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The Situation Room

Interview with Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Mayor Mike Elliott; Daunte Wright Remembered; Democrats' Push to Make it Easier to Prosecute Cops Emerges as Sticking Point in Policing Bill Talks; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 570,000 With Almost 32 Million Cases; Biden Sets Ambitious Goal to Cut U.S. Carbon Emissions 50 Percent By 2030. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 22, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

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.

We just witnessed a very powerful funeral service for Daunte Wright, the young man killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Family and friends remembered Wright as a caring man with a contagious laugh.

His mother said her son had a smile that was worth a million dollars that would be missed by so many. And there are, meanwhile, growing questions tonight about the deadly police shootings of two other African Americans this week. Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, have just released additional body camera footage of the police shooting that killed a black teenage girl who appeared to be holding a knife during a fight with another young female.

And there are also growing calls for transparency from authorities in North Carolina, where police shot and killed a black man while serving a warrant. The developments this week are clearly raising questions about race and policing in the United States.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with our senior national correspondent, Miguel Marquez, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, for us.

Miguel, Daunte Wright's funeral was both a celebration of his life, but also a call to action.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really was.

This is a young man whose life was just beginning. And now he is the latest symbol of racial inequality in the justice system in America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Daunte Wright, 20 years old, his parents barely able to say goodbye.

KATIE WRIGHT, MOTHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: I never imagined that I would be standing here. The roles should completely be reversed. My son should be burying me.

AUBREY WRIGHT, FATHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: Words can't even explain how I feel right now. You know, that was my son.

MARQUEZ: Wright, father of one, was shot and killed by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, who has since resigned and been charged with second-degree manslaughter, his death a call for equal justice.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: How did officer potter see Daunte Wright? But, more importantly, how does America see our children? Because, if she saw your child, Katie, like she saw her child, then I do not think she would have even reached for a Taser, much less a gun, because, when they see their children, they see their future.

MARQUEZ: Two of Daunte Wright's six siblings spoke about the brother whose life was only beginning.

MONICA WRIGHT, SISTER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: My name is Monica right. I didn't really get enough time with him. I wish I got enough.

(APPLAUSE)

M. WRIGHT: I didn't get to tell him I loved him before he left.

DALLAS BRYANT, BROTHER OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: I was so proud of the man that he was becoming. And he was going to make an amazing father to Jr.

MARQUEZ: The service, part funeral, part rally for other African Americans dead at the hands of law enforcement.

CRUMP: George Floyd's family. Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenny Walker, is present here with us. Philando Castile's mother is present here.

MARQUEZ: A call for policing and justice reform everywhere. Minnesota's governor and both senators attended.

REP. TIM WALZ (D-MN): We must be steadfast in our accountability to change from the top to the bottom, and not rest until we create a different future for Daunte Wright's son and every other child like him.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): It is time for Washington, D.C., to move forward on police reform and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

(APPLAUSE)

KLOBUCHAR: We must make policing more accountable. We have to change police training and standards, including banning choke holds.

[18:05:01]

MARQUEZ: A final goodbye to Daunte Wright, a window of hope that real change may finally be possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: So, that very, very graphic video of Daunte Wright being shot with a single shot from a Glock .9-millimeter from then-Officer Kim Potter, that caused such a shock to this community as it was dealing with the trial of Derek Chauvin and the murder of George Floyd.

There has been protest, protest, angry protest many nights in Brooklyn Center. A protest is scheduled for tonight as well. It is not clear if it will be angry. Since that -- those guilty verdicts of the Derek Chauvin trial, it has been more muted. So, we will see what tonight brings, but, certainly, there is a sense of some progress, but a lot more way to go -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Miguel, thank you, Miguel Marquez in Brooklyn Center for us.

I want to bring in the mayor of Brooklyn Center right now, Mike Elliott.

Mayor Elliott, thank you so much for joining us.

We saw you. You attended Daunte Wright's funeral today. His family's attorney, Ben Crump, says the service sought to define Wright's legacy. What do you hope his legacy will be?

MIKE ELLIOTT, MAYOR OF BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA: Well, Wolf, I was very fortunate to be in the numbers today at Daunte's funeral.

And, for me, it reinforced what we had all heard about him. All of his family members talked about just how much he was loved and how much he exuded love. Everybody shared just how much he was the life of the party, how much his smile was just contagious and how bright his future was.

I think his legacy is going to be that. I think his legacy also is going to be systemic change, because one thing we know for sure is that justice isn't just done in the courtroom. Justice is systemic change. Justice is passing the legislation that needs to be passed in the Senate and signed by the president.

Justice also is local municipalities passing meaningful reform, changing how we do public safety, and state governments once and for all passing meaningful reform.

I think that's going to be Daunte's legacy.

BLITZER: Yes, there's a lot of work that clearly needs to be done.

Were you able, Mayor, to speak with Wright's family? What's your message to them, and, indeed, to all, everyone in your community who are in pain tonight?

ELLIOTT: So, at the funeral, I wasn't able to talk directly with Daunte's mom and dad, but I did get to speak with some of his other family members, including also George Floyd's family members who were present.

My message to Daunte's family is, you're part of our family now. You're part of the Brooklyn Center family. And we want justice for you. We want justice for Daunte. And we're not going to rest. We're going to do everything that we can in our power to make sure that justice is done and meaningful reform is done. And if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask us.

BLITZER: That's a very good message you delivered.

When you joined me here in THE SITUATION ROOM on Monday, Mayor, you told me it's not safe to drive in Minnesota while black.

Does the guilty verdict in the George Floyd murder allow you to feel any safer right now as a black man in Minnesota?

ELLIOTT: Well, Wolf, that's something that I have been reflecting on.

And for me, the question has been, does that guilty verdict mean that mothers like Daunte's feel any better about their kids going out driving since that verdict has come down?

And as I have talked to other people in my community, the answer is a resounding no. As far as folks in my community are concerned, the verdict is one milestone toward progress, but it does not represent the kind of change that's needed.

In fact, the very fact that this verdict is so widely celebrated, and it is historic, and it is a very important verdict, but the very fact -- excuse me -- that it is so celebrated highlights the fact that it is also -- that we also exist in a very shameful state.

We exist in a -- in current conditions where one guilty verdict is so widely celebrated, when there have been so many others that have come before George Floyd who did not see justice.

[18:10:08]

So, this verdict is important, but it by no means represents where we need to go ultimately. We have a lot more work to do. And here in my own city, we have got a lot of reform work to do. We want to be an example to the rest of the country in terms of reforms, in terms of systemic change that's actually going to make a meaningful difference.

We want to enact changes that are going to -- that would have prevented Daunte's death and that of the likes of George Floyd or Philando Castile. We want to make real, meaningful change.

BLITZER: Yes, I'm sure you do.

When we last spoke, Mayor, you also opened up -- and this was very moving to me -- you opened up about how personal this is to you. How do your personal experiences with law enforcement, both as the mayor -- you're the democratically elected mayor of Brooklyn Center -- how do your personal experiences as mayor and before you were mayor guide you and tell you how to govern at this moment? ELLIOTT: Thank you, Wolf.

I think that there's a wide gap between law enforcement and the community, many times, in the communities that they serve.

Because I have this personal experience of having been affected by law enforcement in very traumatic ways, in ways that are unforgettable that no citizen of the United States should have to experience, because I bring that experience with me, it guides me in wanting to make sure that those voices that have been impacted by law enforcement are at the table when we're making decisions about leadership, decisions around -- also around how we address protesters and how protesters are treated.

It has, from my own personal experience, informed me in some of the key steps that we took in my city. Our City Council, obviously, you remember, passed a resolution that protects the right for people to protest, to gather and protest peacefully, protecting them from tear gas and rubber bullets and other less lethal forms of enforcement or tactics that law enforcement use.

So, I bring that personal experience with me. It also guides me when we're having policy discussions around these set of meaningful reforms that we need to enact. I think, when you have policymakers that are coming from lived experience, it makes a big difference in the outcomes of the policies that are actually put in place.

BLITZER: It certainly does. And we're grateful to you, Mayor Elliott, for all you're doing.

Thanks so much for joining us. You're always welcome to continue this conversation here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks for joining us, and good luck.

ELLIOTT: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Just ahead: The family of a black teenage girl killed by police while holding a knife is speaking out now for the first time.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:23]

BLITZER: Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, have now released additional body camera footage of a black teenage girl who was fatally shot by police while apparently wielding a knife during a fight with another young female.

Let's get an update from CNN's Jason Carroll. He is on the ground for us in Columbus.

What does the new video, Jason, show?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, once again, Wolf, this is all about transparency.

City officials and police want to be as transparent as possible, want to provide as much information as possible and as much video as possible. And so what you see on this new video, it's better resolution. It's from a different officer's point of view.

You can see the officer in question, once again there, Officer Reardon, Nicholas Reardon, on the videotape from the bodycam. You can see another officer walking up at a certain point. You can see the altercation taking place, the shooting, and then what happens after the altercation, when an officer moves forward then to render aid to Ma'Khia Bryant as she lays there on the ground.

Now, again, all this will be part of the independent investigation going forward, also the investigation being conducted by the state attorney general's office.

But, as you can imagine, Wolf, every time this video comes out and it hits the local news and the national news, it provides very little comfort to the Bryant family -- Wolf.

BLITZER: You had a chance to meet with the Bryant family. You sat down with Ma'Khia Bryant's family. What did they tell you?

CARROLL: Well, her mother is, as you can imagine, dealing with an unimaginable amount of pain at this point. She didn't want the narrative going forward, Wolf, just to be about this altercation, just to be about what's happening with police.

So she took time just late this afternoon to speak with us, to talk about her daughter, and to talk about the reality of having to live without her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA BRYANT, MOTHER OF MA'KHIA BRYANT: She was taken from me. She was taken from me.

CARROLL: What would you like people to know about your daughter?

BRYANT: I want the world to know that Ma'Khia was beautiful. She was humble. She loved to look after people.

She loved her brothers and sisters. She wanted everybody to get along. She was a Christian. She loved the lord.

I'm just hurting. And I wish Ma'Khia was still here with me, my baby. I wish she was still here. I wish I could hug and kiss her again. And I can't. I can't hug my baby.

[18:20:28]

I'm hurting. I loved her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Her mother clearly in a lot of pain, Wolf.

Bryant's did not want to talk about details of the altercation. She did not want to talk about police as well. I did ask her about accountability, and if she was looking for that from police, from the city, from anyone in particular. And she said simply she would leave it in God's hands -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, Ma'Khia was only 16 years old.

Jason, thank you very much, really a very powerful interview, so, so sad.

Meanwhile, we're also following a very disturbing developments in North Carolina right now. Officials there are facing growing pressure to release body camera video of the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr., who was killed by deputies who were serving a warrant.

CNN's Brian Todd is in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for us, where it happened.

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

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we got a partial answer on that question a few minutes ago from the local district attorney and the local county attorney as to why this has not been released.

I'm going to tell you about that in one second.

Let me set the scene for you here, though. A couple hundred protesters, we have been marching with them from downtown Elizabeth City to this intersection, Roanoke Avenue and Perry Street. This is the intersection where Andrew Brown was shot and killed by deputies yesterday morning.

Community leaders leading the crowd over there in prayer and some reflective thoughts about what happened. They're calling for justice and answers. But, as you mentioned, Wolf, in your intro to me, they're not going to get answers anytime soon.

We just learned from the local district attorney and the Pasquotank County attorney that the -- they have just released a statement saying that, under North Carolina law, these police bodycam videos are not public record. And they have to follow the law. And the law prohibits them from releasing the bodycam footage.

That's not saying that they're definitely never going to release it. They're saying that, right now, without a court order, they cannot release it. So we're pressing them for answers as to whether they're going to pursue that court order.

Again, that's going to be a source of a lot of frustration among Brown family members, community leaders like this and others. We did hear Harry Daniels, who is the lead counsel for the Brown family, about what happened yesterday a short time ago. Here's Mr. Daniels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY DANIELS, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF ANDREW BROWN JR.: A lot of speculation was going on. We're asking for answers, accountability and transparency.

This is something that we are demanding immediate release. What we do know is that Mr. Brown was shot and killed, and he was unarmed at the time. We do know he was shot by multiple officers yesterday, yesterday morning, around like 8:00. And we believe that he was declared deceased on the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And those representatives for the Brown family have also told us that, after their conference call with the district attorney, their words with him, they have learned that there are three deputies in the sheriff's department who are now on administrative leave after the shooting.

There were multiple deputies firing multiple shots at Mr. Brown. That's according to witnesses who spoke to us and members of the family Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you very much, Brian Todd in North Carolina.

Let's get some analysis right now from our senior legal analyst, Laura Coates, retired LAPD police Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey, and CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

Laura, this is just the latest wave of very disturbing videos. The circumstances may change each time. But do you believe that, when officers face an armed white suspect, they find a way for the situation to end differently?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think the data shows that de-escalation tactics that are normally used and strategies are use.

When you're talking about the different racial disparities, the data really speaks for itself, doesn't it, Wolf? And what you have here is a continuous thread through all of these cases, which is the use of force continuum that America learned a great deal about during the Derek Chauvin trial, about the assessment, the evaluation and re- assessment that an officer must look at, determining what level of force, what duration of force to use, the type of force to use.

And so the common thread of all this is, up until now, we have seen sort of this presumptive benefit of the doubt given to police officers in the use of force that has not really been checked in the same way it's been over the last month.

And so the question really becomes, when an officer is involved in a shooting like we have seen over the past several days, unfortunately, and over time, is the use of force continuum actually being applied, or are they trained in some way to have a carte blanche dynamic at play?

[18:25:10]

That's not how it's supposed to be. The Supreme Court has given that benefit of the doubt for split-second decisions. But it's always supposed to be based on reasonable behavior. And what we're seeing more and more is this notion of what actually is reasonable either going untested by prosecutors, or, even when it is tested, not fully being able to overcome that benefit of the doubt, until two days ago?

And that wasn't even a shooting case.

BLITZER: Yes, you're right

Sergeant Dorsey, you speak with authority, spending a long time as a police officer. You're retired right now. How do you get police officers, from your vantage point, to see not only the potential threat of a situation, but the humanity, let's say, of black people involved?

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: That's something that you can't teach. You can't unlearn racism either.

And we know that everything about the way white officers are engaging and interacting with black people right now is problematic, from just the way that they communicate with us.

There was a study by a professor in Oakland on that police department, using those officers. And even just the way they say hello and "May I see your driver's license?" to a black person is very different than when they stop a white person on a traffic stop.

And so we have got to admit, Wolf, that listen, everybody who wants to be the police should not be. There are so many officers on these police departments who are out there fearful, so they say, of black folks, and are using deadly force as a first resort, rather than a last resort, because they understand that they have people who will coddle and shelter them.

I mean, we're having discussions right now where the GOP is saying qualified immunity and decertification of officers is a nonstarter in their conversation. If you're not using excessive force, if you're not contemplating murdering black people, what the heck are police officers, their unions and the GOP afraid of?

BLITZER: You know, Joey, we did watch the very moving funeral of Daunte Wright to today. Police say the officer accidentally used a gun, not a Taser.

But black people can't afford to make a mistake in these interactions with police at all, can they?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: No, I don't think they can, Wolf. Good to be with you and Laura and Cheryl.

Look, here's the bottom line. I know that there are legislative efforts that are under way. I know President Biden is really pushing for them and seizing this opportunity. And I think it's important, right? It's important to legislate issues as it relates to no-knock warrants. It's important to legislate issues of banning choke holds and having more bodycams and demilitarizing police forces, et cetera.

But it goes deeper than that, Wolf, to your point to your question, right? The fact is, is Daunte Wright is not coming back. And the bottom line is, you cannot legislate -- through all the legislation, you cannot legislate morality, you cannot legislate good judgment, you cannot legislate using your discretion in a way that favors life, right?

Those are things that you really need. The other thing is, in the absence of legislation, you have to look at the dynamic of the culture of the people who are working on police forces.

Where are we recruiting them from? Do they come from the communities that they're serving? Do they have an understanding of those communities? Why are you so scared? And so you got to get to the root causes of this -- these issues. And I think that that becomes a big deal.

Now, a couple other things, Wolf. I think the meaning, right, the whole issue of this guilty verdict is so significant because it speaks to an era of accountability. Amen. We have gotten to the point where officers who engage in transgressions are not arrested. If they're arrested, they're not indicted. If they're indicted, they're not convicted.

And that has to change. And let me be clear. My dad was a law enforcement officer. Bless his heart, and may he rest in peace forever. The bottom line, Wolf, is, he always used to tell me, of all the tools and equipment he had with him, the biggest thing that he had was his mouth.

Talk to people, be courteous, be respectful, be kind, be decent, de- escalate, show them that you understand, and you will get the response back.

But to be pointing guns and be using profanities and everything else is a problem.

Last last thing, and that's this. I'm not at all suggesting -- look, we have police officers out there every day who are doing their job, who are protecting our communities. I applaud their efforts. May they do so and remain safe, of course.

But for those who transgress the law, they have to be accountable. And that's what the jury verdict did. But, at the end of the day, Mr. Wright is not coming back. He should be here. And that was just really -- call it what you will. He's dead. An accident, whatever, it's not excusable. And it needs to be corrected, and the person needs to be held accountable for engaging in that behavior.

BLITZER: Well said.

Guys, thank you very, very much. We will obviously continue this conversation.

Coming up: President Biden takes a very dramatic turn away from the climate policies of the Trump administration, pledging to slash carbon emissions by half in less than a decade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: There is new momentum right now in Congress on legislation to overall policing in the United States, but some key differences between Republicans and Democrats are beginning to emerge.

Let's get some reaction from the president and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc Morial. Marc thanks so much for joining us.

MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Wolf, thank you.

BLITZER: Before we get to that, I know you were at Daunte Wright's funeral today. How emotional was it to honor his life, cut so short just days after the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial?

MORIAL: I've got to tell you, Wolf, to see the family, a black father, a white mother and all of their children present, to understand that this was a very young man, a 19-year-old man who was a father and has a little baby, was really emotional.

[18:35:14]

You get the sense when you're in the church as you watch the family how painful it is. It's jarred the nation. it's jarred every one of us. But for the family, it is so painful. He will never be returned.

They will ask why, as I do, why does it continue to happen to our children, to our young black children. It's unnecessary. It's unneeded. It's criminal. It's hateful, Wolf, and we have to stop it.

Now, Reverend Sharpton, I think, captured the moment in a great fashion that Daunte Wright is a prince and that Daunte Wright now sits with many of the martyrs of police violence. And we have got to pass a meaningful, substantial, substantive George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which, as you know, I've been a part of from the very beginning when Karen Bass and others, Cory Booker on the Senate side introduced the bill last summer.

There has to be from this movement, from this pain, from this opportunity, meaningful policy change at the national level. The attorney general, I think, has begun that step with executive actions at the Department of Justice. States like Maryland have taken action. And Minnesota House of Representatives just yesterday took a step to, if you will, make the kind of law changes, the policy changes that allow for police to be held accountable and also that proactively change policing in America.

BLITZER: But beyond federal legislation, Marc, where are you most hopeful there will be change in our country?

MORIAL: You know, Wolf, I think there has to be change in an understanding that to talk about accountability for bad policing does not make you anti-police. I think that the country has to understand that police officers are human beings, yes, but they're also public servants.

We hold a corrupt politician accountable. We hold a corrupt building inspector accountable. We should hold a corrupt, violent, if you will, police officer who violates people's constitutional rights accountable as well.

This is about understanding, I think, in this world that police officers are there to protect and serve. They take a very important oath. They owe that responsibility to us. The standard should be strong and tough, and that when they run afoul of it, they need to be held accountable.

But more than that, Wolf, the re-imagination, the re-envisioning, the rethinking about policing, I watch this incidents and I heard the last panel, and I think Joey Jackson is absolutely right, there's got to be more de-escalation, there's got to be more conversation. Everything can't be grab the gun, grab the taser, use a foul command language when you're trying to deal with dispute in the community.

And we all understand the difference between a dispute that can be deescalated and something where maybe there is a true, true, true threat to life. But in these instances, whether it's the no-knock warrant situation with Breonna Taylor or George Floyd or Daunte Wright or Eric Garner or Tamir Rice or Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown, all of these, these were unnecessary deaths. These were heinous acts of violence against citizens, black citizens who did not deserve to die.

BLITZER: Yes. We've all got a lot of work to do right now and we got to do it. Marc Morial, thank you so much for joining us.

MORIAL: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, can the United States keep vaccinating quickly enough to reach herd immunity by the summer?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: With COVID vaccines now widely available throughout much of the United States, some parts of the country though actually have more supply than demand.

For more on that, I want to discuss with a key member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee, Dr. Paul Offit, a good friend of the show.

Dr. Offit, CDC data shows that, for the first time in more than two weeks, the seven-day average of coronavirus vaccines doses administered actually dropped below 3 million shots per day. Does that concern you?

DR. PAUL OFFIT, MEMBER, FDA VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Well, I'd like to see what happens over the next week or two to see whether that is just a blip or whether it's a trend. But certainly the things that you worry about are that we've gotten to a point where now that everybody really, who needs a vaccine can, for the most part, get it, that there is a critical percentage of people who were saying this vaccine isn't for them. I hope that doesn't happen because we need 80 percent of the population to be vaccinated if we're going to slow the spread of this virus.

BLITZER: We certainly do. The last time you and I spoke, you were critical of the CDC vaccine advisory board's refusal to make a decision about the future Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine. The group is meeting again tomorrow. What will it take to undo the damage from their previous indecision?

OFFIT: You know, if the Johnson & Johnson were the first vaccine to come on the market or to become available, we would have had a very different conversation. We would have said here is a vaccine that has an extraordinarily rare side effect that's serious.

[18:45:04]

It happens in one in a million people. But if you take people who are infected with COVID, 5,000 will die. Therefore -- and many more will be left with permanent harm. So, the benefits outweigh the risk.

But that's not the way this played out. We have two other vaccines, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that don't cause this. So, people are in precautionary pretzel. Let's put a pause on this vaccine, during which time we didn't give the American people I think a chance to understand relative risk.

And what worries me is this vaccine, which has a number of advantages, it's single dose, it refrigerate for months, that there will be people now who won't get a vaccine because of what's happened over the last week and a half.

BLITZER: Yeah, I totally agree. Let's see what happens tomorrow when they meet.

Dr. Offit, as usual, thanks for everything you're doing. Thanks for joining us.

OFFIT: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, can the U.S. beat President Biden's ambitious new goal to slash carbon emissions here in the United States by 50 percent in just under a decade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:32]

BLITZER: Tonight, President Biden is making a major commitment to fight the climate crisis, pledging to slash U.S. carbon emissions in half by the year 2030.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, Joe 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: 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 to the climate crisis.

ZELENY: 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: 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 emissions. The White House stopped short of saying how the U.S. would reach this goal, which touches nearly ever 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 body hugging. This is about growth and jobs. ZELENY: 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: 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.

ZELENY: 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: John Kerry, the president's special climate envoy said the United States could not fall back.

KERRY: There is a 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 (on camera): Now, from the cars we drive to the houses we live in, this will dramatically touch every piece of American life and indeed the economy.

Now, President Biden was just offering a way forward. But, Wolf, of course, many difficulties ahead reaching that goal. But one thing is clear, the U.S. is back at the center of the climate debate -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Indeed. Yes, it's true.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you.

Important programming note: stay with us tomorrow night for a CNN town hall on the climate crisis. CNN's Dana Bash will moderate this tomorrow night 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

More news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:42]

BLITZER: Finally, tonight, we're honoring the former vice president, Walter Mondale. The Minnesota Democrat who also was his party's 1984 presidential nominee and a veteran U.S. senator died Monday at the age of 93.

I interviewed him less than two years ago for a documentary on his former boss, President Jimmy Carter.

Walter Mondale was clear that he saw his working relationship with President Carter as central to his legacy. Watch this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: How do you want to be remembered?

WALTER MONDALE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: An honest and decent guy that did his best to serve the public.

BLITZER: You did.

MONDALE: Uh-huh.

BLITZER: And what do you think your legacy will be?

MONDALE: I hope it's that. I think that the relationship with Carter is seen as a unique step forward in the organization of the presidential office, and I believe since it's been copied by later vice presidents and presidents of both political parties, it will be seen as a big contribution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I knew Walter Mondale, covered him over many years. And I can tell you he was an honest, very, very decent man. May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.

Thank you very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.