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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Rep. Liz Cheney Faces Ousting From Leadership With Plea To Party; India Reports Highest 24-Hour Case Surge Of COVID; Sec. Blinken And Ukrainian President To Hold News Conference. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired May 06, 2021 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:32:09]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's about half past the hour here in New York.
"History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process. I am committed to doing that no matter what the short-term political consequences might be."
Those words from Republican Liz Cheney in a new "Washington Post" op- ed. The Wyoming congresswoman all but certain to lose her number-three House leadership post after a lonely defense of the truth that last year's election was not stolen.
ROMANS: Those facts inconvenient for most of Cheney's Republican colleagues who not only want to rise in a party in the grip of former President Trump but benefit from the aftereffects of the big lie as it fuels the GOP's current attack on voting rights across the country.
The current president weighing in.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It seems as though the Republican Party is trying to identify what it stands for and they're in the midst of a significant sort of mini-revolution going on in the Republican Party.
I've been a Democrat for a long time. We've gone through periods where we've had internal fights and disagreements but I don't ever remember any like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A mini-revolution.
The House GO -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): -- joining with us today. It's an honor --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The House GOP message is chaos, frankly. That, no doubt, distracts from President Biden's accomplishments and his agenda.
JARRETT: An agenda that the GOP will oppose at all costs. This isn't being done in secret. It's a time-tested strategy, even yesterday, by Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.
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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): One hundred percent of our focus is on stopping this new administration.
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JARRETT: President Biden shrugged off those comments, which echoed exactly basically what McConnell said during the Obama administration.
The president is due to host his first bipartisan meeting with Republican leaders, including McConnell, next week.
ROMANS: All right. A moratorium on evictions imposed by President Trump and then extended by President Biden shot down by a federal judge. She paused the order from going into effect immediately but the future suddenly very tenuous for the one in seven renters -- one in seven renters behind on their payments.
More now from CNN's Kyung Lah.
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KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, news that potentially could affect millions of renters in this country.
I'm talking about the eviction moratorium. It is something that stopped evictions in its tracks here in this country. It was imposed by the CDC.
Well, a federal judge ordered that the CDC did not have the authority to extent that moratorium in this country. So now, this moratorium was scheduled to expire on June 30th. This pushes a deadline up to essentially right now.
[05:35:07]
So now, what does this mean? Does this mean that we'll see evictions immediately start to take place as we saw during some states during the height of this pandemic? It's a little unclear. So far, there have been a rush of legal appeals. The Department of
Justice has already filed an appeal, the Department of Health. Expect non-profits to get involved to try to stop evictions.
If you live in a state like California that has a state eviction ban, that means that the people in the state of California would not directly and immediately be impacted -- or other states that have these types of state eviction bans.
But certainly, Christine and Laura, this is concerning news for any renter who has gotten behind on their rent -- Christine, Laura.
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ROMANS: All right, Kyung. Thank you so much for that.
President Biden all in on raising taxes for companies and the rich.
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BIDEN: We're not going to deprive any of these executives of their second or third home, travel privately by jet. That's not going to affect their standard of living at all. Not a little tiny bit. But I can affect the standard of living of the people I grew up with if they have a job.
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ROMANS: The president wants to raise taxes on high earners, investors, and companies, lifting the top income bracket back to 39.6 percent and the corporate tax rate of 28 percent. The Chamber of Commerce called the latter dangerously misguided but Biden argues the rich won't feel it, and economists point out companies have been paying less for years, even before the 2017 tax cuts.
The effective corporate tax rate -- that's taxes as a share of earnings -- look at that. It's been falling for about 50 years and is at historic lows.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic vote, has said he would not agree to a corporate tax rate above 25 percent.
Biden says he's open to compromise on the final number and vowed taxes won't rise for anyone making less than 400 grand a year.
JARRETT: Overnight, India reporting its highest 24-hour COVID surge -- over 412,000 new cases -- and a new record death toll. The country's healthcare infrastructure already crumbling and now a new warning from India's top health adviser.
Vedika Sud is live on the ground for us in New Delhi. I don't know how this situation really could get any worse at this point so what is the plan to turn it around, if any?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Now imagine you're in a war. You're losing soldiers, you're tired, you're fatigued. And then all of a sudden the person who is commanding your troops says there's another war we have to fight.
That's exactly what happened on Wednesday when there was a health pressor held where the representatives came out and announced there is a third wave that is going to hit us. It is inevitable. We must prepare.
And that is happening at a time when we are in our second wave and losing people. We've got the highest numbers globally, and even our death toll is the highest that India has ever seen to date.
And that wasn't the only announcement. Finally, the Health Ministry came out to say yes, there is a link between the Indian variant. And in the last 1 1/2 months the deaths and the numbers that you've seen as far as the caseload is concerned, there is a link but that has to be clinically co-related.
So these are the big two takeaways from the health press conference yesterday.
And this comes at a time when an institute in India, itself, has projected very staggering figures. They're saying by June 11, India could see 50 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and almost double of its total fatalities that currently stand as data here in India. So it's a very grim situation.
Supplies are now finally being sent and distributed across India that's coming in globally. And what's interesting is even the CDC in the U.S. has said that the Indian variant for them is a variant of interest, Laura.
JARRETT: All right, Vedika. Thank you so much for all of your reporting, as usual.
ROMANS: So, concern about India's COVID catastrophe is spilling across its borders. Neighboring Nepal reported a record number of cases Wednesday. The surge now reaching one of the world's highest peaks.
EARLY START is covering the pandemic around the world.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong.
As a second wave of COVID wreaks havoc across India, in neighboring Nepal the Red Cross is sounding the alarm warning of a human catastrophe. The number of infections and deaths has reached record highs with authorities confirming that cases have exploded across the country by more than 1,200 percent since mid-April.
For the largely impoverished population of almost 30 million people, its health system is on the brink of collapse with hospitals at full capacity and medical supplies in desperately short supply.
The prime minister has appealed to the international community to assist with emergency aid and vaccine so as to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Paula Newton in Ottawa.
And Canada says it is the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine for children as young as 12 years old. Now, public health officials here say this will be a game changer, especially since Canada continues to struggle with a punishing third wave of the pandemic.
[05:40:09]
Now, some kids could see the vaccine in their arms as early as next week but more likely, mass vaccinations of children. Adolescents really won't happen until summer.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Cyril Vanier in London with this remarkable turnaround here. In England and Wales, preliminary data suggests that more people are now dying from flu and pneumonia than COVID-19.
The COVID death toll in England and Wales last week was 260. Compare that to more than 8,000 deaths the last week of January at the peak of the third wave. Since then, a strict lockdown and a rapid vaccination campaign have brought COVID-19 deaths to their lowest level in seven months.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Blake Essig in Tokyo.
Medical experts, specifically in Western Japan, say the medical system has completely collapsed. In Osaka, according to the government Web site, the hospital bed occupancy rate has maxed out at 103 percent. Nearly 3,000 people are waiting to be hospitalized.
Nationwide, despite the case count going down, the number of patients with serious symptoms is climbing, setting a new record nearly each day this week. Officials say virus variants are becoming dominant with cases among younger people who are getting seriously ill on the rise.
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JARRETT: Thanks to all of our reporters for those updates.
We also just found out that Tokyo wants to extend its coronavirus lockdown until May 31st. Obviously, not good news for the Olympics that are set to begin this July, so we will keep an eye on all of that.
All right, now to this story we brought you yesterday. The U.S. military says it is not considering shooting down that out-of-control Chinese rocket that is plunging toward earth. The rocket is set to reenter the earth's atmosphere sometime this weekend.
Now, the military could use a kinetic strike to break up the rocket but the Pentagon says it's too soon to make that decision until they have a better sense of where it will come down.
ROMANS: All right, to Ukraine now. The U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in Ukraine meeting with President Zelensky and other leaders. We can see him there live. We'll take you there in just a moment.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: -- along the line of contact in Ukraine. And cyber --
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[05:46:26]
JARRETT: This morning, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in Ukraine meeting with President Zelensky and other leaders. You're looking at live pictures there of Blinken's visit coming at a critical time for Ukraine, which wants more U.S. support as tensions with Russia obviously ramp up.
CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Kyiv. Matthew, we're soon supposed to hear from them at a conference. Is that right?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're giving a sort of joint press conference halfway through this visit by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Ukraine. And already, so far, President Zelensky has made a formal invitation to President Biden to come at some point with his vice president to Ukraine on an -- on an official visit.
The Secretary of State has said he's here to underline the Biden administration's support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
All that, of course, as Ukraine fights a long-running war against Russian-backed rebels in the east of its country and faces natural direct fights -- threats, rather, from Russia as well, in terms of its buildup of forces across the border in western Russia and the buildup of its naval forces in the eastern seaboard -- or the eastern seaboard of Ukraine as well.
The visit, Laura, is also seen as a way of trying to draw the line as well under what's been a very difficult, very uncomfortable chatter in the relationship between Ukraine and the United States, namely, former President Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is being investigated by the FBI now about his dealings in Ukraine.
Earlier, I spoke to the Ukrainian foreign minister about that very painful thorn in the side of that crucial relationship. Take a listen.
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CHANCE: Do you believe he may have engaged in criminal behavior?
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, I'm not a lawyer to make my judgment on the criminal nature of his behavior or --
CHANCE: How would you characterize it?
KULEBA: Well, the absence (ph). But he was definitely playing politics and he put the situation at risk for Ukraine and for Ukraine's relationship with the United States. And we did our best to avoid that trap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, some quite critical words there from the Ukrainian foreign minister about Rudy Giuliani. They have to tread a very careful path. They don't want to take sides in what they see as a very internal, very toxic U.S. political battle.
The question now, though, I think for everybody in the Ukraine, is how much support the Biden administration is actually prepared to give this country in its standoff with Russia and Russian-backed forces.
It wants NATO membership, it wants weapons, it wants money to prosecute its war. At the same time, remember, the Biden administration wants to find, in his words, a stable path with Russia. And so if he does any of those things it potentially will upset Moscow and escalate tensions here, Laura.
JARRETT: Yes, a tricky line there to tow.
All right, Matthew Chance. Thanks so much.
Well, first it was a little bragging around the watercooler at work, then it was a failed match on Bumble. Now, a grandmother's gossip leading the FBI to a man who took part in the Capitol riot on January sixth.
The New Jersey man turned himself in this week after a chain of conversations outed his participation in the insurrection.
The mother of Robert Petrosh told a good friend her son had been at the Capitol riot. That friend then told her grandchild. That grandchild then told the FBI. I hope you can keep up with that.
Petrosh was released on bond. He faces multiple charges related to the insurrection now.
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ROMANS: All right.
Facebook's Oversight Board has ruled the company was right to ban then-President Trump in the immediate aftermath of that Capitol right, but the independent board says Facebook cannot make the suspension indefinite without some official rule permitting that. That means one of the platform's biggest dilemmas is now back on the desk of CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook now has six months to decide Trump's fate.
JARRETT: So, right-wing media had a field day with the board's decision but let's be clear here. Day-after-day, including yesterday, most of Facebook's top 10 links are straight from conservative sources.
But the broader issue of policing global leaders on social media is not confined to the U.S. Facebook's decision will affect other nations where leaders are known for inciting violence on the platform. Think about leaders in Myanmar who inspired violence towards Muslims.
Historically, social media companies have been wary of stepping into political debates and it's even more complex overseas with different laws, languages, and histories.
All right. A firing squad could be added to South Carolina's list of execution methods. The State House voting for the change because of a shortage of lethal injection drugs. Condemned inmates would have to choose between getting shot or being electrocuted if lethal injection drugs aren't available.
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has said he will sign the bill adding his state to a list of those that include Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Utah.
ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this Thursday morning.
First, over to markets around the world. Asian shares closed mixed. European shares have opened slightly lower here but not a big move there. On Wall Street, stock index futures at this hour moving up just a little bit.
It was a mixed day in the U.S. on Wednesday. The Dow up 97 points, the S&P 500 finished up, but the Nasdaq dragged down by losses in healthcare.
Stocks of vaccine makers fell on news the U.S. supports waving patent protections for coronavirus vaccines. Moderna, down six percent. BioNtech fell three percent.
Moderna, Volkswagen, and Anheuser-Busch report first-quarter earnings before the opening bell. We'll also get a look at the recovery in the labor market. Weekly jobless claims later this morning -- they're expected to hit a new pandemic low as layoffs slow.
Google is changing its option for employees to return to the office. Google said workers around the world can work remotely until September first. After that they can choose between going back to their pre- pandemic office, they can work out of a Google office in a different city, or they can work from anywhere if their role allows it. Google previously said all employees would need to go into the office three days a week.
Peloton has recalled all of its treadmills and admitted it was wrong to fight the government's request that it do so. About 125,000 treadmills are included in the recall.
A federal safety agency said there have been 70 accidents and the death of a child tied to the treadmills. Peloton said it will work with the government to set new industry safety standards for treadmills.
Peloton's stock, a seven-month low, closing down 14 1/2 percent.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Starship heading back to the landing zone.
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JARRETT: A big day for SpaceX. A Mars rocket prototype landing upright back on its Launchpad. This was the fifth SpaceX prototype to attempt such a landing and the first to do it successfully. If flew six miles above earth and went through a series of aerial acrobatics before two engines were relit for its return.
ROMANS: All right, put your bidding hats on. Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin is now accepting offers for its first space tourism flight. This will be the only seat for the sale -- for sale to the public. The flight will take place onboard the rocket called the New Shepard, which has been in development for six years.
Online bids can be placed until June 12th. A live auction will determine the winner. The mission launches July 20th.
JARRETT: She was only expecting seven but a woman from Mali gave birth to nine -- count 'em -- nine babies at a clinic in Morocco. All of the newborns were delivered via C-section. The five girls, four boys, and the 25-year-old mom are said to be all doing very well.
This appears to be one for the record books, as well. The current Guinness record for the most live births at one time -- Christine, get this -- is eight.
ROMANS: On my gosh, one crying baby is a lot. Nine crying babies -- and, you know, I think that the doctors were surprised, right, because they saw -- they could see seven on the ultrasound.
JARRETT: I guess some were hiding.
ROMANS: The nine -- the nine was a surprise for them. But we wish them all well.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
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[05:59:10]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar alongside John Berman on this new day.
Trump or the truth? Liz Cheney, being ostracized by her party, declares that Republicans are at a turning point.
Plus, the GOP slams President Biden for a lack of bipartisanship, but an admission from Mitch McConnell hurts their case.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So we pointed out all the bizarre ways the Capitol insurrectionists have been caught but there's a new one this morning. How grandma's gossip did one of them in.
And as American cities begin to fully reopen we'll speak live with a scientist behind the Pfizer vaccine about whether that's a risk.
KEILAR: A very good morning to viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Thursday, May sixth.
Liz Cheney is not going down without a fight.
