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Twenty People Facing Consequences for U.S. Capitol Attack; Trump and Fence Mending Fences; Democrats Determined to Impeach President Trump; Impeachment with Slim Chance to Pass Senate; Britain Ramping Up Vaccination Program; Germany Bracing for More Darker Days; Major U.S. Companies Pausing Political Donations; Social Media App Parler Deplatformed; Tech Giants May Fear Legal Trouble Over Any Future Plots; U.S. Names Cuba State Sponsor Of Terrorism; U.N. Slams U.S. Decision To Designate Houthi Rebels A Foreign Terrorist Organization; U.S. Tops 200,000 New Cases Every Day For A Week; U.S. CDC Says About One Third Of Distributed Doses Administered; Democrats Blames COVID Diagnosis On Lawmakers With No Masks; Prince Charles Looks Toward A Greener Future; Tokyo Native Readies For Olympic Debut. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 12, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, and the U.S. state capitols are on high alert over fears of more violence by Trump supporters. The warning from federal authorities.
Democrats formally introduced their resolution charging the U.S. president with inciting insurrection in their push to impeach him a second time.
And the U.K. is said to be entering the worst point of its pandemic as it races to vaccinate its citizens.
Good to have you with us.
Well in little more than 24 hours from now U.S. House Democrats are expected to vote to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time. The vote will come exactly one week after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A growing number of lawmakers accused the president of inciting the insurrection with his baseless claims about election fraud. And now the FBI says more attacks are possible putting the entire country on alert. The bureau says armed protests are being planned in all 50 state capitols and in Washington, D.C. in the lead up to President- elect Joe Biden's inauguration. The FBI warns there are calls to storm government buildings, threats
of uprising if Mr. Trump is removed and threats against Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As the threats force a nationwide security wrap up acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is resigning.
He's leaving amid criticism that police were woefully unprepared for Wednesday's deadly insurrection. Several capitol police officers have been suspended and up to 15 more are being investigated for roles they may have played in the riot.
CNN's Brian Todd has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A key focus now among federal and local law enforcement agencies preventing a repeat of Wednesday's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol. According to an FBI bulletin obtained by CNN, armed protests are being planned in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals this weekend through inauguration day. Officials monitoring online chatter in social media.
JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: They're obviously looking at open source things, and going through and following up on some of these chat rooms and some of these places where extremist tend to coalesce in the dark corners of the web.
TODD: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser concerned about more violent actors coming to Washington in the run up to the inauguration, is urging people not to come into the city on inauguration day.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D-WA): Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually and to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the capitol.
TODD: The Pentagon is bolstering the National Guard's presence in the nation's capital, with as many as 15,000 guardsmen to be deployed by inauguration day. Meanwhile, the dragnet for the perpetrators of Wednesday's siege intensifies.
At least 20 people have been rounded up across the country and face federal charges. Some are accused of bringing bombs and other weapons to Capitol Hill. Two men were arrested after photographs show them wearing a body armor and carrying plastic restraining ties inside the capitol.
One man is accused of writing in text messages that he wanted to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that he brought guns and ammunition. One analyst says law enforcement is using sophisticated tools to track down many more suspects.
GAGLIANO: All of these cell phone records, all of the electronic exhausted that's given off by our cellphones, you know, crossing bridges and are easy pass and license plate readers, and then matching that up with available online information, as well as conducting interviews of these people's friends in circles.
TODD: And new fallout over the breakdowns that led to the overrunning of the capitol. Now former Capitol Hill police chief Steven Sund who resigned last week tells CNN and the Washington Post, he was concerned about what's coming in the days before the siege. Some says he asked his boss, the House and Senate sergeants at arms for permission to request that National Guard beyond close standby.
[03:05:03]
Sund says they turned him down. Concerned about the optics. Sund said that the rioting was underway, he pleaded five more times for help, including to the Pentagon for National Guardsmen to be deployed.
Quote, "I needed boots on the ground, immediate assistance, helping to form police lines to help secure up the foundation of United States Capitol Building. They were more concerned with the optics."
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TODD (on camera): The army general who is on that call strongly deny Sund's claim, telling CNN he did discuss the need to get a plan approved and that a request for National Guard troops was quickly taken to the secretary of defense. We also reached to the House and Senate sergeants at arms for their response to Sund's allegations. They didn't get back to us.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: Mayor Bowser also asked the president for a pre-disaster declaration for Washington. The White House released a statement saying President Trump has approved that request. This unlocks more funding for the city's security efforts before, during and after the inauguration.
Meantime, President-elect Joe Biden received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. After the shot he told reporters the threats won't stop him from taking his oath of office on January 20th.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm not afraid of taking the oath outside, and we've been briefed, but I think it's critically important that there be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatened people's lives, defaced public property, caused great damage, that they be held accountable. And I think that's a view that is held by a vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the Congress.
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CHURCH (on camera): On the other hand, former U.S. cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs says he's very concerned about the threats. President Trump fired Krebs after he debunked false claims about the election last year. Krebs says the U.S. could be on the brink of catastrophe. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER KREBS, DIRECTOR, DHS CYBERSECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY: This is the equivalent of ignoring that pain in your chest for a couple weeks and all of a sudden you have a catastrophic heart attack. We are -- we are on the verge of what I feared to be a pretty significant breakdown in democracy, in civil society here.
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CHURCH (on camera): So, let's talk now with Javed Ali, Towsley policymaker in residence at the University of Michigan and former senior director for counter terrorism at the National Security Council.
Thank you so much for being with us.
JAVED ALI, TOWSLEY POLICYMAKER IN RESIDENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Thank you for having me, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, a disturbing an unprecedented FBI internal bulletin reveals that armed protests have planned for all 50 states and that the U.S. Capitol in the lead up to the inauguration. And there are threats against Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and threats of an uprising if President Trump is removed before January 20th.
What was your reaction to this? And what needs to be done to try to neutralize these threats?
ALI: Well certainly, very surprising to hear the FBI, my former employer, released a bulletin like that. But I don't think it was done with sort of any ill intent. I mean, it was clearly based on, or appears to be have been based on either specific information that suggests that there are threats in all 50 states or on the abundance of caution that even without that direct, specific, credible threat information that individuals, and leaders in literally every state across the country need to do more to get ready between now and the inauguration.
CHURCH: But how is that possible for the country to deal with that? I mean, if you're having these attacks in 50 different states at the capitol buildings, and we saw what happened last Wednesday in that instance. They were not able to control the mob, what happens if it's happening simultaneously in 50 different states?
ALI: Yes. I have a hard time believing that they've got that specific information suggesting that there are 50 plots all the coordinated to occur around the inauguration of every state. I think it is more on the abundance of caution. I haven't seen the bulletin so I can't speak to it directly.
But in terms of measures that can be done between now and then, clearly this is a warning -- a warning sign that security needs to be ramped up. Both with the activation of National Guard elements and there appears to be news that governors in many states have already made that decision to mobilize National Guard units. And then beefing up law enforcement security, and other homeland security resources as well.
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And developing a very secure layer of perimeter-based security so where, what happened last week at the capitol can't happen again. Because you've these rings of security around a very tightly guarded target. So hopefully that's going to be one of the pieces of this plan as it goes forward.
CHURCH: So, meantime, of course, two Capitol Hill police officers have been suspended. Many more are under investigation. And another individual has been arrested in the wake of last Wednesday's insurrection for directing rioters through the capitol building.
Do you worry that some insiders who enabled this riot still remain and pose a possible threat to the inauguration? And how difficult will it be to track them and other perpetrators down do you think?
ALI: Yes, this is one of the saddest parts about what happened last week. Because for those 15 folks, and potentially others as you mentioned, enabled rioters and this mob to overwhelm their force. I mean, this has serious consequences. It desecrated this iconic piece of the American, sort of national identity, physical destruction. And somebody was murdered. One of their fellow officers were murdered.
So, I can't even imagine what these 15, and potentially others, must feel. They're going to have to bear that cost for the rest of their life. And they are going to probably face legal consequences too. So, this is about as serious as it gets. And it is just, it is stunning to think that there were people in the capitol police who enabled it. It's shameful. There's really no other way -- words to describe it.
CHURCH: It is horrifying. And even though Joe Biden told reporters Monday that he's not worried about having his inauguration outdoors how wise is it to do that in light of these planned armed protests? Wouldn't it be smarter to hold the inauguration in a secure indoor location?
ALI: Yes, this is another one of these tough questions that I'm sure the Biden or soon to be Biden administration is thinking through. You know, what are the -- what are the -- what are the benefits of having an outdoor inauguration and demonstrating to the American public and to the world and our friends and allies that we are resilient, we're strong, we can withstand these kind of internal challenges and those potentially are probably all the pro the benefit side of the equation.
But on the risk side, which is I used to spent most of my career looking at the risks, the downside, sort of cost of these things, they are significant. And in light of what happened last week one would think that they are beefing up their plans even more. They are adding more layers of security, they are going to try to minimize the risk as best as they can.
And in this word of national security and counterterrorism, it's hard to eliminate -- eliminate it down to zero. But hopefully where the Biden team is thinking through the pros and cons of these decisions and what they need to do, again, to buy down that risk as much as they can.
CHURCH: We will all be watching very closely. Javed Ali, many thanks to you.
ALI: Thank you.
CHURCH: And we are getting another look into last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol. It shows officers desperately trying to hold back an arranged mob making every effort to enter the capital building.
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UNKNOWN: Get out.
UNKNOWN: OK! OK! OK! OK!
UNKNOWN: Guys, we need more back up. OK!
UNKNOWN: Hey!
UNKNOWN: Back off! Back off! Back off! Back off!
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CHURCH (on camera): A new White House just days away and a second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. We'll have the latest on moves by congressional Democrats.
And still to come, vaccinations in parts of Europe are starting to pick up pace just as the COVID crisis hits hardest. We are live in London and Paris.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
Well, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had met for the first time since the deadly riot at the capitol. Pence who was inside the building when it was attacked had gone days without speaking to his boss. But he agreed to meet at the White House on Monday.
A source says they had a good conversation and agreed to work together for the remainder of their term. Pence has been under pressure to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Mr. Trump from power.
Well the top U.S. House Republicans says the president bears some of the blame for Wednesday's riot. And he says Mr. Trump has actually accepted responsibility. According to a source, Kevin McCarthy also admits that the violence was not caused by the left-wing group antifa as some have suggested falsely. That is despite what many of his fellow Republicans have claimed he and other members of the party are now floating the idea of censuring President Trump for inciting the violence.
But House Democrats refuse to even consider the possibility of a censure. They are pushing ahead with that impeachment vote this Wednesday. They have already introduced a resolution charging Mr. Trump with incitement of insurrection.
And it reads in part, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the Democratic system, interfered with a peaceful transition of power and imperiled at coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
CNN's Ryan Nobles has details now from Washington.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tuesday will be a big day here on Capitol Hill. That's when Democrats will begin the process of impeaching President Trump for the second time. They'll start with a resolution giving Vice President Mike Pence 24 hours to invoke the 25th amendment which is unlikely that he will do. And then on Wednesday they'll take up the actual articles of impeachment.
And it is expected that they'll be able to pass it relatively quickly. They have the votes and it is likely that it will get through the Democratic-controlled House without much of an issue. The question is, what would become of those articles of impeachment once they are passed.
The current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not appear to be all that interested with moving forward with a trial prior to President trump leaving office on January 20th.
So, the question is what does Chuck Schumer with those articles of impeachment. He has suggested that he is willing to move forward with the trial almost right away. Even after President Trump is already out of office.
Now, there is some complications that could happen in terms of the beginning of the Biden administration and invoking his agenda. Schumer has said that they're going to have to try and do both, that means getting some of these nominations confirmed for the Biden cabinet, while at the same time conducting a trial.
Now the vice -- former vice president soon to be president said that he was concerned about how this process could interrupt his first 100 days in office, but he said that it is up to the Senate Democrats to decide how to handle that. But one thing we know for sure is that it does appear that the House Democrats will move forward with impeaching President Trump once again. He will be the first president in American history to be impeached twice in one term.
Ryan Nobles, CNN on Capitol Hill.
CHURCH: Joining me now is Kim Wehle, law professor at the University of Baltimore and former assistant U.S. attorney. Good to have you with us. KIM WEHLE, LAW PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: Good to be here,
Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, the Democrats moving ahead with the second impeachment of President Trump and they've set a date to vote on Wednesday. Where do you see this going, particularly in the Senate where Republicans say this is just too divisive?
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WEHLE: Well, in this moment it looks like we'll see again the Republicans sort of not step up to the plate and do what I think is the important thing to do for the Constitution itself and the rule of law. What happened this week was astonishing and deadly and corrosive, and destructive, but politics is intervening.
Unfortunately, the framer's vision for the impeachment clause to function as a serious check on the presidency isn't working anymore. But I still think Democrats can't sit idly by and just let this one pass as businesses usual.
CHURCH: And I did want to ask you this, because Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is exploring the use of an emergency Senate session for an impeachment trial before Trump leaves. How likely is it that that would work?
WEHLE: Well, you know, Mitch McConnell has said that there would need to be 100 percent unanimity from all senators to bring them back prior from this early session, you know, whether the two Democrats from the Senate, if they get certified and seated in time so that the majority goes to Chuck Schumer, still unclear that there would be sufficient votes to actually convict.
And there would need to be a conviction in order to not only remove Mr. Trump from office but to do the other thing that many people are talking about, that is to bar him from running in 2024, but you know, there are deal makers at the end of the day. So, who knows whether there could be some kind of an agreement that that would get some sort of accountability, maybe a censure or some other means of the Senate and the Congress as a whole saying, listen, it's not OK for the president to attack a coordinate branch of government.
It's just really frankly, as a constitutional scholar, Rosemary, astonishing in this moment that there isn't more bipartisan support for some kind of line.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, it is stunning. And of course, if there isn't a conviction and you simply emboldened President Trump who will then become Donald Trump citizen. But then if you censure him, it's just a slap on the wrist. That's nothing, it amounts to nothing. And of course, we know that Kevin McCarthy was trying for that. Nancy Pelosi shut that down.
WEHLE: Well, you know, I really think there are a number of issues here. One is really the safety of the American people from domestic terrorism between now and the 20th. And the question of whether Mr. Trump is a risk to continue in office and that seems to me to go beyond politics, beyond, sort of, theater, the message, even the Constitution and we don't know.
I don't think --- I don't think the Biden team probably even knows the extent to which Mr. Trump is a potential danger particularly given how close he is with Vladimir Putin for all these years. But then the second pieces of course accountability for Mr. Trump personally, he is not -- he is not insulated from state, you know, local charges out of D.C. In theory, during while he was sitting president and certainly after he leaves office.
So, accountability could happen. It's the third piece in the long run that I'm concerned about, which is where are the checks and balances for the Office of the Presidency. Have we left it in such shambles that a future would be despot -- could just pick up where Mr. Trump left off and do it more successfully, frankly, because if we had had Republicans in both the House and the Senate this round, or if we had a very narrow margin of victory for Mr. Biden, we would maybe not see the will of the people carry the day on January 20th. It's just very, very fragile.
CHURCH: So, what needs to be done about the enablers in the Senate? The like of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, should they be expelled and is the 14th amendment the right vehicle to do that. And what are the likes of Rudy Giuliani calling for trial by combat just minutes before the storming of the capitol?
WEHLE: You know, I do think the 14th amendment is there for a reason. It's a post-Civil War reform, but the idea is, you know, we don't want people in the United States Congress that aren't going to uphold the rule of law. Rudy Giuliani, I understand there is already a bar investigation being opened in the state of New York. He has potential criminal liability, but for a number of reasons.
But I think a last piece here that we haven't mentioned, Rosemary, is the fact that between now and January 20th we could see many more pardons including a self- pardon for Donald Trump. And that's where really our elected leaders in the Congress need to -- need to say enough is enough. We have to shore up some accountability for the Office of Presidency, or the Constitution just becomes a flimsy piece of paper that has no meaning and we are in real trouble, or our children and grandchildren are in real trouble in future generations.
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CHURCH: The ball is in the court of these Republicans. Let's see if they step up. Kim Wehle, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
WEHLE: Thank you.
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MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: So far, across the U.K. we have given 2.6 million doses to 2.3 million people. And we've protected more people through vaccinations than all other countries in Europe put together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Britain's health secretary there touting the country's mass vaccination rollout. And they need it. COVID-19 is running rampant with more than 32,000 people now hospitalized, that's up 22 percent from the same time last week. Tougher lockdown measures aren't being ruled out.
And in Germany, they are already here, schools will remain closed until the end of the month, while shops have to remain closed apart from grocery stores and drug stores. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the coming weeks will likely be the most difficult phase of the pandemic.
With us now our Salma Abdelaziz live in London, and Melissa Bell standing by in Paris. Good to see you both. Salma, let's start with you. What's the latest on the vaccination rollout, and of course soaring infections and hospitalizations across the U.K.?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Good morning, Rosemary. So, as you saw there are 2.3 million people vaccinated so far, but if you ask the officials here they want more people vaccinated. Their goal is to get 15 million people. This country's most vulnerable. Those who are over 70, those who are considered extremely clinically vulnerable. Frontline health care workers, all the nursing home or care home and residents.
It's a group of about 15 million people. Essentially the goal here is, Rosemary, to ramp up the number of vaccinations given per week to two million, two million vaccinations per week. It is a Herculean effort by the government's own standards. They're recruited 80,000 volunteers with medical training to give out these vaccinations.
The military is involved in operation, in logistics to get all of these different doses around the country. There is 1,000 sites in which you can be vaccinated at across the U.K. right now. And they have to throw everything at this, Rosemary, because as you said this country is facing unprecedented infection rates, unprecedented death tolls.
Temporary morgues are being used in some parts of the country, because the deaths are just piling up. It's absolutely gruesome, Rosemary. And again, a warning here as well, like the one we heard in Germany, that this country is now heading the worst point in the pandemic and that the toughest weeks, the most dangerous days are ahead of us. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. That is horrifying but smart to get the military involved in that vaccination process. That's probably what a lot of countries are going to need to consider. Many thanks to you, Salma. Melissa, turning to you now. What is the latest you have on COVID numbers in responses in Germany and in France?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just picking up what Salma was just saying there, Rosemary, the idea that the worst is to come in the next few days and weeks, that's something that was really reflected by Angela Merkel who spoke about the situation in Germany over the course of the weekend, who explained that things would get worse. Then that the darker days of the pandemic were head.
Really hinting at the fact that that Christmas and holiday period had yet to translate into the kind of surge and figures that many European countries are expecting. It's something that we've seen in a number of different countries figures getting slightly worse because of that, but also because of this new variant that is circulating now in so many continental countries as well.
And so, as a result, what you've seen is countries reinforcing their measures. Germany reinforcing it lockdown where those regions that have been hardest hit now have extra limits, extra restrictions on the movements of people.
For the time being, the French prime minister says that the curfew system that is in place here in France with a tightened curfew in those regions in the east and in the south of the country that have been worst-hit and where again that new variant is looking like it is fairly present. That could be enough.
Although Jean Castex yesterday crucially, Rosemary, would not rule out a third lockdown. Difficult situation also in Spain where we've seen a weekend with some of the highest rises in infections. So far since the pandemic began, 60,000 people were found to be COVID-19 positive over the course of the weekend in Spain with fresh restrictions again brought in those areas hardest hit.
So, for the time being, countries really looking toward that vaccine again. Angela Merkel saying that she hoped that it would make a difference over the coming months, but it won't make a difference yet. The rollout has been too slow. There are too many people to be vaccinated. For now, this worsening situation is only going to be tackled with further restrictions. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. And that is the problem everywhere right now. Salma Abdelaziz and Melissa Bell, thank you to you both. I appreciate it.
And coming up, it was the social media apps favored by the far-right? Now Parler has been suspended and it's suing Amazon as a result.
[03:30:00]
And President may have just a week left in office but his administration's latest move against Cuba, could last well after he's gone. We will explain when we come back.
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CHURCH: Well, some of the biggest companies in the U.S. are suspending political donations to Republican members of Congress who objected to the Electoral College votes. And you can see some of the most prominent here, the backlash follows last week's insurrection of the U.S. Capitol, and is sending shockwaves through a political system used to corporate contributions. Meanwhile, Amazon says a lawsuit filed against them by social media
app Parler has quote no merit. Parler sued Amazon on Monday in response to being suspended by the cloud services provider. It alleged an antitrust violation, breach of contract and interference with the company's business relationships with users.
Well, joining us now to discuss all of this is John Defterios live from Dubai. Good to see you, John. So far-right at Parler now suing Amazon for suspending the social network. Where is that likely to go?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR (on camera): Yes. This is extraordinary, because Parler has been in the news for what? Less than one week, but it's been around for 10 years. And it's small tech versus big tech here, because Parler says it has the right to operate and have access to the internet and also says it wants to protect free speech, even if it's a hard line speech and promoting hate if you will.
Amazon said though, this is clear, it violates its terms of service and we have Parler looking to get a temporary restraining order. And this is going to be basically up to the judges in California where this goes through or not, but it raises a much, much bigger issue, Rosemary. About (inaudible) regulation in technology by Amazon, Google, Apple, taking action. Twitter and Facebook removing users overall.
And we spoke to a venture capitalist from Silicon Valley who is now an author who said that this is why we see Silicon Valley taking the very difficult stance right now against the hard right.
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ROGER MCNAMEE, AUTHOR, ZUCKED, WAKING UP TO THE FACEBOOK CATASTROPHE: Once you've got to last Wednesday, I think it became obvious to just about everybody in power that looks, this is going way too far. And there is real legal jeopardy. I think the reason why everything's been shut down is great fear that there is more coming. That there were other plots being hatched on social media. And they would not have any deniability. They wouldn't have any way to say they did not know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:35:00]
DEFTERIOS (on camera): We have had an international reaction, this clearest from Angela Merkel of Germany who said that the government has a role to provide fines if technology companies do not remove the content that has been posted. A very clear delineation from the United States.
CHURCH: And John, we're also seeing major U.S. companies hitting the pause button on political donations in response to Wednesday's storming of the Capitol. What's the likely impact of that?
DEFTERIOS: Well, there's -- clearly two distinct camps here, Rosemary. Some are just hitting the pause button and say they are not going to protect their interest right now. Washington (inaudible) system is broken. And then the other camp, which is going specifically after 147 Republicans who went against electoral clarification of the votes in Congress.
Let's take a look at those names yet again, because they are so big and so diverse. It's fascinating. MasterCard, Marriott and DOW usually would not want to get mixed up with this. The parent company of AT&T which has taken the same stance. American Express, Amazon, an insurer like Blue Cross in the medical debate and medical insurance and then Airbnb.
And then we even have the payment groups, Stripe which manages the incoming fees paid to Donald Trump here to fan the elections. They are stopping the process in altogether. Something we have never ever seen before, Rosemary?
CHURCH (on camera): All right. John Defterios joining us live from Dubai. Many thanks for that analysis. I appreciate it.
Well, the Trump administration has added Cuba back to the list of states sponsors of terrorism. Once again undoing an Obama era policies just days before this president leaves office.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more now from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Trump administration has placed Cuba back on the list of countries to support state terrorism -- potentially complicating President-Elect Joe Biden's plans to restart talks with the communist run island, just days before he takes office. The State Department on Monday, said Cuba deserved to be back on the terror black list for harboring U.S. fugitives, supporting rebel groups in Columbia and propping up the regime of Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela.
Critics said the State Department did not prove any actual support to terror groups and that the decision was politically motivated and could hurt U.S. efforts against international terrorism elsewhere. While inclusion on the terrorist usually triggers a series of economic penalties, it's unclear how damaging that will be for Cuba. A country that already faces a long list of U.S. sanctions.
President-Elect Biden has said he wants to reestablish a dialog with Cuba, and remove some of the Trump administration sanctions to improve the lives of the Cuban people. And that very likely could mean beginning the process to once again remove Cuba from this terror list designation.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): And the U.S. decision on Cuba came right after news it was labeling a Houthi rebel group in Yemen, a foreign terrorist organization. Eight groups and the U.N. are blasting the U.S. move. They say it will hinder relief efforts and make the world's biggest humanitarian crisis even worse. Iran backed Houthis have been fighting a Saudi led coalition for years.
When we come back, the numbers tell the story. Too many cases, too many deaths and not enough vaccines. A look at some of the stunning statistics behind COVID in the U.S. in just a moment.
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[03:40:00]
CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back everyone, I'm Rosemary Church live from Atlanta. Well, here in the United States, the number of new coronavirus cases topped 200,000 on Monday like it did the day before and the day before that and so on. In fact for the first time ever the U.S. has surpassed 200,000 new cases every day for the past week. And as cases rise, so do hospital admissions.
The U.S. has now gone 40 days in a row with more than 100,000 people hospitalized with the virus. And there are plenty more terrifying statistics says the U.S. struggles to even begin to contain COVID-19.
CNN's Nick Watt has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For the first time, America is averaging over 3,000 COVID-19 deaths a day. More dead in a day than were killed on 9/11. Every day, dozens of bodies in that trailer, funeral homes in California are turning people away.
MAGDA MALDONADO, OWNER, CONTINENTAL FUNERAL HOME: About 200 people a day. Just to say no, we have no more capacity for them. It is really, really sad.
WATT: Meanwhile, a little over a third of the vaccine doses distributed across the country have actually been administered. We were promised 20 million shots by New Year.
SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER TRUMP FDA COMMISSIONER: We need to acknowledge that it's not working. We need to hit the reset and adopt a new strategy.
WATT: The president has failed again.
CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: A complete lack of planning here it's quite frightening, frankly. And I think all of us are very worried about what we are inheriting and stepping into right now.
WATT: The president elect December pledged 100 million shots in his first 100 days.
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We need mass vaccinations event. I actually think what we should be doing now is getting rid of the priority system. WATT: That is beginning to happen. Joe Biden got his second dose
today. Remember, it is a two dose vaccine.
UNKNOWN: Do you feel confident in your COVID team to be able to vaccinate 50 million in your first 100 days?
JOE BIDEN, 2020 PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do. And I put together which I will be announcing through the day laying out a plan, the cost of how I want to proceed.
WATT: They plan to release every dose on hand to stop holding back those second doses, but it is a gamble says some experts.
LEANA WEN, FORMER HEALTH COMMISSIONER, BALTIMORE: If there are production stags or if we just cannot administer the vaccines quickly enough, if people cannot get that second dose in time. I don't know how I'm going to be able to convince my patients to even get the first dose.
WATT: Biden's team says second doses will not be delayed. Production will not be a problem.
UNKNOWN: We used at his point, do not be concerned about that. I'm very confident that the plan has covered that.
WATT: In terms of containment while we wait, a good place to be is under 5 percent of tests coming back positive. Right now the nation's averaging over 13 percent. In Idaho, it's over 50 percent. And more evidence as if we need it that this ain't the flu. The Chinese study shows most COVID patients discharged from the hospital still suffer at least one symptom, six months later. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Joining me now is Dr. Larry Brilliant. A CNN medical analyst and epidemiologist. Thank you Doctor for being with us and for all that you do.
LARRY BRILLIANT, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, EPIDEMIOLOGIST (on camera): Thank you. Nice to talk to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, more than 375,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and the country is now struggling with its vaccination effort, only about 9 million doses administered so far. As a result we are seeing some states abandoning CDC guidance on who to vaccinate first and said trying to administer as many doses as possible. Is that what needs to happen here?
BRILLIANT: You know, I think we maybe a bit off a little bit more than we could chew. For good intentions, however. There are many reasons to vaccinate people. You want to protect vulnerable communities like the over 75. You want to take care of the communities that have been underserved like the African-American community, immigrant communities. And you want to protect your first responders and hospital so that the hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
[03:45:00]
And then most importantly you want to stop the pandemic. Each of those has a slightly different cadence, but by creating this system that vulcanized the delivery, I think it got too complicated.
CHURCH: Yes. So, I mean, how do states carry out successful vaccinations on mass then. Because in many states, computer systems are crashing when people try to make appointments. It happened in Georgia on Monday. So, how do you stop that from happening and get on with the job at hand of administering as many shots as possible without the more privileged getting to the front of the queue as it often happens.
BRILLIANT: I think the key is simplicity. When we did the movie Contagion that I was advisor for, we envisioned this outbreak similar to COVID. And we created a lottery. You get your number and then you go to a big coliseum or the -- an arena that had been set up.
And most importantly, they were doing vaccinations 24/7 every day around the clock. I'm afraid by bringing it through pharmacies, or hospitals and just doing things 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, that's not what we want. We want an all-out effort but we want it really simple.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, New York is doing a 24 hours. And they have got booked appointments right throughout the night. So, President-Elect Joe Biden still insisting he will be able to administer 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days. A million shots a day. Is that doable and should he release all shots available as he suggested he might do?
BRILLIANT: I have two separate questions. I do think it is doable. I remember to get 100 million in 100 days, you don't actually have to do a million a day. You only have to average a million a day. So, in the out days, maybe you are doing 3 or 4 million a day. Once you have geared up and we start off with where we are right now. So, yes, I definitely think that that is doable.
As to whether you should release all the vaccines, I agree with Dr. John. All of these other fine epidemiologists and physicians who say yes, it is better to have the vaccine that is available in people's arms and not in refrigerators. And I would say there is a slight difference between the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine and that case, because we are assured of getting 200 million doses of Moderna pretty -- according to calendar.
The Pfizer is broken into two shipments or two deliveries. One of them we may not get until April. So, I'd be pretty confident that if we vaccinated 100 million people right away with the Moderna vaccine, we would not have to worry that the second dose could be forthcoming. The important thing is to get as many doses in peoples arms as soon as possible, not in the refrigerator.
CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely. And of course, I did want to ask you this, because when the Capitol was stormed last Wednesday, lawmakers took cover in various rooms in the building and one of them, New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman has since tested positive for COVID. She is 75. A cancer survivor. And she believes she was exposed while sheltering with Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks. What is your reaction when you hear that?
BRILLIANT: I am very worried that we have created a superspreader event in the nation's Capital. Two weeks before the inauguration, which will be exactly the time that the peak of cases caused by the superspreader event -- I would immediately create a national emergency and divert vaccine to Washington, consider an outbreak and vaccinate as many people as it possibly could. This is a very serious thing.
CHURCH: Dr. Larry Brilliant, always a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much.
BRILLIANT: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH (on camera): And we just learned within the past few hours that a second member of the U.S. Congress has also tested positive for the virus. Representative Pramila Jayapal was taken to a secure room during the Capitol siege along with dozens of other members of Congress.
She says that she asked Republicans in the room to wear a mask, but now I'm quoting her, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic. Creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack.
Well, the U.K.'s Prince Charles is launching a new green initiative with some lofty goals. When we return, CNN's exclusive interview with the Prince of Whales.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE CHARLES, PRINCE OF WHALES: The planetary health and nature is intimately linked to our own health. And the more we destroy it, the natural world around us and by diversity on which we depend, it is infinite variety. The more we encourage mass extinctions of species that we don't always realize we depend on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:50:11]
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CHURCH: Well, the Prince of Whales is leading a new charge to tackle the climate crisis. This time with the support of several major companies. Prince Charles spoke exclusively with our Richard Quest on his part of that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRINCE CHARLES (on camera): Only now and I've been afraid at this for rather a long time, certainly 40 years or a little bit more and it has been what can only be described as an uphill battle, to try and persuade people that you can't go on doing the things we've been doing adding for night and without having a terrible price to pay.
And this has been the greatest has ever been. I've always rather subscribe to the catastrophe here, because unfortunately as human beings, we tend to leave everything until it's virtually too late. And then we're just about to fall over the edge of a cliff. So, it's only literally in the last 18 months or so that I think the mood has changed, people have become much more concerned suddenly about the situation we face.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR (on camera): The difference this time, seems to be the call and involvement of business. Now business is not altruistic in an abstract sense, and you say today about industry and finance and business as only they are able to mobilize the innovation scale and resources required to transform our global economy. Is that the difference that now the finance industry, the banks, business recognize the significance?
PRINCE CHARLES: I've always believed that the private sector has really the key to the solutions to all of this. But at the same time, it needs to be a private public partnership with civil society. And for so many years I've tried whether it's my rainforest project or the international sustainability unit I set up to try and drive for greater awareness of what is required.
It's now suddenly, that there is greater awareness of what is required. But at the same time, there is still out of the 40,000 listed companies around the world. There is still very few who have a proper carbon transition, climate action transition plan in place. So there is still a huge mountain to climb and a lot more people to convince.
QUEST: The problem we've now got of course, is the pandemic which is the most immediate crisis on our doorstep. If not the existential crisis that you referred to, with climate change. But I wonder how much more difficult it is to get people to make concessions and to get people to make the necessary commitments. When they are if you like, tied up with the pandemic. Or do you see them as two sides of the same coin?
PRINCE CHARLES: Planetary health and nature's health is intimately linked to our own health. And the more we destroy the natural world around us and biodiversity on which we depend in its infinite variety, the more we encourage mass extinctions of species, we don't always realize that we depend on as each of us is interconnected with the rest of nature.
QUEST: Right.
[03:55:05]
PRINCE CHARLES: Then we are making ourselves ever more vulnerable to all sorts of diseases and problems. This pandemic won't be the last one. If we are not really careful. So, that's why it's critical to heal the natural world as well as ourselves. And this is why we can't ignore it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, this week CNN is bringing you inspiring stories of Japanese athletes as their country gears up to host the Olympics. Today's local hero was part of Olympic history. She is set to compete in one of the game's newest sports, skateboarding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice over): Anaheim, California, home to Disneyland, pro sports teams and the iconic palm trees of southern California. It's also where you can find 19-year-old Tokyo native Aori Nishimura, a professional skateboarder with her sights set on the Olympic Games.
AORI NISHIMURA, SKATEBOARDER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): When I succeed in a track, especially in the most difficult trick for me, I feel the happiest ever. Skateboarding is perceived to be something that boys do. I've always thought that it should be for anyone from the beginning.
WIRE: At the age of 8, Nishimura started skateboarding in Japan. And when she began to show promise at an early age, her parents supported her ambitions to compete internationally.
NISHIMURA: When I first started to participate in overseas contests, I could not speak English at all. I had great difficulty building connections with people, because of the language barrier. But I forget everything including my nervousness at the very moment I ride my board.
WIRE: That calm and collected performance on the board help Nishimura claim victory at the 2018 SLS world championship in Rio de Janeiro, making her favorite in the forthcoming Tokyo games.
NISHIMURA: I would be happy if someone tells me they want to ride a skateboard or interested in skateboarding because of my performance. And the Olympics would be a great place to send such a message.
WIRE: Coy Wire, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): And be sure to watch local hero this Saturday, right here on CNN. And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stick around.
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