CHRISTIE:
CHRISTIE: AFTER 14 LONG MONTHS, AMERICA FINALLY ABLE TO TAKE A
DEEP BREATH AND POTENTIALLY
WITHOUT A MASK
DEEP BREATH AND POTENTIALLY WITHOUT A MASK.
JUST DAYS AGO THE CDC ISSUED NEW
GUIDANCE ON MASK WEARING
JUST DAYS AGO THE CDC ISSUED NEW GUIDANCE ON MASK WEARING.
IT SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN
CASES AND VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE
NOT ONLY PROTECTED FROM THE
VIRUS, THEY ARE UNLIKELY TO
SPREAD IT.
SPREAD IT. YOU CAN SEE A SHARP CASE
BEGINNING IN MARCH AS
VACCINATIONS RAPIDLY INCREASE.
ABOUT 30% OF GEORGIA HAS GOTTEN
ABOUT 30% -- A SHOT.
IT IS NOT THE WORST IN THE
COUNTRY BUT 70% IS CITED FOR
HERD IMMUNITY.
HERD IMMUNITY. JOINING ME NOW AS MODERATOR OF
"MEET THE PRESS," CHUCK TODD.
CHUCK: GOOD MORNING.
CHRISTIE: THE CDC ANNOUNCED THE
MOMENT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING
FOR, THE MOMENT PEOPLE CAN GO
WITHOUT MASKS OR SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
DISTANCING. 50% OF THE U.S. POPULATION IS
VACCINATED, SO IS THIS A PUSH TO
GET PEOPLE MORE VACCINATED, AND
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CRITICISM
OF THE TIMING OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, THAT IT WAS
POTENTIALLY POLITICALLY
POTENTIALLY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED?
MOTIVATED? CHUCK: IF IT WAS A PUSH TO GET
MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED THEN THE
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS BACKWARDS.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AS SOON AS
YOUR AREA GETS TO 50% OR 55%,
THE DROPPING OF THE MASS
REQUIREMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE
REWARD FOR HITTING A METRIC, NOT
THE OTHER WAY AROUND, AS THEY
WENT ABOUT THIS.
THEY CHOSE NOT TO DO THAT.
I THINK WHAT IS ODD AND HAS
PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT
HOW MUCH POLITICAL PRESSURE
MIGHT THERE HAVE BEEN, AS LATE
AS TUESDAY THIS WEEK CDC
DIRECTOR WAS DEFENDING MASK
REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE
VACCINATED BY CITING THE LACK OF
A BETTER VACCINATION RATE AROUND
THE COUNTRY, BY NOTING THERE WAS
STILL A HIGH LEVEL OF
TRANSMISSION.
TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION IS LOW COMPARED TO
THE START OF THE YEAR BUT STILL
HIGH COMPARED TO SPRING OF LAST
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. THAT'S THE PART OF THIS THAT I
THINK HAS A LOT OF LOCAL AND
STATE OFFICIALS SCRATCHING THEIR
HEAD.
HEAD.
HEAD. THEY ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF
ENFORCING THE CBC POLICIES, AND
THE CDC DIDN'T SEEM TO WORK WITH
LOCAL AND STATE BEFOREHAND IN
ROLLING THIS OUT, WHICH I THINK
LED TO THE 48 HOURS OF CONFUSION
WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING.
CHRISTIE: CERTAINLY SOME MIXED
MESSAGING LEADING TO A MUDDLED
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE. NOW MOVING FORWARD, REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY HAS
LOST HER LEADERSHIP ROLE.
IN GEORGIA, A FEW REPUBLICANS
HAVE PUSHED BACK AGAINST FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ELECTION
CLAIMS AND OTHERS HAVE NOT, BUT
DOES JANIE'S REMIT -- LIZ
CHENEY'S REMOVAL UNIFY THE
PARTY, ESPECIALLY WITH HER
CONTINUING HER CRUSADE AGAINST
THE FORMER PRESIDENT?
CHUCK: IT IS CERTAINLY THE
RATIONALE LEADERSHIP GAVE FOR
TRYING TO PURGE HER AND PUSH HER
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. THE
OUT. THE PROBLEM IS, ON ONE END THEY
SAY SHE WAS FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON
RELITIGATING THE 2020 ELECTION.
IT IS NOT HER PUTTING OUT THESE
BIZARRE RANTS ON A SEMI REGULAR
BASIS, IT IS THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, AND IS DEMANDING
FEALTY THAT IS TOLERATING THAT
ANYBODY WHO PUSHES BACK ON HIS
NARRATIVE, THAT SOMEHOW THIS
ELECTION WAS STOLEN FROM HIM.
I KNOW THERE RATIONALE FOR
DUMPING HER WAS TO UNITE THE
PARTY, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DID
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THEY SEEM TO ONLY SHINE A
BRIGHTER SPOTLIGHT ON DONALD
TRUMP'S ROLE IN THE PARTY, WHICH
OF COURSE IS THE REASON MANY
REPUBLICANS YOU TALK TO
PRIVATELY WILL SAY DONALD TRUMP
IS THE REASON WHY THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE CONTROL.
HAVE CONTROL. THAT IS WHAT