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Michigan Shooting Investigation; President Biden Unveils Winter COVID Plan. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 02, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:01]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we will do more.

But this is a global pandemic. And everyone needs to fight it together. And that includes countries who are helping that aren't particularly friendly toward us. Their populations are in trouble.

To their credit, the scientific community, particularly in South Africa, quickly notified the world of the emergence of this new variant. This kind of transparency is to be encouraged and applauded, because it increases our ability to respond quickly to any new threats.

And that's what we did. On the very day the World Health Organization identified the new variant, I took an immediate step to restrict travel from the countries in Southern Africa. But while we know the travel restrictions can slow the spread of Omicron, they cannot prevent it.

But it does give us a little more time to take more precautions at home, to prepare. A month ago, we announced requirements that foreign travelers must be vaccinated if entering the United States.

This week, I announced an additional action to strengthen international travel rules, to give us more time to stop the spread and study a new variant. It used to be that international travel flying to the United States -- traveler flying to the United States had to test negatively three days before their departure from that country.

Well, I'm announcing today that all inbound international travelers must test within one day of departure, regardless of their vaccination status or nationality. This tighter testing timetable provides an added degree of protection, as scientists continue to study the Omicron variant.

And we are extending the requirement both internationally and domestically to wear masks for travel on aircraft, trains, public transportation through the winter months.

I will close with this. Again, the actions I'm announcing are ones that all Americans can rally behind and should unite us in the fight against COVID-19. And they come from a position of strength. We are better positioned than we were a year ago to fight COVID-19.

Since day one of my administration, we have been doing everything we can to beat this virus, and that's what we have to keep doing. That's how we keep our country and our businesses and our schools open.

And that's how, even with a pandemic, we have generated record job creation, 5.6 million new jobs since January 20, more than any president in American history. We're on the track to the fastest economic growth in four decades, in four decades.

We have moved forward in the face of COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and we will move forward in the face of the Omicron variant as well. And we will do it by keeping the faith and doing it together, as the United States of America.

Let me close again by saying, God bless our doctors, our scientists, all of you here at NIH for what you are doing for the country and, quite frankly, for the world. You're the best. You're the very, very best.

God bless you all. Thank you for your patience in listening to me. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone.

You have been listening there to President Biden's new nine-point plan for fighting COVID this winter.

Welcome to NEWSROOM, I'm Alisyn Camerota.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.

The president just unveiled that national strategy. He says he's going to fight the pandemic this winter. He presented this plan to protect Americans from the Delta variant and this Omicron variant, which has now been detected in a second state here in the U.S., in Minnesota.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's make sense of all of it.

We have CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

Oh, hold on a second, guys.

The president is taking questions.

BIDEN: There is a plan in place, unless somebody decides to be totally erratic, and I don't think that will happen.

So, I don't think (INAUDIBLE). Thank you.

CAMEROTA: All right, the president was taking questions in shadow, though we did recognize that was President Biden there.

OK, let's go back to CNN medical analyst E.R. doctor Leana Wen and CNN political director David Chalian.

Dr. Wen, great to have you here with us in studio.

So let's talk about those nine points in what you think will actually move the needle. What I heard was the free at-home testing for families. How many times over the past 20 months have we said, if only there were tests that we could do at home, so we would know if we were positive or negative? Is that a game-changer to you?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's a game-changer if that's actually what the plan says, as in if it's true that we should all be tested before, let's say, we get together with our friends, before we go to parties and dinners.

That would help so much and would provide so much reassurance to individuals, especially if they have young kids, if they have elderly relatives who are particularly vulnerable.

[14:05:03]

The problem with it is, I'm quite sure how this works, as in they're saying insurance is going to cover these tests, which means that, to me, you stepped to buy the test, and then you have to submit it for reimbursement in some way. And we know that insurance companies are not always that great about making your paperwork and processes simple.

And so I think it would have been a lot better if the Biden administration did what the U.K., Germany, other countries have done, which is to essentially make the tests free of charge, distribute them widely. In the U.K., for example, you can pick them up free at pharmacies, and I hope that that's something -- that's the kind of thing...

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: I mean, you just don't know the details yet, basically, about that.

WEN: Right.

BLACKWELL: Still a lot of gaps to be filled in, in this plan.

Kaitlan, let me come to you and why the president, why the White House thought he had to come out and deliver this nine-point plan today, as we have now seen the second case of Omicron. And still Delta is the major challenge for us here in the U.S.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And you saw the president tying those two together there at the end, saying something to the effect of, we got through the Delta variant, we will get through the Omicron variant. Of course, Delta variant is still the dominant strain here in the United States. Omicron, they are still waiting to learn a lot about it. It's still very mysterious. But this is actually a speech that the president was scheduled to give

even before they realized how concerning the Omicron variant, was before you started seeing this global response, these travel restrictions go into place. The White House had already been planning to have President Biden making an address like this one just to talk to people about what's going on as we are in the winter months, the holiday season.

More people are going inside, of course, as it's getting colder outside. And so they wanted to talk about these efforts, but they have ramped them up and change them to a degree because of this new variant. And that is including the 24-hour departure now for those inbound travelers to the United States.

You have got to get a test with -- a negative test result within 24 hours. The president is talking about the TSA extending that mask mandate. It was set to expire next month. Now it's going through at least the middle of March 2022. We will see if it gets extended past then, and so taking these steps that they were going to talk about anyway.

But these are tailored specifically because of the Omicron variant. And one notable part of the president's speech is, he went out of his way to thank those South African scientists who first alerted the world and the global community to this variant, saying that this is something that obviously needs to be studied, there is a concern, they pointed it out.

And, of course, a lot of South African leaders have said they feel that they're being punished because of that, because you have seen those travel restrictions go into place just for South Africa and seven neighboring nations, but not for other countries where you have also seen cases of this Omicron variant pop up, including, of course, now in the United States.

And so that seemed to be a way to talk about that. Also, he justified the ban, saying it bought us some time for them to evaluate this threat. But it is not going to stop the spread entirely.

And I think one other really notable moment from the president's speech is where he was talking about how political COVID-19 has become, something that he said is sad, sad commentary, and saying that he hopes this moment right now, where there is a lot of uncertainty dealing with the Omicron variant, and they are making this huge push for people to get booster shots, can hopefully be a chance to put it behind the United States.

CAMEROTA: David, that's where you come in.

Let's talk about the politics of this, because Republicans seem to be simultaneously criticizing President Biden for not wiping out COVID, as they say, and resisting and threatening to shut down the government over President Biden's mask mandates and vaccine mandates.

So explain that logic, if you can. And, also, what's their suggestion for wiping out COVID? DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm not sure I can explain the

logic, other than it is yet another avenue, because of exactly what Kaitlan was talking about and the president was bemoaning, because the virus has become so politicized in this country.

It is just part of our tribal politics now, that one way that Republicans see to activate their base of support and get people really fired up is to be against sort of anything Joe Biden is doing around the virus. So, when it comes to mandates, knowing that there's a vein to tap there are people concerned about the government mandating anything, coming out against that and even threatening to shut down the government over it is a way to energize their base.

But, Alisyn, what you saw there from President Biden was a president who's trying not to repeat what we saw over the summer, and not a president who's saying -- talking about turned corners or getting ready to declare independence from this virus. That was a president keenly aware that he has to stay in front of this, and not prematurely suggest that the virus is soon to be behind us.

And so what you saw, I think, is some expectation-setting, which is why he came out in the top and said, basically, I'm giving this speech because we expect cases to go up in these winter months. And because of that, I want to show you how I have my arms wrapped around this.

Expectations got out ahead of this White House last summer. You saw president there trying to make sure that doesn't happen again.

BLACKWELL: Dr. Wen, you have been critical leading up to this plan, this rollout from the White House of some of the restrictions, specifically on travel.

[14:10:04]

We have now got this 24-hour requirement of a negative test before any foreign travel into the United States, regardless of nationality. Does this go far enough?

WEN: No, not at all. I mean, it does help a little bit to shorten that time window, because my concern all along was, you could test 72 hours before travel, but then you could then get infected and then be carrying COVID wherever you're going.

Now, shortening it to 24 hours helps a little bit. But I don't understand why the White House wouldn't go further and say, once you arrive at the airport, you get post-arrival testing. You can get tested at the airport. They're making that voluntary now, but why not make it mandatory?

The other thing too is many other countries have all long had quarantine. They had quarantine. And I don't necessarily mean staying in a quarantine facility. I don't know that we could stand that up very quickly, but at least telling people they should quarantine at home away, especially if you live with vulnerable family members.

Maybe don't go to big events where you could be exposing other people. Quarantine and then get tested within three days. Now that we have rapid tests that are widely available, or, according to the Biden administration, widely available, if that's the case, then why not tell people that they should get tested? That adds another level of reassurance.

CAMEROTA: Kaitlan, I was just handed this information from Johns Hopkins University that is just out that the risk of dying from COVID- 19 is 50 percent higher in red states than blue states.

The average risk of dying from COVID is more than 50 percent higher in states that voted for Donald Trump in 2020 than those that voted for President Joe Biden.

I mean, that's really striking.

COLLINS: And that's the conundrum for this president, is that he can come out and talk about these measures that they're taking, these family vaccination clinics that they want to launch to hopefully get kids and maybe their grandparents get a booster shot while they're all there together, all these steps that they're taking, hopefully getting private insurance to pay for those at-home tests, though that still seems to be several weeks off.

But the reality of the matter is, there are still people who live in the United States who do not want to get vaccinated. And you also saw, in addition to what you just said there, Alisyn, there are the numbers of people who -- one in five, I believe, adults say that they do not or do not plan to get a booster shot.

And, of course, that is something that they are pushing right now that this administration says is the key to containing things like the Omicron variant, like making sure it doesn't spread. And so that's the reality that he has to deal with, as they come out with several of these steps and what they're going to do.

But there are people in the United States who still don't want to get vaccinated or don't want to get a booster shot. And that is, of course, the issue that is facing them.

And so one part of this is kind of a public marketing campaign to talk about booster shots and to encourage vaccinations, but the question of whether or not he can break through to people, given he himself is acknowledging the political lines that have been drawn around this pandemic, that's still a big obstacle for this White House that is dealing with this pandemic several months in.

We should note, the last time he was at NIH giving a speech was three weeks after Joe Biden was inaugurated as president. And he was getting a tour from scientists. They were saying, we think these vaccines will be effective against variants. And now here he is nine months in still very much dealing with the virus, with variants and with people who don't want to get vaccinated.

(CROSSTALK)

CHALIAN: Alisyn and Victor, can I just -- sorry. BLACKWELL: Go ahead. Go ahead, David. Go ahead.

CHALIAN: And just to underscore what you're talking about from Johns Hopkins there and about the increased chances in red states, I think there was a Kaiser Family Foundation poll that came out today taken before this latest variant was dominating the news, but, in November, and showed, I think, 85 percent of Democrats are fully vaccinated; 55 percent of Republicans are fully vaccinated, just to show you how political vaccination against this virus has become in this country, a huge divide.

BLACKWELL: Yes, let's put that up, because we have got that from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 85 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of Republicans, 30-point gap there on full vaccination.

And as it relates to have already gotten or likely to get a booster, 70 percent -- 77 percent of Democrats, 36 percent of Republicans.

And, David, let me stay with you on this point, because much of the president's plan is pushing boosters, pushing the vaccines. And we have known for some time that the greatest indicator of whether a person's going to get vaccinated is their political affiliation.

The people who need to hear this aren't listening to the president. So this speech, to come out and say now we have all got to play, get on board for the winter, they have already decided that they don't support the president's plan on fighting the pandemic.

CHALIAN: Yes, or they're listening, and because it's from Joe Biden, they get that much more committed into not following the sound scientific advice.

But you -- those numbers, I mean, on the booster, which is everything the administration is trying to push right now, it's even more polarized. It is even more politicized than on the initial vaccination shots, as you just noted there.

That is a tough message. Politically, for this president, they understand inside the White House his political standing in the country is so dependent on his management of this virus and seeing it eventually to some sort of conclusion and a return to normal life.

[14:15:12]

That is what his political health depends on. And so they know they're not going to reach all, necessarily, the unvaccinated population and convert them. But they are trying to make sure that a majority of Americans sees him as managing this problem effectively.

CAMEROTA: And one more thing that I want to point out, which is the delivery systems for about half of the country are different. Sometimes, the stations that they watch, the radio stations that they listen to don't take the president's speeches.

So they're actually not getting the unfiltered information about this stuff and about his plan and about free testing and all of that stuff. So it is complicated, as you all have said.

Dr. Leana Wen, Kaitlan Collins, David Chalian, thank you very much.

CHALIAN: Thanks, guys.

OK, now to this. Investigators are revealing new details about the Michigan high school shooting suspect's behavior in the hours before the attack, and what we know about the disturbing evidence that has yet to be released.

BLACKWELL: Plus, Alec Baldwin says that he did not pull the trigger in that fatal shooting on the set of his film "Rust." Crew members, they're also weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:43]

CAMEROTA: We're learning new details about Tuesday's deadly shooting at a Michigan high school, including the 15-year-old suspect's -- quote -- "concerning behavior" that caused his parents to have to come into the school hours before the massacre.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BOUCHARD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN, SHERIFF: On the day prior to the tragedy, a teacher in a classroom where he was a student saw and heard something that she felt was disturbing in terms of his behavior.

And they had a counseling session about it with school officials, and a phone call was left with the parents. The day of the shooting, a different teacher in a different classroom saw some behavior that they felt was concerning, and they brought the child down to an office, had a meeting with school officials, called in the parents.

And, ultimately, it was determined that he could go back into class. And so that's obviously part of our investigation. We were never informed of either meeting prior to the shooting or that there were any concerns about behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer laid flowers at the memorial at Oxford High School today.

And we're learning more about the four victims who were killed, 16- year-old Tate Myre. He was a varsity football player and an honor student; 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin had already been accepted to several colleges and universities; 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana's basketball team says -- quote -- "that we will never forget your kind heart, your silly personality, your passion for the game."

And 17-year-old Justin Shilling worked part-time at a restaurant and was co captain of his bowling team.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Oxford, Michigan.

So, Shimon, yesterday, the Oakland County prosecutor said that she was considering charges for the parents of the suspect. Any movement on that today?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: No, so far, no movement on that, Victor.

We are waiting to hear from officials on that. They seemed to indicate that they are going to move forward, at least yesterday, they did, with charging the parents. We have not seen the parents. And we have been by the House. So it's really no movement on that.

Of course, the big question, why the prosecutors are raising this idea that they're going to charge the parents, it's because of the gun. The gun was purchased four days before this shooting. And it's questions about whether or not the parents did enough to keep the gun out of the alleged shooter's hands. And that is what's -- something that investigators here on prosecutors are now focused on.

CAMEROTA: Shimon, what about -- his cell phone? And were there videos recorded on his cell phone?

PROKUPECZ: Yes, there were -- that was revealed yesterday as well, some of it as his arraignment, some of it by the sheriff here in Oakland, who says that they found writings, but then they also found videos on his cell phone.

Take a listen to him describing that video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOUCHARD: Horrendously disturbing.

Obviously, he talks about what -- excuse me -- he intends to do and the kinds of things he's thinking about. It's just chilling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And so all of this is why prosecutors yesterday said that they had evidence that this was a planned attack.

And now what they're doing is, the investigators are, they're going back days and they're going back weeks to see whether the school missed something. Obviously, the parents are the big focus in this. They are not cooperating with investigators. The prosecutors say that that has been a difficult part of this investigation, because they have not been able to find out from the parents what was going on.

And now obviously we're learning today that there was something going on at the school. Why didn't the school do anything more to try and perhaps, perhaps identify an issue? That is something certainly that people here want to know.

BLACKWELL: Yes, just a few hours between that meeting on Tuesday morning with this suspect's parents and the shooting that took four lives.

So, Shimon Prokupecz for us there in Oxford, thanks so much.

Well, Alec Baldwin says that he never pulled the trigger on the set of his movie "Rust." Now one of the crew members who was injured in that shooting is reacting to that claim.

[14:25:05]

CAMEROTA: Plus, the Supreme Court seems open to upholding Mississippi's controversial abortion law.

We will discuss the future of abortion rights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Alec Baldwin is making some new claims about that deadly accidental shooting on the set of his movie "Rust."

CAMEROTA: During an emotional TV interview, Baldwin claimed he did not pull the trigger on the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins.