Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

COVID-19 Kills 3,600 Americans On Friday, More Than 185,000 New Cases; CDC Reports A Record Number Of Daily COVID-19 Vaccinations On Friday; Broadcasting Legend Larry King Dies At Age 87; Slim Path To Convict Trump As GOP Support For Trial Wanes; Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) Is Interviewed About Kamala Harris Sworn Into History With Vice Presidential Oath. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired January 23, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN BREAKING NEWS.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with U.S. facing its most difficult moment in the coronavirus pandemic yet. The nation breaking new records even as the vaccine rollout continues to be a challenge. Another 3,600 deaths on Friday alone. January is on track to be the deadliest month of the pandemic to-date.

Complicating matters even more, the rollout of the coronavirus vaccines. The CDC says Friday set a record for single day doses administered with more than 1.6 million given out. But, right now states are experiencing critical shortages, as millions of Americans try to get vaccinated. There are long lines at vaccine sites across the country, like this one at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Biden administration is making vaccine distribution a major focal point, promising 100 million doses administered in Biden's first 100 days in office. CNN's Polo Sandoval is in New York as Governor Andrew Cuomo emphasizes equal vaccine access.

But let's begin in Atlanta with CNN's Natasha Chen were state officials - state health officials, rather, are now outlining residency requirements for vaccinations, and that's because people are crossing the borders?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, that was one case that we heard of from a local report. And when CNN asked the State Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey about this on Thursday, she said that when she heard about things like that, she immediately made sure that providers across the state were reminded that the vaccine coming to Georgia is for Georgia residents.

At least people who live here part time or who are taking care of elderly parents in the state or perhaps work in the state, even if they live across the state line somewhere else. All of those people are eligible to receive vaccine here.

At Morehouse School of Medicine where we are, these folks actually had to prove residency in this immediate area to get an appointment here. And the appointments are pretty much all booked up. And that's what we're hearing across various providers in the Metro Atlanta area. It's been a frustration for a lot of people trying to get an appointment online, just to schedule one.

Here's the experience of one woman who came here after not succeeding getting an appointment somewhere else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh, I started off trying to - I was in Cobb County. And I, every day, went online, trying to get an appointment, and the websites crash, crash, crash, crash. This is happening to me and I'm well educated. My husband's a state senator. If this is happening to me what's happening to people who don't have what I have, and don't have access that I have? I'm really feeling really bad for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: I did hear similar complaints from people that we talked to at another vaccination site yesterday, talking about website problems. This is a learning curve for a lot of providers. And these providers are telling me that they're making fixes that whenever they see these problems, but still there's just so much more demand than supply at the moment, Fred,

WHITFIELD: Right. And it's complicated navigating the websites. I have tried on behalf of my own family members and neighbors to assist them. And I'm telling you, oftentimes you just kind of throw your hands up or you get knocked off. It's complicated for everybody. It really is. Natasha, thank you so much.

Our Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York says hospitalizations are down across the state as New York's positivity rate is now just above 5 percent. So Polo, fill us in on the rest.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for starters, we do know that Governor Cuomo visiting some of those communities, especially those that have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic, and really pushing that message of trying to get equal access to this vaccine.

But before we get to that, the main issue is just trying to secure more of those doses, because as the governor also made clear just a little while ago, at this point they have administered all of their allotment that they received for weeks one through five of the vaccine.

Now, an important part of that reporting, though, is that there still is week six of the vaccine that's going to be trickling in, in the coming days - about 240,000 doses. So that's important to keep in mind as well. [12:05:00]

But we're still trying to find out exactly what that means for some who may have actually secured one of those highly coveted appointments for this weekend, will they still get their vaccine? It's certainly one of the hanging questions here.

And it also speaks to that desperate search for information about what's going to happen next, and also that push to get more vaccines. For example, that additional 240,000 that we expect here in the State of New York in the coming days, there still is up to 7 million people who are eligible after the state expanded that list of eligibility. So it's certainly a big question. And then, of course, pushing that urgency is the fact that there are more of these cases of this U.K. variant that have been confirmed, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Polo Sandoval, Natasha Chen, thanks so much to both you. We appreciate it.

All right, President Biden is promising a robust response to both vaccine shortages and economic recovery. This week, he signed a series of orders to ramp up vaccine production, expand testing and reopen schools. He is also building on his promise to provide for struggling families, ordering a $15 federal minimum wage on top of his $1.9 trillion relief package.

CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz is here with more on this. Arlette, the administration is promising 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days. What's the plan on accomplishing that?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, President Biden has said that the vaccine production and distribution will be a wartime undertaking. And what you are seeing his White House try to do is leverage all of the resources of federal government to ensure that more vaccines will get into Americans arms.

But one thing that the president has cautioned is that this can't just happen with the flip of a switch. It is going to take some time. And his top advisers, including his nominee for Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, have been saying that they are confident that there will be more vaccine supply coming down the road.

And you have seen the president trying to take some steps to try to help ramp up that production. He invoked the Defense Production Act earlier this week to make some of those supplies that are needed for vaccinations, but it won't be immediate. It will take some time for these supplies and vaccines to really ramp up.

You have also seen the administration try to take some steps to help states. Yesterday the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the CDC will start looking into the possibility that states may begin running out of doses of vaccines that they have. The administration has also said that they will soon try to provide more clear guidance for how these COVID-19 standards and protocols should be playing out in the states. And you've also seen the president roll out some of those executive actions to try to ease some of the economic pain brought on by this coronavirus pandemic. He has said that there is a need immediately for not just him to act through executive action, but also for Congress to act. So he is trying to make it clear that the vaccine distribution, economic relief are the top priorities for his administration right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette. Thanks so much. And you know what, Arlette, congratulations on White House Correspondent after being on the campaign trail - on the Biden campaign trail for a very long time.

SAENZ: Thanks. I appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Congrats. All right. Coming up, remembering Larry King, tributes to a television icon who interviewed presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes and everyday people. Here's what King said at the end of his last show, December 16, 2010.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: It's not very often in my life I've been without words. I want to thank everybody associated with this program, all the people behind the scenes, as I've mentioned Wendy and the staff, the floor people, everybody that makes it possible, even the suits at the top. Love them too.

When I started 25 years ago at a little studio in Washington, D.C., I never thought it would ever last this long or come to this. So I'm going to go on, do a lot of other things. We're going to do specials here on CNN. I'm going to be seen in other places, do some radio work, be around baseball.

So you're not going to see me go away. But you're not going to see me here on this set anymore. For two weeks, they're going to be playing highlight shows. I - I am - I don't know what to say except to you, my audience, thank you and instead of good-bye, how about so long?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. A very sad day for us at CNN, iconic talk show host and legendary broadcaster Larry King has died. His cause of death has not been released, but a source close to the family said in early January that King had been hospitalized with COVID-19.

He was known the world over for his one-on-one interviews with celebrities, world leaders and he dedicated his life to broadcasting, spending six Decades on radio, television, and digital media.

For more than 25 years he hosted "Larry King Live" right here on CNN. Here's Anderson Cooper, with a look back at King's extraordinary life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, ANDERSON COOPER 360 (voice-over): He was the king of talk.

KING: Who came up with the bunny? Do you miss it? Was it embarrassing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello Larry. Nice to have you here.

[12:15:00]

KING: You know the Dalai Lama Well? What is it like to be shot? How do you handle tabloids?

The one thing you didn't answer is why. Was it true that you once thought of taking your own life? Why do you have one name?

COOPER (voice-over): From Brando, to Broncos.

KING: O.J. Simpson is in that car.

COOPER (voice-over): To Liza with a "Z".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

COOPER (on camera): Liza Minnelli, David Gest.

KING: Train wreck.

COOPER (on camera): Train wreck. I didn't want to say it, but it was.

COOPER (voice-over): Behind that mic those specs, those iconic suspenders, he was the TV legend who hosted CNN's "Larry King Live" for a quarter of a century/

COOPER (on camera): Would you consider the Frank Sinatra interview, the best interview you've done?

FRANK SINATRA, AMERICAN SINGER: From the minute you step out into that spot light you got to know exactly what you're doing.

COOPER (on camera): What come to mind when you think of Monica Lewinsky?

Are there ever times you can't come up with a question for somebody?

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They weren't fair.

ROSS PEROT, AMERICAN BUSINESS MAGNATE: Well, we agree that we've made lousy choices

GORE: Let me finish now.

PEROT: Excuse me. GORE: I will let you talk.

COOPER (voice-over): From political to personal.

COOPER (on camera): Heather Mills McCartney takes off her leg.

KING: Well, that's what you call good risk taking. I take risks.

COOPER (voice-over): He had a career so rich, so deep, and he saw it all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And joining me right now on the phone, she saw it all too, a longtime CNN colleague and friend of Larry King CNN's Chief International Anchor, Christiane Amanpour Christiane, so glad you could be with us. Reflect on your thoughts and memories of the great Larry King. What are you thinking about today?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (via telephone): Well, Fredricka, I'm really sad. I thought he was indestructible, and that he would go on forever and ever. Of course, that's never true.

But Larry King was CNN. Larry King was vital to the ascent of CNN. We started off in 1980, when Ted pulled that first plug, and started this incredible media revolution. And Larry came on board five years later, and cemented this 9:00 p.m. time slot that became the most viewed time slot for the world.

CNN was viewed across the United States and across the world just about when he came. And it was an extraordinary feat that he pulled off. Five times a week, every single week for all those years, with celebrities, with Prime Ministers, with kings and queens, with as you said, sports people. You name it, they came on "Larry King Live." They needed to be on that show. And he was the ultimate master of the interview.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that is so true. And, you've been here from the beginning too and you have watched his ascension, just as you've experienced the ascension of CNN and experienced it yourself. But I wonder, even as colleagues, were there interviews of particular world leaders that maybe he got first, or that you - that you covered it as well, and would watch and learn from.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Yes, I mean, I joined CNN three years after it launched, the Larry King five years off it launched. But I was a peon. I mean, he came as a great star. I was just still finding my way up the ladder. And I spent most of my career while he was at CNN in the field, doing all the breaking news and covering the wars.

And for sure, there was many--

WHITFIELD: Yes.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): --whether it was in the Middle East or in the Balkans or wherever it might be, when Larry would get the guy. The guy like that Fredricka wouldn't be today, right?

WHITFIELD: Right, I got you.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): But he would get the get and I would be mighty ticked off. But how could I be ticked off, of course, Larry was going to get it. And, of course, he was going to do a great job.

I have to tell you, one of the things that was fabulous for us in the field was when Larry King wanted us on his program, because we knew it was a must view program. We knew that all eyeballs were glued to Larry King every night. And so for those of us in the field, it was always great when he came to us to get an update on whatever was going on in whatever war zone. And--

WHITFIELD: Oh, I'm looking at you now. We're looking at one of those moments - I don't know if you have a monitor in front of you. We would know when this was. Actually it says you're in - on the Northern Israeli border. So--

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Right.

WHITFIELD: So what was it like when you would get a chance to talk with him? Do you have any particular, most memorable moments or stories or exchanges with him?

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Well, so my favorite story is how he always got my name wrong. He always mispronounced my name and I would just laugh. But I would think, yes, OK, Larry, that is OK, you can do that. It's not a problem.

But, I first started going on his show during the first Gulf War. And the first Gulf War was the story when - that launched CNN into a global behemoth. CNN became indispensable during the first Gulf War, because the whole world literally was glued to this war in their living rooms, literally.

And not only that, the diplomacy that was going on before the actual war was started, and Larry, of course, played a massive role during those months leading up to pulling the trigger on the actual war, and had all the main diplomats, whether they were Iraqi or Kuwaiti, or Saudi, or American, obviously, even Russian, they were all on his show. And that was quite extraordinary.

[12:20:00]

And then, we'd get on the show as well, and that was fun. And, sometimes in the middle of bombardments, and this and that, it was always fun. "Larry King Show" was just fun. It was a fun, brilliantly produced. He had phenomenal team. He was always well prepared by his teams. And the thing that I always remember about Larry, that kind of makes me laugh, is that he made a thing about kind of never reading the books of the authors he had on.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I find that fascinating.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): He didn't pretend he knew (CROSSTALK) And his excuse was - at least his public reason was that he wanted to be as surprised as his viewers. He wanted to hear what was in their book from the horse's mouth, just as the viewers were also learning.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my god. And you know that worked for him. I've tried that a few times, when after hearing him that that was kind of his technique, and it completely failed for me, because what happens on the other side is the person then can tell you didn't prepare for this. So I'm like, nope, let me go the old school.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Yes, they knew about Larry.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): So, Larry did it right.

WHITFIELD: And he did it right.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): He didn't--

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Exactly.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): But, anyway, look, he was phenomenal. He was truly an icon, and we fling that word around a lot. But he really was. CNN is Larry King, and vice versa.

WHITFIELD: That's so true.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Larry King is and was CNN and the two are inextricably linked. He was a great friend of Ted Turner. And Ted created a media revolution with CNN, and Larry was central to that.

WHITFIELD: That is so true. And I wonder, Christiane, as you travel around the world, do you always get the question - or at the time, do you know, Larry King? Wolf talked about it earlier how that would happen to him.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Oh, yes, for sure. Wherever I was in the world, people would - especially when we would ask if we could have X, Y, or Z on our program or - for me to interview in the field, they would say, but what about if we went on Larry King?

WHITFIELD: Yes, Larry going to be interviewing you? That's great.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Yes, that was much better for them. WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much. Pleasure

talking to you, and thanks for your great memories of the great Larry King.

AMANPOUR (via telephone): Yes, he was great.

WHITFIELD: Surely. As we go to break, here as Larry in 2010 asking then President Obama about who was responsible for the BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What part of it is your baby?

What part of it is the country and not BP?

BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, BP caused this spill. We don't yet know exactly what happened. But whether it's a combination of human error, them cutting corners on safety or a whole other variety of variables, they're responsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

WHITFIELD: Some powerful republicans are pushing to convict former President Donald Trump. Among GOP senators, however, many are acknowledging that the votes simply are not there. Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill for us. Suzanne help us sort through the thinking on all this strategizing.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Fred. Well, it's very unlikely that the President would actually be convicted on the Senate side for impeachment, and that is because you need a two-thirds majority in the Senate. It would require all 50 Democrats as well as, at least 17 Republicans to sign on board.

But, however, what this two week extension does is preparation time for the Trump legal team as well as the Democrats, the house managers who will be prosecuting this case, is it does address one concern that there are some Senators - Republican Senators have raised.

That is from Senator John Thune, Senator Lisa Murkowski and some other moderates who said, look, if you rush the whole process, you will not give the president his due process. This will not be a fair trial. By having this two week period of time that does in some way address kind of the hastiness that they have been objecting to.

However, you do have other Republicans Senator John Cornyn, for instance, who's simply saying, look, you don't have the votes. It's a vindictive process. This is not going to happen. But let's take a look at the process itself, Fred.

We're talking about Monday that is when the house managers will physically go ahead and bring over this article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection. It will be here on the Senate floor. Red, the next day you will have a process in which the Trump team will actually be presented with the summons.

And then following that some critical deadlines that we are talking about, one being February 2nd, Trump response as well as the House to prepare for their pretrial briefings. Another deadline where President Trump and his legal team would present their side as well as the House rebuttal. And then, of course, that would be February 9th, the first official day in which a trial could begin.

I want to bring up another point, Fred here, which is some Republicans are saying, they believe that yes, there should be some way of maybe centering the president, punishing the president, expressing their displeasure, but that they don't believe this process is constitutional, because he is out of office.

[12:30:06]

MALVEAUX: That is up for debate.

WHITFIELD: And debates there are. All right, Suzanne Malveaux, Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

All right next, history made in D.C. from the White House to the Pentagon, the diversity of America is now on the world stage. How that could impact policy in the Biden administration straight ahead.

And we'll have more on Larry King's iconic moments with world leaders, politicians, musicians, celebrities throughout the day, including this one with the guise of NSYNC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN TALK-SHOW HOST: You know, what are we going to do as we go to next break and we got only a little while left we had to do a song together. You do an acapella song and you tell me what to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

(SINGING)

KING: Guess what.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say it's going to be me.

KING: It's going to be me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:26]

WHITFIELD: We're remembering the life of legendary broadcaster Larry King, the pioneering talk show host has died at the age of 87. The cause of death has not been announced. But a source close to the family said in early January that King had been hospitalized with COVID-19. King became a household name during his quarter of a century interviewing a wide range of guests on his popular nightly T.V. show Larry King Live right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: More than 50,000 interviews an infinite amount of what, where, when, and

KING: Why? Why? Why? Why?

The secret of my ability was stupid. In other words, I didn't know and I readily confessed I didn't know and I would say help me to the guest. Help me, I don't know. Why? Why did you do that? Why do you have one name?

MADONNA CICCONE, AMERICAN SINGER AND SONGWRITER: As opposed to what?

KING: Two names. Like, you know, Madonna.

CICCONE: Ciccone.

KING: Leibovitz (ph).

CICCONE: That's good, that's good. I like that.

COOPER: I was asking around a couple people have been on your show about what it is that makes it work so well. And they said that you make guests comfortable to the point where they feel they can say anything.

KING: You know the secret. I want the guest to be good. I want him to be responsive. I want him to react. And I'm going to be there tomorrow night.

A lot of good memories and then look at me now.

I look back on my life. And I sometimes think I'm looking at someone else. I look at the good things that have happened to me, the good and the bad. And I can't believe it sometimes. I mean, I can't believe that I look at my teenage boys, who, is that me? Come one. Somebody's skin, somebody's skin. It's all the world, itself, I'm still doing it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, what a life and what a legacy. Let's talk more about Larry King and his career and just Larry King. Deepak Chopra is the founder of the Chopra Global. He is also an author and speaker who has written more than 50 books on alternative medicine and spirituality, and was a popular guest of Larry King. How are you? Good to see you.

DR. DEEPAK CHOPRA, FOUNDER, CHOPRA GLOBAL: I'm good, Fredricka. I miss Larry already. He was the most amazing, most curious, most wonder struck kid of all time.

WHITFIELD: And that's what made him so special. I mean, how do you reflect on him, particularly on this day of sadness?

CHOPRA: Well, I met him first when he was a radio host in Washington and he was a heavy smoker. I convinced him to stop smoking. That was way before all these heart attacks and bypasses that he had. But the one thing for Larry was that he was curious. He was, you know, journalism has gone through so many phases. There was the Walter Cronkite type of journalism. Now there's opinion journalism. But Larry was comfortable interviewing anybody because he was curious about them. It doesn't matter if it was the psychic talking to the dead or a Nobel laureate or Stephen Hawking. He was just so curious. He got the best out of his guests.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so you had a chance to sit, you know, across from him quite a bit. I mean, you just described how long you've known him. But then, was there ever anything that you had to do to prepare yourself for what it was to be interviewed by Larry King? Did you, you know, just say, OK, I'm an open book, or what did you brace for? What are you ready for?

CHOPRA: Anytime there was a news break that he felt I could talk about, he would call me personally, we would discuss it for five minutes. And then I would go on the show. I remember being in Italy in room one night when I got a call in the middle of the night that Larry wanted to speak to me. So I called him and they, you know, the DNA had just been deciphered, the genome had just been deciphered, and President Clinton had announced it, and there were all kinds of excitement.

So he called me and he said, I want a spiritual angle on DNA. And I spoke to him a little bit. And in the end, you know, after the show, he called me again, in the middle of the night. He says, you know, my brain hurts right now. But what you said was amazing. And what I'd said was totally outlandish. I'd said that we'll see the stars one day, other galaxies with human life now that we know the structure of DNA.

[12:40:03]

So we went all over the place, beyond the edge and fringes, and he was never embarrassed by having me on the show. That's why I thought he's a brilliant scientist as well.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So he'd have you -- you'd have these great conversations, because he would have you on his show. But then sometimes, you know, you all would just talk as friends, you know, on the phone, he has stated publicly, you know, that he was an atheist, you know, and a self-declared old school guy. So what would your conversations be like? I mean, how do you have a meeting of the minds knowing that about him?

CHOPRA: I was one hour on him when I published my book, "How to Know God", one full hour, one to one. And we discussed what he meant by the word God. And it was clear to me that he was an atheist about, you know, a dead white male in the sky as God, but he was not averse to a higher intelligence that guided our intuition and our insight and our imagination and our creativity.

So, you know, he was a old fashion atheist but totally open to new possibilities around what we call non-local consciousness or infinite consciousness. He was a very interesting person. He said what good is life if I had a life previously, if I don't remember it? I said, do you remember your 14th birthday? He said, no. I said one day you are, you don't have to remember everything, right? He laughed. WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. So besides, you know, gaining friendship, you know, it sounds like from your many, you know, visits with him on the air, on the phone. You know, what do you believe you also gained from being a regular, you know, on his show? Did it help broaden your audience as well?

CHOPRA: It broadened my audience in a very huge way. But what I learned from him, was listening. You know, many journalists don't do that these days because journalism has become more opinionated now. He was an amazing listener. He heard you very clearly. I could even see through his eyes that as you were speaking words, he was creating images in his mind, and therefore he was listening.

WHITFIELD: So you could tell he really appreciated, you know, what it is that you were bringing in that conversation. Deepak Chopra, thank you so much for your reflections on the great Larry King, we'll all miss him. And already are, as you say.

CHOPRA: May he rest in peace.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

CHOPRA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll have more of Larry King's iconic interviews throughout the day. Here he is with Rosa Parks talking about that history making day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So you did not get up?

ROSA PARKS, AMERICAN ACTIVIST: No. I didn't.

KING: You know why?

PARKS: Yes.

KING: Why?

PARKS: Because I didn't think I should have to get up. I had already paid my fine. I'm sure he didn't pay them more than I did. And I didn't think that once we take a seat even in under the segregation conditions that we should be made the stand up in a crowded bus. I'm happy.

KING: Did you have any idea --

PARKS: No. I didn't --

KING: -- he was starting something that day?

PARKS: No, I didn't know what would be the outcome of my taking this stand except that I knew that when the driver said he'd had me arrested, that is what he was going to do. And I would be on my way to jail. KING: Were you frightened?

[12:43:44]

PARKS: I wasn't really frightened, but I thought about the things that I had to do at home and felt a little bit annoyed about that. And then, I took this as an opportunity to let it be known that as a passenger, I was not being treated fairly, and as a person, and we as a people, were not treated fairly to have to undergo this type of treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. This week when Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President, the California Democrat made history and shattered barriers. Harris became the first woman to hold the second highest office in the land. She is the first black and South Asian person to hold the title of Vice President, a history making moment and week and administration.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a Democratic Representative from Ohio. She is also the new chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus making history yourself, Congresswoman, congratulations, good to see you.

REP. JOYCE BEATTY (D-OH): Thank you. It's my honor. Good to be on your show for, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. I'm so glad you could be with me. So tell me what this has been like. I mean, what that moment of the swearing in for Kamala Harris has said and what it is already doing?

BEATTY: Well, first, let me just say on the day of the inauguration, being able to be there and knowing that millions of individuals were watching all of the energy, the excitement, and the enthusiasm, but it sends a strong message about our country that a black woman can be Vice President of the United States.

And it means that now women and girls all over the United States, all over the world will be watching and they to watch have endless hope that they too can govern and run a company or corporation or anything that they want to do.

[12:50:08]

Also as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus to have another one of your members to be the Vice President, also, it opened doors for us, as we talk about our power and our message, we have a direct link to the White House where we can talk about all of those issues, all of the things that are facing all of America, but especially Black America, because we know there are so many disparities in the things that we are facing.

WHITFIELD: You talk about the inspiration for little girls, you know, of color. And really, you know, we look at some of the pictures of little girls who were standing in front of the television set, you know, with their hands, you know, raised as if they were being sworn in. And, you know, it to represents the gamut of color and backgrounds.

It's not just little girls who are black and brown but its little boys, its kids who are white, you know, who are inspired by that moment. And I think about, you know, my son is now 15 but, you know, he was able to grow up and watch the swearing in of a black man, as president in Obama. And now my little girl who's eight is, you know, emblazoned with the image of seeing a black woman being sworn in as Vice President.

I mean, what does this say to children of all walks of all colors about the possibilities and this generation of kids, they will always know that a black man or a black woman can be in the White House?

BEATTY: Oh, I think you're so true. I equate it to growing up as a young girl and hearing my parents at the dinner table talk about Rosa Parks. So for much of my early life, I would say I want to be like Rosa Parks, I want to sit down. I want to get arrested, or Martin Luther King Jr. I know exactly where I was --

WHITFIELD: Arrested for good cause.

BEATTY: Exactly. Arrested for -- or the day that Martin Luther King Jr. died. So I think like you, for my two grandbabies, Leah and Spencer, they're looking at the T.V. and for them, it's natural.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BEATTY: She's looking up at her mother, and she's saying, that's me, I can do that. And so they're having a dialogue about President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BEATTY: So this becomes their world.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BEATTY: And for me, I could not wish for any better than our children to be able to understand why we must continue to fight against injustice.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, you make a great point in just that whole norm. I had to actually encourage my kids to watch it, because really for them already, they're like, this is normal. This is supposed to happen. You know, whereas my generation, your generation, and those before us, you know, we're just longing for it and hoping that one day they would see something like this, you know, in their lifetime.

So now let's talk about what a contrast of just peace and jubilance on that day, we're just a couple weeks prior, there was terror, you know, in the Capitol and now of course, it remains heavily guarded, but a real necessity. What does that experience been like for you? And what are your feelings about a continuation of a heavily guarded Capitol building, the Capitol Hill as a whole?

BEATTY: As I reflect back on what we've gone through from January the 6th from insurrection to impeachment to inauguration, we have gone through all of the phases of how we now want to have hope and opportunity and change because we have a President and a Vice President who understands everyday life. They understand hurt and death. They understand fighting against the odds and winning.

So I feel that I can breathe now. I feel as though we have awakened from a bad dream because we had four years of suppression when we think about our right to vote. We had four years of some of the most deplorable statements made about women and brown and black individuals. And now we have a President who acknowledges that he's human and he's going to fight with all of his will against this COVID- 19 virus that's killing so many of us.

And he has been bold and brave enough to acknowledge that it was black people who had his back. And now he will have our back. Establishing a racial justice and equity team, putting Ambassador Susan Rice over that team is amazing for us because it's all through every agents in Cabinet. So it's helpful --

[12:55:03]

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry, you know, sometimes the delay with the laptops and the computers, you know, it happens, I step on you, so I apologize for that. But I'm wondering if quickly I would be able to get your view or your response to those who say, you know, you've got on one end, you've got people who say, continuing with an impeachment is divisive versus you've got the opinion of people who say, it's divisive to send a message that inciting an insurrection with impunity, that is divisive and attack on democracy. Where are you on that?

BEATTY: I stand with the ladder. I think we have an obligation to do our job. When you have a president who did what our former president did. I think we're doing our job. He stepped on our democracy, he defied the Constitution. And so I am very proud that I was able to pass that vote.

And I think we are doing it the right way. We are -- we will roll out the impeachment on Monday, when those impeachment managers walk across the Capitol and deliver the impeachment articles. But we're also still talking about legislation for COVID-19.

We're looking at the executive orders that on day one, President Biden was able to resend. So it's not like we're not working. We're doing more now. And we have done more in the last three days than we were able to receive in the last four years.

WHITFIELD: All right, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, thank you so much and again, congratulations.

BEATTY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)