the other big stories, the derek chauvin murder trial resume this morning after a day of dramatic testimony from witnesses who watched george floyd die, the former officer's knee pressed down on his neck. four of the witnesses were under 18. an off-duty firefighter said she was desperate to help floyd, but officers wouldn't let her. she'll be back on the stand today. let's begin with our breaking pfizer vaccine news. dr. peter hotez is with us. tell us what you make of this announcement from pfizer just now that between 12 and 15 years -- i know it's a smatter sample than you would like -- but it's effective. >> yes. a few things. 1,200 to 1,500 in the pla sago group, similar in the vaccinated group. 1 100% efficacy. it's a smaller study, but it's enough to warrant moving forward. also the virus is moving antibody titers. i think it's likely a green light to move forward, move down in terms of vaccinating experts 12 to 15. i'm guessing it will go through t the verpac committee. they'll go back to the verpac committee. the bottom line is by the fall, i think there's a good possibility we'll be vaccinating teenagers 12 and up. and for middle schools, junior high schools, high schools, it's really good news in the united states for both teachers and staff. we'll have teachers and staff vaccinated. we'll have students vaccinated in those middle schools and high schools. >> what you're saying is 100% efficacy is astounding even at this early stage. people under 18 in america are 25% of the population. it's really necessary to achieve herd immunity. this means schools can be safely open come the fall across the board. is that right? >> certainly middle schools and high schools. i think a high percentage. depends on the uptake of the vaccine and parents want their children to get vaccinated. i think there's a high likelihood everybody can be vaccinated in the schools. that's good news. you're right. in terms of trying to stop virus transmission, we've got a pretty high bar with this new b.1.1.7. variant which is more transmissible. what it means sit raises the bar of the percentage of americans we're going to vaccinate. we have to get to 80%, 85%. the only way to get there with the hesitancy across the country is to vaccinate adolescence, and that's going to be absolutely key to this. >> i have a child in that age bracket, 12 to 15. when can my kid get vaccinated? >> first of all, it will probably have to go through very pack. the other thing is i don't know all the mechanics. remember, these vaccines have not been approved yet in the united states. everything has been done through emergency use ought zaegs, so at some point they've got to file a bla, and they've got to prove it. i think there's some urgency to do this by the fall, and so i think over the summer i wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing adolescents vaccinated. >> verpac is an fda commission icommission. it's a necessary hurdle to go to the public 1. 00% efficacy. in your experience, how common is that? >> as a pediatric scientist, i thought the measles vaccine was pretty impressive. undoubtedly as you goat to larger groups, millions of individuals, probably the 100% won't hold up. but given the robust antibodies we're seeing, it's a pretty damn good vaccine. >> is it going to work for kids under 12? >> i think so. safety studies take longer in the younger kids, although, we'll start doing clinical trials. what may hold up the pace of the clinical trials in the younger kids is we've been seeing this syndrome caused by covid called misc, multi simpson inflammatory syndrome. it's a delayed reaction to the virus and probably due to the host immune response, maybe the antibodies. i think that fact will slow people down in terms of how quickly we go to vaccinating kids and watching them. >> how much of a game-changer is this? there's a race right now between vax n vaccinations and surges. how advantageous is it to get those benchmarks and get the schools open? >> it's going to be critical for opening schools safely. i think we can still open schools ahead of vaccinating the kids, but it will make things a lot smoother starting in the f fall. you're right. we still have a number of cases in new york, new jersey, michigan, and they're in this race to vaccinate in terms of who wins out, the b.1.1.7. variant or vaccinations. we still only have a third of adults vaccinated a i kros the u.s. so we're still at the early stages of this. >> let's look at where the cases are highest. the hot spots in the u.s. here's the map. you see all sorts of red and orange on the map, which we hadn't seen. now 26 states are seeing spikes. the highest case increases in the u.s. wisconsin is up 61%. michigan, 52%. connecticut, doctor, which had been doing so well, connecticut had been at 2.5 positively rate. now up 42%. they had been out front with vaccinating. that had been a success story. i don't know if you have any thoughts on what's gone wrong. >> well, what's gone wrong is we were not mindful enough of the b.1.1.7. variant. the scientific community has been warning for a couple of months now, this is a bad actor, more transmissible, greater morbidity, mortality, and we're starting to see younger people going into hospitals. and despite that, governors in multiple states have gone ahead and lifted mask restrictions. eventually by the summer, we're going to be in good shape as we fully vaccinate american people, but the governors have made this road as difficult as possible over the next few months. and the other thing we're seeing, we don't have hard data. lots of younger adults now going into hospitals. so while we've vaccinated 50%, we're seeing younger people. that really gives me pause for concern. >> thank you very much for this significant breaking news. we want to take a moment to remember some of the 55 1,000 americans lost to the coronavirus. damian jackson was a teacher and coach at a high school in columbia, south carolina. the school says coach jack was a popular teacher on campus, beloved by his colleagues and students. the principal says his positive attitude and love for the school will be sorely missed. h herman brown was a michigan state trooper. he was in his 27th year on the force and planned to work for five more years before retiring to florida. the police department says brown was extremely kind, courteous, and respectful to everyone. he was 57 years old. michael gordy was an educated for 28 years and community activist in tucson, arizona. his friends and family remember him as being passionate, kind, and spontaneous. he's survived by his wife, three daughters, his son, his daughter, and two soon-to-be three grandchildren. he was 70 years old. we'll be right back. . the fast way to bring it up to speed. is scotts turf builder rapid grass. rapid grass is a revolutionary mix of seed and fertilizer that will change the way you grow grass. it grows two times faster than seed alone for full, green grass in just weeks. after growing grass this fast, everything else just seems... slow. it's lawn season. let's get to the yard. download the scotts my lawn app today for your personalized lawn plan. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ hey limu! 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[ laughter ] good evening! meow! nope. oh... what? i'm an emu! ah ha ha. no, buddy! buddy, it's a filter! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ testimony resumes this morning in the derek chauvin murder trial. it comes after a dramatic day in court as six eyewitnesses told the jury what it was like to watch george floyd die in police custody. omar jiminez is live at the courthouse in minneapolis. o omar. >> reporter: well, john, we're in the first week of testimony. it was without a doubt the most contentious day yet, the story of what happened, may 25th, 2020, told by eyewitnesses. people were literally steps from george floyd when he was pinned under the knee of derek chauvin. in some cases these people are still haunted by what they saw. six eyewitnesses took the stand tuesday, all recounting their feelings at the scene of george floyd's death. darnella williams was feet away from floyd. he was so disturbed by what he saw, he called the police. >> i called the police on the police. >> why did you do that? >> i believe i witnessed a murt. >> reporter: williams and the rest of the crowd grew threatened which they argued interfered with the officers. >> they called you a tough guy. >> they did. >> reporter: other young witnesses echoed williams' feelings highlighting what they saw haunted them since may. >> i stayed up apologizing and apologizing to george floyd for not doing more. >> i have a black father, i have a black brother, i have black friends. >> that was darnella frazier. she recorded some of the infamous video showing george floyd's life. she testified along with her 9-year-old cousin who was also at the scene. they appeared by audio only given their ages at the time of the incident. >> what was it about the scene that caused you to come back? >> it wasn't right. he was suffering. he was in pain. >> i saw the officer put a knee on george floyd's neck. i was sad and i was mad. >> the paramedic did a motion like get up, telling him -- basically telling him to remove his knee. his knee was still there, even when they came, even at the end, even unresponsive. >> reporter: off-duty firefighter and emt genevieve hanson took the stand last telling the court she tried to intervene to provide assistance to george floyd. >> are you really a firefighter? >> yes, i am. >> well, get off the sidewalk. >> i would have provided attention to the best of my medical abilities and this human was denied that right. >> when you couldn't do that, how did that make you feel? >> totally distressed. >> were you frustrated? >> yes. emotions ran very high. now, we ended the day with testimony from that firefighter and trained emt. we ended it in the middle of her testimony, so that's where we'll pick things up when koircourt g back into session. joining us now is a civil rights aattorney and cnn law enforcement analyst commissioner ramsey. let me start with you. we heard testimony from multiple witnesses who called the police on the police. we heard testimony from a dispatcher who did the same, off-duty firefighter and emt who tried to intervene. what does that tell you about the defense's argument that ramsey was following his training. and have you seen anything like that in your years in law enforcement? >> i haven't seen anything quite like this, but i have seen an indication where people have called a supervisor to respond to the scene if they're not getting any kind of appropriate action from a police officer. but it is unusual. but clearly with what was going on, the officers were not responsive to the pleas of the crowd to get off his neck, stop the pressure, they had no choice other than to get someone there who would intervene. >> areva, how about what derek chauvin's defense was. derek chauvin wasn't angry. the crowd was angry. the angry crowd is what was making him disconcerted. here's a moment of that. >> do you recall saying i dare you to touch me like that, i swear i'll slap the [ bleep ] out of both of you. >> yeah. i didn't mean to. >> so, again, sir, it's fair to say you grew angrier and angrier? >> no. i grew professional and professional. i stayed in my body. you can't paint me out to be angry. >> how about that argument, ar areva? >> yeah. i don't think, alisyn that that resonated with jurors. that defense attorney thought he was going to have some kind of perry mason moment where those witnesses were going to admit they were angry. we know with regard to that whole angry black man trove, he said, i wasn't angry. i remained professional. we saw the attorney tried to do that with the emt, miss hanson, forcing her to acknowledge she was angry. she responded she wasn't angry. she was desperate. desperate for help, desperate for an opportunity to provide help to george floyd. i don't think painting this picture of bystanders is going to work. as a lawyer, he would have been far more effective that some of the bystanders were using profanity and they were raising their voices. and then in the argument, the closing argument, he can make the conclusion that they were angry. but trying to force witnesses to admit they were angry when really what they were, they were emotionally upset. you have a man who was literally squeezed out of his body. not effective at all. >> that also goes to the question of the law enforcement of this all. while the crowd and off-duty firefighters were pleading for restraint, you saw the emts actually arrive. chief ramsey, they told derek chauvin to get off mr. floyd's neck. they said he wasn't responsive, he was in handcuffs. he didn't do it right away. what does that tell you about the training and his state of mind about derek chauvin. >> i don't think it says a lot about the training because that's not part of the training. you can only use force necessary to effect an arrest, nothing more thant. he was already under control. he was handcuff, lying in a prone position which by itself is problematic because of asphyxiation. he was so nonshall larngts sunglasses on his head, arm on his hip. he clearly was not deeming with somebody who was actively resisting so that's going to work against the defense. going to be hard to overcome that. john, if i could real quickly throw something else in there. after listening to the testimony of those four minors, i hope they have access to mental health services at some point in time and maybe one of your reporters can find that out. that is so traumatic, and you could hear it in the voices of those children. that's something that's going to scar them for a very long time and they need some professional help. >> i'm so glad you brought that up because i was struck by that too. areva, the ever expanding pressures of tra machl you heard it on full display. the teenage witness is still traumatized. she begs forgiveness at night. the 9-year-old witness is still traumatized. she imad and sad. the off-duty firefighter is still traumatized. how one man's actions -- i don't know if we're going to see evidence that convicts or acquits derek chauvin. but one man's action, the ripple effect it has, i thought, was on full display yesterday. >> no doubt, alisyn. we saw mr. williams, a mixed matter shall artist, a wrestler, a security guard. he also got emotional on the stand and had to wipe tears away from his eyes. i'm a mother. i can't imagine my 9-year-old or teenage daughter witness that and then having to go and testify in court, you know, before millions and millions of people. the trauma that african-americans experience because of police violence is on trial in this trial. this is talked about. it's been recorded on for decades, but i don't think we've ever witnessed it to the degree we saw yesterday. because we saw four african-american minors have to come forward and talk about witnessed george floyd lose his life before their very eyes and feel so helpless. darnella, the young woman whose video went viral. the lawyer made a huge error by asking her that question, how had her life changed. he opened the door as we say in legalize, hearing her talk about how haunting this experience has been for her. >> thank you both very much. we really appreciate talking to you. now torque this developing story. republican congressman matt gaetz is responding to allegations of sex trafficking. he's apparently the sub jec of an investigation. we'll speak to one of the "new york times" reporters who broke this story last night. all of that is next. ♪ you've got the looks ♪ ♪ let's make lots of money ♪ ♪ you've got the brawn ♪ ♪ i've got the brains... ♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700 click or call to switch well, well, well. look at you. you mastered the master bath. you created your own style. and you - yes, you! turned a sourdough starter. into a sourdough finisher. so when you learn your chronic dry eye is actually caused by reduced tear production due to inflammation ...you take it on by talking to your eyecare professional 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it's a horbling allegation and a lie. "the new york times" is saying i traveled with a 17-year-old woman, and that is false. people can look at my travel records and see that's not the case. what is horrible is it's talking about my family. >> that's more than traveling. that's matt gaetz denying he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. there was an investigation that opened up last summer to see whether sex trafficking laws were violated. this was in the final months of the trump administration. katy, thanks so much for being here. what exactly was the department of justice, again president trump's department of justice, looking into in that case? >> sure. what we saw last year was the justice department in the central district of florida, not matt gait's district, looking into one of his friends, a local official accused of several things including child sex trafficking, and in the course of that investigation, they had reason to start looking at mr. gaetz himself. so what they started looking at at the end of last summer is whether his sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl constituted sex trafficking, and a what that would mean is they traveled over state lines and she could have received something of value or money or could be something else like travel expenses. we don't know. >> has it been confirm head had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old? >> all we know is that what investigators and the fbi and department of justice in that part of florida have been looking at as well as investigators here in washington, d.c. he's denied it. i should say his lawyer has flightily denied he's had any relationship with anyone who's the age of 17. >> i want to reiterate the investigation began under attorney general bill barr. would they have taken on one of the biggest supporters if they were baseless claims? >> i think we saw at the end of the trump administration, bill barr was going to do things that would displease the president. he would not admit to there being election fraud. he did not disclose investigations that would have made trump very happy with regard to biden's son. we have to give credit to bill barr for acting the way an attorney general should act and it's important when you look at the claims gaetz is making about extortion. i'm not saying somebody is not trying to extort his family over knowledge of this investigation, but he's trying to cast it as a way to say this is an investigation begun simply to extort him, which would imply attorney general barr began an examination so months later somebody could extort his family, i don't think that's why agent bar said he started the investigation. >> i think it's curious matt gaetz made a specific allegation, i never traveled with a 17-year-old. i don't travel with a 17-year-old. obviously the accusations are much worse than going on a road trip with a 17-year-old. he also last night on fox tv seemed to believe that tucker carl sorngs one of the hosts, could be an alibi of some kind. here's that moment. >> i can say you and i went to dinner about two years ago. your wife was there and i brought a friend of mine. you'll remember her. and she was threatened by the fbi. i'm troubled by tany criminal investigation of me would turn into this extortion event. >> i don't remember the woman you're speaking of or the context at all, but -- >> katie, do you understand the context? >> i'm as confused as tucker carlson is in this interview or the investigation or if he's trying to imply the woman he had dinner was is the question of this investigation. i think it's interesting that he brought up his denials of travel. his lawyer has set out a blanket denial. you listen to what he said. it's the interstate travel piece that would make this a federal crime. of course, having sex with a minor is a state crime. but interstate travel makes this something that a federal investigator could look at. >> we should say that congressman gaetz as part of his playing offense named a former department of justice lawyer and accused him. he gave a statement to the "washington post" pushing back. here's what he said. it's completely false. he's under investigation. i have no connection with that case at all other than one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors. so i think that's important to level set as well. >> absolutely. keep in mind mr. mcgee has not worked at the justice department for decades and he also did not work in the district in which this investigation is being conducted. he was an attorney in the northern district of florida. if you look at court documents, you can see since leaving the justice department he has been a prolific defense lawyer, however, the investigation itself is being conducted in the central district of florida. >> it gets curiouser and curiouser. >> katie benner, thanks for joining us on "new day." we're getting a look at border facilities holding hundreds of minor children. they're housing 4,100 migrants. the capacity is just 250. the growing number of arrivals is overwhelming with children staying at the facility longer than the limit. on average, migrants are spending 133 hour at this texas facility. crohn cases are on the rise in 26 states including michigan. did the state start reopening too soon? governor gretchen whitmer joining us next. it's game time, let's meet the defending champs. g. hargrave thomas, point guard. bryce matthias, forward. kim kietz, investor. oh, i invested in invesco qqq. a fund that invests in the innovations of the nasdaq-100. like next gen 3d rendering software. you don't have to be an advanced graphics architect to help realize a more vibrant future. become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq. ♪ if you have obstructive sleep apnea and you're often tired during the day, you could be missing out on amazing things. become an agent of innovation sunosi can help you stay awake for them. once daily sunosi improves wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea. sunosi worked for up to nine hours at 12 weeks in a clinical study. sunosi does not treat the cause of osa or take the place of your cpap. continue to use any treatments or devices as prescribed by your doctor. don't take sunosi if you've taken an maoi in the last 14 days. sunosi may increase blood pressure and heart rate, which can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or death. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure. sunosi can cause symptoms such as anxiety, problems sleeping, irritability, and agitation. other common side effects include headache, nausea, and decreased appetite. tell your doctor if you develop any of these, as your dose may need to be adjusted or stopped. amazing things happen during the day. sunosi can help you stay awake for whatever amazes you. visit sunosi.com and talk to your doctor about sunosi today. [drum beat and keyboard typing] ♪ ♪ ♪ [keyboard typing] ♪ [trumpet] [keyboard typing] michigan is seeing a rise in covid cases after opening up restaurants and retail. it's up 52% from last week. the number of people hospitalized in michigan has doubled in the past two weeks. joining us now is the governor of michigan, governor gretchen whitmer. thanks for joining us. we've been looking at michigan the whole week so far and wondering what's going on there. why is it number two in the country in new cases? >> well, we're obviously watching the trends very closely as well. there are a lot of factors that go into this. number one, we've got a high proportion of variants. that means coronavirus spreads faster. it's much more contagious, and we're seeing that whether it's youth sports or the re-e re-engagement of some of our restaurants. more activity means more spread. that's why we unlike other states have continues the mask mandates. we still have capacity restrictions of bars, restaurants, gyms, et cetera. we haven't abandoned our protocols. it's that we have a higher proportion of variants. people are getting tired, fatigue, there's more travel, and that's what some of the stories are for sure. >> all states have variants that point. all states have people with covid fatigue. let me go through the restrictions you lifted. indoor dining is at 50%. six people at a table are allowed. curfew, 11%. retail shops, 50%. indoor gatherings, up to 25 people. outdoor gatherings, up to 50. other outdoor gatherings, 300 people. if you look at the graph of your new cases, that's right around the time, march 5th here, i can pull it up here, that cases started climbing notably. so was it a mistake to roll back some of those restrictions? >> well, here's what we know. a year ago we didn't know a whole lot about the virus. even in the fall, we didn't have vaccines available. now we have three successful vaccines. our experience with covid is different than it has been over the past 12 months. that being said, we have to keep watching the numbers and doing our part, masking up, washing our hands, social distancing. these are all incredibly important. i think, too, perspective is important. we were really aggressive. we were able to keep our covid numbers down. we saved a lot of lives between the beginning of covid and when vaccines came online, that work's really important. what we're seeing is very different than what we saw before. low numbers mean that when you have an increase, you do see 50% increases from 3% to 6%. but still the 3% was a lot lower than the rest of the country. when other states go from 15% down to 14%, it looks like they've got a great positive trend. so i think that perspective is really important jouchl to dig into the data to understand what's happening. >> that's really important. connecticut is being punished too because they're also in the top five or six states, but zbirc given that hospitalizations in michigan are also going up, would you reconsider some of those restrictions? >> we're continuing have robust conversations. yesterday morning i had a restaurant owner ask if they could lift the curfew because of the michigan game. unfortunately michigan didn't win, but the point is there's a lot of push and pull, and what we need do is double down on our masking and get more people vaccinated. we're dropping all age res restrictions next week. we're upping our goal from 50,000 vaccinations to 100,000 a day. we've got a great partnership with the biden administration. 18% of our eligible adults are fully vaccinated 367891% have had at least one shot. we're going gangbusters on the vaccines, and that's where people need to have their personal responsibility following the protocol and getting themselves vaccinated is the best thing for them individually and for the economy. >> it sounds like there's been progress on that front. we're happy to hear that. i want to ask what's happening with some of these senate bills from republicans about vetting restrf -- voting restrictions. they have unveiled 39 different bills on march 24th to require all sorts of different new restrictions to voting. what's your response to these? >> well, i mean this is what we're seeing, what, 43 state across the country, we've got republican legislation that's moving to make it harder for people to vote. we just came through a historic, free, fair, full election. there were no -- there was not fraud the way that this big lie perpetuated and fed into people's anxieties and inspired the unthinkable on january 6th or the unthinkable for the rest of the world. we saw that happen in michigan earlier. the fact of the matter is this is a solution in search of a problem, and it's unacceptable, and so if and when those bills goat my desk and they're aimed at making it harder for people to vote, they will get vetoed. >> i want to ask you something a gop michigan chairman said about you and some of your female colleagues. he called you a witch. here's this moment. >> our job now is to soften up those three witches and make sure that we have good candidates to run against them and they're ready for the burning at the stake. >> yikes. what's your response to that one? >> i mean it's really a sad moment in america where people who are leading are treated with such disrespect and this dangerous moment where we've seen threats come to those in office and a plot to kidnap and kill me. we're seeing people in court this week on that -- those very charges, that they're continuing to throw gas on this fire. it is dangerous, and it's unacceptable, and i've been for almost a year now to call o-on-people to bring down the heat. we can disagree without being dangerous and inciting violence against one another, and it's just despicable. >> yeah. it's dangerous and gross. congresswoman whitmer, thank you for going through this with us. >> thank you, alisyn. more action to stopping hate. the new steps at the federal level to address this recent violence. financing the home of your dreams doesn't require going to different lenders. sofi is a one-stop-shop for your finances- designed to work better together. get a home loan or home refi or fund home improvements with a personal loan. all in one place. that's better together. and get lower rates on personal loans when you have sofi money or invest. that's better together. and that's why members choose sofi to help make their dream home a reality. ♪ protect your pet this flea and tick season with chewy. to help make their dream home a reality. find everything from flea collars and sprays, to prescriptions that keep pests away. chewy has what you need to keep tails wagging and pets itch free all season long. shop pet prescriptions and more at chewy.com today. re-entering data that employees could enter themselves? that's why i get up in the morning! i have a secret method for remembering all my hr passwords. my boss doesn't remember approving my time off. let's just... find that email. the old way of doing business slows everyone down. with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in one easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com for a free demo. developing this morning, new york city police department announcing the arrest of a suspect. accused of brutally assaulting a 65-year-old asian woman in new york city. surveil asbestos video capturing the horrifying attack as the woman was repeatedly punched and kicked. police say her attacker allegedly made anti-asian statements and is facing hate crime charges. it's also apparently out on parole. the attack is just the latest in a growing number of acts of violence against asian-americans in this country. joining me is new york congresswoman grace may. what is your reaction when you watch that horrific video? not only to the attack itself, but to the seeming standoffishness and difference to the two men in the doorway, one of whom even closed the door to distance themselves rather than intervening on the victim's behalf. >> well, the video that we watched was offensive and painful on so many levels. of course, to see a woman pushed to the ground and stomped on repeatedly and then to see people watch what was happening and literally shut the door on her. it was very painful to watch. not just as an asian-american but for all of humanity. >> certainly. and i'll note that your district, where an infamous incident a half century ago, an assault on a young woman and the neighbors did not intervene. whenever we see that kind of indifference in new york, i think that memory comes flooding back. i should say that the owners of the apartment building have released a statement condemning their employees' conduct. the brodsky organization says, it condemns all forms of discri discrimination, racism and xenophobia against the asian-american community. the staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union. you have been a crusader on the issue of raising aware balance this anti-asian-american hate we've seen in the wake of covid. you've submitted a bill. president biden signed on to it since we last spoke. just yesterday his administration put forward very specific procedures in place to try to combat this tide. i'm going to tell the audience what they are and get your take on them to see if they're sufficient in your eyes. one, doj initiative to address anti-asian violence. the appointment of a permanent director to coordinate all federal policies impacting the aapi community. establishing a committee of covid-19 equity task force to address and end xenophobia against asian-americans. did you offer input into the administration's decision and do you think these specific initiatives go far enough? >> well, we are so thankful that president biden took this action and within the span of a year we've gone from a former president who literally incited violence to a president who has not only taken meaningful steps but he's taken these steps as a result of listening and talking to congressional members. when he went down to georgia with vice president harris a few weeks ago. i went just a few days ago. and when i met with some of those same leaders and elected officials, they asked for many of these measures that president biden contained in his announcement. and so this shows that the administration is paying attention. they are concerned. and most importantly that they are finding solutions. >> and these solutions involve the department of justice, the federal coordinator. you think these initiatives are specific and concrete enough to perhaps make a difference? that's important. now listen, in september, in september, you put forward a resolution condemning anti-asian hate in congress. 164 of your republican colleagues voted against it, in the wake of what we've seen in atlanta and just yesterday. but really nationwide problem. have any of your republican colleagues reached out to you? >> a few of them have and i want to note it was a different congress and 14 republicans did support the resolution. going forward, we now are continuing to work on legislation. i am hopeful that republicans will join us on legislation that is called for by asian-americans in both republican and democratic parties. and, yes, a few of them have reached out. >> and what are some specifics that you think there can be bipartisan commitment to passing? >> well, some of these initiatives add on to what president biden announced yesterday. we want a more streamlined process and dedicated personnel at the department of justice. our local entities need more guidance and need more resources on how to analyze and collect data on hate crimes and also specifically -- how to handle incidents against asian-americans. they look a little different than some of the other cases traditionally. we want to make sure we're providing resources and streamlining that process which is really different and not unified depending on which state the cases are coming from. >> congresswoman grace meng, thank you for joining us. we have breaking news. "new day" continues right now. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> good morning. welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. this is "new day." john avlon is in today for john berman. great to have you. we start with this breaking news. the very first results from a coronavirus vaccine trial on children or adolescents are in. pfizer just releasing the findings of its phase three trial on adolescents, 12 to 15 years old. and the announcement is significant. pfizer says their vaccine is 100% effective in preventing sickness in that age group. this, of course, could be a major game changer for reopening schools across america. we'll have much more on this breaking news in just a moment. also developing, the white house releasing details of president biden's massive infrastructure and jobs plan. the president heading to pittsburgh to unveil it this afternoon. this is president biden's second major initiative signing a major coronavirus relief package into law as well. >> okay. joining us now is white house press secretary jen psaki. good morning. >> good morning, alisyn. >> let's start with that big, breaking news out of pfizer that they found that their vaccine is 100% effective at preventing sickness in 12 through 15-year-olds. does that change the timeline or the calculus inside the white house for absolutely getting middle schoolers -- can you guarantee they'll be back in school by, say, september 1st? >> well, first, our secretary of education who is leading this effort is very confident about that. but there's no question, alisyn, this is good news. what happens next now is the fda has to go through an approval process, review the data and do their own analysis. that's an important part of what we do in the united states. but this is good news. and for parents like myself, like yourself, it makes you feel even more confident about your kids potentially being back in the classroom soon. >> it really is good news and sorely needed. just as this is happening, cases are spiking. 26 states this morning are seeing coronavirus cases spike. we can maybe pull up the map. there's a lot of red and orange across this map. and you'll remember, jen, i mean, a year ago, so when president trump was in the white house and that march things were getting so bad, he called for restaurants and bars and schools and gyms to be closed for 15 days to try to get a handle on that. is the biden white house considering a similar measure? >> well, first, we've never been shy about saying, we're still at war with this virus. and there's still a thousand people who are dying every day from the pandemic. so what our focus, we're in a different stage now clearly than a year ago and we've seen encouraging outcomes in a lot of places. what our focus is on is getting this vaccine out to states, out to pharmacies. we've more than doubled the number of pharmacies who have access to the vaccine. we've invested in mass vaccination sites. community health centers because the more quickly people can be vaccinated, the more quickly we can go back to normal. but we also know that people need to be vigilant now. we know people are frustrated. they're tired of sacrificing. we get that completely here. but we need to keep at it. that's why you saw dr. walensky, the president reiterate that earlier this week. >> dr. walensky was very concerned. to be clear, no push from the white house to close anything while we get our arms around this. >> what should be clear is our push is to follow public health guidelines. when you're seeing states roll back mask mandates, that's not a biden public health guideline.

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