Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
House Managers Read Charges In Donald Trump's Second Impeachment; Pentagon Weighs Troop Deployment To Accelerate Vaccinations; Dominion Sues Giuliani For $1.3 Billion Over Election Fraud Claims. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired January 26, 2021 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:32:00]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. Good morning. It's just about 32 minutes past the hour this Tuesday morning.
And for just the fourth time in history and the second time in two years, an impeachment trial will begin in the U.S. Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Donald John Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The House impeachment managers, you can see there, literally walked through the scene of the crime to deliver the sole article to the Senate. More Republican senators are arguing it's just not constitutional to impeach Trump now that he's out of the White House, but impeachment managers say the timing doesn't matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): You think about someone who is going to attack the peaceful transition of power and try to hold onto power despite the will of the American people, that's going to happen at the end of their term, not at the beginning.
So it presents a very dangerous precedent if we were to say look, a president or a vice president gets a constitutional freebie. You know, you get one free thing -- just do it near the end so it will be late in your term. That stuff would be very, very dangerous to our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Targets of the Capitol insurrection, members of the U.S. Senate, will be sworn in as jurors today.
Images of the insurrection and Trump's role speak for themselves but some prominent Trump allies, including a possible 2024 candidate, are pushing to move on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY (R), FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: They beat him up before he got into office. They're beating him up after he leaves office. I mean, at some point -- I mean, give the man a break.
I mean, move on. If you truly are about moving on, move on. The idea that they're going to impeachment, that's not going to bring our country together. That's only dividing our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Beating up. Remember, it was law enforcement who were beat up on that scene. A police officer was killed because a mob stormed the Capitol over the president's incitement and lies. That's what makes it difficult to move on, as Haley says.
Donald Trump has two weeks to get his legal case in order. The trial begins February ninth. It's not clear how long it could take or whether witnesses will be called. Remember, lawmakers could be among the witnesses.
JARRETT: President Biden also weighing in on impeachment now with his most direct comments so far, telling CNN's Kaitlan Collins the Senate trial has to happen even if it means holding up his legislative agenda and his cabinet nominees. The president told Kaitlan there would be quote "a worse effect" if it didn't happen.
ROMANS: All right.
The Defense Department could deploy thousands of U.S. troops to accelerate the country's vaccination effort. A plan could be made public by the end of the week -- nothing is final. And now, President Biden raising the bar for his team to ramp up vaccinations.
Phil Mattingly has more from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, this White House has made no secret of its primary focus. It is the coronavirus pandemic and what comes from that pandemic, whether it's on the public health side or the economy side. And President Biden, in his first time taking questions at a press conference on Monday, tried to address all of those issues.
[05:35:05]
The most pressing by far that the administration is trying to get its arms around at the moment is the issue of vaccinations. Whether there's an infrastructure in place. How much supply is actually available at this point in time?
And Biden saying he believes they will stay on track to have 100 million vaccinations in 100 days -- about a million vaccinations a day -- with Biden actually saying he believed that could tick up to about 1.5 million vaccinations a day and open the door to the possibility that everybody who wants to get vaccinated may get vaccinated by spring. But again, the infrastructure there is crucial.
Another thing that's crucial, his topnotch legislative proposal -- the cornerstone of the opening days of the administration. A $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal, which has basically been faced by Republicans with some mix of cool to ice-cold up to this point. But Biden making clear he wants to negotiate. Where those negotiations are going -- well, he wants to wait and see.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No one wants to give up on their position until there's no other alternative. They'd have to make a decision that they don't do what -- they don't support what is being proposed or they insist on what they have, or they let it all go away and fall down.
I think we're far from that point right now. I don't expect we'll know whether we have an agreement and to what extent the entire package will be able to pass or not pass until we get right down to the very end of this process, which will be probably in a couple of weeks.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Now guys, the president's position on this is really central to what's going to happen going forward. Democrats in both the House and the Senate have already started to itch to move forward on their own on a partisan basis using a budget procedure that wouldn't take any Republican support at all.
But Biden has made clear he campaigned on bipartisanship. He believes he's a dealmaker. He said he's done it in the past as vice president and he did it as a senator for more than 36 years and wants to give an opportunity for Republican senators to come along over the course of the next couple of days.
Now, there's no question about it. Republicans are blanching at the idea of a $1.9 trillion topline but President Biden has made clear he's willing to negotiate on that front as well. Where those negotiations go -- well, that's an open question. Democrats, again -- they're making ready to go on their own. Biden, for right now, keeping the door open to some type of bipartisan resolution -- guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Phil Mattingly, thanks so much.
Breaking overnight, a large and extremely dangerous tornado ripping through parts of Alabama. The Birmingham suburbs of Fultondale and Center Point hit especially hard. Some people are hospitalized with serious injuries. Search and rescue teams combing through the debris now.
A church had part of its roof torn off -- look at that. A hotel in the city was heavily damaged.
A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of Alabama and Georgia. More on all of this throughout the day on CNN.
ROMANS: All right, now to coronavirus.
Outdoor dining and hair salons in California can reopen after health officials lifted the regional stay-at-home order. The governor sees a real light at the end of the tunnel, his words, but there's still a long way to go.
CNN covering this pandemic coast-to-coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Stephanie Elam in Los Angeles.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is lifting the stay-at-home order that affected about 90 percent of the state's population. This as he and his health officials pointed to improving ICU bed capacity. And they're saying four weeks from now that the capacity should be about 50 percent in all regions of the state.
Now, the state will go back to its four-tier, color-coded system. And for now, Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Bay Area -- many of those counties will be in the most restrictive tiers.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST (on camera): I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York.
Public health officials in Las Vegas are sounding the alarm over a growing mental health crisis among its student body with deaths by suicide doubling since the pandemic began in the Clark County school district, the fifth-largest in the country. Nineteen students have died by suicide since remote learning began last March compared with nine deaths from the prior year.
In addition, an early warning system put into place to help monitor student mental health episodes has sent more than 3,100 alerts to officials. District psychologists have noted the challenge in reaching students off-campus to provide counseling.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined close contact as being within six feet or two meters of someone with COVID- 19 for a total of 15 minutes or more.
But a new study that comes out of the NFL and has been published in a CDC publication, raises some questions about that. They looked at an outbreak in one team with 21 players, and seven of them -- a third of those 21, they hadn't spent 15 minutes with the person who was originally sick.
So more research needs to be done. How long do you need to be near someone in order to catch COVID-19?
[05:40:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Erica Hill in New York City where the mayor says they could administer half a million doses a week if they just had enough supply.
Citi Field, behind me, was slated to open as a mass vaccination site on Monday but that's now on hold while the city waits for those vaccines. They say ultimately, Citi Field could inoculate as many as 7,000 people a day. Right now, again, waiting on that vaccine. The mayor says 107,000 additional doses are expected this week but that's still not enough to meet the demand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: All right, thanks to all of our correspondents for those updates.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical giant Merck dropping out of the vaccine race. The company says the immune responses to its COVID-19 vaccine candidates were quote "inferior." Merck intends to concentrate now on developing treatments for those battling the virus.
Experts believe the company's departure from vaccine development will have little impact and they say it actually proves that all of the rigorous safety protocols are working.
ROMANS: All right. It wasn't easy but stocks trudged higher. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit record highs. The Dow fell more than 400 points during the day before bouncing back.
Investors have an awful lot on their minds. Concerns it may take time to pass more critical aid for struggling Americans. President Biden's $1.9 trillion American rescue plan facing criticism from lawmakers, some who are now suddenly concerned again about the deficit.
On the science front, Merck's decision to pull that vaccine development and AstraZeneca warning its vaccine deliveries to the E.U. would lag projections are a problem.
And a big week for company earnings. Starbucks, Verizon, and Microsoft report results today. Apple, Tesla, and Facebook on Wednesday. Big tech, of course, has benefited from millions of people staying at home.
But gains on Wall Street don't mean gains on Main Street. Billionaires have already recovered their losses. But as you know, there are 15 million people in America getting some sort of jobless check. We have lines at food banks.
JARRETT: Yes.
ROMANS: And quite frankly, hunger is a serious, serious problem -- something the president has tried to address with executive orders this week. JARRETT: All right. Well, the GOP that rails on so-called cancel culture basically canceling itself. Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman will not run for reelection after his term ends in 2022. Portman cites partisan gridlock as a factor.
He says here, "We live in an increasingly polarized country where members of both parties are being pushed further to the right and further to the left, and that means too few people who are actively looking to find common ground."
ROMANS: You know, it's part of the broader question about the future of the GOP.
Trump ally Congressman Matt Gaetz is going to Wyoming to speak out against its congresswoman, Liz Cheney -- of course, who voted for impeachment.
The Arizona Republican Party reelected a pro-Trump chairwoman and censured the governor, former Sen. Jeff Flake, and Sen. John McCain's widow, Cindy. As you can see, none of them seemed to mind the criticism on Inauguration Day.
Worth noting, almost half of the Republicans in Congress when former President Trump took office have either retired, resigned, or been defeated.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:47:17]
JARRETT: After an election season full of disinformation and outright lies, voting machine maker Dominion is taking former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to court and not ruling out coming for the former president next. Dominion filed a defamation suit against Giuliani for $1.3 billion. The company's best evidence, Giuliani's own words.
Tom Foreman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUDY GIULIANI, TRUMP PERSONAL ATTORNEY: This Dominion company is a radical left company. One of the people there is a big supporter of Antifa.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Dominion Voting Systems, the case against Rudy Giuliani comes from his own mouth.
GIULIANI: The company counting our vote -- with control over our vote is owned by two Venezuelans who are allies of Chavez.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Through dozens of falsehoods on television, radio, and the Internet --
GIULIANI: It is not made up. FOREMAN (voice-over): -- the lawsuit says former president Donald Trump's lawyer knowingly pushed blatant lies about the company.
GIULIANI: One of the experts that has examined these crooked Dominion machines has absolutely what he believes is conclusive proof that in the last 10 percent, 15 percent of the vote counted, the votes were deliberately changed.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Dominion's $1.3 billion lawsuit against Giuliani follows a similar suit against attorney Sidney Powell, who also promoted Trump's false claim the vote was rigged.
THOMAS CLARE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS: People believed this lie. People believed these statements that were made by Giuliani and they were motivated to take action in the real world.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Dominion says the deception spurred deep mistrust of the voting system, could cost the company a fortune, and triggered threats against its employees.
Giuliani says the massive suit is "Quite obviously, intended to frighten people of faint heart. It is another act of intimidation by the hate-filled left wing to wipe out and censor the exercise of free speech."
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dominion -- nobody even knows who owns it. These machines are controlling our country. So it was a rigged election. It was a -- it was really a sham and a shame.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Still, Trump and his supporters enjoyed a great deal of free speech when they were trashing Dominion -- again, without a shred of proof to back their false claims.
MIKE LINDELL, CEO, MY PILLOW: The biggest fraud is the Dominion machines.
FOREMAN (voice-over): So, Dominion attorneys say they are looking hard at Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Rush Limbaugh, "The Epoch Times," and more as the company contemplates its next legal moves.
FOREMAN (on camera): What's more, Dominion is hoping to learn through the process of legal discovery whether these attacks on the company were coordinated at higher levels. And if so, that could open up more targets for lawsuits and potentially make all that free speech a lot more costly -- Christine, Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:50:13]
ROMANS: All right, Tom Foreman. Thanks for that.
You saw the My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell in that report there. Well, the hits keep coming for him. His Twitter account was suspended last night.
The Trump loyalist has been in the headlines lately for making those unproven claims of election fraud. Amid those false claims, Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's pulled My Pillow products from their stores.
JARRETT: Twitter's latest tool to combat misinformation, all of you. After years of criticism over its failure to police all the nonsense on its platform, Twitter is launching a pilot project called Birdwatch.
Registered users will be able to create notes for a given tweet. At first, they'll exist on a separate part of Twitter's site but notes may eventually be shown directly on tweets. No word if that could lead to a tweet's removal or other consequences.
ROMANS: All right, to Portland now where police are trying to determine a motive after a driver mowed down a group of pedestrians over more than a dozen blocks. One person was killed, five others are hospitalized. Police say after the SUV crashed, witnesses corralled the driver as he tried to flee.
JARRETT: Disney's Jungle Cruise getting an overhaul at its theme parks in the U.S. The ride has long been criticized for its depiction of indigenous people as wild, primitive, and threatening. It's the latest Disney park attraction to be singled out in recent years for racially insensitive -- really, tone-deaf content.
A movie based on the Jungle Cruise ride is scheduled to be released later this year.
ROMANS: Wall Street power broker Leon Black is stepping down as CEO of the giant investment firm Apollo Global Management. Black has been under pressure -- intense pressure for more than a year because of his personal and philanthropic relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. And that relationship continued even after Epstein pleaded guilty to felony prostitution with a minor.
Black will retire as CEO on July 31st but will continue to chair Apollo's Board of Directors.
JARRETT: The Biden administration is exploring ways to speed up the release of 20-dollar bills featuring abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The move was initiated by President Obama but the Trump administration scrapped the plans. The Treasury Department says the Tubman 20 will need to be produced in a new high-speed printing facility, which is currently scheduled to begin production in 2025.
ROMANS: All right. Taking a look at markets around the world this Tuesday morning, you can see losses in Asia, but European shares have opened higher and are holding with some gains here. On Wall Street, futures also leaning a little bit lower here, but that's not a big move so far for the day.
It was a volatile day for stocks Monday with the Dow falling more than 400 points before bouncing back. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit record highs. Investors have a lot to consider here. A big week for corporate earnings. Janet Yellen will be sworn in as Treasury secretary later today. One of her focuses here, getting stimulus into the hands of Americans who need it right now.
Why would the CEO of AMC Theaters be optimistic right now? The theater chain's outlook recently changed. AMC said Monday it had raised $917 million since mid-December, adding the funds would be enough to make it through the dark coronavirus-impacted winter.
AMC's CEO Adam Aron said the money and more vaccines will help the chain make it through the rest of 2021 when moviegoing is expected to pick up in the second half of the year even as streaming services dominate the entertainment industry.
The Clydesdales in the stable. You won't see the famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses during this year's Super Bowl. For the first time in nearly four decades, the beer company is skipping the big game. Instead, Budweiser using the money to support coronavirus vaccine awareness with donations and future ad campaigns.
You know, Budweiser isn't the only big name skipping the Super Bowl. Drink rivals Coca-Cola and Pepsi both said they won't be buying ads during the game. Hyundai is also breaking its Super Bowl streak.
You know, these brands are shifting their priorities as the country is still dealing with the pandemic. A real change here.
JARRETT: Sen. Bernie Sanders has gone from meme to Muppet. This image of the Vermont senator at President Biden's inauguration lit up social media last week, so much so Tobey King of Redmond, Washington was inspired to crochet this doll -- it looks pretty good, right -- and auction it off on eBay.
Well, as of this morning, it's drawn more than 150 bids, going up to $16,000. King says 100 percent of the proceeds will go to one of Sanders' favorite charities --
ROMANS: Yes.
JARRETT: -- Meals on Wheels.
I am sure the senator is tired of all the memes. But I have got to say it was one of the lighter moments from last week and at least this is going to a good cause.
[05:55:05]
ROMANS: I do think he is proud of the fact that they are raising money for Meals on Wheels on this --
JARRETT: Well, and the gloves are selling out, right?
ROMANS: It's great.
JARRETT: So, small business out there, too. ROMANS: Oh, all right.
Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RASKIN: Donald John Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's trying to assemble a legal team. It hasn't been an easy process.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The entire American people -- we all saw what Trump did.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden said he'd used this impeachment trial as something that quote "has to happen."
BIDEN: I think we may be able to get that to 1.5 million.
