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Trial Of Derek Chauvin Begins In George Floyd's Murder Case; President Biden Announces 90 Percent Of Americans Eligible For Vaccine; CDC Director Warns Of Spike In COVID Cases; Bidens Visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial; Biden To Lay Out Infrastructure Plan In Pittsburgh Wednesday; Second Federal Lawsuit Filed Against New Georgia Voting Law; Ship Freed After Being Stuck For Days In Suez Canal. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 29, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: May his memory be a blessing. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @jaketapper. You can tweet the show, @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Wolf Blitzer is back.

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. We've been fooling a dramatic and very emotional first day of testimony in the trial of the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Prosecutors began the opening round of arguments by playing the graphic video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes telling the jury and I'm quoting now, "its murder. You can believe your own eyes."

We're also following new developments in the coronavirus pandemic. In a major sign of progress, President Biden now says 90 percent of Americans will be eligible for a COVID vaccination within the next three weeks, but CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky is sounding the alarm as new cases are trending upwards here in the United States, warning and I'm quoting her now. She's warning of impending doom.

I'll discuss all of that much more in an exclusive interview with the new surgeon general of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy. He's standing by live. But let's begin our coverage with CNN's Omar Jimenez joining us from Minneapolis right now. Omar, it was a very powerful opening day of testimony in the trial of Derek Chauvin.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, Wolf, a very powerful day of opening statements, and right now we're hearing from a witness, Donna Williams, who is standing just feet away back in May as she was pinned under Derek Chauvin's knee and he was yelling at the officers to get off of Floyd.

He told CNN just days later at the time that, speaking of the officers, that they wanted to kill that man, and of Chauvin, he knew what he was doing. This is technically day 13 of this trial, but in many ways it feels like day one as we've now crossed that threshold into opening statements and now have a clear picture for what each side is going to argue either for or against Derek Chauvin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER CAHILL, JUDGE, HENNEPIN COUNTY DISTRICT COURT: Do you swear or affirm?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's a moment that's been long awaited.

UNKNOWN: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, good morning.

UNKNOWN: Counsel, Mr. Chauvin, members of the jury.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Opening statements in a trial many see as major step towards justice for George Floyd.

UNKNOWN: On May 25th of 2020.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Prosecutors starting with the unavoidable.

GEORGE FLOYD, KILLED IN POLICE CUSTODY: I can't breathe.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Playing in full the video of Derek Chauvin's knee pressed to Floyd's neck as he slowly loses consciousness and laying out a 9:29 timeline for the jury.

UNKNOWN: You'll see he does not let up and he does not get up for the remaining, as you can see 3:51. During this period of time, you will learn that Mr. Chauvin is told that they can't even find a pulse on Mr. Floyd. You can believe your eyes that it's a homicide. It's murder. You can believe your eyes.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Prosecutors say they want a fair trial but one where evidence leads their arguments and one that proves Chauvin was anything but innocent.

CAHILL: Mr. Nelson, do you wish to open at this time?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The defense argues the evidence is far greater than 9:29, highlighting what will be a central battle in this trial.

ERIC NELSON, ATTORNEY FOR DEREK CHAUVIN: What was Mr. Floyd's actual cause of death? The evidence will show that Mr. Floyd died of a cardiac arrhythmia that occurred as a result of hypertension, coronary disease, the ingestion of methamphetamine and fentanyl and the adrenaline flowing through his body.

UNKNOWN: Put him in the car.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): But Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, also argued the surrounding crowd had an impact on Chauvin's behavior that day.

NELSON: They're screaming at him causing the officers to divert their attention from the care of Mr. Floyd to the threat that was growing in front of them. JIMENEZ (voice-over): In the end, Nelson says the only just result is

not guilty. That's not how the family of George Floyd feels.

TERRENCE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: They say trust the system. They want to us trust system. Well, this is your chance to show us that we can trust you.

PHILONISE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: They can't sweep this under the rug. This is a starting point. This is not a finishing point.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The family speaking before kneeling in silent protest representing the time Derek Chauvin's knee was on George Floyd's neck.

CAHILL: -- testimony about to give will be the truth and nothing but the truth.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): As the trial moves forward, witnesses were called to the stand Monday, including the 911 operator who dispatched the officers to Cup Foods on May 25, 2020. Jena Scurry testified she alerted a sergeant to voice her concern with what was happening as she watched this video play out in realtime.

[17:04:59]

JENA SCURRY, WITNESS, MINNEAPOLIS 911 DISPATCHER: My instincts were telling me that something is wrong, something is not right. I don't know what, but something wasn't right.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): She was the first of multiple witnesses called to the stand Monday and the first of what will be numerous called as the trial begins its long journey to a verdict, all the while an anxious public looks on awaiting accountability in the death of George Floyd.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): And we've heard from at least three witnesses so far today, the latest still ongoing. But again, this trial would last up to four weeks where we're going to hear from a number of witnesses including the current Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo, who prosecutors claim is going to testify that Chauvin's actions were not consistent with police training.

Now, tomorrow once court gets out for today, I should say, we'll begin again at 10:00 a.m. eastern time, but as I mentioned, court is still ongoing as we have now begun that long and difficult journey to get to a much awaited verdict in this case. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Omar, thanks very much. Omar is on the scene for us. Let's get reaction from an attorney for George Floyd's family. Justin Miller is joining us right now. Justin, thank you so much for joining you.

Your colleague opened this trial today by playing the disturbing video of George Floyd's death, and it is so disturbing, very upsetting to watch as we all know. How is the family doing seeing that video played again, 9:00 minutes or so and reliving those moments.

JUSTIN MILLER, FLOYD FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, Wolf, you know, like with any family, it's very difficult to keep reliving the same thing over and over again when one of your loved ones was murdered brutally on television. It's like opening a wound back up time and time again. So it's very hard, but they are pushing through it.

BLITZER: We heard today from that 911 dispatcher who clearly felt something was wrong as she watched all of this unfold. How will this prosecution team build on that with additional witnesses based on what you know?

MILLER: Well, at the very least we know there were other people who saw what played out that day, and so these different angles and these different people can give different evidence as to what they saw. That one dispatcher, you know, what she relayed to her supervisor is very disturbing, you know. If they had done something different at that time maybe we wouldn't be here talking about this right now.

BLITZER: Yes. That's an important point. The defense, Chauvin's lawyers, they are pointing to other factors as you well know that may have contributed to George Floyd's death including what they described as hypertension, coronary disease, drug use. What are you bracing for in this trial in terms of how the defense talks about George Floyd?

MILLER: We're really bracing for the kitchen sink. We believe that because they don't have the facts on their side, they are going to try to slander George Floyd's name, make him into a bad character and try to make people overall just generally not like him.

But that doesn't have anything to do with the facts of this case. The facts are that not for 8:46 but for 9:29 Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck and Derek Chauvin's partners in crime helped him to murder George Floyd. So, we don't think that has anything to do with it, but we know they're going to throw everything they have at it.

BLITZER: As you heard during the course of the trial today, the defense lawyer argued that Chauvin was actually following his training as a police officer. He said he was following the training and I'm quoting now, "exactly." How do you respond to that?

MILLER: Well, I mean, if that's the training, if that's the way they are trained in Minneapolis, then we're going to have a lot more of these cases up here. The training should not be and cannot be for that long period of time you keep your knee on someone's artery in a manner that would kill them.

And when they are telling you that they are dying, you don't listen, you don't have any empathy, none of your fellow officers have any empathy, and you end up killing that person. So if that's how they are training people here in Minnesota, then I expect to be up here a lot more times than I have been now.

BLITZER: How important, Justin, is it that this trial is actually being televised live, that Americans, indeed people all over the world, can see it all play out? MILLER: I think it's very important. This is a referendum on policing

in America. It's not just about Minnesota and the inequities in policing between black Americans and brown Americans and white Americans are really disturbing.

I think because of the pandemic and this was first time that everyone got to see what was going on and what's happening in some places and with some police forces. So I think that the world needs to see this and the world needs to see Minnesota and Minneapolis get it right.

BLITZER: Justin Miller, thanks so much for joining us.

MILLER: Thank you.

BLITZER (on camera): For more now on the Chauvin trial I want to bring in former Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson and CNN political commentator, Bakari Sellers.

[17:09:55]

Bakari, today the jury watched that, you know, obviously very upsetting video of George Floyd's final moments, those nine minutes or so. This is the video that certainly galvanized millions of Americans to come out and march last summer. I just want to play a clip of that. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: He can't breathe (inaudible).

UNKNOWN: Where are my hommies at?

FLOYD: (Inaudible).

UNKNOWN: Relax.

FLOYD: I can't breathe please.

UNKNOWN: Just get up. (Inaudible).

UNKNOWN: What do you want?

FLOYD: I can't breathe. Release the knee in my neck. I can't breathe here.

UNKNOWN: Well, get up and get in the car, man.

FLOYD: I will.

UNKNOWN: Get up and get in the car.

FLOYD: I can't move.

UNKNOWN: I've been (inaudible) the whole time, man. Just get up and get in the car.

FLOYD: Momma. Momma.

UNKNOWN: Get up and get in the car right.

FLOYD: I can't.

UNKNOWN: Okay. I've gave you all opportunity to get in. (Inaudible) You can't win.

FLOYD: My knee. My neck.

UNKNOWN: You can't win, man.

FLOYD: I'm through.

UNKNOWN: I know you (inaudible) but you didn't listen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (on camera): It's so powerful to see that. So, awful to see that. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. You keep hearing him say that. Bakari, how powerful is that video in this case, and you're a lawyer?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, so being a lawyer and a black man I can say two things. One, it's powerful. The other is it's painful to people around the world. And when you see those images, when you hear that pain in his voice, when you see the imagery of a white police officer with the knee in the back of his neck, I mean, the message that, you know, the prosecution wants to get across to the jury today is that murder is still murder even when the murderer is wearing a badge.

I mean, that is the theme that the prosecution is trying to get across today. And yes, that images and those videos are going to be the linchpin of the trial, but the defense is going to try to make it out to be something else.

I mean, I've always cautioned individuals that their verbiage matters. This is not the trial of George Floyd. This is the trial of Derek Chauvin, but we do know that the defense is going to try to put George Floyd on trial.

And to be completely honest, they did a great job of that today and they're going to completely muddy the water. For everyone watching at home, watching this trial at home, remember that this defense is not putting up arguments for you.

This defense is not putting up arguments for twitter. This defense is putting up arguments for those 12 jurors in that box, and I'm reminding folk all the time they only need one of them to believe the BS that they are saying.

BLITZER: If one of them decides that Chauvin is not guilty, Bakari, what you're saying there is a hung jury, they got to try again or they got to forget about it and that's what the defense lawyers are trying to play to, right? SELLERS: I mean, that's a win. I'm a defense lawyer as well. I will

tell you that, you know, a hung jury in this matter is or a mis -- well, a hung jury in this matter will be a mistrial and a win for the defense, and that's the way they will look at it.

And also, the bar is high for the prosecution. Look, anything less than -- we saw this with our own eyes. You just played the video. Anything less than a murder verdict, anything less than a murder verdict is not justice for this family and that's what we're looking for and that's what the world is watching, to see if black people, people of color, can actually get full justice from the United States of America. That's what we're waiting to see. That's what this trial is about.

BLITZER: Captain Johnson, you're a former law enforcement officers, spent many years in Missouri in the highway patrol. The defense argued today, and you heard it, that Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do, that's a direct quote. Does that argument hold up in your view?

RON JOHNSON, FORMER MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL CAPTAIN: No, it does not. You know, part of the training is also once someone complies that the force you're using stops and we train officers about excessive force. And so that part of the training, it's obvious from the video that we've seen and all the evidence that we've seen, that that part of training was not followed here.

BLITZER: What about the argument they made, Captain Johnson, it was a pretty strong argument. They claimed that there were bystanders who were distracting the police officers and as a result they were more concerned about their own safety and didn't pay much attention to what was going on with George Floyd.

JOHNSON: Well, one thing we saw in one of the videos, when the policemen asked Mr. Floyd what he wanted and he said I can't breathe. What do you want? He said I can't breathe. And so I don't buy into that. I think there's four officers there, a number of officers there. And there were a few bystanders there, but the bystanders were actually trying to assist the officers by saying hey, Mr. Floyd, comply.

And he was saying I can't breathe. I'm trying. The one gentleman who had been fishing. He was on the stand earlier, said that he was telling the officers, hey, what you're doing now is choking him and it's taking his breath away. And so I don't think they were a distraction. I saw more help coming that I saw a distraction. [17:14:56]

BLITZER: Yes, you would think that once George Floyd kept screaming as much as he could I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, may be that police officer would have stopped with his knee on his neck.

The defense though, as you heard Bakari, they argued that George Floyd's drug use, other health problems, his size, and even showed video arguing that Floyd initially resisted arrest. Do you fear the defense will try to put George Floyd on trial instead of Derek Chauvin?

SELLERS: Of course. I mean, that's what this all about, but you know, using drugs is not a death penalty crime. Resisting arrest isn't even a death penalty crime. I mean, even if they are able to muddy the water, I think that the prosecution -- I mean, the prosecution has a daunting task in this case.

I mean, this is not an easy slam dunk case as many people want to make it believe or make it seem. That's not what this is. But the fact is, they have to point out that this is not a -- that none of those things, none of those things they are going to point out are death penalty crimes.

And we have to remember that the intent may not have been in the first 30 seconds or the first minute or the first two minutes or three minutes that his knee was on the back of his neck. But any time you have your knee on the neck of an individual for four, five, six, seven, eight minutes, then you intend to do harm.

You intend to kill that person. And that's what happened. And so, that's what it's going to boil down to. And again, this is the trial of Derek Chauvin and this is what happens time and time again. You know, you sully the reputation.

George Floyd cannot even live in peace or rest in peace, excuse me, because individuals now want to make this about whatever bad acts they deemed contributed to his death instead of talking about how this officer murdered him.

BLITZER: And a lot of legal experts, Bakari, agree with you. This is by no means a slam dunk case. Very quickly, Captain Johnson, do you think this is a slam dunk case?

JOHNSON: No, I don't, but I agree with Bakari that there is -- we have to give value and we can't say because what someone has done in their past or what even happened in the moment. I think once Mr. Floyd complied, then that use of force should have stopped. And so I think, you know, our justice system is on trial here.

I think everyone is watching. And so I think we just have to see how it plays out, but our justice system is on trial here and making, getting trust with the community of color, I think this is a turning point.

BLITZER: All right, guys. Appreciate it very much. We're obviously going to stay on top of this trial over the next several weeks. Appreciate it very much. Ron Johnson and Bakari Sellers, thanks you for joining us.

Coming up, signs of progress and peril of the coronavirus pandemic. Just ahead, the new surgeon general of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, there you see him. He will join us live. His first interview since being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. We've got lots to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

BLITZER (on camera): This afternoon, President Biden announced that within the next three weeks, next three weeks, 90 percent of all U.S. adults will be eligible for coronavirus vaccinations. This comes amid a disturbing rise though in new case and a very stark warning today from the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I'm going to lose the script and I'm going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom. We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope, but right now I'm scared.

I know what it's like as a physician to stand in that patient room, gowned, gloved, masked, shielded, and to be the last person to touch someone else's loved one because their loved one couldn't be there. I know that feeling of nausea when you read the crisis standards of care and you wonder whether they are going to be enough ventilators to go around and who is going to make that choice.

And I know what it's like to pull up to you hospital every day and see the extra morgue sitting outside. So I'm speaking today not necessarily as your CDC director and not only as your CDC director but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, to ask you to just please hold on a little while longer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (on camera): Such important advice. Dr. Vivek Murthy is joining us right now. He is the new surgeon general of the United States. Dr. Murthy, this is the second time you've been the surgeon general. You were the surgeon general under President Obama as well. First of all, what did you think of Dr. Walensky's personal, you know, very powerful remarks to the American people? I mean, I could sense she was near tears.

VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Well, Wolf, it's wonderful to be with you. And let me just say, Dr. Walensky is an extraordinary physician, and I think she was -- she was right on in her commends and the concerns that she raised. You know, she feels what so many of us feel, which is a sense of deep concern as we look at the reality of what's happening in our country.

There is some good news, no doubt. We have been able to vaccinate millions of people. We have come down from an all-time high in terms of infections and hospitalizations and deaths, but we have not come down all the way. And in fact, we have settled at a very high level of daily deaths, nearly 1,000, and now we're starting to see cases go up again and starting to see hospital admissions go up again.

This is deeply concerning because every time we've seen it in the past, it's led to another surge and that's what we're worried about. I understand, Wolf, that all of us are exhausted. It's been a long year and many of us, myself included, have lost family members to this virus. But there is a light that is getting bigger and bigger at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in that tunnel and that's why we have to take critical steps. Steps that we have a power to take to reduce the spread of this virus. And that means wearing masks. It means avoiding indoor gatherings with people outside our household.

It means keeping our distance from others, but it also means getting vaccinated as soon as possible. That is one of the keys that we did not have last year, a vaccine, and we are already seeing that that has been helping us in reducing infections and deaths.

[17:25:00]

BLITZER: And what was so encouraging, Dr. Murthy, today President Biden announced that 90 percent of all adults here in the United States will actually be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine within the next three weeks.

With more than 50 million already fully vaccinated and the potential protection of millions who have survived COVID infections, how close, Dr. Murthy, do you think the country is right now to reaching that all-important critical herd immunity?

MURTHY: Well, Wolf, I think we're getting closer and closer. I tend not to think of herd immunity as a specific number, a numerical threshold that we need to hit because really what's more important is to recognize the more people that we get vaccinated, the more we're going to be able to reduce spread.

And keep in mind, kids have to be part of that as well because we know that kids can also get the virus. They can transmit the virus to others. We should have a vaccine that older kids can begin to take hopefully as early as the fall.

Younger kids, those below the age of 12 hopefully by the beginning of 2022, we'll have that, you know, a vaccine for them. But the bottom line is, the more people we get vaccinated, the more we observe safety precautions, the more we're going to see cases fall and the more we can start to get back to normal which is what we all want.

BLITZER: So what you're saying at least right now young kids should not be getting the Pfizer or Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It would be too risky. Is that what I'm hearing?

MURTHY: Well, so there are trials that are under, you know, underway right now, actually in kids, kids who are 12, 12 and older, and then kids who are younger than 12. There were actually trials just started. And we need to wait to see the results of that -- of those trials before we make the vaccine available to kids.

But we expect that, you know, we should have good data from those in the coming months. There is one vaccine that is available to people who are 16 and up, the Pfizer vaccine, and in that case it would be safe for children who are 16 rand 17 years old to take that virus. For the vast majority of kids we need to wait for the data before we make the vaccine available to them. BLITZER: As you well know, this new report from the CDC shows that the

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 80 percent effective after only a single dose. Should the strategy change to prioritize first doses for more Americans?

MURTHY: Well, Wolf, the data that came out earlier today was actually very promising for a couple of reasons. And this was a study done in 4,000 individuals and they were followed for 13 weeks, tested every week, and they were vaccinated. And what they found actually was that after one dose, two weeks after one dose, you had an 80 percent, you know, protection.

Two weeks after a second dose you had 90 percent protection. One caveat though about that 80 percent. We don't know how long that lasts. We don't know the durability of that response. So, I would hesitate to say that one dose is enough and that you don't have to worry about the second ghost.

But the good news is this study looked at both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections. And if you remember, Wolf, one of the big unknowns that we had, you know, at beginning of this vaccine journey was trying to understand do vaccines prevent not just symptomatic but also asymptomatic infection.

What this study is telling us is that it actually does. The vaccines do a good job in preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections. That is really, really good news.

BLITZER: It is certainly extremely good news. As you know, Dr. Murthy, Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver 11 million one-dose vaccines this week, this week alone. As the vaccine supply improves, and it clearly is improving, the biggest obstacle to normalcy may be people who simply choose not to get vaccinated.

Why aren't we hearing more right now from President Biden and from the administration for that matter, addressing that vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance to go out and get a shot? This is so critically important in a substantial way, isn't it?

MURTHY: Well, Wolf, I'm glad you raised this because vaccine hesitancy is something we've been concerned about for many, many months now. There's actually some good news on this front. If you look at some recent data that came out from the Kaiser Family Foundation, what we're seeing is that there is actually a reduction in vaccine hesitancy in certain key groups.

We find, for example, among -- if we look at people who wanted to wait and see before they got the vaccine, that percentage of people has actually dropped dramatically and we're finding more and more people are finding that -- are saying that they either are vaccinated or eager to get the vaccine.

With that said, there is still a significant number of people, like 20 percent of the populations surveyed which is still saying they do not want to get a vaccine. It still a small portion who are saying they want to wait and see. What we've got to do, Wolf, is we've got to use as many channels as we can to reach people with the facts so people can make good decisions based on accurate information.

[17:29:56]

Right now, there's a lot of misinformation out there, but the administration will be launching a national education campaign. We already have many people from the administration, members of Congress, local leaders who are going out into their communities and talking to people about what the science actually tells us so that people can make good decisions for themselves and their families. And we got to do a whole lot more of that.

BLITZER: Yes, I totally agree. This is so critically important. Everyone's got to go out there and get that shot. You're returning, as I pointed out to the role of Surgeon General of the United States, you previously held the role during the Obama administration. Dr. Murthy, what do you see as your biggest priority this time around?

MURTHY: Well, Wolf, you know, to be honest, it wasn't in our plans necessarily, for my wife and I and our family to come back to government. I was so privileged and honored to serve the first time. But, you know, when we had a conversation about should we return to public service, the most important factor was actually our children, our four and a half-year-old son, or three-year-old daughter, and the millions of other kids out there whose lives have been impacted by this virus.

And, you know, I know so many families out there have been struggling, you know, they've lost loved ones. We've lost seven family members to COVID over the past year. And we -- I just wanted to do whatever I could to serve at a moment of crisis.

You know, my parents are people who taught me over the years as I grew up, not just by what they said, but what they did. And they lead a life of service when dedicated to their community. And they always taught me that when your community is struggling, it's all of our jobs to step up.

I know a lot of people have done that already and I wanted to do my part. So my biggest priority as Surgeon General is to turn this pandemic around. That allow us to get back to our ways of life, and to also address some of the critical fallout of this virus, the issues that have gotten worse, like mental health, like the crisis of substance use disorders, particularly the opiate epidemic, these were problems before COVID. They've gotten worse during COVID. There'll be problems long after COVID.

And I want to do everything I can to address these crises so that we can get back to seeing our families so that we can see our kids flourish in school, so we can get together with colleagues in the workplace, and so that we can once again, resume our lives, recognizing that we can't do this on our own. It's only by coming together, by supporting one another, by being together in this moment that we will get through this pandemic and find a brighter day.

BLITZER: We're grateful to you, Dr. Murthy, for coming back to public service, because this is so, so critically important. You got a great team with Dr. Walensky, Dr. Fauci and all the others working on this. They're making progress. The vaccinations are going forward.

But as everyone points out, it's still a dangerous time. You got to keep wearing a mask. You got to keep social distancing. There's still plenty of concern out there. Thanks so much for joining us. Good luck.

MURTHY: Thanks so much, Wolf. Good to be with you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much.

And up next, the Biden team is looking ahead to the next big item on their agenda, one that will mean trillions, trillions more in spending in a fight over tax increases. And later, that huge ship that's been blocking the Suez Canal is finally free. How long will it take for global shipping to get back to normal?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:37:38]

BLITZER: Just moments ago here in Washington, President Biden and the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. Today, March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Watch this.

Clearly an emotional moment for the President and the First Lady. I want to bring in our Senior White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly. Phil, first of all, this was not a ticket on the schedule, but it was important.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it. Look, you hear President Biden talk about his respect for the troops, talking about the troops on a very regular basis. Just about every public remark he gets, he ends it with God bless our troops, deciding an unscheduled basis beautiful day in Washington, D.C. to make the short trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Wolf, as you noted, it is Vietnam Veterans Day, a national day of observance and the President and the First Lady making that trip down, full spotted and you can see on the camera right there that the First Lady brought a bouquet of flowers with her, obviously paying respects to one of the worst wars in terms of cost of life that the U.S. has ever experienced and something.

Like you always see, the President talk about whether it's foreign conflicts, whether it's trips over to Walter Reed as well, obviously his son served and it's something that's important to the Biden family. I would also note my grandfather's name is on that wall, Thomas F. Harday (ph). So I'd be remiss not to mention that, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. Whenever I walk down that area near the Vietnam War Memorial, I see all those names on the wall, more than 50,000 American troops killed in action. It is so, so powerful. I'm really glad the President and the First Lady did this today.

In addition to focusing in on the coronavirus vaccinations, the Biden administration also is gearing up for another multi-trillion dollar spending fight, one that will include raising taxes, isn't that right?

MATTINGLY: Yes, that's exactly right. Look, there's obviously a number of items that people inside or outside the White House one on the President's agenda. This is the President's agenda right now, moving forward on an infrastructure climate, social jobs package as well. It's coming in two prongs, Wolf, and the first one he will announce on Wednesday. It is primarily infrastructure and climate based.

[17:40:01]

As you noted in total, the package is going to cost somewhere between $3 and $4 trillion, we're told and there also be trillions of dollars in tax increases to help finance that now. Wolf, consider this the starting gun for negotiations. Obviously lawmakers on Capitol Hill have very different ideas for what they want to see in this proposal. But I think what this underscores more than anything else following that $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law is just how willing the Biden administration from the President to his economic team top advisors all around, are willing to go big.

They believe that they can make transformative change infrastructure. Obviously, an issue on the top line always seems bipartisan, tax increases are going to make it less likely. The negotiations will start in earnest on Wednesday, Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens. All right, thanks very much, Phil Mattingly over at the White House.

Just ahead, we're tracking growing legal challenges for Georgia's restrictive new voting law. I'll speak with the voting rights activists behind one of the law suits. And later, the massive cargo ship locking the critically important Suez Canal for nearly a week is finally free.

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[17:45:06]

BLITZER: Tonight, the legal challenge to Georgia's restrictive new voting laws gaining momentum. A second lawsuit against the restrictions has now been filed in federal court. For more in that, we're joined by LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter which filed a separate suit against the law last week. LaTosha, thanks so much for joining us. How much faith are you putting in these lawsuits against Georgia's restrictive new voting legislation?

LATOSHA BROWN, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK VOTERS MATTER: Thank you, Wolf, for having me on. We are believing that we're going to get some relief from the course. We think that it's clear now that this is a violation of the Constitution that unduly burdens us for participating in the process.

And that when you look at the Voting Rights Act, that is actually against the Voting Rights Act where it puts an undue burden on -- it's burdensome for black voters to participate in the process to elect the people that we want to elect to represent our communities. And so we're hoping that it's clear, that this is an issue that was one racially motivated and is anti-democratic at its very core, and that we will get some relief from the federal courts around this bill striking this wheel down.

BLITZER: You probably heard Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Republican said this legislation is going to be criticized, in his words, by both sides. But he claims it's a watered down version, from earlier versions that overreach. Do you feel this is watered down the new law in Georgia?

BROWN: You know, it's so interesting, you know, it is always I call it the racist spin. There's always been a racist spin, even if you go back to 1965. There was some of those elements in 1965 to prevent black voters from participating in the process that was supposed to be for the integrity of the vote, or to strengthen the process, when you can look at its face and see what it is.

Anytime when you're saying in the democratic process, that in this bill, what is included that if the Board of Elections can be taken over by the GOP, that if they don't like the decision that is made that that in fact, they can nullify or take over the board, which is essentially what President Trump was asking to be done this last election cycle, that the very nature of that is anti-democratic.

And so what we're seeing is there is no level, you know, whether it's watered down, even that use of terminology, right. There's no level of voter suppression that should be acceptable in a vibrant and a fair and equitable democracy.

BLITZER: Is this legislation, LaTosha, a warning sign to the rest of the country?

BROWN: Absolutely. What we think is that voting rights is a key fundamental right. You know, particularly black voters, I am, while I live in Georgia, I'm a native of Selma, Alabama. And there are people that I know, there are folks that fought and died for the right to vote, that that this should not be a partisan issue.

The Republicans have turned this into a partisan issue. But what we're saying is actually just having access to the ballot, that that, in fact, is a civil rights. Matter of fact, it is a human right. And as we're filing this lawsuit in Georgia, we're sending a message that we're going to fight for voting rights all across this nation.

We're seeing the similar kind of legislation pop up in 43 states, all over the country. And so what we're saying is we're sending a loud, resounding message that we are not going to turn around, we're not going to stop, and we're in fact going to stand in this space to fight for democracy and our voting rights.

BLITZER: We'll see what the courts decide. LaTosha Brown, thanks so much for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, we're going live to Egypt, where that huge container ship finally is out of the -- out and on its way in the Suez Canal. So how did they do it? We'll explain when we come back.

[17:53:02]

BLITZER: A huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week causing delays to global shipping that costs billions and billions of dollars finally has been refloated and is out of the way. CNN's Ben Wedeman is joining us live from Cairo right now. Ben, how did they finally get this ship floating again? What's happening now? Give us the latest.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, really, Wolf, it was a massive effort involving dredging around the ship and bringing in more than a dozen tugboat, some of them very big tugboats to gently try to free the ship from the banks of the Suez Canal and nudge it forward into the stream.

Now, what's interesting is that in addition to the technology that went into this, Mother Nature helped. They coincided their effort, sort of the focus of their efforts during the time of the highest tide, but also what's called the Super Moon. And you know, on this story, we're all learning things very quickly.

But apparently, this is when the moon, the full moon is at its closest to Earth. So all of this was taken into account to make this possible. And, you know, if they hadn't been able to do this, it would have been a much more difficult effort involving floating cranes, which would have been brought from outside of Egypt.

And they would have had to slowly unload some of the 18,300 containers that were on board that ship. But now, this should ever given is in the great bitter lake where it's been inspected by the authorities and they're also launching an investigation to find out what exactly happened, an investigation that will include not just the Egyptian authorities, but other experts, as well.

So definitely there is a sense of euphoria here in Egypt that they were able to do this.

[17:55:03]

Now there's still 420 ships waiting to come through but the canal is going to be open 24 hours a day. We were told that 113 ships will pass by tomorrow morning at 9:00 o'clock, Cairo time. So, an incredible effort and fortunately a happy ending. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, that's great news. Ben Wedeman in Egypt for us. Thanks very much.

Coming up, a truly dramatic first day in court for the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd. I'll speak with the president of the NAACP who says, and I'm quoting him now, the right to breathe is on trial.

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