Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
FBI Says Intel Warns Of Armed Protests At State And U.S. Capitols; House Reconvenes To Begin Process Of Impeaching President Trump; Patriots' Belichick Won't Accept Presidential Medal Of Freedom. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired January 12, 2021 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:06]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Christine Romans. It is just about 30 minutes past the hour this Tuesday morning.
And we begin this morning with growing alarm that the deadly insurrection at the Capitol could be just the beginning. Overnight, "The New York Times" reports House Democrats were briefed on specific threats to the Capitol and to lawmakers ahead of President-elect Biden's inauguration.
Now, some of the worst-case scenarios laid out by a defense official are truly terrifying. Snipers targeting inauguration dignitaries, suicide-type aircraft entering Washington's restricted airspace, remote-powered drones attacking the crowd, and a big concern about multiple active-shooter situations flaring up simultaneously.
JARRETT: CNN has also obtained an internal FBI bulletin that warns planning is underway for armed protests at all 50 state Capitols and the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to the inauguration. The bulletin warns of storming government buildings, and the FBI says it is tracking several threats against Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
With the inauguration just eight days away, Biden is trying to project a sense of calm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Sir, are you at all afraid of taking your oath outside --
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT: No.
REPORTER: -- given what happened?
BIDEN: No, I'm not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, guys, thank you. Let's go. (INAUDIBLE). Thank you. BIDEN: Wait, wait, wait, wait because I haven't seen these guys in a long time. I'm not afraid of taking the oath outside and we've been getting briefed.
But I am -- I think it's critically important that there be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatened people's lives, defaced public property, caused great damage, that they be held accountable. And I think that's a view that is held by the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now, even with security measures stepped up across the country, key federal leadership is absent here.
Overnight, Chad Wolf stepped aside as acting secretary of Homeland Security, the agency in charge of safeguarding the inauguration. DHS, U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI, the Justice Department -- none of them have answered questions publicly about -- since Wednesday's riot. The DOJ and the Defense Department among the other agencies being run by acting leaders.
Unsure what the next few weeks will bring, windows at business and government buildings nationwide are being boarded up again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED MAPLES, DIRECTOR, NEW JERSEY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There's a lot of chatter out there overall. Nothing specific, but there's definitely a lot of chatter out there -- something we're concerned with.
CHIEF MATTHEW ROMEI, VERMONT CAPITOL POLICE: Last Wednesday's activity in Washington, D.C. changed the lens a little bit for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Meantime, some states taking more permanent action. Michigan is imposing an open-carry ban at the State Capitol in Lansing. Remember, armed protesters entered that building legally to protest COVID restrictions back in April.
And new this morning, the behind-the-scenes report on the president's activities during the riot he helped set off. Multiple sources tell "The Washington Post" that the president was busy watching the violence on T.V. and couldn't be reached -- not even by close allies in Congress calling him, desperately in fear for their own lives.
Meantime, a source confirms to CNN that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy -- well, the told his Republican lawmakers -- his colleagues -- contrary to unfounded speculation by right-wing media, there is quote "undisputedly no evidence Antifa activists joined in storming the Capitol."
ROMANS: All right. Brand-new overnight, at least two Capitol Police officers have been suspended for their roles in the violence last week. One was seen taking a selfie with rioters. Another was wearing a MAGA hat and directing rioters around the building.
A congressional aide also tells CNN over a dozen officers on the Capitol police force are being investigated for actions last week. Authorities say they've put a priority on investigating ties between the insurrectionists and law enforcement, and there is no shortage of video and social media to furnish new leads.
There are at least seven police officers from New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Virginia, and Texas -- police officers being investigated for possible roles at the insurrection.
JARRETT: Well, dozens have been arrested but thousands more who mobbed the Capitol remain at large. Now the FBI wants your help. The agency is specifically asking for assistance in identifying the man seen in this widely-circulated photo of him carrying a large Confederate flag inside the Capitol. Anyone with information about him or others who participated in the riot can contact the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI. So far, they say they've received more than 40,000 digital tips from the public.
ROMANS: And new overnight, two more members of Congress testing positive for coronavirus -- Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Now, both are blaming the Republican members who refused to put masks on while members were shut in a room together, remember, on the Capitol last week.
[05:35:12]
CNN has reported six House Republicans, including members of leadership -- they were captured on video refusing masks offered by a colleague during the insurrection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN (D-NJ): It may be inconvenient but it is not a political tool, and it is something that you do when you think about someone else's well-being. And so I want my colleagues on the Republican side that refused to wear their masks and who were defiant and arrogant with it to give -- to give some concern to somebody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The Capitol attending physician has warned lawmakers and staffers of potential COVID exposure following the riot. Eight have now tested positive since being sworn in early last week.
JARRETT: As cases of COVID are just swarming everywhere, President- elect Biden is trying to navigate another crisis that could shape his first 100 days in office -- the impeachment of his predecessor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: The question is whether or not (audio gap) to the Senate. You could go a half-day on dealing with the impeachment and a half-day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package. So that's my hope and expectation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: But at least one Senate Democrat isn't on board. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the influential moderate senator, says impeachment would be quote "ill-advised."
For today, the focus though remains on the historic action in the House where lawmakers are poised to impeach President Trump again.
Ryan Nobles is on Capitol Hill for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, Tuesday is going to be a busy day here on Capitol Hill as the House reconvenes to begin the process of impeaching President Trump.
They'll start with that initial resolution that puts Vice President Pence on the clock for 24 hours to begin the process of invoking the 25th Amendment. If he doesn't do that, and it's not expected that he will, they will then begin the formal process of filing those articles of impeachment on Wednesday. And it's expected that they could get the entire vote done on Wednesday, which would then hand the ball over to the Senate to decide whether or not they're going to begin the trial to convict President Trump.
Now, there have been a few House Republicans that have offered up an alternative suggesting that perhaps it might be better for the country and easier and provide a more bipartisan support by doing something along the lines of just censoring President Trump, not going through with the formal impeachment process, but that was quickly turned back by Democrats.
It is clear that the conference strongly supports the idea of impeachment and it looks as though that is going to get through the Democratic House without much of a problem. There are still a lot of questions though as to what happens when it gets to the Senate.
Now, the Senate minority leader, soon to be Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer says that he anticipates that the Senate will take up the trial right away. That they're not going to wait for the first 100 days of the Biden administration to do so.
He said it is incumbent upon the Senate to deal with these important things that need to be done in the early stages of the Biden administration, like confirming some of his cabinet picks while at the same time dealing with the trial and perhaps conviction of President Trump.
So, impeachment looks like it is going to happen. It will obviously be historic and it all begins here Tuesday on Capitol Hill -- Christine and Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Ryan. Thank you for that.
All right, to business now. Democrats' win in the Georgia runoff election was critical for the Biden economic agenda and it could be felt by millions of Americans.
It also makes Sen. Chuck Schumer New York's first Senate majority leader, replacing Republican Mitch McConnell and putting the state in a position to reap the benefits. You know, there's a bipartisan tradition of majority leaders helping their home states and the timing of Schumer taking charge is critical here.
McConnell, remember, said he didn't want a quote "blue state bailout" in any stimulus packages. But now, with Democrats in charge of the White House and both chambers, state and local aid should be easier to pass.
New York could also get some relief from the cap on the federal deduction on state and local income taxes, which was voted in as part of President Trump's 2017 tax bill.
Schumer's new role may also stave off doomsday cuts for trains, subways, or buses in New York. At the end of last year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority received $4 billion as part of the stimulus deal, but it still faces a nearly-$8 billion deficit through 2024.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:43:50]
JARRETT: Twitter says since Friday it has suspended 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon. Remember, QAnon is this once-fringed conspiracy theory that falsely claims that President Trump is saving people from a cabal of politicians and celebrities operating a child abuse ring.
But for all of the action that social media takes against this type of extremism, there always seems to be a new home for the spread of dangerous misinformation. So where are all these people going now?
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER (on camera): With Facebook and Twitter belatedly cracking down on misinformation and hate after last week's insurrection, Trump supporters are seeking new alternative social media platforms where they can continue to read and share misinformation and conspiracy theories about this election.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had an election that was stolen from us. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Some of the biggest peddlers of the conspiracy theory that Trump didn't lose the election, including the president himself, have been purged from major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter since last week's insurrection.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president's Twitter account has been suspended.
[05:45:00]
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But they and their followers have been finding new homes online -- platforms like Parler and messaging app Telegram that have few rules and where hate and misinformation fester.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST, "THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW": I'm moving from Twitter to Parler. I'm moving to Parler. I'm moving to Parler. I have a Parler account.
BEN DECKER, CEO, MEMETICA: When people push disinformation or conspiracy theories, those conspiracy theories are just further reinforced. There's no counter-rebuttal like there might be on Facebook or Twitter where you have fact-checkers and people who have different views that offers a civic debate.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Weeks ago, we spoke to Parler users who explained why they preferred it.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): What is something you could say on Parler that you wouldn't be able to say on Facebook?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, that the coronavirus is not as deadly as everybody says it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you can literally post that on Twitter and get in Twitter jail for that.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): But you could post it on Parler?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no problem.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Financially backed by prominent conservative donor Rebekah Mercer, Parler is a social media app with an interface similar to Twitter. It was increasingly popular and reached number-one on the Apple Store for a time before being taken offline overnight Sunday after Amazon, which hosted the site, pulled support for it. Parler is suing the tech giant in a bid to get back up and running.
But, Parler did, at least, remove this post from Trump supporter and attorney Lin Wood, which seemed to call for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by a firing squad -- though Wood later told CNN he made no threats and believes in the rule of law.
The controversial far-right group the Proud Boys is urging followers to welcome new users to the Telegram app where its channel has seen a surge in new followers over the past few days.
We found this post on a Telegram channel summing up the potential influx of users. "Parler being shut down has sent tens of thousands (or more) of people to Telegram. Now is our opportunity to grab them by the hand and lead them toward ideological truth."
DECKER: The further migration towards more secure fringe platforms is going to create a bigger blind spot for researchers and law enforcement. There's absolutely no doubt about that.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): As the company has tried to solve one issue with misinformation on the major platforms like Facebook and Twitter, a new challenge and new problems arise with these alternative social media platforms, which have unbridled access -- users have unbridled access to misinformation and to hate speech -- Christine and Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Donie, fascinating. Great reporting there, as usual.
All right. This morning, the post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases has come into full view. For the first time, the U.S. now averaging 3,000 deaths a day. In another first, the nation has reported more than 200,000 new cases every single day for a week now.
Now, vaccinations have jumped a bit, now at nine million, but that's less than three percent of the population. Officials say it would take 70 to 80 percent to get back to normal.
Now, states have been left on their own for much of the pandemic. Now they're increasingly abandoning the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and they're taking their own approaches to giving people the vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: I think where people are right now is they have vaccine and they just want to get it out there. So instead of doing what they're being asked to do, which is go through one A tier and one B tier and C tier, they're just trying to get it out there.
So we don't have a public health infrastructure for mass vaccination. And what you're seeing, I think, is that we're learning to do that. Some states are learning to do it more quickly than others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: There is some promising news, however, from the CDC. The agency has indicated that Americans shouldn't worry too much about waiting longer than the recommended time for that second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
That lends credibility to Biden's plan to release nearly all available vaccine doses when he takes office. Biden has laid out a timeline for 100 million shots in the first 100 days in office. Still, CNN has learned that some major details of how they will ramp up vaccine distribution are still being sorted out.
Well, after a year of uncertainty, the issue of kids out of school classrooms and the cost of this widening education gap still remain to be seen. There have been no known significant outbreaks from K through 12 schools that reopened in the fall.
Still, districts in Chicago have been keeping kids at home. Parents and teachers are calling on the mayor to leave it that way for a while longer.
So where are the children better off?
Bianna Golodryga reports for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The trick is actually having a good plan.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST (voice- over): Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho is an outlier among his peers.
CARVALHO: The schoolhouse is the safest place.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): He oversees the nation's fourth-largest school district and the largest to fully reopen in the fall.
CARVALHO: There is no substitute regardless of how great the technology may be. You cannot Zoom effectively into a full understanding, a full level of engagement for students.
[05:50:01]
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Carvalho sees schools as a safe harbor for children. The reason is simple enough.
CARVALHO: The cases in schools are lower than the positivity rate in the community-at-large.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): As Carvalho walked us through one of the district's elementary schools he explained how despite Miami-Dade seeing nearly a quarter of the state's total coronavirus cases, the trend has been different within schools.
CARVALHO: We see a greater adherence to protocols in schools -- because it is a controlled, safe environment -- than we see those same protocols being followed in the community in general, whether we're talking about in bars, in restaurants, at the beach, or social gatherings.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): And Miami-Dade is not alone. New York City recently reopened its public elementary schools for some in-person learning despite an increasing citywide positivity rate.
Independent analysis suggests that schools can safely reopen if proper mitigation strategies are followed -- an issue even politically- opposed governors share some similarities about.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: If the schools are safer, then my opinion is leave the schools open.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: Closing schools due to coronavirus is probably the biggest public health blunder in modern American history.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Still, many school districts are slow to reopen in-person learning. Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest, remains fully online due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, as does San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
President-elect Biden says reopening schools will be a top priority during his first 100 days in office.
BIDEN: It should be a national priority to get our kids back into school and keep them in school.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): With Miami-Dade schools already open, Superintendent Carvalho has his own priority in sight.
CARVALHO: I believe if our teachers are essential professionals, indispensable to our society, to our economy, then we ought to prioritize their status in terms of access to the vaccine.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Bianna Golodryga, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this Tuesday morning. Looking at markets around the world, you can see Asian shares closed higher, and a mixed opening for Europe. On Wall Street, stock index futures finding their footing after losses on Monday.
Tech stocks led markets lower to start the week. Twitter down 10 percent at one point after pulling the plug on President Trump's account.
Also in the collision of politics and business, corporate America suspending donations for Republican lawmakers they view as complicit in President Trump's efforts to overturn this election.
The Dow, on the day, fell 89 points. The S&P and the Nasdaq also fell after hitting record highs last week. The Nasdaq, again, leading the losses there.
Relief for small businesses still struggling during the pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program reopened on Monday.
The loans will only be available to businesses applying at community financial institutions at first. Those are lenders providing funding for businesses in underserved communities. They will go first. Many of them had a hard time securing loans during previous rounds of PPP.
Officials say they will open the program to all small businesses soon. No exact date yet.
There are several changes, including more flexibility in how the loan can be used and a simpler process to forgive that loan.
The pandemic is highlighting the shaky finances of millions of Americans. A new report shows only 39 percent say they can cover an unexpected expense of a thousand bucks. Many people have been able to save because they're working from home or they've eliminated spending on travel and entertainment. But for millions of others, job losses and pay cuts have sent them in a downward slide.
But many Americans are still optimistic for this year. Data showed 44 percent of people expect their finances, Laura, will get better this year.
JARRETT: Well, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick opting not to accept the Medal of Freedom from President Trump. He was scheduled to receive the honor Thursday at the White House but Belichick now cites the tragic events at the last -- of last week at the Capitol for backing out.
He says above all, he's an American citizen with reverence for our nation's values and quote "remaining true to the people, team, and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award."
It's just amazing how even the Medal of Freedom has just become radioactive --
ROMANS: Yes.
JARRETT: -- if you're getting it from this White House.
ROMANS: Really fascinating. The president from kingmaker to radioactive in just -- in just a week's time.
Fifty-four minutes past the hour. Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:59:06]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to an FBI bulletin, armed protests are being planned in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitols.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: Our goals are to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: House Democrats took the first step today toward impeaching President Trump a second time.
REP. PETER MEIJER (R-MI): It is obvious that the president is no longer qualified to hold that office.
ACOSTA: Kevin McCarthy has been telling colleagues that the president now feels like he bears some responsibility for all this. We should all of that with a massive grain of salt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This administration will always, in the ranks of history, be bookended to explosions of white supremacist violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Tuesday, January 12th. It's 6:00 here in New York.
And this morning, new and disturbing details about planned attacks on the U.S. Capitol. In other words, real fear this is not over. "The New York Times" reporting overnight that House Democrats have been briefed on several specific threats to the Capitol and its lawmakers. The "Times" reports.
