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Massive Protests against Trump Around World; Scarlett Johansson Speech; Protesters Stand Up for Issues They Say Threatened by Trump. Trump to Meet with CIA; Potential Problems in Confirming Members of Trump Cabinet; Trump to Meet with CIA; Alicia Keys Speech. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired January 21, 2017 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:04] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: President Donald Trump's first day in office marked by massive protests across the country and around the world. More than 600 rallies, planned in all 50 states, from New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles to Utah, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. In the streets of London, Sydney, Paris, Berlin and hundreds more. The main event here in Washington, D.C.. Marchers taking their message directly to the steps of the White House.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BLITZER: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from here in Washington, D.C. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.
Here in Washington, D.C., the largest of the planned nationwide women's marches is under way. Hundreds of thousands of people are in the nation's capital for the rally. For those who couldn't make the trip here to Washington, they are marching in their hometowns from coast to coast. They are united in one thing, they want their voices to be heard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMERICA FERRERA, ACTRESS: The president is not America.
(CHEERING)
FERRERA: His cabinet is not America.
(CHEERING)
FERRERA: Congress is not America.
(CHEERING)
We are America.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ENTERTAINER: Having fought a lot of my life to get my rights as a woman, I'll be damned if I'm going backwards. MICHAEL MOORE, DIRECTOR & ACTIVIST: We let this happen twice now in
16 years where we win the White House but they walk through the door. Are you going to let this happen again in your lifetime?
(SHOUTING)
MOORE: I'm not. I'm sorry, but the old guard of the Democratic Party has to go.
(CHEERING)
MOORE: It has to go. We need new leadership. We need young leadership. We need women leadership.
(CHEERING)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Yesterday, Donald Trump was sworn in as president.
(BOOING)
WARREN: That sight is burned into my eyes forever.
(LAUGHTER)
And I hope the same is true for you. Because we will not forget. We do not want to forget. We will use that vision to make sure that we fight harder, we fight tougher, and we fight more passionately than ever.
GLORIA STEINUM, ACTIVIST: Trump and his handlers have found a fox for every chicken coop in Washington and a Twitter finger must not become a trigger finger.
He also said he was with the people. Indeed, he was the people. To paraphrase a famous quote, I just want to say I have met the people and you are not them.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's get started right now. CNN"s Kyung Lah is in the nation's capital.
Kyung, what are you seeing. Moments ago, we heard from Senator Elizabeth Warren at that march in Boston. What are you hearing there?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are also hearing from lawmakers, like the junior Senator Kamala Harris, who hails from California.
But what we're hearing now a performer who just a short time ago led the entire crowd with the chant of "I'm not afraid of Donald Trump." Trump is certainly the unifying factor of all these people that you're seeing behind me. And what I can tell you about this crowd, we don't note the numbers,
but it is a sea of pink hats that began, again, on social media, everyone started to wear them, to sew them, to knit them and they are all wearing them here in solidarity.
What we are hearing from some of these young women, older women, as you walk among the crowd and chat with them, they came from California, from New York, from the south, from the Midwest. And a lot of them say that they may have disparate issues, ranging from reproductive rights to immigration, but they say what will unify them is their concern about Donald Trump and not having their voices heard. So, what they are hoping and the reason why they came to Washington and they wanted to be in his backyard is they are hoping that he will somehow look out the window and see all of these hands and all of these hats -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Kyung. Kyung is in Washington, D.C., watching what is going on.
I want to go to Miguel Marquez up in Boston. I think the second largest march that we're seeing here in the United States today.
What are you seeing over there, Miguel, in Boston?
[13:05:13] MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Wolf, it is absolutely enormous here. This is the crowd as it's trying to move out into the area where it will actually march. The crowd is so big, that they don't think the march area is big enough. The chief of police here said it will be like a snake trying to eat its tail. They planned for about 25,000 people for this march. A senior official with the Boston Police Department says that they believe -- they saw photo analysis -- they have 120,000 to 125,000 people here.
It is peaceful. It is noisy. And the people that have come here from all over New England, they want the president to understand that they are watching and that this is the beginning of a movement, and they are not going away for the next four years -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Miguel Marquez in Boston.
I want to go to Ana Cabrera in Denver right now watching the women's march there.
Ana, what's going on?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are on the move. They are expecting tens of thousands of people here today. And we have been marching thousand for hours on a route that is supposed to be about a mile or so. Work with the little bit of bumping because there are so many people here. People of every generation. I talked to one man, Wolf, who said that he was there for the march on Washington with Martin Luther King, and he is here in Denver today with his wife, with his daughter and his granddaughter. So, three generations.
We are seeing people here protesting and really demonstrating "for something, not against something," is their message, for human rights, social justice and equality for all. And you see the signs that really send a lot of those messages, not just to the new administration, but to the new president, Donald Trump.
You're live on CNN right now. Talk me about why it was important to be here in a short sentence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To let all the people know --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Ana, Ana, I'm going to interrupt you for a moment. Scarlett Johansson is speaking in Washington. I want to listen in.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS: And when the time came for us to be in cancer screenings, no judgment, no questions asked, Planned Parenthood provided a safe place where I could be treated with gentle guidance.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: I may have been 15 and surprisingly self-sufficient, but I'm sure there isn't one person here who has not been helped by Planned Parenthood directly or otherwise.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: When I knew I was coming to speak on behalf of women's reproductive and health issues, I have not one single of my girlfriends didn't have a story about Planned Parenthood. They saved me so many times, one of my best girlfriends confided in me, saying they saved my ass and some other parts, too, when I found out I had precancerous signs, I never would have known about without my annual checkups. And her speech grew more emphatic and emotional as she described how the organization had helped her decide between treatment options. She was able to make some difficult decisions, deciding made what was right for her, for her body and then-partner without anyone else's interference.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: My sister also used Planned Parenthood services for years after moving states. She had been living her whole life in New York City. In California, she had no contacts, no health insurance, but was able it regularly see a doctor at a Planned Parenthood clinic to screenings, advice, birth control and checkups.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: For the more than 2.5 million patients a year that rely on Planned Parenthood services for cancer and STD screenings, birth control, safe abortion and pregnancy planning, these are uncertain and anxious times. Lawmaker in 24 states have tried to block patients from access to Planned Parenthood and voted to block access to reproductive services nine times. Boo. Yes, boo.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: There are very real and devastating consequences to limiting access to what should be considered basic health care.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: For millions of Americans, Planned Parenthood is the only trustworthy and affordable clinic that provides safe education, sex education, safe abortion and life-saving services.
(CHEERING)
[13:10:12] JOHANSSON: President Trump, I did not vote for you.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: That said, I respect that you are our president-elect and I want to be able to support you. But first, I ask that you support me.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: Support my sister. Support my mother. Support my best friend. And all of our girlfriends. Support the men and women here today that are anxious lay waiting to see how your next moves hey drastically affect their lives. Support my daughter, who may actually, as a result of the appointments you have made, grow up in a country that is moving backwards, not forwards, and who made potentially not have the right to make choices for her body and her future that your daughter Ivanka has been privileged to have.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: I ask you to support all women and our fight for equality in all things, including the fight to be recognized as individuals who know better for ourselves what is right for our bodies. Better than any elected official, popular or otherwise.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: It is a great honor for me to be speaking here in front of all of you today. After the result of this November's election, I felt as a woman, as an American citizen, a great weight bearing down on my shoulders. The feeling that the near future would present many obstacles, confrontation and division. My immediate thought after hearing the election results was, oh, man, we have so much work to do. But once the heaviness began to subside, I realized that an opportunity has presented itself to make real long-term change, not just for future Americans, but in the way that we view our responsibilities to get involved with and stay active in our communities.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: Let this weight not drag you down, but help to get your heels stuck in.
(CHEERING) JOHANSSON: I pledge my relentless devotion to support women's health care initiatives. I will not stop fighting to make basic women's health care available to all. I believe with every fiber of my being that the conversations that we have with our partner and our doctors about what we do with our bodies and our future should not be made fodder for any politician, political agenda, lawmaker and for-profit corporation.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: We must stand up for about what are our basic human rights and always move forward, never backwards. The current political administration benefits from taking away the power from us. Don't give up your power.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: Don't. Don't let the feelings of helplessness make you complacent. I urge you all to make a difference. Volunteer. Volunteer with organizations that help women seeking a safe place to make some of the most difficult decisions of their lives. Donate to causes.
(DRUMS)
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Hey, guys, I'm not hearing.
All right. I think we just lost audio from over there. We'll continue to monitor the events going on.
That was Scarlett Johansson, the actress and the activist, speaking out strongly at this women's march here in the nation's capital.
Coming up, marchers take the streets, in fact, in all 50 states. We'll take you to anti-Trump protests around the country, indeed, around the globe.
[13:14:38] Plus, any minute now, President Trump will be leaving the White House for a visit to the CIA across the Potomac River, head over to Langley, Virginia, for a meeting with CIA officials. We'll have live coverage. That's coming up as well.
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BLITZER: Much of the focus of today's marches certainly on protecting women's rights, civil rights under the Trump administration. Protesters say they're standing up for issues they see as threatened under the new American president.
Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, of California, called it a pivotal moment in American history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D), CALIFORNIA: Imperfect though we may be, I believe we are a great country.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And part of what makes us great is we are a nation that was founded on certain ideals, founded on the ideals that were spoken in 1776, that we are all and should be treated as equals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's get some perspective from our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, and our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger.
Gloria, what do you make of the size, the number of these protests here in Washington, around the country, indeed, around the world?
GLORIA BORDER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: It's quite impressive. I can tell you trying to get here to our studios today, it was incredibly difficult because of the amount of people on the street. In fact, for me, it was more difficult than it was on inauguration day.
I think that this was -- these marches were started in a very small way and it just kind of grew and grew organically. And in a way, that's as it should be. This is a divided country. And people are allowed to demonstrate when they disagree. And I think it's a healthy part of democracy.
[13:20:07] DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLTIICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the people that are speaking, the leaders of -- we have female leaders in Congress. You just played one of them -- leaders in the feminist movement, Hollywood stars, they are all being very, you know, sort of strong and, at times, strident, understandably so. The people I ran into also coming here, it's very different. It's sort of like I would imagine it was in the old days of the peace/love. There is a lot of -- everybody is kind of happy and talking to each other, where are you from, and, you know, a lot of love, peace, and understanding as opposed to, you know, really anger coming from the protesters. But they did come here from around the world.
BLITZER: Let me play you a clip. This is Senator Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, speaking at the women's march in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: The fact is that the playing field has been tilted badly in favor of those at the top for a generation now. And now President Trump and the Republican Congress are ready to ram through laws that will tilt it even harder. Now, we can whimper, we can whine, or we can fight back. Me, I'm here to fight back.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: So Gloria, it looks like there is going to be -- this is the first full day of the new administration and there is already a lot of tension.
BORGER: And Elizabeth Warren does not have a majority in the Senate, and that is her problem. Right now, there is a Republican Congress and a Republican in the White House. And we had an election. And I think she's doing what she should do, saying we will push back on the undoing of what the Obama administration passed. The question is how successful will they be able to be. There is a midterm election in two years. They will have to see if they can add to their ranks. But this is what I would expect to occur.
BASH: And that is a really good point, that this is obviously about fundamental of democracy coming out and protesting, having your voice heard, because they are allowed to. And, you know, encouraged to with the First Amendment. But the question is whether this is going to translate to the polls, which is where they can really have a voice in two years during the midterms. And my suspicion is that the political leaders are hoping that the people marching in the streets, who made it their business to come here, come hell or high water, from wherever they live, will turn that into action, political action, back home and with regard to their political leaders.
BORGER: You can only be successful as a political movement if you get people to the polls. And we saw that this time, Democrats fell short. And in the electoral college. And I think that this is -- this may wake up some younger voters who did not vote. But we're just going to have to see. All in all, I think the turnout today here in Washington and around the country is impressive, but that has to translate into something else.
BLITZER: The Democrats didn't just fall short in the Electoral College. They fell short in the House votes, the Senate votes, the gubernatorial votes, the state legislature votes. It was a disaster all around for Democrats. And now they're hoping to create a new movement, if you will, almost like the Republicans did with the Tea Party movement, to see if they can get their act together in two years and four years down the road.
BASH: Absolutely. They're trying to galvanize people to be active in a way that, frankly, they haven't been. Part of the issue is not to get too technical, but part of the issue is with the House, in particular, the House districts are so gerrymandered that Republicans are mostly representing Republican districts. There aren't a lot of people likely from heavily Republican districts marching in this march. And the Democrats are already represented by a lot of people here, when I'm talking about the House. The Senate is a little bit different and, obviously, when it comes to the presidency and the next election in four years, that is also different. But part of the frustration that the Clinton campaign had is that they didn't feel that they had this kind of energy behind it. And her vote came out. I mean, she did win the popular vote. But they didn't have that energy behind them in the key states where perhaps they should have or else she would have won the Electoral College.
[13:25:07] BORGER: And they did not have win necessarily. If you look at the -- Donald Trump won lower-income, less-educated women by 28 points. So, it wasn't about gender. It was about income equality. And it was about people, including women, obviously, who felt that they were left behind. So, if the Democrats are going to make some kind after a comeback, those are the women that they have to convince that the Democratic Party still cares about them, because they didn't feel that way during the election and they voted for Donald Trump by that 28.5 margin. So --
BASH: And I'm not guessing that a lot of those women are here. There is a divide even among --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: And especially among women.
BLITZER: And, Dana, the president started the day at this interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral. And pretty soon he's heading over to the CIA to express his support for the intelligence community, the men and women who work there. That is significant on this first full day in office.
BASH: And very necessary, which is why he's doing it. We've been talking about this for weeks now, that in going after what he intended, I assume, was the Obama appointed leadership of the intelligence community, a lot of people who are risking their lives and are nameless and faceless people every day here in the United States and around the world, here in the intelligence community, felt undermined by their current commander-in-chief. That visit is essential for him because he needs them to do his job properly.
BORGER: And General Mattis sent a note which was -- to the Pentagon employees, after his confirmation, and made a point of saying that he would work with the intelligence community. And I think that was not- so-subtle way of communicating to folks over at Langley, at the CIA that, yes, we respect you and admire you and, yes, we are going to work with you.
BLITZER: Gloria, Dana, stand by. There is more coming up.
We're getting new information as well. Take a look at these live pictures coming in from Los Angeles as the women's march, rallies across the country are continuing. We'll get a live report on the ground. A lot more news, right after this
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[13:30:59] BLITZER: The women's marches across the country, they're continuing.
I'll quickly go to our correspondent, Rosa Flores, covering the march in Chicago.
What is it like there, Rosa?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hey, Wolf. Just from talking to a lot of the women here, there is a lot of passion, not just for women's rights, for equal rights, but for the rights of immigrants, for the rights of the undocumented. And take a look around, there are a lot of moms here with their young daughters, as well. The organizers tell us that there is about 150,000 people participating.
And just to give you an idea, Wolf, we had to walk several blocks from the actual center of this protest just to bring you this live picture because our signal was so weak because there are so many people concentrated shoulder to shoulder block to block all around Michigan Avenue here in Chicago.
And to share some of the stories that I've been hearing from some of the very emotional moms. One who is in tears, saying that the reason why they're protesting today is because they want to stand up for the rights of women, for the rights of women who have been violated in their past, for the just here in the United States, but around the world.
I talked to a teacher who said she was very concerned after watching the inauguration speech yesterday with her students in her class because her students, second graders, 7, 8-year-olds, were asking her if Donald Trump was actually going build a wall and what that meant. And these 7-year-olds were asking if planes can fly over this wall, then why does it matter, why does the wall have to be built. And then these second graders also asking her about Mexicans and if Mexicans really were really bad. And then they asked an interesting question, Wolf, about the slogan make America great again. The second graders asked does that mean that all of the other presidents before Donald Trump were not good, were they bad. So, these are all of the questions that some of the teachers here in the suburbs of Chicago are getting from students who are listening to what is going on. They're listening to the inauguration speech and have all of these questions in their mind.
But take a look. We're walking done Michigan Avenue here in Chicago towards the magnificent mile. And again, Wolf, we had to walk away from the bigger crowds in order for us to bring you this picture and you can see that there is a lot of people here, a lot of response. There was a protest here yesterday, as well. Those numbers were a lot smaller. But today, again, organizers telling us that 150,000 people turned out here in Chicago -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Rosa, thank you. Rosa Flores in Chicago for us.
Meanwhile, it's President Trump's first full day in office, but he and his staff are hitting the ground running. The president is expected to visit the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia across the Potomac River in just a little while. In a tweet, the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said, "The president was excited to thank the men and women of the U.S. intelligence community."
Let's bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr; CNN senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta; and CNN senior congressional reporter, Manu Raju.
Barbara, a lot of us remember, it was only a few days ago that the president, then the president-elect, was comparing a leak that he accused the U.S. intelligence community of doing to what was done during Nazi Germany, and the outgoing, former CIA director was furious about that comparison with Nazi Germany. And all of a sudden, now, today, on his first full day in office, he's heading out to CIA headquarters to thank the men and women of the intelligence community. How do you anticipate the response to this visit will be?
[13:35:03] BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I think it is fair to say he will get a very professional response. Look, this is a Saturday in Washington. Officially, the federal government is closed. But our understanding is that there will be a few hundred employees that have come into listen to the president, they will be in the lobby of the CIA headquarters building, and he will get a very professional response from them. I feel very certain it's fair to say they will listen, they will applaud. And what these career professionals in the intelligence community continue to believe in their mind may be slightly different than their public persona.
But what we will see as far as the first time for him is the memorial wall inside the CIA lobby. You've seen it. I've seen it. Very few Americans have reason to go into the CIA headquarters. There is a marble wall there with 117 gold stars on it. And that symbolizes a star for each CIA officer who has given their lives in service of this country. Many of them still not publicly named because they were involved in covert operations. Mr. Trump is expected to see that wall and that will be the message from the professional intelligence corps, please take a looking, see the sacrifices we make and that we are professionals. I think it's fair to say that that is the message Mr. Trump will be getting.
BLITZER: It's a very moving moment to be in that lobby. I've been there. I've seen that memorial wall. And even decades later, some of the names remain secret because of the operations these individuals were engaged in.
Barbara, stand by for a moment.
Jim Acosta, the president's nominee to lead the CIA, Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo, he has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. He will be confirmed presumably on Monday. The White House wanted him confirmed on Friday. What happened?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Senate Democrats, including Ron Wyden, put out a statement saying that they just did not want Mike Pompeo confirmed on Inauguration Day, saying that typically CIA directors are not confirmed on Inauguration Day. And so, Donald Trump, the president, will have to wait until after this weekend is over.
He will be going out there, as you and Barbara mentioned. And I think you're quite right that this is an attempt by the new White House to perhaps make some peace with this intelligence community, because after all, the Trump administration will be relying heavily on this intelligence community that it's been at war with the last several weeks in order to keep peace around the world and keep this country safe. And so, this is a very important moment for this new president today.
Donald Trump last night issued a statement, his first White House statement, thanking the Senate for confirming General Mattis at the Defense Department, General Kelly over it the Department of Homeland Security.
But there was a message saying they want the rest of the key cabinet positions confirmed as soon as possible. So, there is a good deal of frustration over here at the White House. And you saw it echoed in a statement that Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton put out late last night saying this, verbatim, but basically, saying that I hope that there is not a terrorist attack over the weekend while Mike Pompeo has not been confirmed as CIA.
So, there is certainly a lot of pressure being brought to bear on those Senate Democrats and the White House is very near to getting Mike Pompeo confirmed.
BLITZER: Yeah. Hold on for a moment, Jim.
Manu, he will be confirmed on Monday, Mike Pompeo, the Congressman from Kansas. He's a West Point grad, Harvard Law School grad, member of the House Intelligence Committee. Even Democrats have told me they respect him. They like him. He will be confirmed. The Trump administration has bigger problems getting some others confirmed.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yeah, that's right. Democrats are targeting eight nominees right now everyone ranging from Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department to Rex Tillerson at the State Department, Steve Mnuchin for Treasury. What they want to do is try to drag out the process, delay Donald Trump from getting that team in place, because they're very concerned about not just their policy issues but, in some cases, their potential conflicts of interest that have been raised on ethics grounds, like Betsy DeVos' nomination to be head of the Education Department.
But Monday will be an interesting moment because that's when the Foreign Relations Committee will vote on Rex Tillerson's nomination. It's possible he may not have the votes to get out of committee because Marco Rubio, of Florida, the Republican Senator, is considering joining the Democrats on the committee to vote against Tillerson. And if he does, it would send a really bad signal to the prospects of Rex Tillerson getting confirmed. But Republican leadership, they're threatening to circumvent the committee, bring him straight to the floor, in that case, and try to push him through, even though there is still resistance among some of the Russia hardliners on the Republican side of the aisle, like John McCain and Lindsey Graham and maybe Rubio as well. So, it could be pretty close. At the end of the day, it could rely on Democrats saving him on the floor of the Senate.
But that is the one nomination, him and also Mick Mulvaney, as budget director, that are potentially in trouble. The rest likely to get their jobs.
[13:40:33] BLITZER: But Marco Rubio still on the fence. He hasn't committed either way?
RAJU: That's right -- (CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: There are 11 Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 Democrats. So, one vote, assuming all the Democrats stay opposed, could be significant.
RAJU: Absolutely. And I asked Marco Rubio, where are you on this right now, and he said he's still undecided. He did have a conversation with Rex Tillerson this past week. I had tried to ask Rex Tillerson, leaving that lunch yesterday, how that conversation went and he totally ignored me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
RAJU: Shocking. So, we don't know if he's been persuaded since the hearing, which is obviously very critical.
BLITZER: Gloria, there are Democrats, especially from states that Donald Trump won decisively, who are themselves up for re-election in two years, who may decide, you know what, this is the time to go with the Republicans.
BORGER: Yeah. And they're nervous and they're not quite sure what to do, which is why most of his nominees will get confirmed I believe. And there is precedent however for somebody like Tillerson not to get a vote in committee and to end up on the floor. I believe that happened with John Tower in 1989.
BASH: And John Bolton.
BLITZER: John Bolton.
BORGER: Right. And so, they could do that. They're risking it.
I think the interesting point here is the role Marco Rubio is playing. We know some Democrats will be on the line, too, obviously. But Marco Rubio, no fan of Donald Trump as we know, is taking a stand here potentially for another run for the presidency, being very firm, anti- Russia, and that will guide the Republican Party. And I think the world awaits Marco Rubio's decision on Tillerson, which is probably what he wants.
BASH: And I've talked to some Republicans in the Senate who have said that they are trying -- people not fans of Donald Trump or Rex Tillerson, for that matter -- but have said that they are trying to tell Marco Rubio, you know what, we could do a lot worse than Rex Tillerson and, by the way, the fight shouldn't necessarily be about him because we have very large fights to fight with Donald Trump, and Russia, and the policy. Sanctions and other things that are coming up. The issue, though is -- and Manu, you've been covering this -- is Rubio is out on a limb here. He was really aggressive given the fact that he is a Republican in his questioning of Tillerson. And the fact that he is still publicly undecided means that if he ends up voting yes, he has to do a lot of explaining. BLITZER: And General Mattis was confirmed almost unanimously by the
United States Senate, 98-1.
BASH: Right.
BLITZER: General Kelly is the secretary of Homeland Security. He was also impressively confirmed with a huge lopsided majority.
BASH: Yeah.
BLITZER: All right, everybody stay with us.
Coming up, there is breaking news we're following. We now know that at the least 120,000 people are protesting in Boston right now. That, according to Boston police. This, as the women's march against President Trump goes global. Check out some of the people streaming the march in Sydney, Australia, for example. We'll check in with our reporters around the world to see how other countries are reacting to President Trump's message to the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of people are feeling disenfranchised and disillusioned by the current state of affairs in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:47:32] BLITZER: President Trump's first full day in office marked by protests across the country. Live pictures from Austin, Seattle, of protesters taking to the street. But the main event right here in Washington, D.C., where protesters are marching to the White House. We're seeing women's marches across the country and protests to the new American president, his policies. There are also similar demonstrations around the world in Berlin, London, Paris, Sydney, Australia, just some of the cities hosting these marches.
Demonstrators are also taken to the streets in Mexico City.
And that is where Layla Santiago is joining us.
Layla, we saw tense protests there Friday. What are we seeing there today?
LAYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People are saying a lot of the same words, respect, love, and love, not walls. And I want to show you what is happening in front of the U.S. embassy. Protesters have actually managed to shut down several lanes of one of the main roads in Mexico City. This is the same road that leads to the Angel of Independence here in Mexico City.
And one of the interesting things about this crowd, these are not just Mexicans. As a matter of fact, a good chunk of these are Americans protesting right here in front of the embassy in unity to show that solidarity that you talked about.
And I'll share a few of the stories that I have come across while I have been here. I met one woman from Minnesota, she is here because she is an American and her daughter is a Mexican-American. And she thinks it's important to be here. And I also met a woman who, in tear, told me, that she lived in the United States, undocumented, and came back here and again, in tears, told me this is tough, this is painful, both of these places are my home and there needs to be a greater understanding amongst not only U.S. citizens, but also the 45th president of the United States -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Layla, thank you. Layla Santiago in Mexico City.
President Trump's message to the world in yesterday's inaugural address was a pretty wide departure from President Obama's message back in 2009. Just take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[13:49:53] BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: That message was certainly heard around the world, causing some concern about what impact the Trump presidency will have internationally.
To help us gauge the immediate reaction, at least a little bit of it so far, we're joined by CNN International's Nina dos Santos, in London; and Frederik Pleitgen in Tehran, Iran; and senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance in Moscow.
And, Nina, Britain is one of the U.S.'s closest allies now. The president's speech had some strong protectionist tones. Has the prime minister there, Theresa May, has she weighed in on the address?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She hasn't formally commented, Wolf, on the contents of the inauguration speech but she has congratulated the 45th president of the United States on his inauguration. Instead, she's used the "Financial Times" newspaper in an interview to lay out where she thinks of the special relationship these two countries enjoy or will develop from here. And in that interview, she urged Donald Trump not to undermine the unity of the European Union. That's interesting, some people might say, considering the United Kingdom is the country that's voted to leave the E.U. Some say that itself might torpedo the whole political project that keeps these 28 countries together. She also will remind Donald Trump when she meets with him soon in the
spring of the importance of NATO here. This is just a couple of days after Theresa May laying out her big Brexit game plan. She said, despite the fact the U.K. would be leaving the E.U., it's still steadfastly committed to NATO. So, she will remind him of the importance of some of the alliances. But remember, she's got to beef up the trading relationship with the U.S., since the U.K. will be leaving the E.U., so she has to tread cautiously -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, everybody stand by for a moment.
I want to go quickly back to the women's march here in Washington, D.C.., called the Mothers of the Movement, now speaking. Let's listen in briefly.
UNIDENTIFIED REMALE: Continue to show up, continue to participate, continue to pray, and women's rights are human rights.
Thank you.
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Y'all ready to march, I know, but I have a very, very special surprise for you right now. Real special. I need y'all to give me a round of applause just to get me pumped up so I can bring this person out.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a Grammy-award winning sister in the House. My dear sister and friend, Alicia Keys.
(CHEERING)
ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: Ladies and gentlemen, are we here?
(CHEERING)
KEYS: Are you ready to march? Say yeah!
(SHOUTING)
KEYS: Out of the hearts of history, shame, I rise. Up from a past that is rooted in pain. I rise. I'm a black ocean leaping in wide, welling and swelling, I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear. I rise. Into a daybreak that is wondrously clear. I rise. Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave. I am the dream and the hope of the slaves. I rise.
(CHEERING)
KEYS: Now, I know you've been hearing a lot of talking and we have so much to say inside of us. I just want to thank you so much for your courage. Thank you so much for your womanliness. Thank you so much for your strength. Thank you so much. Let's continue to honor all that's beautiful about being feminine. We are mothers. We are caregivers. We are artists. We are activists. We are entrepreneurs, doctors, leaders of industry and technology. Our potential is unlimited. We rise. We rise.
(CHEERING)
KEYS: We will not allow our bodies to be owned and controlled by men in government or men anywhere, for that matter. We will not allow our compassionate souls to be stepped on. We want the best for all Americans. No hate, no bigotry, no Muslim registry.
(CHEERING)
[13:55:11] KEYS: We value education, health care, and equality.
We will continue to rise until our voices are heard, until our planet's safety is not deferred, until our bombs stop dropping in other lands, until our dollar is the same dollar as a man's.
(CHEERING)
KEYS: We continue to recognize that, yes, we can.
(CHEERING)
KEYS: Until everyone respects mother energy and everyone with a belly button must agree.
So, I need you to repeat after me: We are here!
CROWD: We are here.
KEYS: We're on fire.
CROWD: We're on fire.
KEYS: Living in a world.
CROWD: Living in a world.
KEYS: That's on fire.
CROWD: That's on fire.
KEYS: Feet on the ground.
CROWD: Feet on the ground.
KEYS: Not backing down.
CROWD: Not backing down.
KEYS: Feet on the ground.
CROWD: Feet on the ground.
KEYS: Not backing down. CROWD: Not backing down.
(MUSIC)
(SINGING)
(APPLAUSE)
KEYS: Put your fists up. Put your fists up. Put your fists up. I see your strength. I see your strength. We feel you. Yeah.
(CHEERING)
[13:58:08] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are live, looking at pictures across the country and around the world.
I'm Brooke Baldwin, on this Saturday. You're watching CNN special live coverage of a historic day all around the world. Hundreds of thousands of women and women, and men, gathering to march in major American cities.
We've got all kinds of live pictures for you from all corners of the country where demonstrators of all generations have been out amongst these women. They are filling in the streets here in the nation's capital. This is the movement H.Q. This is headquarters here. This march concludes just south of the White House, where President Trump is spending his first full day as the nation's new commander-in-chief.
And just a short time from now, Mr. Trump will speak from the CIA headquarters, a major moment after a contentious couple of months. We'll take that live. That's an important piece of the day.
But let's just talk about the juxtaposition. Outside of the federal buildings, it is stark. You have thousands of men and a lot of ladies united in their message to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA STEINUM, ACTIVIST: Because this, this is the up side of the down side.
It is wide in age. It is deep in diversity. And remember, the Constitution does not begin with "I, the president," but with "We, the people."
(SHOUTING)
AMERCIA FERRERA, ACTRESS: We will not go from being a nation of immigrants to a nation of ignorance.
MICHAEL MOORE, DIRECTOR & ACTIVIST: The old guard of the Democratic Party has to go. It has to go.
(CHEERING)
MOORE: We need new leadership. We need young leadership. We need women leadership.
(CHEERING)
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS & ACTIVIST: President Trump. I did not vote for you.
(CHEERING)
JOHANSSON: That said, I respect our out president-elect, and I want to be able to support you. But first, I ask that you support me.
(CHEERING)
