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Trump Senate Impeachment Trial Set To Start Next Month; Rioter Charged With Threatening To Assassinate Ocasio-Cortez; Impeachment May Hinder Biden's Attempt To Unify Country; Remembering Larry King; Experts Support U.K. Decision To Delay Second Dose; U.S. CDC Reviewing Data Suggesting U.K. COVID-19 Variant Is Deadlier; Republicans Reject Biden's Relief Plan; Hundreds Detained In Pro-Navalny Rallies; Miners Rescued Weeks After China Gold Mine Blast. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 24, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead this hour, President Joe Biden's first days in office included calls with foreign leaders.

But how will the administration deal with its enemies?

A Texas man is now being charged with threatening to assassinate Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

And the world of broadcasting has lost a legend. Long time CNN host Larry King has died at the age of 87.

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BRUNHUBER: President Joe Biden's first weekend in office was spent focusing on his ambitious first 100 days agenda. House Democrats are working on Biden proposals that would increase financial aid for struggling Americans in a variety of ways and increase spending to fight the pandemic.

This as the U.S. approaches a terrifying milestone, nearly 25 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.

And while cases rise, the former president's Senate trial looms. The article of impeachment against Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday.

And if that's not enough, two new pieces of bombshell reporting add another complication.

Trump wanted the Justice Department to push the Supreme Court to overturn Biden's victory, according to "The Wall Street Journal," and sources tell CNN Trump nearly replaced the acting attorney general with a relative unknown, who supported his false election claims. All of this could impact the Senate trial. Here's Ryan Nobles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump is now beginning to take shape here on Capitol Hill. On Monday, the House will send over the articles of impeachment, starting the clock on the trial itself. On Monday the senators will be sworn in. On Tuesday they'll pick a presiding judge.

But the trial itself won't begin until February 8th. That gives the former president roughly two weeks to get his legal house in order in time for the trial to begin.

Now Republicans pushed for that. They believe that that was part of the due process that the former president should be afforded. But it also comes with an issue for president Trump because, in that time frame, more information could come out that could be damaging to his legal case.

Like for instance, this "New York Times" bombshell that came out over the weekend, that suggests the president was putting pressure on members of the Justice Department to look for examples of voter fraud that would help him overturn the election.

Now that's not directly connected to the Capitol insurrection but, remember, impeachment is not a legal argument. It is a political argument. And if there are more examples of issues that Republicans could potentially find with president Trump, that could mean that Democrats could convince the 17 necessary to cross party lines and vote to convict president Trump.

At this point it doesn't appear that there are enough of them to make that happen but we're still waiting to see how the Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will rule on this case.

He said he wants to hear all of the arguments before making a decision. If McConnell were to break from former president Trump, there are a number of other Republicans that could follow suit -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We're learning of disturbing new charges stemming from the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. A Texas man has been charged with threatening to assassinate Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. CNN Justice correspondent Jessica Schneider has more.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Another major arrest connected to that January 6th Capitol attack, this time against a Texas man, accused of posting online death threats not only against Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but also against a Capitol Police officer. Now prosecutors say Garrett Miller of Texas tweeted, quote,

"Assassinate AOC" and also said the police officer who fatally shot a female Trump supporter inside the Capito, quote, "deserves to die" and also said, won't survive long because, quote, "it's hunting season."

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Now officials say Miller participated in the Capitol attack and then posted extensively on social media before and after the attack, saying a civil war could start and that also, "next time we bring guns."

Now congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has been very vocal in the days after the attack.

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SCHNEIDER (voice-over): She's talked about how she and other members weren't sure they'd make it out alive.

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REP. ALEXANDRA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die. It is not an exaggeration to say that many, many members of the House were nearly assassinated.

It's just not an exaggeration to say that at all. We were very lucky that things happened within certain minutes that allowed members to escape the House floor unharmed. But many of us nearly and narrowly escaped death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: This man who posted those threats against AOC is facing five federal criminal charges, including for his participation in the attack as well as the death threats.

Garrett Miller's attorney is telling CNN, his client regrets the threats and also says this, quote, "He did it in support of former president Donald Trump but he regrets his actions. He has the support of his family and a lot of the comments are viewed in context as really sort of misguided political hyperbole."

Given the political divide these days, there is a lot of hyperbole. And, of course, this is yet another suspect who said they were inspired by the president to attack the Capitol. At this point more than 120 people have been charged. Hundreds more could still be charged, as prosecutors now zero in on that next round of charges, that will likely be even more serious against those people who evaded law enforcement so far.

And the charges could even include sedition and conspiracy. Those include hefty sentences of up to 20 years in prison -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: To discuss all of this, joining me now from London, Leslie Vinjamuri, the head of the U.S. and Americas Programme at Chatham House.

Thank you very much for joining us. I want to start on the reporting of Donald Trump's plan to undo the Georgia results, possibly the entire election itself.

In terms of impeachment, do you think this could push Republican fence sitters in the Senate to vote to convict?

LESLIE VINJAMURI, HEAD OF THE U.S. AND AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: I think it will be one of a series of factors. I mean, the very interesting thing, as we just heard about waiting and delaying that trial, is that it gives more time for the public to learn more, not only about what happened on the Capitol, about who supported, about who was engaged, but about the broader effort to really derail the certification of the election by the president himself.

And as the public learns more, as attitudes are affected, inevitably, that will have a whole effect on senators and on the internal dynamics within the party.

And I think Mitch McConnell is interesting because he's clearly waiting. He's calculating. He's taking a sense of how this is evolving. And so all of these -- all of these facts might not necessarily affect the legal case. But I think they will affect the political case and the impeachment. And conviction is ultimately a political act.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and Republicans say impeachment will just exacerbate the, you know, divide that's going on right now. President Biden says he wants to reach across the aisle, to foster a new era of bipartisanship.

Obviously it will be an uphill battle since Republican politicians could pay a price at home if they're seen by voters as compromising with Democrats. So many Republicans still feel the election was stolen.

I want to play you this, a Republican congressman, who objected in the House to the vote certification of Biden. He was one of the biggest supporters of the Stop the Steal movement. He urged that crowd to rise up at the now infamous rally but then yesterday he said this on CNN.

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REP. MADISON CAWTHORN (R-NC): Yes, I think I would say that the election was not fraudulent. You know, the Constitution allowed for us to be able to push back as much as we could. And I did that to the amount the of constitutional limits I had at my disposal. So I would say that Joseph R. Biden is our president.

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BRUNHUBER: He went on to say he wants to work with the president. The fact that someone like him is saying this now, is that important,

do you think?

VINJAMURI: Well, you know, people are going to read that very differently. Some people will read that as a junior member of Congress who took advantage of the fact that people knew, in the end, the election would be certified. And so it was a safe play to signal to your home constituency that you still support president Trump.

Wait and see how the cards unfold and then, of course, when they unfold, as people knew they would, you sort of turn to the other side. So it's a little bit of an instrumental calculation.

And it does raise, you know, a broader question, which is how many Republicans, as Trump is no longer on the media, no longer has the kind of daily support.

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VINJAMURI: As an impeachment trial begins, how many people will peel their support away, not only in Congress but donors, many of whom already have in the corporate sector. But that broader ecosystem of support for president Trump should change. It's very likely to change rather dramatically in the days and weeks ahead.

BRUNHUBER: It may but then there's some evidence that it might not. You know, we saw at a meeting of the Arizona Republican Party, for instance, the chairwoman there was reelected. She's a staunch Trump supporter. She got his endorsement as well.

And they voted to censure several of their highest profile members, including Cindy McCain for turning their backs on president Trump. So I thought it was interesting because here they are, these Republicans in this purple state, you know, that went for Biden.

And the party's response, more Trump, so you know, that's just one data point there.

Does that tell you anything about the party's direction post-Trump?

VINJAMURI: Yes, it tells me that, right now, we are in one of the most dynamic periods for the Republican Party. It is an internal struggle for who's going to own that party. And there's some really critical challenges that they face.

You know, it might be popular in the short term with a certain segment of the Republican Party to hold fast right now to president Trump. It's only been a very short period since he was in office.

But as, you know, the country looks to this pandemic, as they fight over the stimulus package, as Americans, many of whom were Trump supporters, look to see whether they're going to get those unemployment benefits, whether they're going to get that stimulus check, whether they're going to get that child benefit, all packages, proposals that have been put on the table by Biden, I think the calculations might begin to change. People want to see a functioning government. If you can do that and

hold steadfast to president Trump and certain constituencies, that might sell. But I think as this pandemic runs, as the economy and certain people within that economy continue to take a hit, if the Biden administration can deliver concrete, tangible economic benefits to people, that will really begin to turn the tide.

So I think there's a lot in play right now. Again, it's a highly dynamic situation and a huge amount in play within the Republican Party. Wait and see what Mitch McConnell does and others, who have had a very visible profile over four years as supporters of Donald Trump.

BRUNHUBER: It will be a fascinating couple of weeks. Thank you so much for joining us, Leslie Vinjamuri in London, we appreciate it.

VINJAMURI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The world of broadcasting isn't the same now that legendary talk show host Larry King has died at the age of 87. For more than 25 years, he hosted "LARRY KING LIVE" here on CNN, more than 6,000 episodes, interviewing everyone from newsmakers to celebrities to everyday people.

Larry King's family say they will always remember him as fiercely loyal, an amazing father, who obsessed over their well-being. No cause of death has been released but he had been treated in the hospital for coronavirus. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more.

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SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Larry King spent more than a half a century as a broadcaster.

LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: It's been a hell of a 50 years. I don't know how much longer I can go. But as long as I feel it, I'm going to keep going.

SERFATY (voice-over): King was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933 as Larry Zeigler (sic). He moved to Miami in his 20s to pursue a job in radio. He also wrote a column for a local newspaper. In 1978 he started "The Larry King Show," a late-night radio program that was eventually syndicated in hundreds of cities.

KING: Good evening. My name is Larry King and this is the premiere edition of "LARRY KING LIVE."

SERFATY (voice-over): King joined a still young all-news cable channel called CNN in 1985 and soon became the face of the struggling network. Over more than 25 years, he interviewed celebrities, politicians and newsmakers. He was known for his conversational style and for rarely becoming confrontational with guests.

He was able to book the biggest names in Hollywood, from Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra to Al Pacino and Brad Pitt. He famously kissed Marlon Brando.

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MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: Goodbye.

KING: Goodbye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: I kiss my brother on the cheek and I've had friends hug me. But he's the only man ever to kiss me on the lips and I can't stop thinking about him.

SERFATY (voice-over): The NAFTA debate he moderated between Ross Perot and Al Gore was one of the highest-rated cable shows ever.

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AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How do you stop that without NAFTA?

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SERFATY (voice-over): King brought together Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat.

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YASSER ARAFAT, FORMER PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION CHAIRMAN: We don't want to divide the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY (voice-over): And he sat down with past and present American presidents, from Richard Nixon --

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KING: Let's set this straight.

Did you hate the people who criticized you?

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SERFATY (voice-over): -- to Barack Obama.

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KING: Do you still like this job?

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, this is the best on Earth.

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SERFATY (voice-over): He covered live news events, from wars to elections.

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KING: Do you think you're going to cost Al Gore the election tonight, honestly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY (voice-over): Then shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, he brought his show to New York.

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KING: When it comes to describing what I saw earlier this week at ground zero, I really cannot find the right words.

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SERFATY (voice-over): King was married eight times, the last to Shawn Southwick. After more than 25 years at CNN, he decided to end his nightly show and only appear in specials for the network. He signed off his final regular broadcast on December 16th, 2010.

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KING: I don't know what to say except to you, my audience, thank you. And instead of goodbye, how about so long?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is moving closer to 25 million known cases of coronavirus.

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BRUNHUBER: That's despite new infections falling recently. It also comes just more than one year since the disease was first reported here.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says more than 20 million vaccinations have been administered in the U.S. But many states are struggle to get the doses they need.

The CDC is also in touch with British health officials to review how deadly a coronavirus variant found in the U.K. is. British data suggests it could have a higher death rate. CDC modeling shows the more contagious variant could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March and it has British health officials scrambling to get more people vaccinated in the U.K. Scott McLean explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A measure of success in the U.K. in the fight against the coronavirus. On Saturday, the government said more than 5.8 million people had received their first dose of vaccine. That's nearly 9 percent of the population.

But critics say rolling out the second doses should be happening sooner. Doctors from the British Medical Association want to reduce the gap between the first and second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine from up to 12 weeks to six weeks.

The chief medical officer says the longer wait allows more people to build up immunity. But Pfizer says the vaccine was only tested at a 21-day interval.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No other nation in the world has taken this stance. We want to be sure that, if this delay is occurring, we're not compromising and we're not going to result, we hope, in people becoming infected, who may have been protected by having an earlier second dose.

MCLEAN (voice-over): The vaccines even more vital, as a more contagious variant of the virus sweeps through the U.K. and beyond. The World Health Organization says it's been detected in more than 60 countries.

Early data suggests current vaccines can be effective against this variant. But the U.K.'s chief scientist says there is some evidence this strain may be more deadly than others. But it's too soon to tell.

PATRICK VALLANCE, U.K. CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: There's a lot of uncertainty around these numbers and we need more work to get a precise handle on it. But it obviously is of concern that this has an increase in mortality as well as an increase in transmissibility as it appears of today.

MCLEAN (voice-over): In January, the U.K. went back into lockdown because of an alarming number of new cases, many driven by the variant.

And as even more strains of the virus are identified, in Brazil and in South Africa, and questions about how they will respond to vaccines, the U.K. suspended its travel corridors on Monday and says it's considering a full border closure to protect the population.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And Scott McLean joins me now from London.

Scott, has the government shed any more light on this question of whether the U.K. variant is actually more deadly?

MCLEAN: Hey, Kim. So the confusion stems from the fact that the government points out that there are some studies that show that this U.K. variant is, in fact, more deadly than the original virus.

But at the same point, the government says, if you look at only hospital data of people that end up hospitalized with the virus, you are no more likely to die from this U.K. variant than you are from the original.

So this morning, British health secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that the messaging is confusing. Listen.

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MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Communicating risk is challenging and it's challenging for media outlets as well. I understand that.

But when we put the scientific evidence out there, for instance, one of the studies says that this might be 10 percent to 15 percent more deadly, there are uncertainties in that. That's the nature of science. And the thing I find heartening is the vast majority of the public understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: And, Kim, the health secretary there also defended his government's approach to spacing out the two vaccine doses by 12 weeks instead of the recommended six, saying he knows that policy will save lives, provided that one dose of the vaccine does actually provide some level of protection against the virus.

And he used the example of two elderly grandparents and only two doses of the vaccine and, in a case like that and there is a limited supply, it's better to give both of them one dose so at least they have some level of protection, rather than giving one person full protection and the other none at all.

The concern from doctors is that, if you mess with the dosing against recommendations, then it may not provide as much protection at all -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we're asking some of those same questions here in the U.S. Thank you so much, Scott McLean, in London.

To discuss all of this, I want to bring in Dr. David Nicholl, a consulting neurologist at City Hospital in Birmingham, England.

Thank you so much for joining us, Doctor. I want to ask you about that new variant, a lot of confusion and consternation over whether it's more deadly.

First, what do you make of the data?

And more importantly, perhaps, does it actually matter whether it's slightly more deadly in terms of our actual response?

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DR. DAVID NICHOLL, CONSULTING NEUROLOGIST, CITY HOSPITAL IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND: Let me say I'm speaking on behalf of the Doctors Association U.K. What I would say is it's clear that the U.K. variant is highly transmissible and that's probably the most important thing.

I think if you look at the report as I have done, it doesn't show any increase in mortality for those that have hospitalized. OK. So I think when we talk about vaccines and the variants, you know, I think it's really important that the medical profession talk about this rather than politicians. It really doesn't help the messaging.

BRUNHUBER: So as we heard there, there's a backlash from some experts in the U.K. over the decision to delay the second dose for up to three months. You know, experts are weighing in on either side of the issue there. Like I said, we're having similar disagreements around the timing of the second shot here in the U.S.

The CDC says it's OK, the FDA says it's not supported by science.

Where do you stand on that debate, vaccinate as many people as possible in the first shot or vaccinate fewer within the original parameters?

NICHOLL: The first thing I would say is vaccines are safe. It's very important people get the message to go for it. The debate is a medical debate about the timing of the second vaccine particularly for the Pfizer vaccine. And that's important.

On the one hand, it's this debate that we're in a public health crisis that should be delayed. Actually is there an opportunity for science to help solve this. Sheila Bird (ph), eminent biostatistician, pointed out that, in effect, we're doing an uncontrolled population experimental study without pilot data. So shouldn't we randomize 25 percent of people to get it 21 days and the rest delayed and then we'll have the answer and we'll end this debate.

But it's a real anxiety for huge numbers of our members, both on a consent issue, because obviously the drug was licensed to 21 days, so trying to explain that to certainly my colleagues in primary care are very concerned about this.

And even in secondary care, I've got colleagues who are very worried to the extent that some of them are shielding. And if they had both vaccines and, therefore, fully vaccinated, they would be back at work.

BRUNHUBER: But the bottom line, as you said, if you can get the vaccine, go get it. Now there has been a big problem in convincing some people to get the vaccine, particularly people of color. Up to half of people in some areas with high ethnic minority populations there in the U.K. are refusing to get it.

It's a huge problem here in the African American community as well.

Is the government doing enough to address this and what would you suggest be done to help?

NICHOLL: No, I don't think they are and, even within Doctors Association, we've got members of doctors working from overseas, who have got an NHS number, who are struggling to get a vaccine, particularly because the Black community has been hit so severely by COVID.

It's really, really important. There's targeted messaging, particularly to the at-risk groups and their work in Birmingham has the highest rates of COVID in the country. We're seeing multigenerational families, often of ethnic origin, being admitted to intensive care, in really, really stressful circumstances.

BRUNHUBER: I guess if there's a positive note, there's the recent news in terms of cases has been largely good. I think we have a map of Europe and the U.S. a week ago, they were pretty much, you know, in the red.

And now there's a lot more green, which means things have improved.

Should we be encouraged by this or, as some health officials are warning, do these new variants mean we could well see a totally different map again in a few weeks?

NICHOLL: The new variants are a concern. But I highlight, you know, in the U.K., 4,000 patients are on a ventilator now because of COVID and 10 percent of those are being transferred to other hospitals. That troubles me a lot.

There's a real pressure. I'm a neurologist physician. I had to go to an operating theater because that's where the ventilator was last week.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much for all of your insights, Dr. David Nicholl in Birmingham, England.

NICHOLL: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: China's relationship with the U.S. hit some major lows during the Trump presidency.

How will both countries manage things now that Joe Biden is in the White House?

We'll explore that question just ahead. Please do stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

There's no honeymoon period for U.S. President Joe Biden as he hits the ground running amid a global pandemic. CNN's John Harwood looks at how the president is prioritizing his agenda during his first week in office. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden is spending his first weekend in the White House doing some of the typical things that new presidents do, reaching out to key allies. In this case, it's all the more important, given that some of those alliances were strained under the Trump administration.

He spoke by phone with British prime minister Boris Johnson. They talked about the importance of NATO as well as climate change. Johnson has cheered the president's return to the Paris climate agreement.

He talked to the president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, about immigration policy. That had been a source of friction with the Trump administration as well.

Talked to Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau about the Keystone XL pipeline. That is a point of contention with Joe Biden because Biden has revoked the permit for that pipeline. Canada favors it.

And with all three leaders, they talked about the importance of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And the broader agenda for Joe Biden, which he's trying to get early momentum, is that COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic recovery. He met with advisers at the White House today. Vice President Kamala Harris was there.

They're trying to gear up momentum for that COVID relief package, $1.9 trillion, to try to get through Congress. His economic adviser, Brian Deese, is going to be talking over the weekend with 16 senators of both parties, see if they can get a bipartisan package.

If not, Democrats will try to do it through a special budget procedure with Democratic votes only. But critically important for Joe Biden to get action quickly on COVID-19 and the economic recovery --

[04:35:00]

HARWOOD: -- John Harwood, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Chinese foreign ministry recently called the Trump administration officials, quote, "anti-China politicians," who would undermine the relationship between the U.S. and China.

So how will President Biden's policy differ from his predecessors?

Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley, who joins us from Hong Kong.

Will, it didn't take long for China to stick the boot into the outgoing Trump administration and to test the incoming Biden team.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, just after president Trump left office, you had sanctions on 28 former Trump administration officials, including the U.S. former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, with China calling them, as you said, anti-China politicians, trying to suppress and contain China, a view reinforced by a 10-page document that the Trump administration deliberately made declassified to kind of box in President Biden as he tries to move forward with his own Asia policy.

At least on certain issues, Biden is going to consider his hardline stance against China, particularly what we saw on Saturday in the Taiwan Strait, when China flew about a dozen military aircraft into Taiwanese airspace.

The United States State Department strongly condemned that, saying China needs to stop what the U.S. considers economic, diplomatic and military bullying of a country China considers a renegade province that can be taken back at any time.

But the U.S. reasserting that the U.S.-Taiwan alliance is rock solid. In fact, Taiwan sent a representative to the presidential inauguration. It was the first time since diplomatic ties were formally severed in 1979.

BRUNHUBER: So you mentioned Taiwan as one issue. There are plenty of other issues where the Biden administration and the Trump administration might differ or they might, you know, have the same policy.

Can you take us through some of those key issues?

RIPLEY: Issues that the United States, Kim, is going to continue to go hard on China would also include, for example, the suppression of the pro democracy movement in Hong Kong, continuing the line from the Trump administration.

But issues where they might try to work together, non human rights issues, issues involving the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, the U.S. continuing to accuse China of genocide.

In terms of trade, shared issues like climate change, the Biden administration is indicating they do want a more productive relationship with Beijing. Relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades. And neither side or basically countries in the region want to see that kind of acrimony continue.

But from the Chinese perspective, they view any United States meddling in any human rights issue as basically a red line.

The question is going to be, how much can the two countries get done on the other issues like trade, like, you know, climate change and other things that would be productive without getting bogged down by some of these other major issues from the U.S. and Chinese perspectives?

BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you so much, Will Ripley in Hong Kong.

Protesters marched and rallied in about 100 cities in Russia on Saturday. When we come back, we'll explain what they want and how the police responded.

Plus, we'll have more of Larry King's iconic moments. And here's one of them with Janet Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KING: This?

JANET JACKSON, SINGER-DANCER: This, hit your chest and push your arm out.

KING: Same arm.

JACKSON: Yes. And let that go out at the same time.

There you go.

Bring this leg in and put that hand down.

Hit your chest. And push it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[04:40:00]

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. State Department, the E.U. and the British foreign secretary have all condemned Russia for using force against opposition protesters. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country Saturday. Hundreds of people were detained and people were seen wielding batons on the crowd.

The protesters were demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. His arrest last week spiked widespread outrage. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russian riot cops cracking down with a heavy hand, detaining protesters in Moscow who are calling for the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

PLEITGEN: The folks you are hearing around me, they're screaming, "Shame, shame," as riot police are making their advance.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Despite massive efforts by authorities to stop people from coming and the risk of detention, thousands showed up, some saying they simply can't stay silent anymore. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not proud of my country and I don't want my

government to poison people and put them in prison. I want more freedom. I want proper elections and a normal government.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Alexei Navalny was detained when he arrived in Moscow last Sunday from Germany, where he got treatment after being poisoned by the chemical nerve agent Novichok. The Kremlin has denied involvement in the poisoning.

Even in jail, Navalny managed to publish an investigation into Putin's alleged ownership of a gigantic palace worth around $1.4 billion. A Putin spokesperson said the president doesn't own a palace. Navalny called on Russians to take to the streets.

ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): I urge you not to be silent, to resist, to take to the streets.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russian authorities arrested many of Navalny's supporters, even his wife, Yulia, as she was trying to head to the protest in Moscow. She was released after several hours in detention.

But across Russia, it is estimated tens of thousands turned out, with rallies in places like St. Petersburg, in the far east and even in the Siberian town Yakutsk, at almost minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Russian officials accuse the U.S. embassy in Moscow of, quote, "encouraging" the protests after it disclosed the location of the demonstrations on its website, urging U.S. citizens to avoid them. But people at the rally in Moscow said their message is to their own leadership.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the political situation right now, I just don't see a future in this country.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): After a day with scenes like these and over 2,000 arrests across the country, according to a monitoring group, Russian authorities launched an investigation -- but into violence against the police -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A two-week long ordeal is over for 11 miners, who were rescued just hours ago after being trapped in a gold mine in China for two weeks. But it appears about 10 others are still stuck underground. State media earlier said 22 miners were trapped in a mine blast on January 10th.

[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: The man seen here was the first rescued. He was described as extremely weak and was taken to hospital.

We're remembering Larry King, a beloved TV host and longtime member of the CNN family. Next we'll hear from those who knew him best, including his executive producer for 17 years, as more tributes pour in. (MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Good evening. My name is Larry King and this is the premiere edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Every night at this time we'll be here for one hour. We're going to meet fascinating people from all walks of life. I'll ask them questions, we'll take some calls.

I hope you enjoy this alternative to prime time programming rather than murder, mayhem, sex, violence. We'll bring you all of those -- but disguised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That was Larry King on the first episode of his hit CNN show, "LARRY KING LIVE." We're remembering the life and career of that talk show legend, who has died at the age of 87.

For six decades, the Brooklyn native had a career in radio, TV and digital media.

[04:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: Including 25 years as host of CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," his hiring a chance taken by CNN's founder, Ted Turner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): By 1985, CNN's maverick owner Ted Turner had set his sights on the king of talk radio.

TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: We really needed a new prime time talk show host. And I knew Larry. I had been on his radio show.

KING: We're live from Washington.

TURNER: He was good. He was the best interviewer available and I thought he would be interested in a proposition that put him in primetime.

COOPER (voice-over): Ted got his man. Larry was ready for CNN, but was CNN ready for Larry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually got the show on, "LARRY KING LIVE," on in two weeks. From the time he signed his contract to the time he actually went on with our first guest, Mario Cuomo, we had two weeks.

COOPER (voice-over): In June of 1985, "LARRY KING LIVE" debuted.

KING: Good evening, my name is Larry King and this is the premiere edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." COOPER: Your first broadcast. Were you nervous?

KING: I didn't know whether I was going to like it or not and I didn't know CNN. But five minutes in, I said, it's going to make it. There was an electricity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Larry King had an exciting career that put him face to face with all sorts of extraordinary people. He interviewed the famous and the infamous, from presidential candidates to movie stars to everyday people, anyone with a story to tell.

He left CNN in 2010.

And tributes are pouring in, including this tweet from singer Bette Midler, "He always made me feel as though I were the only person in the room."

And this from former U.S. president Bill Clinton, who Larry King interviewed more than 20 times, "He had a great sense of humor and a genuine interest in people. Farewell, my friend."

And here's a statement from CNN's founder Ted Turner, "Waking up to news of the passing of Larry King felt like a punch to the gut. Larry was one of my closest and dearest friends and, in my opinion, the world's greatest broadcast journalist of all time.

"If anyone asked me what are my greatest career achievements in life, one is the creation of CNN and the other is hiring Larry King. Like so many who worked with and knew Larry, he was a consummate professional, an amazing mentor to many and a good friend to all. The world has lost a true legend."

And we have been mentioning Larry was a part of the CNN family for more than two decades. For more than 17 of those years, Wendy Walker was his executive producer. She spoke with CNN about working with King and what made his show a compelling hour of must-watch television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENDY WALKER, FORMER CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: I was producing the White House at CNN for 10 years. And I was -- 10 years at the White House, as you know, is a long time.

And I thought what am I going to be able to do that's going to top this?

Well, Tom Johnson called me at the White House one day and said, I have an idea, we need a new producer for Larry King, would you like to do it?

And I thought OK, that might top it. So that's how I got the job and, yes, it was an amazing 18 years. I was blessed, really blessed.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm sure you have countless stories. Larry was involved in the O.J. Simpson murder case from the get-go and he cut off a caller to take the infamous Bronco chase the night that happened.

And you ended up producing countless show about the trial, with lawyers, investigators, family members. But let's listen to what happened the night after the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: With us on the phone now is O.J. Simpson.

How are you?

O.J. SIMPSON, CONVICTED FELON: I'm doing fine. And, one, I want to thank you, I want -- you know, a lot because so many of my friends have told me that you've been fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So tell me what was happening behind the scenes when O.J. called.

WALKER: This was really funny because we -- I had told his people, if he wants to call in, I wanted them to make sure it was him. So I added a name and a number specifically for him to call in.

So we get this call and I pick it up and it's him. So we put him on the air.

And he went -- and, of course, it was huge that he called in. Well, we went over, a little over our time. We were just a little over 10 o'clock. And I got a call from Atlanta.

And they said, "You're running over" -- leave the O.J. special?

"You have to get off the air."

And I said, "Well, have you -- by any chance, do you know what's on?

It's O.J. himself."

So maybe it's OK if we go on, stay on a couple more minutes. But, yes, we laughed about it for a long time.

BROWN: That is amazing. We have to do this pre-produced piece and you're like, well, we're actually talking to him.

Another memorable moment came when Heather McCartney appeared on the show. Tell me about that night.

WALKER: Well, Heather was a great guest and she was really a good guest. You know, nobody said, hey, sit down.

[04:55:00]

WALKER: And by the way, if you feel like it, take off your leg. I mean, this was not something we had planned, although I wish I had

thought of it but I didn't.

But what I love about that, if you really watch that scene, that's so typical of Larry, because here's this beautiful woman, she takes off his leg to show him what it's like. And he kind of pats it.

You know, instead of jumping off and saying oh, my gosh, or having any kind of reaction, it was a very normal reaction for him, just like everything was. I mean, nothing really fazed him on the air. He never got flustered, never got flustered on the air.

BROWN: That's amazing.

What do you think it was?

Why do you think he was able to just be so calm, cool, collected, no matter what was thrown at him?

WALKER: I think it was part of his success and part of his secret of what he did. And it was a couple of things.

Larry had no agenda. You know, a lot of times somebody in this business will say, oh, my gosh, we've got this big guest. And we're going to, you know, get the news out of him.

Larry never approached any interview with "I've got to get this out of the guest." He had no agenda. But he also, you know, wanted to make sure -- and he always would teach this with anybody asking him -- keep your questions short. Don't ask long questions.

If he heard somebody on the air asking a long question, he would just, "Listen to that, listen to that. All he had to do is say, 'What, why.'"

It was very short. And the other thing is he would say is listen. Listen to, you know, listen to your guest. Listen to what they're saying so you can react. So his reactions, I mean, he really never was at a loss for thinking like, what should I ask now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, Larry King indeed was a treasure and we're so grateful he was part of the CNN family for those 25 years.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Kim Brunhuber and I'll be back in just a moment with more news.