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CDC Director Warns Variants Could Spark Another Surge In Cases; AstraZeneca: Coronavirus Vaccine 79 Percent Effective In U.S. Trial; New York City Public High Schools Reopen For In-Person Learning; White House Announces Senior Administrative Officials Traveling To Mexico & Guatemala; Former Top Capitol Riot Prosecutor: "Unequivocal That Trump Was The Magnet" For People To Come To DC On January 6th. Aired 12- 12:30p ET

Aired March 22, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: I'm Kate Bolduan, thank you so much for being here. Everyone at this hour there is good news on what could become the fourth COVID vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States. This morning AstraZeneca reported the results of its large scale U.S. trial.

The data showing that the vaccine is 79 percent effective in preventing symptomatic illness 100 percent effective against severe disease and hospitalization. During the trial they also are reporting there were no reports of serious side effects including blood clots and that had been a major concern.

As you know, after a very small number of people in Europe developed clots after receiving the vaccine it led to multiple European nations putting the vaccine on hold well now AstraZeneca's data reports there's no significant risk. This news comes at a critical time in the pandemic with dangerous variants spreading more rapidly across the country.

And cases plateauing at a high level, something the CDC director called very concerning during a briefing last hour.

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DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: These statistics should serve as a warning sign for the American people. As I've stated before the continued relaxation of prevention measures while cases are still high. And while concerning variants are spreading rapidly throughout the United States is a serious threat to the progress we have made as a nation. I am worried that if we don't take the right actions now we will have another avoidable surge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Avoidable surge despite that warning, people are still traveling, still flying especially for spring break. Air travel is breaking pandemic records as nearly 10 million Americans flew over the past week.

Joining me right now is Dr. Craig Spencer, Director of Global Health in ER Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. It's good to see you again. What do you think of the data coming from AstraZeneca?

DR. CRAIG SPENCER, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: It's great. It's encouraging. It's really nice to have this big trial over 30,000 participants, great efficacy data, great news on hospitalizations and severe disease. This is wonderful. The more vaccine the better I will say that it's likely to not have a huge impact here in the U.S.

We already have hundreds of millions of doses we have supply contacts for Pfizer, Moderna and many other vaccines. By the time that the AstraZeneca gets approved, it may be that we already have enough of the other vaccines to meet our need.

I think getting FDA approval or emergency use authorization from the FDA would help quell some of those concerns that we've heard in recent weeks in Europe, especially since the AstraZeneca vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines everywhere in the world.

BOLDUAN: You raise something I was actually going to raise with you about what the AstraZeneca vaccine means to the United States right now? Because the U.S. has a stockpile of the AstraZeneca vaccine waiting authorization and Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University, he is - he put up what he even acknowledged he said was an unpopular opinion on this.

Let me read you what he tweeted. He said we should give away the millions of doses of stockpiled AstraZeneca vaccine. Don't I care about vaccinating Americans? And he says, by the time the AZ AstraZeneca is authorized by the FDA, we'll have lots of vaccines. This the time to use AstraZeneca here would have been in January by May, we won't need it. I assume you think he's spot on.

SPENCER: 100 percent I said the exact same thing a week ago. And a few weeks before that I wrote a piece about global inequities in the vaccine rollout and how they're undermining our response here in the U.S. Look, we're sitting on a vaccine millions of doses of the vaccine that we're not even using. Well healthcare workers, my colleagues in many other countries don't have access to a vaccine.

And may not for months or years from now I think the right thing would be for the U.S. and other wealthy nations who have ordered and have supply contracts for more doses than they have eligible people to start getting them out to other countries that are still dealing with this pandemic.

We have more than enough in our supply chain that will be coming by the end of May; the president has said that everyone will be able to get a vaccine. The AstraZeneca numbers weren't even calculated and included in that calculation. We have more than enough.

I think it's time for us to do our part and help get the rest of the world vaccinated. It gets them safe and it keeps us safe as well.

BOLDUAN: Because this is - and this is something you know I've talked about because the - we're not safe until really until the world is safe because of how this vaccine - how this virus is.

SPENCER: Absolutely look, the AstraZeneca vaccine showed great efficacy here in the U.S. and 30,000 participants. But there's been some concern in South Africa where it was trialed, where the B1351 vary in the circulating where it didn't have great protection against mild and moderate disease.

And so if those variants are allowed to continue to circulate, they can undermine the efficacy of the vaccines that we already have. And it could make it so that this pandemic continues a lot longer than it otherwise would have. Had we been proactive as getting the world vaccinated as we have been getting the U.S. vaccinated?

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BOLDUAN: Also kind of on this front, you know, you've been on the frontlines and you've spoken very powerfully about what you and other healthcare workers have been up against for more than a year seeing just the worst of what Coronavirus does to people.

I'm curious just as to what your reaction was and is when you see the images and the kind of the scenes coming out of Florida and spring breakers and everything that's kind of unfolding right now.

SPENCER: What I've been saying is that I know a lot of us are done with COVID. But COVID is not done with us. You know here in New York City we've plateaued. Every one of my recent shifts, I've seen more COVID patients than the last. If you look nationally, the number of cases has plateaued in the past month.

Everything that Dr. Walensky from the CDC mentioned, you know, sure we have vaccines that are rolling out quickly, but we have variants that may be rolling out even faster. We need to keep up the public health measures that we know will help keep the virus in check just a little longer. The summer is going to be great, but spring does not have to be horrible.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Spencer, thank you for coming in.

SPENCER: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So some of the country's largest school districts are making clear moves now to reopen and get students back in the classroom. Today New York City's public high schools reopened for the first time in nearly a year. Mayor Bill de Blasio he went to welcome back some students in the Bronx when they arrived today.

About 55,000 high school students are now backing in classrooms in New York. That's a lot and that is wonderful. That is still a fraction of the district's highest high school enrollment. Also take a look at Los Angeles, the nation's second largest school district. It just announced it will begin reopening schools by the middle of

next month. The nation's third largest school district Chicago, it will also reopen high schools next month. Joining me right now is the new Chancellor of New York City Public Schools Meisha Ross Porter, thank you for coming in.

A big day for New York City public schools elementary reopened for in person in December, middle school than last month today, high schools. You yourself have a - have a child heading back to school right now. With this milestone, how much of the student community is going to be back in person now?

MEISHA ROSS PORTER, CHANCELLOR, NYC DEPT. OF EDUCATION: So we expect to have about 20,000 high school students back 55,000 total students back in New York City. And we're just excited. We know students need to be in classrooms and we're excited to begin to welcome them back.

BOLDUAN: 50 I mean, that still - I mean, I'm a parent of a kid going to school. I'm happy when anyone can be back in the classroom that still is a fraction of this very large school district that we have here in New York City. How do you get to 100 percent? Do you expect to get to 100 percent back in person by the fall?

PORTER: We want to get as close to 100 percent in person in the fall. But we also know we have to honor the choices and decisions our families are making. We're looking forward to working really collaboratively with families to make decisions so that they; you know are trusting in our system trusting in our readiness.

We have done a lot of work and followed all of the health and safety measures to date. And so you know, we are going to be ready and excited to welcome our students back to school in the fall.

BOLDUAN: What do you think - I mean yes, the goal is 100 percent. What's the realistic? What's the - what are you planning for?

PORTER: Yes, so let me just correct something. We have 315,000 students total 55,000 high school students, we got back today. So just want to clarify that. Tell me your question again?

BOLDUAN: What is your realistic expectation of how many - how much of the student body you're going to have back in the fall?

PORTER: I expect that we'll have 80 to 90 percent of the student body back in the fall. There may be some students and families who have underlying medical conditions that we need to consider. But we want to make sure that 100 percent of the students who want to be back in classrooms are back in classrooms and we are prepared to be ready for them.

BOLDUAN: What are you doing about the change to CDC guidance from six feet of distance between students to three feet, especially for at least elementary school students?

PORTER: Yes well, we announced Friday we're opening up the - opt in period on Wednesday for two weeks for all of our families to have an opportunity to opt back into school. And we expect to in April welcome - start by welcoming our elementary students back in who have were choosing to opt back in based on the three feet rule.

BOLDUAN: You know, every school district is different and has its own challenges of course. And I was - there's a lot written about one particular aspect of New York City public schools in the - in the reopening plan because as with many districts, it's been a roller coaster in returning for in person for New York City public schools.

There have been multiple shutdowns of schools often stemming from this two case rule that the district has in place which requires schools to shutter for up to 10 days if there are two unrelated positive cases confirmed in a building.

That was put in place in agreement with the teachers union to get reopening started. Do you think this rule now is too limiting and causing unnecessary disruption?

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PORTER: So we're looking at the two case rules along with the new CDC guidance, which speaks in some way to this, this role as well. And we just look forward to continuing to count collaborate with our union partners to ensure that everybody can come back into our building safely.

BOLDUAN: You've been on this job for I believe it is exactly one week.

PORTER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: And I'm just sitting here wondering what it has been like to come in as the new champ - new chancellor of the largest public school district and the country in the midst of what is quite frankly the hardest school year that has ever been.

PORTER: Well, it is day six. And as a lifelong New Yorker, it is an exciting moment to be the Chancellor of New York City public schools, as a public school parent, as a former teacher, principal, assistant principal superintendent.

It's exciting to bring all of those voices to the table as we begin to make decisions about reopening our school system in the fall. But also thinking about what summer opportunities we're going to create for young people. And so I'm excited about this moment. I'm excited about this opportunity.

Yes, it is challenging, but I think we're on the other side of the pandemic. And so this - we are right with opportunity at this moment.

BOLDUAN: Good luck. Chancellor, thank you very much for your time.

PORTER: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Still ahead for us we are just learning that the White House is sending officials to Mexico and to Guatemala as the administration continues to struggle to handle the surge of migrants at the border. As we're ready - as we're getting new images of course, also coming in from temporary shelters at the border housing some of these migrants.

Plus Miami Beach declares a state of emergency over massive crowds of spring breakers. Just look at that. Coming up the Mayor of Miami on what's being done about the situation now.

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BOLDUAN: Top Biden officials are traveling to Mexico and Guatemala to meet with government officials. They're about managing migration. This announcement comes as we are getting these new images from inside one border facility in Texas, as the country deals with a surge of unaccompanied children now in border patrol custody.

These pictures released by Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar's office show an overflow border of facility in Donna, Texas from over the weekend cramped bear and quite frankly, it's unsustainable. These pictures are important this morning.

Because the Biden Administration has still not allowed press access to these facilities. CNN has learned as of Sunday, there are almost 4900 unaccompanied minors being held in U.S. customs and border protection facilities. More than 800 of those children have been in custody for more than 10 days, which is longer than the 72 hours allowed under U.S. law.

Joining me right now is CNN's Kaitlan Collins from the White House. Kaitlan the administration has struggled with the message and the policy at the border in these first two plus months that they have been in office. So what is going on behind the scenes now?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's becoming increasingly urgent by the day because as you just noted, those numbers are not changing, they're only getting worse for the administration to have to deal with and while surges of the border have been a problem that not only Biden's predecessor but also when Biden was Vice President and President Obama was in office.

This is something that several presidents have had to deal with. But of course, now it is President Biden's leadership that is going to be questioned here about how they are approaching this. And I think they are trying to get out in front of this and say that they are on top of this.

And that's why you saw the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on basically every major political Sunday show yesterday talking about what they are doing. And of course, that comes after he himself had been at the border over the weekend looking at these facilities as there are record numbers of unaccompanied migrant children being held in these facilities.

Being held in facilities that are jail like basically not for children intended to be held in and not legally allowed to be held in for over 72 hours though many of them are and basically he was defending their response to this and trying to say that yes, their message is that the border is closed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are elevating our messaging so that the individuals do know that they cannot come to the border, the border is closed. We are encouraging families not to send their children along the dangerous journey because so many do not make it safely.

We are encouraging them not to do so the message is quite clear do not come. The border is close the border is secure. Now is not the time to come, do not come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now of course Kate, the question is, is that message getting through because they have been saying this for basically a month now. And we are still seeing these record numbers of people at the border. And they've emphasized who they are turning away at the border.

Of course they say they're not turning away children. That's a policy that had gone to the courts during the Trump Administration and again in January. And so the question also is the conditions that these kids are living in when they're being held in these border patrol facilities as the White House in the admin are scrambling to find space for them.

And so far cameras have not had access to these facilities like we did in 2019. At the surge of that crisis is well during the Trump Administration. And we've been asking for this for about a month now in the White House press briefings to these interviews to these officials as well.

And Mayorkas was pressed on this multiple times yesterday. He did not commit to a timeline but said they were working on providing footage of these facilities and access to them. Talking about the pandemic though of course not really giving a timeline of when reporters will actually be allowed in Kate.

BOLDUAN: And Kaitlan Republicans are seizing on the mixed messages that have been coming out of Biden team. What are you hearing about that?

COLLINS: They certainly are. I mean, they have struggled really to find an attack line on Biden they couldn't find one with the Coronavirus relief bill. As you notice they didn't really coalesce around a messaging there.

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COLLINS: But they are trying to do it with immigration because of course, they know how important that is to voters. And it's even something that Former President Trump is talking about. He was interviewed earlier today. And he was saying that he doesn't believe President Biden's immigration policies are, "humane" though of course. Donald Trump faced a lot of criticism when he was in office for that zero tolerance, separation policy where they were separating children's - children from their parents and their mothers and fathers so of course him calling that not humane.

Of course, he is one who also had not humane policies that were way more severe than what we're seeing right now. But the fact is, is that this surge is happening. This is a crisis this is going on. And so the question is how long this going is on? Going to go on? And what are they going to do to fix it?

And we should note, Roberta Jacobson who is President Biden's southern border coordinator is going to Mexico today to meet with Mexican government officials to talk about how they can stem the tide of these migrants that are coming up to the border. So we'll see how that meeting goes.

BOLDUAN: Yes, Kaitlan, thank you very much. Now to the ongoing investigation into the January six Capitol riots, there have been more than 300 federal criminal cases now started related to the siege charges have ranged from destruction of government property to conspiracy.

Well, now a former top prosecutor in the insurrection investigation says sedition charges could be on the table. CNN's Whitney Wild has been following this. She's joining me right now. Whitney, what are you learning about this especially from this new interview?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this would be the most significant charge in the entirety of this Capitol riot case. So we know that there have been conspiracy charges, sedition is by far the most serious, it can carry a penalty of 20 years. So that at this point would really be the pinnacle of these prosecutions and the charges here.

What we know from previous CNN reporting is that prosecutors think that this is possible they have recommended sedition charges. It is a very high bar. It is extremely serious. And so at this point, senior officials at the justice department have to sign off on those charges. Here's what the former U.S. Attorney for DC had to say Michael Sherwin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SHERWIN, FORMER ACTING DC U.S. ATTORNEY: I personally believe the evidence is trending towards that and probably meets those elements.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you anticipate sedition charges against some of these suspects?

SHERWIN: I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that as we go forward, more facts will support that Scott.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITNEY: Kate, the other big headline out of that interview was echoing what CNN has previously reported, which is when it comes to the question of whether former President Donald Trump was culpable was liable. Prosecutors are looking at everything Kate.

BOLDUAN: Whitney, thank you very much. Joining me right now is former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern district of New York Elie Honig. Honig, on sedition, can you talk to me about what you think this charge requires? What it means for the direction of this massive investigation?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Kate, sedition charges absolutely need to be on the table here. Now people hear this phrase sedition and it feels like a very dramatic charge to bring right overthrowing the government.

However if you look at the law, there's actually simpler ways to charge and prove sedition first of all, trying to interfere with the governmental function.

That's a way to prove sedition. What were those rioters doing in the Capitol that day; they were trying to stop the counting and the certification of the electoral vote. And second, even more simply seizing or occupying a federal building without permission. We also have right in front of us. So I think sedition charges absolutely could be applicable here.

BOLDUAN: The fact that Michael Sherwin left open the possibility that investigators are looking at the rule of Donald Trump in this insurrection. The way that he worded it, I think is really talked about it is quite important I think, let me play that.

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SHERWIN: It's unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to DC on the sixth. Now the question is, is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege during the breach?

What I can tell you is this based upon again, what we see in the public record and what we see in public statements in court, we have plenty of people. We have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying, well, I did this because my president said I have to take back our house that moves the needle towards that direction. Maybe the president is culpable for those actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So Trump's acquitted in the Senate of this very thing, right. I know obviously, very different from a criminal case in a criminal investigation. But what do you think this means now?

HONIG: It really interesting comments from the prosecutor that I think he's making quite clear that he believes there may be charges applicable against Donald Trump. Ultimately that's a decision that's going to have to be made by the new leadership of the justice department.

Remember during his confirmation testimony, Merrick Garland said essentially that he said we will follow all leads wherever they take us. Any good prosecutor knows you can't just charge the lowest layer players here. You can't just charge the people who physically committed the crime.

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HONIG: You have to look beyond whom planned it, who incited it. So Merrick Garland's only been in office not quite two weeks yet. But that's going to be the first key test for him.

BOLDUAN: Elie is it surprising that Sherwin went so far kind of in this interview and how far he went in his comments. I mean, he was just like literally moments ago the lead prosecutor in this investigation.

HONIG: It is unusual, Kate. We are trained at the Justice Department; you do not speak to the press while you're at the Justice Department. Now, Michael Sherwin has moved on. He's no longer in charge of the Capitol riot cases, but he's still a sort of regular prosecutor within DOJ. So it's very unusual to see somebody do that?

Why he did it. Perhaps he's trying to put some pressure on the bosses there when they have to make this decision that we know is coming.

BOLDUAN: That's interesting. Thanks, Elie. Coming up for us Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency as the city attempts to get that city back under control after multiple nights of scenes like this. The Mayor of Miami is our guest.

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