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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Georgia State Representative Arrested Protesting GOP Voting Bill Outside Governor's Office; President Biden's New Vaccine Goal: 200 Million Doses in Arms in His First 100 Days; Boulder Suspect Held Without Bail In First Court Appearance. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired March 25, 2021 - 21:00   ET

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

[21:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening. Chris Cuomo is off tonight.

We begin the hour with breaking news. Some of the nation's toughest voter restrictions are now law, signed into law, in Georgia, under protest, and not without drama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like you're going to do something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Might have been rigged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're under arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For what code?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you serious?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you are not. Representative?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's not under arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is she--

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For what? Under arrest for what?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That is a Democratic state lawmaker, arrested outside the Governor's Office. The legislation is so draconian, it makes bringing a snack, or even water, to an elderly woman, on a long voting line, a criminal act.

The state of justification for that, in other more substantive obstacles, to casting a ballot, is essentially the big lie about the last election, the defeated former president's lie, effecting new legislation. In addition, there's the fear among his fellow Republicans, which he

himself said out loud, that without these new voting laws, they don't stand a chance.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in Atlanta for us, joins us now.

So, what changes are now in store for Georgia's elections?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, Anderson, this new law changes Georgia's elections really from top to bottom. But the part that you heard Democrats and activists' sort of zoning in on, the fact that many of the components of this might make it harder for some people to vote, specifically, voters of color.

And look, some of them are requiring ID, for absentee voting, limiting drop boxes, you mentioned, not being allowed to give food or drinks to people, who are waiting in line. That's a misdemeanor now.

But perhaps the component that is most concerning to the critics is the fact that it gives this broad power to state officials, over local election management, so far, as to potentially be able to replace local elected - election officials, which, you know, partisan politics at play, when there are Blue pockets, like here in Fulton County, and in other places, across the state, and Republicans control the House, the Senate and the Governorship.

COOPER: At the moment, the arrest of that State Representative, what more, do we know about that?

GALLAGHER: Yes. So, we're still trying to learn quite a bit about what happened there. But I did speak with Representative Park Cannon, she's an Atlanta Democrat's attorney Gerald Griggs.

Now, we have not been able to confirm this. But Griggs tells me that she was arrested that she is being charged with obstruction, and that he's working on getting her out of jail at this very moment.

Now, CNN has reached out to state police, and we have not received any sort of response. We've also reached out to the Governor's Office and not been able to get response.

At this point, what happened was basically Representative Cannon was trying to get in, knocking on the doors, with other protesters, there were other representatives there, so that people could see the signing of S. B. 202 into law. She'd been a very vocal critic of it, and what it would do to voting rights, she believed.

And at that point, as he's signing, we kind of hear something on that live stream. It appears that is what this was. You can see in the video, those officers, sort of taking her and carrying her out of the Capitol.

And at this point, according to her attorney, Gerald Griggs, she is still down, at the jail. And they are still going through paperwork, attempting to get her out, he says.

COOPER: All right, Dianne Gallagher, appreciate it, thanks.

We'll be joined shortly by Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to talk more about the federal voting rights bill, which she helped pass in the House, but is now stalled in Senate.

Right now, President Biden's, first solo press conference, which made a lot of news, today, including on COVID.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On December 8th, I indicated that I hoped to get 100 million shots, in people's arms, in my first 100 days. We met that goal last week by day 58, 42 days ahead of schedule.

Now, today, I'm setting a second goal, and that is, we will, by my 100th day in office, have administered 200 million shots in people's arms. That's right, 200 million shots in 100 days.

I know it's ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close, not even close, to what we are doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Again, just one highlight, for more on the rest, we're joined, this hour, by CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

So, what are the themes did the President try to hit, and what did reporters press him on?

[21:05:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, President Biden hit on voting rights, particularly about cases like Georgia, we were just hearing from Dianne there, and the President really commenting, for the first time, calling these "Un-American," calling them "Sick," calling them "Pernicious," really raising the question of why Republican legislatures across this country are trying to roll back voting laws. So, he was very animated on that.

He also talked, of course, about the border. And he rejected the notion that this surge of migrants is coming because he's a nice guy. He said that look, I mean, there are cyclical surges that happened during the Obama administration.

It happened, obviously, during the Trump administration. But he did talk again and again about his predecessor saying that his policies are different than the Trump Administration's, and he took aim at him for that.

Also Anderson, he talked about Afghanistan. He said that he is nearing a decision on whether to pull out U.S. troops. That was supposed to be a deadline by May 1st. He said it may not happen by then. But he said a year from now, U.S. troops will not be there. And he also talked specifically about infrastructure, talking about

how he wants to build this big plan to improve the economy. So, he was a very forward-looking message there.

And about politics, Anderson, he said, look, he's tried to be bipartisan, but essentially, he has the upper hand here, and invited Republicans to come along, but said he would not be slowed by gridlock or opposition or obstruction. He is doing what the people elected him to do. And he cast bipartisanship in a bit of a different way today.

COOPER: So, how does, I mean, in terms of pushing an agenda through, on something like infrastructure, so many of his allies in Congress want to get something passed on voting rights, which we're obviously seeing play out tonight in Georgia--

ZELENY: Right.

COOPER: --an issue, it's fiercely partisan, up against the filibuster in the Senate.

ZELENY: Look, he said successful presidents, time issues out specifically. So, he is moving forward, with intention, and with purpose, on to this next infrastructure bill. It's "Build Back Better." He talked about it during this campaign.

So, it's infrastructure, to rebuilding airports and roads, but also, the physical infrastructure, but also just changing a lot of things about the education system here. So, this is a big, sweeping domestic policy that he's talking about. So, he says that can be done at the same time as everything else.

But it was on the question of the filibuster specifically, "Should it be abolished?" The reality is, and he acknowledged this without saying so directly, that he can't do it, even if he wanted to. They do not simply have the votes to do it.

So, this is something that must come along as a process. When some big bills fail, like gun control, perhaps, or voting rights, if they fail, that is an argument that he can use to sort of change the filibuster.

So, the filibuster, of course, is getting 60 votes on big pieces of legislation. He opened the door to getting rid of it. He said it is a relic from the Jim Crow era. But he was pretty blunt in the fact that he can't do anything about it specifically, because there are a lot of Democratic senators who don't agree with it.

COOPER: Yes. Jeff Zeleny, Jeff, stay with us.

I want to bring in CNN Senior Political Analyst, David Gergen, also Catherine Lucey, White House Reporter, with "The Wall Street Journal."

David, I'm wondering what stood out to you from the press conference today.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER TO NIXON, FORD, REAGAN & CLINTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I thought it was an extremely interesting press conference, Anderson.

And Joe Biden did the same thing here, he's been doing with the vaccines. And that is he undersold it, going in, and he over-delivered it, coming out. And I think that helped him a great deal.

The bar was set low. There were a lot of people asking, in a commentariat, especially on the Right, whether he still has the political mental sharpness to be President. Does he have the mental acuity?

I think he answered that question dramatically today. Yes, he had some moments, when he seemed to lose his train of thought. But he had a basic grasp of very complex issues, a dozen different issues, which came up, during all of this, which I think was encouraging. He's very relatable.

I came away from this with the - I know it sounds outlandish, at this point. But I must tell you, I think he has the potential to be one of our really good presidents.

COOPER: Catherine, just in terms of tone, it was obviously much different than the former president, I mean, anybody would be, not only in style, and how traditional the press conference was. I mean, did he meet the expectations or what stood out to you?

CATHERINE LUCEY, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, certainly it was different than the former president, as you remember, Anderson, and certainly Jeff remembers.

We were in the room for many of those press conferences, where former President Trump fought with reporters, or call - insulted them, or questions - tried to push the questions back on them.

I was at that press conference, around this time last year, where he, you know, he sort of mused about whether people could use bleach or infect - disinfectants as a treatment for the Coronavirus.

So, I think what we saw with this press conference today was what we've seen with the Biden presidency throughout, which is that President Biden has tried to set a different kind of tone.

He has really tried to stay focused, and sort of laser-focused on his agenda. He spent the first part of this, very focused on the COVID aid bill. He has really tried to be very disciplined in his public statements.

[21:10:00]

And this today was a continuation of that. He was - it was somber- toned. He opened with remarks about his vaccination goal on COVID.

He took questions from reporters in the room that he listened to the questions. He did not engage in any kind of back-and-forth with reporters, in terms of insults or fighting. It was a very different kind of scene, and it was certainly as a return to norms for a White House press conference. COOPER: Jeff, it was just - the President said today, quote, "I've not been able to unite Congress, but I've united the country." It's certainly true that the COVID relief bill, for example was, popular. I think it was 61 percent.

But how problematic is it for the President, the Republicans on Capitol Hill are so intransigent, I mean, to say nothing of his fellow Democrat, Joe Manchin?

ZELENY: Well, there's no doubt that President Biden has the upper hand here with the Senate, at this moment, because Democrats have a narrow majority.

And one thing was clear throughout that the President, as he's been meeting with historians, and others, he knows that his time is pretty short. He talked about 2024, and said, yes, it's his intention to run again. But he doesn't necessarily have that long. And that is an undercurrent to everything he's trying to do.

He knows that his Majority could only run through the 2022 midterms. Every president, in modern history, except George W. Bush, has lost seats, in their midterm elections, in their own party. So we'll see if he's the same as that. But he knows that time is short.

But the bipartisan thing is very interesting. We heard him throughout the campaign, and in the transition, saying he is going to work with Republicans, reach across the aisle. Well, he's not gotten much response back.

So, he's still having meetings with them, he's still opening the door, to doing infrastructure with Republicans, but making clear that he's not going to slow down, if they do not want to join him.

He's going to move on without them, through reconciliation, the budget process, to get Democrats on board. There are going to be some gymnastics here, over the next several months, about getting all the Democrats on board.

But, at the end of the day, President Biden had an air of confidence about him today that you really only see by someone who - it almost seemed like a second-term president, in my mind, someone who understands the office, the levers of power, on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue. And it's why he was elected, because of experience. So, we'll see how it goes from here.

COOPER: Yes, David, when the President says he agrees with former president Obama, that filibuster is a relic of the Jim Crow era, does he now have to do more to get the Senate to either reform it or do away with it altogether, because clearly, that's not on his timeline.

GERGEN: Anderson, I think he made it clear today, maintaining the status quo with regard to the filibuster is unacceptable for him. He really wants to change something.

And I think he will break out of the filibuster. If he doesn't, I don't - I don't think he's going to simply go whimpering home, and move on to other things. I think he feels that the filibuster resolution - the filibuster holds the key to almost everything else he wants to do domestically.

COOPER: Catherine, the President was asked repeatedly about the crisis on the border.

He basically said he'd allow full media access to federal facilities after his Administration resolves the situation. That doesn't exactly - or it doesn't at all square, with his pledge of transparency.

LUCEY: Well, yes, he said that he would provide access. He did not provide a timeline on that. He also though he did really try and defend his response to the border, and he cast some blame on his predecessor.

He said he's inherited this situation from former president Trump. He said he's building back up the capacity that should have been maintained, under Trump, and basically said that this is going to take some time.

COOPER: David Gergen, Jeff Zeleny, Catherine Lucey, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

GERGEN: Thanks.

COOPER: Next, reaction to the breaking news, to other voting restriction bills, now in the works, from a Member of the House Judiciary Committee, who helped get a major expansion of voter access through her Chamber of Congress.

And later to David Gergen's assessment of President Biden's potential. We'll talk with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who chronicled the public lives of Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, in this moment in history, and the new president's place in it.

[21:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: The breaking news tonight, Georgia passing tough new voting restrictions is not unique. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks voting and voter access, as of February of this year, lawmakers in 43 states are pushing these kind of measures.

Joining us now, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat of Texas.

What impact do you see this bill having on voters?

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): Anderson, good to be with.

I've walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, famous bridge that John Robert Lewis walked across, and was bloodied, in 1965, with President Clinton, President Obama and President George W. Bush.

It is sad what we have come to, simply because people voted, not just people of color, in 2020. The masses of people voted. And many of them voted for, in my instance, the opponent, as they did, for now president Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

We should applaud voting. This rage of voting suppression across America is not American. And the Republican Head of CISA, in Homeland Security, which I'm a senior member, reported that there was miniscule or to none voter fraud, in the 2020 election.

So, my answer is, I am appalled and shocked at the rage of voting - that even includes not being able to feed people, who are standing on line, and harsh laws with voter ID, and a variety of, what I would call, voter suppression.

The question has to be how has America flipped, no matter what party we're in, from voter empowerment, no matter what party votes, to now voter suppression and oppression?

[21:20:00]

That's what I think the Georgia law speaks to today, and how harsh the city and state, of which Martin Luther King lived a good part of his life, the place where John Robert Lewis lived a good part of his life, and the Civil Rights Movement was born and continue to have life in Georgia. It's shameful.

COOPER: The Georgia law, I mean, they actually are saying the reason it's needed is because the electorate doesn't trust the system, is concerned.

If, I mean, A, the electorate is wrong to be concerned, because there is not widespread voter fraud, and there hasn't been, but if they are concerned, it's largely because the former president was lying about it. And they are believing the former president, and he continues to lie about it.

The fact that legislation is being passed and being proposed now, across the country, even in your home state of Texas, debating a similar bill, legislation is being passed because of a lie and based on a lie, and concern about - concern that's wholly been invented because of a lie, is unbelievable in this - I mean, it's not unbelievable, but it's ridiculous.

LEE: It is a figment of their imagination, and it has turned into a lie.

As I'm sitting here today, 200 people were blocked from speaking, in Texas, with the same twin bills that are being used, all over the nation, by Republicans, sadly, inaccurately, representing that because young people voted, disabled people voted, multicultural people voted, that there was something wrong with this election.

And all of the lawsuits that the past president, I'll say his name, President Trump, filed, he barely won one small smidgen of a initiative with respect to, I think, poll observers, in the state of Pennsylvania.

All of the courts that were not led by Republican or Democratic judges, they were led by federal judges that should be ruling on the law, for what the law is, they threw his cases out. And the count, officially done, even though the insurrectionists, Anderson, tried to stop the count, on January 6th. I was there.

It was ruled a legitimate election, that President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected. We don't mind the idea of voting reform that enhances the right of the voter to be heard.

We're now in the United States House of Representative, writing a renewed Voting Rights Act of 1965 that John Robert Lewis, John Lewis, was bloodied, on the Selma Bridge, Edmund Pettus Bridge for that.

But to deny people the right to vote on lies, where we have no facts, is a sad commentary--

COOPER: Yes.

LEE: --on the democracy of distinction.

COOPER: Yes, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

LEE: Thank you for having me.

COOPER: Up next, the change in the White House, we saw, between this presidential news conference, and the last, and the future that President Biden hopes to secure, discussion about the presidency, with Documentary Filmmaker, Ken Burns, when we continue.

[21:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: President Biden's first news conference wasn't just an important moment for the White House that seeks to reset after the previous four years.

It comes as the country reaches inflection points for a number of events that have dominated, and will continue to dominate, our lives, Coronavirus, gun control, immigration, our relationship with allies, the rest of the world, just to name a few.

We want to get perspective from documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns.

Ken, you see and hear where President Biden is putting his focus, meeting with historians, championing the COVID relief bill, down to make sweeping infrastructure changes. What does it tell you about how he sees these first few months of his presidency?

KEN BURNS, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Well, I think he knew - he knows, as Franklin Roosevelt knew, that the first few days, few months are going to be critical to what happens.

And what's so impressive is that he has inherited a Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We talked a couple months ago with all the convergence, and it's only gotten worse, with the border, with the shootings, with the Republican opposition. And I think he's got the discipline of a classic politician in the

Roosevelt mold. But like Roosevelt, he has the extra added dimension of empathy. Both men suffered unspeakable loss.

At 39-years-old, FDR is stricken with infantile paralysis, but was able to sort of lift us up, just as he could not stand unaided, and, so too, we're all familiar with Joe Biden's losses.

But I think they sort of settle into cliche, and we forget what a decent person he is, but also how disciplined. We were all certain that he would go off the rails on the press conference. And he didn't.

COOPER: The fact that Republicans are trying to make it more difficult for people to vote, I mean, they say it's about security of the ballots, it's really based on the lie that the President told. It's a continuation of that lie.

That may not have been the fight that Joe Biden expected or wanted, but presidents don't really get to always decide - determine how their administration is defined. He may he may want to focus on things like infrastructure and big picture economic populism. But he's facing this, and all sorts of crises and controversies.

K. BURNS: That's exactly right. I remember John Chancellor, who is the narrator of our Baseball series, back in the early 90s, said "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."

And I think Joe's been around enough, in the Senate enough, having suffered so much, as a husband and father, that he knows that, as my ancestor, the Poet Robert Burns said, "The best-laid plans of Mice an' Men. Gang aft agley," and I can only imagine what the direct translation of that old Scottish is, really screw up.

And I think that that's it. It puts him in a position to be more present. And he will have to deal with these things. He does have all of that going on. You do have the durability of the big lie.

[21:30:00]

You do have a Republican Party, unable to even listen to the polling of their own constituents about what they want. They're trapped. And Joe understands that. And I think he wants to give them room and to let them figure some stuff out before he starts pulling the nuclear option of the filibuster.

COOPER: Even with the former president, largely, absent from public view, politics is as divisive as ever.

K. BURNS: Yes, it is. But I think there is, as people sometimes say, kind of bad-news bias, that is to say--

COOPER: Well that's definitely true.

K. BURNS: --we focus on that stuff. I think what Joe Biden understands--

COOPER: Well I also - sorry, Ken. I also think bad news resonates with all of us more strongly. If you--

K. BURNS: Exactly.

COOPER: --if you're on Twitter, and you get 100 nice messages, and someone says one bad thing about you--

K. BURNS: One - exactly.

COOPER: --that's the thing that you--

K. BURNS: Right.

COOPER: --ruminate about all night.

K. BURNS: Exactly, yes.

COOPER: Not that I'm speaking from experience, but.

K. BURNS: Of course not. But that's exactly true. And I think what Biden understands is the soul of us is essentially good, you know?

You read the reports of the Boulder shooting. And then if you dig deeper into long form news things, you find out all the people who took shelter, and other businesses, and then those people protected them, and then drove them home, complete strangers.

He knows the country is knitted together by that, on a day-to-day basis. He understands the inhalation and exhalation of us. And he knows, as I feel, in my bones, that there's only "Us" and no "Them."

So, it is true that forces have been unleashed in the last several years, which are the darkest aspects of us. They've been up before. They'll go down again.

But he's somebody, who has a steadier hand on the wheel. And he also has an attention span. He is not just thinking about this moment, but for the moments to come. And that's hugely important.

If it's just reactive, nothing actually happens. It just is the next cycle of stuff. So, you get to lie with impunity, and then lie again, and then lie that you even lied. And Joe isn't like that.

COOPER: He's been shaped and whittled by laws. And you're talking about "Us" and "Them." I think it was - I think James Baldwin talked about when you see someone else, see yourself, you--

K. BURNS: That's right.

COOPER: --you are looking at yourself. And if you do it in that way, you could be anybody, and you are capable of anything.

K. BURNS: This is it. Franklin Roosevelt was born a patrician. Joe Biden is a blue-collar guy from Scranton, Pennsylvania, spends the rest of his life in Delaware. But they had that ability to understand how the mechanics of daily life work for people.

COOPER: Ken Burns, thank you, as always.

K. BURNS: Thank you.

COOPER: Up next, breaking news, a deadly tornado touching down in Alabama. Many still remain in danger in the South. Live update on the storm threats ahead.

Will there be justice for the families of the 10 murdered in the Colorado massacre, while the suspect's next hearing could be delayed for quite a while?

[21:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: There's breaking news this hour, at least five deaths reported after tornado touches down in Alabama, and search and rescue efforts are underway tonight. We're getting up-close look at the destruction. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my (BLEEP). Oh no! (BLEEP) Oh! (BLEEP).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! (BLEEP).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Garrett (ph) look! Oh my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really big thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (BLEEP).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: A carpenter and his boss in a vehicle captured the footage. Thankfully, they made it out OK.

Want to get the latest from Derek Van Dam, live, in Birmingham, Alabama.

So, what are you seeing, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good evening, Anderson.

It was a very heartbreaking scene for my crew, and I, to approach, this evening, as we came to the Columbiana region southeast of Birmingham.

That same footage you saw, a moment ago, was part of the tornado that tore the house that you see behind me, completely off of its foundation, ripped it 100 feet from where it was originally located, and deposited in shambles behind me.

Now, what you're seeing is a rescue operation from the individuals that live in this community. This is an animal rescue center, where we're located. They house over 50 horses, 50 stallions, in fact, several dozen goats as well as sheep.

These animals all need to be rescued. There's no more fences. All the trees have been completely obliterated around this area, including homes that you see behind me. So, there's a massive effort, to try and save the animals from this particular Rescue Center as well.

The two individuals that lived here, two elderly people, they have been transported with unknown injuries to a local Veterans Hospital. We're waiting to hear how they are doing. But just coming up, across the scene, we heard a lot of confusion, babies crying in the distance, and animals crying for help as well.

Kind of tugging at my heartstrings, as a father, I know, Anderson, you are as well, so, hearing those noises, in a destruction zone, like this, is tough to hear. But this is the scene on the ground, southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, reporting live.

Back to you.

COOPER: And in areas like Shelby County, where there has been severe damage already, are communities preparing for potentially more bad weather, as this moves, through the state?

VAN DAM: We are still in Shelby County, where I'm located now. And earlier, the temperature dropped while we were doing live shots for other shows. And it actually got cold. And I was convinced, as a meteorologist, my training and my background told me that the severe weather threat was done.

But now the humidity has increased, the temperature has increased, and this is a telltale sign that the atmosphere is becoming more unstable. So, severe weather is still a probability here, a possibility.

We're still in that high risk of severe weather, five out of five threat from the Storm Prediction Center, until later this evening. A lot of the severe storms have moved into northern Georgia, including the Atlanta Metro region. But here, in Alabama, there are still a few cells that could produce tornadoes tonight.

COOPER: Wow! Those drone shots, you really see some of the damage there.

Derek Van Dam, I appreciate it. Thank you.

To the tragedy now in Boulder, the suspect in the grocery store mass shooting will remain in jail without bail, after appearing in court for the first time. Defense attorney is asking for more time to assess the state of her client's mental health before the next hearing is set.

[21:40:00]

Short while ago, I spoke with the daughter and wife of Kevin Mahoney, one of the 10 people killed at King Soopers, on Monday. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIKA MAHONEY, LOST FATHER, KEVIN MAHONEY, IN COLORADO SHOOTING: One thing that makes this harder is being pregnant. But, at the same time, it also gives you strength because this is such devastating news and it's so hurtful.

But hey, my dad would just want me to be, you know, the mom I will be, and to carry on. And so, we're going to do that for him.

ELLEN MAHONEY, LOST HUSBAND, KEVIN MAHONEY, IN COLORADO SHOOTING: Thank you to everyone who has shown us love, and support, at this time. It means so much to me, and to our family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Want to go live now to National Correspondent, Kyung Lah, who is standing by in Boulder. So, what happened in court today?

KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's the first time that those families and this community got to see this gunman as a defendant.

He was, you know, the charges were read in court. There are 10 murder charges for the 10 lives, who were tragically cut short here. There's also an 11th charge, an attempted murder charge for the suspect shooting at a police officer, not striking that police officer, so it's an attempted murder charge.

The Prosecutor, say, that the collection of evidence is continuing here at the grocery store. And they anticipate that when that's done, they will be looking at additional charges, and that they anticipate in the next couple of weeks.

And Anderson, you did mention the public defender. The public defender had argued for a little more time, before the next hearing that Judge granted them that the hearing would be between 60 days and 90 days of the public defender saying quote, they wanted to assess the nature or depth of his mental illness.

The defendant here did not enter a plea, Anderson.

COOPER: The Boulder Police Department released new information on how the alleged gunman was taken into custody. What did you - what did we learn?

LAH: Yes, I was really struck by this. The Boulder Police Department tweeted this photo. And this is a photo of Officer Talley's handcuffs.

And as they transported this suspect, who was in the hospital, for a through-and-through body wound, you know, we don't have any details on, on how and why, but as he was transported from the hospital to the jail, the Boulder Police Department used the officer's, the Fallen officer's, handcuffs, and then told the suspect, "We are using the Fallen officer's handcuffs."

And they tweeted that it was a distinct honor to use them that it was "A small gesture" to help start "The healing process." Anderson?

COOPER: Kyung Lah, appreciate you being there. Thank you.

President Biden today talked a lot about jobs that he hopes to create with an infrastructure package to get past. One move, early in his presidency, cost jobs, when he revoked permits for The Keystone Pipeline.

Now, we asked Martin Savidge, to tell the stories of the people, and the towns most affected. His report is next.

[21:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: President Biden told reporters he is on the verge of announcing a massive infrastructure plan that according to some estimates could cost in the range of $3 trillion, jobs the President says will be the key.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: If you think about it, it's the place where we will be able to significantly increase American productivity, at the same time, providing really good jobs for people. But we can't build back to what they used to be. We have to build - the environment has already - global warming has already done significant damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Those concerns about the environment were the main reason behind one of his first decisions, as President, to cancel the permits for the Plain Keystone Pipeline, which was to carry oil from the tar sands of Canada to the United States. But the Canadian company, behind the pipeline, said thousands of jobs would be lost.

Here in the United States, the ripple effects were also felt, almost instantly, especially in South Dakota. And that's where our Martin Savidge went to examine the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIDEN: I going to sign in, and that's what we do, while you're all here.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When President Biden revoked the construction permit of the Keystone XL pipeline, environmentalists celebrated.

1,500 miles from Washington, in Murdo, South Dakota, population 444, Jeff Birkeland had a different reaction.

SAVIDGE (on camera): How did you feel?

JEFF BIRKELAND, CEO, WEST CENTRAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE: Like I got kicked in the stomach. Honestly, I didn't - I didn't feel good at all. SAVIDGE (voice-over): He's the CEO of a tiny Electric Cooperative with a big opportunity, building two substations, providing power to two of the pipeline's pumping stations.

SAVIDGE (on camera): And each one of those would generate how much financially for you?

BIRKELAND: Roughly half a million dollars a month.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): This for a company that has only seen 99 new customers, in 30 years. The profits would have all gone back to the Co-Op's 3,700 members.

BIRKELAND: Roughly, our members, on average would have received about a $325 credit annually that that would be theirs.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Additionally, he says tens of thousands of tax dollars would have trickled down to the local school district, and its 190 students. But all that vanished with the Stroke of a Presidential Pen.

In Philip, South Dakota, population 779, Tricia Burns, and her husband had just invested their own money, expanding Ignite, a fitness center, hoping to make a little extra, from the pipeline workers coming to town.

TRICIA BURNS, OWNER, IGNITE WELLNESS STUDIO & RANCHER: So, you know, the old saying, "You got to make hay when the sun shines," and we felt like the sun was going to be shining, and we needed to take advantage of that.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): She watched Biden's Inauguration on television.

T. BURNS: And then the executive orders started coming in. And when he signed the bill, to pull the permit, it was a tough, tough moment here at Ignite.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): By midnight, she says, 45 members had called to cancel memberships.

T. BURNS: In a big city, that doesn't matter. Here, that's over half of our memberships. Here, that's $3,000 in reoccurring monthly income. That matters.

[21:50:00]

SAVIDGE (voice-over): The town of Philip also saw benefits. TC Energy, the Pipeline's owner, contributed money towards a new fire truck, new sidewalks, even, local sports. Construction crews spent money at local stores.

Biden's opposition to the project wasn't a surprise. How fast everything stopped was.

T. BURNS: Everything had been signed, sealed, delivered. And that was all taken away, in an instant. SAVIDGE (voice-over): TC Energy estimates nearly 1,000 employees have been laid off.

BRITTANY SMITH, CITY ADMINISTRATOR FOR PHILIP, SOUTH DAKOTA: There's all this money invested into this, and all these jobs that people are basically promised. And then the President can just sign an executive order and shut it all down, you know?

SAVIDGE (voice-over): No one we talked to seems to know what comes next. TC Energy hasn't replied to our request for comment, but has said it was disappointed by President Biden's decision.

Environmentalists had argued the pipeline and the oil would have added to climate change, and feared damage to water and wildlife, where the pipeline went through. But stopping the pipeline has problems of its own, like what happens to the land that was already bought?

SAVIDGE (on camera): Another concern, what do you do with all this stuff? Pipeline assets are spread across hundreds of miles. Much of it now, just stranded.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Pumping stations, construction camps, and piles of pipe sit vacant, and marooned. Many here saw the pipeline as a chance to do better. Now, its remnants littered the landscape, haunting reminders of what might have been.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Martin Savidge joins us now from South Dakota.

Is there any hope among the people you spoke to that this project could be revived or I mean, what are they - what are they hoping is going to happen?

SAVIDGE: Yes, it depends who you talk to, Anderson.

Some people actually are holding out hope about a federal lawsuit that's now been filed, on behalf of 21 Republican-led states. It's alleging that President Biden didn't have the authority to cancel the permit, as he did. Court cases take a long time.

Other people are actually hoping that President Biden has a change of heart. They would love to be able to plead their case.

And then there are those who are hoping for a change of politics, maybe midterm elections, a change of power leadership, in both the House and the Senate, more favorable to the pipeline. Some even hold out to 2024, and maybe a change of administration.

Anderson?

COOPER: Martin Savidge, appreciate it, thank you very much.

Still to come, in an exclusive interview, response from China's Ambassador to the U.S., to a story we aired last night, about Uyghur children, in China, separated from their parents. David Culver, who brought us that report, will join us, when we continue.

[21:55:00]

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COOPER: In an exclusive interview with CNN, today, China's Ambassador to the U.S. responded to this network's reporting on Uyghur children separated from their families.

Last night, on 360, we aired an in-depth report on some - on the search for some of those children, heartbreaking look at parents, who haven't seen their own children in years.

CNN's David Culver filed that report. He and his team went in search of the Lost Children with the parent's permission, and joins us now from Beijing.

David, I'm wondering what the reaction has been in China to your report.

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We expected them to be unhappy with how this went out and how it's being portrayed. And that certainly has been the case so far, Anderson.

And I want to play a little bit of sound from the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., who spoke with Christiane Amanpour, just a few hours ago. And she played for him a portion of our report, asking for his comment.

Here's their exchange. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So Ambassador, it turned out later that the children were interrogated in this orphanage, for hours, about a conversation that they had had with our reporter.

What is your reaction? And, I guess, why not let these children go? Why detain children in an orphanage? What can be the political reason for stopping them leaving the country, and sending them back to Xinjiang, from Shanghai?

CUI TIANKAI, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Frankly, there has been so much fabrication so far. So, I cannot just trust this story.

AMANPOUR: But you know that that's not fabricated, Ambassador, right?

TIANKAI: It's very unfortunate.

AMANPOUR: You know that that's not fabricated.

TIANKAI: It's very unfortunate. I think it's very unfortunate. And it's immoral, to take advantage of any particular family situation, and manipulate. This is not true journalism. It's very unfortunate for CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULVER: The two words Anderson that stand out to me from that interview, in response from the Chinese Ambassador, "Immoral," and that he goes on to say that this is not true journalism, that it's "Unfortunate."

Well, I think a lot of folks would apply the same adjectives to what's happening to these kids.

COOPER: Yes, I mean, it's attacking reporter, I mean, it's a classic move. It's the most obvious thing. It's what repressive regimes do all the time.

CULVER: Yes.

COOPER: They attack reporters for, for telling the truth. And that I mean, that's - that's how the government's responded. What about regular people? What kind of responses have we gotten?

CULVER: Yes, you're right. They're calling this fake news. And that's what's been put out there over and over.

It's interesting, because everyday folks here, I think, for the past year-plus that this has really started service, even though it's been going on for several years, really, they've kind of bought into the narrative, and it's been overshadowed a great deal, for good reason, because of the pandemic.

However, now, I think what penetrate a bit more with our report is despite all the counter-reporting from the Chinese side, is you're looking at a very simple story. At the core, you've got parents separated from their kids. They want to be together.

And it's really tough to discredit the authenticity of innocence, and that is a child who breaks down, very genuinely, in front of us, to say they want to be with their mom and dad. It is really tough to push back against that, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes, David Culver, a really remarkable work. Thank you for you and your team.

The news continues. Want to hand things over to Don Lemon and "CNN TONIGHT."

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: This is CNN TONIGHT. I am Don Lemon.