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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Daily Reminders How Much Work Remains After Chauvin Conviction; Congress Tries to Find Compromise on Police Reform Legislation; U.S. Vaccination Rate Drops 10 Percent in One Week. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 22, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The killing of George Floyd held up a mirror about policing in America. Will Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict bring any real change across the country?

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: The number of people getting vaccinated plunging 10 percent in a week. The reason behind the drop in demand.

ROMANS: President Biden looking to cement America's credibility on climate change. Will other leaders follow?

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is the EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

We'll hear from the president about 8:00 this morning Eastern Time, Laura.

JARRETT: Hey, good morning, Christine. I am Laura Jarrett. It's Thursday, April 22nd, 5:00 a.m. here in New York.

For nearly a year, we talked about a reckoning on racism and policing in this country but what has really changed? The conviction of former officer who killed George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, sparking renewed calls by some for reform, pleas that complied account daily reminders of why black communities feel unsafe.

The latest case, Andrew Brown Jr. fatally shot while deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, were serving a warrant on Thursday morning.

ROMANS: The deputy involved in the shooting is on administrative leave now. There is bodycam footage that has not yet been released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH RIVERS, PRESIDENT, PASQUOTANK COUNTY, NAACP: We are not going away until we get some cooperation, until we get some transparency. What are they hiding? We are feeling pain right now. We are hurting. We are tired. We are tired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: It happened a day after a black teenage girl was shot and killed in Columbus, Ohio. Body cam footage appears to show Ma'Khia Bryant lunging at another girl with a knife, but the question is whether the officer arriving at the scene needed to shoot her or could have disarmed her another way. He has been side if I had as Nicholas Reardon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ANDREW GINTHER, COLUMBUS, OHIO: Bottom line, did Ma'Khia Bryant need to die yesterday? How did we get here? This is a failure in part on our community, some are guilty, but some of us are responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Also today, the funeral for Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old shot by now former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota officer during a traffic stop, police claimed she thought she was firing her Taser.

And with emotions on edge two high profile athletes under criticism this morning, Brett Favre for saying it's, quote, hard to believe Derek Chauvin meant to kill George Floyd. And LeBron James who tweeted then deleted a picture of a man some identified on social media as the Columbus officer who killed Ma'Khia Bryant with the line, quote, you're next, #accountability.

ROMANS: All right. The Minneapolis Police Department is pledging to cooperate with a newly announced Justice Department civil rights investigation. A senior DOJ official says a civil rights division team is on the ground as the Biden administration intensifies its scrutiny of police practices.

CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest for us from Minneapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, the Biden administration apparently signaling that they will not hesitate to use the federal Department of Justice in order to investigate any police agency that may be accused of engaging in a pattern and practice of violation of civil rights. On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing the DOJ would do just that as it relates to the Minneapolis Police Department.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The challenges we face are deeply woven into our history. They did not arise today or last year. Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us. Good officers welcome accountability because accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community and public safety requires public trust.

CAMPBELL: And we know in the United States, there's no national police force. Police agencies fall under state and local control, but the federal government has the ability to launch these civil investigations if they determine a problem possibly exists. What we're expecting are lawyers from the DOJ to descend here in

Minneapolis, they will have the ability to interview members of the community, they will be able to interview people who may have encountered law enforcement, they will be able to talk to police officers themselves and go through this department's files, its arrest records and the like. Once again try to get to the conclusion of whether this department is engaging in a pattern and practice of the violation of civil rights.

Now, of course, that officer who brought the latest scrutiny on this police department, Derek Chauvin, was convicted on all three counts here, on Tuesday. For his part, we are expecting his sentencing will take place approximately eight weeks from now.

[05:05:02]

He is currently in solitary confinement, according to prison officials. That due to his own safety they say.

And, of course, the other three officers also charged in the death of George Floyd. Their trial is set to begin in August. We will wait to see whether they will also be convicted in this trial, this case that has been watched around the world -- Christine, Laura.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Josh Campbell, thank you for that.

So, will Washington finally do something big on police reform in the United States? The political hurdles are clear, but for many, there is no time to waste.

CNN's Daniella Diaz is on Capitol Hill for us this morning.

Daniella, after the jury convicted Chauvin this week, there seemed to be some chatter suggesting that that verdict could actually reduce the urgency of reforms on Capitol Hill. What are you hearing?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: I mean, it certainly seems that way, Laura, that because Derek Chauvin was found guilty this week, Democrats breathed -- all breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't have to work alone on this issue.

But right now, there is still some differences that Democrats and Republicans have that they need to reconcile to be able to agree on police reform legislation, but it's moving ahead. You know, they can't seem to agree this major sticking point being qualified immunity for police officers. Qualified immunity gives civil lawsuit protections to police officers and is a major sticking point for Democrats and Republicans.

You know, on one hand, you have Senator Tim Scott who is the leading Republican on this issue in the Senate, he is from South Carolina. He said he is proposing shifting the burden of responsibility from individual police officers to their police department. This is something he has proposed to Democrats. And then on the other hand, you have Karen Bass, House Democrat and

former Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman who wants this to go further, she wants more to be addressed -- wants police qualified immunity to go further and it be addressed further.

But, look, Democrats and Republicans are going to have to reconcile their differences on this issue, that is what we're watching this week to see if they can agree on legislation that they can get Republicans to sign on in the Senate.

And Karen Bass is optimistic, she has shared -- she was on CNN yesterday and shared that she is hopeful that Republicans and Democrats in the Senate can sign on to this legislation and agree with her on how this legislation should look like.

Here is what she had to say.

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REP. KAREN BASS (D-CA): Well, absolutely we will, and I think with the leadership of Tim Scott and Cory Booker, I think the stage is set for us to do that. We've had very fruitful conversations. I know that Senator Scott is an honest broker. He is serious about getting something done and he is also committed to working with his colleagues and bringing those Republican votes.

I can't bring the Republican senators along, but I do have confidence that if they will follow Tim Scott's lead, that we will be able to get the votes we need in the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: You know, as the leading House Democrat on this issue she seems very optimistic that she can agree on legislation with Senator Tim Scott, the Republican on this issue. First sign of bipartisanship we haven't seen in a long time in the Senate and the House.

But bottom line is they're going to have to work together to try to pass police reform legislation right now that they have the momentum after Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Daniella, thank you so much.

ROMANS: All right. To Oklahoma now where lawmakers have passed a new law protecting drivers who claim they accidentally ran over protesters. Governor Kevin Stitt signing a bill Wednesday that drivers cannot be held criminally liable for unintentionally hitting or killing protesters while the drivers are fleeing from a riot. It also makes obstructing a public street during the course of a protest a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison with a $5,000 fine.

Florida's governor also signed a controversial anti-riot bill into law on Monday that similarly criminalizes protesters blocking roadways.

JARRETT: Vice President Harris casting her first tie-breaking Senate vote on a Biden administration nominee. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50, the Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the motion is agreed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Harris broke a party line deadlock over the nomination of Colin Kahl to serve as the number three civilian at the Pentagon overseeing policy. Harris was already on Capitol Hill in case she had to break a tie over the nomination of Vanita Gupta to be associate attorney general, the number three at the Justice Department. But then, GOP moderate Lisa Murkowski, well, she crossed the aisle joining Democrats to confirm Gupta as the first woman of color to serve in that position at DOJ.

ROMANS: All right. Just about nine minutes past the hour, the number you need to know this morning, 10 percent. Why it matters for COVID vaccines and the economic recovery.

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ROMANS: A strong vaccine campaign can only be successful with buy in from the public. And this morning, we're seeing the first real signs that the demand for shots is indeed slowing down. Vaccinations are down about 10 percent in the past week, an uptick in hesitancy was expected when the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout was abruptly suspended.

But the latest data particularly troubling as the U.S. is approaching a tipping point. Supply is expected to outpace demand in the next two to four weeks, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

JARRETT: More than half of adults in the U.S. have received at least one shot now but the road to recovery relies equally on the other half.

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DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: There is 130 million Americans who haven't started yet and all the polls would say that a lot of those folks are still not sure, that they want to take part in this amazing opportunity to put this virus behind us.

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So we have to really figure out how to get the messages out there so that those who are still undecided get the information they need to see why this is really something they would want to do.

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JARRETT: The problem is if these trends don't significantly change immunizations could top out around 70 percent of the adult population, barely reaching potential herd immunity.

CNN has the pandemic covered coast to coast.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Phil Mattingly at the White House.

And President Biden is calling for the country to move into a new phase for vaccinations, tens of millions of vaccines are rolling out each and every week and the administration is now focused on ensuring as many people as possible now that everyone above the age of 16 is eligible can get those vaccinations. And part of that push calling on businesses of all sizes to give paid leave for individuals not just to get a vaccine but also to be able to recover from the vaccine if they have any side effects.

For smaller companies, there's actually a tax credit that is already in place to cover any employees that have to take that paid leave. For larger companies, the White House making clear it's incumbent upon them to help out with those efforts, to help their employees. Why? Well, it's easier to get back to business when employees are vaccinated of course when the pandemic goes away.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik in New York.

Cirque du Soleil has announced they will be back on stage in Las Vegas beginning this summer. The group will perform the show "O" at the Bellagio and "Mystere" at Treasure Island. Their return comes after Cirque du Soleil filed for bankruptcy, citing immense disruption and forced show closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Las Vegas so dependent upon revenue from shows and attacks, the return of Cirque du Soleil is another step closer to bringing tourism back to Vegas.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Watt in Los Angeles.

A sign of creeping normalcy, the Indy 500 end of May, there will be 135,000 fans in the stands. Last year, there were none. Signs that things are still not quite normal, fans will be temperature checked, they have to wear masks, there will be some distancing in the stands and also the speedway will still function as a vaccination site before and after the event.

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ROMANS: All right. Thanks to our reporters for that.

Now to the economic toll of the pandemic. Nearly one in ten American families struggled with unemployment last year with at least one family member losing a job. That's more than double the number from 2019 according to the labor department.

Eight-point-one million families suffered a job loss in 2020, communities of color bore the brunt of the hardship. Nine percent of white families had an unemployed family member. For Hispanic families, it was 14 percent. Why?

The pandemic hit the service and hospitality sectors really hard. Those happen to be the part of the economy that employ a disproportionate number of Hispanic workers.

The report also further highlights the devastating impact the pandemic had on women and families with young children. The jobless rate for mothers jumped to 7.5 percent last year. It rose to 5.6 percent for fathers. Millions of women were forced out of the labor force to take care of children or their elderly relatives while at home.

It's a report that as the economy is really surging this spring, Laura, it reminds everybody how much work we have to do here, and just how bad crisis was.

JARRETT: Yeah, everyone knows what's happening, the reality on the ground, but it's helpful to have the data to back up.

ROMANS: Yeah.

JARRETT: The search is on for an Indonesian navy submarine that went missing with 53 people on board. What rescuers found near the dive location.

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JARRETT: Welcome back.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warning foreign powers in making a not so veiled threat against his own people, as thousands take to the streets in a nationwide show of support for jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live in Moscow for us this morning.

Fred, what's the latest there?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Laura.

Well, the protests certainly were very big, not just here in Moscow but in other cities around Russia as well. I was actually at the main protest here in Moscow throughout the better part of the evening and then well into the night, and there were tens of thousands of people who were on the streets.

Here in Moscow, we really didn't see very much in the way of a hard crackdown from the authorities, they're by and large allowed people to march.

That was a very different scene than in some other Russian cities, especially St. Petersburg, there you had a tough crackdown, also had the police using some clubs and detaining a lot of people. In total, I just checked the numbers a couple minutes ago, more than 1,780 people were detained across this country just yesterday.

And you're absolutely right. It came on the day that Vladimir Putin did his state of the nation address here in Russia and he did make some not so veiled threats against Western countries, specifically against the United States saying that no country should cross Russia's led lines as he put it. That Russia itself would define those red lines and that Russia's response to all of that if that were to happen would be very swift, asymmetrical and very hard. In fact, he said it would be tougher than anything any country could imagine that dares to mess with Russia.

Now, all this have comes as new satellite imagery seems to indicate an extreme buildup of forces on the Crimean peninsula which, of course, Russia annexed in 2014. The Russians have continuously been saying that their military buildup in that region is specifically for exercises there. Ukraine especially but the U.S. as well very concerned about what's going on and then the Russian president yesterday with some extremely tough talk towards Western nations, specifically towards the United States, Laura.

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JARRETT: Yeah, certainly something to keep an eye on there.

All right, Fred, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Indonesia's navy is searching for a submarine that disappeared during a military exercise. Indonesian defense officials say they lost contact with the sub during a torpedo drill Wednesday. There is an oil spill you can see via aerial surveillance near the dive point that's suspected to have come from this vessel. Officials say the submarine had the capability to dive up to 1,600 feet below sea level but believe it may have gone as much as 700 feet below that depth.

JARRETT: Well, many want to believe the coronavirus is behind us. It's not. One country just registered the single worst day of the entire pandemic. That's next.

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