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AT THIS HOUR

Biden, GOP Senator to Meet Today as Infrastructure Deadline Looms; Restaurants Struggle to Fill Open Jobs as Demand Grows; Body Cam Video Captures Final Moments of San Jose Mass Shooting. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 2, 2021 - 11:30   ET

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


KATE BOLDUAN, CNN AT THIS HOUR: The state of things.

[11:30:01]

I mean, how much of a problem is this map to the United States, no matter how well we're doing on our own, the fact that so many countries are nowhere close to where we are.

DR. CHRIS PERNELL, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE FELLOW: It's very important that the American public has that understanding and awareness. Look, isolation has never been to the benefit of this nation. And we cannot falsely assume that just because we're seeing progress and, again, managing expectations, seeing progress among certain communities in our nation, that the rest of the world is not still learning from this pandemic.

If we look at what's happening in Nepal or if we look at what's happening in Malaysia, look at what's continuing to happen in India and Peru, saying that their projected cases of death are likely higher due to excess deaths. We cannot afford to bury our head in the sand. We have to think about those countries like Argentina, where the health systems are overrun or across the continent of Africa where there's a concern that those patients who are critically ill with COVID are faring much worse because of the lack of critical care resources. That's how we can better assess global coordination and global preparedness.

BOLDUAN: And I've heard a lot of doctors and health officials say the Biden administration needs to start shipping vaccine doses to other countries now or actually weeks ago even, even before younger kids here are able to get shots, that's how urgent this is. Do you agree?

PERNELL: Well, we can do both. I don't think it's an either/or. We have a plethora, we have a vast supply of vaccines here in the United States. And so we can vaccinate our children as we're seeking to achieve community and population immunity and we can share doses abroad globally.

We are actually in a very good and advantageous position. We don't have to pit a survival of the fittest in order for the world to win this battle.

BOLDUAN: I love hearing that. Doctor, good to see you. Thank you very much so much.

PERNELL: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a big deadline is looming for a bipartisan agreement on infrastructure and a big meeting today to see if that is really possible. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

BOLDUAN: It's coming down to the wire now,, as it always seems to, quite frankly, for a bipartisan deal on infrastructure. President Biden's deadline set for Monday when Congress returns from recess. Today, the president is meeting with key Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito at the White House. She is the lead negotiator for the Republicans working on this infrastructure deal.

And she along with other Republicans unveiled a $928 billion counterproposal this week. It's a counterproposal that is about half of what Biden originally put forward as what he would like to see. Is there a deal to be had at this point?

Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski of New Jersey. He sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Congressman, thank you for being here.

So, do you expect a deal to come out of this meeting between Biden and Senator Capito today?

REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): I don't know about today, but I do hope that there's a chance here for a bipartisan deal. It would be better if we did this as a unified Congress, as a unified country. But the bottom line is, one way or another, we have to do it. We have to deliver. We have a chance right now to rebuild America, and not just to rebuild Dwight Eisenhower's interstate highway system for the 25th time, but to do this in a way that makes the United States the world leader in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy. That's a huge economic opportunity for us.

And I think in the House at least, amongst Democrats and Republicans on the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, we've come to some understanding of what that should include. If we can get these Republican senators and the president on the same page, we can get a deal. But one way or another, we have to deliver.

BOLDUAN: Look, the Problem Solvers Caucus could be leading negotiations on multiple fronts. I think we'd see a lot more bipartisan agreement. That is for sure. But for you, personally, how long is too long to wait for a bipartisan deal to take shape?

MALINOWSKI: Well, my deadline is not today. I think we've got a couple of weeks to see here whether there is the basis for a compromise. Meanwhile, in the House, in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we are moving forward, marking up a surface transportation bill, which would be a huge chunk of this jobs and infrastructure package.

So we're moving on our path --

BOLDUAN: But if this pushes into July, then that starts being a problem for you?

MALINOWSKI: I think that would be an indication that the Republicans are just not willing to go along with a compromised version of this. And to be clear, Joe Biden has moved a lot already in these negotiations, and we're willing to move a little bit further. But some of the key elements that he put forward have to be part of this.

We're not going to be digging up a road to repave it and then not fixing the water main underneath and not laying broadband wires to connect people to high-speed internet.

[11:40:11]

That's just crazy. And as China and Europe invest way more than we are right now in moving to clean energy and electric car infrastructure, for example, we're not going to be left behind. That's just unacceptable.

So those fundamental elements have to be part of the package for this to be bipartisan.

BOLDUAN: If funding these projects are so important in getting at this and projects that are a big deal in your district and, quite frankly, every district in America, would you support and sign on to breaking this into smaller pieces if that got you closer to a deal?

MALINOWSKI: Look, I just want to get it passed. I want to deliver for my constituents and the American people. I don't care as long as it makes sense practically.

And so the scope has to be right. It doesn't have to be exactly what Joe Biden proposed, but it's got to include those core elements. And you know what? We also want to be responsible in how we pay for these investments. And here's one big difference right now that the Republicans, many of them, seem to want middle class Americans to pay for this with higher gas taxes. I would like to see, for example, Amazon pay taxes.

BOLDUAN: Amazon, I mean, you got in a back and forth with Amazon about that, Amazon shooting back that they did pay taxes in 2020. You were looking at their past tax base, that is for sure, and something you can continue.

What about using COVID relief funds? Would you be okay with that?

MALINOWSKI: If there are funds that we're not using for other things, then, sure. I mean, we're all being practical about this. I just don't think there's a lot of magic money lying around. And these are big investments. And so if we can find a little bit from past COVID bills, sure, but I don't think -- BOLDUAN: Magic money, that should be your next agenda item, is finding the magic money. Thank you, Congressman, for coming in. Today is an important day. We'll see what happens. And then we'll check in with you. I appreciate it.

MALINOWSKI: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, America is opening up. Americans are dining out. But restaurants are facing a worker shortage. That's behind it and how can it be fixed? Chef Tom Colicchio joins me next.

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[11:45:00]

BOLDUAN: As America reopens, a new crisis is emerging, a worker shortage. Restaurants are hard hit and desperately struggling to fill positions. The Washington Post reports the industry has nearly 2 million fewer jobs filled right now than before the pandemic.

So what is behind this in this industry? Why aren't people going back to work?

Joining me right now is Chef Tom Colicchio. He is the co-founder of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the founder of Crafted Hospitality. Chef, it's good to see you, thanks for being here.

In terms of reopening and getting fully staffed again, what are you seeing in your restaurants right now?

TOM COLICCHIO, CO-FOUNDER, INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT COALITION: First, thanks for having me on, Kate. We're seeing -- there's a lot of reasons why we're seeing a labor shortage right now. One, a lot of young cooks, especially in New York, left the cities to move back home for the time being, also, a lot of young people found that they could be entrepreneurs. They had a side hustle that turned into a full-time and permanent gig. And they like that independence and they're going to keep doing that. Also, we're seeing a lot of women that left the marketplace and haven't entered back in, especially single moms and some single dads because they can't get daycare for their children. The schools are still closed.

And we're also -- unemployment, it's not for the reasons people think. It's not because people are lazy and are sitting home. A lot of people left the industry and they took other jobs. They were laid off abruptly. They took other jobs and they're unwilling to come back because there's still some concern about another wave in the fall and they don't want to be unemployed again.

Also, people are concerned that, yes, you're going to get called back to work and maybe you're going to end up with two shifts. And that's not going to be enough to live on. And so there's a lot of reasons why we're seeing a labor shortage. But it's not one particular thing I think that we can point to.

BOLDUAN: And that's part of the problem, right? It's become a political debate where people are trying to put it into one category or another. I want to read for you what Chef Jason Goodenough told The Washington Post kind of about this whole thing.

He said, I think people aren't returning because restaurant work sucks, is unpaid and provides no upward mobility or benefits. The pandemic has laid bare this reality and people just don't want to do it anymore, ever.

What do you think of that element of it?

COLICCHIO: Yes. I disagree with him about upward mobility. When a cook enters the marketplace maybe coming out of culinary school, they get a cook's job. Right now, cook's jobs are between $18 and $20 an hour, for an experienced cook, higher than that. But the upward mobility is the next step is a sous chef, where you're making $50,000 to $70,000 and then after that, a chef's job, where you're making somewhere between $100,000 to $150,000, $160,000 a year.

So there's clearly upward mobility in the kitchen, for those especially that want to be patient. I mean, right now, a lot of people don't want to be patient because they may have college loans to pay off and stuff like that.

In terms of a wait staff, if you get some experience at a decent restaurant, you can keep going up into different restaurants where your tips just keep going up and up. In New York, minimum wage for tipped employee is $10.35, it's not $2.35 where it is federally.

[11:50:00]

But in a good restaurant, waiters are making $70,000, $80,000, $120,000 when you include tips.

And then there's also the possibility of becoming a manager and working your way up ladder there. Most of my managers started as a waiter. Some of them started as bussers. And so there's clearly upward mobility. It's tough for people who do like it.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And this also gets to just kind of the health of the industry right now. I mean, you've got, I think, Restaurant Association reported 110,000 restaurants that are temporarily or permanently closed from the pandemic. Restaurants did finally get some federal relief money but it's run out. So how do you -- like where do you put the health of the industry right now? What does it need?

COLICCHIO: Well, keep in mind that the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, that was sort of taken care of revenue that had been lost over the last year, and so two months of decent revenue is not going to make up for 15 months of zero revenue, in most cases. And so that money from the revitalization fund, that is being used to pay backrent, backbills.

My landlords all worked with me but sooner or later, they want to be made whole, and that's what I was planning on using from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. But, yes, it ran out. We need to plus it up. We asked for $120 billion, and we ended up with 28.6. We knew it was going to run out quickly and we are hoping that we can have some bipartisan support to get this plussed up as quickly as possible.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you. Thanks for coming on.

COLICCHIO: Likewise, thank you.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next for us, new body camera video of police responding to last week's mass shooting in San Jose, the moment that officers encountered the gunman.

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[11:55:00]

BOLDUAN: At this hour, new body camera video capturing the moment police enter the rail yard where nine transit workers were killed in a mass shooting last week in San Jose, California.

CNN's Josh Campbell is joining me now with more on this. Josh, walk us through what this shows.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. This dramatic video just released by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, it shows what it's like for a police officer as they arrive on the scene of a mass shooting.

Now, we're seeing here officers come together. They fuse in what's called a contact team. They are from different agencies, their goal, trying to move into the building. You can see here, they came across an employee trying to back this person out in order to make their way inside that building.

Now, as they progress to the third floor, they don't hear gunfire. They're trying to vector their way towards the actual shooter. But it's when they hear the gunfire that they move in and I want to warn our viewers that this next video is graphic. This shows the final moments, and we hear the gunshot that resulted in the end of life of that shooter. I will stop talking and just let our viewers watch this moment.

Now, after officers determined that that was the shooter who had died by suicide, they move to render aid to some of the victims who know that, sadly, nine people were killed in that shooting. But this dramatic video, just something that we don't often see, and that is in so many incidents, you really see how dangerous the profession is of policing and how heroic the officers are. As people were flooding out of that building, This group of police officers were rushing in toward the sound of gunfire. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, Josh. Thank you so much for bringing us that. That is terrifying.

Turning now to Florida, a 14-year-old girl is recovering today after being injured in a shootout with deputies, a 14-year-old girl. Officials in Volusia County say the girl and a 12-year-old boy allegedly broke into a house with multiple guns inside. When deputies arrived, police say the kids began shooting at them. The deputies returned fire, hitting the girl in the abdomen and the arm. She's still in the hospital with serious injuries. The 12-year-old boy was not hurt in the gunfire. None of the deputies were harmed either. Talk about tragedy upon tragedy, something very different we can end the show on today.

And to an incredible video that has gone viral this morning. A 17- year-old girl battles a bear to protect her dogs. Take a look at the video from California. It shows a mama bear walking on the backyard wall, you see two of her cubs, and then the homeowners' dogs rush out, four dogs rushed toward the bear, picked up one of the dogs by its vest, that is when Hailey Morinico ran over and lunged at the bear herself, pushing it off the ledge. She talked to CNN's New Day this morning about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My one priority was to get inside with all my dogs, and afterwards, we were trying to talk through the commotion and communicate what was happening, and it was just craziness all around. My mom was crying after I told her what happened.

[12:00:00]

And I was just shaking so much because it was just so crazy. I didn't think I had that in me. And I still couldn't believe that I pushed a bear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Amazing. She was not seriously injured. She did tell CNN this morning that she jammed her finger when she pushed the dog - pushed the bear rather. That's all that happened to her. Amazing! Thanks so much for being here you guys. I'm Kate Bolduan. John King picks up now.