.

And, also for those who are uninsured or underserved, there will be tens of millions of new tests rolling out to places like rural clinics, so a big effort across the board. And, obviously, the Omicron variant is what's top of mind right now, but I think it's more broadly a recognition that there's still a lot of work to do in the United States, due largely because of the vaccination numbers that just simply aren't as high as the administration wants them to be -- Ana.

CABRERA: We can't get out of the pandemic script just yet. Phil Mattingly, thank you.

It'll be another week or so before we actually know whether our current vaccines are effective against the new Omicron variant. But health experts are hopeful they will offer at least some protection. Here's where we stand on that front.

Right now, nearly 60 percent of the country is fully vaccinated, meaning a little more than half of the people around you at any given time have likely gotten a shot or shots, though that can vary depending on your location.

Again, this is among all ages. Among adults, so just those 18 and older, at least seven in 10 are fully vaccinated now. Just 23 percent, though, have received a booster dose.

I want to bring in CNN data reporter Harry Enten, because we have new polling about boosters and Americans' intentions to get them.

Harry, health experts say Omicron is every reason to get vaccinated and that booster dose. Are people listening?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I mean, look not really. Some of them are. About half of Americans essentially are listening, or at least American adults.

Look at this. What we can see is the percentage of Americans who say they're going to get the booster is 53 percent. That's up a little bit from October, where it was 50 percent. You will notice that 71 percent of all adults are currently fully vaccinated. So many fewer adults at this point say they're going to be fully vaccinated vs. -- or -- excuse me -- get the boost have them be fully vaccinated.

And what I want to point out is a historical sort of landmark, which is, if you look right now at the polling, 53 percent of all adults say they will get the booster. If you go back a year from ago, you would say that 71 percent of all Americans said they would get vaccinated.

So, right now, we start on a much lower baseline as the administration tries to get people to actually take the booster.

CABRERA: I got my booster a couple of weeks ago. I can say I feel stronger and happier and more optimistic than I have ever felt during this pandemic at this point. And that was a real positive reaction, I guess, to that booster.

[13:05:09]

There is a clear divide, though, right among those who are and who aren't getting vaccinated. Break it down.

ENTEN: Yes, and I will point out I have also got my booster. And I felt fine. I felt great. I'm going on. Everything's groovy.

Look, if you look right now at the people who are actually getting that booster, you see this why partisan divide. Look at this, 41-point partisan divide; 77 percent of Democrats say they will get it, just 36 percent of Republicans. That's even larger than the divide we see among those who are fully vaccinated, where you see basically just a 30-point divide, so an even wider partisan divide on boosters.

And here's the whole problem, I think, is, if we're going to try and convince those who haven't gotten vaccinated at this point to go forward and actually get a vaccination, Joe Biden might not be the person to actually do it, because what we see in the polling is that only 8 percent of Republicans approve the job that Joe Biden's doing of handling the coronavirus pandemic, and just 13 percent of the unvaccinated.

So it's just really this hard public messaging. How do you convince people to actually get a booster or to get vaccinated when these folks don't like the guy in charge?

CABRERA: OK, it's the messenger. Thank you, Harry Enten. I appreciate it.

With us now, Dr. Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean of public health at Brown University.

Dr. Ranney, you heard Harry break down that latest polling. What stands out or concerns you most?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: So, the thing that concerns me most is the folks that have not yet shown up for that first series of vaccines.

Boosters are essential in giving us that added protection to Omicron. But let's be clear. That first series of vaccines is what matters most. The political divides concern me. The geographic divides concern me.

And I will say something that he didn't mention that also concerns me is the percentage of pregnant women and kids who have not yet gotten their vaccines. It's putting so much of our community and our little ones at risk.

CABRERA: Why do you think pregnant women are still so hesitant?

RANNEY: As someone who has two kids herself, I will say that, when I was pregnant, I thought three times over about everything that I put into my body. It is a normal process of wanting to be a good mom.

I avoided soft cheeses and deli turkey. And so people have normal questions about this vaccine, which they perceive as new. I think the thing that folks aren't realizing is the danger that they're exposing themselves and their unborn children to if they do catch COVID while they are pregnant.

The rate of stillbirths skyrocketed last year among women who caught COVID. The death rate for women who catch COVID while they are pregnant is dramatically higher than the death rate for women who aren't pregnant. The important message that has not been transmitted is that the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your baby is to get that vaccine.

CABRERA: That's such an important message.

We are learning more now about this second confirmed case of Omicron detected here in the U.S. This was to be expected. And like the first case detected in San Francisco, this person was also vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms.

However, unlike that first case, this person didn't travel outside of the U.S. and apparently experienced symptoms and tested positive even before South Africa announced it had found this variant.

What's the big takeaway here, do you think?

RANNEY: The big takeaway is, Omicron is already here and spreading in our community. This person showed up and got tested because they're responsible. They

noticed they had symptoms and they wanted to do the right thing. God knows how many folks across the country have Omicron and may not have even realized it.

Those travel bans were too little too late. And the last piece of takeaway from this second case is still that the vaccines are protecting people from severe disease and hospitalization. Both of the two cases identified so far have been in folks that were vaccinated, but so far as we know not boosted, and neither of them were very sick, a very different story from what we're hearing out of South Africa.

CABRERA: And in that line of thought, it's been about a week since we first learned of Omicron.

There is still so much we don't know, but is the picture starting to fill in about the threat it poses?

RANNEY: Little by little by little. Really, Ana, it is a day-by-day process of learning more about how transmissible this new variant is, how much it is able to escape the vaccines, if at all, and how sick it is making people.

And I will say the early signs out of Southern Africa are not good. These reports of community spread are also concerning. But it still seems that the vaccines are doing their big job, which is keeping us from getting really sick, hospitalized, or, God forbid, dying.

CABRERA: Here's what we expect to hear from the president any minute no now, when he addresses the nation as he lays out his plan to combat COVID this winter, new testing requirements for international travelers, an extension of the mask mandate for domestic travel, a national campaign for booster shots, hundreds of new family vaccination sites, at-home testing covered by insurance going forward, and tens of millions of free at-home tests.

[13:10:15]

Do you think this plan will be effective?

RANNEY: I think it's a step in the right direction.

Honestly, anything that we do is better than nothing. And we have Delta variant here already. We're already seeing surges across the country, even without Omicron. So I'm glad to see the Biden administration stepping up with these plans.

But, honestly, I would like to see more. I would like to see those tests available for free or low cost without having to submit it to insurance. I would like to see increased funding and access to tests for state and county health departments.

I want to see vaccine mandates for all flights, certainly international, but also domestic, including American citizens. And I also would like to see increased support for our health care workers who have been on the front line for the past 20 months, are burnt out and exhausted, are already facing surges across the country, and are not sure how they are going to make it through another winter of this disease.

CABRERA: My goodness, it's hard to believe it's been almost two years.

You are doing incredible work, Dr. Megan Ranney, you and your colleagues and other health care workers. Thank you so much for all you do and for continuing to be a guiding light for the rest of us. We appreciate you very much.

RANNEY: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: A small group of Republicans are now threatening to shut down the government as early as tomorrow night. We will explain why.

Plus: He won't be held in criminal contempt just yet. Why the January 6 Committee could delay that move for former Trump Justice Department lawyer and big lie supporter Jeffrey Clark.

And Alec Baldwin breaking down in his first interview since the deadly movie set shooting. He claims he never pulled the trigger.

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CABRERA: Former Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark now indicating he will plead the Fifth in his fight with the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot.

That's what his lawyer told the panel's chairman last night as that committee moved forward with contempt of Congress proceedings against Clark for stonewalling their questions about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Right now, further contempt proceedings are on hold as investigators give Clark one last chance to cooperate. They have asked him to appear for a deposition this Saturday.

I'm going to turn to CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig to discuss where this goes next and what this really means in the context of the broader investigation.

Elie, if Clark pleads the Fifth, does that mean he doesn't need to answer any questions or turn over any documents? Or would the Fifth only apply to parts of his potential testimony and certain documents?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, Ana, this is exactly why the committee is demanding that Jeffrey Clark come in physically on Saturday and answer questions, because it's going to have to be question by question.

That said, the Fifth Amendment is very, very broad. So while he would have to answer questions like, what's your name, did you work at the Justice Department, what states are you licensed to practice law in, basically, anything else, anything that has to do with Clark's conduct in the run-up to January 6, during January 6, he will likely take the Fifth Amendment as to those claims.

It's important to understand, though, what this does and does not protect Jeffrey Clark from. He now cannot be charged with criminal contempt if he takes the Fifth, because that's a legally valid basis to not answer questions. However, he still can be charged with any other crimes that he may have committed around January 6. They just won't have his own statement to use against him.

CABRERA: So, if he's trying to protect himself by playing in the Fifth, protect himself from incriminating himself, what are the specific crimes he could have committed?

HONIG: Yes, boy, do I have a list here.

Let's remember what Jeffrey Clark did. He wrote a memo when he was one of the highest-ranking members of DOJ, saying, we have detected significant potential election fraud in the state of Georgia. You ought to call a special election and potentially appoint a different slate of electors.

That is a fraud, to begin with. It also is a crime to interfere with a state's ability to administer a fair election. It is a crime to conspire to defraud the United States of a free and fair election.

So, Jeffrey Clark does have legitimate concerns here for potential criminal prosecution.

CABRERA: How is pleading the Fifth not a cop-out then for anyone who doesn't want to talk to the committee?

HONIG: It is a cop-out, Ana. It is a constitutionally sanctioned cop- out, but that's what the Fifth Amendment does. It allows people to avoid answering questions if it might incriminate them.

And it will be interesting to see if other people, potentially someone like Roger Stone, who may have criminal exposure, if they too take the Fifth. If Steve Bannon had taken the Fifth on day one, he absolutely would not be charged with criminal contempt of Congress today.

But it's also important to note there's a stigma attached with taking the Fifth, and rightly so. I mean, what a disgrace it is that Jeffrey Clark, a high-ranking DOJ former official, now has to hide behind the Fifth because he may have and he's acknowledging that he has potential criminal liability.

CABRERA: So, who wins, though, because, ultimately, the goal is to get answers, right?

HONIG: I lost my -- sorry.

CABRERA: OK, Elie, I'm going to say goodbye. Thank you. Thank you, as always. You are wonderful and we appreciate your expertise. Well done, my friend.

[13:20:01]

Now to the threat of a potentially catastrophic government shutdown, which could come as soon as tomorrow night, which would be brought to you by conservative Republicans fighting vaccine mandates.

Lawmakers in the House today agreed to a short-term deal that would fund the government through February, but some Republicans in the Senate, including Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Roger Marshall, they are threatening to throw a big wrench in this plan, because they want to include a provision that essentially erases President Biden's vaccine or testing requirements for employers with at least 100 workers.

Here's what the White House had to say about that.

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JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And these supporters of this -- of the former president are advocating for shutting the federal government down, so that 20 percent of the public who are refusing to get vaccinated or tested can be free to infect their co-workers, our children filling hospitals, that they -- that that is what they are advocating for.

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CABRERA: Conservative writer Bill Kristol joins us now. He's the director of Defending Democracy Together and editor at large of The Bulwark. He was also a top adviser in the elder Bush administration.

Bill, is Jen Psaki right?

BILL KRISTOL, DIRECTOR, DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER: Yes.

It will be interesting to see how much the White House is willing to take this fight to the Republicans, not back down, because they, of course, want to keep the government open, and force an actual vote on the floor of the Senate on whether or not they're going to shut down the government to prevent, as Jen Psaki said, the Biden administration trying to ensure that this virus, which has now gotten more worrisome, obviously, in the last few days, doesn't spread.

CABRERA: Here's Ted Cruz stating a popular Republican position.

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SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I think we should use every tool we have to protect people's rights. And the vaccine mandates are illegal. They're abusive, and they're hurting this country.

It is wrong.

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CABRERA: Almost 800,000 Americans have died. About 1,000 Americans are still dying from COVID every day, and this is the message? KRISTOL: Yes, look, if they're legal, the courts -- they're in court. They have actually -- a couple of courts have found both ways, I believe, on whether the president or the administration can require private entities to promote -- to require people to be vaccinated.

Republicans, most Republicans, want to even stop private businesses, however, from having the right to insist on a vaccine and their employees or customers or people who visit being vaccinated. They're not abusive, and they help stop -- I mean, it's pretty clear when you look at what happened with the mandates for public sector employees, New York City emergency workers, cops, others who -- I have looked at some of the numbers.

Once the mandate kicked in, an awful lot of people who didn't want to get vaccinated, chose not to, decided to. And that is a good thing. And we have Omicron, which is seriously more threatening. We will see what the data shows, but pretty obviously more transmissible, hopefully not more severe, variant of this virus, beginning to spread in the United States.

It's beyond irresponsible for the Republicans to be taking this position. I rather agree that the Biden administration could be doing even more than they're doing. But certainly what they're doing today is consistent with normal public health practices and sound policy.

And they should articulate it. They should fight for it. I really think it was ludicrous at this point for -- the vice president is out speaking about infrastructure. That's very nice. And they're going to talk about a whole bunch of other issues. They need to just make this the issue, because the Republican Party is not willing to help fight the spread of COVID, period.

That should be the Democratic message for the next few days. And let Ted Cruz stand up, and let's see -- let's have a bunch of votes on this on the floor of Congress. Let's have it at the state level. And let's really see where the country wants to be on this.

There are, unfortunately, more Americans than there should be resisting vaccinations, resisting settled policies.

CABRERA: Yes.

KRISTOL: I think, as I say, the Biden administration could do more.

And I thought was a very good point earlier that -- and I have made this myself -- that they should make the vaccine, the testing, the rapid testing, available either for free or very, very cheaply...

CABRERA: Well, it sounds like that's the plan.

KRISTOL: ... without having to go your insurance company and trying to get paid back.

CABRERA: Yes.

KRISTOL: But, in any case, there's more the Biden administration could do, but they need to take this fight to the Republicans.

CABRERA: Bill Kristol, it's always good to have your perspective. Thank you so much for joining us.

Coming up: Crew members on this set of "Rust" react to Alec Baldwin's new claim that he didn't pull the trigger of the gun that fired a live round, killing his film's cinematographer. What they're saying next.

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CABRERA: Actor Alec Baldwin is now speaking out in his first formal interview more than a month after the deadly shooting on the set of his film "Rust," Baldwin telling ABC News he did not pull the trigger of the gun that fired a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring the director.

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ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone who worked with and admired.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: It wasn't in the script for the trigger to be pulled.

BALDWIN: Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you never pulled the trigger?

BALDWIN: No, no, no, no.