Transcripts For CNN New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman 20240711

Viewers in the United States and all Around The World. This is new day. And House Democrats today plan to strip Marjorie Taylor greene of her Committee Assignments. The vote will force republicans to go on the record to either publicly support or rebuke this controversial qanon supporter in their midst. There was a highstakes meeting of House Republicans last night and Minority Leader Kevin Mccarthy declined to take any action against greene, though she has never publicly apologized or recanted for supporting the execution of top democrats, shes never backed down from any of her violent rhetoric. But it was liz cheney whose fate was uncertain last night. The number three republican managed to keep her spot in leadership surviving calls to oust her for voting to impeach donald trump. Overnight, the House Republican leader Kevin Mccarthy also claimed that he did not know what qanon is. You might want to ask Kevin Mccarthy, who knew exactly what it was in august. You could also ask his political idol, the former president , whom he honored just last week. The former president thinks qanon is just people who love america. Worth noting that Marjorie Taylor greene has bragged about recent conversations with the former president , as well, and claims his full support. Cnns Lauren Fox Live On capitol hill. Lauren, take us inside this dramatic republican meeting . Well, it lasted more than four hours, john. And i think one of the most remarkable pieces of this peg is that it really had to do with liz cheney, the number three republican, a member of leadership, who really heard quite a few complaints from members who were frustrated with the fact that she voted to impeach former president donald trump. Now, one of the biggest questions that we have seen is, what was going to happen to Marjorie Taylor greene in this meeting . We now know that she apologized privately to her colleagues, just saying, essentially, that her former public media posts were not who she was. They were not representative of who she was. We should note that she has not publicly apologized for those comments. Here was Kevin Mccarthy talking about her statement during that conference meeting. She said she was wrong. She has reached out in other ways and forms. I think everybody should hear that. And she has expressed that she has put it out from News Agencies and others. I think it would be helpful if you could hear exactly what she told all of us. Denouncing qanon. I dont know if i say it right. I dont even know what it is. Reporter and we should note that mccarthy back in august did know what qanon was. He said that he didnt support the ideas and they didnt have a play in the Republican Party. Now, moving forward, there is going to be a vote today on the house floor, where lawmakers tonight democratic side and republican side are going to have to decide about whether or not they think that Marjorie Taylor greene should keep her Committee Assignments. We expect that shes going to be kicked off both the budget and the education committee, but look, this is a tough vote for republicans. Theyre going to have to walk the plank, in part because mccarthy didnt make a call on his own to pull her from those committees. This was a moment where steny hoyer thought it was an important thing that democrats took this step. But its setting an interesting precedent, because its never been the case that members vote to kick members off committees. Instead, what usually happens is your leadership makes that decision. Thats not whats happening here. John and alisyn . Yeah, a lot of unprecedented things happening lately. Thank you very much, lauren. Joining us now to talk about this, we have two former republican congressmen and cnn commentators, mike rogers and charlie dent. Great to see both of you. Alisyn, good to see you. Congressman dent, why should we believe that Kevin Mccarthy that Marjorie Taylor greene apologized . Shes never done that publicly. In fact, just two days ago, when she was given an opportunity to do so on a radio show, i will quote her, she said, i dont think i have anything to apologize for. For looking things up on the internet and saying things about it on facebook . Big deal. She has been proudly unrepentant about her violent rihetoric. And just to remind people of what she said, one of them, online, on social media, when somebody said, why dont we hang Hillary Clinton and president obama . She said, the stage is being set. This will have to be done very carefully. So, you know, liberal judges dont throw it out. Thats just one of them. Well, alisyn, once upon a time, and not so long ago, members resigned when they became an embarrassment or a distraction. And if they didnt resign, the leadership forced them to resign. In fact, just before coming on this program, i just put together a list of 11 members of congress during my tenure who resigned because of some kind of a scandal or problem. And what should have happened here should have happened back in the summertime. They should have denounced her in the primary. And they should have told her shes not welcome in the conference or on the committees. And that they will work to defeat her in a primary should she win. Thats how they should be dealing with this situation. The fact that the leadership has basically punted and said, okay, well let the democrats do this, well, its just a failure, frankly. And now the precedent that lauren just described is real. Now were going to have a situation where the democrats are going to kick a republican off the committee. Thats not ideal. It should have happened the other way. This is just so terrible for the Republican Party. This woman, Taylor Greene is a blight on the party and she is going to cause problems for so many of these members. And the members would have liked leadership to deal with this thing. Get her out. They want her gone. Its that sumimple. Let me take a quick poll. Would you vote in the full house to vote to remove Marjorie Taylor greene from her committee . Yes chairman rogers, would you vote today yes or no to remove Marjorie Taylor greene from her committees . I would vote yes. Im sad that it came to this, but i think this is the only outlet that you have. This to me was an absolute failure of leadership, john. This should have been worked out, the leader should have worked it out. Once the speaker was driving down this lane, this is something the two leaders should have sat down, worked out, where she didnt sit on a committee. And its maddening to me that this is going to happen today. Its going to look like more Political Polarization in the country. All of those things are going to be on full display. And this is Just Congress is broken right now. To me, this is the greatest example. Her comments were repugnant. She isnt a republican and doesnt deserve to sit on the republican conference. When you have other Senior Leaders saying shes a cancer on the party, you know, as an fbi guy, wed say, hey, thats a clue this is not where the direction of the Republican Party is going to go. Im an optimist there and i think today will be that first sign. By the way, keeping liz cheney, this is a good sign. Thats a i feel a little better. Its like watching a Heroin Addict Go through withdrawals. Now weve had that first day and it looks like well get to a better place and a better day for republican principles which is really good for the country. Theyll need a bigger tent. I know that thats the goal of Kevin Mccarthy, but at the moment, trying to keep both of those factions seems complicated at the moment. But charlie, look, when what weve noticed is that when republicans dont want to have to condemn the character of someone or the behavior of someone in their party, they use the ref fuguge of process. Well, i dont like this process, this is going to set a precedent. I was struck by what jim mcgovern, democrat of massachusetts said. He said, yeah, heres the new precedent. A member of the house is calling for assassinations. Thats the new bar. So, like, the republicans can say like, uhoh, tables are going to be turned. Okay, when democrats call for assassinating the leaders of the other party, then republicans can remove them also. Well, lets face it. Since the trump era, the Standards Bar has been set so low that it seems that almost anything goes. Its really very sad that thats the state of affairs. And when you cant argue substance, you always argue process. Substantively, there really is no defense for 9 11, trutheritrutherism, birtherism, the horrible comments about the sandy hook shooting. Theres no defense for this she has become such a terrible distraction. Thats why i get back to this, i remember when john boehner would call somebody into the office who was an embarrassment or a distraction and he would say, its true. And he would say, see that letter on the desk, thats your resignation letter. Why dont you sign it. Thats what leadership would do. And thats what needed to happen here. Now its going to be a spectacle on the floor today. Precedents will be set, and a lot of screaming about process and precedent. But hey, thats where we are. If you dont want to enforce standards, it comes to this. Tim alberta noted overnight, with boehner, there was a huge uproar when 17 republicans suggested they want to boot boehner from the leadership. Now 61 wanted to boot liz cheney. I know she won by a leftandslid but 61 is still a lot of votes. Kevin mccarthy, just speaking about qanon, this Conspiracy Group that has put out hateful ideas, hateful ideas that we saw contribute to the siege of the u. S. Capitol. Just listen to what Kevin Mccarthy said about qanon overnight . And i want to remind people what he said about it before. So listen. I think it would be helpful if you could hear exactly what she told all of us. Denouncing qanon i dont know if i say it right, i dont even know what it is. There is no play for qanon in the Republican Party. I do not support it. So when the leader of the Republican Party says, i dont even know what qanon is, dismisses it, even as he says some other things, as well. Again, your experience in the fbi, extremist groups, people inside organizations look this w what do they hear when someone like Kevin Mccarthy says that . Well, heres the problem. Everybody should know what this group is. If youre a republican, you need to understand that this group is trying to latch on your leg and gain a platform in the in politics in the United States that evaluates them from the gutter of which they come. And so its really important that you do know who they are and you push back on those hateful ideas. Remember, this is a group again, these werent republicans before trump, during trump, or after trump. Theyre not republicans now, but theyll try to latch on anywhere that they think they can get a platform to communicate their crazy ideas. And so every republican should come out and condemn this, but so should democrats. They should do it as well. And this is a new standard, hateful speech across congress of both parties should be the standard anyway, we shouldnt even have this debate. I dont know why this is a debate, that we talk like this. These people are pitching violence against our political system. People need to understand, thats a serious, serious thing. Because it will attract people who are outside of that circle even, to think, hey, its okay. Violence is okay. Even after the attack on the capitol, some of these members were saying, this was a success. This was good. We can disrupt american politics in the way that we think this qanon group thinks is appropriate. Thats why its so dangerous. And thats why you have to make a statement today. If this was, again, failure of leadership, shouldnt come to a vote on the house floor. But now thats where were at. So that statement should be very loud and very clear. The problem is, theyve gained more than a foothold or a toehold at this point. They have a vessel now in congress, Marjorie Taylor greene. Qanon has a representative in congress. But i hear you, mike rogers and charlie dent. Thank you both very much for the perspective and all the expertise, as always. Thanks, alisyn. So Donald Trumps grip on the gop is not letting up, weeks after he was voted out of office. Maggie haberman joins us with her new reporting, next. En i nee a better visitor experience. Improve our workflow. Attract new customers. Thats when fastsigns recommended fleet graphics yeah, and now business is rolling in. Get started at fastsigns. Com do you have a Life Insurance policy you no longer need . Now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. We thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. But we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. If you have One Hundred Thousand Dollars or more of Life Insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. Dont cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what its worth. Visit conventrydirect. Com to find out if you policy qualifies. Or call the number on your screen. Coventry direct, redefining insurance. Tired of Daily Insulin Injections . Omnipod delivers insulin through a discreet waterproof pod to help simplify life. Just one small pod replaces up to 14 injections. Its gamechanging. And the wireless controller helps deliver the right amount of insulin. Get started with a free 30day omnipod dash trial today. Go to omnipod. Com for risk information, instructions for use and free trial terms and conditions. Consult your Healthcare Provider before starting on omnipod. Simplify diabetes. Simplify life. Omnipod. With so many new pet owners, your groomers cant keep up. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base. So, you can start hiring right away. Claim your seventyfivedollar credit when you post your first job at indeed. Com groomer the former president wanted revenge on liz cheney for voting to impeach him. He didnt get it last night. The former president has supported Marjorie Taylor greene in a recent phone call, according to her. So he got what he wanted there. What does this tell us about his grip on the Republican Party . Joining us now, cnn political analyst, maggie haberman. Shes a washington correspondent for the new york times. Good morning, maggie. I would like to split this into parts, if i can. Starting with the liz cheney thing. Thats an area where the president has been active behind the scenes, trying to get revenge on liz cheney for her vote and her statements to impeach him. Matt gaetz went out to wyoming. Do you know how the president feels about that this morning. The effort to oust her that failed . The former president , as you know, john, prefers instant gratification. He would have rather seen her lose that vote. And certainly, his ally, matt gaetz, was talking a very big game about the fact they had the votes, that didnt happen. Although, it is worth noting that this vote was taken in support of her by secret ballot. People have not been willing to buck the former president publicly, but they were willing to do it when people wouldnt know what they were doing. So now, where the former president and his allies turn to is defeating liz cheney in wyoming, where they believe, and remember, a trump ally pollster, john mclaughlin, did a poll not very long ago, showing that liz cheney, even if its within the lane of right, showing that liz cheney does have a problem in her district. I think youre going to see this fight by the former president and his associates move to her actual district. They believe that she is very vulnerable. They are going to either look for somebody to run against her or theyre going to try to make it very hard for her to seek reelection. Well see how effective they are at the latter. What about Marjorie Taylor greene . Because, obviously, she would not have survived, i think, had she not had former president trumps support. But it seems like from the things he says, maggie, im interested in your interpretation, he thinks shes kind of crazy. So, its funny you said that. Look, the former president often likes to entertain people who he then disparages as off in some other context, witness sidney powell, the attorney who had been working with him for a time, but he had no problems being dismissive of, while entertaining her and considering hiring her to the white house. I think you can put Marjorie Taylor greene in the same category. When it comes down to what he sees as quote unquote the fight. Somebody who is willing to take the fight to elites or to his enemies and he is willing to ignore the Conspiracy Theories and the antisemitism and the racism in order to see that, but remember, he has not really been out there saying this himself, alisyn. Shes saying. Marjorie Taylor Greene is saying, i spoke to him. I have no reason to doubt that she did. But donald trump may Something Different when he gets asked about it, as he has often done. You said Something Interesting before break. You said that qanon has a vessel in the congress right now with Marjorie Taylor greene. But to an extent, didnt they have a vessel in the white house . I say that, because of the Public Comments that the former president made about qanon, where he said, basically, he thinks theyre just people who love america, right . Right. He also in a private meeting reported by Jonathan Swann in axios described them as people who really favor good government. Dan scavino, the digital director at the white house and deputy Chief Of Staff was po posting what can only be described as winks and nods to qanon, at various points on his account on twitter or on instagram or on facebook. When you do that, there is a consequence. There are people who take these signals seriously. This is obviously a large group of people at this point, who were enjoying this Conspiracy Theory and Conspiracy Theorys are very appealing to people, because it means they themselves not responsible for things that happen in their lives. I think that youre absolutely right. Its not as if Marjorie Taylor greene is the root and branch here, where if she gets ripped out, this is all going to go away. Until the former president says very explicitly this is not real, you are going to continue seeing this. Yeah, one consequence of being all in on qanon is a deadly insurrection at the u. S. Capitol. I mean, it follows directly from the Conspiracy Theories. And so, to hear Kevin Mccarthy last night claim not to know what it is, have they forgotten that they hid for their lives on january 6th . Have they forgotten that people showed up at the capitol with big qs on their tshirts and holding flags . Right. Look, mccarthy is getting squeezed by every direction. Mccarthy wants to be speaker in 2022. That would require retaking the house from democrats. I am not in any way excusing what hes saying, but i am saying that he is playing a pretty cold, calculated political game, where he doesnt want to offend he is trying to please everybody and he has now ended up in this very middle spot where he is not really pleasing anybody except perhaps Marjorie Taylor greene, and liz cheney in the sense that she did not get taken out last night. I think that was heartening to cheney and to people around cheney. I think this is going to be a tough line for mccarthy to walk for another 18 months. Its interesting to watch how the white house is handling this and president biden, keeping this at a distance. And to an extent, this does provide, or what kind of Opportunity Duo you think this provides to them to focus on other things or to look like adults, in a way . Look, i think a big one, john. I think that the complication of impeachment, i think, has been something that has i dont know that its vexed the white house, but certainly theyve been okay keeping it at a distance, even though the president said he believes it has to happen. But i do think that having this be something that is taking place separate from them allows them to focus on the work in front of them. Allows them to focus on Executive Orders or on passing legislation. And look as if they are sort of trying to have a more constructive way forward, as democrats are arguing with their republican counterparts about where Marjorie Taylor greene sits on committees. There is a kind of triangulation going on right now. And it gets to the sort of long game that biden has played for a long time, in the Campaign First and now in the presidency. Hes undefeated in it over the last year. Well see if it continues in that sense. Yeah. Trying to stay above the fray. Maggie haberman, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you. Not just members of congress who were in danger during the capital insurrection. Congressional staffers, so many who go to work at the capitol every day, were also at risk. Were going to speak to some capitol staff about what they went through, next. Want to brain better . Unlike ordinary Memory Supplements neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. Memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. Try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. Before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Now no fruit is forbidden. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday, allnight protection. Can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn . Nearly 400 house and Senate Staffers are say they were traumatized during the capitol insurrection. Now, theyre urging senators to keep them in mind as they decide Donald Trumps fate. The staffers just released a letter saying in part, quote, as congressional employees, we dont have a vote on whether to convict donald j. Trump for his role in inciting the violent attack at the capitol. But our senators do. And for our sake, and the sake of the country, we ask that they vote to convict the former president and bar him from ever Holding Office again. Joining us now are two of those staffers, sarah guerrero, the press secretary to democratic congresswoman sylvia garcia, and remmington bellford, the Communications Director to democratic congresswoman yvette clark. Great to see both of you. I want to read another little portion of your letter that i think really gets to the heart of what you went through. Heres the portion. It says, quote, as the mob smashed through Capitol Police barricades, broke doors and windows, and charged into the capitol with body armor and weapons, many of us hid behind chairs and under desks or barricaded ourselves in offices. Others watched on tv and frantically tried to reach bosses and colleagues as they fled for their lives. Sarah, why did you think it was necessary to write this letter . Thank you so much, alisyn. I think that its absolutely paramount that we make clear that we are people, too. And that this trauma, again, has no party. Were people and we go to work. And at no point when were pursuing this career are we expected to know how to deal with being at the center of a terrorist attack. And i think its so important to really just keep clear our humanity. And the fact that we go to work every day and that this is not just the capitol to us, it is it is a temple to democracy and its our workplace. We have to revisit this place over and over. And so i think its really important to add that human element. To just keep it again, very clear. Were people. Staffers are people. And remmington, tell us your experience. Where were you doing the insurrection . And what message are you trying to get out . Well, alisyn, i want to just thank you for having me on. Im such a huge fan of news day. I was barricaded in my office with congresswoman yvette clark and this experience was traumatic. You saw places on the capitol that are hallow, that were not allow to, without badge or a corresponding member, to visit and to see these Insurrectionists Laying Siege to something as, as my colleague said earlier, thats so hallowed in our democracy, it was traumatic and concerning. And the message that im certain that all of our staff, all of the staffers signed on to this would like to convey is we need accountability. Weapon dont have a vote, but it is vital that we make our voices heard and the staffers dont necessarily speak up regularly. You dont hear from us. And this moment, it was so important, vital, and even critical that we make our voices heard, because accountability is necessary to move forward. Sarah, there are 370 of you that signed on to this letter. Were there any staffers from republican offices that joined with you . Not up until this point. And why is that. I cant speak to my republican colleagues, but i, again, Echo Remmington in explaining how this was a traumatic experience. And like i said earlier, trauma knows no party. I cant speak to their decision, but i hope was we move forward and sort of normalize being not okay, that we have some of our colleagues join us. And sarah, did yall have conversations with them behind the scenes about maybe whether they would sign on . Has there been any communication . I think when this letter was circulated, it didnt say, hey, democrats, right. It said, hey, staffers, were colleagues, we work together, were not on the same side of the aisle but we walk next to each other in hallways, this letter is not partisan. Its very, its human. And so i hope as time goes on that we are joined by our colleagues across the aisle and they know that we support them and the trauma that we all felt that day. Remmington, how did this letter come together . Who spearheaded it . Well, i want to give a special shoutout to my colleagues, daniel and gabby, so eloquently crafted and depicted our experience. So were not mentioning our offices, but i want to give them a special shoutout. The moment i read this letter, it really captured what all of us were feeling. It was a traumatic experience. People died. It put our colleagues, the Capitol Police at risk. And like i said, it just so eloquently captured what we were feeling. And remmington, do you think, in terms of your republican colleagues not signing on, do you think they didnt experience january 6th the same way that you did, or do you think this they are afraid to speak out or sign this letter . I definitely they experienced it the same way, alisyn. What i think is, i think they feared retaliation. Thats more than likely the reason they didnt sign on. And thats unfortunate. Because as sarah said earlier, this is a human issue. Its not a partisan issue. It wasnt a partisan experience. A lot of us were barricaded many our offices. A lot of us hid behind desks and feared for our lives and the lives of our members and the lives of our friends. So i know for certain, i can speak factual in that space that it was not a partisan issue, and they were scared. They were afraid, but they also had to fear retaliation, unfortunately. Sarah, ultimately, what do you think is going to happen with Donald Trumps trial . You know, thats up to the senators. But, again, our hope is, we add the human factor to this. Z well, youve just done that. Sarah guerrero, remmington bellford, thank you both so much its great to talk to you. Were sorry you had to endure that. Thank you for having us. John . Some bizarre developments involving people charged in the capitol siege. So before storming the capitol, jenny cud, a Small Business owner from texas booked a trip to mexico. Now while on pretrial release, she is asking the courts permission to take that mexico vacation. She calls it a Bonding Retreat for her employees and their spouses. Then the person known as the qanon shaman, what did you call him . The moronic minotaur. Jacob chansley seen here inside the capitol with his horns, a federal judge has ruled that he should be given only organic food while hes in jail after going on a hunger strike. Chansley claimed that nonorganic food was against his religion and sickened him. Is staging being part of a bloody insurrection part of his religion . He claims he says hes a vegan. I just think he needs to be treated the same way all prisoners are treated. I cant imagine that other prisoners get that kind of lenience or forbearance. More minotaurs are herbivores. Im going to look it up. Theres something in the Prison Guidelines about how to house minotaurs. The cdc guidelines says that teachers do not need to be vaccinated for schools to be open. That controversial question, next. Go pro at subway® for double the protein on any footlong. Or on any new protein bowl so many ways to go pro at subway® its not amateurtein, its protein, baby go pro and get double the protein for just 2 more. Subway. Eat fresh. My auntie called me. Go pro and get double the she said uncles hadore. A heart attack. I needed him to be here. Your heart isnt just yours. Protect it with bayer aspirin. Be sure to talk to your doctor limu emu doug an aspirin regimen. Hey limu [ squawks ] how great is it that we get to tell everybody how Liberty Mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need . I mean it. Oh, sorry. [ laughter ] woops [ laughter ] oh, good evening meow nope. Oh. What . Im an emu ah ha ha. No, buddy buddy, its a filter only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. It is love, love, love that makes it all worthwhile and it is love, love, love that cant help but make you smile. It is love, love, love. Send the love. Order now at edible. Com i also want to be clear that there is increasing data to suggest that schools can safely reopen and that that safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated in order to reopen safely. Thats the cdc director, rochelle walensky, saying that teachers dont need to be vaccinated for schools to safely reopen. A new study overnight finds that schools can reduce their infections by as much as 50 with weekly coronavirus testing. Joining us now, michael osterholm. He is the director of the center for Infectious Disease research and policy at the university of minnesota. Professor, always a pleasure to have you on. Thank you. The cdc director says that teachers dont need to be vaccinated in order for schools to reopen safely. What do you think about that . Well, actually what dr. Walensky is saying is actually correct. Remember all the measures were bringing together to protect students and teachers have to be in effect. Its like your car, its not just the seat belt that saves you, its the air bags and collapsible frames. Its all the things we have. Vaccinating teachers is a good thing. But we have evidence that you can, particularly for younger kids, open schools and do it quite safely without having the teachers vaccinated. Lets get them vaccinated, but that shouldnt be a condition upon which schools open or not. Cant we do these simultaneously . Cant we open Public Schools across the country and work to have teachers be in the next crop of people who get vaccinated . Because we now have a years worth of data that schools are not super spreaders. So we had dr. Jonathan reiner on last hour who said, yes, but teachers are very worried. They may have sick parents at home, but theyre worried that theyre going to get exposed. But i dont think theyre getting the message, they dont need to be as worried as they are. I think thats an important point. Over the last eight years in this state, weve had 16 children die from influenza acquired in schools. Over the course of the last year, while many of the classes were in distanced learning mode, we havent had a single child die that has been in school or day care. And those are the same kind of risk factors every day that schools have been living with for years. You know, a teacher could argue that, yes, its not safe for who i am and where im at, but over the years, theyve had a much higher risk being in school from influenza, and this year, we have very little of it. And its all about risk. I understand, they dont want any risk right now, its scary. But the bottom line is, we know we can open schools, particularly for younger kids, with all the measures combined and do it quite safely. I want to talk about vaccinating the general population. Dr. Anthony fauci said overnight, were not doing it quickly enough to stay ahead of the variants. Which i know are of great concern to you. Israel has vaccinated roughly a third of its population, but recent studies are finding its slowing way down. Theyre having a harder time keeping the pace up. Fewer people lining up to get vaccinated there. What is your concern, or how much of a problem is this in the United States and Around The World . Well, first of all, let me just say that we are not in a race with the evaporates right now with the variants and the vaccine. And anybody that says that doesnt understand the situation. What i mean by that is, even if we are able to achieve what the president set out in his inaugural day issues around vaccination of 100 million doses in the first hundred days, now its 150 million in a hundred days, if we do 100 million doses by the end of march, inform 65 days, that means only about 12 of the u. S. Population will be protected, relative to the vaccination. These variants are going to blow right by pups i think right now, the b117 or the uk variant surely could cause a major surge in cases. We want to get as many people as vaccinated as possible. But its going to take a lot more than vaccine to keep this variant at bay and not to have potentially a major surge in just this weeks ahead. You know, professor osterholm, you are the voice, okay, who keeps grabbing us all by the lapels and telling us about this. And there are some other voices that say, you know, theres good news on the horizon. Things are looking up. The number of cases are down. Hospitalizations are down. We have the vaccines, theyre coming. And maybe the media is still being too negative nelly about all of this. But i hear your voice, you know, bouncing around in my head. So i cant tell if things are looking up or if things are about to get really frightening. Well, look at it this way, alisyn. Were on the beach right now, somewhere on a Beautiful Sandy Beach on the gulf. Its 80 degrees. Bright blue skies. Temperatures, you know, just make it feel wonderful. And im telling you, nows the time to begin to evacuate. And you look at me like im crazy. When, in fact, we know that there is a category 5 hurricane just five miles south heading straight for the beach. Thats the challenge we have right now. I think amongst my colleagues, they would agree that this variant from the united kingdom, which is now beginning to circulate much more widely in the United States poses a huge challenge to us. And in just a few weeks, we could be seeing case numbers increase very dramatically. As ive said before, we are really good at pumping the brakes after we wrap the car around the tree. What we need to do is anticipate this is coming. I understand this is hard for the public. Theyre saying, give me a break im tired of this. But the bottom line is, we have to be prepared for what i feel is certain is coming. Thats the challenge we have right now. Given that, what about restaurants reopening in new jersey, you know, lifting some of those restrictions in new jersey and new york. What do you think of that timing the bottom line, the public demands it. And i wouldnt want to be a governor today. You are in the worst Shock Absorber Position i could ever imagine. The economy is suffering. Congress is still debating the Coronavirus Relief measure. We have a situation right now where case numbers are coming down. My goal right now is to make sure that as soon as we have any hint that those numbers are going up and in a way that we believe are going to result in this big surge, weve got to ramp down quickly again. And i dont think were going to get that done until that happens, where the numbers start to go up again. Again, we often are just a day late and a penny short. Thats unfortunate. Can we talk about grandparents . They want to know what theyre spoed supposed to be doing. If a grandparent i think johns parent just got the vaccine. Go, red sox everything has a fenway connection. My mom is scheduled to get it on monday. After grandparents get the first dose of the vaccine, can they change their behavior at all . Do they have enough protection to start seeing their grandkids again . Well, the first thing to do is to have a lot of Mental Health relief. Sleep better at night, feel better about yourself. Wake up in the morning with a smile, not a sense of, oh, my god, whats going to happen today. Thats the first thing. The second thing is, as we get two shots into people so that we are really certain about the protection, then i think at that point, we do have to have a discussion. Does that mean we have to stay away . I can tell you that i know that thats the current recommendation, but i for one, am not going to. I want to see my grandkids. Will i be holding them hard and tight and wrestling with them . I dont know. But i want to see them. And we have to prepare this country, as we get more and more people vaccinated, we have to understand, how are we going to return to the new sense of normal . This is a huge question that were all wrestling with. Im sitting here right now answering this as grandfather as much as i am a Public Health scientist. Its helpful, really helpful to hear, professor osterholm, because we know how careful you are and how you look at things. Thank you for coming on and helping us understand. Thank you. We want to take some time to remember some of the nearly 451,000 americans lost to coronavirus. Dr. Kent rogers led the Health Department in navarro county, texas. The local office of Emergency Management says he chose comfort care after declining to be on a ventilator longterm. The office says he wanted to leave one simple message. Quote, wear a mask, wash your hands, stay six feet apart. Cynthia ruiz taught school in san antonio, texas, for 18 years, winning teacher of the year at rent middle school. Her husband says she loved her job and would light up talking about it. She also leaves behind two sons. Nine retired dominican nuns died in just two weeks in january. After the virus swept through their religious community in adrian, michigan. The sisters ranged in age from 79 to 97 and all had served as teachers or nurses during a lifetime of religious service. There have been other outbreaks at convents, including one in wisconsin, and another one outside of detroit. Well be right back. If youre on medicare, or retiring soon, making sure you have the right Medicare Coverage is important. So Call Unitedhealthcare and take advantage of a wide choice of plans including an aarp Medicare Advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. It can combine your hospital and doctor coverage with Prescription Drug coverage, and more, all for a low monthly premium or in some areas, no plan premium at all. Take advantage of 0 copays on all Primary Care Doctor visits, all virtual visits, and preventive dental care. Plus 0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions. And with renew active, enjoy a free gym membership. So Call Unitedhealthcare and take advantage of the variety of plans we offer, including ppo plans that let you see any doctor who accepts medicare, without a referral. If youre on medicare or retiring soon, Call Unitedhealthcare or go online today. Look, this isnt my first rodeo if youre on medicare or retiring soon, and let me tell you something, i wouldnt be here if i thought Reverse Mortgages took advantage of any american senior, or worse, that it was some way to take your home. Its just a loan designed for older homeowners, and, its helped over a million americans. A reverse Mortgage Loan isnt some kind of trick to take your home. Its a loan, like any other. Big difference is how you pay it back. Find out how Reverse Mortgages really work with aags free, noobligation Reverse Mortgage guide. Eliminate monthly mortgage payments, pay bills, medical costs, and more. Call now and get your free info kit. Other mortgages are paid each month, but with a Reverse Mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. Discover the option thats best for you. Call today and find out more in aags free, noobligation reverse Mortgage Loan guide. Access taxfree cash and stay in the home you love. Youve probably been investing in your home for years. Making monthly mortgage payments. Doing the right thing. And its become your familys heart and soul. Well, that investment can give you taxfree cash just when you need it. Learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse Mortgage Loan to cover expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve your portfolio, and so much more. Look, Reverse Mortgages arent for everyone but i think ive been round long enough to know whats what. Im proud to be part of aag, i trust em, i think you can too. Trust aag for the best Reverse Mortgage solutions. Call now so you can. Retire better prosecutors in wisconsin seeking an Arrest Warrant for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen charged with killing two men in a protest in kenosha. Omar jimenez live with the latest on this. Whats going on . Prosecutors say Police Detectives went to the address supposed to be for Kyle Rittenhouse and someone else was living there. Now Kenosha County prosecutors are asking for an Arrest Warrant for Kyle Rittenhouse and an increase in bond of 200,000 saying the failure to update the address with the court left the court unable to monitor his whereabouts. Remember, rittenhouse was arraigned on two Felony Charges of homicide for the deaths of two people and an attempted homicide in the wounding of another in the aftermath of protests in kenosha. Just because prosecutors werent able to find him does not necessarily mean he was in the wind. Attorneys for Rittenhouse Say that he had to be moved to a safe house after he posted bond back in november, citing numerous threats. Now the issue is there seems to be a miscommunication there in the sense that the rittenhouse team says they tried to update the Prosecutorial Team about this change in address but says they wanted to do so under seal. And at least the email exchange filed with the court yesterday it does seem that that request was denied. And then separately an attorney who is no longer with the rittenhouse team filed a signed affidavit saying he went to check Rittenhouse Out and post that cash bail for him. However, he says that at the time, a police captain, who was helping him with that release form, advised him not to put the address of that new safe house on the form. I should mention that rittenhouse has pled not guilty to all of these charges and Jury Selection in this trial is set to begin march 29th. Omar jimenez, i know youll keep us posted on developments. The fbi has now identified the two agents gunned down in a shootout with a Child Pornography Suspect in south florida. Special agents daniel alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed while carrying out a Search Warrant at a home in sunrise florida on tuesday. A Law Enforcement source says the suspect was likely monitoring a camera before he opened fire shooting them through the front door. Three other agents were wounded in the shooting and are recovering. President trump spent his final days spouting debunked claims of voter fraud that were dismissed by courts over and over. So why now are more than half of State Legislatures introducing bills to increase Voting Restrictions . John avlon has our reality check. Weve all seen our democracy come under attack. And while expresident trump faces an Impeachment Trial for inciting an insurrection, the fight over basic Voting Rights is far from over. Because more than 100 bills have been put forward in State Legislatures to try to claw back Voting Rights. In georgia, republicans are reversing past support for no excuse Absentee Voting trying to stop automatic Voter Registration while banning ballot dropoff boxes. In pennsylvania, republicans are trying to roll back mailin Voting Expansions they passed just two years ago. In new hampshire, they are trying to require voter i. D. For Absentee Ballots while banning the use of student i. D. S. I wonder who that is supposed to help. These are just a few examples laid out in a report by the brennan center. Some republicans say this is about restoring integrity and trust in the voting process. Thats what one Pennsylvania State rep told cnn. The confusion that took place afterwards and the lack of faith in how things are run is affecting peoples belief and desire to vote again. But hold on. The confusion and lack of faith was not created by actual voting irregularities. It was created by expresident trump and his mignons who constantly lied about nonexistent mass voter fraud as a pretext to try to overturn the election. This is conspiracy bootstrapping. A lie is told over and over and then when people are confused about the truth, the rumors are used as evidence to demand new legislation to address the phantom menace. So why the sudden sprint to make it harder to vote . Listen to what gop leader from gwinnett county, georgia, said. Ill not let them end the session without changing some of the laws. They have to change the major parts of them so that we at least have a shot at winning. Got that . This is about helping republicans win. But writing new rules to keep your party in power is not what democracy is about. Free and Fair Elections should not be a partisan issue. Lets not be naive. The right to vote has long been a fight to vote, especially for africanamericans in the south. But now we should all realize that we cant take our democracy for granted. Thats why so much rides on a bill called the for the people act. Key provisions include automatic Voter Registration, expansion of early voting, Election Security measures including backup paper ballots and a commitment to the restoration of the Voting Rights act. Republicans will resist Campaign Finance reform and any push toward d. C. Statehood. But encouraging those to participate in the elections is a good thing because representative elections get representative results. It should be a shining example to the world but at the moment its not. We have an obligation to make it better. Have a factbased debate and build a Democracy Movement together. And thats your reality check. I denounce all those comments that she came in our conference and she denounce them as well. Marjorie Taylor Greene is effectively the Minority Leader. Shes broken Kevin Mccarthy. Shes effectively getting a pass. She got a round of applause. Some people stood up when Marjorie Taylor greene spoke. Liz cheney is getting hounded. You really had a terrific vote tonight. Were not going to be divided. Democrats are barreling ahead with bidens big proposal. Im not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the american people. Some of the variants may lead to increased mortality, and the jury is still out how these vaccines are going to work against these variants. This is new day with Alisyn Camerota and john berman. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all Around The World. This is new day. A moment of revelation for the Republican Party overnight. House leadership, republican leadership, taking no action against Marjorie Taylor greene. The qanonsupporting House Republican who endorsed the execution of democratic leaders, harassed School Shooting victims, called Mass Shootings a hoax and trafficked in antisemitic propaganda about jewish space lasers. She keeps her Committee Assignments and even receives an ovation from half the caucus after speaking to them last night. Today there will be a full vote in the house of representatives about greenes committee post. Republicans have to go on the record about where they stan