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Proud Boys Organizer Released Under Home Confinement; Biden Reverses Trump Policies On Border Wall, Pipeline In First 24 Hours; Administration Official: Biden To Invite Congressional Leaders To White House As Early As Friday; Nancy Pelosi: Lawmakers Will Face "Prosecution" If They Helped Rioters; CNN Poll: More Americans Say They're Willing To Get Vaccinated. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired January 21, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have not released so a lot of these cases remain sealed, of course that experts look at that and said that could be your fish, we're waiting to see just how serious these charges will be as investigators continue to do their work. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes Josh, thank you so much. And thank you all so much for joining us today. I'm Kate Bolduan. John King picks up our coverage right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing this very important day with us. It is day two of the Biden Presidency and there is big change just about everywhere you look but also some very big immediate challenges for the new president, too.

900,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week that report from the government this morning reminding the new president he inherits an economy wounded by the Coronavirus pandemic and right now bleeding jobs.

A big new stimulus plan is part of the Biden solution and the president is calling congressional leaders to the White House tomorrow in an effort to get right to work and to prove Democrats and Republicans can work together.

But there is still no agreement on how to run the 50-50 Senate and team Biden worries something else it inherits. A Trump impeachment trial will speed a return to polarization and slow work on the Biden agenda. The Senate can't set a firm schedule for that trial until the House sends over the paperwork which listen here still TBD.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can put any finite point on the timing for the articles of impeachment --? REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): And as soon as I said, you'll be the first to know. It's up to them to decide how we go forward, when we go forward. It will be soon. I don't think it will be long, but we must do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Proof of the change here the president's new Director of National Intelligence will sworn-in at the White House this morning. A source tells CNN the FBI Director Christopher Wray will stay on in his post. Pete Buttigieg is testifying on Capitol Hill this hour if confirmed as Transportation Secretary, Buttigieg would become the first Senate confirmed LGBTQ cabinet official. Just about everything in government is changing, but the Coronavirus remains a constant.

Inauguration Day was one year after the first confirmed case of COVID- 19 here in the United States yesterday's toll, 182,000 new cases, nearly 4400 new deaths. Speeding up the vaccine rollout is a signature Biden promised and new CNN poll numbers releasing right now this hour say more Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves.

Take a peek. Two-thirds of Americans now say they will try to get vaccinated. The president plans new Coronavirus executive orders this afternoon and the speech on the subject one big change already to the Trump approach, Dr. Anthony Fauci joining a World Health Organization meeting today to signal the United States will now rejoin global conversations about the pandemic.

Top Biden aides complaining team Trump left them no vaccine distribution plan still, Dr. Fauci says the Biden promise of 100 million doses in 100 days is doable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The president has made this his top priority. I feel fairly confident that that's going to be not only that, but maybe even better. The amount that will be coming in, we will be able to meet that goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: COVID of course, the new president's big initial focus. Let's take a look at a scope of some of the changes not just on COVID from the Biden Administration compared to the Trump Administration. Today the new president will talk about using the Trans-Production Act. Other measures here in Washington to ramp up, supplies, vaccinations, testing, PPE for hospital healthcare workers and Americans across the country.

There's a new COVID-19 pandemic testing board. New guidance, the new president says he wants within 100 days to dramatically help schools reopen. New guidance for that requiring mask wearing this is a big change in airports, federal property transportation and the like and to create a COVID-19 health equity task force. We've talked over the last year, especially in recently months about the disparities, especially in African American communities, Latino communities, and a big focus on the new administration. Just yesterday the 100-day masking challenge from the new president.

Creating a COVID-19 Response Coordinator in the White House to centralized decision making extending the moratorium from the Trump Administration on evictions and foreclosures and extending student loan payment pass that was put in place during the Trump Administration because of COVID. A lot of what we're seeing in these early hours of the new presidency reversing Trump administration policies. Again, rejoining or staying in the world health organization.

The new president is going to halt the border wall construction, a signature Trump initiative, reversing the Trump Muslim travel ban, cancelling Joe Biden will now President Biden the keystone xl pipeline. New changes to census policy to immigration policy to a commission, President Trump appointed that many viewed as racist and also trying to stop late Trump Administration regulatory changes.

[12:05:00]

KING: The Biden team is looking at those and also Joe Biden in some ways returning. He was the vice president for Barack Obama trying to return to an Obama-like approach for DACA, "The Dreamers". Paris Climate Accords, Joe Biden assigned the paperwork to get back into those.

And this is a big TBD, the administration says it is hoping to resume the Iran Nuclear Agreements, but it says Iran first has several things to prove. Let's get straight to our Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

Kaitlan it's dizzying how much the new president is trying to do out in the box but it's also clear he understands COVID. How he performs in the first 100 days, speeding up the vaccine rollout, proving the government has a new and better approach to COVID is a signature building block.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And that is their number one goal that appears for today making sure that they are looking like they're presenting a much more streamlined approach than what they believe the last administration offered at least when it comes to vaccine distribution given we are at such a critical point in that because we are not where a lot of Trump officials said we were going to be by the end of the year, certainly not by this far into January.

And so, I think that they're hoping to change that. They're still trying to get a grasp on exactly what the state of play is? And so, when they say that they inherited nothing when it comes to vaccine distribution there was a plan, maybe it wasn't the framework that they liked or one that they thought would set them up for success, so I think we could be seeing that change today. And that's going to be a lot of what we're going to hear from the

president outlining today in these remarks where he's going about what their national strategy is going to be. And it could be one that is much more federal government-controlled than it is state-controlled as you saw with the last approach.

That was really something a defense that you heard from Trump Administration officials who were working on Coronavirus. They would say well, it's up to the states to actually distribute the vaccine we just got them there. And I think we're seeing a different approach from the Biden Administration with that.

And another thing that we're hearing from them and one thing that we could get announced from the president this afternoon is about the use of the Defense Production Act. Because of course, it's not just vaccine distribution, it's everything that goes with that swabs, testing, reagents, pipits everything of that nature that they need more of that, of course, is a question on private sector capacity and whether or not they'll use the Defense Production Act to actually mandate this, to guarantee that these companies will have the funding they need depending on how this shapes out?

So I think that overall, those are the granular details, but overall that is their approach is to make sure it looks like hey, we've got a plan. This is what we're working on. Here's what we're going to do to try to achieve that early on in our first days on the job. And so, I think that is why you're going to see such a focus on that from Biden when he speaks this afternoon.

KING: The public line from the new administration is, we'll leave it to the Senate, and we'll leave it to the congress to do the nuts and bolts of the impeachment trial. But we also know and Joe Biden during the transition, President Biden now during the transition was very clear he's nervous that a senate impeachment trial could derail.

He wants Republicans to support his COVID stimulus package. He wants Republicans this will be a heavy lift to support him on a new integration plan that includes a path to citizenship and things like that. Are there private conversations with the new administration to their now Democratic Senate leadership saying, if you must do this, and we understand you think you must do it quickly, get it out of the way?

COLLINS: Yes, I think Biden has made clear that he says he wants the former president, his predecessor to be held accountable. But the question is whether or not that's stepping on his agenda? When there is a Senate trial going on the Hill and that's the complete focus of the entire Senate, that's obviously going to impede what it is that he's trying to get done and get done quickly.

In addition to those confirmations that we're seeing happening right now, there is still a lot of focus on what's going to happen with the trial? And so we did not get a lot of clarity from the House Speaker today on when that's going to go forward but I do think it's a situation where you're seeing the president in this and he's facing still dealing with the looming presence of his predecessor here in Washington given that this trial is going on.

And so, you heard Jen Psaki say yesterday she was asked about this, what she thinks should happen during - that's the new Press Secretary during the impeachment trial. She said they believe that Senators can walk and chew gum at the same time that they can work on pushing forward and working on Biden's agenda while also handling the impeachment trial for the president.

But I think that you've heard that concern from a lot of officials privately about what exactly that split screen is going to look like when it happens?

KING: One of the many, many big tests just ahead just around the corner. Kaitlan Collins, grateful for the reporting and the insights. And up next for us, we continue the conversation the key Biden ally in congress on the challenges ahead and on soaking in the history yesterday. But first, President Biden gets an assist from members of a most exclusive club.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, I'm pulling for your success. Your success is our country's success, and God bless you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have spoken for us today, now you will lead for us and we're ready to march with you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be available in any ways that we can as citizens to help you guide our country forward. We wish you God be with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: President Biden's overarching early theme is unity, but many agenda items will immediately test his belief that there is room for bipartisan cooperation here in post-Trump Washington. And there is no shortage of Democrats who worry the new president is wasting precious time even trying to see if the GOP will come to the table on issues like immigration and climate change.

A first test tomorrow, CNN has told the new president plans to call an early meeting of the bipartisan congressional leadership. Let's get some perspective now from a key Biden ally in the House, the House Majority Whip James Clyburn. Congressman, it's great to see you on this day.

[12:15:00]

KING: So what do you say when progressives, I know a lot of progressives feel this way, they say, you know what, the Republicans are not going to go along, they're not going to vote for a path to citizenship for the undocumented for example, they're not going to vote for sweep in climate change. Why is Joe Biden even going to try on these issues? What do you say to them?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-CA): Well, that remains to be seen. I would not make assumptions that past history will be any indicator of how people are going to conduct themselves this time. We have to lay out our proposals give them the opportunity to participate and if they don't vote anyway. I think many of these things especially as it relates to immigration issues though you're welcome to be bipartisan if you're not we just have to go ahead and do it.

KING: And there's a lot of concern at the White House they completely understand, and the House is voted to impeach Donald Trump for a second time. The Senate has a constitutional duty to head their trial. The new president wants to get things done.

He's a little worried and impeachment trial becomes more poison in the well if you will. You have suggested as an ally of the new president why we hold them on the House side for little while? Let his team get confirmed maybe start senate action on a new COVID stimulus bill.

But we are told it look like the Speaker will send the articles over tomorrow and political reporting today saying, we've heard from multiple Hill sources, lawmakers have privately discussed the possibility of a three-day impeachment trial for Trump which would be the fastest of any such procedure.

That a good idea if you're trying to get this out of the way, has a quick three-day trial, move on, whatever the verdict is?

CLYBURN: I'm in the midst of telling the Senate how this would work. I do believe, though that, when I look at the schedule of the last impeachment trial, they did it in the afternoons. And so, I don't know why we cannot continue that same format. I don't know what they're doing in the mornings or what they might be doing in the evenings.

So, I think that you can have an impeachment trial and other business taking place at the same time. Now as for the duration, three days or six days, I don't know. But I would hope that they would make the presentations as quickly as they possibly can because for the country's sake, this needs to get behind us not just for this administration but for the country.

And I do believe very strongly that we cannot just accept what happened here. What happened is a very serious matter. And I've been telling people that if I had not studied history as thoroughly as I have, I happen to know that these kinds of internal decays can ruin a democracy or any other country.

We talk about Rome not being built in a day. No, and it did not - was not destroyed in a day. But there was some Intel stuff like the kind of stuff I'm seeing here that did not - democracy, and before you know it, the whole thing is gone.

KING: One of the questions that have to be answered is not just what will happen to the president in a Senate trial but other members of the House, a lot of questions have been raised about several Republicans who somehow gave tours or helped. The Speaker addressed this issue just a short time ago. Here's how she put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: If people did aid and abet, there will be more than just comments from their colleagues here, there will be prosecution. If they aided and abetted an insurrection in which people died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What is your understanding of the process here? Is this up to the U.S. attorney here in the District of Columbia or the D.A., the city's D.A.? Is this up to the Ethics Committee; are this something General Honore will look at and his security view of the Capitol? Who should be answering the question, did members of congress help?

CLYBURN: Well, I think that we call for 9/11 commission to do a thorough investigation of this. This is the most serious things that I've seen here in the congress. Whether or not you are sitting on the floor with people who are invited an insurrection.

Who were trying to overthrow the government you're supposed to be here to protect and preserve, that's a very serious charge and it's been made? We need to investigate to find out the extent of any members' involvement if any that are in this and I believe you cannot be any more serious than that.

[12:20:00]

KING: Let me close with a little bit of history, a little bit of yesterday. Just your perspective of being up on that podium yesterday and I understand because you talked to some reporters back home in South Carolina, you had a conversation. Former President Bush was there. I believe we have some video of you having a brief conversation with the former president.

And he said that you were the savior that you helped - you're helping Joe Biden in the South Carolina primary made the difference here. Walk us through this conversation.

CLYBURN: Well, you know, George W. Bush and I were pretty friendly when he was president and we always talk back and forth when we see each other. And so, when I was asked what we're talking about, I just shared what he said to me. And he's not the first one to say something like that. A lot of people believe that what happened in South Carolina launched or should I say re-launched the campaign.

As you know Joe Biden was not doing well after Ohio and even after Nevada and South Carolina. He won by almost 30 points and then went on to win big on Super Tuesday. So, he shared that with me, he kept saying, you know, you're the savior here because nobody else could have won this. And so, a lot of people felt that Joe Biden was the one Democrat - who said to me a few months before that endorsement.

She passed away before the endorsement, but she told me the night of - the best bet would be to nominate Joe Biden. And so, that's what George said to me and I told him Joe - was expressing her thoughts as well.

KING: Congressman Clyburn, grateful for your time and your insights today. Let's continue the conversation as we go through the very challenging days for the new administration's agenda in the narrowly divided House and narrowly divided Senate. It's going to be a fascinating few month here in D.C. Very much appreciate your time, sir.

CLYBURN: Thank you for having me.

KING: Up next, COVID a giant focus today at the Biden White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

KING: The new president, President Biden will make clear again today tackling the COVID pandemic is priority number one. Some new executive orders from the White House, a speech from president later today. We're told Dr. Fauci will be at the briefing late today at the White House. Let's walk through some of the numbers.

If you look at this map, green is good. Green means fewer cases now, fewer infections now compared to a week ago and you see a lot of green on the map. 43 states trending in the right direction, meaning fewer new infections now compared to a week ago. Somewhat deceptive and that they started at such a horrific place because of the winter surging cases.

But the map does look better as the new administrations takes over, 43 states trending in the right direction meaning down. Six holding steady, only one Virginia reporting more new infections this week compared to last week. So on the surface first glance, this map looks good. But again, you're starting from a pretty horrific level when it comes to new infections.

The number yesterday, 182,695 again we've had many days above 200,000 closing in on 300,000. So that's an improvement but it's still a horribly high number. 182,000, this is a sad number. 4,375 new reported COVID deaths yesterday Joe Biden's first day as President Inauguration Day.

Hospitalizations, they were above 130,000, down to 122,700 now. So, a little improvement here, a little improvement there. That still it's a lagging indicator and it's a horrible, horrible number. Some encouraging numbers if you're Joe Biden, if you're a public health professional in our brand-new CNN poll, sentiment toward getting a vaccine is improving.

Young Americans age 18 to 34, 55 percent now said they want to get a vaccine compared to 52 in October. It's only a slight increase there, maybe margin of error but look at this, age 35 to 49, a 10-point jump, 58 percent now say yes, I think I'll get a vaccine. Age 50 to 64, another big jump up to 69 percent who say yes, I want to get a vaccine. Older Americans some of them first in line to get the vaccine, over 65, 87 percent now say, I would like to get Coronavirus vaccine. So, if the administration can speed up the plan, how quickly, how quickly until every American gets a shot in the arm?

At the current rate, a little over - just shy of 900,000 vaccines being administered a day. It would take us until next summer. If you speed it up that's modest 100,000 more shots a day, you could get there by the spring of 2022.

Now the new administration knows this is a goal, they know it's a promise. 100 million vaccines in 100 days, can you get there? Listen to the difference, slight difference in tone here between Dr. Fauci and Dr. Walensky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. FAUCI: His goal is to get 100 million people vaccinated within the first 100 days of his presidency. I mean, I feel fairly confident that that's going to be not only that, but maybe even better.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I am going to tell you the truth here. I don't think late February we're going to have vaccine in every pharmacy in this country. We said 100 million doses in the first 100 days and we're going to stick to that plan. But I also want to be very cognizant of the fact that after 100 days there are still a lot of Americans who need vaccine and so, we have our pedal to the metal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)