Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

FBI Investigating 275-Plus Cases Nationwide Following Capitol Attack; Capitol Hill, All 50 State Capital Tighten Security Amid Warnings Of Armed Protests; Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) Is Interviewed About The Riot On Capitol Hill; Pentagon Authorizes 25,000 National Guard Members For Inauguration; Soon: Biden To Introduce Science Team; Trump Wants Red-Carpet Departure Ceremony; McConnell's Role As Trump Exits, Biden Enters; CA Governor Newsom On COVID: There's Light At The End of the Tunnel. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired January 16, 2021 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:08]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin this hour with America on alert, our nation's capital and capitals across the country facing heightened security amid new threats of violent protests. More than a dozen states activating their National Guard ahead of planned protests in the coming days.

Capitol Hill where President-elect Joe Biden will take the oath of office in just a matter of four days looks more like a fortress today following the deadly assault there last week. All of this as we're learning much more about that attack. Investigators say they have opened 275 criminal cases, charging nearly 100 people so far for their alleged role in that coup attempt. That number only likely to rise as more information comes to light.

We have reporters across the country covering all the preparations ahead of any potential new protests. Let's first go to the nation's capital. The Pentagon authorizing the mobilization of an additional 5000 National Guard troops bringing the total to 25,000 ahead of President-elect joe Biden's inauguration. Pete Muntean is there in the nation's capital. So Pete, paint the picture for us about the barriers, the fences and, you know, the forces in place.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Security getting more and more strict all the time here, Fredricka. In fact, this is about as close as you can get to the Capitol on foot right now. We are blocks away and I want to show you just the eight-foot fence here around the Capitol Complex that's also going up around the National Mall. Beyond it, about 7000 members of the National Guard here in Washington right now.

The head of the B.C. guard which is leading this operation tells me 25,000 members of the guard will be here by Inauguration Day. They are M4s but he insists that it's --this is not a war zone. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WALKER, COMMANDING GENERAL, D.C. NATIONAL GUARD: So, this is not a war zone. And anybody who's been in a war knows that this is not a war zone. What you have here is a community-based organization. It's part of the United States military, the Guard, but we are citizen soldiers and airmen. And we represent the communities we serve in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The roadblocks here stretch for miles more going up all the time. And we have just learned that the bridges between Virginia and D.C. will be close starting on Tuesday through Inauguration Day. Also, a big operation in the air to keep people from flying into Washington, though TSA has stepped up screening at the region's three airports, BWI Dulles, and Reagan national, extra police and canine presence there.

And they're doing more screening at the gate. Agents will look at the I.D. and boarding passes of passengers as they board flights to Washington. And the TSA says it is considering adding people involved in last week's failed insurrection to the No Fly List. This is a big operation, Fredricka. It only gets bigger all the time.

WHITFIELD: It sure looks like it. Pete Muntean, thank you so much. Let's go now to Lansing, Michigan where we've seen armed protests at the Capitol Building there just months ago. And the breakup of an alleged plot to kidnap the state's governor. So, Sara, what are the security precautions? What are they bracing for there?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, we have been seeing the state police do rounds around the Capitol. They have this fence up, it's really more of a visual deterrent because there's nobody going to be in there for the next basically, Monday through Thursday of next week.

There has been a credible threat that the police have gotten against the Capitol. And so, they have basically decided the legislators here that they will not be able to do the people's work inside this building that they are going to be in a safer place, whether it's home or somewhere else, to make sure that they're just out of harm's way.

Considering what happened this fall. The arrest in that alleged kidnapped plot against the governor wasn't just about kidnapping the governor. according to Federal and state authorities, it was about storming the capital, this capital, getting in there and doing damage in there and taking over if you will. And so, when you hear those words, back then a lot of people couldn't believe that that was something that could happen.

But you fast forward to January 6th, and it's almost a blueprint of what happened in D.C. And there's also going to be the National Guard, they have been called in. They have accepted their post and they are expected to be in and around as this is supposed to kick off on Sunday. So far, there is no idea as to whether there will be people to show up, there will be a large gathering of people that show up. We know that some of the malicious have been talking online, we've been looking at what they're saying through some of the experts who trap them. And there is discussion amongst them. Some saying that maybe they shouldn't show up, and others saying that they're definitely going to be here. We'll have to wait and see.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sara Sidner there in Lansing, Michigan. The fence behind you we're seeing that repeated over and over again at states capitals, you know, across the country.

[13:05:06]

WHITFIELD: Let's go to Austin, Texas. Now Matt Rivers is there. So Matt, what are they bracing for there?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. I mean, the Texas Department of Public Safety is really doing a lot of protection and kind of protective measures, things that are putting in place ahead of what might happen here at the Texas State Capitol. They have preemptively closed the Capitol grounds behind me, they've closed the Capitol building all the way through to the inauguration at this point.

Basically, they're doing that out of an abundance of caution is what they're telling me just in case things happen here at the Capitol in terms of protests from different groups here in the State of Texas. Now, in terms of what they're tracking, they're tracking three potential events this weekend. One on Saturday, today, the other two tomorrow. So far, we've seen one small group here outside the Capitol.

They showed up led by a man who is apparently going to run for governor, they were here for about 45 minutes and then they left. So, things are very calm here at the Capitol. But that doesn't mean that DPS, the Department of Public Safety isn't prepared. I mean, they've shut the grounds here, you can see this padlock here. And then if you can look into the grounds there.

You can see there is a large contingent of officers. There are dozens of officers that were able to see on the ground, some of which are wearing relatively minor riot gear, helmets, face shields, relatively minor, but still, they're definitely prepared at this point for anything that might happen. I think it's safe to say, Fred, that in terms of what's happening today, relatively calm if there's going to be larger protests.

I think we'll probably see more of that tomorrow. But again, just like Sara was saying up in Michigan, it's very much wait and see at this point.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And Matt Rivers for you. It must be so odd. I mean, usually we see your reporting out of the Mexico City Bureau, and all things unrest to south of the border. And now here you are stateside in Texas reporting on what that capital is bracing for.

All right. Matt rivers. Thank you so much, Sara Sidner, appreciate it. All right. According to The Washington Post, just three days before the violent attack, an internal Capitol Police intelligence report cautioned that violence supporters of President Trump could zero in on Congress itself. Joining me right now to discuss is Matthew Rosenberg, a CNN national security analyst and an investigative correspondent for The New York Times.

Matthew, good to see you. What are your sources telling you about the obvious lack of preparation? Was it an issue of just not taking all of these threats, this intelligence seriously?

MATTHEW ROSENBERG, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I mean, that was absolutely part of it. You know, I think we had a situation where, on the one side, we know the Secretary of the Army did not want to deploy National Guard ahead of this, because he was fearful that it would be seen as the military attempting to kind of intimidate the president or intimidate Congress, on behalf the president, the uniformed soldiers were around the Capitol.

On the other hand, a lot of security agencies, law enforcement, you know, they looked at this crowd, as this is the Blue Lives Matter crowd, this is the crowd that is not going to give us trouble the way other Antifa or Black Lives Matters protests are more, you know, aligned against the police or policy wise wanted for our people in some ways, that underlying some of this.

And then on top three, you know, I think there was just a conceptual problem of understanding, you know, something that could happen that hadn't happened before. You know, the failure of imagination was a real thing here.

WHITFIELD: Except it's still so perplexing because white nationalist, white supremacy groups is still been considered. I mean, it's been widely accepted and observed among the intelligence community that was the great -- that had become the greatest threat to national security and being worried about it looking like intimidation by having, you know, law enforcement at the ready. It just still doesn't seem to square.

ROSENBERG: You know, I think there is -- there's -- I mean, these law enforcement agencies, others don't exist in a vacuum. And that, you know, a large part of our political of what half of our political life views some of this talk as opposed to them, you know, that on the right, any real effort to investigate the far right, there are people there who oppose that. And so, they have to kind of balance with this. And that was a play here, too.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So, CNN has obtained a new security bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and eight other agencies that says domestic extremists, particularly those who believe in the incoming administration is a legitimate or the most likely threat to the presidential inauguration ceremony. So, how do they prepare themselves for that potential? Obviously, we're seeing the 25,000 National Guard troops but what

other precautions are they willing to share?

ROSENBERG: I mean, those 25,000 troops are an enormous deterrent anyone who's going to come down here. You've seen Washington wall not a war zone in certain parts of it was like an army camp or something akin to a war zone.

[13:10:08]

ROSENBERG: You know, you've got the FBI going around the country rounding up trying to arrest anyone who was involved in the events on January 6th. And I think the message has gotten clear on a lot of message boards and elsewhere where these groups congregate, there's a real disagreement, some are saying, you know, we're not going to show up at all, we'll do it at a later date.

Others are, you know, talking about state capitals, which are, of course, less well guarded. So, there's a lot of room for maneuver but the -- certainly law enforcement, the National Guard is making their presence now and I tried to say, don't come here, you will get nothing done.

WHITFIELD: So, you've seen the images by now, right? You know, President Trump apparently, you know, met with the MyPillow CEO, Mike Lindell at the White House. We saw the pictures of Lindell going in and out of the White House. And Lindell was seen with notes and a photographer took an image of his notes. And in it, it said martial law. What does that tell you about what may or may not have been discussed, particularly, you know, days after what took place on Capitol Hill?

ROSENBERG: Look, I think at this point, we know that there are people who are still getting through to the president like Mike Lindell who want to talk about the Insurrection Act, or some kind of vague executive powers that are -- they're not spelled out the President could somehow enact to put a freeze on this remain in office. You know, I think there are more responsible national security officials around him and in the larger government bureaucracy.

We're exhausted by this where we got five days left, and everybody's got their fingers crossed that no kind of wild ideas are trying to -- nobody tries to put them into action.

WHITFIELD: Or maybe just the last attempt to get the last visit in the White House with, you know, the -- in the waning days of this sitting president. Who knows? All right. Matthew Rosenberg, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

ROSENBERG: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says lawmakers who helped with the Capitol riot may face criminal charges. Plus, new concerns about Capitol tours. Why Democrats were concerned about safety before the insurrection? And later this era, President- elect Joe Biden is expected to formally announce new members of his science team. We'll tell you about their important roles straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:16:24] WHITFIELD: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for a 911-style commission to investigate the Capitol riot. She also says if any members of Congress aided or abetted the mob that stormed the Capitol criminal charges may be in order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): We must trust each other, respecting the people who sent us here. We must also have the truth and when --and that will be looked into the -- if in fact it is found that members of Congress were accomplices to this insurrection, if they aided and abetted the crime, there may have to be actions taken beyond the Congress. And in terms of prosecution for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Congressman John Garamendi joining me now. He is a Democratic Representative from California and a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, good to see you.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Good to be with you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it's been over a week now. But do you still feel pretty shaken up by all that was experienced?

GARAMENDI: Oh, I think every member of Congress is traumatized. Even those that may have been involved in the whole situation. They too, are traumatized, because they're facing some very, very serious charges in the future, not the least of which has been thrown out of Congress. And as the Speaker just said, there could very well be criminal charges brought against members of Congress or their staff --

WHITFIELD: So, it sounds --

GARAMENDI: -- that were involved one way or another which was plain and simple, not simple, but a plain very complex, very well thought out insurrection effort orchestrated by President Trump.

WHITFIELD: So, you sound pretty confident that there are members of Congress that were complicit that did indeed aid and abet.

GARAMENDI: All I need to do is look at the video from the rally. The rally in which at least two members of Congress urged the rally members to march on the Capitol. And in one case to kick ass, in the other case, a little less, but nonetheless, they were urging their rally members at the rally through March on the Capitol. Those words that are out there, there's much more to be learned.

We know that there's also information from one of the organizers, that three members, the leaders of the what is called the Freedom Caucus, or I should say the lack of Freedom Caucus who were involved in the planning of all of this. So, we'll see. That's what the investigations are all about, a 911-type investigation, and you can be certain that there will be action here in the House of Representatives against anyone that was involved in this insurrection. WHITFIELD: So, you didn't mention names, but it sounds like you're making an inference to Mo Brooks or perhaps even Hawley and how they may have helped encourage.

GARAMENDI: Well, certainly Mo Brooks, his famous words about kicking ass. Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK.

GARAMENDI: We know that.

WHITFIELD: So, I wonder too. When you talk about it, even House Speaker Pelosi talk about whether there are other members of Congress who, you know, may have been complicit. And when we hear that tours were cancelled on Capitol Hill because of the pandemic, but then their fellow lawmakers who have said they know of lawmakers who were carrying out their own private tours.

If you are to do that, don't you have to, or do you have to register your guests? And if so, might that be a way in which to make a connection as to whether any of those rioters also ahead of the mob were guests of lawmakers getting reconnaissance say.

[13:20:09]

GARAMENDI: Well, this mob was foaming at the mouth crazy determined to overcome Congress to take over the -- and to stop the voting procedures to inspect would have certified the election. That's what they wanted to do. They wanted to -- there was an insurrection. And there is evidence that members of Congress brought into the Capitol. No, they do not need to register. Members of Congress do have that privilege. We'll see.

There's a lot of cameras around, there a lot of cameras at the riot. There were a lot of cameras in the -- in the Capitol and we'll do facial masks, masking and matching, the result of that will be the truth. And if in fact, a member of Congress was bringing somebody through to case the Capitol, then there is very serious charges forthcoming. Could have been a staff person, probably, we don't know but we're going to find out.

And that's the thing here that the general public should know is that the Congress, this Congress, with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House will not stand by while there is a presidential inspired, insurrection, plain and simple and insurrection. That's what Trump did for more than a month and a half calling people to Washington on January the 6th. in that group, we're calling terrorists, domestic terrorist organizations.

And we'll find out the truth. And when it is known, there will be serious repercussions, perhaps, and probably on members of Congress.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. So, that surveillance video is going to be very instrumental. Now, what about your own, you know, personal safety if you are concerned, fearful of fellow lawmakers? I mean, we heard Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talk earlier about how she felt like she was in a position she wasn't sure who was friend or foe even among lawmakers. What about you personally? Do you have a personal fear against some lawmakers, especially as a result of what happened?

GARAMENDI: Of course. Absolutely. It is clear from just the video that lawmakers were part of the incitement of this riot with a clear intent to harm Congress' work. And once they arrived here was clearly to harm members of Congress, including the speaker and vice president. That is now known. That's all in the videos. And so yes, those members are still there. Some of them were on the floor.

When we were counting the -- when the Republicans were objecting to the votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania, they were there on the floor.

WHITFIELD: After the right. Right.

GARAMENDI: After the riot, within hours after the riot they were there. And in the days that follow certain members of Congress, some new ones, some associated with QAnon were trying to bring guns into the Capitol, and may very well have done so because they went around the metal detectors that are now in place. It is a very sad part of the present situation, that we have to have metal detectors to protect ourselves from our colleagues who are carrying guns or who would want to carry guns onto the floor of the Capitol. There's no place -- yes.

WHITFIELD: And you didn't just hear objection -- you didn't just hear --

(CROSSTALK)

GARAMENDI: Just to be clear.

WHITFIELD: Yes, apologize. You need to just hear objections coming from freshmen but seasoned veterans on Capitol Hill, who also expressed their objection to these magnetometers. And how surprising is that particularly that kind of complaint coming after that violent mob?

GARAMENDI: Well, I just asked them, did you object when you got on the airplane and went through a magnetometer to get on an airplane? Now this was a political statement that they wanted to make that carrying guns is somehow second amendment. It is not. It is for the safety of all of the members of Congress as we carry out our work often with very, very heated debate. But it's just not appropriate and it's not safe to have that.

Now, when we return next week, we will pass a new rule that will put a $5,000 fine on any member that does not go through the magnetometer for whatever reason and/or carries a gun onto the floor of the House. first offense. Second offense $10,000. That fine will be deducted from their pay. There's already $1,000 fine for not wearing a mask on the floor. We need to protect each other.

[13:25:01]

GARAMENDI: And for some members to not have the decency and the courtesy to just wear a mask, you go what in the world are you doing? Have you no sense of decency? And now to bring a gun onto the floor, it is several levels more serious.

WHITFIELD: Congressman John Garamendi, we'll leave it there. And of course, we are wishing for your continued safety and that of your other fellow lawmakers and of course, all law enforcement. Everybody who's working on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead. President-elect Joe Biden expected to formally introduce his science team at any moment now. We'll bring you the live announcement as it happens. Also ahead, we won't see President Trump at his successors inauguration on Wednesday but he may be planning a big send off for himself just hours before the ceremony.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:25]

WHITFIELD: Right now, we are awaiting President-Elect Joe Biden to introduce his science team.

Biden has indicated Dr. Eric Lander, a principal on the Human Genome Project, is his pick to head the White House Office of Science Technology Policy and will act as his lead science adviser.

The stage is empty now but soon will be filled with people.

CNN's Jasmine Wright is in Wilmington, Delaware, for us.

Jasmine, the role of director of the agency is also getting a promotion, right?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN VIDEO PRODUCER: Fred, Biden is making a point to show how important science will be in his administration. And this is just one of the things he's doing.

He will be promoting, as you said, Dr. Lander's position up to a cabinet level. That gives Dr. Lander potentially a lot of access to Biden to make his case for whatever he needs to.

And this will stand really in stark contrast with what we've seen, really, over the last few months from President Trump, who has really publicly undermined at a lot of times the advice of his scientists, and how he should be and how really the public should be going along in effort to control the coronavirus pandemic.

And so Biden, in this a announcement, he said that science will be at the forefront of his administration.

And so in terms of personnel, he also added that Dr. Francis Collins will stay in his role of the NIH director.

And in just a few minutes, as you said, Biden will announce more women, more of a diverse group of women to this science team. Some of those are including Dr. Maria Zuber, Dr. Francis Arnold, and Dr. Alondra Nelson. This is a team that will have massive influence on the way that the

Biden administration, the incoming Biden administration will respond to this ongoing pandemic -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Jasmine Wright, thank you so much, in Wilmington. When that event happens, we'll take you there live. Appreciate it.

So it is President Trump's final weekend in the White House. And as the country faces nationwide security threats and a surging coronavirus pandemic, President Trump has been staying out of the public eye.

But yesterday, he met briefly with a close friend, Michael Lindell, at the White House. Lindell is the CEO of My Pillow. He's a longtime supporter of the president and his baseless claims about fraud in the November election.

And now there are reports that Trump's departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews may look more like a state visit. That's per the president's request.

Douglas Brinkley is a CNN presidential historian and a professor at Rice University.

Good to see you.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: What do you make of these reports that the president says he wants, you know, a red-carpet event, you know he wants a 21-gun salute.

He's leaving office with his lowest approval rating of his presidency, at 33 percent. And clearly he wants, you know, a heroes sendoff.

BRINKLEY: Yes, and he wants to be a -- he's going to be a showman to the very end.

We need to remember that his -- he professes that his heroes were George C. Patton and Douglas MacArthur. He likes the pomp and circumstance, military parades. Controversially, he wanted tanks to rumble around Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Alas, we've got 20,000 National Guards there to protect Joe Biden and his inauguration. Our nation's capitol is divided into war zones, the green zone, the red zone, the blue zone.

All the while Trump's looking to do, like he did with the masks when he left Walter Reed hospital, when he stripped it off, he wants a big farewell moment of drama.

WHITFIELD: It's all a big show. I mean, he likes to profess of loving the military but then he didn't want to serve himself. But he wants to be celebrated with them as the backdrop. So this president is very isolated right now. He's already been cut

off from Twitter, Facebook, his megaphone silenced. You know boxes are being brought out of the White House, people are quitting.

You know, usually at this point, you know, presidents are talking out loud about the next chapter on the world stage or even planning their presidential libraries.

[13:35:00]

What do you see for Trump particularly this those first few days after leaving office?

BRINKLEY: He's going to fall into a deep funk and be very depressed. To be the most powerful person in the world and the fact he can fly Air Force One into Palm Beach and, suddenly, you have no power. You are Citizen Trump.

He then is going to get all of these lawsuits that are coming at him from every direction.

I think one of the early serious ones are the investigation going into Georgia of his trying to intimidate the secretary of state of Georgia to find missing votes. He's got the Southern District issues.

But by being de-platformed by Twitter and Facebook is probably the worst punishment Trump's facing.

I don't know how he's going to reach out to his audience. And publishers may not want to touch his memoir. There may not be money for the presidential library.

But he might start plotting a third party, perhaps, an insurrection party, he might call it.

And then he's going to look for revenge on those 10 Republicans who voted for his impeachment. You know, work to get right-wing groups to primary against those 10.

WHITFIELD: I forgot about the whole memoir idea. I don't see that one happening in this case.

Let's talk about the other most powerful Republican in Washington. It has been the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. He enabled and pacified President Trump. But perhaps a straw that broke the camel's back was that riot.

McConnell and Biden, they go way back in the Senate. And reportedly, they have had a lot of conversations as of recent.

What role do you see McConnell playing, not just in the exit of a president but, you know, the incoming of a new one?

BRINKLEY: Well, it's a great question, Fred. I think Mitch McConnell's now the most powerful Republican in Washington, D.C. One never was sure what his power was when Donald Trump was president. But he holds all the cards. And I think, first off, he's going to see

his legacy. He got three Supreme Court justices through during the Trump years. He's been able to hold the party together through difficult times.

I think in the first 100 days or more of Joe Biden, they will try to work together to do a massive COVID package, trillion-dollar economic COVID stimulus package, and show the country that Democrats and Republicans can work together.

The Trump impeachment trial in the Senate will come later. And Mitch McConnell has the advantage of waiting perhaps until the congressional commission report comes out.

Meaning more information of what Trump's involvement with that insurrection at the capitol, just how deep was Trump's personal involvement.

WHITFIELD: And it would seem that, you know, McConnell may be less inclined to be pledging allegiance to the president, you know, once those Senate trials of impeachment, you know, take place.

That, oh boy, that may be the real nail in the coffin of that relationship between McConnell and Trump.

BRINKLEY: No question, Mitch McConnell would like to get rid of Donald Trump. He doesn't like the person. He doesn't like that wing of the party very much now. And he thinks it destroyed the GOP.

But, you know, we'll have to see how Mitch McConnell plays his hand this spring.

WHITFIELD: We shall see.

Doug Brinkley, always good to have you. Thank you so much.

BRINKLEY: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: At any moment now, President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to formally introduce his science team. We'll bring you that announcement at that live location as soon as it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:48]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back now.

At any moment now, out of Wilmington, Delaware, we're expecting President-Elect Joe Biden to formally introduce his science team. When that happens, we'll take you there live.

This just in. Representative Lou Correa tweeted this afternoon he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

This diagnosis comes as other members of Congress tested positive following last week's capitol siege in which many rioters were mask less as were other members of Congress.

CNN report the Democratic congressman from California was accosted by Trump supporters at Dulles National Airport the day after the capitol riots. Perhaps you remember seeing the video.

He came face to face with many Trump supporters who gave him a hard time just hours after that riot.

So to California now, where the state reported its second-highest number of coronavirus deaths yesterday.

It's a dire situation in Los Angeles County, one COVID death every six minutes. And 900 bodies stored at the medical examiner's office which only has room for 500.

And available ICU beds dropping to the lowest level yet with just over 1,000 beds for the state's 40 million residents.

But despite those numbers, the governor is striking an optimistic tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): The good news is we're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Not just the light that vaccines provide but light as it relates to positivity rate that's now declining in the state of California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me now is Dr. Mizuho Morrison, an emergency physician in southern California.

Dr. Morrison, good to see you.

DR. MIZUHO MORRISON, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Good morning, Fred. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: This is really unsettling, very troubling. You know, you're on the front lines there in California. You just heard the governor say the light, you know, is at the end of the tunnel and that it's visible.

Do you see it?

MORRISON: Well, I certainly hope so. We're not practically seeing that quite yet in our Emergency Departments.

It's been very, very busy dealing with the post-Thanksgiving surge. And this week, perhaps there's a lull but we're now ramping up and waiting for the post-Christmas surge.

[13:45:00]

I think what most people don't realize is that, because of the lack of ICU beds upstairs, that trickle-down effect blocks rooms and space to move in Emergency Departments.

Patients that get critically ill, come in, we resuscitate them, we put them on ventilators or whatever critical care resuscitation is warranted, and then they're sitting in the Emergency Department for 12, 24 waiting for a bed upstairs.

Obviously, suboptimal, not just for them but for all the other patients waiting to be seen, coming in for broken arms and other traumas and whatnot.

So it's a systemic problem that starts essentially from the top, down.

WHITFIELD: You've called what you just described, you know, like a war zone.

MORRISON: At times, it is like a war zone. It is. And, you know, I guess the good side or the silver lining of that is truly, like we're just focusing on really important triage.

I think what speaks highest of the situation is look at L.A. County. Last month, they declared that no out-of-hospital cardiac arrests would be transferred to the Emergency Department.

If your heart stopped, your family calls 911, they'll do CPR on you, but they don't bring you back. You're pronounced dead.

We don't have the resources to bring these patients to the E.R. like we normally do to work on them. This happened in New York as well.

It really comes down to resource utilization. There's not enough physical space in the Emergency Department.

We have patients in tents. But those patients are pretty well. Most of our patients are waiting in cars out in the parking lot.

So it's much like -- and I'm not going to compare it to combat -- but it's as close to a military scenario as we can get in the civilian world it seems. And it just comes down to resources.

And not just rooms but staffing is a massive problem. Our nurses are being surged up to see nearly double the patient load.

So normally, critical nurses are one to one or one to two. So one nurse for every two patients. Right now, one to three, one to four, one to five.

So it becomes a very dangerous scenario, not just for the physicians as we're seeing more and more patients as well because of the demand, but also the nursing staff is struggling.

So we are struggling, for sure.

WHITFIELD: Yes, oh gosh. I know it's got to be really taxing for people to try to keep it together emotionally themselves let alone trying to stay awake to help the volume of people. I also understand that Dodger Stadium will be transitioning from a

mass testing center to a vaccination center. Would you call that one of the, you know, lights at the end of the tunnel?

MORRISON: Well, this is a good transition. I will say, you know, they also opened up Disneyland this week for older patients above 65.

I believe, currently, Dodger Stadium is still limited to only health care workers. And then, eventually, they'll open up to 65 and older as well.

It's good. Of course, these are good. We should be opening up a lot of concert venues, stadiums, as many large places that are outdoor as we can.

But I have some concerns. I mean, this really should have been started, these protocols should have been started months ago.

We knew that vaccines were coming. Newsom points out we received 2.8 doses. But less than 30 percent of that has been administered.

That's a problem. The more of these patients remain unvaccinated, means this pandemic goes on for us on the back end.

We have millions and millions of doses sitting around. We have to lower those bureaucratic, red-tape protocols and get this vaccine into every patient.

If you can buy a vape pen on every corner in Los Angeles, you should be able to get a vaccine, frankly, in every gas station.

And to that point, many of our patients don't drive. They don't have the means to have a car in downtown L.A.

(CROSSTALK)

MORRISON: So how are they going to get to Dodger Stadium when they do open up? Public transportation is extremely limited as well.

And then our elderly, the highest risk patients, these people don't drive. Unless they have a family member that can take them, it's really -- it's a problem.

So health care workers, of course, we need the vaccine. But so do the really elderly patients, you know, who are suffering the most, quite frankly.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we all want to be optimistic, but, boy, I mean especially based on what you were just describing, it just seems endless.

Dr. Morrison, thank you so much. All the best to you and all your colleagues.

MORRISON: Thank you. Thank you, Fred. WHITFIELD: Again, we continue to wait -- out of Wilmington, Delaware,

we're awaiting the President-Elect Joe Biden to formally introduce his science team. And when that happens, we'll take you there live.

[13:49:14]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. President-Elect Joe Biden is saying this is the most exciting announcement he's been able to make about his cabinet and team. Right now, he's introducing his science team.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I suggest I can, in one word: possibilities. Possibilities.

I think it's one of the reasons why we've occasionally been referred to as the ugly Americans. We think anything is possible. Given the chance, we can do anything. That's part, I think, of America's spirit.

The people on this stage and the departments they will lead represent enormous possibilities. They're the ones asking the most Americans of questions: What next? What next? Never satisfied. What next?

And what's next is big and breathtaking. How can we make the impossible possible?

They're not just asking questions for the sake of questions. They're asking these questions as a call to action, to inspire, to help us imagine the future and figure out how to make it real and improve the lives of the American people and people around the world.

This is a team that asks us to imagine every home in America being powered by renewable energy within the next 10 years. Or 3-D image printers restoring tissue after traumatic injuries, and hospitals printing organs for organ transplants.

[13:55:06]

Imagine. Imagine. And, you know, then rally the scientific community to go about doing what we're imagining.

Using science, data, and discovery, was a governing philosophy in the Obama/Biden administration. And everything from the economy to the environment to criminal justice reform to national security and on health care.

For example, a belief in science led our efforts to map the human brain and to develop more precise individualized medicines.

It led to our ongoing mission to end cancer as we know it, something that is deeply personal to both my family and Kamala's family and countless families in America.

When President Obama asked me to lead the cancer moonshot, I knew we had to inject a sense of urgency into the fight. We believed we could double the rate of progress and do in five years what would otherwise take 10.

My wife, Jill, and I traveled around the country and the world meeting with thousands of cancer patients and their families, physicians, researchers, philanthropists, technology leaders and heads of state.

We sought to better understand and break down the silos and stovepipes that prevent the sharing of information and impede advances in cancer research and treatment while building a focused and coordinated effort here at home and abroad.

We made progress but there's so much more that we can do.

When I announced I would not run in 2015, at the time, I said I had only one regret, that I wouldn't get to be the president to preside over cancer as we know it.

Well, as God willing, the 20th of this month, in a couple of days, as president I'm going to do everything I can to get that done. It's going to be a priority for me and for Kamala and it's a signature issue for Jill, as first lady.

We know that science is discovery. It's not fiction. It's also about hope. That's America. It's in the DNA of this country, hope.

We're on the cusp of some of the most remarkable breakthroughs that will fundamentally change life for all life on this planet.

We can make more progress in the next 10 years, I predict, than in the last 50 years. It's an exponential movement.

We can also face some of the most-dire crises in a generation, where science has to meet the moment of peril and promise that we know is within our reach.

In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt asked his science adviser, how can the United States further advance scientific research in the critical years following the Second World War.

The response led to some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in the last 75 years. We can do that again. And we can do more.

So today, I'm proud to announce a team of some of the country's most brilliant and accomplished scientists to lead the way.

And I'm asking them to focus on five key areas.

First, the pandemic and what we can learn about what is possible or what should be possible to address the widest range of public health needs.

Second, the economy. How can we build back better to ensure prosperity is fully shared all across America? Among all Americans.

And thirdly, how science helps us confront the climate crisis we face in America and in the world, but in America, how it helps us confront the climate crisis with American jobs and ingenuity.

And fourth, how can we ensure the United States leads the world in technologies and industries that the future -- that will be critical for economic prosperity and security, especially with intense increased competition from around the world, including China?

Fifth, how can we ensure long-term health and trust in science and technology in our nation?

These are each questions that call for action. And I'm honored to announce a team that is answering the call to serve.

As a presidential science adviser, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, I nominate one of the most brilliant guys I know, persons I know, Dr. Eric Lander.

Thank you, Doc, for coming back.

The pioneer -- he's a pioneer in the scientific community. Principal leader in the Human Genome Project.

It's not hyperbole to suggest that Dr. Lander's work has changed the course of human history.

His role in helping us map the genome, pull back the curtain on human disease, allowing scientists, ever since and for generations to come, to explore the molecular basis for some of the most devastating illnesses affecting our world.

[14:00:02]

And the applications of his pioneering work are poised to lead to incredible cures and breakthroughs in the years to come.