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Heavy Security at U.S. Capitol Ahead of Biden's Inauguration; FBI: More than 100 Arrested, 200+ Suspects Identified; U.S. Senate Republicans Split Over Convicting Trump; Trump Faces Trial in U.S. Senate Over Deadly Capitol Riot; Police Officers Describe How Mob Attack Unfolded; Biden Unveils Massive Plan for Vaccinations, Economic Help; Deaths Soar as U.S. States Struggle to Vaccinate More People. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 15, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Straight ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Washington, D.C., is on high alert ahead of inauguration day and experts say the security concerns extend well beyond the U.S. Capitol. This as President Trump enters his final few days at the White House facing a Senate trial after his second impeachment.

And President-elect Joe Biden unveils his COVID stimulus plan which aims to get more government help into the hands of Americans.

On Wednesday Joe Biden will be sworn in as U.S. president amid some of the toughest security seen in Washington in many years. No spectators will be allowed on the National Mall, as is normally the case. More than 20,000 armed National Guard along with other law enforcement agencies aiming to prevent another potential assault on the Capitol. Barricades and roadblocks now cut off the buildings in all directions. The FBI says it has identified some 200 people who took part in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th. More than 100 have been arrested so far and more are coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We know who you are if you are out there, and FBI agents are coming to find you. Anybody who plots and attempts violence in the coming weeks should count on a visit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's not just Washington that's on high alert. All 50 state capitals are bracing for possible armed protests next Wednesday. At least 20 states have called in the National Guard to beef up their security.

Federal prosecutors have identified another high profile suspect in last week's attack. The man seen beating a police officer with a flagpole is now charged with civil disorder. He told a reporter from the "Telegraph" newspaper. Death is the remedy that Capitol law enforcement officers get. More on the investigation now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.

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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day, bringing new arrests of the Capitol insurrectionists. Today, Kevin Seefried, seen last Wednesday roaming the halls with the large confederate flag, was taken into custody in Delaware, along with his son, Hunter Seefried. They have been charged with three federal counts, including violent entry and disorderly conduct.

The nationwide manhunt also leading to the arrest of retired Pennsylvania firefighter Robert Sanford, allegedly seen in this video, throwing a fire extinguisher that struck a Capitol police officer in the head.

Also facing charges is the man wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt, Robert Packer, who is tracked down and arrested Wednesday in Virginia.

The FBI says it has gotten more than 100,000 digital tips from the public. As the investigation expands, there are more clues of planning and coordination of the insurrection, rather than just being the result of a gathering that grew into an angry mob.

In this new video, you can hear rioters talking about the layout of where they are in the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're going to take this building.

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): It was planned in the wide open. Looking back in the weeks and months leading up to January 6th, people were very clearly online in open platforms, saying that they were going to assault the Capitol and conduct an insurrection.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Congressman Jason Crow and his Democrat colleague Mikie Sherrill have accused other members of Congress of allegedly giving tours to rioters the day before the attack. Sherrill calling them reconnaissance missions.

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): I am going to see that they are held accountable. And if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Fears over renewed attacks in Washington D.C. have turned the Capitol building into a fortress, surrounded by eight- foot fencing and defended by thousands of armed National Guard troops, some of the 20,000 expected to be mobilized for the inauguration.

CHIEF ROBERT CONTEE, WASHINGTON, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: We are not asking people to come to D.C. for this. This is a major security threat, and we are working to mitigate those threats.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): The FBI fears that domestic extremists may have been emboldened by the January 6th insurrection to carry out more attacks before and during Joe Biden's inauguration. It comes as the FBI has warned a potential armed protest in all 50 states, plus D.C. An official tells CNN that the online chatter, quote, is off the charts.

[04:05:00]

In Michigan, where a plot to kidnap the governor was disrupted last year, this militia leader says his group will be at the state capital this weekend, and armed.

MICHAEL LACKOMAR, SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER MILITIA: I would expect thousands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

LACKOMAR: It's going to be a good turnout, especially if this impeachment push continues the way it seems to be going.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): The Michigan attorney general telling CNN, she is worried about so many people with guns.

DANA NESSEL, MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: Honestly, I am apoplectic about the situation because I am so gravely concerned.

MARQUARDT: As fears grow here in Washington D.C. for more potential violence around the inauguration, so too does the security. More fencing is going up, including around the National Mall, where the inauguration takes place.

I'm told by an official familiar with the discussions about the security around the inauguration that the general public will not be allowed into the traditional observation areas on the mall, on to the grass, where thousands would normally gather to watch the inauguration.

But we are still waiting for the final details of the closures here in Washington from the National Park Service and the U.S. Secret Service.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The deadly insurrection that President Trump incited was a bridge too far for at least some Republicans. And after four turbulent years in office a conviction in the U.S. Senate could purge him from the Republican Party once and for all. It may have come down to what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decides to do. CNN's Manu Raju explains.

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MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a growing recognition within the Senate Republican conference that the president committed impeachable offenses. Now that is according to multiple Republican sources. Also the sources say it is still uncertain whether there would be 17 Republicans who would break ranks and vote to convict.

We expect 50 or close to 50 if not all 50 Democrats voting to convict this president. We'll have to see how this trial plays out but assuming all 50 do, they do need those 17 Republicans to ensure Donald Trump can no longer hold a public office. Now Republicans are split into various camps.

There are some who believe it's not constitutional to go down the ground of trying the former president. There are others who believe that the president being impeached was a divisive action taken by Democrats and should not be replicated in United States Senate by moving forward the conviction of the Republican president, soon to be former president.

And then there are some who believe the president's actions in inciting that deadly mob that came to Capitol Hill led to the deaths of five people during that riot last week. They're saying that his actions just simply went too far and that they are open to the idea of possibly convicting Donald Trump.

All eyes will be on Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader who holds incredible sway. He is truly undecided I'm told from multiple sources. Other Republicans also are undecided.

So ultimately could be up to how the impeachment managers make their case and how the Republicans feel about making Donald Trump one term president, never to run again come potentially into January, late into January or February as his trial drags out in the beginning of the Biden presidency.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We're hearing that U.S. president Donald Trump is shutting down any talk of resigning as former President Richard Nixon did in 1974. Mr. Trump also apparently told an adviser that he couldn't count on Vice President Mike Pence to issue him a pardon like the one Nixon received. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is following this and the upcoming impeachment trial from the White House.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well as questions remain about Republicans and whether or not they will vote to convict President Trump when he does ultimately face a Senate trial, which we are now not expecting to happen until he is out of office based on what the Senate majority leader said, we're witnessing the White House kind of in disarray.

You know, witnessing the president having this last full week in office is looking like nothing they thought it would. Because instead of, you know, having the pomp and circumstance of a president leaving office, a gracious president, instead they are dealing with legal warnings, forced videos on the president's behalf and of course, this upcoming impeachment trial and they now must decide who it is that's going to represent the president in that. Which we are told by sources it's far from determined.

And one of the conversations that has happened recently, which we should note, was done pretty casually and was dismissed almost out of hand was about the president wasn't resigning. We're told the president said absolutely not. And he has told aides not to bring up former President Richard Nixon. Who of course resigned before he could be impeached and potentially removed by the Senate. And the president -- don't bring up Richard Nixon around me. He has actually gone off on some people have brought up Richard Nixon in any context.

And so that really does gives you an insight into what the president is thinking right now as he is going through his last few days of his time in office. Which is you're seeing the realities of that happen around the White House, with people packing up, taking picture frames, cleaning out their desk from the White House.

[04:10:00]

And the vice president kind of on this farewell tour where he will attend briefings on the FEMA headquarters on inauguration security, doing things that you would typically you would a president doing on his way out of office. But instead lately the president has mainly remained behind closed doors.

Kaitlin Collins, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Earlier I spoke about CNN's senior political analyst Ryan Lizza about the upcoming Senate trial and how that might impact the early days of the Biden administration. Take a listen.

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RYAN LIZZA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Biden was not -- he was not enthusiastic about impeachment. He was not out there, publicly talking about it and pushing for it. He was not signaling great enthusiasm for it. And for exactly this reason, he does want a fresh start. Of course, he wants the Trump era to be behind him, but Trump has inserted himself into the first few weeks, or you know, at least the first week of the Biden administration by his actions leading up to January 6th, and on January 6th and on January 6th.

And whether it's fair, or not, the impeachment and the trial will push a lot of Republicans into the position of, well, we are not going to cooperate with this new president because the Democrats are still fighting the last war. You know, they're putting the last president on trial. They are the ones that are slowing down the nomination process that are gumming up the works of the Biden's first 100 day agenda. And it's the Democrats fault.

Again, I'll tell you what the Republican argument would be here, that he can't get his cabinet in place, and get his agenda off the ground.

The Constitution is pretty clear about once a Senate trial for impeachment starts, it has to go to the finish line. So, it will take up an enormous amount of oxygen in the United States Senate. On the other hand it doesn't necessarily have to be all that long. The facts of this impeachment are pretty well-known. I think the president's defense is pretty clear. And so, I don't think we are necessarily looking at a -- you know, this isn't going to be like a multi week trial or at least it doesn't have to be.

BRUNHUBER: I have to ask you the million dollar question, and how many Republican Senators do you expect will actually vote in favor of conviction this time.

LIZZA: You know, in the House, I think a lot of the numbers were exaggerated, you know, those estimates were 10 to 20, and of course it ended up being 10.

BRUNHUBER: Right.

LIZZA: The Senate is different, you have Mitch McConnell, who is still widely respected among Republicans. Signaling, at least privately, we haven't had seen public comments from him yet, but there have been leaks from his office, suggesting that he is more enthusiastic about impeachment, or he have some sympathy for it.

There are a lot of Republicans who want to make Trump not an influence in their lives anymore. And one way to do that is to ensure that he can't run for reelection. And so some of them will be tempted to make that happen. Whether you get to 66 votes to convict in the Senate, boy, that's tough to see given the Republicans relationship with Trump over the last few years. But I would expect, we would see at least, you know, in the range, of a half dozen Republicans joining all Democrats, if this makes it, you know, to a full Senate trial to a vote -- an up and down vote on conviction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): Well we're hearing more first-hand accounts from officers on just how violent last week's riot was. DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone spoke with CNN. You can see him here in this video fighting against that mob that surrounded him. Here's how he describes what he was up against.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: I was just, you know, trying to fight as best I could. I remember like guys were stripping me of my gear. These were rioters pulling my badge off my chest. They ripped my radio off my vest. Started pulling like ammunition magazines from their holder on my belt. And then some guy started getting ahold of my gun and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun. At that point, you know, it was just like, self-preservation. You know, how do I survive this situation?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We've also heard from Daniel Hodges. With just a warning the next video we're about to show you is graphic. [04:15:00]

Hodges is the officer in that awful video you may have seen that we're showing you here. He's being crushed in a doorway. Here's what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HODGES, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: A guy ripping my mask off and he was able to rip away my baton and beat me with it. And he was practically foaming at the mouth. So just these people were true believers in the worst way. Just the absolute zealotry of these people. They 100 percent believed what they were doing was right, and that they were the patriots, and that no one would get in their way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. has come under fire for how slowly vaccines have been rolling out. We'll show you how soon to be President Joe Biden is planning to change that. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: President-elect Joe Biden has announced a nearly $2 trillion plan to try to end the health and economic crisis he's about to inherit. The plan includes $1,400 stimulus checks for most people, help for families and small businesses as well as a national vaccination program.

[04:20:00]

The president-elect gave the following reasons for supporting this ambitious package.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: We will come back. We'll come back together. We didn't get into all of this overnight. We won't get out of it overnight, and we can't do it as a separated and divided nation. The only way we can do it is to come together, to come together as fellow Americans, as neighbors, as the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: For more analysis on this, let's bring in CNN's John Defterios who joins us now live from Dubai. John, a massive price tag, even bigger than the 2009 stimulus. Biden said that it does not come cheaply but failure to do so will cost us dearly. So let's look at where are we economically. Things seem to be backsliding. New unemployment claims increased 25 percent from the previous week. So how dire is the situation expected to get in the coming weeks and months and then how long will it take these measures assuming of course that they pass to jolt the economy back to life?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, you can see the Biden strategy here and that sense of urgency. I thought it was interesting he wanted to make the announcement, Kim, before the inauguration. He is suggesting here that the $2 trillion is a lot of money, or near that and a 100 million vaccines in the first 100 days. It's almost a war-like footing. Right? And he wanted to speed it up as fast as possible. So this is the right message.

A couple of things that stood out for me also, emergency paid leave for 100 million Americans. The work force is only 160 million. So it gives you the sense how he sees the threat here and second wave and the variance that we've seen in the different parts of the world. $50 billion for small business, and the families that are suffering the most. This had a rapid endorsement by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which I thought was fascinating because they are usually kind of leaning to the right as an organization.

They say they look forward to working with the Biden administration, Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary, who was just relieved not to be dealing with an erratic outgoing president especially over the last few months.

And that's the view in the markets. If we take a look at U.S. futures, they're trading down slightly. But this is kind of sell on the news. We had a three percent rally on from the S&P 500.

European markets are trading down about a third to a half a percent. So it's no alarm. I think the safest way to put this, is they want to see a smooth transition on January 20th. Investors have dealt with a lot, Kim. Year to date it's only 15 days. So they don't want any real surprises or violence on January 20th.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, not just investors but the rest of us here as well. John Defterios in Dubai. Thank you very much, appreciate it.

And of course, be sure to stay with CNN as we prepare for the new administration. Inauguration of course is five days away.

The president-elect's plan couldn't come soon enough. Thursday was the tenth day in a row where new daily cases in the U.S. were above 200,000. More than 3,000 lives were lost the same day and it could get even worse. A new CDC forecast projects that more than 90,000 Americans could die of COVID-19 in the next three weeks. And when it comes to vaccines, official data shows that more than 11 million Americans have gotten their first shot. More than 1.3 million of them have even gotten their second dose and will significantly less likely to get sick. But many more Americans could have been by now. The challenge for many states is actually getting those shots into arm as CNN's Nick Watt explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The home of the Houston Texans opens -- well, a parking lot, it's a mass vaccination site. Roughly 13,000 slots through Sunday, every one already filled. Meanwhile, some rural hospitals in Texas say they still haven't yet received a single dose of vaccine. In New Jersey, even the elderly face a long wait, up to eight weeks. GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): The biggest reason is we don't have the supplies from the feds that we need, or that they had indicated we'd have.

WATT (voice-over): In Mississippi, only CVS and Walgreens are allowed to give the shots, in long term care facilities Walgreens just doesn't have the manpower.

ROY ARMSTRONG, REGIONAL HEALTHCARE DIRECTOR, WALGREENS: We had staffing challenges in Mississippi before COVID vaccine was ever available.

WATT (voice-over): Those vaccines currently available require a double dose. Johnson and Johnson single dose offering appears safe and effective in early trials. They could apply for emergency authorization around the end of the month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having a single dose vaccine will be a game- changer.

WATT (voice-over): Meantime, here's the reality. By New Year, we were told 20 million shots in arms, two weeks later, still just over half that.

[04:25:00]

And since New Year more than three million new confirmed COVID cases across the country, we're averaging well over 3,000 deaths a day.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Until we see hospitalizations drop, and until we start to see a sustained drop in daily cases, we're going to see this terrible toll.

WATT: Here in California, there have never been fewer ICU beds available. About 1,000 in a state of about 40 million. Here in Los Angeles, county officials say that they believe one in three Angelino's have already been infected. Ironically, that might now help slow the spread because so many people have already had it.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, as we heard, the COVID vaccine rollout has been inconsistent in U.S. states. For instance, West Virginia has either administered or assigned every vaccine dose it was given. But some places say they just don't have enough. So earlier I spoke to Dr. Scott Miscovich, a national consultant for COVID-19 testing and I asked him why some states have been more successful than others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MISCOVICH, NATIONAL CONSULTANT FOR COVID-19 TESTING: They knew that they knew their states better than the federal government. And so, they used local resources to plan and went into the small communities. They all chose to opt out of the large pharmacy networks that did not get the contract in those states to provide the vaccines to the long-term care homes. They took it into the communities, into the providers, into the small pharmacies, and that's one of the main reasons they were successful.

Another is, they started planning way in advance in North Dakota, they planned well in advance. And they trained people well in advance to be prepared to give the vaccines.

BRUNHUBER: So, is all of that informing what you're doing now? Now normally when I'm speaking to you, you're in Hawaii, but right now you're in Arizona helping to support the vaccination efforts in the southern part of the state for some, what, 1.2 million people.

You know, Arizona's new case and death rate are ranked highest in the country, so you are in a race against time there. What are you planning to do differently there and what are your biggest challenges?

MISCOVICH: Well, we're working very cooperatively with the health departments here, and we really appreciate their energy which is looking at I think very similar things we are talking about with the successful model of the West Virginia and the Dakotas.

And going to those rural communities working with the local partnerships within the communities, you have to be part of that community. You don't just bring a massive force in of strangers. You have to integrate into those communities and find a way to reach those communities.

Because like seniors, you might reach very close to the Mexican border in a small town maybe be very different than the ones you might reach on a small affluent subdivision. So, it has to be customized, and that's what we're doing working with the leadership here on that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): And our thanks to Dr. Scott Miscovich for that.

The U.S. capitol on high alert ahead of Wednesday's presidential inauguration. Authorities fear armed supporters of President Trump may try to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. We'll have those details just ahead. Stay with us.

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