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Derek Chauvin Facing Up to 40 Years in Prison for Floyd's Murder; In Isolated Prison Unit for Safety Before Sentencing in 8 Weeks; Three Other Former Police Officers Charged in George Floyd's Death to Face Trial in August; Rep. Karen Bass, (D) California, is Interviewed about George Floyd Justice and Policing Act; WH: Biden to Discuss Police Reform During Address to Congress Next Week. Aired 5-6p ET.

Aired April 21, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:15]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thanks for watching. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room.

The Justice Department has announced this sweeping investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department and its practices including whether it engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. This comes less than 24 hours after former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

Tonight, Chauvin, for his own security, is being held in an isolated prison unit as he awaits sentencing eight weeks from now. He faces up to 40 years.

We're also following developments in Columbus, Ohio, where there are now growing questions about the deadly police shooting of 16-year-old African American Ma'Khia Bryant. Police are releasing more body camera video that appears to show Bryant wielding a knife and Officers Zoe (ph) warning her several times to get down before she seems to lunge at another girl and police open fire. We'll have more in that story coming up later this hour.

But first let's go to our Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner.

Sara, what's the latest where you are in Minneapolis in the wake of the Chauvin verdict? And where do things go from here?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, things are going to change around here. If the Department of Justice does find that there is a pattern and practice of misconduct with the Minneapolis Police Department, as you mentioned, a sweeping probe into the department and how it functions with the citizens here, it is a huge development here in Minneapolis.

We should also talk about the fact that the department has already responded and said that they are going to pledge their cooperation with the DOJ investigation. I want to remind you that the head of the department, Medaria Arradondo, sued the department several years ago before he was ever chief because of some of the practices against black officers in the department and won a settlement along with several other officers. So, he is well familiar with some of the ways things work inside of the department and says he has been trying to change behaviors in the department as well.

So, you hear the police department is cooperating. The city council here in Minneapolis says that this is a good thing that they do want this probe and they want to see what happens with the results of the probe.

There are also folks in this community that for years have been asking for this. They've been asking for the DOJ to step in and look at what's happening at this department and others.

Let me let you hear from the Minnesota Justice Coalition founder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNATHON MCCLELLAN, MINNESOTA JUSTICE COALITION: This case is significant in the sense that it brought the reality of black and brown people face into the living rooms of America. This is the same thing that happened when the march happened over to Edmund Pettus Bridge when that -- the reality of what black people were facing was brought into the living rooms of America. And that spawned a litany of legislation. And the same thing needs to happen with this as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Now, he was talking about this case referring to the Derek Chauvin case, in which he was convicted now of three different counts, two of them murder in the killing of George Floyd.

And we should also tell you that Derek Chauvin is remanded to prison, we saw that happen in court live. He is also now though being separated from other prisoners. He is being kept in a secure and safe place because of the high profile nature of the case. And also because he is a former police officer and everyone is going to know his story. They are trying to keep him safe. We know that we are going to have sentencing in the next several weeks. Wolf.

BLITZER: Have we heard, Sara, anything from the 12 jurors who delivered those unanimous guilty verdicts?

SIDNER: We have not yet heard from the jurors. It will be up to the judge exactly when we get the names of those jurors. Those names will be made public. The judge initially said when this is all starting that he would pretty quickly after the verdict put those out. But because of the nature of this case, because people around the

world have watched this case, he may change his mind and take a bit longer to put those names out. But once the names are out, maybe we will hear from one of the jurors, all the jurors, none of the jurors, that is all a wait and see at this point, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Sara, standby. Let's bring in -- I want to get some more in the Justice Department investigation first of all of the Minneapolis policing practices. Our Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins is joining us.

Kaitlan, the White House says President Biden will discuss police reform when he addresses a joint session of Congress next week. What's the latest?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, they say that's a sign of just how important this is to the President. How he doesn't want to slip from the forefront. So he will be mentioning it during that first address at Congress. That's expected to happen next week.

[17:05:09]

But that is going to happen as the Justice Department is making its own moves tonight with this new investigation that Sara was just talking about. And well, if we should make sure to be clear that this is separate from that investigation into whether or not Derek Chauvin violated George Floyd's civil rights. This is another Justice Department investigation. This is going to be into the police department where Derek Chauvin worked, and of course was later fired.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): The Justice Department launching a new investigation following Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict.

MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yesterday's verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues.

COLLINS: Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing a probe into the practices of the Minneapolis Police Department that employed and later fired Chauvin.

GARLAND: I am announcing that the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation. I strongly believe that good officers do not want to work in systems that allow bad practices.

COLLINS: Investigators will look into whether the department engages in the use of excessive force, discriminatory conduct, or unlawful treatment of those with behavioral issues. The Justice Department will issue a public report if the investigation finds the police department violated the law.

GARLAND: Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us.

COLLINS: But federal investigations can take months or even years and the White House wants Congress to step in now.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The President and I will continue to urge the Senate to pass this legislation.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It shouldn't take a whole year to get this done.

COLLINS: The police reform bill named after George Floyd passed the House in March but faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D-NY) MAJORITY LEADER: We will not rest until the Senate passes strong legislation to end the systemic bias in law enforcement.

COLLINS: The Floyd bill would ban chokehold creating national police misconduct registry, mandate the use of deadly force as a last resort, and end qualified immunity. It's that last part that has divided lawmakers. Republicans arguing police officers shouldn't be stripped of the shield that can protect them from lawsuits.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY, (R-LA): I don't think though that the answer is to get rid of categorical way to get rid of sovereign immunity for our police officers running through job is hard enough.

COLLINS: Another heated confrontation on Capitol Hill, Representative Val Demings shouting down Congressman Jim Jordan after she criticized a Republican amendment for a COVID-19 hate crimes bill.

REP. VAL DEMINGS, (D-FL): You know, it's interesting to see my colleagues on the other side of the aisle support the police when it is politically convenient to do so.

COLLINS: The amendment would prevent efforts to defund the police, which Demings called irrelevant since the bill doesn't propose that.

DEMINGS: Law enforcement officers risked their lives every day. They deserve better and the American people deserve.

I have the floor Mr. Jordan. What? Did I strike a (INAUDIBLE)? The law enforcers deserves better than to be utilize as pawns.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: Quite an exchange there, Wolf. But back to the Justice Department, we should note that Vanita Gupta has now been confirmed as the Associate Attorney General. She barely got across the finish line. But she did so with the help of Senator Lisa Murkowski, who crossed party lines to vote for her and saved the vice president from having to cast that first tie breaking vote to get her confirmed.

And in this position, we should note, she is the first civil rights lawyer and woman of color to have this number three job at the justice department, but also she is going to be overseeing the Civil Rights Division. And of course, Wolf, that is the division that President Biden wants to look into systemic racism.

BLITZER: Yes, 51-49 vote. Kaitlan, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some more in all of this. CNN Legal Analyst Elliott Williams is joining us. Our Political Commentator, the lawyer Bakari Sellers is with us. And CNN Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner is back with us as well.

Bakari, Derek Chauvin now faces sentencing, is expected to be sentenced in about eight weeks or so. What is the judge take into consideration here, especially since the sentence for each of these three charges is served concurrently, not necessarily back to back?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first, thank you, Wolf, for bringing that point up. I think a lot of Americans are going to learn the difference in sentencing between concurrently and consecutively. There are a lot of people who are hoping and wishing that there is a sentence that they believe matches the crime, which is an extensive long sentence, you know, where people spend the rest of their lives in prison. That's not going to happen in this case.

In fact, this judge is going to be governed by the sentencing guidelines that are set forth. Those citizen guidelines take into account what people have done prior to their arrest, their criminal history, which is -- which is hugely important, the nature of the crime, the facts and circumstances, et cetera.

And so, I think when you look at his guidelines, I'm not one to prognosticate per se, because those are just guidelines, the judge can go above those guidelines or below those guidelines. But I do think that most of the individuals who saw that video, most of the individuals who were -- who were relieved that he was found guilty of murder, will find some level of disappointment in the sentence that's going to be handed down due to the guidelines and his criminal history.

[17:10:33]

BLITZER: Yes, it's now up to the judge. Is there any chance, Elliot, that Chauvin potentially could successfully appeal this conviction?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Of course, there's always a chance that one can successfully appeal a conviction. And if you notice, toward the end of the trial, his lawyer started making a number of objections preserving the right to appeal them.

So, for instance, this whole question of jury of publicity around the trial and whether it tainted the jury that Chauvin was unable to get a fair trial because of the amount of publicity. And virtually every major objection that they raise during the trial will be the kind of thing you'll see on appeal.

Finally, the big one is this third degree murder conviction. Right now, the Minnesota Supreme Court is weighing in the case of Mohamed Noor, another police officer who was recently convicted of third degree murder, whether and how officers can even be convicted of that charge. There's some specific wording in the statute that makes it a little bit more legally complicated. So, you'll see a few appeals. It's his right, and it's going to happen.

BLITZER: Yes, I'm sure it will.

You know, Bakari, what is the Chauvin verdict mean for the three other police officers who were is there on the scene with Chauvin involved and they'll be going to trial, we're told in August.

SELLERS: Well, if I was their lawyer would mean two words, you know, plea deal. I think you saw what the appetite was, you saw what type of case Derek Chauvin was able to put up. One that was not successful, one that that didn't appear to have many resources, one that was flailing by all accounts at best. It's really very difficult to defend the indefensible.

And although these individuals may view their role as being bid actors, I think that the jury, I think that the prosecution in Keith Ellison's office, and I think that the world view them as individuals who contributed to, aided and abetted a man dying. And so, I think that they will -- this is a word that lawyers oftentimes tell their clients. I think there'll be looking to be placed in the best possible situation, which is to take a plea deal and go sit down for a period of time.

BLITZER: Yes, tried to get some sort of reduced sentence if you just plead guilty.

Sara, a CNN analysis shows there was a drop in Minneapolis police use of force immediately after George Floyd's death, before it is still used disproportionately on black people. Does that reflect what you've been hearing from the community?

SIDNER: One hundred percent. I mean, the folks in the community have been saying this for a very long time. And it is something that isn't just a problem in Minneapolis, and they want that to be clear. They really feel quite strongly that this DOJ investigation should span more, more police departments, not just Minneapolis.

And they realize that the reason why -- one of the reasons why the DOJ is looking at Minneapolis is because of what happened with George Floyd. But there are a lot of folks in and around Minneapolis as well, you can name the city where people feel that this should be a larger investigation.

But can I speak quickly to the point of what the other officers may be thinking and their lawyers. I spoke with one of the lawyers for one of the officers, Thomas Lane's lawyer, and I didn't speak to him after the verdict. But in the weeks leading up to this, I had a quick conversation with him.

And if you look at some of his filings, he is one officer where, you know, I don't know if they're going to take a plea deal, we will see, because he asked twice, while George Floyd was in the prone position on his stomach with his hands, you know, handcuffed behind his back and Chauvin's knee on his neck, he asked twice, shouldn't we turn him over? And you can hear that on the audio and see it on the video, the body cam video. And he sort of mentioned excited delirium. He was -- he sounded like, you know, maybe we should turn him over. I know he was not in a senior position, Chauvin was, but he did ask a couple of times. And that's been a point that's been brought up in the court filing. So, it will be very interesting to see how those three cases, three separate cases play out.

BLITZER: Yes, there's a while to go between now and August as we know.

Guys, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, police released more body camera video amid growing questions about the deadly shooting of a 16-year-old African American girl in Columbus, Ohio.

Plus, experts say the U.S. will soon reach a vaccine tipping point with supply outpacing demand.

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[17:19:00]

BLITZER: We're following new reaction to the Derek Chauvin murder conviction and what it means for the future of policing here in the United States. For more than that, we're joined by Democratic Congresswoman Karen Bass of California. She's a coauthor of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

I know you say this verdict could help get police reform over the finish line in the U.S. Senate. You've been working on this with Republican Senator Tim Scott. Where to things stand? Where do the talks stand right now?

REP. KAREN BASS, (D-CA) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, we're still in informal talks. There's no formal negotiations that have begun, but I just have to tell you that all of us exhaled when we heard that verdict. And the energy that is there, it's the type of momentum and positive momentum that I think will help get us over the finish line.

If the verdict had been another way, it's no telling what we would be talking about right now, but it certainly wouldn't be positive. So, I was just on the floor talking to my Republican colleagues. They're energized. And we need to stick with it. And our next step is to begin formal talks, which I hope will begin soon.

[17:20:07]

BLITZER: Senator Scott says Democrats are, in his word, receptive to a compromise on what's called qualified immunity, which protects police officers from civil lawsuits. Isn't enough for you that police departments could be sued, but not necessarily individual police officers?

BASS: Well, you know, I think it's important that we examine it. But what's most important to me is that police officers have to be held accountable, and qualified immunity and section 242, which is lowering the standard to prosecute officers, which is why they're so rarely prosecuted, those are real key components to the bill. And we have to make sure that that's there. That's why Derek Chauvin felt so cavalier about torturing George Floyd to death.

BLITZER: President Biden will address this issue. It's a very important issue when he speaks before a joint session of Congress next week. But can any police reform pass in the Senate? Not talking about the House in the Senate, with the filibuster in place? Can you get 10 Republicans to join all 50 Democrats? That's what you will need.

BASS: Well, absolutely, we will. And I think with the leadership of Tim Scott and Cory Booker, I think the stage is set for us to do that. We've had very fruitful conversations.

I know that Senator Scott is an honest broker, he is serious about getting something done. And he's also committed to working with his colleagues and bringing those Republican votes.

I can't bring the Republican senators along. But I do have confidence that if they will follow Tim Scott's lead, that we will be able to get the votes we need in the Senate.

BLITZER: Yes, clearly, he might be able to do it among his Republican colleagues.

I'll be speaking by the way in the next hour with George Floyd's brother Philonise. He says it's time for the Senate to do its part, his words, and pass the bill named after his brother. Do you think Congress will be able to deliver by the anniversary of George Floyd's death next month?

BASS: I think we have to, I don't think. There's any reason for us not to put a bill on President Biden's death by that -- desk by that time. We have been talking about this now, it will be a year. So there's no reason for us not to act. And that's why the momentum from this verdict, and frankly, the positive peaceful protests have been helpful in contributing to that moment.

BLITZER: What was it like when you and your colleagues heard the verdict yesterday, take us into that room. I know it was an emotional moment for you.

BASS: Well, it was a particularly emotional moment for me because I had -- I had the flashback to 1992 and Rodney King. And there I was devastated at the verdict. And yesterday, I was just renewed, relieved. And -- but I will tell you, though, that it was a great verdict from my point of view, but the verdict is step one. Now, we need to have a sentence that is the maximum sentence.

You know, we won't really be able to relax until that happens, because the few times we've seen people convicted, we also have seen judges turn around and give them a slap on the wrist. And he just cannot do that this time. He has to have the maximum sentence. The world watched that crime take place. And that is the only thing that will be an example of justice.

BLITZER: Yes, that maximum sentence could be up to 40 years. We'll see what happens when they sentence --

BASS: Yes.

BLITZER: -- in about eight weeks or so from now.

Before I let you go, one final question, Congresswoman. Your Democratic colleagues, Maxine Waters, she -- as you well know, all of us know, she had urged protesters to get more, her word, confrontational if Derek Chauvin was acquitted. Are you concerned she may have inadvertently actually given Chauvin a leg up in a possible appeal?

BASS: I can't see how that could possibly be an appeal point. And what we saw after the verdict were peaceful positive protests. And not protest, it was really more of a celebration. So, I think that would be an incredible stretch to say that's why there should be an appeal. The jury was sequestered, so I don't know what that would have to do with the verdict that they came to.

BLITZER: Congresswoman Karen Bass, thanks so much for joining us.

BASS: Thanks for having me on.

BLITZER: Up next now we're going to have a live update from Columbus, Ohio where police have just released body camera footage after officer fatally shot a black teenager wielding a knife.

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[17:29:02]

BLITZER: Tonight, grief and anger in Columbus, Ohio after an officer fatally shot a black teenage girl who appeared to be holding a knife during a fight with two other young women. We're just getting some new body camera video in from the police, which could shed some new light on the situation. We want to warn our viewers that the footage you're about to see is very graphic. CNN's Jason Carroll reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what's going on? Hey, what's going on? Hey, hey, hey. Hey, get down. Get down. Get down. Get down.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It all happened in seconds. A police officer opens fire shooting and killing 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant. The chaotic moments before the shooting captured by the officer's body camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She had a knife.

CARROLL: Tonight, the city of Columbus releasing the 2911 calls place Tuesday afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, you need to talk to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got -- it's these grown girls over here trying to fight us. Trying to stab us. Trying to put her hands on our grandma. Get here now.

[17:30:00]

CARROLL: City officials also released extended body camera footage from the officer who shot Bryant, Columbus Police identified as Nicholas Reardon, along with body camera footage from two other officers at the scene. As seen on the body camera video when the officer arrives, he quickly gets out of his patrol car and runs toward a group in the driveway of a home.

That's when one teenager moves toward another person appearing to push her to the ground. Reardon can be heard shouting to get down, and that's when the girl appears to lunge at another female in pink. The officer shouts to get down several times then fires his gun. Four shots can be heard on the tape.

UNKNOWN MALE: No, you ain't shoot my (expletive) family, man. You shot my family. Are you (expletive) serious?

CARROLL: Police released this slowed down version of the body camera footage as well. It shows what appears to be a knife in Ma'Khia's hand as she raises it above her head toward the person wearing pink as the officer then begins shooting. After the shooting, the female in pink, who Bryant appears to lunge towards, spoke to officers.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: That's why the police did it. So she came - she came after me.

UNKNOWN MALE: With a knife?

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Yes, so she - so he got her.

MAYOR ANDREW GINTHER, (D) COLUMBUS, OHIO: We don't yet have all of the facts, but we do know that a 16-year-old girl, a child in this community, tragically died last night. This is a failure on part of our community. Some are guilty, but all of us are responsible.

Franklin County children's services says Ma'Khia was in foster care in the county. Her mother, Paula Bryant, spoke to TV station WBMS.

PAULA BRYANT, MA'KHIA BRYANT'S MOTHER: She was a very loving, peaceful little girl. She promoted peace.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Say her name.

CROWD: Ma'Khia Bryant.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Say her name.

CROWD: Ma'Khia Bryant.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Say her name! (END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Protesters took to the streets in Columbus Tuesday night to voice their outrage. The shooting happened just 30 minutes before Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts against him in the killing of George Floyd.

And Wolf, there have been a lot of questions about whether or not the officer in question, Officer Nicholas Reardon, whether or not he could have used a taser rather than a gun. Police were asked about that late this afternoon, and police made it very clear, according to their policy, an officer can use deadly force if that officer is trying to stop an assault from occurring.

Of course this will all be part of an independent investigation that is taking place. That officer in question has been taken off street duty and is pending the outcome of that investigation. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, all right Jason. Thank you, Jason Carroll reporting. Let's get some analysis from former Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson. Captain Johnson, thanks so much for joining us. As you heard, the Mayor of Columbus says this officer "took action to protect another young girl in our community." What - what did this officer have to weigh in these kinds of circumstances?

RON JOHNSON, FORMER MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL CAPTAIN: Well, he's weighing serious injury or death that could occur to another, and so that's what he's looking at. And then he's going through his mind, his different force continuum levels that he can - can use in this situation.

BLITZER: As you know, there are folks saying that this fatal shooting was actually disproportionate, but the police chief says generally, and I want you to confirm this, officers are trained to respond to deadly force with deadly force. Is that the case here?

JOHNSON: Policy gives you that - that authority to do that. I wouldn't say that happens in all cases. Sometimes officers can use different methods that are appropriate, and it just depends on the situation and how things are analyzed in that - in the heat of the moment by the officer.

BLITZER: We - we can see in the video that the 16-year-old girl, Ma'Khia Bryant, did have a knife, but it doesn't change the fact that she's -- she was a 16-year-old girl and she's dead. Was there any opportunity here, do you believe potentially, to use a taser or some other way to de-escalate this situation?

JOHNSON: And that would be hard to say from this vantage point and seeing the videos. The thing that I would caution is that we're - we're pretty quick sometimes as - as chiefs and leaders to say that it was authorized.

I think we should just say that we're - we're in the investigation phase and let's -- let all the facts come together. I think when we say it so quick, I think because there's a distrust in our communities, then we think that you're - you're too quick just to clear the officer involved.

BLITZER: Captain Johnson, thanks so much for joining us.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, experts warn supply of the COVID vaccine could soon outpace demand here in the United States. What will it mean in the quest for what's called herd immunity?

And later, mass arrests in Russia as anti-Putin demonstrators are taking to the streets. We'll go there. We'll have a live update from Moscow.

[17:35:00]

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BLITZER: Tonight, President Biden is touting 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine that have been given here in the United States since he took office. That's double the number the president initially promised would be administered in his first 100 days in office. CNN's Nick Watt has the latest from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we did it. Today, we hit 200 million shots on the 92nd day in office.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And in just a couple of weeks, vaccine supply may outstrip demand in the U.S., so says a just published report. That is both good news -

BIDEN: Some experts say that our -- the rapid vaccination effort has already saved tens of thousands of American lives.

[17:40:00]

WATT: - and its bad news. Just over a quarter of Americans are now fully vaccinated. That needs to maybe triple to reach herd immunity. Could be close, only 61 percent of adults said they had or want the shot, so, though, that poll is a month old.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Obviously there is an element of vaccine hesitancy or concern that we need to address.

BIDEN: I'm calling on every employer, large and small, in every state to give employees the time off they need with pay to get vaccinated. The IRS is posting instructions for how employers can get reimbursed for the cost.

WATT: South Dakota just joined the handful of others banning state or local governments from mandating vaccine passports to prove inoculation.

KATHY BLACKWELL, RESTAURANT OWNER: Anybody who wants to come into my business, I would never ask them those questions. I think everybody has their own rights and we want to keep our rights.

WATT: And the actual virus, red is bad, means case counts are climbing, and there's not much red on that map right now. Still, on average, nearly 64,000 new cases are reported every day.

BIDEN: We all need to mask up until the number of cases goes down.

WATT: And the rest of the world really matters. Last week globally, the most cases ever recorded in a week, says the WHO, and just look at that line in India, cases and deaths are soaring.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: And on some better news, there's a lot of talk about how well these vaccines actually work out there in the wild. And a study just in from Rockefeller University in New York, 417 employees were fully vaccinated, and after vaccination, only two of them then caught COVID- 19, the so-called breakthrough infections. That is a very, very low, very, very good number. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, these vaccinations are so, so important.

Nick Watt in L.A., thank you very much. Let's get some more on the latest pandemic developments. Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us.

Sanjay, you heard President Biden celebrate 200 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine given under his administration, so where does that put us in terms of overall vaccine strategy?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's -- we're going pretty fast here, Wolf. I mean, you know, obviously, there is these targets that we want to get to, but it took two months to get to 100 million doses administered. It took another month to get to another 100 million.

So let me show you the - the age breakdown here. This shouldn't surprise you as you look at these numbers, but overall, you're seeing older Americans getting vaccinated at a faster rate. So if you're over 65, about 60 percent of people have had both shots, and 80 percent at least one shot. Over the next month, you know, you'll see those numbers creep up, obviously, even more.

As you go further and further down, that's where a lot of the attention is going to need to be focused in the - you know, over the rest of the spring and the summer to make sure younger people, and then maybe even kids, Wolf, as you know those trials for kids, we'll be giving -- will be seeing some results there, too. That should happen over the summer as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: This - this milestone, Sanjay, comes as a survey shows we're approaching a tipping point where vaccine supply will outpace the demand for these shots. What could be done to fix that problem?

GUPTA: Yeah. I - I think we're sort, you know, maybe already there in some parts of the country. It's not going to happen in - in the entire country at once. I found this poll, I want to - I want to show you this poll. I found this really interesting, looking at the willingness for - for people to get vaccinated.

And, you know, it - I don't know if you can make that out, but the black line basically are people who've already gotten it, 61 percent, we just sort of gave you those numbers. The bottom line is people who say only if required, and that's about 7 percent. And then definitely not, about 13 percent. But it's that blue line that's in the middle that's going down, you see that one across the middle of the graph there, 17 percent of people say they will wait and see.

They're kind of the - the moveable middle in all this, so people who, you know, they - they're not saying definitively no, but they haven't been anxious to get in line either. If they can get on board and you get all 17 percent roughly there, then you're starting to get closer to, you know, 75, 80 percent of the country vaccinated. That would be really important.

There's obviously people who say only if required, and it'll be required, I mean, in terms of getting to herd immunity. Maybe not in mandates necessarily, but that's sort of how it breaks doubt. I found that blue line particularly interesting, a wait and see. That's been coming down, but it's about 17 percent now.

BLITZER: These folks have to be convinced to go ahead and get the shot. Dr. Fauci always says you need 70 to 85 percent of the population -

GUPTA: That's right.

BLITZER: - fully vaccinated in order to reach that herd immunity. Meanwhile, Sanjay, new studies are showing some promising results in terms of breakthrough coronavirus infections in fully vaccinated people. These are people who were fully vaccinated, but might still get COVID. What does this data tell you?

[17:45:00]

GUPTA: Well, you'll keep in mind, I'll show you the data, keep in mind as you're looking at this that the initial trials, what they were really trying to figure out is how good are the vaccines at preventing you from getting sick? Open question a little bit has been, you know, how well are they doing at preventing you from getting infected?

It made sense that you think it would do a good job from preventing you from getting infected as well, but how well? So, you know they looked at the Chicago nursing homes, I think it was close to 650 people, and they basically tracked them over time. I'm showing the numbers, but basically, you know, 71 percent not -- at the point that 71 percent were not vaccinated, you - of the people who had breakthrough infections, 71 percent were not vaccinated.

People who were fully vaccinated, you had breakthrough of about 4 percent. So it was about 22 people out of 650 or so people who were vaccinated that actually had a breakthrough infection, so I hope that makes sense. I'm not sure I explained that perfectly well. The point is that if you are fully vaccinated, it tremendously reduced

your likelihood of becoming infected, and - and that's - that's good news. I mean, this is the real world data that we've been sort of waiting for. It's one example. Nick Watt just talked about a different example where they showed similar sorts of results.

We've seen this in Israel, we've seen this in other countries around the world, so it appears increasingly, you know, good news, Wolf, that the vaccine not only prevents you from getting ill, which was really good news, but also does a really good job, not 100 percent, but a really good job of preventing you from getting infected also.

BLITZER: Yes. And not only that, but it's - most importantly, even if you do get infected, it prevents you from getting very sick, god forbid hospitalized or dying. That's really, really significant.

GUPTA: Right.

BLITZER: That's why these shots are so important. Dr. Gupta, thanks so much for joining us.

GUPTA: Thank you.

BLITZER: Coming up, more than a thousand people have now been arrested in Russia as they protest the imprisonment of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Plus, we're getting new details of how Derek Chauvin is being held in custody as he awaits sentencing for the murder of George Floyd.

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[17:50:00]

BLITZER: We're following a very tense situation in Russia right now where security forces have detained more than a thousand demonstrators protesting the imprisonment of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Our Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is on the ground for us in Moscow, he's joining us live. So Fred, what are you seeing, what's the latest?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there Wolf. Well, I assume there were mass demonstrations that happened not only here in Moscow but dozens of cities really all across Russia, and a lot of security forces that were out here on the streets.

And just in Moscow alone, we saw tens of thousands of people marching right here in the city center. I'm right very close to Red Square, which is completely cordoned off with security forces. And the people who are demonstrating here, they were calling Vladimir Putin a killer, they were calling for Alexei Navalny to be released.

And first and foremost, they were calling for Alexei Navalny to be allowed to see his own doctors because we know, Wolf, of course that Alexei Navalny has been on an extended hunger strike there in captivity, that his organization says that his health is very frail and that they say that needs to be able to see doctors that he trusts, and that so far that simply isn't the case.

Now, there were some pretty ugly scenes that happened in Russia's second city, in St. Petersburg. We saw some reports of the police beating some of the protesters there. Also, if you look at the picture, I actually just got some updated numbers, it's now almost 1,500 protesters, apparently, that were arrested just today, and the bulk of them also happened in St. Petersburg, so really a very different picture happening there.

But once again, the protesters calling for Alexei Navalny's release and first and foremost calling for him to be able to see his doctors. And you can clearly see the security forces here in this country remaining very defiant, Vladimir Putin remaining very defiant. The protesters also saying they're not going to go away any time soon, Wolf.

BLITZER: Fred, the U.S. is warning Russia, both publicly and privately, that Russia will be held accountable if Navalny dies. How is Putin responding to that?

PLEITGEN: Yes, yes. I mean he's - he's obviously saying that no one's going to tell him what to do. It's quite interesting because, of course, the protesters didn't choose this date just at random. It's a very important date here in Russia. It's the state of the nation address, the annual one that Vladimir Putin gives.

And there he made very clear that he's not going to listen to any sort of other countries. He said that there are clear red lines for Russia, as he put it, red lines that are defied - defined by Russia that he would not tolerate other countries crossing those red lines, and he said that Russia would strike back in an asymmetrical and a very tough manner, as he put it.

And it was quite interesting in that speech because he made those remarks right before speaking about Russia's new nuclear weapons capabilities and showing off some of the big weapons, of course, that we've been talking about that the Russians have been developing.

So a clear warning, obviously to the U.S. and the other countries, not to get involved in Russian affairs, and also, obviously clearly stating, that Vladimir Putin, at least as far as Alexei Navalny is concerned, certainly isn't willing to listen to any other countries. Wolf.

BLITZER: Obviously a very, very sensitive and - and potentially explosive moment unfolding right now. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thank you very much.

Coming up, we have details of the sweeping new federal investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of former Police Officer Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd.

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[17:55:00] BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room. Tonight, the nation is grappling with the next steps toward racial justice and police reform a day after jurors delivered three powerful guilty verdicts convicting Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd.

The justice department is launching a sweeping civil rights investigation of police practices in Minneapolis, including the use of force. As for Chauvin, the former police officer is now facing up to 40 years behind bars. He's being held in an isolated prison unit for his own safety awaiting his sentencing in about eight weeks. In just a moment, I'll speak live with George Floyd's brother Philonise and the family's lead attorney, Ben Crump.