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CDC Director: Wearing Masks "Important" To Slow Spread Of COVID-19 Variants; White House Expects 3-4 Million Doses Of J&J Vaccine By Next Week If EUA Issued; House Set To Vote On COVID Relief Bill This Week; Key Committee Votes Postponed In Trouble Sign For Tanden Nomination; Neera Tanden's Nomination As Budget Chief In Jeopardy. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired February 24, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Things could be changing. I really appreciate. And thank you all so much for joining us this hour. I am Kate Bolduan. The news continues and John King picks up our coverage right now.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Hello everybody and welcome to Inside Politics. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing what is a very busy news day with us big news in the Coronavirus fight. The FDA now says Johnson & Johnson single shot Coronavirus vaccine clears its bar for emergency use.

Final authorization from the FDA should come a bit later this week. A green light there would add millions more doses to the critical vaccine push, priority one now for a Biden COVID team that just moments ago gave a pandemic update.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: One of the most impactful things we can do is wear a mask and this is so important during this critical period where cases are declining but variants that spread more easily are increasing throughout our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Awake and responsive those are the words doctors in California now using to describe Tiger Woods this morning. That after lengthy surgeries the legendary golfer suffered open leg fractures meaning the bones breaking through his skin after his car crossed onto the wrong side of a California road smacked into a curb than a tree and landed on its side, an update there in a moment.

Back here in Washington more progress in getting key Biden cabinet jobs filled. The president's pick to leave the CIA for example getting a confirmation hearing today but another major personnel pick is in serious jeopardy.

To committee votes on near attendance nomination to run the office of management and budget were postponed today. She simply doesn't have the votes right now. And the White House is scrambling this hour in hopes of avoiding its first Capitol Hill defeat.

The Budget Chief Job that's a powerful job anyway but this Tanden fight is also a reminder that with a tiny democratic edge in the house and an evenly divided Senate, every sensitive Biden personnel or policy move is a high wire act. The president's big COVID relief package is another early test it hits the house floor Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): The notion that we have people working for $7.25 an hour which is the current federal minimum wage is egregious Joe Biden promised not a return to normalcy. But to build back better building back better includes a $15 per hour minimum wage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: More on the politics of COVID relief just ahead. Let's start though with the pandemic. And the likelihood the United States will soon be adding a third vaccine to its arsenal. Let's walk through some of the numbers right now.

If you just look at a state by state trend map, things are improving. We know without a doubt things are improving but from a miserable high point. 31 states in green that means they are trending down fewer new COVID infections now than a week ago.

31 states 17 that's the base holding steady meaning about the same only two states reporting more new infections this week compared to last week. So the map is improving. If you look at it this way, you see the case count from the beginning of the year.

Case counts coming down back in January 1st 153,000 plus new infections a day. Now we're averaging a little over 70,000. Case count comes down hospitalizations coming down as well progress in cases progress at hospitalizations. This is the sad and stubborn statistic.

The death count essentially stable since the beginning of the year 2350 yesterday it was 21,025 on January. This is a lagging indicator beginning to trend down, but this one's going to take a while longer still a lot of sadness in the picture.

One key weapon to getting that down is vaccines. Of course 14 percent of Americans have received their first dose 6 percent are fully vaccinated so some progress there but still a long way to go.

If you look at the seven day average, the winter weather this number took a hit. The Biden administration was up above 1.6, 1.7 million dip down a little bit back in about 1.5 million doses in a moment.

We'll talk about the plan to try to accelerate that, especially as the more doses come in 240 million doses. That is now the promise of Pfizer Moderna. And if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as expected gets approved for emergency use on Friday 240 million doses available by the end of March and shipped out.

Johnson & Johnson is the new vaccine. The FDA saying the safety checks look good. The committee will vote on this on Friday. It has been proved as effective against moderate severe Coronavirus, 72 percent effective rate in the United States 68 percent in Latin America.

You see somewhat less effective in South Africa where you have that vile variant there, but the J&J vaccine getting pretty good scores so far. This is amongst severe Coronavirus cases in the United States. It prevents 85 percent of severe cases, no hospitalizations or death in its clinical study.

So the J&J vaccine could be part of the pipeline. Within days the top White House COVID response coordinator saying add those doses to what's already in the system. Get them out to the states quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE CORONOVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: The governor's are carefully planning their efforts and getting ready for the possible new vaccine. If authorized we are ready to roll out this vaccine without delay. If a EUA is issued we anticipate our three to 4 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:05:00]

KING: Let's get straight insights from infectious disease specialists and epidemiologist Dr. Celine Gounder. Dr. Gounder grateful for your time walk through the importance of this perhaps not as many doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine upfront as people would have liked.

But still three to 4 million next week and you build from there. How significant is it a) to have a third vaccine. But b) this is a different vaccine. Its one dose and you don't have the cold storage problems.

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: That's right. It's a much more easily delivered vaccine because it is just the one dose. And we don't need this ultra cold storage that at least until now we've needed for Pfizer and Moderna.

I think the number one message viewers should take away is get whatever vaccine you're offered first, whatever you can get your hands on is the vaccine that's right for you.

All of the vaccines, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been shown to be 100 percent effective in clinical trials at preventing hospitalization and death.

And that's why we vaccinate we don't vaccinate to prevent the cough and sniffles we vaccinate to prevent hospitalization and death. So they're really all equivalent from that perspective.

KING: And another announcement today, we talked about vaccines and the doctors have consistently you included have said vaccines are great. But don't let down your guard, we need to continue to mask up social distancing. Take the necessary precautions if you will. The White House announcing it's going to distribute 25 million masks to community health centers around the country and also to food pantries and food banks. Well we know Americans have been lining up in the middle of this pandemic. Jeff Zients who's the White House COVID coordinator explaining the significance of this listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIENTS: On mass the cost will be $86 million. And we really believe that this policy makes a lot of sense. In that it allows you know people who are not able to in some situations find or afford a mask.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What do you think of this approach? Essentially they're saying in places where maybe people either don't have the money don't have the resources don't have the access, we're going to essentially put a mask right in front of them so they can grab one.

DR. GOUNDER: Yes. So me and other members of the Biden-Harris COVID transition Advisory Board recommended that the administration distribute masks to households across the country. And I think what they're doing is really smart.

They're targeting the communities that are most vulnerable that have been hit hardest and where the risk of transmission is greatest. And these are also people who may not have as easy access to masks. So I think it makes a lot of sense.

I think unfortunately Americans have been getting somewhat complacent big picture about the mitigation measures and especially with the emergence of these new variants. Until most people especially that highest risk can get vaccinated, we really do need to double down on things like masking.

KING: And the most part is still a couple months down the road at best as we hope optimistically more vaccines in the pipeline. Dr. Gounder as always grateful for your important insights and expertise we'll talk again. Thank you.

To the politics now of COVID relief and the dual Biden administration challenge hold Democrats together on a pandemic relief deal. That is the Biden administration's top legislative focus.

And to win the messaging fight on a package Republican say is simply far too big with us to share the reporting and their insights CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Seung Min Kim of The Washington Post.

So Jeff Zeleny tell me let me start with you in the sense that the administration feels like it's in good shape here. However you can already see the Hakeem Jeffries at the top of the show saying the house progressives, they insist the minimum wage should be in there.

It will pass the house on Friday. If the Democrats keep their boats together, the periods they will then it goes over to the Senate. Where is the president on the horse trading here? JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well the

president obviously first and foremost once this bill to pass. Whatever it takes to do that, that's what he wants, he wants to win. He believes that this money is necessary to keep the vaccination supply rolling out to open schools et cetera.

But we are about to see the first challenge for the Biden White House of corralling all of these Democrats. Up until now in the first month plus this administration has largely been focused on Republicans, President Trump now we are going to see potentially a Democrat on Democrat.

Some issues here. So the president himself wants this to pass the all eyes in Washington or on the Senate parliamentarian. You may ask why that is because she will have to make a decision. If it is germane if it is allowable to have the Senate votes on the $15 federal minimum wage hike in this reconciliation bill.

If she does that creates some issues for Democrats as well. You know other aren't necessarily 50 votes that in fact there probably aren't 50 votes that if she does not it makes it a little easier in the short term, but harder in the long term here.

So a lot of this is out of the White House's hands here. And that's a potentially uncomfortable place for White House to be when they don't control all the cards.

KING: And Seung Min it is the first legislative initiative and we're going to talk in a moment about one particular cabinet pick is in trouble for the president.

[12:10:00]

KING: The President Biden knows this just about anything important he does is going to be hard because you got four votes to give in the house and no votes to give in the United States Senate.

You and your colleagues write about this today. And I just want to put up for viewers watching. The president believes he has pretty good public support. It's a plan that has $1400 in direct payments per person. It's targeted based on your income, increases federal weekly boost to $400.

That's unemployment aid, nutrition assistance, homeowner assistance, expanded child tax credit funding for k through 12 schools increased subsidies for health care under the Affordable Care Act. So the individual pieces the White House beliefs are popular.

But as we just teed up with Jeff, it gets hard now when the more progressive house things, some of those proposals are absolutely essential. But then you get over to the 50-50 Senate where Biden is going to lose. The question is how much is he prepared to lose?

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: So you've heard President Biden actually talk for a little bit in the last couple of weeks being skeptical that the $15 per hour minimum wage increase would actually survive because of the Senate parliamentarian issue that Jeff just discussed earlier.

So he's been kind of whether intentionally or not managing expectations. But yes, he is running - running against first of all certainly a progressive of force in the Senate and in the House who are adamant about - about putting this minimum wage increase on there.

Obviously Senator Sanders, leader of the Senate Budget Committee, a key force behind this. But also you know, centrist like Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema who oppose this $15 minimum wage for various reasons.

So for example if a Senate parliamentarian does decide that this minimum wage increase is allowable, then how much does the Biden White House, how much does Chuck Schumer want to work with Joe - to not make it $15 per hour, but 11, or 13?

That's horse trading that's negotiating that neither the White House nor Democratic leaders have been willing to engage in just yet. But it may be necessary in the coming weeks or in the coming days to get those key votes.

And you certainly do see the power of just one Senator in this 50-50 Senate. And just how the focus has turned so much to what Joe Manchin will do and what Kyrsten Sinema will do on this critical COVID bill in the coming days.

KING: And one thing, stick with Seung Min from it the administration has tried to do is to say OK, we're going to have Washington negotiation. We're going to have arm twisting, we're going to have trading, we'll see where we get in the end of trying to insist that it has broad support out there with the American people.

Including what you would think of traditionally as a Republican constituency meaning corporate America, the White House noting just Goldman Sachs, Google, Intel, IBM, American Airlines, United Airlines, those are just some of the companies.

From your time when you do reporting at the White House, but then up on Capitol Hill are in terms of how the administration is selling this, are they breaking through?

KIM: They are certainly not breaking through. I mean our sources have told us that they don't expect House Republicans nor a single Senate Republican to end up supporting this bill by the bill at the end of the day, if all those pieces are kept together.

And there are no major amendments that are made. I had - we had a pretty remarkable chat with Senator Susan Collins yesterday probably the most centrist Republican in the Senate.

First of all she said the discussions with the White House with those 10 Republican Senators had, "stalled". And they were really focused now on trying to make amendments that could get a majority of the Senate that could change the bill, more to the Republican liking when that bill comes to the floor in the Senate in the coming weeks. But then you have to you know wrangle with the more progressive house,

would they accept any changes that are made by the Senate? Because like you mentioned earlier John, they have such a narrow margin of votes to work with as well over in the House and with the Biden White House get on board with that.

So these are all kind of puzzle moving pieces that we'll have to see in the coming weeks. But right now we're expecting solid Republican opposition to this bill on Capitol Hill.

KING: And that just is what makes part of this Washington conversation pretty fascinating in the sense that the new president knows this. He has to do this largely with Democratic votes. He remembers the earlier Obama administration. But you do see Republican Senators.

I call this the search for Senator Biden. He's President Biden now but you have Republican Senators, Mitt Romney writing in the Wall Street Journal by the stimulus bill is a $1.9 trillion clunker.

Rob Portman, Senator Rob Portman, Republican writing in the Washington Post Biden problems bipartisanship their rhetoric hasn't been matched by action. Those Senators that Biden's position is the president's position is I won the election.

Then we won Georgia. If you want me to compromise, you have to come away closer to me. I don't have to come closer to you. But they seem to be clamoring. Is it to gum up the works or just to get attention?

ZELENY: I think to get attention also get into his head perhaps. I mean they you know, he obviously reads The Wall Street Journal on these things. And he did indicate Friday the president to that he's willing to negotiate on the top line number.

But the reality is first and foremost they want to get this bill passed. They have lessons from oh nine in their head. They are not going to let any Republican as well intentioned as they may be to hijack this bill or delay it. They want to get it passed. That's job one for President Biden.

KING: Jeff and Seung Min are going to standby. Up next for us the White House now sticking by a cabinet pick even as her nomination teeters very much on the brink.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Team Biden is learning today it has little room for error with cabinet nominees in the 50-50 split Senate. And it's facing right now what could be his first defeat on Capitol Hill.

This morning two Senate committees delayed planned votes on your attendance nomination to become the director of the office of management and budget signaling her nomination is in peril and simply might not survive. Right now though the White House sticking by its choice this from the

Press Secretary tweeting this morning. Deborah Tannen is a leading policy expert. She has a broad spectrum of support and has a strong record of working with both parties that we expect to grow in President Biden's cabinet as the first South Asian woman to lead OMB.

Back with me CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Washington Post Seung Min Kim, Jeff she's a close friend of the Chief of Staff Ron Klain. She was one of the early appointees nominees announced by President-elect Biden. The votes are simply not there this hour. And so you have the president you have his Chief of Staff trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

[12:20:00]

KING: The question is how long will they continue the search before they say not going to happen?

ZELENY: And in this case, that rabbit is Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republican of Alaska. She's likely the only Republican possibly to vote for this. She said there's time she's not indicated how she's voting. But there's also a question about Democratic support.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Cinema Democrat of Arizona has also said has also not said how she'll vote. So look, the reality is a couple things are going on here. One, the White House does not want to sort of in the middle of all of these contentious confirmation hearings this week showed defeat.

They're trying to delay this process as long as possible. And they do believe that there is a legitimate argument that there's a double standard, a sexist double standard here. That is coming up to bite.

One of the first nominees I mean, for the last four years the idea of a mean, comment on social media, it doesn't even compare to what near attended has done. So is there a double standard? Yes, there probably is. Was this always going to be a tough nomination? Yes, it always was.

And most presidents lose at least one cabinet secretary. President Obama last three for health and human services for commerce secretary actually, excuse me. So this is not all that big of a surprising deal. But in the moment, it is a big deal. And they like near attendant run clean especially like scenario.

KING: It's a big deal a, for the personnel and then b, just for the idea that everything centrally if anything controversial because the divides are so close. So if you get one then there's the Republicans are going to think they can get more.

And Democrats who are trying to get more out of the White House are going to say we can get more as well. So Seung Min, let's come back to that. And Jeff does raise a good point. Mean tweets were a trademark for four years of President Trump and Republicans you know, we'd usually just run down the halls when you tried to ask them the question and not answer it. This is Senator John Cornyn, a top Republican on the floor of the

United States Senate. There's - I'm going to say right up front. There's a lot of hypocrisy here. But listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): My friendly advice to President Biden is to withdraw near attendance nomination and select someone who at the very least has not promoted wild conspiracy theories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So we should withdraw the Trump presidency I guess from the historical record, if that's the new Republican standard. But that is the status the test of Republicans. And so if you're President Biden, OK, I don't have Republicans.

That means you need every Democrat. The Democrat who said, I can't vote for her first with Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Listen here he insists this is just on the idea that he cannot support somebody with that tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, there's been some complained that your - the opposition to Neeta Tanden is sexist. What do you make of that?

MANCHIN: Oh, come on, It's not personal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: He says it's not personal. Well maybe it's not sexist, but it's not consistent. He voted for Rick Grinnell, a Trump nominee who was before that a Fox commentator who said some pretty mean things on Twitter.

KIM: I see exactly. I mean, Rick Grinnell, when he was being nominated to be Ambassador of Germany had some pretty fiery partisan even toxic tweaks of his own. And several you know, most Republicans - most if not all Republicans and several Senate Democrats supported him for that position.

But I think the difference between the situation beyond kind of the obvious is that at the end of the day you know, fair or not near attended attacks Senators directly. I mean, she had made comments about Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz and whatnot.

And Senate you know, Senators, they don't necessarily have control over President Trump. But they do have control over who gets - who gets nominated to the cabinet and they are certainly exerting that power right now.

KING: And to that point, she did - she was pointed and in every administration, I'm not forgiving A, I think it is sexist. B, it's certainly inconsistent anyway from what happened four years ago, but she did do what she did. And Jeff let's go through some of it pathetic that's August 2018 a

tweet about Susan Collins she is the worst another tweet about Susan Collins right there. December 2017. If Susan Collins and Jeff Flake actually believe that's about immigration.

So three times after Susan Collins who's still in the United States Senate, but also forever - attendance was a big Hillary Clinton supporter. This is from February 2018. Russia did a lot more to help Bernie than the DNC is random internal emails did to help Hillary.

So there's bipartisan angst about her past Twitter handling. Again she was a Hillary Clinton supporter; she was involved in a progressive think tank. A lot of people in Washington tweet their politics.

The question is I guess, is everyone else supposed to know if you have any aspirations of being in the cabinet someday? Keep the fingers off the keyboard?

ZELENY: Probably. So I mean that would have - when she was tweeting that in 2016 of course she did not think that she would be nominated for OMB. But the Bernie Sanders situation, Senator Sanders is very interesting.

When she was nominated no one necessarily knew that he would be Chairman of the Budget Committee. Republicans were still likely in charge of the Senate so that - so Georgia happened obviously in the intervening weeks there during the transition period.

So look, we'll see where this goes most people I was speaking to someone who's close to her this morning. They say that she understands.

[12:25:00]

ZELENY: She understands where this is going. It's unlikely she'll be confirmed. It's still possible. Depends how much the White House - how much you want to fight for this is it will. Is it worth them right now to give up a huge shit for something you need when you may need something else down the road? So we'll see.

But the reality is, yes, it's a double standard and be if she's not confirmed, there will not be that much surprised by her friends and her enemies alike.

KING: And they're already saying they'll find another job somewhere in the administration. For her that doesn't need Senate confirmation. Jeff's Zeleny, Seung Min Kim grateful for the reporting and insights. We'll keep an eye on that one in the hours ahead.

And coming up for us a bit of a shift Tiger Woods now awake and recovering more about the emergency surgery he had after a dangerous high speed car crash.

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