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New CNN Poll: Biden Approval Rating at 53%; Biden Delivers Joint Address to Congress on Eve of 100th Day; Pennsylvania Voters Evaluate Biden's First 100 Days in Office; Outside Group Warned Capitol Security Officials Day Before Riot; New Video Shows Moments Before Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting; Juror in Chauvin Trial: Every Day Felt Like a Funeral; Joe Rogan Wades Into Anti-Vax Narrative on $100M Podcast. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired April 28, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: NEW DAY, live from Washington, starts right now.

[05:59:53]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Brianna Keilar, alongside John Berman live from the nation's capital on this "NEW DAY" as President Biden is set to deliver one of the most important speeches of his presidency so far. A brand-new snapshot of how Americans feel about his performance.

Plus, just in, newly-revealed emails show that Capitol officials were warned about the insurrection plot in advance of the attack.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're hearing from the first juror to speak out in the Derek Chauvin trial. What he's telling CNN about deliberations and what was the turning point in the courtroom.

And he just signed a $100 million deal with Spotify, but Joe Rogan misleads on vaccines.

KEILAR: A very good morning to our viewers in the United States and around the world. It is Monday, April 28 here in Washington, and tonight, President Biden marks his first 100 days in office by delivering his first address to a joint session of Congress.

He will be touting the vaccine rollout and his response to the pandemic, as well as his efforts to jumpstart the economy.

Only 200 are invited to attend the address. This is one-eighth the usual size. And this morning, we are learning more about what the president will say in the speech that will look and feel very different than any we've seen before.

BERMAN: First of all, thanks for having me over to your house.

KEILAR: It's lovely to have you.

BERMAN: Nice place you've got here. President Biden also laying out the next phase of his economic plan, a

$1.8 trillion federal investment in education, childcare and paid family leave. That's on top of the $2 trillion infrastructure package still working its way through Congress.

And a brand-new CNN poll out just moments ago giving us a fresh look at the president's approval rating heading into his address tonight. CNN political director David Chalian is here with that, the never- before-seen numbers on the president's approval rating. David, what have you got?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Take a look at this, John. His approval rating at the 100-day mark, 53 percent approve, 43 percent disapprove.

I want you to look at this approval rating by party. It sort of speaks to the polarization here. Look at this: 93 percent of Democrats approve. Only 7 percent of Republicans approve. So this speaks to our polarized America.

And let's put Joe Biden in his historical context, John. You can see here, he's down near the bottom of the pack, actually, even though he has the majority support, something Donald Trump never had. He's sort of in the Bill Clinton range, but you see our polarized country is sort of what keeps that number down here right now.

BERMAN: I think he should just be excited to be invited to this party here.

And this may speak more to polarization, where we are now, than anything else, because when you actually look at the issues, it's a little bit of a different story for Biden, and that may, these days, be a better way to look at things.

CHALIAN: Certainly. Take a look here. We tested a whole bunch of issues. Coronavirus is the thing that is driving his popularity right now. Sixty-six percent, two-thirds of the poll respondents, approve of how he's handling that issue No. 1, the virus.

Fifty-four percent environmental policy and racial injustice. Fifty- two percent on his commander in chief role. Fifty-one percent -- again, a majority -- on the economy. Fifty percent on taxes. Forty- eight percent on foreign affairs. These are his two weak spots on issues, immigration and gun policy.

BERMAN: Economy, he's doing better than he has ever done on the economy, in terms of his approval on that.

CHALIAN: Yes. His number is up on the economy.

BERMAN: All right. Tonight, the president's first address to a joint session of Congress, not a State of the Union but basically, the same thing. What are you looking for tonight?

CHALIAN: Well, I'm taking a look at a few things here. The theatrics, first and foremost. It's not going to look the same as we've seen previous addresses, simply because of the coronavirus protocol. So you're going to see fewer people in there. We always look to see half the crowd stands up, half the crowd sits down. Who's applauding; who's not. So the theatrics are going to be entirely different. Nobody's running to the center aisle to shake the president's hand.

So is it a quieter affair? Is it a more intimate affair? I think all of that is going to be something to watch.

And then watch his priorities. It matters how much time he spends on an issue. We know he is going to tout shots in arms, checks in hands. This is his popularity. He has a very successful vaccine rollout and the COVID relief package.

But he's rolling out this new American family plan. He has the infrastructure piece, the traditional infrastructure piece to sell. How much time does he spend on that, versus gun policy or immigration or voting rights or some of the other issues that matter so much to the country. Keep an eye on the clock on that.

And then finally, this historic photo, OK? Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, two women for the first time in American history, sitting behind the president.

Think about this, John. You know. Joe Biden, 36 years in the Senate. He sat through seven presidents giving speeches like this, in the audience. Then he sat behind the president for eight years as vice president at speeches like this. And now it is a totally different image to have these two women, two Californians standing behind -- sitting behind him.

[06:05:07]

BERMAN: And look, and when Nancy Pelosi was speaker for the first time, when George W. Bush turned around, as the first female speaker, that was a moment that was indelible for so many people who were there.

David, Kim Scott, the Republican, will be delivering the Republican response to this. What do we expect from him?

CHALIAN: Well, we experience -- he is a person of this moment, right? I mean, we are experiencing this conversation right now after the Chauvin trial and verdict about police reform in America, and he's actually the lead Republican on this bill, trying to find a compromise with Cory Booker and Karen Bass. So I'm looking to hear what he has to say about that.

But obviously, also, he's got to thread the needle. There's a very divided Republican Party. How does he keep that Trump base enthused? But actually, you saw Joe Biden is winning with independents. What does Tim Scott do tonight to begin to have Republicans in a post-Trump era reach out to the middle of the country?

BERMAN: You know, Karen Bass told me last night she hopes to have a bill the president can sign on police reform on his desk within the next couple weeks. I don't know if that's overly optimistic, but she sounded pretty positive on it, so it will be interesting to see. David Chalian, it's so nice to see you in person, albeit six feet away. It's great to see you, my friend.

All right -- Brianna.

KEILAR: John, he is a proud son of Scranton. So how did people in Pennsylvania feel about Joe Biden's first 100 days in office? We went to find out, as the president prepares for his first address to a joint session with Congress tonight. Jeff Zeleny is there in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which is a key swing county in a critical swing state.

Jeff, what did you find?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Brianna.

This is only one of 25 counties in America that, in the last four presidential races voted Obama, Obama, Trump, Biden. So a key battleground where the policies of President Biden are beginning to be felt in people's lives in concrete ways. But at this early milestone, President Biden, for now at least, is being judged through the prism of the pandemic, and we found optimism is rising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL ERKER, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I just felt as though when Biden was elected, everybody just took a deep breath; and they felt as though they were able to breathe.

ZELENY (voice-over): Carol Erker is pleased with President Biden as he finishes his first 100 days in office.

ERKER: He's getting all those vaccines out in the time limit that he said he would. I think he's doing a good job.

ZELENY: Here in Pennsylvania, sounds of optimism and signs of recovery are markers of an early milestone of the Biden presidency.

DON CUNNINGHAM, PRESIDENT AND CEO, LEHIGH VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: It's nice to not have all the noise coming out of Washington.

ZELENY: John Cunningham runs the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. He and other business leaders are not yet sold on Biden's entire agenda, but they do like him.

CUNNINGHAM: The calmness and the settling nature of it, it's not necessarily partisan. It's probably just more social and more human; has been refreshing in the last 100 days.

ZELENY: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, is one of only 25 counties in America that, in the last four presidential races voted Obama, Obama, Trump, and Biden. Here in a swing county in a swing state in a divided nation, there are naturally plenty of critics. But perhaps just as remarkably, people willing to give Biden a shot. RICHARD THOMPSON, FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, THE FACTORY,

BETHLEHEM, PA: Every president is my president. And I -- you know, good, bad, or indifferent, I like to support our president. So if I don't like it, next time I'll vote for somebody else.

ZELENY: Richard Thompson runs The Factory, a business incubator inside the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

THOMPSON: And we have a great backdrop.

ZELENY: He disagrees with how Biden proposes paying for some plans like infrastructure, but disdains political gridlock more.

THOMPSON: We've got to get stuff done. We've got to move forward, so it would be nice if everybody could say, OK, I'll give you this, but you give me that, and have some support from both sides.

ZELENY: The Biden presidency is now touching the lives of Americans in concrete ways, from a much-improved vaccination rollout to the nearly $2 trillion Economic Recovery Act, most of which has yet to arrive from Washington.

Lamont McClure is the Northampton County executive who believes the local portion of relief for small businesses and nonprofit organizations will be about $61 trillion.

(on camera): Any word from Treasury on when that will happen?

LAMONT MCCLURE, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY EXECUTIVE: We don't have any -- any guidance yet on when the money is coming. We were hoping it would be here by now.

ZELENY (voice-over): A White House spokesman said those funds should come next month. At the Birthright Brewing Company, Wayne Milford said money from the CARES Act last year helped keep his business alive, but he believes the latest wave of unemployment assistance has made it incredibly hard to find workers.

WAYNE MILFORD, OWNER, BIRTHRIGHT BREWING COMPANY, NAZARETH, PA: Well, it's easier for people to be unemployed right now than to actually have a job and to -- to want to work.

ZELENY: The depth of Biden's support is an open question in a county where Trump flags still wave. Angelo Gosnell, an air-conditioning technician, still questions Biden's victory and can't bring himself to take down his Trump banner.

ANGELO GOSNELL, TRUMP SUPPORTER, STOCKTON, PA: People didn't vote for Biden. They voted, actually, against Trump.

ZELENY: But even among those who are open to Biden's success, several say they are waiting to see more in the next 100 days and beyond before rendering a verdict on his presidency.

[06:01:07] Addie Pettis, a real estate agent, applauded how Biden has handled the pandemic and the economy, but wants to see more on police reform and social justice.

ADDIE PETTIS, REAL ESTATE AGENT, EASTON, PA: We need action, and we need action all over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And that is what voters here are looking for: details of these proposals. Of course, President Biden will be unveiling some of them tonight, particularly his new American Families Plan, calling for increased spending on childcare and programs across the board. But Brianna, so interesting that voters, even some who did not support President Biden, are willing to give him a shot, but these next 100 days, perhaps even more important than the first -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Jeff, it was great to hear from voters. Thank you for that report.

BERMAN: This morning, CNN has brand-new reporting that Capitol security officials ignored warnings the day before the January 6 riots about social media posts calling for people to storm the Capitol and kill federal workers.

CNN's Whitney Wild live in Washington with the very latest on this. Whitney, what have you learned?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, what we've learned was that there was this social media scraping company called Data Miner that had identified a series of troubling posts and tried to alert Capitol Hill security officials, but those warnings, as you mentioned, were dismissed.

Here's one of the warnings that this company identified and then sent to Capitol security officials: "We will storm government buildings, kill cops, kill security guards, kill federal employees and agents." That was a post that this company had identified. They sent it over to Capitol security officials.

They took this information and sent it to another area of the Capitol security apparatus and said, "Hey, there's now chatter on Parler about storming the Capitol. Please let me know if there are any updates to credible threats."

The response this person got who was the chief of -- chief security officer who protected the Capitol, the response she received was there is no talk about any credible threats or storming the Capitol.

And the reason we're bringing these to you, John, is because this gives us a very ground-level, granular look at how these conversations surrounding what to do with this open-source intelligence played out and why some of these information -- pieces of information were dismissed.

However, this is a key line of questioning for Senate investigators as they try to work through all of the security breakdowns. Why was this information dismissed?

And we spoke with some of those aides who were deeply involved in producing the Senate report into this January 6 catastrophe, and we asked them point blank, have you heard a good reason why this intelligence was dismissed? Why didn't officials believe what they were seeing, what other people were seeing?

And they said, frankly, they have not heard a good answer for that, John.

BERMAN: It's a great question. Whitney Wild, thank you so much for that reporting. Appreciate it.

KEILAR: New video obtained by a CNN source shows some of the final moments before Andrew Brown Jr. was killed during an encounter with sheriff's deputies in North Carolina. CNN's Joe Johns is live for us in Elizabeth City with more on this.

Joe, what does this video show us?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, Brianna, CNN has obtained a video of the final moments right before Andrew Brown was shot and killed here last Wednesday in Elizabeth City. A source provided that information in the video.

The source says that the video shows sheriff's deputies arriving in a pickup truck to serve a warrant on Brown as part of a drug task force investigation.

Now, the people on the video appear to be shouting commands. We cannot understand what it is they are saying on that video or when the shooting started.

As we all know by now, Andrew Young was shot while seated in his car, apparently trying to flee the scene. An attorney for the family addressed the video on CNN last night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE KENDALL, BROWN FAMILY ATTORNEY: We were able to track the time, from boots on the ground to shots fired, as being no more than four seconds. There was some yelling, some screaming about, Put your hands up, put your hands up. And right after that, shots were fired, four seconds at most. That indicates to us what we've always thought, was that this was, in fact, more or less, an extrajudicial killing, an execution, if you will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: The protest over Andrew Brown's death continued here in Elizabeth City last night. Those protests have been peaceful.

Later today, a judge here in Elizabeth City is expected to hear a petition from a group of news organizations, including CNN, about the release of the body camera video.

[06:15:14]

We're also told the Charlotte Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is expected to conduct a look into whether any federal laws were violated in this case.

Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: All right. Joe Johns, thank you so much.

New this morning, the first juror to break his silence in the Derek Chauvin trial is speaking with CNN. What he says about the deliberations and the pressure that he felt.

BERMAN: And one of the world's most influential podcast hosts weighs in on the vaccine debate. What Joe Rogan is telling his millions of listeners and why, honestly, you shouldn't pay attention to it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:03]

BERMAN: This morning for the first time, a juror who deliberated in the Derek Chauvin murder trial is speaking out about his experience and the decision to convict Chauvin on all charges in the killing of George Floyd.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus live for us. Adrienne, you got this remarkable interview. Who is this juror, and what did he tell you?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, John.

He is 31-year-old Brandon Mitchell. He's a Minneapolis man through and through, and he told me he's finally starting to feel like himself. The last month or so, as you can imagine, has been a tremendous amount of pressure.

When I asked him about what it was like being inside of the courtroom, he said it felt like attending a funeral every day. His quote specifically -- I want to read it to you -- he said, "It was just dark. It felt like every day was a funeral and watching someone die every day." And he emphasized "every day." He said, "I wasn't nervous, but it was stressful, and it was a lot of pressure" -- John.

KEILAR: And, Adrienne, what did he tell you about how he felt about Derek Chauvin? He saw him every day.

BROADDUS: Yes, he saw Derek Chauvin every day. And I was curious, what was Derek Chauvin's demeanor?

And Brandon said at the beginning of the trial, he said Mr. Chauvin exuded a great amount of confidence. And he went on to say, as the case went on, his demeanor kind of changed to more of a confused look, as this isn't how it was supposed to go. And he said he didn't see any -- any remorse.

And I thought that tidbit was interesting, because hours after the guilty verdict, I spoke with members of the Floyd family. And they told me for the first time, they saw a look of surprise on Derek Chauvin's face, and that's similar to what Juror 52 described seeing in the courtroom. He said as more and more witnesses testified, that look of confidence disappeared.

BERMAN: Adrienne, did he tell you what he thought about the verdict and how difficult it was to get there?

BROADDUS: He did talk about that a little bit. He -- first I'll start with what he said about the verdict. His quote was we haven't seen an outcome like this in a case. I really think this is a start, and I think it's a good start and all the attention that it's still getting.

Just keeping the magnifying glass, there has to be some kind of change. And if you're wondering what type of change he's talking about, he's talking about police reform. Because I asked him if he believed we would see a change in police not only in Minneapolis, because we know the Department of Justice is investigating that department, but I was curious what he thought about policing across the U.S.

Now, he first spoke with Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Erica Campbell, and when he spoke with her, he said there was one juror that gave the other jurors a little bit of trouble. He said they took about four hours trying to convince that juror -- or to get on the same page with that juror.

So there was one person who expressed a little bit of doubt, according to Juror 52, that Chauvin was guilty. But he said after four hours of deliberating -- or arguing -- his words, not mine -- he said they were at peace, and everyone was on the same page.

I'm going to talk to him later this morning and go a little bit deeper ad find out what it was like for him being in the courtroom -- John and Brianna.

BERMAN: That's actually still -- that's not a lot of time. It didn't take very long to convince someone who may have been on the fence, or at least still thinking through things, but it is interesting the process they went through.

Adrienne Broaddus, terrific interview. We look forward to when you get a chance to speak to him again. Thank you.

So India is shattering records for coronavirus cases and death. It's so overwhelming that parking lots are being transformed into crematoriums. We'll speak to a local journalist who believes the numbers are even worse than the government admits.

KEILAR: And Pfizer testing an experimental new pill to treat COVID in its early stages. When will it be ready to roll out to the public?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:28:31] KEILAR: Joe Rogan, who is one of the world's highest paid and most popular podcast hosts, is giving air to anti-vaccine narratives. Here's what he said on his Spotify podcast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST; Yes, I think, for the most part, it's safe to get vaccinated. I do, I do. But if you're, like, 21 years old and you say to me, Should I get vaccinated? I would go, No. Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don't do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself. You should -- if you're -- If you're a healthy person and you're exercising all the time and you're young and you're eating well, like, I don't think you need to worry about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, Rogan was careful not to say that all people shouldn't be vaccinated, but he did express his opinion that he wouldn't advise young healthy adults there to get the vaccine.

Let's talk about this now, because we really need to, with CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who's a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University. What was your thought when you heard this coming from such a popular voice in media?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, Joe Rogan is wrong. I'm hoping that he was just trolling for new subscribers, but that kind of -- he has a pretty big platform, and it's really destructive.

Look, what we know is that, over the last two months, particularly with the new U.K. variant, the B.1.1.7 variant, this virus has been infecting and hospitalizing young people.

Hospitalizations for folks of between 18 and 49, are up 50 percent in -- in the last couple of months. And through the course of this pandemic, almost 2,500.