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EARLY START

Atlanta Spa Killing Escalate Asian-Americans' Fear; Model Projects Falling Death Rate, Could Be Lowered by Masking; Russia Recalls Ambassador to U.S. for "Consultations"; Fed Expects Rate Hikes Can Be Held Off Until Next Year. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 18, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:26]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Fear in Asian communities across the country. Shootings at Atlanta massage parlors capping months of escalating violence.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Nearly one in eight Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. New projections overnight about what happens if people mask up and if they don't.

ROMANS: And President Biden says Vladimir Putin will pay a price for election interference. What the Kremlin is saying now.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans this Thursday morning.

JARRETT: Good morning, Christine. I'm Laura Jarrett. It is Thursday, March 18th. It's 5:00 a.m. here in New York.

And we begin this morning with the shootings in Atlanta. A terrifying escalation of the anti-Asian violence seen throughout the country and a reminder of the threat of violence women live with daily.

Robert Aaron Long charged with murder after authorities say he confessed to killing eight people, six of them Asian women, in shootings at three massage parlors.

ROMANS: Authorities say long, a 21-year-old white man told detectives he would go to massage parlors in the past, he blamed his sexual addiction. The Cherokee County sheriff suggested long was, quote, attempting to take out that temptation.

Other officials and community leaders saying that narrative misses the mark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEE NGUYEN, GEORGIA STATE HOUSE: In this particular case where the victims were Asian women, we see the intersections of the racism, xenophobia and gender-based violence. You know, we've also seen historically where news outlets and the police frame the story around the perpetrator and now we're hearing about the suspect in custody and we are hearing stories about how he was religious, he suffers from a sex addiction. It's humanizing and centering him versus humanizing and centering the victims of the crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Note here, sex is also a protected class under Georgia's new hate crime law so wait to see if anything happens there. But the issue of hate runs deeper. Even as recently as yesterday, an Asian man and woman were assaulted in separate attacks that San Francisco police say were unprovoked. They believe the same suspect is behind them. The department is now increasing patrols in predominantly Asian neighborhoods.

ROMANS: Back in Atlanta, eight families are preparing now for funerals. The lone badly injured survivor of this shooting spree is Elcias Hernandez Ortiz. Here is his nine-year-old daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOSELINE GONZALEZ, DAUGHTER OF SOLE SURVIVOR IN SPA SHOOTINGS: I don't really know what to do. I try to calm myself down. When we called over there they told us that he was very lucky. He is a really good dad. I don't want him to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: President Biden says the attacks on Asian-Americans are un- American and must stop. He and Vice President Harris will be in Atlanta tomorrow.

JARRETT: To the coronavirus pandemic now. The CDC says nearly one in eight Americans are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus, but the number of Americans reported dead each day still staggering. A key model projects more than 596,000 deaths from COVID by July 1st. Look at this, the projected death rate could drop from 1,100, that's where we are now, to about 113 deaths a day by July 1st. And if more people would just wear masks, that number would drop to 51.

ROMANS: Yeah, that's right. We're seeing rapid declines in masking and the faster spread of variants. Together that that could lead to an increase putting the death toll near that of the Spanish flu.

Now, Nevada says it is expanding vaccine eligibility to all adults 16 and older following other states. CNN has reporters covering the pandemic from coast to coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alexandra Field in New York.

President Joe Biden has called on all states to make all adults eligible for vaccines starting on May 1st, but a number of states are moving ahead of schedule. Iowa, the latest state to announce they will make all adults eligible for vaccines starting on April 5th. The same debt set by both Connecticut and Michigan. Ohio moving forward even more quickly, starting on March 29th. All of those states following the lead of the only two states in the nation that are already making vaccines available to anyone age 16 or older. Those are Mississippi and Alaska.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Adrienne Broaddus in Michigan.

Starting next week, Ford Field will become a mass vaccination site. Right now, state health officials here in Michigan are concerned about the rise in COVID cases.

[05:05:07]

The state has seen an increase of more than 50 percent of new COVID cases. Also, Michigan has reported cases of that U.K. variant throughout the state.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jean Casarez in New York.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is announcing effective on Friday, at 6:00 a.m., restaurants, gymnasium, recreational facilities, arcades, health clubs and personal care businesses can all open up to 50 percent capacity. Now, if you're having a function outdoors, you can increase your capacity to 25 people and indoor function can be increased to 50 people.

But remember, you still have to wear your mask and you have to socially distance.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Watt in Los Angeles.

Now, Disneyland has been closed for over a year, but the company just announced those doors will be opening again April 30th. Of course, limited numbers, masks will be mandatory and here is the bad news, for now because of state health restrictions, Disneyland will be open only to California residents.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Thanks to all of our correspondents for those updates.

Overnight in Seoul, Secretary of State Tony Blinken meeting with the president of South Korea about regional concerns. He is now getting ready for a big meeting tomorrow, a face-to-face with China.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live for us this morning in Seoul.

Paula, what more is the secretary of state saying?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawyer ration the secretary of state along with everyone he met was saying that clearly North Korea is one of the number one issues they have to deal with whilst in this region, but, of course, China was something they were talking about as well. They are talking about North Korea first of all they did say that they have to work together to try to stop the nuclear and missile program and we also heard Secretary Blinken talk about the human rights issues in North Korea which you really haven't heard much of over the past four years.

Did he have a balancing act, he was criticizing China but at the same time acknowledging that the U.S. needs China to deal with North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Beijing has an interest, a clear self-interest, in helping to pursue the denuclearization of the DPRK because it is a source of instability, it's a source of danger and obviously a threat to us and our partners, but China has a real interest in helping to deal with this. It also has an obligation under the U.N. Security Council resolutions to implement fully the sanctions that the international community has agreed were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So the key now is the meeting in Alaska where Secretary Blinken will meet his Chinese counterpart, the highest level talks between U.S. and China since President Biden took office. We've already heard from the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. saying he doesn't have a high expectation, but they will be meeting three times early afternoon, after dinner and then the next morning. So they will have plenty of time to talk about the many issues that they have to hammer out -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Paula Hancocks in Seoul for us this morning. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. A man with a semi-automatic rifle and more than 100 rounds of ammo arrested outside Vice President Harris' official residence. No one was inside the home at the time. Harris and her husband have not moved in yet. There are ongoing renovations there. Thirty-one-year-old Paul Murray of San Antonio is now facing multiple firearms charges.

JARRETT: Severe weather battering the Deep South, millions bracing for a tornado threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, boy. Home just -- heavy damage to home just now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[05:13:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He will pay a price. We had a long talk he and i. I know him relatively well and the conversation started off, I said I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: So you know Vladimir Putin, you think he is a killer?

BIDEN: Uh-huh, I do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So what price must he pay?

BIDEN: A price he's going to pay, well, you'll see shortly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A dramatic new tone from this White House about Vladimir Putin vowing consequences for interfering in the 2020 election. The Russians respond by calling home their ambassador.

Matthew Chance is in Moscow.

I mean, it is dramatic the change in tone from this president compared with the last one.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there's certainly been a ratcheting up of the rhetoric when it comes to Russia and you're certainly seeing a much more sort of concerted, coordinated messaging from the Biden White House than we saw from his predecessor where President Trump was always talking positively about Vladimir Putin and about Russia, whereas the Congress was being much more negative and critical. Now you're seeing all the institutions speak, if you like, with a single voice.

Look, as far as the Russians are concerned, they've tried at least publicly to play down the latest Biden comments when he called or agreed with the assertion that Vladimir Putin was a killer and said that Putin would pay a price for his attempts to meddle in the 2020 election. They've called it ridiculous, but at the same time, their actions tell a very different story, Christine, because what the Russians have done for the first time in decades is recall the Russian ambassador from the United States from Washington, D.C., they have recalled him back here to Moscow for consultations.

They are going to be talking according to my source in the Russian government about the most recent Biden comments but also about the whole range of outstanding issues and strains in that fraught relationship between Moscow and Washington.

[05:15:02]

Why are they doing that? Well, in part of course it is a protest at what's been said and that the sanctions that have come down and the sanctions that are poised to come down from the United States towards Russia because of its behavior around the world, but it's also an expression of concern that this relationship that has been so tetchy for the past several years is spiraling out of control.

So, the Russians are regrouping to see what they can do to get the sanctions lifted and to prevent more sanctions from coming their way -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Matthew Chance for us in Moscow -- thanks, Matthew.

Laura?

JARRETT: Well, the U.S. intel community says violent domestic extremism poses an elevated threat to the United States this year. The intel community's first point report on domestic terrorism concludes that bogus claims of election fraud will almost certainly trigger more violence.

We get more now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Laura and Christine.

This is a remarkable report in several ways it is short, just four pages long, it goes right to the point. It says that there is a bigger chance of deadly attacks from domestic violent extremists this year, 2021, because of everything that's going on. These are extremists, they are already motivated by racial bias and by grievances against the government for overreach and this year those factors they say are being exacerbated by things like the January 6th insurrection which they view as a motivator for these extremists, COVID-19 conditions, conspiracy theories and policy changes that they say will spur some domestic violent extremists to try to engage in violence this year.

Now, among the different types of domestic violent extremists, the report singles out two as most likely to carry out deadly attacks this year. They say in the report that racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists and militia violent extremists present the most lethal domestic violent extremist threats, with racially motivated extremists, most likely to conduct mass casualty attacks against civilians, and militia violent extremists typically targeting law enforcement and government personnel and facilities. So racists, white extremists and those belonging to militias are among the biggest threat and more likely to be lone wolves. Lone wolves are harder to track, all of thieves extremists the problem is according to the report is that they have easy access to guns.

All of this that we're hearing in the report echoes what we've heard from the FBI Director Chris Wray who called the January 6 attack domestic terrorism. He has said that domestic terrorism has been metastasizing around the country for a long time and it's not going away anytime soon -- Laura, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Alex, thank you so much for that.

Okay. A little more time for you to file your taxes. We will tell you what the new deadline is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:31] ROMANS: Dow 33,000 for the first time in history. Why? Have no fear, easy money policies from the Fed aren't going anywhere soon.

The Federal Reserve kept interest rates super low and vowed to keep buying up billions of dollars in bonds each month. That's essentially stimulus, critical oxygen for the recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: We've said that we would continue asset purchases at this pace until we see substantial further progress, and that's actual progress, not forecast progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now, the Fed raised its growth forecast for the economy predicting an economic boom later this year. Look at that, 6.5 percent growth in 2021. That's the sugar rush of the rescue package. It's also vaccine progress and pent up demand from Americans to go to eat in restaurants and travel and get back to regular life.

But as the economy heats up investors worry it could overheat sparking inflation, that's higher prices and less purchasing power for consumers and companies, but Powell said, don't worry, any price hike would be transitory.

Laura, that means it wouldn't last very long, those higher prices will come back down again.

JARRETT: Well, this isn't a sugar rush but it's helpful. The IRS is delaying the tax filing deadline by roughly a month. The new deadline will be May 17th. An IRS official said the decision was made to allow people to navigate tax situations that I have been made more complicated by the pandemic.

ROMANS: Katherine Tai confirmed by the Senate as President Biden's top trade envoy. She becomes the first Asian-American and the person of color to hold that position. She vows to work for a U.S. trade policy that benefits ordinary workers and confronts an increasingly aggressive China.

ROMANS: A programming note for you here. On Saturday, join CNN's Miguel Marquez for an emotional hour about loss and about survival. The CNN special report, "The Human Cost of COVID", begins at 9:00 p.m., only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back. New overnight, a tornado watch from western Georgia to the Gulf Coast. The National Weather Service also issuing this rare high risk warning in the Southeast amid severe storms and the potential for tornadoes. Storms have already hit parts of Alabama and Mississippi and torn the roof off one house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RYAN LAVANDER, HOME DESTROYED IN TORNADO: Two minutes, three minutes after the actual impact I still sat there shaking, holding my dog, just, you know, hoping that it was over and I got out and looked up and there was no roof over me anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Yikes. Lightning struck at the University of Alabama football complex, you are hear it and a parking deck on campus had to be used as a storm shelter. Look at all those people packed in still during a pandemic.

The high level threat covers 3 million people in all about 45 million people under a severe weather threat.

Here is our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine and Laura, good morning, guys.

Yes, the last 24 hours here, plenty of activity to tell you about. We are talking about nearly 100 reports of severe weather, 50 plus related to strong wind gust, but over 20 related to tornadoes, much of it coming down across Alabama and Mississippi on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

But notice that energy shifts off.