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Connect the World
Trump Becomes First United States President To Be Impeached Twice; House Votes To Impeach Donald Trump; Turkey Rolls Out Sinovac Vaccine Amid Efficacy Questions; Evidence Suggests United States Capitol Attack Was Planned; Ireland Had World's Highest Infection Rate Last Week; Yoweri Museveni: I Will Accept The Election Result. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 14, 2021 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He feels betrayed by the fact that he's been impeached a second time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unless we make sure to send a resounding message that this is not acceptable, then we risk just papering over some of these
divisions and the wounds will never truly heal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack. He should have immediately denounced the mob.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The president is in self-pity mode. He's upset that no one is defending him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thousands of armed troops keep guard both outside and inside the Capitol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a major security threat, and we are working to mitigate those threats.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: 232, that's the record number of votes that impeached Donald J. Trump. Because, yes, they say lightning doesn't strike
twice but clearly impeachment does. That headline impeached again blasting across the world this hour.
President Trump coming to the tail end of his time in office and marking it with the beginning of an impeachment trial the speed of the vote could
reflect the fury of lawmakers. The House charged the president with inciting an intersection after he egged on protesters last Wednesday
resulting in this deadly riot on Capitol Hill.
Ten Republicans broke ranks and joined the Democrats. We'll be speaking to one of them just ahead. So what happens next? It all heads to the Senate.
The trial likely to begin next week after the inauguration of President- Elect Joe Biden, meantime the U.S. Capitol bracing for more violence ahead of inauguration.
Security across Washington is the highest it has been in years. Some 20,000 National Guard troops have been deployed. Sunlen Serfaty takes a look at
how we got here.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inside the U.S. Capitol now protected by armed National Guard troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The ayes are 232, the nays are 197.
SERFATY (voice-over): The House voting to impeach President Trump for the second time. Exactly one week after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building in
a deadly riot.
PELOSI: He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.
SERFATY (voice-over): House Democrats explaining why they believe Trump should be charged with incitement of insurrection.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Donald Trump is a living, breathing, impeachable offense.
REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): If inciting a deadly insurrection is not enough to get a president impeached, then what is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every one of us in this room right now could have died.
SERFATY (voice-over): And in a rare bipartisan move, ten House Republicans joining them.
REP. JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER (R-WA): My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I'm not choosing a side. I'm choosing truth.
REP. DAN NEWSHOUSE (R-WA): Last week there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why, with a
heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment.
SERFATY (voice-over): House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy voting against impeachment but saying this about the president's role in the riots.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately
denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.
SERFATY (voice-over): Trump's fate is in the hands of the Senate. And Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear his trial will not start until
after President-Elect Joe Biden begins his term. McConnell who has said he thinks impeachment will separate Trump from the GOP has told Republican
colleagues he's undecided on conviction.
The president is still taking no responsibility for the attacks on the U.S. Capitol and did not mention impeachment in a video statement posted by the
White House. But Capitol Hill Democrats think Trump should be held accountable.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Though his intend and his actions can be presented very quickly to the United States Senate. I hope Republicans will
join in convicting him.
SERFATY (voice-over): Biden stressing it's crucial for congress to multitask in the weeks ahead, writing in a statement, "I hope that the
Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent
business of this nation".
REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): We can both do the trial as well as get the work of the nation done simultaneously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Sunlen Serfaty reporting. And this, look at this, as the impeachment vote took place, troops kited out in full combat gear
surrounding the halls of congress.
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ANDERSON: Now this is the first time that troops were in that building since the civil war. Let me just allow that to sink in. You're watching
history unfold right where you are right now in high definition. This is stuff that will be written about for generations.
Get this, the deployment in D.C. three times the size of the American presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria combined. There are three times as
many troops in Washington right now to help to protect America from something its own president is fanning the flames of as there are in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Syria.
And they are preparing for the possibility of pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails and more at the inauguration and of course, also trying to head off any mob
violence like we saw last week, a violence that President Trump is now denouncing.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There has been reporting that additional demonstrations are being planned in the coming days, both
here in Washington and across the country. I have been briefed by the U.S. secret service on the potential threats.
Every American deserves to have their voice heard in a respectful and peaceful way. That is your first amendment right. But I cannot emphasize
that there must be no violence, no law breaking and no vandalism of any kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Trump by teleprompter there for you, folks. Connecting you to all of this is CNN's John Harwood who is outside the White House. Donald Trump
now owns half the presidential impeachments in American history. How about that for a record? John, we heard part of Mr. Trump's video from last
night. I just want to let our viewers to have a little more. Stand by.
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TRUMP: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement
stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement
or our great American flag. No true supporter of mine could ever threaten or harass their fellow Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What do you make of his messaging, John?
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's better that he denounced the idea of violence than he then he not denounced it. He doesn't
mean those words. He doesn't actually have political beliefs so when he says mob violence goes against my belief that doesn't really apply.
Donald Trump has created an air and fostered an air of menace around his movement throughout his presidency from when he ran in 2016 when he had
rallies at which protesters were roughed up. And he seemed to encourage the roughing up so that - his sincerity is not the issue.
It is useful that his supporters hear that message. It would be more useful if they heard him repudiate the lie, the false claim that he won the
election and it was stolen from him. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is not capable of accepting that reality, of accepting responsibility for what
he's done over the last few weeks, so that was not forthcoming.
The hope is that the national security apparatus of the United States, the domestic security apparatus is on such high alert as a result of the events
last week that we can get out of the last few days of his presidency without a repeat probably more danger out in the states than there is in
Washington because of that very, very high troop presence that you mentioned, Becky.
ANDERSON: Remarkable images. Just images that none of us expected to ever see in our lifetime. He has been impeached for inciting an insurrection.
Under normal circumstances, this is a man who loves a bit of litigation and a fight.
He would have a team who would be getting ready to fight his corner as it were. He has, though, told staff not to pay Rudy Giuliani over irritation
at being impeached again as we understand it. What else are we learning at this point?
HARWOOD: Well Becky, part of the way that Donald Trump is psychologically disfigured is that he cannot accept his own culpability for the
consequences of his bad behavior.
[11:10:00]
HARWOOD: As a result, he lashes out at those around him. So he says he's not going to pay Rudy Giuliani. He's fuming about Kevin McCarthy for that
clip you played when Kevin McCarthy finally, facing the loss of corporate donations for his party, still opposing impeachment but trying to somehow
protect his party, went down to the well of the House and said Donald Trump bore responsibility for the riot.
Obviously, he bore responsibility. The president is also lashing out at his Vice President, Mike Pence, who was slavishly loyal to him for four years.
Then when Pence was unwilling to subvert his constitutional duty, which wouldn't have had any effect even if Mike Pence tried to do that, Donald
Trump attacked him publicly and in effect set the mob on Mike Pence.
That is a - that is Donald Trump's pathology. It is not likely to change, and the question is going to be, what does he do in the last few days to
try to protect himself going forward, perhaps by issuing a pardon for himself? Legally dubious, but he might try it anyway.
ANDERSON: John Harwood, always a pleasure, sir, there in Washington for us keeping us honest on our reporting. Thank you. To connect us to what
happens next then, let's bring in Ross Garber who teaches impeachment law and political investigations at Tulane University Law School.
Who would have known you would be in such demand over the past, what, 18 months there as we've just suggested the president holding the record for
the most amount of impeachments, presidential impeachments. It does seem remarkable. This, of course, this impeachment, the second for Donald Trump,
will now move to the Senate. What are the requirements of a trial, and how quickly will or could this process be?
ROSS GARBER, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Becky, first, just to put it in context, yes, this is the first president to be impeached twice, but there have only
been two other presidents in all of U.S. history who have been impeached. This is incredibly, incredibly rare.
And what the president was impeached for was remarkably serious. The notion of - that he was impeached for willfully inciting a violent insurrection is
incredible. So let's put that in context. And then in terms of the process, it is entirely up to the Senate what to do and beyond kind of starting the
trial, which it has a formal date, you know, when they do it, there's a lot that's up in the air.
You'll remember Becky in the last trial for the president, there was no evidence that was taken. It's unclear whether evidence will be taken this
time or not? How long the trial will be? How short the trial will be? And what we're already seeing from some of the president's supporters in the
Senate is an argument about jurisdiction saying they have no jurisdiction after the president leaves office.
ANDERSON: Ten Republicans voted for the bill in the House. I want to play some sound from those who were against the bill. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEFF DREW (R-NJ): Nearly half the country supports our current president. This takes their voice away.
REP. JODEY ARRINGTON (R-TX): The criminals who stormed the Capitol that day acted on their own volition. They are responsible for their actions.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): The Democrats can say, "I just don't even know why there aren't uprisings all over the country while there are uprisings
happening around the country". But they impeach the President of the United States for saying peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Are those from a legal point of view, reasonable arguments?
GARBER: Well, one thing to keep in mind is impeachment is mostly political. This is going to be decided by the United States Senate and there's going
to be no court review of it. It's going to be up to the Senators to decide whether it's impeachable, whether it's worthy of conviction or not.
And I think those are the kinds of things that we're going to see. The fundamental question, I think, is going to wind up being that he is - is
what the president did intentionally and willfully supporting insurrection or is it more like political free speech?
I think that's what's going to be - what Republicans are going to try to do is just what we just heard. Say, look, what he said isn't so much different
from what Democrats have said.
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GARBER: And I think they'll also say it's also not that different from what the president has been saying all along throughout his campaign, throughout
his career. And certainly over the past couple of weeks. I think that's going to be their main defense.
And who knows if there are enough Senators who will buy it and because the Senate will be split about 50-50. His fate is going to largely turn on
Republicans because you need two-thirds to convict.
ANDERSON: Briefly, under normal circumstances, were he to be convicted in this trial, he would be removed from office. But he will have already gone
by the time this trial comes to fruition. So that's sort of, to a certain extent, over and done with. Barred from ever running again is something
we're hearing a lot of people calling for. That, as I understand it, literally will come in a vote off the back of the trial. Is that correct?
GARBER: Yes. It's only been done three times in U.S. history. And the way it would work, there would be a vote to convict. It takes two-thirds. And
then a separate vote on whether to disqualify him from taking office and historically that's only taken a majority vote.
ANDERSON: Got it. Reason being, of course, and the reason why this is important to many people who are critics of Donald Trump is that he has
been making moves to - or at least lots of noise about running in 2024. Sir, it's a pleasure. Thank you.
Well, the incoming American President will have to juggle with focusing on impeachment and, of course, the COVID-19 crisis. He is setting a goal of
100 million COVID-19 vaccinations to be given in his first 100 days. It's a great line, but just how realistic is this Biden initiative?
Multiple state officials have told CNN that they're skeptical and, frankly, they are unclear on the Biden team's plans. Our Senior Medical
Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with me now. Let's just add some context for this. It's been quite a month in Washington. Week one insurrection,
week two impeachment, week three will be inauguration.
All the while nearly 40,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of January. That is the context to this discussion. Is Joe
Biden's vaccine plan too ambitious, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, when you pose those problems, I want to say, no, it's not too ambitious because we need
to be even more ambitious. We've got to get shots into arms. But let me give you a different kind of context.
It is chaotic here in the United States. I have lost count of the number of friends and relatives who have called me saying, all right, I'm over 65; I
want to get my shot. How do I do it? I've been spending days and nights trying to get a vaccine and I can't figure out how to do it? And these are
people, college educated some of them has Ph.D.s these are smart people and they can't figure it out.
So if it remains chaotic like this, yes, this is too ambitious. If they can get some changes in here, if they change the systems, if they can make this
work, and when I say they, I mean the Biden Administration, if they can make this work, then, no, we should be able to do that many doses, 100
million doses in the next 100 days.
Experts have been telling us a million doses a day. A million shots a day is really what we should be aiming for, but they have got to change things
drastically. Just to give you an example, Becky, my family, we got an email from our health care system that we go to saying in a very polite way,
don't call us. Don't call us.
We'll figure - we can't give you a shot right now. Don't call us. That's not great. They should be writing emails that say, here's the system.
Here's how it works. Come at this time. Call for an appointment or whatever. So right now that is too ambitious if they can improve the
systems, we should be able to make this happen.
ANDERSON: In the UK, the government there determined their vaccine rollout will be as successful as their lofty ambition suggests in what is a six-
week lockdown period. A new UK study, meantime, suggests that the COVID-19 infection grants immunity for just five months. Can you walk us through
this?
COHEN: Right. So they looked at people who had been infected and then looked at what their chances were at re-infection. And they found that it
really was quite effective. It was about 83 percent effective over the course of those five months.
They were 83 percent less likely to get COVID than people who had never had COVID in the first place. So that's certainly good news, but I want to
parse this out a little bit. Infection with COVID is not what we're trying to avoid. That sounds strange but infection with COVID is not the issue.
It's getting sick with COVID. Think about the flu. People get the flu. They feel a little bit sick. They stay home for a couple of days. They're fine.
Nobody gets very upset about that.
[11:20:00]
COHEN: Well, we get upset about with the flu is when people go to the hospital or when people die. And it's really very similar with COVID. The
vaccine clinical trials were not designed to look at re-infection. They were designed do people get sick with COVID after getting the vaccine?
And the vaccine and now we're hearing re-infection, are actually good at doing that. That's what we want to look at. Are people getting sick again
with COVID, not necessarily re-infection?
ANDERSON: That's really, really important information and clarifies many of the questions that I have had. Questions quite frankly I was finding
difficult to answer myself. Thank you for that. Still ahead, social media sites crack down on extremist content following these scenes at the U.S.
Capitol. And one site favored by Trump supporters may be gone for good.
And we'll be live from Lebanon for you next where life just got even harder under what is a tighter lockdown. The country left out of the Middle East's
quite significant inoculation success.
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ANDERSON: Well, yesterday marked a year since the first known case of COVID was reported outside of China. 12 months on and the global situation has
never been worse with infections spiraling out of control in so many places.
Yet hope is still very much alive in the form of vaccines rolling out across the world. Even the Middle East, Israel and the UAE leading the
world with inoculations per capita Bahrain's numbers very impressive, too, a different story for Lebanon now under a new stricter lockdown while it
waits for the vaccine. We're going to get to Beirut in a moment first to CNN's Arwa Damon who is connecting us to Turkey's Sinovac rollout from a
hospital in Istanbul.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Turkey's Coronavirus rollout has begun in hospitals like this one and clinics across the
country. They received an initial 3 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccine.
First in line for the job are health workers and you getting your appointment through an app. You come in, and you get your shot. One of the
doctors here, general surgeon, is about to get his first shot. There's no problem. There's no pain. We're psychologically ready.
[11:25:00]
DAMON: There's no problem. Everyone - the entire population should be doing this. This is one of those things where everyone really does need to stand
together. Sinovac has the advantage that, unlike some of the other vaccines that are out there, the logistics are a bit easier in the sense that it
does not require the same extreme cold temperatures for storage.
But there's a bit of confusion when it comes to its actual efficacy. Turkey's trial phase II at the very least showed it to be 91.25 percent
effective. That would sound great. But trials carried out in Indonesia, for example, put that efficacy at 70 percent Brazil down to 50 percent.
Now the company itself says that it does have faith in the vaccine's efficacy, but we really don't know a lot at this stage. And it has not made
public any of its own data and findings. Either way, for those here in this country that has been so hard hit by the pandemic, like so many others,
there is a sense of relief that just maybe this could be the beginning of what's been an extraordinarily difficult period. Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
ANDERSON: Well, hard times for Turkey. Even tougher for Lebanon we will have to say. It isn't expecting any vaccines until next month. And even
then, there won't be enough. Right now the people of Lebanon being hit with tighter restrictions CNN's Ben Wedeman is there. He is Beirut for you in
Lebanon with next to no vaccine plan as it enters a new lockdown. We've been saying it for a long time now. No country is safe until all countries
are safe. What helps if any is Lebanon getting from the international community at this point?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the World Bank is going to help Lebanon obtain the Pfizer vaccine which is expected to
arrive sometime in the middle of February, but certainly not in the numbers that are required here given the level of the pandemic here in Lebanon.
According to the World Health Organization, ICU beds are at about 95 percent capacity at this point. There are some hospitals that today said
they've reached 100 percent capacity. We were able to speak with a staff member at Beirut's main COVID hospital who said that, in addition to this
staff being exhausted after months of dealing with the pandemic, the hospital is running low on oxygen and medicine.
Now Lebanon is now in 11-day, very strict lockdown, 24-hour curfew from all but essential personnel. Even the food stores can only provide delivery
service. Now the problem is that many people in this country, particularly outside of Beirut, really do live hand to mouth. And, therefore, they
cannot afford to miss a day of work, not to mention 11.
Now one of the reasons for this recent spike in the number of cases is that over the holiday period, the government eased its restrictions allowing
bars, restaurants and nightclubs to reopen. The nightclubs, we're told, however, people would not be allowed to dance.
And also, of course, there are a lot of Lebanese ex-pats returning to the country because Lebanon is desperate to get hard currency that they would
bring back. But this has resulted in this sudden jump in the number of cases.
And the government, even though it's talking about getting some vaccines by mid-February, there doesn't appear at this point to be a comprehensive plan
to vaccinate the population of 6 million people in this country. Becky?
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is in Beirut for you. Thank you, Ben. We'll be back after this.
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PELOSI: The ayes are 232, the nays are 197. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And with that, the political table set for something that we know is proving very hard to swallow at the White House. Donald Trump now
accounts for half of the total impeachments ever issued against U.S. Presidents, two.
You're not even meant to get one, of course, and if you do, that is pretty awful. Now he's racked up, did I mention it, two impeachments as you'd
expect, the headlines splashed across the U.S. and international newspapers, the world's jaw on the floor as it were.
And in a sign of the times, Washington becoming a fortress as America awaits a new president. Thousands of troops and miles of security fencing
are being deployed ahead of Joe Biden's Inauguration which is scheduled for Wednesday next week.
Meanwhile, a federal official tells CNN they are investigating signs that the Capitol attack was planned well in advance CNN's Jessica Schneider
connecting us to the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A federal law enforcement source tells CNN that surveillance footage indicates the
domestic terror attack on the Capitol last week was not just a protest that spiraled out of control.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: Look, there were at least conspiracies. People wandering around exercising their first amendment rights don't bring
ropes, ladders and sledgehammers to a spontaneous event. This was a planned assault as if going after a castle.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The tactics and weapons CNN surveillance videos suggest a high level of planning went into the attack, the law enforcement
source says. Some attendees of President Donald Trump's speech left the event early, possibly to retrieve items to be used in the assault on the
Capitol. Law enforcement officials are following the money to try to piece together the events from January 6th.
MICHAEL SHERWIN, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: We're looking at everything money, travel records, looking at disposition, movement,
communication records.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Officials are also investigating reports that groups of people received tours from members of congress the day before the
attack. Investigators stress that does not mean any members of congress is under investigation. More than 30,000 House members have called on the
Sergeants-at-Arms and Capitol police to investigate what one House Democrat is calling a reconnaissance mission.
LIEU: No one is above the law. Not the president, not his attorney and certainly not any member of congress. If any member of congress incited the
insurrection or gave insider information, the FBI should investigate them. If prosecutors look at the facts and think they should be charged, then
they should be charged.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): New video shows the chilling communication efforts near the end of the insurrection showing how determined rioters were to
penetrate the Capitol.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, I've been in the other room. Listen to me. In the other room on the other side of this door, right here where these feet
are standing, there's a glass. It's broken. You can drop down into a room underneath it. People should probably coordinate together if you're going
to take this building.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): More have been arrested on charges related to the attack including two off-duty Virginia police officers. They posted a photo
from inside the Capitol and had their first court appearance Wednesday.
[11:35:00]
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): This man who wore a sweatshirt that Red Camp Auschwitz has been arrested and charged with entering the Capitol without
permission and violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.
An Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller has been charged for his alleged involvement in the insurrection after investigators say he was photographed
in the Capitol wearing a team USA jacket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Jessica Schneider reporting for you. It's not just Washington, D.C. though on high alert security being ramped up in state
capitals across the country. The FBI has warned of inauguration related armed protests in all 50 states. CNN reporters are covering this story for
you.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Young in Atlanta, Georgia. You could see the state Capitol behind me. You can see the armed vehicles that
have also been brought in by the Georgia State Patrol that's a fortified area here. We see troopers all around this area.
National guardsmen will also be brought in to supplement the security here just in case the protests get any larger than expected. Also the State of
Georgia is sending 300 national guardsmen to Washington, D.C. to help in the operation there.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez in Lansing, Michigan, where authorities are preparing for a so-called stand up for liberty march.
Organizers say it is armed but peaceful. Authorities are also preparing for the possibility of protests and/or violence through inauguration day.
Michigan very sensitive to this as right wing militias have taken over the Capitol before with long guns and at one point, even plotting to kidnap the
governor here.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers outside the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, where the state's Department of Public Safety is on high
alert after last week's events in Washington, D.C. DPS says it has deployed additional resources here to the Capitol like those officers behind me to
ensure security.
Now we know there were small protests here on Tuesday. We also know state lawmakers have been told about two potential events that could take place
on Sunday although questions remain about the potential size and scope of those events but the Department of Public Safety says it can scale up its
response here even further should any potential threat merit that.
ANDERSON: Well, that's the view from some parts of the country ahead of Joe Biden's Inauguration next week. I want to bring in CNN Security
Correspondent Josh Campbell who is in Los Angeles for you this hour. What are we learning, or what more are we learning about events expected in the
week ahead, Josh?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, what we're learning is that this violent attack on the United States Capitol that took place
last week did not happen in a vacuum. CNN has obtained an intelligence bulletin by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of
Homeland Security where what they're saying is that that violent attack on the Capitol is now emboldening additional extremists.
They actually look to that event as a success that worrying officials about some time of follow-on violence. I'll read to you in part what the
statement says. It says the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol building is very likely part of an ongoing trend in which extremists exploit lawful
protests, rallies and demonstrations and other gatherings to carry out ideologically motivated violence and criminal activity.
Now the bulletin goes on to say that with the perception among some extremists that the breach of the U.S. Capitol was a significant advance
towards achieving their ideological goals, they may be inspired to carry out more violence that, of course, really worrying intelligence officials
as they try to safeguard not only the coming weekend where we're expecting multiple protests.
That according to the FBI and state Capitols across the United States, but also the upcoming inauguration where, obviously, security has been
heightened, National Guard members have been brought in, every agency is now surging resources there.
Just to give you sense of what's not only taking place in Washington, but indeed across the country, we're learning that six individual states in the
U.S. are deploying their National Guard. Over six states are deploying heavy fencing and crowd control apparatus around their state Capitols.
The fear being there could be violence. We know that in the States of Florida and Oklahoma, lawmakers and staff are being told to work from home
to not even come to the government buildings for fear of these protests and potential violence.
Michigan, which has been a hot spot we know that in the past there has been a plot disrupted by the FBI, by extremists who actually kidnapped the
Governor of Michigan. That state now banning the open carry of firearms and in the State of Virginia, which, of course, neighbors the District of
Columbia, the U.S. Capitol, they've now declared a state of emergency.
So law enforcement in the United States very concerned. Finally Becky I'll say that I did learn yesterday from a law enforcement source that the Head
of the FBI, the Head of the Department of Homeland Security, actually held a call with law enforcement across the United States to sensitize them to
the threats that the FBI is seeing.
[11:40:00]
CAMPBELL: To call on all of these agencies to ensure they have the staffing necessary to be on guard for threats that may occur not only this weekend
but, of course, as the nation and the world watches the inauguration of Joe Biden as President. Becky?
ANDERSON: That's scheduled Wednesday next week. Thank you, Josh. While U.S. officials brace for possible new violence, social media sites are banishing
those who may be inciting it. The latest one is Telegram which says it purged more than a dozen channels it considers extremist.
The CEO of Parler, a favorite of many Trump supporters, now says the site may be gone for good. Parler was banished from top social media platforms
last weekend for failing to monitor violent content. Earlier President Trump's accounts were blocked by Twitter, Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram
and YouTube.
The site said it pushed violence, including the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey says on Trump, the ban was right, but it
sets, he said, a dangerous precedent. Well, Andrew Yang, a familiar face on this show, has announced he'll run for Mayor of New York City.
The Former Democratic Presidential Candidate says he is running because "I see a crisis and I believe I can help". He joined a packed field of
contenders all trying to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio. Yang shared some of his plans for the position a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW YANG, NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: There are a lot of things that the state and the city need to work more closely together on. I think that the
less than ideal relationship between the city and the state has been holding the city back, and I'm going to undertake to improve that
relationship as Mayor. I'm excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Andrew Yang. Ahead on the show, Ireland's strict Coronavirus lockdown was lifted in December and now its infection rate has soared to
the worst in the world. We'll take a look at those alarming numbers for you. Communication blackout puts a wrench in Uganda's voting process. We'll
have an early read of how the vote went with polls now closed?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're with "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson. We've been connecting you to vaccination efforts around the world but countries still
struggling to get new COVID-19 infections under control.
In the week leading up to January the 10th, for example, Ireland had the highest infection rate in the world. That's according to new research from
a publication based at Oxford University. Well, this is the Johns Hopkins University data showing new daily cases per million people.
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: The orange line represents Ireland. It's compared here with a few other western nations. This came after Ireland came out of a strict six-
week lockdown. The UK just had its deadliest day since the pandemic began. More than 1500 people died as you can see that's far higher than the U.S.
deaths per capita.
Well, all of this taking a massive emotional toll on not just families who are losing their loved ones, but on the ICU staff in British hospitals.
According to a new study by Kings College Hospital, almost half of ICU doctors and nurses reported symptoms consistent with severe depression,
with anxiety and even PTSD.
The study yet to be peer reviewed and the data was gathered about six months ago. But the situation overall in the UK is even worse now than it
was then. Selma Abdelaziz joining us now from London. She's standing by at a hotel that is opening its doors as an overflow hospital. Explain why?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Well Becky, I'm at this hotel, this best western in the South of London. And of course these rooms would normally be
filled with visiting families or business travelers. But with hospitals being overwhelmed, the contingency plans have kicked in.
This hotel is essentially a recovery ward for Coronavirus patients. It's the first hotel to do this in the entire UK. It's a pilot program. It could
serve as a model for other hotels to do that. And again, that's simply because the NHS, the National Health Service, is facing a record-breaking
number of cases.
I actually have the CEO here of the London Hotel Group Mr. Meher Nawab. I just want to start by asking you why it was so important for you to convert
your hotels into this.
MEHER NAWAB, CEO, LONDON HOTEL GROUP: We saw this coming when the first lockdown happened. And we realized the NHS would be overwhelmed. So we, as
a team, got together various people from the medical sector, hospitality sector through a non-profit organization and we gathered, thought, what can
we do to assist the NHS in this crisis.
And one of the options was to convert hotels to self-isolating units for early discharge patients from the hospitals or to assist the local
authorities with homeless people who have got COVID, or testing COVID positive and they need accommodation.
ABDELAZIZ: So I know you have three Coronavirus patients here, but you want to have more, right?
NAWAB: Absolutely. Through the CEO of Best Western, we have in excess of 5,000 hotel rooms available. A number of other brands have approached us,
and we could, within weeks get 10, 15, 20,000 hotel rooms opened to assist the NHS.
ABDELAZIZ: So you are basically saying to me tell the Health Secretary I have 20,000 rooms potentially that I could use for Coronavirus patients?
NAWAB: We've been reaching out to the leaders of the NHS. We want to work with them. We want to assist them. The NHS, the frontline workers, the key
workers, they're doing an amazing job. But we are here to assist. There are a lot of hotels the hospitality sector is virtually closed. So we are all
willing to open up - open our doors and get ill people better as soon as possible.
ABDELAZIZ: And I am sure your business has suffered greatly during this pandemic. Is there some sort of financial incentive to turning these
hotels?
NAWAB: There is no financial compensation being forwarded to us. We are getting paid from the local authorities and hospitals, but as you know, the
entire hospitality sector is closed down.
ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much Mr. Nawab. I think Becky this just shows how dire the situation has gotten here. That these hotels that normally would
be for businesses and families now are basically hospital wards, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you. That's Salma Abdelaziz in Croydon, South of the Capital London. Well, Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have
both received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Vatican spokesman confirmed that the current Pope who was 84 and the retired church leader,
who is 93, got their shots in an on-site medical center. Vatican City launched its vaccine program on Wednesday.
Well, Election Day with some road blocks in Uganda as a crowded field of challengers take on a regime that has ruled for decades. The latest on that
is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: A crowd of supporters cheered on Uganda's singer turned opposition leader Bobi Wine as he voted a few hours ago. Wine is one of 10
challengers to President Yoweri Museveni seen here casting his ballot. Mr. Museveni has ruled Uganda with an iron grip since 1986 and he is seeking
his sixth term.
Voters have not had an easy time of it. It has to be said the government ordered a complete internet shutdown which triggered delays at some polling
stations. There's also been massive security. This follows a tense campaign marked by violence.
I'm afraid it's been a campaign rife with violence and some deaths in the popular Bobi Wine has reported his security staff have been harassed and
detained. CNN's David McKenzie live for us now in Johannesburg. Bobi Wine, one of the most popular candidates opposing Museveni. He had this to say
earlier today, David.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBI WINE, UGANDAN POLITICIAN: Two days ago, social media was switched off, but yesterday the entire internet blacked out. This is one of the many
efforts that General Museveni is doing to make sure that we vote in the dark to make sure that Uganda is kept in the dark that the world is kept in
the dark about Uganda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: David, what is the story inside Uganda? What are voters telling you?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly voters have come out in long lines across the country, Becky. That is a good sign. But the bad
signs that you've seen is what Bobi Wine there, one of the more popular opposition candidates said is that just for the last few days, he first had
social media cut off.
Then, according to major communications company, the government ordered the internet shut off. One of the major issues during voting today was that the
biometric system appeared to not work and at least a number of voting stations because of that internet shutdown.
Now in just recent hours after the polling closed, Bobi Wine and other opposition candidates complaining that they aren't able to get their
observers from their party at the polling stations, that they've been harassed. For their part, the government saying they've only arrested
people who are causing trouble.
But there's a general sense with the international observers that this election has serious issues. But that didn't stop voters from
enthusiastically casting their ballots. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be here until we vote as long as 4:00 pm it finds us in the line. We have to vote because wanting this situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My vote just put in. I expect it to count very much on my future as an individual and as you see me, we are - the change - we are
looking forward for the change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Well, that's something that I've heard from many Ugandans over the past few months, wanting change, Becky. But there is some skepticism
that Museveni would relinquish power given that he is already shares constitution through parliament twice. Once to extent age limits and other
to extend term limits that he would go from power given that he sees himself as the rightful ruler of Uganda.
ANDERSON: Well, this is what he said to our colleague Christiane Amanpour. Have a listen.
[11:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you should lose a fair election, will you accept the results?
YOWERI MUSEVENI, UGANDAN PRESIDENT: If I lost a fair election, I would accept the results, of course, because Uganda is not my house. I'll go to
my house and do my own thing if Uganda don't want me to help them with their issues. I go and deal my personal issues very happily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We've heard from the man himself. Is that the reality, do you think?
MCKENZIE: Well, I think it's important not to speculate at this point, but what we can look at is the track record. And the lead up to this vote,
Becky, you saw leading opposition candidates arrested repeatedly sometimes under the guise of COVID-19 regulations.
The most serious incident happened in November when Bobi Wine was arrested. He's extremely popular in urban areas particularly Kampala and that set off
a crackdown that had more than 50 people killed. So it's a very tense time potentially in the next few days as they count the ballots and start
announcing the results in Uganda.
I haven't spoken to a single analyst or close observer of the country who believes effectively what the president told CNN there. And yet we will
need to have - we'll have to wait and see how these results bear out?
But there are serious questions already about the credibility of these elections and certainly East Africa and the region is watching very
closely. Becky?
ANDERSON: David McKenzie on the story for you. That's it from us. Wherever you are watching in the world, do stay safe, stay well a very good evening
from Abu Dhabi.
END
