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President Trump Now Reaps What He Sow; Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) Was Interviewed About the Horror He and Others Experience During the Capitol Attack, and Also His View on Impeachment; The Rise and Fall of Trump; War-type Scenario to Welcome the Biden Administration; Reconnaissance Tours at the Capitol Being Look At; World Leaders Count on Joe Biden's Leadership; Trump Impeached for Incitement of Insurrection; Ten Republicans Voted to Impeach Donald Trump Over Deadly Capitol Riot; Snapchat Permanently Bans President Trump; New York Moves to End Contracts with Trump Organization; Virus Killing Americans More Quickly than Ever; U.K. Weighs Moving Some COVID-19 Patients to Hotels; U.K. Doctors, Nurses Traumatized by Pandemic Work; Lebanon Tightens Lockdown as Cases Surge; Local Hero Features Kaori Matsumoto. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 14, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): 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, preparations are beginning for a Senate trial after U.S. lawmakers impeached President Trump for a second time. And it could hang over the first few weeks of the Biden presidency.
More troops will protect Washington, D.C. than are stationed in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan combined as officials more violence ahead of the inauguration.
And the U.K. may consider putting patients in hotels as its COVID crisis deepens. We will have a live report.
Good to -- good to have to have you with us.
So, with the U.S. Capitol on edge ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration next week history has been made with Donald Trump becoming the first U.S. president ever to be impeached twice. The House charge the president with inciting an insurrection in large part due to the rally speech he gave last Wednesday. Rioters stormed the capitol afterwards breaking windows, trashing offices, and hunting for congressional leaders. Five people died as a result including a capitol police officer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The ayes are 232. The nays are 197. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Unlike the last impeachment, this one was a bipartisan vote. Ten Republicans joined the Democrats. The most ever to impeach a president from their own party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER (R-WA): My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I am not choosing a side. I'm choosing truth. It's the only way to defeat fear.
REP. DAN NEWHOUSE (R-WA): There is no excuse for President Trump's actions. The president took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week there was a domestic threat at the door of the capitol and he did nothing to stop it. That is why with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But many more Republicans voted against impeachment. Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed the move given that Donald Trump has just days left in office. But McCarthy did not absolve the president either.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), House MINORITY LEADER: The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has dashed any hopes for a quick trial, saying given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week.
Now Biden has said it's important for the Senate to both handle the impeachment while also working on his agenda in his early days in office.
One person saying very little about the historic vote is Donald Trump. The president now banned from Twitter came out with a video statement from the White House in the hours after he was impeached for a second time. He made no mention of that, nor did he take any responsibility for the riot at the capitol.
Mr. trump call for calm an claimed those participated in the violence last week were not his true supporters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag. No true supporter of mine could ever threaten or harass their fellow Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): In fact, it was indeed Trump supporters who stormed the capitol one week ago and some even echoed the president's own words. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Democrats are trying to steal the White House you can't let them.
UNKNOWN: They don't get to steal it from us.
TRUMP: We're bringing our country back.
UNKNOWN: We want our country back.
TRUMP: This is our country.
UNKNOWN: This is our house. This is our country. This is our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:05:00]
CHURCH (on camera): Well, right now the president is isolated than ever before. And we are learning that behind the scenes he is lashing out at nearly everyone including some of his closest allies.
Kaitlan Collins has the details from the White House.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a remarkable day for Donald Trump's presidency as he became the first U.S. president to ever be impeached twice. Of course, he accomplished that in just one term in office, certainly not something the president was hoping to do during his final days in office.
But we are told that in the aftermath of that the president is angry, he is upset with several staffers, basically anyone left in his orbit and he feels betrayed by the fact that he has been impeached a second time. And this time Republicans actually join that effort with 10 of them from the House voting to impeach the president.
And even for those who did not vote to impeach him, many more condemned him or criticized his behavior as they were debating this article of impeachment on the House floor including Kevin McCarthy. Of course, someone who has been a close ally of the president and he said that the president does bear responsibility for inciting that pro- Trump mob to go up to the U.S. Capitol just a week before he was impeached.
And we are told that the president has been extremely angry with McCarthy ever since he left the option of censuring Trump on the table to Republicans earlier this week. Now the president is only more angry with Kevin McCarthy given what he said on the House floor. But that's not the only person that the president is focusing his frustration on.
The other is Rudy Giuliani, his attorney who he has told staff to stop paying his legal fees. Though, we should note that people said they weren't clear if the president was serious about those instructions. But it's just a small microcosm of all the people that the president has been lashing out at in recent days including his vice president still.
As you ae seeing the president increasingly isolated as he is in his last seven days in office. Of course, now is facing a Senate trial as well, that may happen once he's out of office.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: President-elect Joe Biden is urging senators to follow through with the impeachment trial and to work on other issues on his agenda at the same time. He still hasn't said if he favors the impeachments or conviction of President Trump but he does say this.
I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation. From confirmation to key post, tom getting our vaccine program on track, and to getting our economy going again.
Joining me now is CNN senior political analyst David Gergen, he is also a former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan, and Clinton. Always a pleasure to talk with you, sir.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks, Rosemary. Good to talk to you.
CHURCH: So, after three and a half hours of debate, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached for a second time with the help of 10 Republicans. Now he faces trial in the Senate. What was your reaction to this historic moment?
GERGEN: Well, I must tell you that I was pleased in some ways, in fact I was really encouraged by America -- America's future. This impeachment, and what we've seen here just a week ago today there were these marauders. These terrorists assaulting the nation's capitol, the people's house as it is called. And a week later, the Congress of the United States has acted to put Donald Trump on trial in the Senate and, I think it's the downfall of Donald Trump as a president we're watching right now.
And what it says to me is that checks and balances in the American Constitution were to get once again. The constitution has held checks and balances (Inaudible) way outside the line (Inaudible) to put in a tough position where he had violated rules that everyone understands them. There is no choice. But Congress did act in a (Inaudible) and vote. Including one from Miz Cheney, who is the daughter of the former secretary --
CHURCH: Yes.
GERGEN: -- former vice president. And she very much marked it as an important step. She (Inaudible).
CHURCH: Yes. And David Gergen, as you say, 10 house Republicans including Liz Cheney courageous enough to step up and recognize that this president incited an insurrection last week. Other Republicans chose the easy way out criticize the president's actions but voted not to impeach.
GERGEN: Right.
CHURCH: Some of them of course didn't even recognize that his actions were wrong. How surprised were you that so few at this time were disgusted by the lies and the actions of Donald Trump, and why did they hesitate?
GERGEN: Yes, I will tell you this, I'm really glad you asked that question of me. Because in many corners there's a lot of celebration on the fact that there were 10 Republicans who actually voted for impeachment.
[03:09:58]
I do think those Republicans were brave but the bigger picture is that 95 percent of the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted the other way. They voted not to impeach. Ninety-five. In the event that three weeks ago in the certification of the vote, which was really an administrative matter but turn into a political one, 30 percent of the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the certification.
So, you have a very big block still of leaders in the Republican Party who are feeding out the same line that Donald Trump -- Donald Trump legitimately won the election, and that Joe Biden is illegitimate as president. It's much harder for Joe Biden to govern, it's one of the big lies when it comes to (Inaudible) politics.
And the Democrats I think really need to use this file to get the message out, that Joe Biden is a legitimate president. And get that on the record and make sure Republicans say that as well so that we can convince people that this process which is actually very clean for President-elect Biden.
CHURCH: Right. And then there is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who won't reconvene the Senate for an impeachment trial before Trump leaves office. But McConnell is leaving open the possibility of voting to convict Trump saying he hasn't made any final decision yet. What does that all indicate to you and what influence might he have on other Senate Republicans.
GERGEN: Well, it indicates to me that Mitch McConnell has reported, he is furious with Donald Trump, and he hates Donald Trump. He would like to purge him from the Republican Party. The fact that McConnell would have someone leak in his office, that he is pleased to go forward with this confirmation he hasn't decided which way he may go on the trial.
But if he goes, Rosemary, if he goes against Trump it will bring a lot of senators. And Democrats need to pick up 17 seats from the senator -- from Republicans. If Mitch goes, I don't know what the exact number will be. But I would imagine that (Inaudible) be from within.
CHURCH: You think that they can get -- the Democrats can 17 Republicans to vote?
GERGEN: I think it's a very uphill battle. It may be possible (Inaudible) if comes around.
CHURCH: CNN senior political analyst David Gergen, many thanks to you. Always a pleasure to get your analysis.
GERGEN: Good to talk to you. Thank you.
CHURCH: Some 20,000 National Guard troops could be deployed to Washington next week to secure Joe Biden's inauguration. That's more than the total number of active duty U.S. troops currently stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria combined. Hundreds of guardsmen are already inside the capitol building. Some have been there for days. Many are forced to sleep on the floor in between shifts. Others are patrolling outside the building, securing fences, roadblocks and other barriers.
CNN's Pete Muntean has the details.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: More protection than protesters here now outside of the United States Capitol. This massive wall is going up almost as far as the eye can see. Blocks away from the capitol complex where we are now, it will be really hard for anybody to get close. This is very well fortified. It is also very tall.
I'm six feet tall. This is eight feet tall. You know, even if somebody did make it over on the other side of this, they would be faced with a lot of people power and a lot of firepower. The National Guard is coming here. Twenty thousand members of the National Guard, in fact some of them are already on the other side of this fence armed with M16s.
The capitol police is here armed with shotguns, metropolitan Washington police are here also, U.S. marshals are coming here by the thousands. You know, this is just the start of a massive security apparatus for what would be a very busy inauguration center point. You know, thousands of people would be just on the other side of this fence normally. Now it is nearly completely empty.
We also know that the TSA is stepping up patrols at the region's airports, BWI, Regan National, and Dulles, and they are checking for boarding passes and I.D.s at the gate. The hope is to discourage people from coming to Washington. Mayor Bowser says Americans should stay away for the inauguration.
CHURCH: In the nation's capital is so Joe Biden has been forced to alter his own travel plans for inauguration. Sources say he will no longer take an Amtrak train from his Delaware home to Washington, D.C. as he originally planned. He is still expected to take the oath of office in front of the U.S. capitol building, an event that was already being scaled down due to COVID of course.
Well time for short break. When we come back, U.S. lawmakers want to know if Trump supporters got private tours of the capitol before last week's riots.
[03:15:04]
Plus, we will speak with a congressman who was trapped in the capitol and then confronted by protesters at the airport.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): We are getting more details about what happens during the attack on the capitol including evidence that it was planned in advance. Listen to how some of the insurrectionists were communicating with one another as they penetrated that building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Hey guys, I've been in the other room, listen to me. In the other room on the other side of this door, right here where these feet are standing. There is a glass that if somebody, and if it's broken, you can drop down into a room underneath it. There's also two doors --
(CROSSTALK)
UNKNOWN: Open this, like this.
UNKNOWN: -- in the other room, one in the rear, and one to the right when you go in.
So, people should probably coordinate together if we're going to take this building.
We got another window to break to make in and out easy. And the window here (Inaudible) into the whole room needs to be broken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, dozens of lawmakers are asking for an investigation of what some have called reconnaissance tours of the capitol in the days before the siege. One congresswoman claims she saw groups of people wearing make America great again attire touring the halls and tunnels of the building. She says she thought it was unusual since they aren't supposed to be any capitol tours because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Well more on the investigation now from CNN's senior justice correspondent Evan Perez. EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera):
Investigators have discovered evidence that suggest there was a lot more planning behind the U.S. Capitol attack than first thought. That evidence includes weapons and tactic seen on surveillance video that increasingly portrays a level of planning that makes clear that the attack was not just a protest that spiraled out of control.
For instance, the FBI is looking at indications that some participates at the Trump rally at the ellipse outside the White House left the event early, perhaps to retrieve items to be used on the assault on the capitol.
There's still a lot to uncover, and there are no conclusions yet. But investigators and prosecutors are looking at traveling and communication records to determine if they can build a case that is similar to a counter-terrorism investigation. Presence of corruption and counter-terrorism prosecutors and agents is in part because of their expertise and financial investigations. One official tells CNN we are following the money.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Lou Correa of California. A witness to last week's attack at the capitol. Thank you, Congressman, for talking with us.
[03:19:56]
REP. LOU CORREA (D-CA): Thank you, Rosemary. I was a witness and I was actually in the middle of that whole situation, and I was trapped in the capitol when this whole thing was coming down.
CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Yes, you took shelter, during last week's siege on the capitol, and of course experience some horrifying moments. So, I wanted to ask, given that how do you feel when you see only 10 Republicans brave enough to vote with the Democrats for Donald Trump's impeachment.
CORREA: Well, I look at it the other way, which is I'm surprised that 10 Republicans actually voted for the impeachment. And let me tell you why, Rosemary. Think about it. This president has a lot of power over the Republican base of voters. And for 10 Republicans to break away, it tells me that his control, his hold on the Republican Party is disappearing much more quickly than any of us anticipated.
He's not even out of office and he's already losing support. It's my understanding right now, the rumors are, that he is in a panic in the White House. And that tells me that he has lost a lot of his control over his persona, over the public -- and he is crashing very quickly.
CHURCH: What do you think that could mean in terms of a vote in the Senate them?
CORREA: We hear that in the Senate there may be seven to 10 Republican senators ready to vote. We need 17 of them to actually impeach President Trump to actually convict him. We've already impeached him, meaning we brought the charges, but to actually convict him we need about 17. And I think that the number could grow because his hold -- that persona that he had over the party is disappearing very quickly.
CHURCH: And Congressman, the FBI is taking multiple threats of planned arm protests very seriously in the lead up to Joe Biden's inauguration about 20,000 National Guard troops are being deployed to Washington, D.C. Many of them are sleeping on the floor of the capitol to protect and secure that building. How much safer does that make you feel?
CORREA: It feels me -- it makes me feel much, much safer. Today I was in the capitol. And I saw hundreds of armed soldiers -- every one of them with an M16, heavy artillery, so to speak, at their side. That tells me that there's no way that anybody can assault the capitol again. And this is sad because we are witnessing Americans versus Americans. We are preparing for a terrorist attack by Americans on Americans. And this is something that I never dreamed I would see happen in this country.
But again, this shows what this president has done. He has divided this country, and he has gotten us one versus another. And these are the results, what we're seeing today. The precautions are good, they are solid. And I think the FBI is very wise putting out those alerts. They are not putting them out just because they're putting them out. They picked up intelligence saying that there are some groups that still want to hit us hard. And this is sad because these groups are Americans coming after Americans.
CHURCH: Yes, it is shocking. And Congressman, just finally, you are confronted and harassed at the airport by Trump supporters along with a number of other lawmakers. A clear reason perhaps as to why some Republicans are too fearful to speak out. What needs to happen to stop that level of intimidation? Because presumably that is going to continue for months, possibly years.
CORREA: Well, let me say to you that these Americans that went to protest to support their President Trump had no idea what they were getting into. And they didn't realize that what they were doing was very much illegal. You've got the FBI going after people for a number of reasons, a number of laws being broken. Those individuals that came after me at the airport, they came really close to breaking a lot of laws.
Remember airports, so to speak, are a safe haven. You walk in, you know that nobody has got a gun. Nobody has got a knife, and you essentially figure that I'm going to be safe here. And for those individuals to attack me, and to attack other Republicans, they are taking their freedoms and they are putting them in somebody else's hands, so to speak.
So, what needs to happen is that this president needs to go and he needs to stop his inflaming rhetoric. But we need to move back to remembering that we are all Americans, and that we have a democratic system. We have a system to sit and debate these issues just like we debated the acceptance of the Electoral College votes. We did that under the democratic umbrella of our government.
[03:24:59]
We don't go out of our way and start going after each other violently or with weapons. That is a no, no. And we're not going to tolerate it. We are a democracy. The longest-standing democracy in the world and we're going to keep it that way.
CHURCH: U.S. House Democrat Lou Correa, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.
CORREA: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And I do want to bring in CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson now live from London for some reaction there. Nic, how is this story being received across Britain and Europe?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, of course last week there was a lot of reaction from leaders condemning what they saw, condemning in some cases President Trump. You know, we heard that from Boris Johnson who had previously been pretty close to President Trump.
This situation right now, there's a lot of interest. I mean, this is a story that is gaining a lot -- that's getting a lot of traction across media. It's something where leaders are staying a little quieter. I think there is a reality settling in here as countries leaders see the second impeachment. And that is the reality that they knew Joe Biden, president-elect, when he goes into the White House, he is going to have his hands full with a number of issues, divisions within the U.S. being one of them.
But I think the reality now that they see is that the political weight on Joe Biden now when he gets into -- when he gets into the White House is going to consume more of his time. So, the issues that they would like to see address, you know, I think -- I think the assessment will be, Biden is going to be busier and more focused on U.S. domestic issues for a while longer than expected.
CHURCH: Yes. And Nic, has a U.S. president ever been so isolated as we are seeing Donald Trump is at this time?
ROBERTSON: I think not. You know, his enemies are out there. Iran being one of them, saying that, you know, what Trump has done under his leadership is isolate the United States from the rest of the world, it reduced trust in the United States. And there is a -- that's undoubtedly something that's seen and observed in other capitals around the world. It's going to take a while for the United States to rebuild its trust.
So, the enemies are trying to take advantage of this. But I think, you know, when you look at allies, and we heard this in a speech of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, he gave -- he gave just yesterday, was that, you know, in Joe Biden people recognize -- leaders around the world recognize that this is the right man in the right place at the right time. A president who is mature in his years. A president who has a lot of
experience coming in and trying to put back together some of that damage trust and frankly, more greater confidence in the United States and where it's going. That I think is where we're at.
CHURCH: Yes. Some great points there. Nic Robertson joining us live from London. Many thanks.
And still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, President Trump is taking another hit to his brand as more businesses break ties with him in the wake of last week's riot on Capitol Hill. Back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Welcome back everyone. Well, President Trump is ending his final week in office by being impeached for inciting a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol one week earlier. He is the only U.S. President to be impeached twice. When Joe Biden is inaugurated next Wednesday he will be surrounded by more than 20,000 National Guard troops to prevent more unrest.
Security across the city is the highest it has been in years. Wednesday impeachment vote was just the beginning of a process that will carry over into the new Biden administration. We get more now from CNN's Manu Raju at the Capitol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER (on camera): Now after President Trump made history as the only president ever to be impeached twice this time on a bipartisan vote of 232 to 197 in the U.S. House. Now it goes on to the United States Senate where Trump's faith is in the hands of Republicans who are weighing whether or not to convict him. And whether or not to essentially prevent him ever from holding office again.
A big question mark going forward is Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, whether or not he will decide with Democrats to convict Donald Trump.
He privately has raised serious concerns about the presidents conduct and inciting that deadly riot that came to the Capitol last week that led to the death of five people including one U.S. Capitol police officer, he's also been privately frustrated that Trump's handling of the situation post November 3rd costing them the control of the U.S. Senate by some of the things that he did.
McConnell blames Trump for the losses of two key Senate races, nevertheless, all this is going to come to ahead in just a matter of days, when the Senate trial begins. Now, the expectation into the trial will begin in the early days of the Biden presidency. McConnell rejected the call by Democrats to move up the trial, to begin it before the Senate is later to return back into session. But McConnell says the Senate is going to continue with its own
schedule. January 19th is when the Senate is set to come back, that means that the trial most likely, almost certainly, will not get fully going until Joe Biden becomes president on January 20th.
Now also on January 20th, Democrats will formally assume control of the United State Senate. The question will be how do they pursue a trial, whether or not they bring witnesses in? Whether or not they seek documents? How long the trial will last?
The House impeachment managers, the people who Nazi Pelosi, the House Speaker have selected to actually prosecute this case, have begun to map out their strategies, they are debating whether or not to call in witnesses.
But doing that could extend the trial, and Joe Biden wants to get going on his domestic agenda, fill his cabinets. So they are going to have to weigh how to deal with Biden's presidency, his ambitious agenda, moving forward with this prosecution of Donald Trump, and of course, the big question, will they get those 17 Republicans to break ranks, and convict Donald Trump after 10 Republicans in the House joined Democrats to impeach him? Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Joining me now is former U.S. Attorney, Harry Litman, good to have you with us.
HARRY LITMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL (on camera): Good to be here Rosemary. Thank you.
WALLACE: So, President Trump has been impeached in the House for an historic second time, but the Senate trial won't take place until Joe Biden takes office. And for conviction, 17 Republican Senators would need to vote with the Democrats. How likely is it that this will happen? And result in a conviction, do you think?
LITMAN: Well, it's certainly less unlikely than it appeared last time when they were all in lockstep. And I would say less unlikely than they appeared a week ago, and even a couple days ago. Something in the last couple of days has really begun to crumble. And the Republicans who -- a lot of people's amazement were in lockstep with the president for so long, even though they seemed to have contempt behind the scenes for him.
That schism has now become from latent to open. And McConnell in particular, the majority leader is suggesting he might vote to impeach. That could send the floodgates open.
[03:35:05]
CHURCH: Yes, interesting. Of course the president's legal team is arguing that impeaching Donald Trump after he leaves office is unconstitutional and that all he did was make a speech and the mob attacked of their own volition. What do you say to those legal arguments? LITMAN: So as to the first -- it's an interesting argument. You
normally would think you impeach and remove someone who is in office. But there is precedent for doing it. It is not quite as clear as people think but it did happen to the secretary of war under grant. And moreover, from a practical perspective, there is something really on the line, because if they can convict him, they would be able to expel him for life. So the stakes are real.
Then in terms of his defense it is a factual defense. We know that insurrection occurred. There is no doubt about it. And it's the question of what sort of connection there was from his speech which was pretty incendiary and over a course of a couple of weeks, whether that really triggered the frothing mob.
I think there's good reason to vote that there was. I can see people saying that it was just, it certainly was not just traditional political speak? But trying to say that terrorist kind of acted on their own, that'll be the sort of factual centerpiece of the trial.
CHURCH: And there is actually evidence that some members of this mob we're waiting to hear from Trump himself to know what their next move would be. How much would that be part of the argument here? Part of the prosecution?
LITMAN: Yes, I think it's pretty strong. So we have this, puzzling is the wrong word, I think despicable is the right word. That for many hours after they went in, Trump did nothing. And we were aware that people on the floor were waiting for orders from the boss. From the leader and that does reinforce things. And they will be finding out about the whole course of conduct.
People coming from all over the country remember a week before he says come to D.C. on January 6th it's going to be wild. And a lot of social media evidence -- you know, I think that there will be sufficient evidence there to conclude that he really was the guy who kind of cracked the whip to get them absolutely you know, ready to storm the Capitol.
CHURCH: Right. It is of course significant the 10 Republicans voted to impeach the president. But that is a lot of other Republicans who are not willing or ready to step up. What are the consequences of a party that fails to recognize that the lives of a U.S. President led to the storming of the Capitol building? And the loss of lives. And can the party survive this?
LITMAN: Boy, is this a great question, because you put your finger on it, the insurrection itself. It does not depend on lies. But that really is what the schism in the parties is about. Trump force the issue to make people stand up and either lie or say the election was bona fide.
And now you can almost define the two parts of the Republican Party as those who told the truth and those who did not. And maybe who continue not to. And until there's some kind of accounting on that side. It seems that they are going to be, I wouldn't say isolated, but certainly they won't have the same kind of power that they had these few years when they could just point to Trump as their sort of protector.
Because he himself, his brand himself, is in a sort of downward almost death spiral. And it is going to be in fact an isolating event for those members who don't come clean and who stay out in the wilderness saying, the election was. Stolen when everybody knows it was not.
CHURCH: Indeed. And we will watch to see what happens in the days ahead. Harry Litman, always a pleasure to talk with you. Many thanks.
LITMAN: Likewise.
CHURCH: Well President Donald Trump is losing another outlet on social media. Snapchat says it is permanently banning the president from their sight. Last week the company suspended his account indefinitely but has now decided to terminate it in the interest of public safety. Snapchat is the latest social media platform to suspend or permanently ban the president following the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
And CNN's John Defterios joins me now live from Dubai to talk more on this. Good to see you again, John. So, U.S. social media companies are shutting accounts and businesses are ending contracts and breaking with Donald Trump. What could this mean for him financially, and of course trying to get his message out?
[03:40:00]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR (on camera): Well, it's quite extraordinary, Rosemary. Every single day there is a major move to kind of reduce the profile on social media and at the same time pull away the welcome mat in his home market where he made his name in New York City. Snapchat is popular with the millennials and made this bold move.
The CEO of Twitter by the way, Jack Dorsey went out of his way to explain why they felt they had to pull him down. And that is because of national security but also the security of himself and his employees. The number of death threats to Twitter employees because of the action that was taken. We know that Facebook is considering doing the same here, making it indefinite.
Then on the business front, New York City is saying that it is not going to do any more business with the Trump organization whatsoever. And then in a major developer there, Cushman and Wakefield, which has its name on nearly every building. As a manager of major properties says, persona non grata for the Trump organization. They will not work with him as well.
Now, contrast that against the major developer and Trump partner right here in Dubai, that is DAMAC, the chairman Hussain Sajwani is very close friend of Donald Trump. They've been in business for years. He went to the inauguration, it was singled out because of those business ties. He says, he looks forward to the time that Donald Trump is not president because he won't be handcuffed from doing further business. They have one golf course already open. They're looking at a second, they've talked about doing a tower, but I
think the big question mark, not just in Dubai with Hussain Sajwani, Turkey, Indonesia, India. All places where Trump has a major presence. Will they stand by after the president had the second impeachment? And by the way, has problems raising money in the future because the banks are tightening the noose as well.
CHURCH: Yes. Good point. John Defterios joining us live from Dubai, many thanks.
Hospitals are under so much pressure in the U.K. There is talk of putting some COVID patients in hotels. We will have the latest on the country's fight against the more contagious strain of the virus.
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CHURCH (on camera): Right now, investigators from the World Health Organization are in Wuhan, China to help scientists look into the origins of the coronavirus. Though it has been a struggle getting the whole team there together. The WHO tweeted that two of its scientists were blocked from entering China after they tested positive for COVID antibodies even though they were negative for the actual virus.
Aside from COVID testing the team also has to quarantine for two weeks then they will begin interviewing people at the hotspots where the virus is believed to have emerged.
Well, here in the United States, the CDC now projects as many as 92,000 Americans could die of COVID in the next three weeks. This comes as U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is said to unveil a major COVID relief package that we are told that it will come with a $2 trillion price tag. CNN's Erica Hill has more.
[03:45:02]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: It's awful and I think it is going to continue for the next couple of months.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Arizona, sobering milestones. As a state records its highest seven day average for new cases. Highest daily death toll, and record hospitalizations.
CHELSEA SPANN, FATHER RECOVERING FROM COVID-19: In three days he went to the ICU. Three days after that he went on a ventilator and he was unconscious on that ventilator for four to five weeks.
HILL: Neighboring California still struggling in many areas.
UNKNOWN: 71 percent of our inpatients are COVID.
HILL: Yet there is a bright spots. New COVID hospitalizations in the state starting to decline.
UNKNOWN: Effectively immediately, we are pulling the second region out of the stay-at-home order.
HILL: Outdoor dining in the region allowed to resume after being shut down for nearly five weeks.
UNKNOWN: We're trying to get back to work.
HILL: One day after the federal government announced a new push to open up vaccinations, the head of Operation Warp Speed is stepping down.
MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: I have submitted my resignation letter yesterday to the current administration.
HILL: State and cities expanding eligibility, but still struggling to increase the number of vaccinations. Just six states have administered more than 50 percent of their distributed doses, according to the CDC.
GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): To the federal pharmacy program is going to slow in virtually every state.
BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I've no patience for the federal government and the manufacturers. We need them to deliver a lot more a lot more quickly.
HILL: New York City worried about running out of supply while in Texas, 10 percent of rural hospitals have yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine according to a group that represents them. One official telling CNN the surge in those areas is as bad or worse than other areas of Texas and the nation. And yet, experts remain optimistic.
PAUL OFFIT, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: If we can vaccinate about 55 to 60 percent of this country, and we can do that at 1 million -- 2.5 million doses a day. That I really do think that by June we can stop the spread of this virus.
HILL (on camera): More than 10 million people in the United States have now had their first dose of a COVID vaccine according to the CDC. The head of Moderna speaking at a conference on Wednesday says that he doesn't believe the variance identified in the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil will impact the efficacy of Moderna's vaccine. In New York, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.
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CHURCH (on camera): And in the United Kingdom, British hospitals are under intense pressure now that they are fighting a more contagious version of the coronavirus, in fact Wednesday was the U.K.'s deadliest day since the pandemic began, more than 1,500 people lost their lives to the virus that day when looking at government data. Authorities are now floating the idea of putting recovering COVID-19 patients in hotels.
And a new study found that almost half of the country's doctors and nurses have been traumatized by working in intensive care during the pandemic with some even feeling they would be better off dead. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, joins me now from London. Salma, health workers losing hope to the point of thinking such thoughts. COVID patients losing their lives. What is the latest on this tragic situation?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): It feels like some sort of very dark and twisted deja vu, Rosemary. I was thinking this morning how many times have I reported record breaking hospitalizations, record breaking death tolls. Record breaking infections rates only to have those records broken just a few days later. It's absolutely tragic.
And you can't get away from the fact that the U.K. is absolutely one of the worst hit countries in the world and it is facing the worst point in the pandemic. And I think, what's particularly talk about hearing these numbers is that authorities are warning that it is only going to get worse in the coming weeks. That there are still more spikes from the holiday season that are expected.
So you can only begin to understand and comprehend how all of these ICU staff are suffering with essentially hallmarks of PTSD. Some reporting feelings of suicidal thoughts, feeling better off dead. Nurses in particular are affected. It's just an illustration of the type of terrible things, terrible scenes that they are witnessing inside of these ICU units.
And when you think again about that death toll, you can only imagine the difficulty that they are facing, that they will continue to face in the weeks to come. So what is the solution here? What's the government's plan? Essentially, Rosemary the only solution is vaccinations. That's why everything is being thrown into vaccinating as many people as possible. As quickly as possible.
The Prime Minister saying yesterday that they could ramp up to 24/7 vaccinations. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, vaccinating people if supply allows. The goal again is to get 50 million people vaccinated by mid-February. The country's most vulnerable, then and only then can we begin to see these doctors and nurses get some sort of relief from these terrible, terrible tragedies, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, the U.K. in such a dark place along with so many other countries. Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live from London, many thanks.
Well, a strict lockdown is now in effect in Lebanon now. A 24 hour curfew will be in place for the next 11 days as COVID-19 cases soar and hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. The caretaker Prime Minister says that country is facing a frightening health situation.
And CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, joins me now live from Beirut. This is a dreadful story. We keep hearing it over and over again, what is the situation there from Beirut?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The situation is indeed dire, Rosemary. What we're seeing is a much stricter lockdown than what we saw earlier this year in March and April. All businesses are closed except food stores and pharmacies. And food stores can only provide home delivery. Now, the World Health Organization says that more than 95 percent of the beds and ICUs are currently occupied. And there are some hospitals that are simply having do turn patients away.
Now, Lebanon is seen an unprecedented spike in the number of new cases. And this has made all the more complicated and difficult by the fact that, on the one hand, the Lebanese economy has in the last year essentially collapsed. And Lebanon does not have a proper government. Their government collapsed and resigned last August. And you simply have a caretaker government that is really grappling with the situation.
Now over the holiday season, restrictions were eased partially in the hopes of bringing expats home for the holidays. And maybe they would spend some money to help the economy. What that has essentially resulted in is a skyrocket in the number of new cases. And one of the latest victims of COVID-19 here in Lebanon, is its Health Minister Hamad Hassan, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Unbelievable. The country has had to deal with so very much in the last few months. It is just been devastating. Ben Wedeman, joining us live from Beirut, many thanks. And we will be right back.
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CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone. Well, this week CNN is bringing you inspiring stories of Japanese athletes as their country prepares to host this summer's Olympic Games. In today's installment of our local hero series, we meet a judo star who gave up her quest for Olympic gold to pursue another passion and got a sweet payoff.
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COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice over): On the mat, Kaori Matsumoto used to be known as the beast. Due to her aggressive no holds barred approach to the Japanese martial art of judo. It's a strategy that helped her win her first Olympic gold medal at the London games in 2012, as well as a bronze medal in 2016 Rio games.
[03:55:00]
KAORI MATSUMOTO, JUDO BEAST (through translator): Becoming a beast was a way for me to get rid of my feelings of weakness. I became stronger version of myself whenever I stepped on to the tatami mats.
WIRE: But in a move nobody could've predicted Matsumoto decided to retire in 2019. So that she could pursue another passion of hers, ice cream?
MATSUMOTO: Simply put, I love ice cream. Ice cream is so delicious
WIRE: And with that, the 33-year-old swap down her white judo for a different kind of uniform. Opening Darcy's guilt free ice cream label in Tokyo.
MATSUMOTO: I'm doing something completely different owning an ice cream shop. And I'm having a lot of fun. I'm quite particular about each ingredient. We don't use dairy products, white sugar, or trans fat in our production. This is actually made of tofu. It's high in protein and low calories.
WIRE: Matsumoto says, she's able to use the same creativity she implode as a judoka in her ice cream business.
MATSUMOTO: It's like interesting yourself to the flow. Sometimes it's important to let go. Who knows? Something might happen when you do.
WIRE: After Olympic glory, a tasty second act for Kaori Matsumoto. Coy wire, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): And be sure to watch Local Hero right here on CNN. It is this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in New York. Which is 5:30 p.m. in London. Don't miss it.
And that's it for CNN Newsroom. Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Our special coverage of the second impeachment of President Trump's starts after a quick break. Early Start with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett is next. This is CNN, stick around.
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