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The United States Braces for More Violence Ahead of the Inauguration; An Officer Recounts Horrifying Confrontation with Mob; Biden Unveils Massive Plan for Vaccinations and Economic Help; Earthquake in Indonesia Kills at Least Eight People; Deaths Soar as United States Struggle to Vaccinate More People; London Hotel Takes COVID-19 Patients to Ease Pressure on NHS; CDC: More Than 1.3M Americans Now Have Both Vaccine Doses; Fears Of Vaccine Shortages As U.S. States Expand Access; CDC Forecast: More Than 90,000 Americans Could Die Of COVID-19 In Next Three Weeks; Biden Unveils Massive Plan For Vaccinations, Economic Help. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired January 15, 2021 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching from around the world. I am Kim Brunhuber.

Straight ahead on "CNN Newsroom," security tightens around the U.S. Capitol where in just days Joe Biden will be sworn in as president.

Plus, one of the officers who tried to hold off rioters at the Capitol tells what he went through. And believe me, it is a story you have to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, OFFICER, WASHINGTON, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: Then some guy started getting hold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): And desperate search for survivors after a powerful earthquake in Indonesia.

With Joe Biden's inauguration just five days away, police, the FBI, and the National Guard are bracing for more violence in the U.S. Capitol. More than 20,000 National Guard troops are deploying across Washington D.C., and the national mall, where thousands gather every four years to watch the inauguration, will be closed to the public.

Investigators have arrested more than 100 people and identified another 200 suspects from last week's attack on the Capitol. The FBI says it is worried that domestic terrorists feel more emboldened by the success of the siege.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR OF FBI: We are seeing an extensive amount of concerning online chatter, I guess that's the best way I would describe it, about a number of events surrounding the inauguration, and together, with our partners, we evaluate those threats and what kind of resources to deploy against them. Right now, we are tracking calls for potential armed protest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): We have more now on the investigation from CNN's Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

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

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

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

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

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

UNKNOWN: If you're going to take this building.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Really?

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

[02:04:58]

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

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

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

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

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

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): Investigators have said the details of last week's attack on the Capitol would be shocking once they came out. And we're getting a first-hand account from an officer who came face-to- face with the mob. You can see him being attacked right there on the steps outside the building. Listen to what he told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FANONE: I was just, you know, trying to fight as best I could. Uh, I remember, like, guys were stripping me of my gear, these rioters, pulling my badge off my chest. They ripped my radio off of -- off my vest, started pulling, like, ammunition magazines from their holder on my belt.

And then some guys started getting hold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun. At that point, you know, it was just like self-preservation, you know, how would I survive the situation?

And I thought about, you know, using deadly force. I thought about shooting people. And then I just came to the conclusion that, you know, if I was to do that, you know, I might get a few, but I'm not going to take everybody and they will probably take my gun away from me and that would definitely give the justification that they were looking for, to kill me, if they already didn't have made that up in their minds.

So, the other option I thought of was, you know, try to appeal to somebody's humanity. And I just remember yelling out that I have kids. And it seemed to work. Some people in the crowd started to encircle me and try to offer me some level of protection.

And they -- you know, that provided me with enough time or other officers, specifically my partner, Jimmy Albright, enough time to get to me and get me the hell out of there and back into the west front of the Capitol.

A lot of people have asked me, you know, my thoughts on the individuals in the crowd that, you know, that helped me or tried to offer some assistance, and I think the kind of conclusion I've come to is, like, you know, thank you, but (bleep) for being there.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): And joining me now is CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. He is the former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So, when you hear the details emerging about what happened January 6th, the chilling words of the police officer from your former police department attacked during the insurrection, who heard someone say, you know, kill him with his own gone, when you see the nation's capital transforming into a fortress Washington, the National Guard coming in as far away as from Hawaii to prevent a repeat of what you called as close to a coup attempt that this country has ever seen, you know, you were involved in overseeing security for two inaugurations, what is your reaction to what we are seeing unfold right now?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, first of all, as far as that officer goes, thank god he's OK, but it just goes to show just how dangerous a situation that existed back on Wednesday, on January 6th. BRUNHUBER: You know, and as I said, you know, would you ever imagine having done the job, having taken care of the security during the inauguration that it would come to this, that we would see, you know, crowds banned from the mall, for example, and all of the security precautions that we are taking right now?

RAMSEY: No, I wouldn't. I mean, I was involved in two inaugurations. We never thought of anything like this. I mean, obviously, security is tight. You lock everything down, you worry about the different threats, but the reality is, I don't think anyone imagined that someone would actually storm the Capitol and actually break inside the way they did on Wednesday.

So, you know, whereas you take all the precautions that you can possibly take, you table top different exercises, looking for threats and so forth.

[02:10:00]

RAMSEY: What we saw unfold last week is something that is totally unprecedented here in the U.S.

BRUNHUBER: So, we heard FBI Director Chris Wray say they are seeing, in his words, an extensive amount of concerning online chatter about events surrounding the inauguration, and from what we are hearing from intelligence sources, right-wing forces actually seemed emboldened by what happened on January 6. So how worried are you about inauguration, January 20th?

RAMSEY: I am very worried about it. I mean, not only the inauguration itself on the 20th, because, I mean, that's going to be locked down pretty tight, but something can happen anywhere in the city, around the city, or anywhere in the United States.

I think January 20th is a date where we will be fortunate if nothing happens anywhere in the United States. There are a lot of threats, not all of them directed towards Washington, D.C. So we have to be vigilant across the country and be very alert.

January 17th is a good example of that. There is a lot of chatter about having demonstrations at all 50 state capitals, for an example. These would be people that will be armed, so called Second Amendment demonstration.

So we just have to be alert. It is not going to go away even after the 20th, unfortunately. I think we are going to be in this for a while.

BRUNHUBER: Hmm. You know, what was striking was how just unprepared law enforcement was to handle what happened. From what you're seeing, from what you're hearing, do you think the response has been enough so far? Do you think they will be prepared?

RAMSEY: Well, they are prepared now, but they were unprepared on January 6th. And that caught me off guard, you know. I spent nine years as chief of Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and I know how closely the capital police, metropolitan police, park police, all of the agencies work together, sharing intelligence, sharing information.

The inauguration is a good example. The swearing in itself takes place in the U.S. Capitol. They handled that. They handed off to the Metropolitan Police Department. We handled the parade, got the president to the White House, the Secret Service, obviously, is the lead at the White House, all three agencies working seamlessly together.

I was very surprised when I saw what happened at the Capitol. Granted, there were a lot of people and it does come a point where you can just get overwhelmed, but to me, it happened far too easily, and that is what surprised me.

BRUNHUBER: Awesome. Thank you so much for your insights. We appreciate it. Charles Ramsey, thank you so much for joining us.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER (on camera): With President Trump's days in power numbered, many are wondering about his state of mind and what further chaos could be unleashed before he is out.

A source tells CNN it took a full court press by allies and aides to get him to forcefully warn against the additional violence. In the video statement released Wednesday, President Trump was told if another incident happened, he would own it and be more likely to face legal action.

We are also hearing the president is shutting down any talk of resigning, like former President Richard Nixon. Mr. Trump told an adviser during an expletive-filled conversation, never to bring up Nixon again and that he couldn't count on Vice President Mike Pence to issue him a pardon like the one Nixon received.

The Trump camp, meanwhile, is working on organizing a crowd for a major, possibly military-style sendoff for him on the morning of Biden's inauguration.

All right, let's turn from the end of the Trump presidency to the Biden era that begins next week. The president-elect rolling out a nearly $2 trillion emergency rescue plan for the pandemic and the economic crisis he is about to inherit. It includes a national vaccination program, as well as $1,400 stimulus checks.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President-elect Joe Biden is offering the most detailed plan yet for how he plans to fight the coronavirus pandemic and boost the U.S. economy, offering a $1.9 trillion plan on Thursday night here in Wilmington.

Of course, next week is his inaugural address in Washington, but the address he gave certainly offers the nuts and bolts outline of his agenda. It is indeed a sweeping and ambitious plan. He calls it an achievable one. He said that is a moral obligation to act in all of these respects.

First and foremost, it is to help tame the coronavirus pandemic that is just crushing the U.S. economy, and of course, rising death tolls day by day.

Now, he is going to offer a vaccination distribution plan that is entirely different than the one the Trump administration has been using for the last several months. He called that plan a dismal failure.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This will be one of the most challenging operational efforts we have ever undertaken as a nation.

[02:15:03]

BIDEN: We'll have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated, to create more places for them to get vaccinated, to mobilize more medical teams, to get shots in people's arms, to increase vaccine supply, to get it out the door as fast as possible.

ZELENY (voice-over): He's also calling on Congress, members of both parties, to come together to pass an economic relief bill, as well, a $15 minimum wage plan, which, of course, Republicans have been opposed to. This certainly sets the framework for his presidency.

One thing he did not mention, impeachment. That, of course, is something he will be inheriting, as well. It will be happening at the very time he is trying to push this agenda through the Congress.

(On camera): It is an open question on how he can do both.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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

A deadly earthquake has rocked Indonesia. There is a scramble to find survivors stuck beneath debris. Details in a live report are next.

And the U.S. has come under fire over the speed of its vaccine rollout. Now, states are offering vaccines to millions more Americans, but that's leading to all sorts of new problems.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: A strong, shallow earthquake has hit Indonesia. At least eight people dead and hundreds more are hurt. Rescues are underway to free those trapped in debris. Buildings are damaged, power is out, and aftershocks are keeping everyone on edge. The magnitude 6.2 tremor struck near Majene in West Sulawesi Province, causing thousands to flee.

Let us bring in Will Ripley. Will, we are seeing some heartbreaking scenes in that very hard hit area. What is the latest?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, CNN spoke with one of the people directing this massive operation to try to rescue people who are trapped in a huge number of collapsed buildings. We are getting estimates that as many as half of the buildings in the two largest cities near the epicenter of the shallow quake are either collapsed or seriously damaged.

And you have almost 400,000 people living in this area. Rescuers are saying as many as half of them could be displaced at this moment. Many of them are simply afraid to sleep in their homes because of the fact that there have now been two large quakes and more than two dozen aftershocks since Thursday. The latest quake, the largest, 6.2, hit in the middle of the night when people were asleep.

And so imagine the terror of being in a building, perhaps already with some damage, only to have the walls come crumbling down around you. That is the situation that many people have found themselves in, and rescuers are having a hard time getting to those people because many of the roads are shattered. There are water mains that are broken, causing water to gush.

[02:19:56]

RIPLEY: And for those who are injured, and you have well over 600 people confirmed to be injured right now in addition to at least eight people reported dead, a number that is undoubtedly expected to rise, they can't even get people to the hospitals. And at least four of the major hospitals in this area are also severely damaged. One of them, reportedly, has collapsed.

So it is a really bad situation that we are continuing to watch unfold, Kim.

BRUNHUBER (on camera): All right. Thanks so much, Will Ripley. Appreciate it.

Just two weeks into the New Year and so far more than 42,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Nearly 4,000 lives are reportedly lost on Thursday alone. And while tens of millions of doses of the vaccine have been distributed nationwide, many states are still facing challenges getting shots into arms.

CNN's Nick Watt has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The home of the Houston Texans opens, well, a parking lot. It is mass vaccination site, roughly 13,000 slots through Sunday, everyone, already filled.

Meanwhile, some rural hospitals in Texas say they still haven't received even a single dose of vaccine. In New Jersey, even the elderly face a long wait, up to eight weeks.

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ) (voice-over): The biggest reason is we don't have the supplies from the feds that we need or that they had indicated would have.

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

ROY ARMSTRONG, REGIONAL HEALTHCARE DIRECTOR, WALGREENS: We had staffing challenges in Mississippi before COVID-19 was ever available.

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

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

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

Since New Year, more than three million new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country. We are now averaging well over 3,000 deaths a day.

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, DIRECTOR OF CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION PROGRAM AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Until we see hospitalizations drop and until we start to see a sustained drop in daily cases, we are going to see this terrible toll.

WATT (on camera): Here in California, there have never been fewer ICU beds available, about a thousand in a state of about 40 million.

Here in Los Angeles, county officials say they believe one in three Angelinos have already been infected. Ironically, that might now help slow the spread because so many people have already had it.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): The latest coronavirus surge is putting enormous pressure on the United Kingdom's National Health Service. Hospitals and health care workers are struggling to cope with demand. One hotel is stepping up to try to relieve some of the pressure.

Salma Abdelaziz explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (on camera): This hotel would normally be packed with families or business travellers. But now, it's basically been converted into a recovery ward for coronavirus patients. It is the first hotel in the U.K. to do this, but it could soon be a model to save precious hospital capacity.

This is the back entrance?

ALEX PALAGHIU, AREA MANAGER, LONDON HOTEL GROUP: They will come by ambulance --

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): OK.

PALAGHIU: -- or with COVID taxis.

ABDELAZIS (on camera): OK.

PALAGHIU: This will be the back entrance --

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): OK.

PALAGHIU: -- where we will wait for them.

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): Of course, we are allowed to see the patients ourselves. We are just getting a look at what an example room would be like.

PALAGHIU: The purpose of this extra site is for self-isolation. So once the early discharged patient is transferred to our hotel, they will strictly be advised to stay in the room. We are very proud to be part of this. It's a very good feeling to be a part of something. We have full PPE and a lot of that stuff, certainly. We had actually NHS visiting, going about all of this. We did videos for staff training purpose.

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): Did any of your staff members feel scared to have coronavirus patients?

PALAGHIU: They are not scared. The feeling is that -- actually we are proud to run this partnership with NHS trust (ph).

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): There are three patients recovering from coronavirus just behind me here. Now, there is no medical worker at the hotel, so that means they have to call if they need help and meals are delivered contactless three times a day.

But hotel management, they want to see more coronavirus patients sent here. They want to fill up all these empty rooms. With hospitals teetering on the edge, health officials might soon have to take them up on that offer.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): Meanwhile, the U.K. is banning arrivals from many Latin-American countries because there's evidence of a new coronavirus variant in Brazil. Now, travellers for more than a dozen countries, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Peru, won't be allowed into the U.K.

[02:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: Travel from Portugal is also suspended because of its close links with Brazil.

The British transport secretary says the restrictions don't apply to U.K. citizens or those who have resident's rights but they will have to quarantine for 10 days.

We will be right back after the break. Please so stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.

Here in the U.S., we are only two weeks into the New Year and already more than 42,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Nearly 4,000 lives are reportedly lost on Thursday alone. While tens of millions of vaccine doses have been distributed and more are on the way, the challenge for many states, as we have said, is actually getting those shots into arms.

So for more on that now, let us turn to Dr. Scott Miscovich, a family physician and national consultant for COVID-19 testing in the United States. Doctor, thank you so much for being here with us.

Last night, president-elect Joe Biden called the vaccine distribution rollout so far a dismal failure. Do you agree, and if so, what has gone wrong?

SCOTT MISCOVICH, FAMILY PHYSICIAN, NATIONAL CONSULTANT FOR COVID-19 TESTING: I think I would agree, and I think we've talked about this before, there is no real plan from the federal government. And I think that just giving the states money and vaccines without any real direction -- 330 million Americans are going to have to get vaccine.

States were not prepared for this, small local and federal governments, local governments were not prepared. There needed to be more direction. So I agree and there are some shining light. Some states have done really well, and other states are just very far behind.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Well, let's talk about one of those states. West Virginia leads the nation in terms of first doses administered per capita, at more than twice the national rate.

The reason I bring up West Virginia is because the governor told CNN, it is because they basically chose not to go with the federal vaccine distribution model. Is that a reflection of the shortcomings of that model that you just mentioned there or proof of how important local solutions are for operations like this?

MISCOVICH: Yeah, I think that's a good point, Kim, because if you also highlight the second and third states, South Dakota and North Dakota, who on earth would have said those would be the three states that would have been the most successful with the challenges they have?

But what did they do? They knew that they knew their states better than the federal government, and so they used local resources to plan and went into the small communities.

[02:30:00]

They all chose to opt out of the large promising networks that did not get the contract in those states to provide the vaccines to the long term care homes.

They took it into the communities, into the providers, into the small pharmacies and that's one of the main reasons they were successful. Another is they sort of planned way in advance in North Dakota. They planned well in advance and they trained people well in advance to be prepared to give the vaccines.

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

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

MISCOVICH: Well, we're working very cooperatively with the health departments here and we really appreciate their energy which is looking at I think very similar things, we're talking about with the successful models of the West Virginia and the Dakotas - and point to those rural communities, working with the local partnerships within the communities.

You have to be part of that community, you don't just bring a massive force in of strangers, you have to integrate into those communities and find a way to reach those communities because like seniors you might reach very close to the Mexican border and the small town may be very different than the ones you might reach in that small affluent subdivision so it has to be customized and that's what we're doing, working with the leadership here on that.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so president elect Biden's COVID relief plan is to get 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days. Includes some $400 billion for provisions to fight the coronavirus, more vaccines and testing, more money for state and local governments. How big a difference will all of this make, do you think?

MISCOVICH: Gosh, for those of us who are out there on the front lines and for all these great people I have working across the country with my group, it is such a relief to see a plan that really, it really understands what we're fighting and so I think most of us feel almost any one of the boxes that we wanted to have checked before and that we needed, it was checked. Look at what you and I talked about on the show before his

announcement of the national vaccine program, where he's going to have 100,000 new hires. He's going to activate some card, he's going to have more National Health Service corps. We need that and the money is going to be balanced between the vaccinations, yet not giving up on the testing and the country needs to understand that.

Testing still is going to be key. There's still another six to eight months before we have enough vaccine present and so don't let your guard down.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, best of luck with all of your work out there. Do stay safe. Dr. Scott Miscovich. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate it.

MISCOVICH: Thank you Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead. U.S. President Donald Trump can't log on to Twitter and broadcast anymore late night rants but he's not the only unpredictable world leader on social media. Stay with us for that story. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:00]

BRUNHUBER: Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday will take place amid some of the tightest security ever seen in the nation's capital for such an event. More than 20,000 National Guard troops have been deployed due to ongoing threats of more violence by armed groups loyal to President Trump. The National Mall will be closed to spectators. The FBI says it has identified some 200 pro-Trump rioters who took part in the deadly siege of the capital on January 6.

More than 100 people have been arrested so far. Among them a Delaware man who carried a Confederate battle flag into the capital. Senate Republicans are now facing moment of truth as they decide whether to convict President Trump after the House impeachment but some Republicans say there must be consequences for events at the U.S. capitol last week but will there be enough for a conviction.

Our Manu Raju reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

We expect 50 or close to 50 if not all 50 Democrats voting to convict this president. We'll have to see how this trial plays out but assuming all 50 do, they do need those 17 Republicans to ensure Donald Trump can no longer hold the public office. Now Republicans are split into various camps. There are some who believe it's not constitutional to go down the ground of trying the former president.

There are others who believe that the president being impeached was a divisive action taken by Democrats and should not be replicated in United States senate by moving forward the conviction of the Republican president, soon to be former president and then there are some who believe the president's actions in inciting that deadly mob that came to Capitol Hill led to the deaths of five people during that riot last week.

They're saying that his actions just simply went too far and that they are open to the idea of possibly convicting Donald Trump. All eyes will be on Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader who holds incredible sway. He is truly undecided I'm told from multiple sources. Other Republicans also are undecided.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Twitter has been getting a lot of praise from certain quarters for how it handled the U.S. president's personal account after the violent siege on the U.S. capitol but critics wonder if the company is trying to have it both ways. Taking away Mr. Trump's personal megaphone while at the same time not muting other problematic world leaders.

CNN's Scott McLean takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING USA! USA!)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Following the deadly U.S. capitol riots, many political opponents are cheering Twitter's decision to permanently ban the person they say encouraged the insurrection, President Trump. Twitter claimed his account posed a risk of further incitement of violence. Trump's personal Facebook account was also suspended indefinitely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It violated our policy and it was a risk we couldn't take.

DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that big tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country and I believe it's going to be a catastrophic mistake for them.

MCLEAN: Social media platforms have consistently pointed to their own rules to explain controversial decisions but experts say it's consistency that's been lacking.

MARIETJE SCHAALE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY CYBER POLICY CENTER: They're not consistent so you also have to wonder whether some of these companies have become basically monsters that they cannot tame themselves anymore.

MCLEAN: Trump's ban has set off a fierce international debate around free speech and who, if anyone not to be policing it online. The Mexican president called the ban contrary to freedom while a spokesperson for German chancellor Angela Merkle said it's problematic.

Critics also pointed to the odd paradox of a U.S. President barred from Twitter while a cast of repressive regimes and brutal dictators remain. Like Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who the United Nations has accused of crimes against humanity including murder and torture or the Government of Saudi Arabia which has a long record of jailing, even killing dissidents.

The company explained in 2018 that blocking a world leader would hide important information people should be able to see and debate.

CINDY COHN, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: I don't think they made the wrong decision by kicking off President Trump. However I'd like to see them apply that same standard to leaders around the world.

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MCLEAN: But many of the world's most unsavory leaders also have some of the tamest Twitter accounts. Russian president Vladimir Putin has a verified Kremlin account but offline he's been accused of silencing his critics. His agents even poisoning his political opponent Alexei Navalny. Navalny warns the precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world.

COHN: Expecting the companies to be the speech police of our dreams. You know only policing the bad speech and always allowing good speech is simply unrealistic.

MCLEAN: This week, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended the ban but said platforms should look critically at inconsistencies of our policy and enforcement. President Trump used his Twitter account unlike any other world leader to enflame debate, insult critics and spread outright lies but he wasn't the only one accused of bad behavior.

Just last week China which denies accusations of forced sterilizations of Uighur minority reportedly tweeted from the account of its embassy in Washington that the minds of Uighur women have been emancipated, making them no longer baby making machines. The tweet was removed by Twitter. But other incendiary posts are still up like the 2018 tweet from Iran's Ayatollah calling Israel a malignant cancerous tumor that has to be removed and eradicated. Twitter told CNN, "We've taken enforcement action on world leaders prior to this but didn't give any details." A former executive summed up the reluctance like this.

ADAM SHARP, FORMER HEAD OF NEWS AND POLITICS AT TWITTER: If I threaten my neighbor, it's a crime. If the president threatens our neighbors, it is a statement of foreign policies.

MCLEAN: In 2018, Twitter explained that "we review tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them and enforce our rules accordingly." But local political context is where experts say American social media companies have a blind spot. That same year Facebook conceded it didn't do enough to prevent the genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar the previous year.

Human rights activists say the killings were fueled in part by hatred ginned up by military leaders on the social network. Facebook now says it's made vast improvements and banned 20 accounts.

Why is it only now that we're kind of waking up to this? This has happened before.

SCHAAKE: Well, I don't think it's a secret that Americans tend to look at their own society with much more attention than at the rest of the world and it's also a matter of resources. I mean how much effort have these platforms really put into understanding the societies in which they were unleashing their products.

MCLEAN: Europe is already planning vast new legislation to rein in the power of social media platforms while both parties in Washington agree something needs to change, they just can't agree on what. Scott McLean, CNN London.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, thank you very much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in the next hour. Right now, stay tuned for World Sports after a quick break.

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