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Transfer of Power: Trump's Final Hours as U.S. President; Guatemalans and Migrant Hondurans Clash; Europe Wrestles with Slow Rollout and Rising Cases; Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny to Remain in Custody for 30 Days; Kremlin Critic to Remain in Custody for 30 Days; Brazil Begins Vaccination Program with Limited Supply; Sweden Imposes New Restrictions as Deaths Rises; Critics 'Moved to Cheers' Over Trump's Departure; Trump Inner Circle Helped Stoke Insurrection. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired January 19, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio 7 here at CNN Center in Atlanta. I am Michael Holmes.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM: 36 hours left in one of the most divisive presidencies in American history. The U.S. Capitol under virtual lockdown as Joe Biden's inauguration draws near.
A migrant caravan heading toward the U.S. is halted in Guatemala as President-Elect Joe Biden reveals his plan for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
And the U.K., now with the highest COVID-19 death rate in the world.
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Hello, everyone, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes.
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HOLMES: Donald Trump has just 36 hours left of his presidency with Joe Biden set to take the oath of office Wednesday afternoon. CNN has learned the president has recorded a farewell address, citing his accomplishments.
And he spent part of the day Monday talking with advisers about pardons. Trump will be the first president in modern history not to attend his successor's inauguration. Just a few hours ago, we saw Biden's inaugural's first official event, the lighting of the National Mall, with nearly 200,000 flags. They represent Americans unable to travel to Washington because of the
pandemic and, of course, the threat of violence. Meanwhile, the latest video from the attack on the Capitol shows how the rioters echoed the president's language. And we have to warn you, it is explicit.
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TRUMP: To protect our Constitution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To protect the Constitution of the United States.
TRUMP: That's treason. That's treason.
RIOTERS: Treason. Treason. Treason.
TRUMP: Antifa, Antifa ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're afraid of Antifa?
Well, guess what?
America showed up.
TRUMP: Looking out at all the amazing patriots here today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys are fucking patriots.
TRUMP: We got to get Nancy Pelosi the hell out of there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I speak to Pelosi?
Yes, we're coming, bitch.
TRUMP: Mike Pence, I will tell you right now, I'm not hearing good stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike Pence is a fucking traitor.
TRUMP: America first. America first agenda ...
RIOTERS: America first.
TRUMP: Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if the election is being stolen, what is it going to take?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So now, of course, the Capitol grounds and much of Washington, D.C., are on lockdown, bracing for an unprecedented transfer of power. The FBI even vetting troops protecting the Capitol.
Think about that for a moment.
The acting U.S. Defense Secretary says there is no intelligence indicating any insider threat but they're leaving no stone unturned. More than 80 people are facing federal charges for the attack on the Capitol and investigators have opened at least 300 cases. More now from CNN's Jim Acosta.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Less than 48 hours left in office, this is President Trump's view from the White House. Signs for the Biden-Harris inauguration are now visible on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Refusing to attend his successor's inaugural, Trump is expected to exit the scene early Wednesday morning with the departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
According to the invite to the event, the ceremony's attendees are allowed to bring up to five guests each. As one White House adviser put it, he wants a big turnout, though the crowd won't be anywhere near the size of the gathering the White House lied about four years ago.
SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump has avoided the cameras for six days. Instead, he is meeting with attorneys behind closed doors, as he's expected to issue more than 100 pardons before stepping aside.
At the moment, pardons for himself and his adult children are not expected, though as one adviser quipped, "He could write it on a napkin before leaving the Oval Office."
One lawyer who may no longer serve on Trump's legal team, Rudy Giuliani, as he still faces questions for his role in inciting the crowd that's stormed the Capitol on January 6th.
RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER: If we're wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we are right, a lot of them will go to jail.
So, let's have trial by combat.
ACOSTA: Trump allies are urging the president to steer clear of pardoning any rioters.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): You interrupted a joint session of Congress. You tried to intimidate us all.
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GRAHAM: You should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
And to seek a pardon of these people would be wrong. It would be. I think it would destroy President Trump and I hope we don't go down that road. ACOSTA (voice-over): Those Trump loyalists are warning a post- impeachment trial will only further divide the country. The Democrats aren't buying it.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): This was the most serious presidential crime in the history of United States of America, the most dangerous crime by a president ever committed against the United States. There are Republicans who are recognizing it as well as Democrats.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Other members of Congress want to cut off Trump's access to intelligence information after he's gone.
SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): There is a grave danger of him, inadvertently or willfully, revealing classified information that would compromise sources and methods. And there is no -- there is no upside; there's no reason that he needs to have this information.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Some Republicans would like to see an investigation into GOP lawmakers, who are accused of egging on the insurrectionists, including Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley.
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): I do. I think that any person of any party, in any chamber, should be held accountable. They should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump will leave office with the lowest approval rating of his presidency, at just 34 percent, which explains why the outgoing vice president called for national healing.
MICHAEL PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I have faith that the day will come when we put these challenging times in the past and emerge stronger and better than ever. We will heal our land. We will renew our strength and the best days for the greatest nation on earth are yet to come.
ACOSTA: Even after the events of the last two weeks, Trump is leaving office still lying to himself and others that the election was stolen from him. A White House adviser said aides to the president have explained to him on numerous occasions that there is no evidence that he was cheated out of a second term.
But as this advisor put it, he still thinks it was stolen and that he won -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: Ron Brownstein, is CNN senior political analyst and the senior editor for "The Atlantic." He joins me now from Los Angeles.
Good to see you, Ron. You just wrote a piece for cnn.com and made the point that Donald Trump leaves America more divided than since the Civil War.
What will be the Trump legacy? RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I think, you know, there are many aspects of the legacy, the mishandling of the pandemic that has crushed the economy and overwhelmed the public health system. You know, from a conservative point of view, the number of judges that he appointed.
But I think above all the legacy is the divisions that he has fostered and extenuated in the country. I mean you see two different tracks here.
On the one hand, his conspiracy mongering, his open echoing of racist language and kind of argument has emboldened and promoted and energized the far right white nationalist movements and he has kind of lowered the barriers between them and the Republican Party. So that is a change on the fringe of the coalition.
And I think in the heart of the Republican coalition what's happened has been equally worrisome in that he has advanced a trend that predated him -- which is a growing willingness to employ antidemocratic -- small D -- means to try to maintain power in a country demographically moving away from them.
So I think on both fronts he has left America facing a level of social and political division that most experts I talked to agree has been matched only one time in our history, it exceeds even the 1960s, really the only parallel is the period around the Civil War.
HOLMES: Yes. Well, it's a little bit depressing really when you put it like that, Ron.
I was going to ask you about the pardon.
What do you expect to be on this pardon list?
I mean Trump's past record indicates he likes to pardon people who are connected to him, who've helped him or might do so in the future. That is a pretty risky sort of rationale for pardoning.
BROWNSTEIN: You know look, the pardons have often been an issue, you know, in the final hours of a presidency. And it certainly is one of the things that Congress may want to review, you know, after. Obviously, there are limits to the Constitution and how much you can constrain presidential pardon power.
I think, you know, what you'll see from Trump would be some combination of outrageous self-dealing, of people who are close to him, and some amount of celebrity, you know, kind of string-pulling, which he has shown a willingness to do, and perhaps some kind of pardons that are meant to kind of signal social awareness and stand down the impact of his kind of promotion of racist theories and arguments throughout his presidency, including that the election was stolen in largely African American cities.
So I bet you see some combination of all three -- celebrities, self- dealing and some efforts to signal a social conscience.
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HOLMES: Yes, it is hard not to shake your head when you hear senior Republicans particularly in Congress calling for healing and unity predictably, because they just want this all to go away.
But the fact is more than 70 percent of Republicans still think Joe Biden did not legitimately win this election.
BROWNSTEIN: Right.
HOLMES: In that context then how important is impeachment -- and accountability in general to that very concept of healing?
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, you know, when you talk to -- it's funny, I talked to a democracy scholar this week who said if you look around the world there is kind of a division of opinion, you know.
I mean sometimes the view is just get the bad guy off the stage by offering him a golden parachute and, you know, life on the Caribbean islands somewhere, but often the view is that you can't have real healing without accountability and I think in our case, the latter, that approach is more likely to be relevant.
Because the fact is that Donald Trump, you know, stoked these flames, fanned these flames, but he did not do it alone. You do not get to this point as I said to you before overnight and you do not get here on your own.
What we've seen is a broad willingness in the Republican Party to tolerate him moving in ways that threaten the rule of law from extorting the government of Ukraine, to weaponizing the Postal Service, to trying to distort the census. To everything that has happened since the election.
And of course, Michael, as you know, even after the Trump-inspired mob ransacked the Capitol, the vast majority of House Republicans still voted to overturn the election and in effect try to make him president for four more years.
And then, of course almost all of them voted against impeachment. I think there needs to be a serious investigation of exactly who did what in here. But also beyond that, a kind of look in the mirror in the Republican Party at what I call Flight 93 rhetoric that tells their voters that if Democrats win, the country will cease to be as they have known it.
It's not surprising that some of their supporters move in a radical direction after receiving that message day after day, month after month, year after year.
HOLMES: Ron, we've literally got less than a minute.
Is the Republican Party broken?
BROWNSTEIN: The Republican Party is morphing out of the Western democratic tradition, there's no question. It is becoming something more like what you see in a quasi-authoritarian country, where you win an election and then use state power to try to prevent the other side from ever winning again.
They do face serious fissures; three-quarters of Republicans are basically on board with everything Trump has done since the election. That's a frightening number in terms of seeding future radicalism. On the other hand, losing one-fifth or one-quarter of their supporters who effectively doom them going forward.
So those are very difficult choices Republicans face about whether they continue in this Trump direction, of opposing the change in America or, radical thought, try to talk to it, appeal to it and convince it that conservative policies can make its life better.
HOLMES: Yes, and always, as you say, in the background, the realities of changing, demographics, keep up with that or just get swallowed by. It
BROWNSTEIN: You can just fight it futilely going into the future.
HOLMES: Yes. Ron Brownstein, in Los Angeles, always a pleasure. Good to see you, Ron.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, thanks for having me, Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now Joe Biden plans to introduce sweeping changes to America's immigration system shortly after he takes office on Wednesday. He is expected to propose new legislation that would offer millions of undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship.
According to Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, the plan would reduce the time it takes to become a citizen to eight years. Biden has also vowed to address the root causes of migration and gradually reverse some of the president's restrictive policies at the U.S. southern border.
Many migrants though, aren't waiting for Biden's policy change to become official. An estimated 7,000 to 8000 people, mostly from Honduras and fleeing gang violence and poverty, are hoping to reach the U.S. border.
Their journey, though, hit a roadblock in Guatemala, when many migrants camped out on a highway and security forces took action. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Guatemalan police and soldiers on Monday, continue to clash with a large caravan of migrants heading through the country to Mexico, as they eventually try to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.
Over the weekend, as the caravan left Honduras and entered Guatemala, their police used stun grenades, tear gas and hit this group of migrants with batons, trying to draw them back into Honduras.
With thousands of the migrants did enter into Guatemala, and on Monday police continued to try and disperse them and tried to keep them from advancing, through Guatemala into Mexico. The president of Mexico says that he's been in touch with both members of the Biden, the incoming Biden administration and the Trump administration about this caravan.
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OPPMANN: It seems to indicate that both administrations have a very different view on immigration policy, are concerned with this caravan. The policy at least for the time being, is to try to keep caravans like this one from reaching the U.S.-Mexico border, possibly entering into the United States.
A number of these migrants have talked to the media, including CNN Espanol. They said that the two hurricanes that hit the region late last year and the pandemic has only made the situation in countries like Guatemala, like Honduras and El Salvador worse.
That is why you're seeing people continue trying to leave the region. As well and a number of the migrants said that they are expecting President-Elect Joe Biden will change U.S. immigration policy and that migrants upon reaching the U.S.-Mexico border, might be able to ask for asylum and actually enter the U.S. again.
As they have been able to do in former years, until the Trump administration made that impossible and enacted a policy of driving migrants back, keeping them in Mexico, not allowing them to ask for asylum.
But it seems that so far at least, for the coming months, there will not be any immediate change. So while these migrants are undergoing a difficult and dangerous journey to the United States, they may not be receiving the welcome they're hoping for -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
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HOLMES: The incoming Biden administration faces the colossal job of trying to contain the coronavirus. The numbers are simply astounding. More than 24 million U.S. cases reported since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 400,000 Americans have died from the virus.
On Monday, President Trump issued an executive order, lifting coronavirus related travel restrictions for Brazil and much of Europe, including Ireland and the U.K. That would go into effect after he leaves office. Joe Biden has already said it's not going to happen. He will block that.
An international group of experts is criticizing China and the World Health Organization for their initial handling of the pandemic. The new report concludes China could have tried harder to contain the virus a year ago. It also says the World Health Organization took too long to declare an
international emergency. The independent panel will publish recommendations on how to better respond to a pandemic later this year.
Meanwhile, in the U.K., more than 4 million people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The British health secretary says that is double of any other European country. But researchers at the University of Oxford say the U.K. also had the highest COVID death rate in the world over the last week.
Health secretary Matt Hancock says getting vaccine shots to as many people as possible is the government's number one priority.
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MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Our vaccine delivery plan is absolutely at the core of this. It is our way out. It's also the biggest medical deployment in British history and it's one of the biggest civilian operations that this country has ever undertaken.
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HOLMES: Meanwhile lockdowns remain in place and travel to and from the U.K. is severely restricted. And the British prime minister warns these measures could be around for quite some time.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: When we come to February 15th, we have to take stock of what we have achieved. That is the time to look at whether the virus -- the extent of the infection and the success that we have had.
It is only really then that we can talk about the way ahead and what steps we can take to relax. I have to warn people, it will be gradual. You cannot just open up in a great Open Sesame, a great bang, because I am afraid the situation is still pretty precarious, as people can tell.
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HOLMES: To make matters worse, British researchers say a third of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in the U.K. end up going back to hospital after being discharged. Ongoing effects of this virus is something we are yet to fully learn about.
Other parts of Europe are facing similar problems. New infections in France hit a 6.5-week high while Austria and other countries desperately seek vaccine approval. CNN's Melissa Bell with more on Europe's fight against the virus.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Europe, several countries under pressure over those COVID-19 figures. [00:20:00]
BELL: Portugal has announced a record when it comes to COVID-19 related deaths.
On Tuesday, Germany will consider whether to further tighten its restrictions already. The partial lockdown that is in place there was extended beyond January 31st.
The question is how much tighter the restrictions have to become?
The Austrian chancellor had announced that the lockdown --
(CROSSTALK)
BELL: -- had to be extended yesterday. Today he urged the European Medicines Agency to come to a quick decision when it comes to the AstraZeneca vaccine. More than 3 weeks now after the E.U. launched its vaccination campaign, several E.U. countries have come to criticism for the small rollout of their programs.
Germany but also here in France. The prime minister on Monday spoke to the nation on French TV, promising that, by the end of the month, 1 million people would have been vaccinated -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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HOLMES: Alexei Navalny is calling for protests in the streets of Russia, just ahead the fierce Kremlin critic rallies his supporters after his surprise hearing and detention in Moscow. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: A strong earthquake has hit the province of San Juan in Argentina, U.S. Geological Survey says it was a 6.4 magnitude quake followed by a series of aftershocks, at least one of which came 20 minutes later and 1,000 kilometers away.
The quake was powerful enough to rattle clothing racks in this shop if you could see it there. There is no threat of a tsunami at this time, which is some good news.
Alexei Navalny is urging his supporters to take to the streets in protests later this week. The Kremlin critic was ordered to remain in custody for 30 days in a surprise hearing on Monday. He was detained, you might remember, as soon as he arrived from Germany the night before.
He spent months there recovering from being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. Fred Pleitgen has the report.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Things are moving extremely fast here in Moscow after the arrival and detention of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny here in Moscow on Sunday.
There was a hearing that took place on Monday. And it was really something that was remarkable, because Alexei Navalny said that, early in the morning, guards came into his cell. They told him there would be a hearing against him that day.
That hearing then started only a couple of minutes later. During that hearing, Alexei Navalny was set to remain in detention for at least another 30 days. Of course, there are several other cases against him here in this country. So he could be sentenced to much longer than that.
But in the meantime he will remain in custody for 30 days as of right now. Alexei Navalny, for his part, urged his supporters to take to the streets and protest against his detention. Here's what he said.
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ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: What is this toad afraid of, what are these crooks sitting in their bunkers most afraid of?
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NAVALNY (through translator): You know very well: people taking to the streets.
That is the political factor you cannot ignore. That's the most important factor, the essence of politics. So come to the streets, not for me but for yourself and your future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: The date for that mass action is set to be January 23rd, which is, of course, this upcoming Saturday. And those actions are set to take place in several cities.
Alexei Navalny was detained here in Moscow upon arrival at the airport before he even managed to enter the country. He managed to kiss his wife goodbye, give her one last hug and went into the arms of the authorities, who then put him in detention in the north of Moscow.
Right now he is situated in one of the most infamous jails here in the city, the Matrosskaya Tishina jail, which is east of the city and in the past has housed very famous prisoners, like Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Sergei Magnitsky as well. It's a very, very rough place. There is a lot of people who are very concerned about the health and safety of Alexei Navalny -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
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HOLMES: Joining me now to discuss all of this is Bianna Golodryga, CNN senior global affairs analyst and joins me now from New York. Good to see you, Bianna.
I was reading your Twitter feed. And earlier you tweeted about a Navalny aide posting on Facebook that his team had agreed on a list of people he felt should be sanctioned if the West wanted to be serious about pressuring Russia.
International pressure has started.
What's your take, do you think it's going to work?
It's certainly going to be a test for Joe Biden.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, look, we are clearly seeing strong condemnation from Western leaders which is a positive sign.
It's something that we've seen over the past few years from at least European countries. We didn't hear as much from the president of the United States, we heard from the secretary of state and others that work with him. But, of course, it's meaningless unless it comes from the president.
This is something that Joe Biden has already said that he is going to address head on in terms of Russia's aggressive actions and Putin's aggressive actions, not only around the world but also internally. And obviously, he was referring to the poisoning of Alexey Navalny.
But words can only get you so far and sanctions can only get you so far. And you think of all the sanctions that have been levied against Russia and Russian enterprises, the years that have gone by doesn't seem to have hurt Putin himself yet it has really stymied the Russian economy.
So the question is can you go after targeted sanctions, can you use the Magnitsky Act to go after specific folks around Vladimir Putin, those cronies of his, his closest aides and those that's he's put at the top levels of corporations and government enterprises that could really hit him personally and directly.
Obviously, there's a lot of the allegations that money's funneled through these corrupt people as they are sitting at the helm of some of these very rich companies.
HOLMES: That's a very good point. And broad sanctions very rarely work, just ask Iran.
Legal proceedings are underway officially -- but I think I know your answer to this -- what chance a fair hearing for Alexei Navalny?
GOLODRYGA: I think we all know that there is no chance of a fair hearing. We know these charges have been cooked up prior to his return. This is something that Russia had been threatening.
Because at the end of the day Russia and Putin himself here few people more than they fear Alexei Navalny. And I think their point was to threaten him from Russia while he was still in Germany signaling that he would be under arrest for violating the dubious probation sentence from a few years ago.
Obviously, the violation would be that he has not checked in with a probation officer. Well, it's hard to do that when you are recovering from a poisoning attack from the president that he orchestrated. As obviously some of our CNN reporting has brilliantly led to.
But given that he has now returned, he expected he would be detained and these charges are now going to be followed over the next 30 days as he's being remanded in a prison outside of Moscow.
HOLMES: He has urged his supporters to -- I think he used the words not be silent, take to the streets following that court decision.
What's your take on his support level and the risk that those supporters would take by hitting the streets?
GOLODRYGA: His support is high. Look, there's no doubt that he is the most popular opposition figure, one of the only opposition figure -- the leading opposition figures in Russia.
But, as one Russia journalist today put it, what has transpired over the past 24 hours with Navalny's return given that he could have stayed abroad and many people would understand why.
Given his return, given this arrest, given the clear signal from the Kremlin that they do fear him -- you saw that police presence at that airport, he was actually diverted to another Moscow airport later on.
But you see his supporters rallying, whether it's through their YouTube channels or whether it's through social media. And that alone, the galvanization there, the organic galvanization of his supporters, is something that you typically don't see in Russia.
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You know, I was following some of the Russian media, the state media's reporting of Navalny's return. Only one network covered it. It was in the final few minutes of its programming, and they didn't even show any pictures of it.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Wow.
GOLODRYGA: One Russian reporter said that he went from being a popular opposition leader to now a symbolic figure, and that's a big difference, I think.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, I think Putin called him merely a blogger. He's clearly more than that when you see what's happening. I wish we had more time. We do not regret. Bianna Golodryga, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Good to be with you. HOLMES: Quick break here on the program. When we come back, after
weeks of delays, Brazil has finally rolled out its COVID vaccine program, but will it be enough to slow down the outbreak?
And lockdown opponents once championed Sweden's laid-back approach to the virus, but now with deaths on the rise, that country imposing new restrictions. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Brazil is rolling out a nationwide COVID vaccination program a day after health officials authorized two vaccines for emergency use. Now, this comes as parts of the country are seeing a deadly resurgence of the virus, with some hospitals running dangerously low on vital supplies.
CNN's Shasta Darlington explains.
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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brazil launched its national campaign on Monday, weeks behind other nations and with a severely limited supply.
In the hardest hit city of Manaus, in Brazil's Amazon, patients have been dying at an alarming rate, in part, because hospitals are running out of oxygen. Severe COVID-19 patients have been airlifted to other cities around the country. Even 60 premature babies were airlifted out of Manaus last week, because they simply didn't have enough oxygen tanks.
Some of the first doses of vaccine headed to Manaus first.
Brazil's health regulator approved emergency use authorization for two different vaccines on Sunday. And the government of Sao Paulo state started its rollout on the same day.
The national health ministry, however, started chipping off supplies to the rest of the country on Monday.
The outlook is still grim. Initially, only 6 million doses were made available for a country of 211 million people and with the second highest number of deaths in the world.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
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HOLMES: Now despite a fairly hands-off approach last year, Sweden's government is now mandating new restrictions. Social distancing requirements and travel bans may be just the start.
CNN's Max Foster explains.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Government-mandated limits on the number of people allowed into a store. That might not sound extraordinary, but it is for Sweden. Health authorities have long relied on voluntary guidelines throughout the crisis.
But it wasn't enough, and with an act of Parliament, Sweden's government was granted the power to enforce COVID-19 restrictions, which is seen as normal around much of the world, such as closing restaurants.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: It's about time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because people really didn't care. They would, like, stand close to each other, stand close to the personnel and not keep their distance, generally.
FOSTER: After an initial spike in deaths, the Swedish numbers fell, and by the end of the summer, it looked like the country's more relaxed approach to lockdown might work out.
Authorities were so confident that in September, they lifted a ban on visiting care homes. Just a few months later, contagion spiked. Hospitals were overrun, and the death rate surged. The Swedish pandemic model had apparently failed.
Sweden now far outpaces its neighbors in per capita deaths. The prime minister has admitted the death toll revealed a failure.
"In retrospect," he said, "things should have been done differently."
FREDRIK ELGH, SENIOR CONSULTANT AND PROFESSOR OF VIROLOGY: Just only having the epidemic law is not enough, and the measures taken through this law now is, in my eyes, not enough at all.
FOSTER: Scientists outside government are calling for the closure of schools, shops, gyms and restaurants to shock the virus into submission.
ELGH: You have to push this down to be able to save healthcare and save lives. And since there is such a short time now people will have the vaccines, for many of our citizens, especially the vulnerable, I think it's very worthwhile that we get our acts together.
FOSTER: So will anti-lockdown campaigners at home and abroad continue to lionize Sweden's anti-lockdown approach?
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): In contrast, Sweden had a relatively softer touch.
FOSTER: Well, the mastermind behind the Swedish strategy, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, still doesn't believe in blanket mandatory lockdowns. ANDRES TEGNELL, SWEDISH STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: I'm not sure that legal
stringent (ph) measures are so much more effective than the voluntary measures. I don't really believe in introducing more measures. What we need to do is to see to it that those measures are used fully.
FOSTER: The lockdown debate, still not locked down in Sweden, despite all the evidence that their more relaxed approach hasn't worked.
Max Foster, CNN.
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HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes.
When we come back, Donald Trump's presidency coming to an end, and that means moving out of the White House. Cue the Internet memes. We'll have that when we come back.
And also, country music superstar Garth Brooks set to perform at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
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GARTH BROOKS, COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR: I think everybody shares in this thing, whether you're red or blue, and here's the connection. We all want to get back together.
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[00:40:37]
HOLMES: Country megastar Garth Brooks will perform at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Brooks accepting the invitation from Jill Biden for what he calls a statement of unity.
The singer says he's performed for multiple U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat, and considers it a great honor. Brooks will be part of the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol and says he's ready for the U.S. to come together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKS: I might be the only Republican at this place, but it's reaching across, loving one another, because that's what's going to get us through probably the most divided times that we have. I want the divided times to be behind us.
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HOLMES: The Trump administration is packing up and moving out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and on social media, many critics of the president are moved, not to tears but to cheers. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just to hear the sounds that moving makes can induce anxiety, but when the moving trucks are in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, well, "Reality just parked in front of the White House."
Those who are anti-Trump instantly became pro-moving: "Whoo-hoo!"
Sure, some have claimed moving is more stressful than even divorce, but for Trump opponents, it's "Oh Happy Day" all the way.
Watching empty boxes go by, creates ready to be filled with belongings, framed mementos of an administration whose time is up. Inspiring digs like "I hope they brought enough moving blankets to protect Trump's fragile ego."
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": I have never found a moving truck so moving.
MOOS: Moving trucks are being monitored all the way to Mar-a-Lago, where a couple of massive ones were spotted as stuff was unloaded into the club.
The move is leaving mockery in its wake. President Trump at the wheel of a golf cart towing a U-Haul.
When that bust of Lincoln was spotted being moved out of the White House, critics were quick to suspect the worst.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": He's going to use that as a hood ornament on his golf cart.
MOOS: But the White House Historical Association confirmed they are "confident items being removed from the West Wing are being handled appropriately." Pieces are loaned to each new administration and then returned.
And don't have a bird over that stuffed pheasant. That's the wife of chief of staff Mark Meadows, packing up his personal momentous.
Egged on by comedian Samantha Bee, who turned a departing framed photo into a white board, so the Internet could have at it. The image was recycled, from young Donald Trump in a bath robe to bare-chested Geraldo Rivera, to hair as turbulent as the man it crowns.
Instead of a second inauguration on Capitol Hill, it was this "Hillbillies" reference to moving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.
(speaking): Hills, that is.
MOOS: Make that, Mar-a-Lago, that is.
Jeanne Moos, CNN. (MUSIC)
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: On that note, thanks for watching. I'm Michael Holmes. Do stay tuned for WORLD SPORT. I'll see you in about 20 minutes with more news.
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