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COVID Cases Rising In Much Of U.S. Ahead Of Busy Holiday Week; Sen. Manchin A "No" On Build Back Better Bill; Omicron Fears Lead To New COVID Restrictions And Lockdowns; Sen. Manchin On Biden's Build Back Better Bill: "This Is A No"; Kentucky Deputy Killed Saving Seven Inmates As Tornado Hit Factory. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired December 19, 2021 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:25]
AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I'm Amara Walker, in for Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin this hour with two major developing stories.
First, a new warning today that the highly transmissible omicron variant will take over this winter. Dr. Fauci telling CNN the country needs to brace for a tough few weeks to months ahead. President Biden is set to address the nation on the increase in cases on Tuesday.
And we're also following a major setback for the president's Build Back Better bill which would significantly expand the country's social safety net. Senator Joe Manchin, a key moderate Democrat, announcing this morning he is officially a "no" on the legislation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: A lot to get to but we will begin with the pandemic.
New cases and hospitalizations rising in the U.S. The delta variant fueling most of these increases right now. But the omicron strain is also spreading quickly in much of the country. One expert saying there is a tsunami coming for the unvaccinated.
In New York people are waiting in long lines for coronavirus tests as you see there. Nearly a third of Broadway shows are shuttered once again, just months after reopening. The NBA, NHL, and the NFL are postponing games as teams deal with outbreaks. And some major colleges and universities including Harvard and Yale, are returning to remote learning for the next few weeks.
Dr. Anthony Fauci issuing a stark warning this morning. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days. Right now in certain regions of the country, 50 percent of the isolates are omicron which means it's going to take over. It's going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: CNN's Polo Sandoval and Natasha Chen are monitoring the developments.
And Polo, you are in New York. The mayor just spoke a short time ago. What is he saying?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And he's still speak right now. And at the end of the day, really what it is, is there are cancellations obviously, closures, long lines for testing. And it's beginning to feel a lot like December 2020 and deja vu.
But here's the thing. It is not. All right. You keep hearing from authorities that this year is very different because of that vaccination option people are urged to get. And that remains the best way according to health authorities to actually protect yourself leading up to Christmas.
The next important option is obviously to get tested. And as I step out of the picture here in downtown Brooklyn, you can see a massive line that literally, Amara, winds around the corner here. And these are folks who are taking advantage of a mobile vaccination site which we have seen deployed throughout the city. You also have urgent care clinics. We were outside of one yesterday as early as two hours before they actually opened up the doors.
You saw New Yorkers lined up there because they just want to be sure. A majority of the people if not all the people I spoke to were vaccinated. But this is simply taking an extra step to make sure that they are protected.
And this comes as New York set a single-day record for positive COVID cases two days in a row. Yesterday reaching a high number again and as we're hearing right now from Mayor Bill de Blasio and some comments that he shared just a few moments ago, the reality is those numbers, they will get worse.
But there's also some optimism in what we heard from the mayor just a little while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We expect Omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon. We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in the number of cases, more than we've seen previously. And then we expect after a period of time, that it will dissipate.
This temporary reality demands an urgent, immediate step which is to maximize vaccination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And what they're doing, again they're rolling out not only those vaccination clinics but also making those take home -- rather -- tests available to the public as well, especially if folks are unable to stand in line. At least they can take that step at home before they see their friends and family in less than a week.
WALKER: Yes, Polo. I mean look, those long lines is a good sign that people are getting tested, right. But it also shows that more tests need to be readily available in this country. Polo, thank you.
[14:04:56]
WALKER: Let's go now to Natasha Chen standing by in Los Angeles. And Natasha cases there also rising pretty fast. What are people saying about the current situation? What's being done to slow the spread?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara, L.A. County, the most populous county in the U.S. has seen case rates, the daily confirmed cases, pretty much triple in the past week.
So let's look at those numbers. On Tuesday L.A. County public health reported more than 1,100 confirmed COVID cases. By Saturday, yesterday, it was more than 3,700 confirmed cases.
And we have not actually seen that number cross the 3,000 threshold since late August, early September. So it's been a while since the -- we've had so many positive cases in one day.
The hospitalizations are also high, relatively speaking, more than 700 right now. And we haven't seen that number cross 700 since early October. We are also seeing college football games, professional football games postponed. A production of "The Christmas Carol" here postponed because of COVID cases, positive cases in those groups of people.
Now, California Department of Public Health noticed a steady increase in cases in the days following Thanksgiving into early December, and that's why the state had already started implementing a new set of protocols that began December 15th.
Here they are. For those who are coming in to the state of California, they recommend testing three to five days after arrival. Those who are attending mega events, either indoor or outdoor, they now have to either prove vaccination or show a negative test. Indoors that means a thousand people for a mega event. Outdoors 10,000 people.
And you know, this is a very difficult situation for people. And I should also mention, of course, universal indoor masking across the state as well. In different states, of course, they're handling this current surge in different ways. Here's the governor of Colorado talking about this tool that we have, vaccinations to keep people safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOVERNOR JARED POLIS (D-CO): People just don't react well to this ongoing environment of fear for two years.
Let's lead with the facts. To significantly reduce the risk of the omicron variant, three doses of the vaccine are needed, and by the way, Chuck, this is normal with many other vaccines. I have young kids, they have a DTap vaccine, every kid gets the diphtheria, tetanus -- it's three doses of that vaccine to be effective. So I wish they'd stop talking about it as a booster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: And of course, there are a lot of schools as you mentioned who are moving to virtual classes for the time being. That includes Stanford. Right now the University of California and Cal State systems say they're going to monitor the situation.
Of course, a lot of college kids currently on winter break. So they may be seeing some real change when they come back for class, Amara.
WALKER: Yes. It's obviously demoralizing and disconcerting for so many of us who have been looking forward to the holidays and these family gatherings.
Natasha Chen and Polo Sandoval, thank you both so much.
We are also following breaking news on a critical piece of the president's agenda. Today Senator Joe Manchin delivering a likely death blow to the Build Back Better plan. The West Virginia moderate, a key Democrat vote needed to pass the bill is saying today he won't vote for the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL ANCHOR: You're done. This is -- this is a no.
MANCHIN: This is a no on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: All right. Let's bring in Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill. Hi there, Suzanne.
Did fellow Democrats see this coming? I mean, this came after months of negotiations.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara, it was days, it was weeks, it was months. Several congressional aides who I spoke with said it was like a bomb going off essentially, blowing up and killing any possibility of pushing for the most significant legislative pieces of the Democratic Party as well as the administration.
We're talking about education, health care and climate change. The Democratic leadership got about 40 minutes' heads up before Manchin went public on television this morning to basically say he was out of it.
He was done with the negotiating process, and this was very frustrating, Amara. It came after a week of very tense behind-the- scene negotiation not only with the president but also with the moderates, the progressives. There were times we saw this spill out on the senate floor.
There were animated discussions with Manchin. Oftentimes he was surrounded by his colleagues as they tried to convince him to get on board here. They desperately needed him for that reconciliation vote, the budget reconciliation which required just a simple majority. And he was part of it. So he was the last holdout.
[14:09:57]
MALVEAUX: The progressives are feeling devastated and frustrated here. They started off with a $6 trillion cost to this bill. They lowered it to $3 trillion and then to $1.75 trillion.
Manchin had insisted all along it was going to be $1.5 trillion. He could not move really much beyond that. And most recently, he talked about the tax credit, the child tax credit being extended for one year. That was part of the bill.
But he said realistically, it would be extended for ten years and would cost much, much more money. That the Congressional Budget Office would determine, in fact, that this would really add to the federal deficit here so that it wasn't really an honest cost bill. It had to stay at that number.
His colleagues said well, show us where else you need to cut down here, and he never did. He was too vague. So now what you're hearing this morning, Senator Bernie Sanders, Ayanna Pressley, many of the progressives and even some of the moderates saying they don't believe that Senator Manchin acted in good faith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): We cannot allow one lone senator from West Virginia to obstruct the president's agenda, to obstruct the people's agenda.
Jake, all I want for Christmas is a senator that has compassion for the American people and not contempt. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I hope that we will bring a strong bill
to the floor of the Senate as soon as we can, and let Mr. Manchin explain to the people of West Virginia why he doesn't have the guts to stand up to powerful special interests.
If he doesn't have the courage to do the right thing for the working families of West Virginia and America, let him vote no in front of the whole world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Amara, the Republicans, of course they're celebrating right now. They have never been on board with this huge package, this social spending package, climate change package.
Senator Lindsey Graham saying that the CBO makes confirmed -- I'm sorry. The CBO analysis confirmed Senator Manchin's worst fears about Build Back Better. He's always stated that he will not support a bill full of gimmicks, a bill that added to the debt or a bill that made inflation worse.
I think the question moving forward here is in the New Year, can the Democrats put forward something perhaps separate piecemeal from a big legislative agenda, a big legislative accomplishment that might address some of the concerns of the American people who are truly suffering, Amara.
WALKER: Yes, perhaps they'll have to switch strategies and break up that bill.
Suzanne Malveaux, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
So the White House says it was caught off guard by Senator Manchin's announcement this morning, believing they still had a path forward.
Senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns joining us now at the White House. Joe, the White House press secretary put out a very pointed statement.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR Washington CORRESPONDENT: Yes, to say the least. And the reaction here at the White House, people are just shaking their heads. There's also a real sense that while the president knew these negotiations were not going well, a big part of it is the timing, and part of it is what they say Joe Manchin had been saying to them before he finally decided to pull the plug.
Listen to this statement that they put out just a little while ago. "Senator Manchin's comments this morning are at odds with his discussions this week with the White House staff and with his own public utterances.
Weeks ago the senator committed to the president at his home in Wilmington to support the Build Back Better framework that the president announced. And Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework in good faith."
It goes on.
On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and admitted to the president in person a written outline for BBB bill that essentially was the same size and scope as the president's and covered some of the same things.
So clearly the people here at the White House thought that the president and Joe Manchin had something else to negotiate, but now it's all gone away, Amara.
WALKER: Well, yes.
So as if this wasn't one major blow to deal with for the White House, now we're talking about the omicron variant and how cases are surging in this country. President Biden set to address the nation on Tuesday. What do we expect to hear from him?
Well, a bunch of things. Number one, as you said, is going to be about omicron. Number two, it's pretty clear that what they're doing is trying to announce some new steps to help people get through the winter. He wants to talk about his winter COVID plan in general.
But maybe one of the big headlines is that the president wants to give a stark warning to Americans out there who remain intentionally unvaccinated. So this is all part of changing the message to fit the moment which is very serious in this country right now.
[14:14:56]
WALKER: Yes.
JOHNS: Amara.
WALKER: If you haven't been vaccinated yet, you have no excuse not to be ASAP.
Joe Johns, appreciate it. Thank you so much.
And still ahead, the threat of omicron forcing some countries to impose new restrictions and even lockdowns. We will have the latest from around the globe just ahead.
Plus more than 70 Kentucky residents killed in those devastated tornadoes. We will talk to the family of one victim who is being remembered as a hero for saving multiple lives from that candle factory.
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WALKER: Israel is adding the U.S., Canada and Germany to its no-fly list, warning the next COVID-19 wave is coming. Cases are rapidly rising around the world, leading officials to reconsider how they are dealing with the virus.
[14:19:52] WALKER: Scott McLean is following all of the international developments for us in London. So Scott, what's it looking like in terms of new restrictions and changes?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Amara.
Yes, new restrictions are becoming common place again across Europe. In Netherland today -- the Netherlands today begins a lockdown that is closing schools and stores, emptying stadiums and severely restricting Christmas gatherings.
Ireland tomorrow will begin imposing an 8:00 p.m. curfew on the hospitality sector as the omicron variant there becomes dominant.
The variant is also fueling record high case counts across the U.K. and because of that, France has already closed it s borders to British tourists, even the vaccinated ones and just a couple hours from now Germany will follow suit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (voice over): London Mayor Sadiq Khan declaring COVID a major incident Saturday.
MAYOR SADIQ KHAN, LONDON: Over the last 24 hours we've had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began. More than 26,000 hospital admissions are going up but also staff absences are going up by massive levels.
MCLEAN: With cases rapidly increasing, there's a push to get more people tested and vaccinated. The U.K. vaccine minister helping distribute COVID tests at a sorting center Saturday. The government aiming to get 900,000 a day shipped directly to homes across the U.K.
And long lineups at a booster clinic northeast of London, many hoping to avoid another possible lockdown by getting a shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Another lockdown to me does seem a bit extreme. I think everyone just needs to be careful, go where you need to go and then go home.
MCLEAN: Some vaccine clinics opening 24-hour jab-athons. In northern England one pharmacy opened for 36 hours straight. Worldwide, there's a push to get young people vaccinated.
Santa Claus and his helpers visiting kids in Portugal. Germany and France, also giving shots to 5 to 11-year-olds Saturday.
COVID putting a damper on holiday shopping but some still hit the stores from Europe to Asia on the last weekend before Christmas. Sporting events also taking a hit. English fans disappointed as the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Burnley became the 10th Premier League fixture to get postponed this weekend due to COVID.
Later Saturday, anti-vaxxers marched in London, France, Germany and Italy. The Netherlands announcing a strict new lockdown starting Sunday, also met by protests.
As the World Health Organization announces omicron cases doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in countries with transmissions. The battle against COVID rages on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN: And in England, the head of the health care service expects that by Christmas day one in five health staff in London will be out sick with the virus. Now, the British government's own scientists say that new restrictions need to come sooner rather than later to avoid near peak levels of new hospitalizations.
But the government for its part, Amara is still on the fence. They're in wait and see mode, waiting to see more information, more data on just how severe an illness omicron actually causes.
WALKER: All right. Scott McLean, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
Joining us now is Dr. Carlos Del Rio. He's executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine. Doctor, thanks for joining us.
First off, I'm sure you heard Scott McLean's reporting there. I mean we're seeing lockdowns, you know, in Europe and new restrictions of essentials businesses only being allowed to stay open.
Could you compare what's happening overseas to the U.S. In terms of the variant, and do you think the U.S. is moving fast enough?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, THE EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, I would tell you, Amara, that the Europeans and the U.K. in particular, has always been about two or three weeks ahead of us with the pandemic. So we need to look at what's happening over there and quickly take measures over here.
We cannot just rest on our laurels and say we're going to do fine. I'm very concerned of what's happening in the U.S. We have a surge from delta, and we already have omicron here.
Omicron cases are rapidly going up in many communities and, you know, in New York City and Miami and in many other communities we're seeing them go up very quickly. And I suspect in the next two or three weeks, it's going to become the predominant variant in our country.
And the problem with omicron is this high transmissibility. I mean this is incredibly transmissible and being so transmissible is going to cause a lot of infections and we're going to have a lot of people sick or a lot of people will be out.
For example, you heard in England, health care workers -- one in five will be out because they'll be infected. And there will be you know, disruptions to the economy. There will be pilots, there'll be flight attendants who are sick. There'll be essential workers who are sick.
So I think this could potentially have significant disruptions to the economy. I don't think we're moving fast enough in the U.S. and I would really, you know, urge your government to move faster.
You heard the U.K. saying we're going to send free rapid tests to every household. We need to do that in the U.S. next week. We cannot wait any further.
[14:24:50]
WALKER: Why are we lagging, it seems, when it comes to testing? It's not just the vaccinations and boosters that will help get us, you know, in front of this pandemic. Right? We need testing readily accessible.
DR. DEL RIO: Yes. We need testing readily accessible and we need testing at home. We need to be able to test ourselves literally every day or every other day to rapidly identify who is infected and have that person isolate themselves and not go about their business, not go to work. Isolate at home so they don't infect other family members.
And in order to do that, you need to be able to have available tests. And the problem right now is the tests that are available that you can buy in your grocery store, in your local pharmacy cost about $20 to $23 a set of two tests. So really about $10 a pop. That is way too expensive.
Germany, you pay $1 a test. In the U.K. they're being given out for free. We've got to get them to people's hands this week.
WALKER: You know, there's a story, Doctor, that, you know, really stuck out to me. Reuters has been reporting about this holiday party in Norway. You can see the headline there, "Omicron outbreak at Norway Christmas party is the biggest outside South Africa," according to authorities.
It's being called a super spreader even by officials there even though everyone -- I mean this is what stuck out to me -- everyone was said to be vaccinated. And they tested negative before the event. And they're saying about 60 people out of 120, they believe, now have that variant.
Let me ask you this, if they were all boosted, could that have slowed down the spread, you think?
DR. DEL RIO: Yes, I think if they had been vaccinated boosted. They were vaccinated but not boosted. We know this bars, you know, the risk, the possibility of getting infected -- symptomatically infected with two doses of, for example, the Pfizer vaccine drops to about 33 percent.
If you get boosted, it goes up to about 75 percent. So you've got to get boosted. And that's why we need to get people boosted ASAP. But remember, it's going to take two weeks for that booster to make effect. We're behind in our boosters right now.
But the second thing is the testing was done one to three days before the event. If you're going to use testing for this kind of event, if you're going to gather with family and relatives for the Christmas holidays, make sure everybody is boosted. Make sure everybody is vaccinated.
And if you're going to do testing, test them literally as you go in to the door. As you walk into the event is the right time to get tested. A day or two or three ahead is not close enough to prevent somebody infected from coming into the event.
WALKER: Yes. Perhaps that -- such a test at the door may have prevented that employee who, you know, was just in South Africa who had the omicron variant from coming inside that party.
Lastly, you know, you mentioned the statistics. But I want to mention it again to kind of stress the importance of boosters.
In a blog post from the NIH director, Dr. Francis Collins, he shared a study showing that booster shots greatly increase vaccine effectiveness against omicron. From 40 percent if you had two shots to 80 percent with a booster.
Why not then change the definition of fully vaccinated? Now, I know Dr. Fauci is saying look, it's more semantics. But is it really if it's going to make a difference in the way that you are protected from at least this variant?
DR. DEL RIO: Well, you know, I think with delta, it really was semantics. I think with omicron it's no longer semantics. I think with omicron we need to change the definition. In my mind, personally, I think fully vaccinated means three doses of an mRNA vaccine.
The problem as you know, is that means changing a bunch of things, including, you know, what happens in companies, what happens in mandates and other things. We still have a country where we have, you know, 40 percent of the country that is not vaccinated.
And to me the most concerning thing is that prior infection offers no protection against omicron. So people who have previously been infected and who said well, I have natural immunity, I don't need to get a vaccine, are not protected. If those people took one dose of vaccine, they'll be as protected as the person that takes a booster.
So we also need to be care about that because those people that have been reluctant to take the vaccine may say well, you know, I don't want to get three shots. In reality, all they need is one.
So let's get them to get one shot. If we change the definition, we should also change the definition by saying prior infection plus one dose means fully vaccinated.
So it gets into a lot of nuances (ph). This is not simple.
WALKER: No, it's not. But we appreciate you helping us understand this complex virus. Thank you so much, Dr. Carlos Del Rio. Appreciate your time.
DR. DEL RIO: Happy to be with you.
WALKER: And a quick programming note for you. Join Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a look at how some families with autistic kids are finding hope in cannabis and how for some hope comes at a great risk.
This new CNN special report, "WEED 6: MARIJUANA AND AUTISM" begins tonight at 8:00.
[14:29:29]
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[14:33:58]
WALKER: All right. Back to our breaking news. Today, Senator Joe Manchin said he is a no on President Biden's cornerstone Build Back Better bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Where I'm at right now, the inflation that I was concerned about is not transitory. It's real. It's harming West Virginian. It's making it difficult for him to continue.
I've always said this, Bret, if I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: All right. Scott Jennings is a CNN political commentator and a former special assistant to President George W. Bush.
Scott, always great to see you.
This time, we'll be talking politics first.
Let's talk about your reaction to Senator Manchin saying no, because it seems like there was a major disconnect. You heard the press secretary of the White House commenting that his comments on Fox News this morning was at odds with his discussions with the president.
[14:35:02]
Our reporting has been that look, you know, the White House knew that making this bill work would be very difficult. But the thought was that there was a sufficient enough chance of success to make it worth the effort.
So what happened here?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's pretty stunning what Joe Manchin did today if you haven't been listening to Joe Manchin's every press release and op-ed and statements since like August. I mean, go back to his "Wall Street Journal" piece from so many months ago. It's been obvious that Manchin has been worried about inflation. He's been worried about going home to West Virginia and explaining spending all this money when the cost of food and gas and everything else is going up for his people. And when you further consider that Joe Biden got about 30 percent of
the vote in West Virginia, it was going to take a lot of changes to this bill that came over from the House for him to get anywhere near supporting it. But ultimately, I think it just came down to inflation.
Every month since Manchin's initial statement on this in "The Wall Street Journal," he was really hesitant to spend this much money, we've seen inflation go up and up.
So, I almost feel like he was trying to tell them, look, it's highly unlikely I'm going to do this, and they didn't want to hear it. I think the only thing he's going to be explaining in West Virginia is why it took so long for him to kill this monstrosity, because I don't think his constituents support it. He knew that. We are where we are.
WALKER: As you mentioned, the concerns that Senator Manchin cited, Senator Bernie Sanders was on CNN this morning right after that no answer. He was quite outraged to see the least. But here's his response to his concerns about inflation. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANCHIN: My concerns I had, and I still have these concerns. And where I'm at right now, the inflation I was concerned about, it's not transitory. It's real. It's harming every West Virginian. It's making it most difficult for them to continue.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Joe Manchin voted for a huge increase in military spending. Manchin voted for an infrastructure bill which added $250 billion to the deficit. The truth of the matter is if you look at the military budget, $770 billion, times that by ten years, it's four times higher than what the Build Back Better plan is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: What do you say to that? What Bernie Sanders just said, when he did vote for that infrastructure bill?
JENNINGS: Well, he raises an interesting point that totally validates the strategy of the Senate Republicans who voted to help Joe Biden and the Democrats pass the infrastructure bill. At the time, Mitch McConnell and Rob Portman and other Senate Republicans said we're separating the sugar from the spinach. And we have to give Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and some of these moderate Democrats in the Senate something to deliver, something they want and something they think is good for the country. That took the form of the infrastructure bill.
Had they not done that at the time, I believe Manchin would have wound up having to vote for a much larger bill now for the purpose of getting the infrastructure piece. Manchin always said he thought the infrastructure, the hard infrastructure part of all this spending that Biden wanted was good for the country. He was less certain the rest of it was good for the country.
So yes, he did vote for that, but by allowing that bill to pass, by Republicans helping the White House do this, they gave Joe Manchin all the reasons he needed to kill this part of it, because he'd already been able to vote for something he thinks he can sell back home in West Virginia.
WALKER: OK. So, then, now what? I mean, we hear the strategy being floated that this massive bill which started at 6 trillion now down to 1.75, should be broken up, piecemeal into smaller pieces and that way you can get more moderates or maybe just Manchin, and perhaps maybe even Republicans on board. Your thoughts?
JENNINGS: Well, the issue with that, of course, is that all this stuff has to go back to the U.S. House where progressives are basically in charge because the Democrats are in the majority party in the House. This has always been a problem for the Democrats trying to negotiate between the progressives that essentially run the House right now under Nancy Pelosi as the speaker and people like Joe Manchin who's not a progressive. You know, this is a moderate Democrat from a state that gave Joe Biden 30 percent of the vote.
So, these divisions within the Democratic Party are really what would stop what you suggested from happening. If it were to happen, there would have to be a lot of intraparty conversations, and I don't know that any of us know how the progressives would take it. If you listen to Bernie Sanders, he's not taking it well. I assume that's the attitude of the progressives in the House, too.
WALKER: In your opinion, what's the way forward? Is there one?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, when I worked for President Bush, we had to pass a lot of tough bills. You keep trying to find ways to get things done and talk to people. You have to listen to them.
I just don't think the Democrats were listening to Joe Manchin. The country is closely divided. The Senate is 50/50. The House is almost 50/50. We have a closely divided government.
[14:40:01]
And so, the way forward for the White House is listen to the country and listen to your people and listen to the Congress and understand, you didn't get a mandate to spend all this much money. You got a mandate to essentially get rid of Donald Trump and maybe a little bit more. It may be that you've already done what you had the mandate to do.
WALKER: Well, then, if they're listening to Manchin, what exactly is it that he wants?
JENNINGS: Well, I think he's worried about inflation. It's clear he doesn't want to spend more money, and it's clear he wants to try to get inflation under control.
WALKER: So, he wants none of this bill?
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: I'm sorry? WALKER: He wants none of this social safety net bill?
JENNINGS: I mean, you heard him. I heard him. I've been reading all his statements, listening to his interviews closely for the last several months. I think he believes massive amounts of spending are going to exacerbate inflation. And so, if that's what he believes, they'd better start listening.
WALKER: What do you think about Bernie Sanders' idea to force a vote to get Manchin to explain himself?
JENNINGS: I mean, I don't think Joe Manchin would find any problem with that. I mean, he went on TV and explained himself today. I mean, if they want to go on the floor and lose a vote, you know, by all means. Have at it.
WALKER: You know, I had to go through several articles just to understand all the things that are in this massive bill. I'm sure the layperson at home, too, probably couldn't list however many items there are in here.
But if we go into it, free pre-K for 3, 4-year-olds, child care, limiting child care costs for children under age. There's paid family and sick leave. There's Medicare hearing benefits in t. List goes on.
Can you pick and choose a few of the things that Manchin doesn't want in the bill or is willing to give more for versus not?
JENNINGS: Yeah. I don't know. I think his concerns as I understand them have always been the total price tag. When you start --
(CROSSTALK)
WALKER: Then you have to pick and choose which is the priority which is what he said this morning in Fox News, right?
JENNINGS: Right. And then you start negotiating with Sanders and the other progressives because to them, it's all a priority. To them if you're the White House, you're at the roadblock you've been at trying to negotiate between someone as far left as Sanders and as someone as moderate as Manchin. They haven't figured out how to reconcile people who are very, very far apart.
WALKER: So, do you think Manchin's days as a Democrat are over?
JENNINGS: I would be surprised if he switched parties. I would be delighted if he switched parties, because it would put Mitch McConnell in as the majority leader. It's happened before. We've had party switches that changed control before, earlier in my career. Jeffords of Vermont did it once.
But I would be surprised if he did that. If he were going to do that, I wonder if he would have already done it. So, I mean, we'd love to have him, but it's not something I'm anticipating.
WALKER: How much of a role do you think McConnell played in his decision?
JENNINGS: Oh, I don't know. I know they talk a lot and I know there's a lot of conversations that go on between Senator McConnell and Manchin and Sinema, and a lot of the senators in both parties about these issues.
I do go back to a point we talked about earlier, though, and that is McConnell working with the White House and the Democrats, and Manchin, and Sinema, to get the infrastructure bill done, I firmly believe put us in the place we are today.
So, if you're a Republican that did not want this bill to pass, look back to what McConnell did, getting the infrastructure piece separated and passed, because I think you can draw a direct line between that and today's outcome. And Republicans should be happy about both.
WALKER: Speaking of McConnell, and this is what we were talking about, just a couple weeks ago, you and I. You were with him yesterday in Kentucky, touring the tornado damage. This is your home state, your father's home is in Dawson Springs which is not far from the video here of Mayfield, Kentucky. And your family's home was basically destroyed.
Can you give us an update on how your family is doing and just the need that you're seeing everywhere? What is most needed right now?
JENNINGS: Well, thank you for bringing it up. I was in Dawson Springs. Senator McConnell has been on a tour of the damage, and met him there. My dad and I looked at some of the storm damage there, talked to the mayor and police chief and folks working to rebuild the town.
You know, it looked like there was a lot of stuff there. The donations of things, basic living necessities have been overwhelming. I think the two things I heard yesterday was financial resources. There's a lot of portals to donate money, but also attention.
You know, there was a lot of talk in town yesterday when the storms happen, we pay attention for a few days and then look away to something else. When you look at the devastation, you realize we're going to have to pay attention to this for years, because that's how long it will take this town to rebuild.
And so, McConnell and the mayor and other folks yesterday were talking about not looking away from Dawson or Mayfield or the other little towns. They need our help today, but they also are going to need our help six months from today, a year from today and so on.
WALKER: That's a good point. We cannot forget.
And, you know, we've got you, Scott Jennings, to nudge us a bit if you think we're slacking on that end.
[14:45:04]
Appreciate the conversation as always, Scott Jennings. All the best to your family, by the way. Thanks. JENNINGS: If you want to talk about Dawson Springs, you know I'll be
here every time. Thank you.
WALKER: I know it. Thanks so much, Scott.
And we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: Last week's deadly tornadoes took at least 77 lives in Kentucky alone. One of them was Robert Daniel pictured here with the big smile.
[14:50:02]
He was a deputy jailer who was supervising inmates on a work release program at a candle factory when that tornado hit Mayfield and leveled the factory. As you see there, the entire building just was decimated, and Daniel died inside -- not before leading all seven of his inmates, he was responsible for to safety. Today he is being hailed as a selfless human being and hero.
I want to bring in two people now. Robert's brother, Alonzo Daniel, on the left of your screen and Robert's boss at the Graves County jail, George Workman.
I see you're surrounded by your family as well. Welcome to you both. I'm sorry we're speaking under these circumstances.
Alonzo, let's start with you. I know that the funeral service for your brother was yesterday. How would you like everyone to remember your brother?
ALONZO DANIEL, ROBERT DANIEL'S BROTHER: Just as a hero. He did exactly what he was supposed to do in that time. Myself, his children, and the rest of my family, we're -- we just want him to be remembered for what he done, for who he was as a person, and you know, that's all we can ask for at this time.
WALKER: Can you tell us a little bit more about what happened, when the tornado hit, and how your brother reacted?
DANIEL: From what we was told, and what Mr. Workman was told by the inmates, when they heard the siren or the alarm, he was trying to get everybody to a wall. I guess a safety wall that they were supposed to be to. He was making sure all seven of the inmates got in there. I think when he got the last inmate in, he wasn't able to make it in. And then it was there.
WALKER: George, if you will, tell us more. That is selfless. He got everyone to safety except for himself.
GEORGE WORKMAN, GRAVES COUNTY JAILER: Yes, ma'am, he did. He did exactly how he was trained. And he did the one thing that as I've said many times before, that all of us in law enforcement think about, you know, if we have to pay that ultimate price, there's only within one person that I know of that's ever given their life for me, and that was Jesus Christ, and here we have this selfless individual who was a standup individual all the way around.
He went and done it, for seven people that he barely even knew.
WALKER: You know, I have to go back to that picture of Robert Daniel, Alonzo, your brother, that smile, waving at the camera. He seemed like such a happy good-hearted soul.
Could you tell us a little bit more about him as a person? I know that he had seven children. Is that correct?
DANIEL: Yes, ma'am. He was a father of seven, a grandfather of seven. He just enjoyed life in general. He loved to be around his family. He loved doing family events. That's just who he was. He was always -- we probably just didn't appreciate it, how giving of a person he was when he was here with us, but we're going to make sure that from here on out, that is known how giving of a person he was.
WALKER: And, George, I understand that you had moved him to supervise these seven inmates, and he was quite excited about it. How many days had he been at this candle factory working, supervising these inmates in the work release program? And I understand he was excited about this position?
WORKMAN: Yes, he was very excited about it. This was his fourth night. The picture that you have of him smiling was because he was on his way for orientation out at the candle factory, and the deputy that took the picture was kidding with him and said something along the lines of, you're on your way to your first day at school, and he kind of -- he always had this thing where he'd smile and wave at you like get out of here. That's kind of what he was doing there. He was very excited about it.
WALKER: You know, Alonzo, we covered the story, the moment that it happened, and we saw the images in real time and was learning in real time what all that huge pile of debris was, that it was a candle factory. We learned in real-time that there had been 110 people or so according to the governor who had been trapped in there.
[14:55:03]
Sadly, your brother was one of them.
When you look at the devastation, this tornado has caused and looking forward to the future, what would you like for all of us at home to understand, and what can we do to support your community and your family?
DANIEL: Well, just as a community and all, this is a very strong community. We will build back up. There's no doubt about that. You know, as you said, this is going to devastate us for a while. But we may be down, but we're going to get back up. We're going to keep fighting and keep doing what is needed to get this community back where it needs to be, probably even better than ever. And I'm going to ensure that Robert's legacy is involved in that. He
wouldn't want it any other way. So we're going to make sure that happens.
WALKER: You guys seem like a close knit, wonderful family, and we wish you all your family and everyone in your community the best, and we will continue to monitor your recovery efforts and continue to get the word out on the help that you all need.
Thank you so much, Alonzo, and, George, for helping us remember what a wonderful human Robert Daniel was.
DANIEL: Thank you.
WALKER: Still ahead, COVID outbreaks are rattling major sports leagues, forcing cancellations, delays and changes to protocols. We're going to have much more on that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: And this just in, the NBA is postponing five games because of COVID.
CNN's Coy Wire is joining me now with more -- Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Amara.
The NBA getting hid hard in the shutdowns by way of postponement are piling up in the last couple hours. Of the five postponements, three of them are today, Denver at Brooklyn, Cleveland at Atlanta, and New Orleans at Philadelphia.
