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Biden Has Harsh Words for Fox Reporter; IRS Agency Problems Could Delay U.S. Tax Refunds; W.H.O.: Don't Assume Pandemic Reaching End Game; Outbreaks of COVID Loom Over Beijing Olympics and Lunar New Year; Burkina Faso's Army Ousts President and Seizes Power; Federal Trial to Resume for 3 Former Minneapolis Officers. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired January 25, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
The Pentagon says it's putting as many as 8,500 troops on stand by for deployment to Eastern Europe in response to Russia's military buildup near Ukrainian's border. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to European leaders on Monday. He said they are on the same page if Russia chooses to invade Ukraine.
And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing backlash that he attended two of his own birthday parties in June 2020 when the U.K. was in the middle of its first lockdown. His office denies breaking any rules. Of course, we'll have much more on both these top stories I had on "EARLY START" in roughly 30 minutes or so.
Rising inflation is one of the challenges President Biden is dealing with as journalists were being really ushered out of a meeting with the president's council on efforts to lower prices. Fox News reporter Peter Doocy shouted a question. A hot mic captured the president's response. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS REPORTER: Would you take a question on inflation then? Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SOARES: Well, a source says President Biden has called Doocy to apologize. It's not uncommon for powerful politicians to use harsh language with reports. Donald Trump, if you remember, made a point of insulting them without hesitation or apology.
While Americans are dealing with higher prices, they may also face a delay on a much-needed tax refund. They are preparing reports the Internal Revenue Service is coping with a number of challenges as tax season of course gets underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A warning from the IRS, expect another frustrating tax filing season marked by processing problems and refund delays. The agency is in crisis facing a backlog of close to 10 million returns.
CHARLES RETTIG, IRS COMMISSIONER: We're working as hard as we can.
COHEN (voice-over): Now dealing with new staffing problems from COVID and wage competition with nearly 200 job openings posted on their website on top of a long list of other issues like outdated software, tedious paper filings, and most notably, a lack of sufficient funding. Since 2010 the number of tax returns is up 19 percent, but the agency's funding and staffing are down close to 20 percent.
JOHN KOSKINEN, FORMER IRS COMMISSIONER: I think it all boils down to funding.
COHEN (voice-over): John Koskinen was IRS commissioner under President Obama.
KOSKINEN: If you have to call or you have to respond to a notice from the IRS, that's when the problems begin.
COHEN (voice-over): Last year, the IRS only answered 11 percent of customer calls with many waiting hours to get through. Meanwhile, tax filing is getting more complicated in the pandemic with new programs around COVID relief and child tax credits. Traffic to the IRS website nearly tripled in 2020 and rose again last year. Now millions of taxpayers are still waiting for their refund.
PAUL WANSING, WAITING ON 2020 TAX REFUND: It's been frustrating.
COHEN (voice-over): Paul Wansing and his family need that $7,000. He's on disability and his wife runs a small business.
WANSING: Knowing that it's out there and we can't access it and we could really use that money right now is a challenge.
KOSKINEN: I think it's urgent.
COHEN (voice-over): The Build Back Better plan would include $80 billion to strengthen the IRS. But with the bill stalled in the Senate, the White House is now calling on Congress to provide another source of stable funding. JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The agency has not been equipped with the resources it needs to adequately serve taxpayers in normal times, let alone during a pandemic.
JANICE SHIN, DIRECTOR, LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLINIC: Everyone's stuck.
COHEN (voice-over): Janice Shin runs a Low-income taxpayer clinic in Maryland. They've seen a huge spike in demand.
SHIN: We're trying to help these low-income individuals but we can't always get answers either from the IRS.
JASMINE JONES, WAITING ON 2020 TAX REFUND: It's been really stressful.
COHEN (voice-over): Jasmine Jones is days away from delivering her third child and she's been waiting for her $11,000 refund since before she was pregnant.
JONES: And we have racks and racks of bills just to catch up on.
COHEN (voice-over): To avoid delays this season, the IRS is urging people to file early and electronically, use direct deposit, collect all documents before starting and make sure everything's accurate especially with stimulus payments and the Child Tax Credits, all to avoid a frustrating wait.
JONES: It makes me think that I won't receive it this year.
[04:35:00]
COHEN: And with tax season now underway, again, the IRS says file as soon as possible. The deadline for most people is set for April 18th and they are not expecting that to be delayed even if some refunds might be.
Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: A New York state Supreme Court judge has struck down the state's mask mandates. The courts ruled the governor and state health officials did not have the authority to enact such a mandate without the approval of a state legislature. Now the judge noticed this is not the ruling on the merits of whether mask mandates are legal, it's strictly on the governor's authority.
But for those Americans who do want to protect themselves, the first batch of free, that's right, free N-95 masks are hitting the store shelves this week. Some major grocery stores and pharmacies in the Midwest, already have stock available while more will have them in the coming days.
But if you are looking to travel, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved another 15 destinations into its highest risk travel category four covert 19. That includes many Caribbean nations. This follows more than 20 destinations that were added last week. But some U.S. officials are optimistic that things will get better. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I think that things will change. You will not have to be concerned every time you get a sniffle. I mean, obviously we don't want to be living under those circumstances, but we will have a lot more testing available and importantly -- and I think this is critical, which we don't emphasize enough, as we get more and more of these effective antivirals available when people who do get infected, who are vulnerable like the elderly or those with underlying medical conditions, that if you treat them within the first few days you dramatically diminish the likelihood that they will go out to a severe outcome like hospitalization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Meanwhile, a new study is giving us a first glimpse into the efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech booster shot. Researchers found antibodies against the highly contagious omicron variant remain robust for at least four months after that third dose. But their study has not yet been peer reviewed.
And although the antibody levels do drop over time and microbiologists at the University of Texas told "The Washington Post" -- and I'm quoting here -- there is still substantial neutralizing activity against Omicron.
Meantime, the CEO of Pfizer says he hopes the vaccine will eventually become an annual shot rather than everyone needing boosters every four to five months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERT BOURLA, PFIZER CEO: What I am hoping that we will have is a vaccine that we'll have to do once a year like we do for many other things. Once a year it is easier to convince people to do it, it is easier for people to remember. From public health perspective, it is an ideal situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The World Health Organization is warning that it's dangerous to assume the Omicron variant heralds the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. And it's asking nations to stay vigilant although some scientists in the U.S. are hopeful the Omicron variant could help move the pandemic closer to an endemic phase. That the virus is comparable to seasonal illnesses like the cold or even flu, but other health experts disagree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CIDRAP, UNIVERSITY MINNESOTA: I'm a card- carrying epidemiologist of 46 years. I've written a lot about this in the medical literature. And I can't tell you, I don't know what endemic means. Is it endemic if we go the next four months relatively quiet? And then all of a sudden, a new variant emerges and we have an Omicron redo? What does that mean? Does that now go from pandemic to endemic back to pandemic? They're just words. I think what we have to be mindful of, is we are not done with this virus yet. We need new and better vaccines. We need to have therapeutic drugs that are readily available to everyone around the world when they get infected. If we do things like that, no matter what variant emerges, we can take it off the table. We're not there yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And with the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year coming up next week, China is scrambling to contain growing COVID outbreaks. In the coming hours the International Olympic Committee president is expected to attend events in Beijing within the closed loop system.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. And Kristie, give us a sense of the latest outbreak both inside and of course, outside the Olympics closed loop system.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa, COVID-19 cases are rising both inside and outside the Beijing Olympic bubble. In fact, earlier today we heard from the Beijing Olympic Committee. They said that there are 15 new cases of COVID-19 among Olympic personnel. Among the cases 12 though were detected at the border before they entered the closed loop system or the bubble.
This morning we also heard from Beijing local health officials announced five new locally transmitted cases of the virus, five. This is just a handful of cases. But again, we're talking about zero COVID China at the time of the Beijing Olympic Games.
[04:40:03]
So, mass testing is underway. In fact, 2 million people in a district of Beijing called Fengtai are undergoing a mandatory COVID testing right now. Snap lockdowns, that's happening. A number of people in the district, in fact, are following 13 residential buildings have been sealed off. They're not allowed to leave their homes for 21 days.
On top of that Beijing officials have issued this very curious directive telling all residents in Beijing who have purchased cold or fever medicine in the last two weeks, they have to go get themselves tested for COVID. Presumably they're trying to prevent people from using these medicines to mask symptoms of COVID-19. And if they don't get tested, they will be punished. They won't be allowed to travel and they will be allowed to use the Beijing city health app to access public services or go out to places like restaurants.
As you can imagine there's been a very angry reaction to that on Chinese social media. We have a couple of those reactions to share with you. In fact, one resident -- let's bring it up for you -- on Weibo, wrote this, quote: I haven't been out for several months but I bought Chinese medicine online. Now my health app is not working.
I want to underscore without that health app in Beijing, you're not able to go to restaurants or supermarkets or other places. Here's another response from another medicine writing this. Quote: I bought medicine 15 days ago. Now my health app is not working. My flight is tomorrow. I can't go anywhere. Unquote.
Isa, this test order, again, over cold medicine just underscores the level of control, the level of surveillance in zero COVID China. -- Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and with the Lunar New Year around the corner what this means actually for so many who might not be able to travel to see loved ones. I know you'll stay on top of this story. Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong. Thanks very much, Kristie.
The Burkina Faso has a new government following a military coup. Why the army says it can protect the country better than the former president. We'll have the latest after the break.
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[04:45: the]
SOARES: Burkina Faso's army says it has to dissolved the countries government and ousted the president in a military coup. The move comes a day after the headquarters of the former president's political party was ran sacked by protesters demanding his resignation. Soldiers say they believe the government is safer in the hands of the military right now. Army leaders tell CNN the former president is safe and being held in an undisclosed location. He hasn't been seen since Sunday. Let's get more on this story. CNN's Stephanie Busari joins me now from Lagos, Nigeria with more. And Stephanie, it's not often, of course, that you read of celebrations on the streets post a coup. What is the latest you're hearing from your contacts?
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN DIGITAL SUPERVISING EDITOR, AFRICA: Yes, so good morning, Isa. The people of are waking up under this new military era. and as you say, it's a popular development. We've seen scenes of people cheering on the streets, honking in support of the military announcement on Monday when they announced that the default government.
What we're also hearing is that there's a planned rally later this morning to welcome this group. And the military are telling us that it was simply time for the President Roch Kabore to go because he just did not have a handle on the jihadist insurgency which is linked to al Qaeda and Islamic state that has plagued this tiny country since 2018.
And according to the U.N., 1.5 million people have been internally displaced by this conflict. The soldiers themselves saying that they have borne the brunt of many of the attacks and the president simply was not living up to his responsibilities as a leader.
Now some aid agencies such as Refugees International have expressed concern about what this military regime may mean for Burkina Faso because some of these officers themselves have been accused of the worst atrocities. So, that remains to be seen if they will be as effective and what the implications will be for human rights abuses. Now, the U.S. has said it's deeply concerned about this new
development and is watching the situation closely. But, yes, so, Isa, also we don't know what has happened to the President Roch Kabore. We haven't heard from him since two tweets that he sent yesterday afternoon. But we'll be watching the situation closely and bringing you the latest developments -- Isa.
SOARES: We'll wait to hear from the president Roch Kabore to see what he says. Stephanie Busari for us in Lagos, Nigeria. Thanks very much Stephanie, good to see you.
Coming up right here on the show, three former Minneapolis police officers are facing federal civil rights charges nearly two years after Death. We'll have the latest on their trial just ahead. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[04:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: In the coming hours the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers who helped Derek Chauvin restrain George Floyd in May 2020 is set to resume. We've learned one of them plans to testify in his own defense. CNN's Omar Jimenez has more from St. Paul, Minnesota.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over a year and a half later the federal trial for the other former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd is taking jurors right back to the day Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin in May of 2020.
Monday was dominated by opening statements by both the prosecution and the defense. The prosecution largely stuck to the charges arguing that Thomas Lane, J. Alexander King and Tou Thao were deliberately indifferent to George Floyd's medical needs when he was under the knee of Chauvin. And that specifically Tou and King did not intervene and stop Chauvin when the prosecution argues they had the chance to.
Now, all three of these former officers have pleaded not guilty. And part of the defense over the course of today from their individual attorneys ranged from, well, they tried to intervene but were denied. They were deferring to the senior officer on the scene and Chauvin that the video in the crowd didn't see the full story of what happened that day. And on one of the points that they tried to intervene but couldn't, Lane's attorney emphasized that as he said in the opening statements that Lane will testify.
And part of that is because he argues Lane asked to put on an added restraint to Floyd that would have flipped him on his side. And also, that he asked Chauvin at one point to turn him over and in both cases, Chauvin said no. The prosecution however says bottom line you saw George Floyd in need of medical aid and did not render that aid.
Now when court gets back going on Tuesday morning, we are going to see the testimony resume from the FBI forensic examiner, which is where things left off on Monday. She's the first witness called in this trial in what is expected to be a four-week trial.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, St. Paul, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: One month after liftoff, a special telescope has reached its final destination in space more than 1.6 million kilometers away. Unlike the Hubble telescope that orbits the earth, the James Webb space telescope will be orbiting the sun. Nasa says the telescope will peer into the atmosphere of exoplanets and basically bring us closer of uncovering the mystery of the universe. this telescope has unveiled sun shields the size of a tennis court which will help protect it's massive (INAUDIBLE) from the sun.
[04:55:00]
From the center of the solar system to its outer planet, the new study of Saturn's closest moon Mimas shows it may be home to an underground ocean. The moon is known for being almost completely made of ice. So, a liquid ocean means it may be a self-ocean world capable of supporting life. At least two of Saturn's other moons and one orbiting Jupiter are considered ocean worlds.
Science fiction fans have been promised flying cars for decades. They might have one in Slovakia. Regulators there have approved the so- called air car, as airworthy. Billed as a dual mode car, aircraft vehicle. It runs on an electric motor and it's developed and is compatible with EU aviation rules -- as you can see there. Now the aircraft has completed 70 hours of flight testing with 200 takeoffs. And last summer it landed in the Slovakian capital and drove downtown --as you can see there -- as a car.
In Florida news a cruise ship took an unexpected detour on Saturday to avoid an arrest warrant. The Crystal Symphony was headed to Miami where it would have been seized by authorities because of unpaid fuel bills. Instead, the ship headed for the Bahamas with guests still on board. Around 300 passengers were later taken to Florida by ferry. The ship is still docked in the Bahamas and its owner, Crystal Cruises, has suspended operations for the next few months.
And finally, for you, a kingdom in search of its king or queen. A small island off England's northwestern coast is looking for someone new to take the helm, according to a recent job listing. Technically the posting says they need a landlord to take care of the 58-acre island and run their small pub. The tradition calls for each landlord to be crowned the king of Piel. And there's still time to apply, but local governments looking to hire someone by April.
And that does it here for me. Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Isa Soares in London. Our coverage of the tensions with Russia and the Ukraine continue on "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day. Bye-bye.
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