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More NFL Stars Vocal about Vaccine; Crime Spikes in U.S.; Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) Is Interviewed about California's Weapons Ban and Congress; Biden Pushes Broadband Access; Fastest Inflation Since Great Recession; Fans Fill Stands for Live Concerts. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired June 10, 2021 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
SAM DARNOLD, QUARTERBACK, CAROLINA PANTHERS: Whether they want to get vaccinated or not.
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So Washington defensive end Montez Sweat said this after his team's coach invited a vaccine expert to speak with players. Quote, I'm not a fan of it. I probably won't get vaccinated until I get more facts and all that type of stuff. I'm not a fan of it at all. I haven't caught COVID yet. I don't see me treating COVID until I actually get COVID.
Want to bring in CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
That's not necessarily a very forward looking strategy there, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No. I mean, obviously, the vaccine is so that you don't get it. That's the whole point. It's not to treat it after the fact. It's you're trying to avoid it.
I always think it's important to give context here when we're talking about, you know, the NFL in this case or we're talking about Houston Methodist Hospital yesterday. The vast majority of people are getting vaccinated. Thirty out of 32 teams in the NFL, 90 percent plus of their players and staff are vaccinated and the number is still going up. And the other two teams, 80 percent plus. So these are the exceptions that we're talking about. And as you point out, the vaccines are encouraged, but not mandated for the NFL teams. But you don't have to get daily testing. You don't have to wear masks. You can eat in cafeterias. You can work out in the weight rooms. There's different travel restrictions that are lifted if you've been vaccinated. So there's all these incentives for people to go ahead and get vaccinated.
Let me just show you quickly, if I can, the country as a whole, like where we stand six or so months into this vaccination campaign.
About three out of five, you know, 66 percent roughly of people have either been vaccinated or say they're going to go ahead and get vaccinated. One out of five sort of on the fence still. Sort of in that wait and see mode. And then one out of five basically saying they're not going to -- they're not planning on doing it -- they're not going to do it for all sorts of different reasons. Concerns about safety, concerns I don't really need it, transportation cost, whatever it may be, all these different things.
And then we just put together this other graphic just quickly because, again, we're getting more data. Who -- you know, what does this look like across the country? Who are most likely to not get vaccinated? It's a busy graphic there, but this data basically shows that younger people, people living in rural areas, people who are more conservative, those are the -- those are the sort of qualities of people who are less likely at this point to get vaccinated.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: It's really interesting to look at those contrasts. If you study the bottom. That makes it a little less chaotic, right? Look at that -- look at what the lettering on the bottom says there.
I want to ask you about Moderna asking the FDA to OK its COVID-19 vaccine for 12 to 17-year-olds. The idea being here that there would be more options than just Pfizer.
GUPTA: Yes, I think that's right. So, you know, this is not necessarily a supply issue, I think to your point, Brianna. We have plenty of supply. In fact, yesterday, we were all talking about the fact that there may be unused vaccine out there.
This is probably more of a trust issue. Look what's happening here. There's already been a vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine that's been approved, authorized for that age group. And now another one's being authorized. So the preponderance of sort of the data is on the side of these vaccines work. They're getting authorized. So maybe it will help with that trust issue.
BERMAN: What about people younger than 12, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Yes, that is -- that is the question and it's interesting, there's going to be a big meeting, the committee is going to meet today. A pre-meeting, if you will, to sort of say, hey, look, what do we really want to see in terms of the data for younger people?
One of the big questions is going to be dosing. So Pfizer, for example if you get the Pfizer vaccine, you got 30 micrograms. For people between the ages of five and 11, it's going to be a lower dose. They're looking at probably 10 micrograms, but they're not sure yet, and a lower dose than that even, 3 micrograms, for people who are younger. That's going to be a big question.
But I think a more fundamental issue with these younger age groups is a pretty simple one. We know they are less likely to get sick. We know they are less likely to get infected. Not that -- there's still a risk there, but it's a lower risk. So how do you then balance that with the authorization? What is -- you know, what is the level of evidence you're going to need given that their risk is lower. That's an important discussion that's going to happen. You remember with the 12 to 15-year-olds, they basically said, hey,
look, it works for 16-year-old plus. It's going to pretty much be the same in this age group. We just want to make sure they're producing enough antibodies. For younger kids, I think the level of evidence is going to be higher in terms of safety and efficacy.
KEILAR: Yes, look, that's the thing. I'm looking at a summer. The mosquitoes are already out. How do we get together with our friends? I've got a three and a five-year-old. How do we get together with our friends who have kids the same age? We would normally want to be inside, right? Maybe that's not the best idea. If the case rate is low enough, what do we do? It's, you know, it would be so much easier if there was a vaccine, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Yes, no, I definitely know. I mean I -- you know, we had the same discussion.
[08:35:03]
I -- you know, I'm -- my girls are 12 to 15, as you know, Brianna. I feel for you. They just got their second shots this past Monday. So, you know, were they worried about getting sick? Not so much. You know, that wasn't the big concern in the front of their minds. It was exactly what you're talking about, the doors that are potentially going to be open for them.
So people, Brianna, are working on it. They think possibly by September, so two and a half to three months maybe from now. I know that's not going to be in time for the summer, Brianna, for you and your kids, but it's happening. I mean it's still extraordinary that a year ago we weren't possibly even imagining this idea that we would have these authorized vaccines by this point, but here we are.
BERMAN: So, hang in there is what Sanjay's saying. Just hand in there a little while longer.
KEILAR: OK. I will.
BERMAN: Thanks so much, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Yes. You got it.
BERMAN: So why doesn't the Senate's new report on the January 6th attack call it an insurrection? We're going to ask someone who helped write it, next.
KEILAR: And the police chiefs who say they're not getting much sleep as crime is spiking across the U.S.
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[08:40:01]
KEILAR: Police, and this is happening across the country, they are preparing for a potentially bloody summer as a surge in gun violence and murder is gripping American cities. Officials are now concerned for the coming months as the onset of warmer weather almost always marks an increase in violent crime.
CNN's Omar Jimenez is live in Chicago for us with more on this.
Omar, what is expected ahead?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, with these COVID restrictions lifting, people getting back out into the world, there are very real concerns that this summer could be especially problematic. And we're already seeing some of these trends play out.
In New York City, for example, shootings over the course of May already up 73 percent compared to the same time last year. In Atlanta, murders were up 38 percent through May compared to the same time last year. And here in Chicago, they're up as well, but also shootings up 17 percent. And, again, this is compared to 2020, where these numbers, these people, the number that we lost, was already up more than 30 percent across major American cities.
And then when you look at the first three months of this year alone, these statistics, I mean, are alarming and we're not even at the most deadly part of the year. In the first three months of this year alone, the murder rate in major American cities jumped by 24 percent compared to the same time last year.
And when you asked people in law enforcement and other experts why this is happening, they point to a number of factors. Police chiefs, for example, say that it's, one, coming from some economic hardships, also strained resources they say, has come from protests, but also the sheer number of guns on American streets.
The Atlanta police chief, for example, says that they have to do a better job of trying to track down these guns quicker. Here in Chicago, they point to this retaliation dynamic where gang violence seems to be dominating all of the violent story lines here.
And then in New York City, what they're trying to do to help again on the gun front is they've partner with the ATF to track these down quicker, to try and solve these cases quicker and, again, overall reduce violent crime.
But one thing that we've heard from cities across the country, it's going to take more than police. Community groups are trying to come back into the fray. In Chicago, for example, they're doing what's called a whole of government approach where they're isolating some of the most violent areas and trying to flood it with resources, again, in hopes of trying to stem these trends as we head into the summertime.
Brianna.
KEILAR: That's a very interesting and necessary systemic approach that they're taking.
Omar Jimenez, thank you.
BERMAN: So a federal judge is overturning California's longstanding ban on assault weapons. In his order, Judge Roger Benitez said, quote, like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Judge Benitez issued a permanent injunction so the law cannot be enforced.
Joining us now is Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. He's on the Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee.
Senator, so great to see you in person. I understand we're your first in-person interview since the pandemic.
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Yes.
BERMAN: So we're happy to be a part of that.
Listen, what are your concerns about the impact on crime, violent crime, and maybe gun deaths with the lifting of this law?
PADILLA: Well, look, a horrible ruling, number one. Number two, Californians, rest assured, the ruling is being appealed. So it's not a final final. The court process, the judicial process, is ongoing. But what a horrible signal it sends, especially given, you know, what's going on around the country.
BERMAN: So you're part of the Senate Rules Committee, which issued this report on the insurrection. I was talking to Tim Kaine, Democratic Senator from Virginia, the other night. He said this was a report about securing a building, not securing democracy. I guess my question is, is that enough?
PADILLA: Of course it's not enough. You know, Senator Kaine is absolutely right, this report addressed the threats to the Capitol, not the threats to the country. And it's almost the equivalent of saying, after 9/11, all we had to do was beef up airport security and that was it. Clearly there was more going on. We had to get to the root causes, as we did with -- after 9/11, set up a bipartisan, independent commission to get to the root of the problem. That is still what we need to get to the root causes of what led to the deadly insurrection of January 6th.
BERMAN: What was the deal with not including the word "insurrection" in the actual report except in footnotes in quotations? Were you guys really hamstrung by fears of upsetting Republicans?
PADILLA: Look, it was a -- I think it was important to put out a bipartisan report from the rules committee. And I think that's just the bottom line. Republicans would not sign on if the word "insurrection" was there. The rest of us know what it was. You know, not just a violent insurrection, a deadly insurrection. But it does provide some helpful, meaningful recommendations to beef up Capitol security, but we still need to do much more.
BERMAN: Doesn't it also actually tell you almost everything you need to know about the willingness to actually accept what happened and why if they're not willing to use the word "insurrection"?
[08:45:06]
PADILLA: Look, when you saw January 6th play out and Republicans, both House members and members of the Senate come back in after the siege of the Capitol and still vote to overturn or not accept the results of the election, that told you everything you need to know.
So, yes, our democracy is under threat, not just because of what happened January 6th, the need for additional investigation about what led to January 6th, but look at what's happening at statehouses across the country. We're here debating, negotiating the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the U.S. Capitol, the For the People Act. But in state after state after state, more than 300 bills to make it hard for eligible people to register, stay registered and vote. Our democracy, our fundamental right to vote, is under attack.
BERMAN: You know, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the other day basically said enough with these attempts at bipartisanship. She said it's a hustle by the Republicans. Are you beginning to feel that way? Do you think it's worth it trying to get them to sign on or are you ready to go it alone?
PADILLA: Look do I think it's worth it? Absolutely. Every day we have to try. But there's a difference between trying -- trying and waiting and not taking action versus trying in good faith. But if there's not reciprocity on that, we've got to move on.
And the failure for us to set up an independent bipartisan commission to investigate January 6th tells you a whole heck of a lot. The partisan vote to pass the American Rescue Plan a couple of months ago tells you a whole heck of a lot. So we'll keep trying but we can't afford to wait. We have the -- (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: Wait, wait, is the moment now? Is it time?
PADILLA: Look, it's time to move forward on protecting voting rights. It's time to move forward on infrastructure investment. It's time to move forward on criminal justice reform and racial reform, tackling climate. There's a whole lot of work that needs to move forward.
BERMAN: With just Democrats?
PADILLA: If that's what it takes. Yes, again, we're trying each and every day but we can't afford to wait, wait, wait because what -- from one day to the next it will be too close to the next election and we should hear from the people. We've heard from the people.
BERMAN: Senator Padilla, thank you for joining us. So great to see you in person.
PADILLA: Thank you.
BERMAN: So here's what else to watch today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
10:00 a.m. ET, U.S. Supreme Court may issue opinions. 10:15 a.m. ET, President Biden meets with Boris Johnson.
1:15 p.m. ET, President Biden speaks about COVID vaccines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: High-speed Internet has becoming a necessity for both working and learning. And as that's happened, President Biden has called for spending $100 billion to upgrade the U.S. broadband infrastructure, particularly in underserved areas. In North Carolina, one city is closing the digital divide by offering a fast and affordable network that's driving economic growth throughout the region.
CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us now.
Miguel, what's going on here?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, the call for Internet and broadband equity is as old as the Internet itself. The pandemic put an undeniably fine point on why all Americans need broadband.
[08:50:02]
We went to two places that exemplify why broadband for all is so critical.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ (voice over): Jaden, Jackson and Kaylen, when the pandemic hit, broadband for these students, essential.
MELANIE WILLIAMS, NEEDED BETTER BROADBAND SERVICE: We needed it for everything. I needed it for all of their schools. I needed it for Zoom meetings.
MARQUEZ: She was paying $100 a month for poor service. Forty-four percent of homes here in Cleveland have no high-speed Internet, says a 2018 report from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. And the White House says some 30 million Americans live in areas where broadband infrastructure isn't good enough.
ROLANDO ALVAREZ, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR, DIGITALC: These neighborhoods don't have the right infrastructure.
MARQUEZ: Alvarez and DigitalC, a Cleveland non-profit, focused on providing fast and cheap Internet for residents like Melanie Williams.
ALVAREZ: This device right here can do ten gigabytes per second of through put (ph).
MARQUEZ: DigitalC is delivering ultra-high-speed Internet at a very low cost to those needing it most.
WILLIAMS: Since the pandemic, I had to become a home school teacher all day. So, you know, that stopped me from working.
MARQUEZ: Today, with DigitalC service and help from the school, Williams pays zero for high-speed Internet that works for everyone.
MONICA MALIK (ph): One of our hottest sellers.
MARQUEZ: Monica Malik is running her own business from home.
MALIK: It helps me with my orders and it helps me to reach out to customers and for them to get in contact with me faster.
MARQUEZ: Today, she pays about $19 a month for DigitalC's high speed Internet, keeping her business up and running.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you two are fine. OK, just do what you do.
MARQUEZ: Cleveland's Ashbury Senior Community Computer Center trains and educates students to seniors. Everything from job searches to doctor visits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when the pandemic was in full force, our seniors couldn't get out and go to the doctor. So if they didn't have Internet connectivity, then they could not take advantage of the technology with telehealth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for calling Greenlight (ph). This Matt. How can I help you?
MARQUEZ: What about where high-speed Internet is plentiful? Burrell Wilson, North Carolina, near the tech hub of Raleigh-Durham, built its own municipal Internet system called Greenlight in 2008.
HUNTER STONE, DEVELOPER, TOISNOT PRESERVE LLC: Well, you know, it used to, number one, was, did you have sewer? Number two was, did you have county water? And it -- right on down the line. Now I think that the broadband Internet has jumped in front.
MARQUEZ: Stone and his partner, Robbie Brown, developing home sites as fast as they can, they sell before they're finished. And the builder will only build them if --
ROBBIE BROWN, DEVELOPER, TOISNOT PRESERVE LLC: And the first question he asked, was there high-speed Internet, as in Greenlight.
MARQUEZ: And it's not just home building.
BILL O'BOYLE, FOUNDER AND CEO, NORTH STATE CONSULTING: We are standing in the middle of the old Herring (ph) Drug Store, built in 1885.
MARQUEZ: Tech consultant Bill O'Boyle is bringing lots of higher paying jobs to Wilson. Jobs that wouldn't be possible without high- speed, affordable Internet.
MARQUEZ (on camera): Fifty-one employees today?
O'BOYLE: Correct. MARQUEZ: How many in a month, in three months, in a year?
O'BOYLE: We intend to be about 75 by the end of this year and we want to do about 125 in the next 18 to 24 months.
MARQUEZ (voice over): O'Boyle's consulting business booming so much he's refurbishing a second downtown Wilson building that sat vacant for years.
MARQUEZ (on camera): What was this?
O'BOYLE: This used to be an auto parts warehouse for many decades. And it will be just as modern and advanced as any other tech space you'd see in larger markets.
MARQUEZ (voice over): A huge investment for this small city a decade ago paying off massively today.
GRANT GOINGS, CITY MANAGER, WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA: If you are a small community and you don't have these capacities, then the job market could be moving away from you.
MARQUEZ: Fast, cheap, reliable broadband, the bedrock of the new global, digital economy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: So, how do you get there? How do you close that gap to make sure that every American at least has access to that cheap, fast, affordable broadband? The administration says that with $100 billion and to a number of private and public initiatives, it can close the gaps everywhere by the year 2030.
Back to you guys.
BERMAN: Miguel, thanks so much for that report. Excellent, as always.
KEILAR: New data this morning revealing just how much prices have gone up -- you've probably noticed -- as the economy reopens. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is with us now.
I mean we're feeling this. It's pricey.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and the numbers are reflecting it. Look, you've got prices rising in a roaring economy. From April to May, consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in just one month. That is a big move. We look over the past 12 months, it's 5 percent.
When I dig into these numbers, I see a core rate that is really an eye popper here. The fastest core rate of inflation since 1992. The trend very clear month after month you've seen prices rising.
[08:55:02]
You've felt it for used cars, air fares. The government going through a whole long list of everything that you buy that has been going up here.
I want to take another look at the labor market too because we've got weekly jobless claims. And that's another real stunner here showing you that layoffs are slowing quickly and the hiring is coming back. We had 376,000 first-time unemployment claims. Still higher than you'd like them to be in a hot economy but showing you that people -- fewer people are filing for those claims every single month. And 15.3 million people still get some sort of benefit. Those benefits start to expire in the coming weeks, Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, right ahead of us here.
Christine Romans, thank you so much.
BERMAN: So live music, one of the many activities paused by the pandemic. Thankfully, this summer will look a lot different.
CNN's Stephanie Elam live at Red Rock's Amphitheater in Colorado with more.
I feel like I have a bunch of albums that are live at Red Rocks, one band or another, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sure you do. And, in fact, John, from what I understand, you would have been really OK being where I am right now at Red Rock's Amphitheater and listening to Bob Weir. For the fans coming out here, the whole idea is after the pandemic, they want to feel alive and live music allows them to do that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM (voice over): Nestled in a green hillside west of Denver, where geological phenomena have stood for eons, the sound of music -- live music -- is once again emanating from the Red Rock's Amphitheater.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just a magical place to be, Red Rocks in general.
ELAM: Deadheads pour into the venue to do something they haven't been able to do in more than a year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes my heart so full and happy. It's like -- awesome.
ELAM: Enjoy the music of one of the Grateful Dead's greats, Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers. This is their first concert since the world screeched to a halt.
BOB WEIR, GRATEFUL DEAD GUITARIST: Most of us have spent most of the year and a half kind of cooped up.
ELAM: But these fans are trucking out of the pandemic. No masks. Colorado's governor dropped the mask mandate for the vaccinated in May. No COVID testing for guests. Social distancing only encouraged. Instead, lots of singing along and dancing. MELINDA MURPHY, LIVE MUSIC FAN: It's phenomenal. It's phenomenal. I've
been coming here for decades, and to actually be outside and hearing live music again, let alone Dead and company (ph) is just -- yes.
ELAM: It's so normal, it's almost jarring. Although Red Rocks, which can hold 9,500 people, is still only allowed to be two-thirds full.
ELAM (on camera): Almost nobody has on a mask. What's going on backstage?
DON STRASBURG, CO-PRESIDENT, AEG PRESENTS ROCKY MOUNTAINS: Each band is different. The Wolf Brothers team is extremely careful. And they're following the regulations that they feel are appropriate. It's full mask backstage and COVID tests backstage.
ELAM (voice over): It is not just the band's different rules but states also have different COVID protocols.
Take New York, where Madison Square Garden will be at full capacity this month. However, fans must be vaccinated to get in.
ELAM (on camera): For you, for seeing all that you've seen over the last year as a first responder --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ELAM: What does seeing live music do to you as far as being able to fortify your own spirit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It brings me back to life. It's over for me.
ELAM (voice over): One of many grateful to The Dead for putting life back into live music.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM: And that last gentleman you saw me speaking to, he actually won his tickets from Bob Weir who just asked any first responders who wanted to come. He was chosen. And that's why he decided to come out here.
And I've got to tell you, everyone we spoke to readily told us that they had been vaccinated. And many of them said that they got vaccinated because they saw that as their ticket back to live music. They've been coming out here. They were doing it before the pandemic. They needed it back in their lives, John.
BERMAN: Yes, Stephanie Elam, in a sea of tie dye, did you like it? Was it a good show?
ELAM: I may have stuck out a little bit. But I can tell you this, the energy was phenomenal. People were so happy. People were hugging. People were feeling alive. There was such joy here. And you can tell these people -- there were people on my flight coming here who were coming just for this concert. These were dedicated fans. And that energy, that joy, that happiness, it was palpable, for sure. BERMAN: Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile, as they say, as
you well know as a Dead fan.
Stephanie Elam, sunshine daydream, I mean, come on, what a great assignment. That was awesome. That was awesome. We should have given it more time so we can hear more songs, though.
KEILAR: Right.
BERMAN: Thank you so much, Stephanie. Really appreciate it.
[09:00:00]
I have friends just saying that they're going to go to Dead and Company when they go to Citi Field in New York, they're going to see them in Raleigh and, you know, they're going everywhere.
KEILAR: Fair to say you are jealous of Stephanie Elam.
BERMAN: Yes, although, if - to go to a concert, you have to be near people - not sure I'm down with people. We'll see.
KEILAR: We'll see. All right.
BERMAN: CNN's coverage continues now with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto, people.
