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Erin Burnett Outfront

Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power; 13 Million Texans Face Water Disruptions, 2 Hospitals Without Water; 100 Million Americans in Path of Deadly Winter Storm System Extending from Texas to New England; Death Toll Rises to 42; Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-TX) Discusses About His Biggest Concerns Amidst these Texas Crises They are Facing; Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) Arkansas Talks About How They Handle the Snow Storm Crisis. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired February 18, 2021 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Their son, Juan Jr., describes the connection between his parents this way, "It wasn't two souls. It was one." May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.

Thanks very much for watching.

Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, the growing crisis in Texas. The death toll rising as millions brace for another night of near- freezing temperatures. The state facing major water and power crises.

Plus, Florida's Governor on the defense after vaccination sites are set up in some of the state's richest communities. And now he's threatening to pull more sites if people don't like it.

I'm going to take you to one battleground state where a fight for the soul of the Republican Party is getting deeply personal. Let's go OUTFRONT.

And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the suffering intensifying in Texas this hour. Millions about to endure another night of near-freezing temperatures, many with no power, no heat and no water. Again, a picture speaks a thousand words. This family burning a child's building blocks to stay warm.

Houston's Mayor warning power outages remain a 'major, major concern'. As 13 million Texans are now being told to boil water for fear of mass contamination or have no water at all. This is the scene at a park in Houston. Let me just remind you again that this is Houston, Texas. People are getting in line. A long line just filled up buckets of water from a spigot.

In the United States, Houston, the fourth biggest city in this nation, this is what we are seeing. This is a failure at every level. Across Texas there is now a dangerous shortage of food. People freezing as they wait hours just to get into a store and once inside, this is what it's like. Wherever you are, Austin, McKinney, Fort Worth, Houston, look at this, shelves bare.

And amidst all of it, Marie Antoinette moment in the form of Sen. Ted Cruz. The Senator choosing to get out of town and head for sunshine in the beach. Here's Cruz at the airport in Cancun, Mexico earlier today about to board a flight back to Texas after getting caught jetting off for a vacation.

Cruz landing back in Houston just about two hours ago. You see in this exclusive interview on the jetway, this full bag packed for a long weekend. Earlier he had seemed to blame his children for the trip and very clearly was kind of saying, oh, his daughters asked him to take a trip with friends and he was just going for the night. And, well, just moments ago Cruz spoke to reporters about his vacation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): We left yesterday. The plan had been to stay through the weekend with the family. That was the plan. I started having second thoughts almost the moment. I sat down on the plane because on the one hand all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our family, that's something Texans have been doing across the state.

But I also have a responsibility that I take very seriously of fighting for the State of Texas and frankly leaving when so many Texans were hurting. It didn't feel right and so I changed my return flight and flew back on the first available flight I could take.

I couldn't take a morning flight because the current restrictions require a COVID test, so I had to get a COVID test this morning before I could get on a flight back, so I took the first flight I could get after getting the COVID test.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OK. Just to be clear here, Sen. Cruz is claiming he had second thoughts the minute he sat down on the flight. That's because people were taking his picture on the airplane, so he knew that he was caught. Let's just be clear about this. We all know what happened. OK. You got caught.

The storm that wreaked havoc across Texas is now part of a system that is affecting a hundred million people across the United States including the Northeast. So I want to talk about all aspects of this. First starting with Ed Lavandera who is OUTFRONT tonight live in Dallas. So Ed, tell me what you know now.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Governor here in the State of Texas has faced a week of blistering criticism. And after all of that, he says today that he accepts responsibility for the issues at ERCOT. That's the state power grid agency.

But right after that, he once again leveled severe criticism of the top executives at that agency who he says assured him that the state would have enough power to get through this winter disaster. We know now that wasn't the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Texas is bracing for another dangerously frigid night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R) TEXAS: We are not yet out of this. We will not stop until normalcy is restored to your lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): As another winter storm barrels in, the Governor is requesting a major emergency declaration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, what a nightmare. Oh, my god.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:05:03]

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Local officials are fed up and fearing the worst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D-TX), AUSTIN: The truth is, is that right now we're just trying to keep people alive and safe for the next two days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We expect to see that death count rise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a mess. It is a mess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): While power is being restored through much of the state, some 13.5 million Texans are now facing water disruptions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm out of candles. I mean in for a little bit of light. You can't charge batteries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): At grocery stores, there are long lines and empty shelves as food supply chains buckle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't find food and when you do, you have to stand on the line for five hours. This is ridiculous. Whoever is in charge of this, they need to run them off because that's not right. ABBOTT: I'm taking responsibility for the current status of ERCOT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But Gov. Greg Abbott is also reupping his attacks on ERCOT, the organization hired to manage more than 90 percent of the state's power grid. He says it had assured him they were prepared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBOTT: ERCOT failed on each of these measures that they said they had undertaken. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they're going to be corrected and Texans will get those answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): ERCOT CEO says it prevented a catastrophic power grid failure with no time to spare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAGNESS, ERCOT CEO: It was seconds and minutes, given the amount of generation that was coming off the system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Others are blaming Abbott and his state's focus on a low-cost deregulated power supply largely independent of the National Grid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAY JENKINS, CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIAL OF DALLAS COUNTY, DALLAS COUNTY JUDGE: The choice is not a federal takeover or people freezing in their homes. The choice is to require winterization of equipment like all 49 other states do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): One official who left the crisis entirely was Sen. Ted Cruz. Exclusive video shows the Texas Republican quickly returning tonight from a family trip to Cancun. He was photographed departing Houston yesterday. Cruz says his daughters wanted to take a trip, so quote, "Wanting to be a good dad. I flew down with them." And he added my team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): And Erin, at the peak of this disaster this week, there were about 4.5 million homes across the state that didn't have power. That number tonight is down to about 337,000, so a dramatic change just in the last 24 hours. And the Governor says he is also calling on state lawmakers to make it mandatory for power generators to add the weatherization to protect those plants to keep them working in such freezing conditions. But they've had decades to do that, years to do that, it was too little too late for this storm.

BURNETT: I mean, it certainly is and such damage. Ed, thank you.

I want to go now to Texas State Representative, Jon Rosenthal, a Democrat who represents Northwest Houston. I appreciate your time.

I mean, so you lost power for over 40 hours along with millions of others in your State. I can see the hole in the wall behind you, I believe that's related to that. Major issues right now for people who even have power back right, like pipes that burst and people lining up like at a well in a country that even lacks potable water.

I have to remind people this is the United States. People lining up at a well to get water. What is your biggest concern right now, Representative?

REP. JON ROSENTHAL (D-TX): So first, thanks for having me on. My biggest concern always is for our people first. And so, until they are safe, and warm and have water to drink, we're moving from third world status to second world status right now. Texas prides itself on being the energy capital of the world and we can't even light up our houses.

So, first concern is with our constituents and once we get them safe, then we can start addressing some of the solutions that we need to look at.

BURNETT: Giving me flashbacks when I was doing a report in Nigeria, it was the same thing. All power in the world and you couldn't keep the lights on. That was the whole point. I can't believe we're seeing it here in this country now.

And I know, Representative, that you worked in the oil and gas industry for 25 years. So, you know the specific details of the situation. And tonight, Gov. Abbott is slamming ERCOT, the electric council of Texas saying that there's going to be an investigation and then he went on to say this, sir.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBOTT: I'm taking responsibility for the current status of ERCOT. Again, I find what's happened unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, he says that I'm taking responsibility for the current status. How much do you read into that? Is that enough?

ROSENTHAL: Well, it is a welcome change from his statements over the last few days and it's a good start, nowhere near enough.

[19:10:07]

ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is appointed by him and they're actually controlled by the Public Utility Commission and the utility commissioners are appointed by Abbott. But all of it is directed by policy. It's all directed in statute and so unregulated and disparate system is all a product of decades of history. And to say now ...

BURNETT: And just to be clear, though, some of those people that he's put on the oversight board, they don't even live in your state. They don't even necessarily live in the country, right?

ROSENTHAL: That's correct. And I've already brought a bill to - when I found this out, I was alarmed. I'm here in the district in my house experiencing the same stuff that our residents are experiencing. And instead of making frivolous statements about windmills while our people are freezing or flying off to Cancun while people in the State are suffering, I'm here with the constituents living with them, experiencing what they experience, and I'm going to bring that voice to Austin in this session.

And one of the first bills that I'm filing about this is to require the commissioners, the board members of the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT must all reside in the State of Texas. I can't believe they live out of state (inaudible) ...

BURNETT: I can't believe you even have to do such a thing. I would agree with you. I think it's shocking to anyone listening.

ROSENTHAL: I know.

BURNETT: I appreciate your time and thank you very much.

And you mentioned people jetting off to Cancun, I want to go to Dana Bash right now. Dana, let's talk about Sen. Ted Cruz. I've been looking for the word throughout the day and then the word got more complicated. It's like what is the word that captures all of the things about Ted Cruz today, shameless, stupid, the temerity, the audacity? I don't even know.

He gets on a plane to go to Cancun. He's forced to turn around, because he's busted in all of these pictures and the world goes crazy about it. You tried all day to have people believe he was always coming home right away just being a good dad. His statement is, "Our girls wanted to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night." As if nothing about why he came home today, as if he was dropping them off.

Now he admits, oh, I intended to stay through the whole weekend, because that information leaked out from his 'friends'. Is anyone buying what Ted Cruz is selling today?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: No. I'll give you a word that you probably hear a lot and I do too, it's hutzpah.

BURNETT: Yes, that was the word.

BASH: I don't know, but they use that a lot in Texas.

BURNETT: I was like, does that capture it, but yes. BASH: I mean, not one word I think captures all of it, because it's a

complex event that we are watching here. And look, he did, in the press conference that you played earlier, he said he made a mistake. It took him a long time to get to that place and you said that you suspect that the reason he sat down in his seat and started to think that maybe this is a bad idea is because people were taking his picture.

I mean, he's a very well-known figure. First of all, look at him, he's wearing the flag of Texas on his mask. So it's not like he's trying to go incognito. But the thing that is - well, there are a lot of remarkable things.

One of the things that I was told today, Erin, is that some of his own senior staffers didn't know he was going to take this trip. And therefore there wasn't time to or there wasn't a preparation in place to at least try to explain it, which is part of the reason why it was so clumsy and muddied and just almost laughable the variations of the attempted explanation, because there wasn't really one.

The one explanation is he had the ability and the wherewithal to get out of Houston, to get out of Texas, to take his family somewhere warm, which is fine, unless you're the United States Senator representing Texas and it is the biggest disaster in the state's history.

BURNETT: I mean, it's amazing like sort of what made him just completely blind to this. It's pretty shocking. Dana, there's also the fact that he loves to call people out for this very thing. Back in the day, he had told Chris Christie, hey, go back and sit on the beach after that infamous mistake that the former governor of New Jersey made when the beaches were shut and he went and sat on one with his family.

And then there's a tweet KFILE spotted in December, just this December, Ted Cruz going after the Mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, for taking a vacation to a beach in Mexico during the coronavirus pandemic. Cruz calling out the Mayor hypocrite. "Complete and utter hypocrites. And don't forget Mayor Adler who took a private jet with eight people to Cabo and WHILE IN CABO recorded a video telling Austinites to 'stay home if you can." I mean so much irony here, Dana.

[19:15:03]

BASH: Yes. And hypocrisy and everything else that goes with it. Look, the fact is as you've been reporting on every night and we have been saying on CNN throughout the week, it is really, really bad there. And on top of it, I mean, I've talked to Texas Republicans, these are not Democrats, Republicans, who are telling me how - even before this with Ted Cruz - how angry rank and file Republicans are with their own party leadership; the governor and on down because of the fact that they have not been upfront, they haven't been communicative. So adding to that, the imagery and the ridiculousness of this ill-fated trip.

I mean, it's just like really the dumbest thing he's ever done, and he did it with his eyes wide open. Thank you very much, Dana. And next, 16 Republican senators are up for reelection in two years.

So as of tonight, do they stand by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who was in a public battle with Trump? We asked every single one of them and wait till you hear what they said.

Plus, encouraging news tonight about the Pfizer vaccine and the protection that one shot provides.

And CNN learning the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn are now scrutinizing New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo in his handling of nursing homes during the virus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:09]

BURNETT: Tonight, a tale of two states recovering from record cold and winter storms. In Texas, hundreds of thousands of people still in the dark without power now for the fourth day. Dallas, Fort Worth on your screen.

Neighboring Arkansas hit with the exact same storm, power though, fine across the state. And there's this video, I showed it to you last night and I have not forgotten it. It is incredible. This is the state line right in the middle of this highway, Texarkana, Arkansas on the right. That road completely cleared. On the left, Texas covered in snow. Cars crawling by and not even able to pay much bigger problem than just the grid there.

OUTFRONT now Republican Governor of from Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson. And Governor, I appreciate your time. Thank you for coming on.

So, look, you got hit with this storm, some parts of your state not as hard as others. But just that image that I showed there. Why is there such a difference in terms of what we're seeing and hearing from the ground? We don't have people lining up for water in your state. We don't have the power outages and something so basic is paving a road, you manage to pave the roads.

GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R) ARKANSAS: Well, we've been hit with a very severe storm. We've got 12 inches of snow on the ground. We've had record low temperatures in Arkansas, freezing. This is very unexpected. And we had a challenge with our regional energy transmission as well, but we've managed our way through it.

Part of it is that we're in a multi-state compact and where our regional energy transmission is combined with the flow of many different states that we work together to make sure we can cover the high usage areas and that we can meet demand. We still had challenges and I think there's a number of lessons that we're learning from this. We've got to diversify our energy sources. We've got to make sure it's weatherized because much of our natural gas comes from Texas.

And so when they have problems that hurts our natural gas supply here as well. And so, we've got to do that part of it in addition to making sure we increase the supply. BURNETT: Well, look, I understand there's lessons to be learned and

you're saying that. I do think though it speaks for itself, decisions you've made about the grid, but also just that very simple thing about paving. Paving isn't some complex grid situation. Plowing, I'm sorry, plowing a road is a basic thing. You were able to do it. Texas wasn't. We just saw the image there.

I want to ask you, Governor, because before you were governor, you were a three-term congressman. You were an impeachment manager in President Clinton's trial. So you know Congress, you know Washington. Former President Trump, as you know, has repeatedly attacked the Senate Minority Leader McConnell this week. The quote, as you now well know, right, he called him a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack.

Manu Raju, our reporter, is saying McConnell plans to just ignore Trump. But Lindsey Graham who, of course, you served with in Congress and you know well, as well as Senate impeachment manager is slamming McConnell. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): President Trump is the most consequential Republican in the party. If Mitch McConnell doesn't understand that, he's missing a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you agree with Sen. Graham to take the Trump side or what do you think McConnell should do?

HUTCHINSON: I couldn't disagree more with what Sen. Lindsey Graham has said. He has said that the GOP cannot win in 2022 without former President Trump. He has indicated that he defines our party. And certainly, he has a huge following in our party, but he cannot define this for the future. We have to define ourselves based upon our principles and what has brought us such success in the past and what the electorate has responded to.

And so, we have to win in 2022 based upon our principles, our philosophy and how we win the voters. Communication is a big part of it, and we have to give outreach to the Trump supporters. They're a huge part of our Republican base. And we have to identify with the issues they're concerned about, but it doesn't have to be defined by one person. It can be defined in many different ways and we can energize those voters, so I disagree that that is an essential part of our election strategy for 2022.

BURNETT: And yet, as you know, Kevin McCarthy has gone down to Mar-A- Lago. We've just confirmed that Trump turned down Nikki Haley's request yesterday for a meeting at Mar-A-Lago. Something he clearly leaked, but we've confirmed happened. Obviously, she was his former ambassador to the UN and is seen as a favorite for at least a frontrunner in the next presidential election for the Republicans.

Haley, as you know, Governor, had initially refused to call out lie that the election was stolen.

[19:25:02]

She told Politico, well, he believed it happened and he believed he was wrong, so it is what it is. She did change her tune after the deadly insurrection, saying his actions will be judged harshly by history. And now he refuses to even meet with her. Is that something that she should rue and regret or no?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I think it reflects the fact that it's hard to play the middle road on this. If in an ideal world you can state the truth, which is that former President Trump bares a great deal of responsibility, key responsibility for what happened at our nation's Capitol on January 6th, that is the truth. We ought to be able to say that.

At the same time, we don't have to ignore him for the future, but it's going to be difficult and people are going to have to take a side on this. They're going to have to determine whether Trump is going to dictate the future of the party or whether our principles and many other leaders are going to shape the future of our party.

And you've got to make that decision and we should not be defined by one person. Particularly a person who has made such an egregious mistake as what we saw happen on January 6th.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Governor, I thank you and I appreciate you for coming out and saying those things so bluntly. Hopefully someone like Sen. Graham will hear you take your cue. Thank you, Gov. Hutchinson.

HUTCHINSON: All right. Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, Florida officials blasting Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision to set up vaccination sites in certain areas. His response is a threat to take away doses.

And the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn now scrutinizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's handling of nursing homes. How much trouble is he in?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:44]

BURNETT: Tonight, a county commissioner in southwest Florida admitting that she chose two of the richest and predominantly white ZIP codes in her county to receive vaccine doses. She said she was doing, quote, exactly what Republican Governor Ron DeSantis wanted after he brought a vaccine drive to the county.

The commissioner also admitting that she asked workers to put her on the list to be vaccinated. One source calling this a, quote, VIP list.

OUTFRONT now, Nikki Fried. She's Florida's agriculture commissioner, the top Democrat in the state. So, Commissioner Fried, this is pretty incredible. This Commissioner

Vanessa Baugh is admitting all this, saying it chose two affluent ZIP codes to receive these vaccines, then ostensibly wanted to get on the line herself. She's admitting all this.

NIKKI FRIED (D), FLORIDA AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER: Yeah, it's pretty outrageous, Erin. You know, it should be told, vaccines are a public resource, and this is a public health crisis. There is absolutely no excuse for why the governor and this commissioner is using politics in order to give out these vaccines.

And this is corruption at its worst. This is why people don't trust the system.

And just to give you another statistic, right now in the state of Florida, 3.7 percent of the black population has been vaccinated, while 9.7 of the white population has been vaccinated at this point.

So as the governor is rolling out the red carpet for his donors and political allies, he's pulling the rug out from the minorities -- from different minority communities and communities of color.

BURNETT: I mean, there is bipartisan outrage over what happened here, Commissioner. One Republican commissioner saying, quote, you're taking the whitest demographic, the richest demographic in Manatee County and putting them ahead of everyone else. The optics are bad, very bad. I'm really disappointed, right? That's the sentiment that you have, right?

The point is it shouldn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican here. It's a problem.

And yet here's how Governor DeSantis responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): If Manatee County doesn't like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it. And we're totally happy to do that.

So, anyone that's saying that, let us know. If you want us to send to Sarasota next time or Charlotte or Pasco or wherever, let us know. We're happy to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: What do you say to that?

FRIED: It's outrageous. You know, it's absolutely ridiculous the fact he's using these vaccines and how they're being distributed as a political tool. There is absolutely no reason why an elected official should be using their power to put their family and their friends and political allies before the public good.

That's a public service is supposed to be about, serving the public, and that's the public as a whole, you know? So, we're looking into it and seeing what other measures we can take to hold the governor accountable and to make sure that this vaccine is being distributed equally across our entire state. This is just outrageous and borderline illegal.

BURNETT: It's interesting, though, one final point to you. He doesn't seem to care that Republicans are criticizing him. Why is he so emboldened?

FRIED: Yeah, this has been his M.O. for the last couple of years in this administration. It's his way or the highway. He really doesn't care about not only what people think about him, but certainly he doesn't care about the citizens of our state.

So, this is how he operates, and he just doesn't care. He's going to keep bullying forward until somebody stops him and that may be 2022.

BURNETT: Commissioner Fried, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

FRIED: Thank you for having me on tonight.

BURNETT: All right. And I want to go to Dr. Jonathan Reiner who advised the White House medical team under President George W. Bush.

Dr. Reiner, what is your reaction? I mean, you heard what she said. Democrats, Republicans are livid at this. The person admits that they did it, right? Puts it in the rich white ZIP codes and puts, you know, herself at the front of the line, admitted.

And DeSantis says, so what? You're mad? I'll send it somewhere else.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Yeah, it's just outrageous. But what it really highlights for me is the gross disparity -- well, in health care all over the United States, but also in COVID. We know that COVID has disproportionally affected the African American community. African Americans are almost three times more likely to be hospitalized and almost two times more likely to die from COVID than white people.

[19:35:00]

It's even worse when you look at the Hispanic community.

And as your previous guest alluded to, a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation has shown that white people in this country are vaccinated at about three times the rate as vaccinations for Hispanic people and twice that for the African-American community.

We need to be reaching out to these communities. We need to be proactively taking vaccine into the kinds of ZIP codes we're not reaching the people. The mayor of Washington, D.C. is doing that, proactively targeting parts of the city where vaccine hesitancy is strong and where large numbers of people have not yet been vaccinated.

And that's what I expect from the governors all over the country. That's what I expect from the governor of Florida.

BURNETT: Yeah, certainly not what's happening there now.

REINER: Right.

BURNETT: Doctor, let me ask you about the Pfizer and J&J vaccine. Researchers finding one dose of Pfizer may protect solidly. It is, though, a two-dose vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine, but now, we're hearing may, may become a two-dose one. I know there's good news in there. There's also though the question that, gosh, there's a lot we don't know here. Why do we not know all of this?

REINER: Well, we don't know everything because we've developed these vaccines at rocket-fast speeds. No vaccine has ever been developed as quickly as this, so we've done the trials that we needed to do to understand whether they're safe and effective. You know, if we had years to do this, we'd have all these answers. So, we're kind of figuring this out as we go along.

So the intriguing question about the Pfizer vaccine is if you look at the data and you exclude people in that trial after the first dose but before the first dose would have been effective, so it takes a while for the vaccine to create antibodies. So, I mean, if someone gets COVID two or three days after they received their shot, they just haven't had time to become immune.

But if you look at two weeks after the first shot, when people are really starting to develop immunity, and you look at -- and you compare that -- those patients, those patients have about 92 percent efficacy rate from that one shot of that vaccine.

So the question is if we want to extend the amount of vaccine available right now, why not focus on giving first shots to people and worry a little bit less about when the second shot comes.

BURNETT: Right.

REINER: It's an intriguing strategy, right.

BURNETT: It certainly is. And I know one that's being discussed, controversial to some, but certainly being discussed especially if they're all going to need booster shots, anyway, right, just go ahead with the single.

All right. Dr. Reiner, thank you very much.

And next, New York Democrats looking to strip Governor Cuomo of his emergency powers. Democrats. Yet Trump, Trump deflects when asked about Cuomo's handling of nursing homes. Why? Why Trump on his side?

An historic moment 300 million miles away, NASA's "Perseverance" touching down on Mars. I mean, it was an incredible moment. We saw the terrain. What can we expect once the rover is roving?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:00]

BURNETT: Tonight, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo facing more backlash for his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. State lawmakers moving forward with a bill to strip the governor of emergency powers that he was granted during the pandemic.

It comes as CNN is learning the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn are now looking into how this was handled.

OUTFRONT now, Jesse McKinley. He's the Albany bureau chief for "The New York Times." He has covered Governor Cuomo closely for years.

So, Jesse, you know, you have all this. You have, you know, all these people saying strip the governor of the Emmy Award he won for his press conferences every day. I mean, it's a loud, loud chorus right now.

How much trouble is the governor in?

JESSE MCKINLEY, ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, I have said the Emmy is the least of his worries at this point. The news last night that the federal agents out of Brooklyn and the Eastern District of New York are looking into his administration, must have been troubling for the governor and his associates. New reports out tonight make it sound as though those investigations were probably prompted in the last couple of weeks, maybe as recently as last week after his top aide said they didn't know what to do with this information, that they basically froze in the face of request from the federal government, although they did later provide information to the Trump Justice Department.

But those remarks seem to have (AUDIO GAP)

BURNETT: And it sounds like we might have just -- that shot may have just frozen. We'll give it here a second to see if we can get him back. Think we're going to get him back, guys? Hold on, we're hitting refresh. It's the way it goes in the COVID vaccine issues. Give us one second.

No? No, okay. We're going to get him back. Take a break? No -- break, we're going to take a break because I don't want to miss a second of this because I want to talk to him and also, I want to talk with a rover with an astronaut.

Next, the fight for the sole of the GOP is playing out right now in a crucial battle state. So, we have a special report on this after one of the state's U.S. senators voted to convict Trump. You got this about Senator Burr.

Plus, as I mentioned, NASA unveiling the first pictures from perseverance. This is it. This is what it's looking at. This is Mars, not Earth, Mars, just hours ago.

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:28]

BURNETT: All right. Jesse McKinley is back with me.

Sorry about that snafu. But, Jesse, all right, so, you know, we're talking about what's going to happen here, right? Governor Cuomo was someone who was seen as, you know, a very serious Democratic contender for a nomination at some point. But now, you've got all the Democrats slamming him, trying to strip him of his powers.

You have former President Trump, though, deflecting it, given the opportunity to kill the guy who took all the air time and got the attention as a hero while Trump was made to look bad and Trump refuses to do it. Says, quote, they get along.

Does that help or hurt Governor Cuomo?

MCKINLEY: Well, I mean, perhaps the former president has gone in solitaire retirement.

But, you know, keep in mind that Andrew Cuomo and Donald Trump know each other for 30 years. They did work somewhat closely at the beginning of the pandemic, before things went south, and the governor was complementary of Donald Trump's performance bringing up the Comfort ship.

And in his remarks to Newsmax, you know, he did take swipes at the governor, he could have saved lives. But Donald Trump's main source of vitriol seems to be for his fellow Republicans.

BURNETT: Amazing how that goes, right?

All right, thank you very much. I appreciate your time, Jesse, thanks. Thanks for dialing back in.

MCKINLEY: And you too, Erin.

BURNETT: And in other breaking news tonight, retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey defending his vote to convict former President Trump. Toomey writing in a new op-ed, and I quote the senator, because of President Trump's conduct, for the first time in American history, the transfer of presidential power was not peaceful. And it comes as another retiring Republican, Senator Richard Burr is facing growing backlash in his state over his vote to convict Trump.

Ryan Nobles is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: North Carolina, a battleground state at the center of the fight for the soul of the Republican Party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all in different stages of the grieving process.

NOBLES: A conflict that has intensified after retiring Senator Richard Burr voted to convict former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.

SENATE CLERK: Mr. Burr.

SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC): Votes guilty.

SENATE CLERK: Mr. Burr, guilty.

NOBLES: That decision drawing a swift rebuke from the North Carolina GOP which voted unanimously to censure Burr.

MICHAEL WHATLEY, CHAIRMAN, NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Republicans across North Carolina, the party leaders that I talked to, were shocked and disappointed with senator burr's vote.

NOBLES: Burr who has served in the Senate since 2005 says the reprimand showed the state party had, quote, chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party. But among Republican Party voters in the state, support for Trump remains strong.

JONATHAN FLETCHER, VOTED FOR TRUMP IN NORTH CAROLINA: I wouldn't change my vote at this point because I still believe in his policies.

[19:50:02]

But I'm also disappointed in some of the things that he's done.

NOBLES: And now, Burr's impeachment vote could complicate the race to replace him as the party debates its future with Trump no longer in the White House.

Former Congressman Mark Walker has already announced his candidacy. He's hammered Burr's vote and is courting Trump's support but hopes to appeal to all Republicans.

MARK WALKER (R), NORTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: Where there's places to create some separation on what I believe is the best path forward, I'm going to continue to do it. But at the same time, I am a big enough person to separate personalities from the policy at times.

NOBLES: The GOP primary here could get crowded. Former Governor Pat McCrory who's currently hosting a radio program in Charlotte, has not ruled out a bid.

PAT MCCRORY (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA: I'm not going to play the game of Republicans fighting each other. I've been a strong supporter of the former president. And, boy, his policies -- we've got to fight for his policies.

NOBLES: Some Republicans are talking up the prospects of Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law. She could be a leading contender, especially in the aftermath of the impeachment vote. SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): My dear friend Richard Burr who I like and

have been friends to a long time just made Lara Trump almost a certain nominee for the Senate seat in North Carolina to replace him.

NOBLES: A bid by Lara Trump would only magnify the former president's role in the North Carolina Senate primary. But while Republicans in the state still back Trump, there are signs his presence might not be welcomed by all, especially following the Capitol insurrection last month.

RICHARD WERNAU, VOTED FOR TRUMP IN NORTH CAROLINA: Yeah, it was disgusting. Yeah, it was very demoralizing. I voted for Trump and I was mad at myself.

NOBLES: In fact, nearly 6,000 Republicans in the state changed their party affiliation in the two weeks after the riot. Democrats in the state are watching and hoping the GOP divisions last through next year's midterms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Republicans are in the midst of a civil war and North Carolina is ground zero for that civil war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES (on camera): And Burr's impeachment vote has really made the Republican primary process for the 2022 midterms an open season. Three of the people that we talked to for this story could potentially be candidates. Mark Walker, the former congressman, has already announced his plans.

Both former Governor Pat McCrory and the current Republican Party chairman Mark Whatley refused to say whether or not they have ruled out a run, meaning they could potentially run.

BURNETT: Wow.

NOBLES: Erin, all told, there could be as many as ten Republicans running for the GOP nomination for Senate in 2022.

BURNETT: Incredible.

All right. Thank you very much, Ryan.

And next, an amazing accomplishment. NASA landing its rover, "Perseverance," on Mars. Former NASA astronaut is going to walk you through it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:25]

BURNETT: "Perseverance" has landed. That's the incredible first image from the Mars rover from NASA touching down on Mars at 3:55 Eastern Time this afternoon. After what NASA describes as those final seven minutes where they just have to rely on the technology, the seven minutes of terror. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Among those watching and thrilled was my son, Niall. He watched all day for hours waiting. And there it is. It's landed. Sharing the joy that I think everybody felt watching that great success for NASA.

Joining me now is an astronaut, done many spacewalks of his own, astronaut Michael Massimino.

All right, Mike, so this is an incredible achievement, right? On just every possible level. But it literally is landing -- it was going 300 million miles to land in like a pinprick of a location, right? But a place where there might once have been a river delta on Mars.

MIKE MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Yeah, absolutely, Erin. And thanks for having me and covering the story. It's a great story.

Yeah, it arrived right on time, right at the very moment that it was supposed to. It made that journey and arrived right on time. It was an old lakebed about the size of Lake Tahoe, which makes that area very interesting because water was once there.

There may be signs of life underneath the surface. Maybe some water underneath the surface. They wanted to explore there. But it was a very difficult place to land. And that's why they had to rely on so much autonomy and high-tech stuff that we have available to us now to do these types of landings because it had to work without people being involved and it all just came off wonderfully.

BURNETT: And you have this goal, right? Of people going to Mars and doing so. They say in the next decade or so or it's going to be more. But tell me what this perseverance is going to do to make that possible. I know it is incredibly more sophisticated than its predecessors including "Curiosity," which is still roving around out there.

MASSIMINO: Yeah. And in addition to the landing technology, that miracle of engineering that made this happen today, now the science takes over and that's also a lot of advanced instruments and discovery potential on this new rover.

So, we're going to be looking for -- when you talk about sending people there, what do people need? We're going to be looking at things that people need like water. Is there water present there? Maybe under the surface. We're also going to be looking at ways to create oxygen out of the atmosphere, which is primarily carbon dioxide.

When we take the oxygen out of carbon dioxide so we can make breathable air for people to be able to breathe once we go visit Mars when we do get there? And then also looking for signs of life. We're pretty sure there's nothing on the surface of mars but maybe underneath the surface there might be fossilized evidence of some microbial life from ancient times.

So, a lot of interesting things are going to be accomplished by this rover.

BURNETT: I mean, it's pretty stunning. You mentioned oxygen. I know it has a little -- I guess it was described as a toaster sized technology. It's literally going to practice creating oxygen. And it's also got a little helicopter. What's that going to do?

MASSIMINO: Yes. That is really cool. This is the first time we're going to be having a controlled flight vehicle flying around another planet. It's a different atmosphere. It's a much thinner atmosphere than earth. So, the aerodynamics are really tricky.

When I first heard about these years ago, I was like how is that going to work but they figured tout and they're pretty confident it will work. If it works it's going to be a great technology to have because now, we can send aircraft, a helicopter around to do surveying.

Rovers traditionally move very, very slowly. If you can get something up in the air and have it look around and look for sights that you might want to explore a little bit more, it's pretty exciting stuff. Great technology that enables science to occur.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thanks very much to you, astronaut Mike Massimino.

And to Jet Propulsion Labs, by the way, great program over the past five weeks for kids. Anybody from there watching we all really appreciated that who participated. Thanks.

And thanks to all of you for joining us.

Anderson starts now.