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Columbus Police Release Additional Body Cam Video of Knife- Wielding Black Teen Fatally Shot by Police; Recent Police shootings Reignite Debate Over Race & Use of Force; Dems' Push To Make It Easier To Prosecute Cops Emerges As Sticking Point In Policing Bill Talks; Biden Sets Ambitious Goal To Cut U.S. Carbon Emissions 50 Percent By 2030 In Dramatic Shift From Trump Administration; CDC Expected To Release More Guidance For Fully Vaccinated People Including Possible Changes To Outdoor Mask Requirements; Navalny's Doctors Call On Jailed Kremlin Critic To End Hunger Strike After He Was Sent To Civilian Hospital. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 22, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The best care possible for his patients. He was known at the hospital for his compassion. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends and coworkers. May his memory be a blessing.

Our coverage on CNN continues right now. I will see you tomorrow.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room.

In Minneapolis, family, friends and civil rights leaders are paying tribute to Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old unarmed African American man who was shot and killed by police near Minneapolis during a traffic stop 11 days ago. His mother lamenting and I'm quoting her now, "He should be burying me."

Meantime, there are growing questions about the deadly police shootings of two other African Americans in the last two days. In Columbus, Ohio, police have released additional body camera video of the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant who appears to be holding a knife and lunging at another girl.

And in North Carolina, pressure on officials is mounting right now to release body camera video of the encounter between law enforcement and 40-year-old Andrew Brown Jr. who was shot and killed his deputies were serving a warrant. All of this raising troubling questions tonight about race and policing in America.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with a funeral of Daunte Wright. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is in Minneapolis for us.

Adrienne, a very, very emotional trip. ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, tears fell faster than Daunte Wright's mother could wipe them away. She told the hundreds of people inside of this church who came to say goodbye to her son, no parent should lose a child.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BROADDUS (voice-over): Daunte Wright's family said goodbye to him on his grandmother's birthday. The family wore red, Daunte's favorite color. His six siblings remembering the brother who made them smile.

DALLAS BRYANT, BROTHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: He was literally the life of the party. When he came in, you know, the smile, his laugh. His laugh was literally contagious.

MONICA WRIGHT, SISTER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: I didn't get to tell him I loved him before he left.

BROADDUS: Daunte Wright leaves behind a little boy who bears his name. His son was born four months premature.

KATIE WRIGHT, MOTHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: And the joy that Junior brought to Daunte's life was truly amazing. He was so happy and so proud. And he always said he couldn't wait to make his son proud.

BROADDUS: Wrights parents wept as they shared memories.

K. WRIGHT: My son had a smile that was worth a million dollars. When he walked in the room, he lit up the room. He was a brother, a jokester. He was loved by so many. He's going to be so missed.

The rules should completely be reversed. My son should be burying me.

BROADDUS: At times struggling to find the right words.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Words can't even explain how I feel right now. You know, that was my son.

BROADDUS: In the audience, families who understand their pain like no other, George Floyd's family, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Philando Castile's mother and Jamar Clark sister, Tiffany Roberson.

TIFFANY ROBERSON, LOST BROTHER TO POLICE SHOOTING: My brother's been was that here at Shiloh, it feels like deja vu all over again. And it brings back a lot of different emotions.

BROADDUS: Reverend Al Sharpton delivering a powerful eulogy.

REV. AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENT & FOUNDER, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Piece is the presence of justice. You can't tell us to shut up and suffer. We must speak up when there is an injustice.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BROADDUS: And inside, Attorney Benjamin Crump told the audience one day Daunte's little boy, Daunte Jr. is going to be old enough to watch that video, the video we all saw. And when he sees that video, he's going to learn how his father died. Wolf.

BLITZER: Adrienne Broaddus, thank you very, very much.

Let's go to Columbus right now where police have released more body camera video of the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant. Our National Correspondent Athena Jones is on the scene for us.

Athena, we're now hearing directly from Ma'Khias family. What's the latest?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf, that's right. But when it comes to that video, we know that the police have released several more videos, but none more important than the first set of videos they released on Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening, a few hours after the shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant.

That is the one where in slow motion. You can see the teenage girl with what appeared to be a knife in her hand and her raise in her right hand lunging at another young girl who was wedged against a car. That is really the video that tells the story.

[17:05:13]

And there have been some questions about the use of force in this, in this incident, whether or not the police officer who arrived on the scene who is now on paid administrative leave while an independent investigation is carried out, whether he needed to fire his weapon, he shot Ma'Khia Bryant four times. And the police chief, the interim police chief has addressed this, saying, look, if an officer is allowed to use deadly force to stop another person from harming someone else.

And so, these discussions about whether or not he could he could have used a Taser instead of a gun. It all comes down to the idea that if he believed that someone else's life was in danger, he was allowed to use a deadly force.

But yes, my colleague Jason Carroll just spoke with Paula Bryant, the mother of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant, he asked her in part, what does she want the world to know about her daughter? Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA BRYANT, MA'KHIA BRYANT'S MOTHER: I want the world to know that Ma'Khia was beautiful. She was humble. She love to look after people.

I'm just hurting. And I wish Ma'Khia was still here with me. I wish she was still here. I wish I can hug and kiss here again and again.

I can't hug my baby. I'm hurting that I left her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So, clearly are an emotional interview with a mother who is still in pain. This shooting taking place only a couple of days ago. And this is, this is a tragedy. This is something that all involved agree with the mayor, the interim police chief, the director of the Department of Public Safety, and the police union, all saying that this is a tragic circumstance that, again, I should say is still being investigated independently by part of the state's attorney general's office. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Athena, thank you very, very much.

In North Carolina, meanwhile, there are growing calls right now for officials to release body camera video of the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. who was killed as deputies were serving a warrant. CNN's Brian Todd is on the scene for us in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He's working the story.

Brian, with so many unanswered questions surrounding this shooting, why hasn't the deputies' body camera footage been released?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a question we're asking authorities, Wolf. And local community members and family members are very frustrated, upset. And they're demanding answers regarding why that videotape has not been released yet.

Two agencies have been essentially kind of punting this back and forth. The sheriff's office and the state Bureau of Investigation, each telling us at various times today that it was the others responsibility. The other agency's call when that would be released.

The latest we've heard is from the state Bureau of Investigation saying that pursuant to a court order, it could be the sheriff's call now to release that videotape. So, we're waiting to see when and if that videotape is going to be released.

In the meantime, we've been talking to witnesses who were here, who saw and heard the shots fire at Andrew Brown, including one lady who said that she heard at least six shots, multiple shots fired and that they were rapid fire. We were told that his vehicle was here, that it splattered mud up against his house, which is right there, that it came across this lot and then went across Roanoke Avenue here and struck that tree.

We also talked to the gentleman who lives in that house who showed us a bullet hole right by his front door there that went into his house and landed inside his house.

We spoke to a witness named Demetria Williams who came upon the scene. As she said deputies were surrounding Andrew Brown's car. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMETRIA WILLIAMS, WITNESS: By the time I got here, they were standing behind his car. He was trying to get away.

TODD: Where was the car? WILLIAMS: The car wasn't right here at the time. It was about in this motion right here, you know, because there's grass. So, of course it's spinning mud. And it's they started -- they stood behind him.

I couldn't tell you what -- who shot it. I couldn't do that. But one of the officers or maybe a couple shot him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And we've, and we've learned a short time ago from our colleague Dianne Gallagher, who spoke to representatives of Andrew Brown's family. They're citing the district attorney who they spoke to is saying that there are three sheriff's deputies now under administrative leave, that there were multiple deputies who fired at Andrew Brown's car. Wolf.

BLITZER: Do we know Brian if Andrew Brown Jr. was actually armed during this encounter?

TODD: According to his family, Wolf, we talk to an aunt, to an uncle, to his grandmother, and to his former girlfriend, everybody in his family said they do not believe he was armed because he did not carry a gun. That's coming from several members of Andrew Brown's family. I also talked to neighbors here who also believed they never saw him carrying any kind of a weapon.

[17:10:17]

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd reporting for us from North Carolina, thank you.

Let's go back to Columbus, Ohio in the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant, who appears to be holding a knife and lunging at another girl. The Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is joining us right now.

Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. I know you have a lot going on over there.

Ma'Khia's mother, as you know, spoke out today saying your heart is broken over the lost. Have you had a chance to speak with Ma'Khia's family?

MAYOR ANDREW GINTHER, (D) COLUMBUS, OHIO: Good evening, and thanks for having me on.

We are a city grieving right now, Wolf, with the tragic loss of a 16- year old in our community. Our office has been in touch from the earliest moments of this tragic event with the Bryant family. And we lift them up and wrap our arms around them as a community, a tragic, tragic loss here in the city.

And you know, our African American community in particular here is grieving, not just at this particular tragic event, but so many deadly encounters with law enforcement their see around the country, and even here in this community. And so, it's a common part of all of us to make sure that we are supporting, you know, folks in the community right now that are grieving, but also calling for and demanding for change reform and justice. And transparency is such an important part of that, Wolf.

BLITZER: You make an important point, an important point, Mayor. The shooting, just moments before the Derek Chauvin verdict came down. And the shooting where you are has raised new questions about policing. What do you say to people who believe that if this had been a white 16-year-old teenager with a knife, this potentially could have ended different?

GINTHER: Well, fair questions. And that's why we believe the independent investigation that's been conducted by BCI is going to be critically important. Last year by executive order for the first time in the city's history, we started having independent investigation of police involved shootings, and death in custody cases to try to restore some of the trust from the community into these investigations when deadly force was used.

So, we need to make sure that we give that in the investigation, an independent investigation the time to take place and come to conclusions. But we're going to continue to share information as quickly as we can to be as transparent as possible with the community. So, the body worn camera footage, the 911 calls, other information as it becomes available. Critically important for us to be open, transparent, and share that with the public.

BLITZER: Your interim police chief in Columbus says officers are trained to respond to deadly force with deadly force. What do you think -- do you think, first of all, that's what happened here?

GINTHER: Well, I can't come to that conclusion. That's why we're having an independent investigation take place that will come to some conclusions and help us determine if there are things that we need to change with respect to our training, our policy.

We're seeing a civilian review board here in Columbus for the first time in the city's history. And we're getting ready to hire our first external chief of police in the city's history. So, there's a great deal of change and reform that's taking place here. And we certainly will consider any lessons learned once that independent investigation is concluded.

BLITZER: And as you know, this is now in the hands of Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. What's the timeline for those kinds of findings that we anticipate coming?

GINTHER: We want the truth, no matter where that truth leads us. And so, we're not going to set any kind of preordained, predetermined deadlines and timelines. We do know that, you know, to do a thorough and complete investigation, interview all the witnesses, collect evidence and help bring this investigation to a conclusion may take several weeks, but we hope it will be a top priority for BCI and working with the Attorney General to make sure that happens.

We will be doing everything we can to fully cooperate, share information, details make so folks available to get this done as quickly as possible.

BLITZER: You said something here, really I think intriguing. You call this a failure by the whole community. You said and I'm quoting you now, you said, "some are guilty, but all of us are responsible." All of us are responsible. Explain what do you mean by that? And how do you -- how do you do better, especially with black teenagers like Ma'Khia?

GINTHER: Yes, that was some moment (ph) shared with us at a prayer for peace and justice before the Chauvin verdict by a rabbi here locally. And I think it really enforces that all of us have a collective responsibility to our young people to make sure that they feel safe in their neighborhoods, that they feel safe regardless of where they're from, and what they look like in interactions with law enforcement. And that means that we have to go from being a 20th century law enforcement organization to a 21st century community policing organization. And that means we're going to have to change our culture as a division.

[17:15:34]

BLITZER: Yes, that's really significant. Well, good luck, Mayor. I know, the whole country is watching what's going on over there. And I know you're the most anxious to start getting some serious answers. Appreciate it very much.

Andrew Ginther is the mayor of Columbus, Ohio. Thanks once gain for joining us.

GINTHER: We will.

BLITZER: Coming up, we'll have more on the public questions about policing here in the United States of America, and why black suspects are often treated differently than white suspects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Daunte Wright in Minnesota, Ma'Khia Bryant in Ohio, and now Andrew Brown Jr. in North Carolina, these are just some of the most recent police shootings reigniting the debate over race and police use of force here in the United States.

[17:20:06]

Let's dig deeper with CNN Political Commentator Van Jones, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey of Hamilton County, Ohio, which includes Cincinnati, and former Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, he was the incident commander in Ferguson, Missouri.

Van, it feels like every day there's a new video that emerges of a deadly police shooting. You make the point though, that when it's a white suspect with a weapon, things often end differently. Explain.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, if you're, if you're African American, you look at your smartphone a lot and you see all these videos. It's not just the lethal videos, you know, black people being yelled at, kids being pushed down, black pregnant women being Tasered. You just see this whole torrent.

And then sometimes then you see the white videos, and it's white people acting like idiots throwing balls at cops, or pulling knives on cops, attacking cops, and they don't get killed. You see these mass murderers who get taken into custody, sometimes they get taken to a fast food restaurant. So, in any one particular case, you might justify the police using violence against the black person.

But what we're saying is, where is the equality? We just want equal opportunity for our young people to survive their dumbest decisions. Sure people do stupid stuff.

BLITZER: Yes.

V. JONES: In some communities, they seem to somehow survive, in our community it seems to be zero tolerance, and it's just painful.

BLITZER: Have you, have you seen that Sheriff McGuffey where you were?

SHERIFF CHARMAINE MCGUFFEY, HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO: I have seen. I have seen disparities and bias in policing. I've seen it in my 30-year career. And you know, I've seen officers who were not held accountable for that.

And what happens when you don't hold officers accountable for biased policing, for inappropriate actions, it escalates. It escalates and empowers those officers to act in ways that we are seeing here on camera with these body cams, that the public is now saying, we need to stop this.

BLITZER: Is that, is that your experience Captain Johnson as well?

RON JOHNSON, FORMER CAPTAIN, MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL: I think they're both right. We're seeing this aggressive behavior. And these are, these are kids and we need to definitely look at other ways and do things different de-escalate.

But Van is actually right. If you talk to a person of color, we are seeing these differences when there are police encounters.

BLITZER: You know, Van, now we all watch the funeral today for Daunte Wright. And the police, they say the officer accidentally used a gun instead of a Taser. They say that was an accident. But black people can't afford to make a mistake during any police interaction, can they?

V. JONES: No, and that's the problem with the double standard here. And, you know, listen, we have a unique problem because our police are armed, our citizens are armed. Look, I'm a law enforcement family. My dad was a cop of the military. My uncle's a police officer. I understand.

The problem that you have, though, is that you expect every African American person to act like Gandhi, completely calm no matter what happens, yes, ma'am, no, sir. And you make no excuse. Make no mistake. People say you got what was coming to you. And yet we, somehow, have sympathy for a police officer who's been trained for two decades, who panics, grabs the wrong weapon and kills somebody. Well, if you can have some empathy for a trained officer after 20 years to make a mistake, why can't we have more empathy for young people in our communities who also sometimes panic and make mistakes?

BLITZER: You know, Sheriff McGuffey, you say Derek Chauvin's conviction is a necessary step for healing. But many say justice will be a black Americans getting home alive after these kinds of police encounters. How do you make sure police officers see not just the threat, the threat of a certain situation, but the humanity of any black person, young, middle aged or older, or black person involved?

MCGUFFEY: Well, in the criminal justice system, our law enforcement officers have those very critical first interactions with our citizens. And the only way we bring about reform when those actions are inappropriate or overreacting, is that we bring about intentional action to de-escalate that.

Our intentional actions are in training. We have here in the sheriff's office a 900 strong force. And what I have told those men and women is we are going to embrace de-escalation, we're going to embrace --

BLITZER: We just lost our connection with Charmaine McGuffey, the sheriff over there in Ohio. We'll try to connect with her.

But Captain Johnson, let's talk a little bit about these incidents, they do escalate. And now that there's so many cameras, whether phone cameras or body cameras, they escalate so quickly. You led the response in Ferguson after Michael Brown was killed by police. That supposedly started over a teenager stealing cigarillos. How can someone lose their life over something so minor?

[17:25:12]

JOHNSON: And you're absolutely right, we're seeing that across the country, these minor traffic violations hanging deodorizer in your car. And so, I think some of the -- we need to look at some of these laws that are out there that allow police to have these encounters and use it, they affect communities of color.

You know, we've got to do a better job in our training. You know, I was a police over 32 years, and most of my training when it came to deal with people weren't -- wasn't conducted by a person of color. And so, that is some of the things we have to do. We have to be inclusive in our training, who's given our training in a perspective they can give to law enforcement officers.

BLITZER: Van, you say your dad was a police officer, your uncle was a police officer, you come from a police family. Growing up, did you find yourself in a situation like so many other young black men in America when confronted by police?

V. JONES: Well, I certainly did. My cop was a dad in the military before I became an educator, my uncle Milton, Douglas (ph) Jones, retired from the city (ph) police force very recently, my favorite uncle. Yes, I -- being a nerdy, you know, college student didn't prevent me from having very negative encounters.

And it was a difference in tone. Though, before you get to these shootings, it's just coming to you with so much aggression. And then you see your classmates being treated like they're the neighborhood kid, like this is my nephew I'm talking to, and you can't help but, you know, where you start where you end. If you start with disrespect you in with disrespect.

And the other thing I just want to say is it's not just about training officers, it's about accountability when they do the wrong thing. And then also other police forces around the world, they don't all carry guns. So, they get good at taking a knife away, a bottle away from somebody, they have that in their toolset as well.

With our officers because we have an armed population, our officers are trained on all these different weapons. Sometimes they mix them up, they use them too quickly. What about de-escalation, as was just mentioned? What about training people to -- what if the cop who pulled the gun, the gun didn't work? What would he have done then? Well, why did he do that in the first place?

These are the kinds of questions I would just like to be a part of the training. I don't want any officer to not come home. I am not asking officers to volunteer to commit suicide. That's not what I'm saying. But we're -- if we're only training you to use weapons, and not to use de-escalation, and not to use your hands, then maybe we're not training you right. And maybe it's not fair to anybody.

BLITZER: The sheriff is with us, Sheriff McGuffey, we've reconnected with you.

Looking ahead, from your perspective, and you're there on the ground, you're dealing with this every day, if not every hour, what needs to be done? What can be done in the short term to improve this situation?

MCGUFFEY: Well, we need to embrace that reform. That is intentional action. And just as Van said, I agree. It absolutely is the attitude that you show up with when you're in uniform. How you approach someone, your tone of voice, all of those de-escalation skills, not just need to be trained, but they need to be expected by the top leaders in law enforcement.

It's exactly what I tell the 900 strong department that I command, we can influence a nation and we will do it by de-escalating situations.

BLITZER: So important. Sheriff McGuffey, thank you very much. Captain Johnson, thanks to you. Van, always good to have you here in the Situation Room as well.

Up next, President Biden unveiling an ambitious goal of cutting emissions in half by the end of the decade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:33:23]

BLITZER: New developments tonight on Capitol Hill where lawmakers are working on a sweeping bill to try to overhaul policing practices here in the United States. Let's go to our Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju, he's up on Capitol Hill. Manu, this bill is facing an uncertain future right now. But you're learning some new information, share with our viewers.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, talks are intensifying, but it's still unclear whether or not an ultimate deal can be reached. There are some serious sticking points on how to hold police accountable as Democrats want.

Now there are two main issues as part of that. One, in how to deal with criminal prosecutions involving police officers. Democrats are trying to lower the standard to make it easier for federal law and for prosecutions to be brought against police officers who may commit acts of violence, who may act in a way that requires them to be charged in criminal court. That is, in the words of Tim Scott, our Republican chief negotiator, a non-starter. He says that is off the table.

But the Democrat Karen Bass was leading the negotiations on the House side told me that that is essential to getting any deal. So that is a major sticking point impediment to getting a final deal. And also the issue of so called qualified immunity that is to make you allow for police officers to be sued in civil court.

Democrats have pushed for people who have been victims of police violence to have recourse in civil court. Republicans have been concerned about this and hurting the ability for law enforcement and police officers to carry out their job, they have resisted that. Scott has floated a compromise in order to allow that police officers to be sued in civil court as Democrats want, but police departments themselves. That still is not enough for Democrat's Bass for, one, says she wants further changes to that.

[17:35:04]

So there are a number of key issues including outlawing chokeholds on the federal level, no knock warrants and the like that Democrats want outlawed. Republicans are pushing for issues to be dealt with on the more state level. Those things need to be resolved. So Wolf, there is still some optimism and hope among the negotiators that they can reach a deal, but still a lot of key issues to resolve and still uncertain path. But whether it can ultimately land on Joe Biden's desk.

BLITZER: Yes, at least they're working hard to try to get some sort of deal going. It's interesting, the Republican leadership decided that Senator Tim Scott, the only African American Republican Senator will deliver the Republican response to President Biden's upcoming State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress next Wednesday night. What does that tell you about his power right now within the party?

RAJU: Well, he has enormous respect within the party. He's also someone who is viewed in this police reform negotiation among the Democrats, as an honest broker in these thoughts. He was picked also by Donald Trump to deliver a top primetime speech during the Republican National Convention last year.

He's someone, as you mentioned, the lone black Republican in the Senate, someone who adds much needed diversity to the Republican Party of conservative. Also and expecting to try to offer no push back against the Biden agenda and detail why the Republicans don't believe that that -- what the President is pushing is the way to go.

But the question, Wolf, will, will he talk about Donald Trump? How much will he talk about Donald Trump? Will he credit any of Trump initiatives? All questions as we look forward to next week, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, one little correction. Technically, it's not a State of the Union Addresses, it's an address --

RAJU: Yes.

BLITZER: -- before a joint session of Congress. It's like a State of the Union Address --

RAJU: No (ph).

BLITZER: -- but technically, it's not called that. Manu, I know you'll be busy next Wednesday night. We'll all be watching, of course, as well. Thank you very much.

Meanwhile, President Biden who will deliver that speech is kicking off a virtual climate summit attended by 40 other world leaders today by announcing a very ambitious cut in greenhouse gas emissions. This is very significant.

Our Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is joining us from the White House right now. Jeff, the President wants to put the United States back at the center of the global effort to address the climate crisis.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, and President Biden does want the world to know the United States is back as a leader in this fight against climate change. He unveiled this proposal that is really going to touch every piece of the American economy. Now it's long on ambition, in short on specifics, but the President said, the time is now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction is keeps mounting.

ZELENY (voice-over): Tonight, President Biden reasserting the United States on the world stage as a leader in the fight against climate change.

BIDEN: This is a moral imperative, an economic imperative, a moment of peril, but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities. Time is short, but I believe we can do this. ZELENY (voice-over): The President unveiling an ambitious goal of cutting emissions in half by the end of the decade. A dramatic about- face from the Trump administration's denial of the climate crisis.

BIDEN: Because scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade. This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of a climate crisis.

ZELENY (voice-over): At the White House, the President convening 40 leaders from across the globe at a virtual summit on Earth Day. It was Biden's latest way of showing the world the Trump era is over. As Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and even Pope Francis looked on.

BIDEN: We really have no choice. We have to get this done.

ZELENY (voice-over): The President pledged the U.S. would cut its emissions in half based on 2005 levels by 2030. He also said by 2024, the administration would double the amount of money the U.S. offers to help developing countries ease their carbon admissions. The White House stopped short of saying how the U.S. would reach this goal, which touches nearly every piece of the American economy. The goals are part of the Paris Climate Agreement, the White House rejoined on Biden's first day in office.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson among the leaders praising Biden for rejoining the global climate fight. He dismissed criticism the movement was only being embraced by liberals and elitists.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct green act of bunny hugging. This is about growth and jobs.

ZELENY (voice-over): Johnson's words were striking, given his close association with former President Trump, who spent the last four years denying climate change and belittling attempts to fight it.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris accord, and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.

[17:40:02]

ZELENY (voice-over): But it is that Trump to Biden whiplash that makes some leaders around the world question America's commitment of the climate crisis.

JOHN KERRY, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: You've destroyed your credibility, left the Paris Agreement. How can we trust you? What's going to happen in the next four years?

ZELENY (voice-over): John Kerry, the President's special climate envoy said the United States could not fall back.

KERRY: There is a very, very powerful answer, which is no politician I think could change what is now happening globally in the marketplace. And that is part of the message of what's happened here today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: So even as world leaders and allies of the U.S. welcomed the return of the White House and the President back to these conversations with a German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying she welcomes the U.S. coming back to this, Wolf, perhaps it was most striking that China and Russia were at the table of these conversations as well. Of course, many different views on their own, specific goals for climate change. And China is going to peak its emissions in 2030. Just as the U.S. is reigning (ph) its in, but no question here.

Having a President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same stage with President Biden clearly is a sign that they do not want to be left out of this global conversation. But, Wolf, they certainly are not allies of the U.S. on many fronts. But, of course, this climate crisis is one for the globe to fight, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. At least they're talking on this critically --

ZELENY: Right.

BLITZER: -- important issue and that's very, very important.

All right. Thanks very much, Jeff Zeleny, over at the White House.

This important note to our viewers, stay with us tomorrow night for a CNN Town Hall on The Climate Crisis. Our senior administration officials will answer questions about how President Biden plans to remake U.S. climate policy. CNN's Dana Bash will moderate, that's tomorrow night 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

Just ahead, important new pandemic information, including whether fully vaccinated people here in the United States still need to wear masks outdoor.

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[17:46:11]

BLITZER: Many Americans right now are feeling increasingly hopeful the coronavirus pandemic will soon be over. But tonight, the U.S. death toll is top 570,000 people, more than 800 Americans died from the virus just yesterday. The country is facing almost 32 million confirmed cases.

Let's go to our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, CDC data shows the seven-day average of coronavirus vaccine doses administered has now dropped below 3 million shots per day, this for the first time in more than two weeks. That's troubling to me, but what about to you?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'd like to see what happens over the next little bit of time here, Wolf, to see what the trend is. But I think that we've anticipated that sort of two things would happen at the same time, that there's still a lot of people who are having a hard time accessing the vaccine. I know for most people who are watching, it's become a lot easier, but there are hard to reach places still around the country that may be feeling some of this.

But also, Wolf, I mean, the vaccine hesitancy or lack of vaccine confidence, the sort of fence sitters, I don't know if we have this poll data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. I found this really interesting, Wolf, basically says 61 percent of people are going -- this is who's been vaccinated by the way so far. So you can see, not surprisingly, the vast majority of fully vaccinated people are 65 plus.

But if we have this other graph, we see 61 percent of people say they've either received the vaccine or willing to get the vaccine. The green lines at the bottom, Wolf, those are people who say definitely not or only if needed, but it's that blue line in the middle that I think is going to be really important. Those are sort of the fence sitters, the movable middle, they're waiting and seeing what happens here. If they start to shift, then I think we're going to be in much better position in terms of getting to this herd or community immunity.

BLITZER: We do expect, Sanjay, the CDC will soon, maybe as early as tomorrow potentially, release more guidance for fully vaccinated people, including possible changes to outdoor mask requirements. Does the science indicate that fully vaccinated people can safely stop wearing masks at least when they're outside?

GUPTA: I think so, Wolf. I mean, this is a question I get probably more than any other show some of the data overall. We have data now, right? So you look at the numbers of new cases, and you find that less than 10 percent of the new cases are actually coming from people who are contracting this outdoors. That's a data point.

Wolf, data that I think you and I talked about earlier last year, just indoors versus outdoors, you're almost 19 times more likely to have transmission of the virus indoors versus outdoors. So that sort of speaks for itself. In general, Wolf, I think if you are vaccinated if you're not vulnerable, being outside without a mask on is totally fine. Lindsay Maher (ph), who writes a lot about this, as sort of echoed that as well.

You know, I think you got to use common sense. If you're going to be in an area where there's lots of people and people are stationary and in the community that we're talking about, there's a lot of viral spread, then you may want to still consider putting a mask on. It's -- you got to use your judgement here. What is the likelihood you're breathing in someone else's air? And if you are breathing in someone else's air, what's the likelihood that air contains virus. If there's a lot of people in the community that still have virus, that chance is going to be much higher.

BLITZER: That's really important. We'll see what they announced tomorrow, if anything. Dr. Gupta, thanks as usual for joining us. Coming up, doctors call on jailed and now hospitalized Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to end his hunger strike. We're going to Moscow.

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[17:54:15]

BLITZER: There's mounting concern tonight about the deteriorating health of the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Let's go to our Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen. He's in Moscow for us once again tonight. So Fred, this is really significant what's going on. Give us the latest.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN OUR SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, absolutely significant, of course. So, Wolf, the reason why Alexei Navalny is on that hunger strike is he says that he's not able to get the medical care that he needs in that jail facility, he's not able to see his own doctors.

Well, we've now heard from his doctors that he was actually taken to a civilian hospital in the town where he's also in jail and seen by civilian doctors, not his own doctors, but at least civilian doctors. And his doctors actually got the results of the survey that those physicians did and they say it is absolutely dire.

[17:55:02]

They speak about possible symptoms of kidney failure, neurological problems and they say the threat of heart failure simply because Alexei Navalny has been on hunger strike so long and is getting so weak. They say, if it goes on even for a little longer, there is the threat that he will die.

I want to read you one quote from his physicians, they say, "Our main task is to preserve our patient's life and health. Thus, we, as attending physicians, appeal to Alexei Navalny and ask him to immediately stop the hunger strike in order to preserve life and health course". Of course, really unclear whether or not Alexei Navalny is going to do that.

But, of course, Wolf, yesterday, we were talking about the demonstrations going on here in Russia for Alexei Navalny. He said he heard about that from his lawyer, and he feels pride and hope so many people are coming out on the street, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thousands and thousands of people showed up to demonstrate, to protest and I take in more than 1,000 were detained. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow. We'll stay in very close touch with you. Thank you.

Coming up, an emotional funeral for Daunte Wright, and that comes amid growing questions about two more African Americans fatally shot by police.

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