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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Says She Had A Great Call With Trump; New Footage Shows Mob Of Rioters Violently Assaulting Officers; California Passes 40,000 Death Toll As State Eases Restrictions; Answering Viewer's Legal Questions In CNN's "Cross Exam" With Elie Honig; U.S. Military Veterans Were Capitol Rioters; GameStop Mania Shakes Up Wall Street. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired January 30, 2021 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[17:00:00]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Thanks for staying with me. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.
Right now, the U.S. Republican Party is in disarray. They have no control over the White House, no majority in the House or the Senate. And something just happened today that is forcing Republicans, old school and new school, to pick a side. It was a reported phone call between former President Donald Trump and Republican congresswoman from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is the new and controversial lawmaker who is already facing calls to be thrown out of Congress.
Today, Greene claims to have the support of the former president. She says it was a great call. The problem for Republicans or at least one of the problems is the timing here. Donald Trump is about to go on trial again in the U.S. Senate accused of inciting a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol. The Congresswoman Greene factor is sharply dividing Republicans when only party unity will save Donald Trump and his legacy from a conviction.
Greene's boss, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, has nothing very solid for Republicans to anchor on to. One day he says, yes, Donald Trump bears responsibility for the mob attack on the Capitol, but another day, he's in Mar-a-Lago for this smiling photo op with Trump.
McCarthy had planned a House leadership meeting for Tuesday. He has since canceled that meeting. A spokesperson says he's traveling that day. A source telling CNN has believed that he just doesn't want to discuss Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
I want to go straight to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill. Suzanne, fill us in on what we are hearing from the congresswoman, Greene, and other Republicans today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a very public feud that has spilled out via Twitter and certainly members of Congress speaking out about this. There is a time of reckoning and the Republicans have to choose which side they're on, whether it is a pro- Trump party or if they would like to distance themselves from Trump. And, essentially, Congresswoman Greene now has de facto kind of moved into that role, if you will, as somebody who is throwing the flames on the fire here in a Twitter storm.
So what we do know is that House Leader Kevin McCarthy, he had a visit with Trump at Mar-a-Lago just days ago. They both emerged saying that they have to take back the House and the Senate. The Republicans do. And that Trump saying he is now more popular than ever, that his endorsement more valuable than ever, McCarthy framing it in terms of rejecting the Democratic agenda calling it a radical agenda, but simply wrapping himself into Trump's praise and affection, if you will.
That is the same thing that now we see from Representative Greene who tweeted out that she had this great phone call, that she's 100 percent loyal to the president and that she'll never apologize, never back down. What we're seeing here are moderate Republicans, conservative Republicans, those like Senator Mitt Romney coming forward, slamming her and Greene essentially coming back, doubling down, if you will.
This is the tweets from today. Mitt Romney saying lies of a feather flock together, Marjorie Taylor Greene's nonsense and the big lie of a stolen election. She comes back saying, Republican, in quotes, mind you, Senator Mitt Romney obviously cares nothing about the people's number one concern. Please grow a pair or a spine.
What we do expect to hear from other Republicans, potentially like the response Representative Steve Scalise gave, saying that he is against this type of political violent rhetoric from both sides. Ana?
CABRERA: Suzanne Malveaux, thank you for your reporting.
In the meantime, we have new developments, new charges stemming from the Capitol attack. Two members of the far-right group Proud Boys have been slapped with conspiracy charges in connection to their alleged participation in the Capitol insurrection. Now, these arrests are the first to specifically accuse members of this group known for its sexist and anti-Semitic views of working together in the attack, an attack that gets more gruesome, more scary the more we learn and the more we see.
[17:05:04]
CNN obtained new video from the body cam of a police officer who was in the middle of this violent mob. CNN's Tom Foreman has more. We want to warn you, the images you are about to see are disturbing.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what police saw as they furiously tried to fight off the mob on this body cam footage released by the U.S. attorney's office. And this is what they heard as a man shouted for help near a woman who was down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save her. She's going to die. She's dead. Please, she's dead. I need somebody. TODD: Prosecutors say among them was Michael Foy, the man they say is wielding a hockey stick in this video as the brutal hand-to-hand fighting rages.
Foy has been charged with assaulting a law officer, obstructing law enforcement, entering a restricted building and more. Other angles of their cameras give a better sense of how huge the mob was as it surrounded police, in this video, dragging one down the stairs where he was beaten with a flag pole.
But few images captured the raw fury quite like this body cam. The crowd was so intense, some first responders say even though they knew police and rioters were being injured, they could not safely access patients due to the crowd activity. And that woman being trampled on the stairs while calls for help went unanswered, New York Times has identified her as 34-year-old Rosanne Boyland who later died.
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TODD (on camera): We have seen dozens and dozens of video of the calamitous day, many of which now being introduced as evidence against rioters, but this one stands out for the sheer up close in your face brutality and violence of a supposed political march gone mad.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
CABRERA: Really is chilling to watch those images. Those people violently smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol were not all motivated purely by misinformed political outrage. Among the Trump supporters and QAnon followers and people who continue to believe that the presidential election was somehow stolen was a sizable number of active hate groups and extremists brandishing their membership.
Someone even carried a confederate flag into the Capitol, the symbols and slogans of racist, white supremacists and extreme far-right anti- government groups were all on full display during that disgraceful riot on January 6th. I want to talk to Christian Picciolini.
He is a self-described former neo-Nazi skinhead who now advocates and speaks against hate and extremism. And his newest book is Breaking Hate, Confronting the New Culture of Extremism. Christian, thank you for being here. I appreciate your perspective on all of this.
Today's news is all about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who has come under scrutiny for her past remarks and actions that include repeatedly indicating support for the execution of politicians, comments that have raised doubts about mass school shootings, other comments at times that have been anti-Semitic and Islamophobic.
Does it embolden extremists to see the degree to which former President Trump accepts her, to see her in a position of power, as a member of Congress and to see the degree to which he fully endorses the conspiracies that led to that deadly insurrection?
CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI, FOUNDER, FREE RADICALS PROJECT: Yes, Ana, these conspiracy theories that both Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene are putting forth are some of the same kind of dangerous conspiracy theories that drove me 30 years ago when I was a member of a neo-Nazi group. And what we saw at the Capitol was a mixture of militia groups, neo-Nazis, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists, far-right thugs like the Proud Boys, but we also saw likely what were just normal conservatives and Republicans.
And I want to ask them that they need to really look around at these rallies and these forums that they participate in and see who they're standing next. And if they're standing next to white supremacists and neo-Nazis and conspiracy theorists, they're likely on the wrong side of history and they need to reassess where they are.
And it's even more dangerous when we have people in power, like former President Trump and Representative Greene, who are talking about the same conspiracy theorists about birtherism and QAnon, all these things that are not just dangerous to talk about but we've seen the results of those type of dangerous -- that type of dangerous rhetoric and some of the violence that we've seen.
[17:10:12]
CABRERA: I want to know your thoughts when you were watching the assault on the U.S. Capitol and when you see the new videos that we're still seeing like the one we showed today. Were you surprised to see white supremacists, Proud Boys, other racist groups represented there? I guess you wouldn't necessarily think presidential election fraud is something that stirs up neo-Nazis.
PICCIOLINI: No, I wasn't surprised. I was angry. And I was angry because -- not only people like me but others for many, many years have been talking about this problem and that we've had this threat that exists in the United States. And for that same amount of time, people have been ignored and in certain cases, that information has been shelved and we haven't taken this threat seriously and here we are now.
And not only do we have Americans who want to hurt other Americans, we have people in power who are emboldening these people to commit these types of acts. And if we think that we saw everything there on the steps of the Capitol, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Every violent extremist who wants to do harm was not there, but what that did was activate a lot of folks.
CABRERA: I want to share with our viewers some of the piece you wrote for The Independent. And I'm quoting here, no one is born with hate in their heart. I have found this to be more powerful than any weapons Smith & Wesson can forge and in the cold clammy hands of insurrectionists. Radical ideologies act like green traffic lights, signaling to those of have stalled in life, where to direct blame for grievances, anger and insecurities, sometimes in violent and irrational ways instead of working to resolve their obstacles in a positive or constructive manner.
That's a broad view. But what specifically did these extremists see on January 6th that sparked them into action? What was the green traffic light? PICCIOLINI: Well, I think the green traffic light was four years of propaganda, four years of violent rhetoric that emboldened them. And it was positions of people in power, through those positions, them directing that.
Thirty years ago, when I was a neo-Nazi skinhead from the time I was 14 to the time I was 23, we didn't have that person of power. We found that information in dark alleys, on the fringe, in the backs of magazines by passing pamphlets. When the internet came around, it gave a whole lot of power to influencers within that movement to spread hate to the mainstream, which was part of the concerted effort. Because in the '80s and '90s, there was an effort to infiltrate law enforcement, to infiltrate the military, to find people within those groups who had what I call potholes in life that we could fill with hate, that they could then direct at other people. And there was a lot of that happening in the last four years of the Trump administration.
And, unfortunately, what I do, the de-radicalization work or the disengagement work that I do is really just a band-aid because we're cleaning up after the fact. What we need is a national strategy kind of like we're doing with the pandemic. We need to treat the sick, quote, unquote, sick, like I do, but we also need to inoculate the population and it's our systemic and institutional racism that is creating a breeding ground for this to exist generation after generation.
CABRERA: So, if it's not on a big structural level that starts at the top, in the role of government, what should somebody tell their uncle who maybe has gone astray, who has followed these conspiracy theories and believes -- was at the Capitol and believes what they were doing was, in some way, righteous or for a just cause? How do you break through to a family member who has taken that path then misguided?
PICCIOLINI: Yes. And like I said in my op-ed, we aren't born to hate. It's something that we learn. I talk a lot about what the people that I work with that they hit potholes in life. Those are the traumas, the grievances, loss, poverty, even privilege can be a pothole to suffer from humanity, and while people are searching a sense of identity, community and purpose, which is something that we all search for, those potholes detours to the fringes where those movements are very, very loud.
What can we do as people is we need to learn to listen for those potholes and repair them and prevent people from going down that path. And if people exist there already, we need to try and bring them back with a new sense of identity, community and purpose. But this isn't just about people. Our nation, our society right now is in a real struggle for identity, community and purpose and we've got a lot of historical potholes that have gone unfilled.
CABRERA: But can you reason with people who have that mindset? Like when you were part of this neo-Nazi group, would you listen to somebody who is trying to just reason with you and say, here, these are the facts and I care about you?
PICCIOLINI: Well, I think the caring part, yes, absolutely. That, I would have listened to, but the reasoning, you can't argue logically against somebody who's arguing illogically.
[07:15:03]
You can't win that argument. Which is why I say we really need to really listen for those potholes and start to repair the things that motivate people to go in that direction, and that also inevitably pulls them back, because they have more of a foundation under them and more of a way to search for that sense of community in positive ways.
CABRERA: So it's trying to cut it off before it gets extreme. I hear you.
PICCIOLINI: So this is an ideological debate.
CABRERA: Thank you so much for sharing all of that.
PICCIOLINI: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: Join Fareed Zakaria for an in-depth look at American political hatred. How did it get so bad? This Fareed Zakaria special, "The Divided States of America: What is Tearing Us Apart," airs tomorrow night at 9:00 here on CNN.
We are just learning from CDC that 29.5 million COVID vaccine doses have now been administered in the U.S. That's just a fraction still of the mass vaccination effort that is desperately needed.
Up next, I'll talk to a doctor on the frontlines of the COVID fight who is also taking part in the clinical trials for a brand-new vaccine that could be a game changer.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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CABRERA: California is one of the state's hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 40,000 people have now died from COVID there, second only to New York. But officials in Los Angeles County, the state's largest by population, are moving to reopen outdoor dining at 50 percent capacity.
CNN's Paul Vercammen is joining us now. Paul, how is it that the state can report more than 600 COVID deaths so far today alone and simultaneously take steps towards relaxing restrictions?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they were monitoring, Ana, was the ICU capacity and they say future forecasts are for way more ICU beds to open up. Therefore, in California, where 1.8 million people employed in the food services business, they have opened up, tables eight feet apart, no one allowed to be from different households, or so they say, and a rule that is really disturbing some of the restaurant owners, they're not allowing T.V.s outside, and that's just ahead of the Super Bowl.
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DARRIN LOMBARD, CUSTOMER: This place is pretty historic. It's in Sherman Oaks neighborhood in Los Angeles where I met my then fiance. We actually got engaged here. So it was pretty important to me to see that this personal landmark of mine survives. I think a lot of people have similar experiences in that way and many other places in this historic town also.
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VERCAMMEN: And that was one of the restaurant-goers here, all 15 tables are now filled. But what the owner of this place was telling us is she does worry about not being able to have televisions outside, as I said, before the big game coming up on Sunday.
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ANGELA MARSDEN, OWNER, PINEAPPLE HILL SALOON AND GRILL: If you put people out of safe spaces for Super Bowl, you are putting them literally in danger and putting them into homes and house parties, which will take place.
So, please, have some common sense. Let us use the T.V.s. Give us the chance to keep people safe and give them a little bit of community because that's what people need right now. And I don't know what else to do other than get on my knees and just pray or beg. Let's use some common sense here.
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VERCAMMEN: So, while Pineapple Hill opened, a lot of other restaurants in Los Angeles not opening, one of them, Casa Vega just down the street, tradition-rich. At first, the owner Christy Vega was dancing along to the Macarena in celebration, but when the rules came out, she says one thing that super concerns her is this notion of asking people point-blank, are you from the same household? She said she's had pushback of customers, frankly, who are asking and cussing her out because they see that she's getting into their business.
It's a very tough debate here in California, social distancing and safety versus reopening these businesses in a tourism-oriented state. Back to you now, Ana.
CABRERA: It is a tough debate all around the country, I believe, and such a challenging situation. Thank you, Paul Vercammen.
We have this just in, the CDC reporting 29.5 million doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine have now been administered in the U.S. This accounts for 59 percent of the total doses distributed so far.
Next week though, Johnson & Johnson will seek FDA emergency use authorization for its vaccine. And if approved, this could seriously boost our supply.
I want to bring in CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. She's an emergency physician and professor at George Washington University and is also a volunteer in the Johnson & Johnson clinical trial.
Dr. Wen, I know you don't know whether you received a placebo or the actual vaccine of Johnson & Johnson, but when you hear this report, the news that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is 85 percent effective at preventing severe disease, what's your reaction?
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think it's very promising, Ana, and that's the top line that we should be caring about, about whether this vaccine or any vaccine prevents severe disease. Because people don't really care if they get the sniffles or a sore throat, they care if they end up getting sick enough that they end up in a hospital, on a ventilator and, of course, succumbing to COVID-19.
And I think what the results of the Johnson & Johnson study show thus far, at least results that they have disclosed this far, show that actually none of the people who received the vaccine ended up hospitalized or dying. So that's really significant.
CABRERA: How would you rate the potential impact of this one dose, Johnson & Johnson vaccine, on the pandemic?
WEN: It's huge because it is one dose. That simplifies the logistics substantially, and also because this is a vaccine that could be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures for months at a time, that means that primary care doctors, regular doctor offices can also deliver and distribute vaccine.
[17:25:03]
CABRERA: When we talk about efficacy, we're talking about keeping people from getting sick from the virus. But is it clear yet if any of these vaccines prevent someone from actually contracting the virus and transmitting it?
WEN: That's the question that we don't yet know the answer to. This is a question that's being studied. But, I think, right now, we just don't know. And that's the reason why for people who have received the vaccine, we still ask that they take additional precautions because we know that they are protected from getting severe effects from COVID-19 but we don't want them to continue to be carriers to infect others around them.
CABRERA: I heard from a lot of viewers asking when will the lowest priority group or anyone who wants a vaccine be able to get one. What's your best sense?
WEN: I hope that it's going to be at some point in the spring. Right now, demand for the vaccine far outstrips supply. I do think that having Johnson & Johnson coming online will make a big difference. I also think that AstraZeneca, Novavax, there are some other candidates that are coming too, but we really need to be doing everything we can.
The federal government certainly needs to be doing everything it can to increase supply while at the same time helping states and local health departments to increase that distribution because that is the name of the game here, especially with the variants on the way that are much more contagious and could become dominant even by March. We really need to get vaccines into arms as quickly as we possibly can.
CABRERA: What about children under the age of 16? Will kids eventually need to get vaccinated?
WEN: Yes, they will and those studies are still ongoing. Kids are not just little adults, and so you do have to do studies separately on children. And right now, the studies are being done on older children in their teens, then it's going to be younger children, then toddlers, then babies. So it's going to take some time.
I'm hopeful that by the summer, ideally, at least by the fall, we can get our kids vaccinated because that will be really important for getting them back in school safely too.
CABRERA: The emergence of the variant, these new variants, that are more transmissible, that's a growing concern, which is another reason for the increased speed of vaccinations being so important. There's already some data showing the currently authorized vaccines aren't as effective against the variant from South Africa. So do you know how long it could take to modify a vaccine and will people need booster shots?
WEN: Yes. The mRNA vaccine, so the Pfizer and Moderna, it's believed that the modification could be really fast. We're talking about six weeks or so to get a booster shot potentially developed, and that may be something that's needed in time, which is something that we're used to. We're used to getting a flu vaccine every year, to getting a tetanus booster from time-to-time and that may be something that's on the horizon.
But I would just emphasize to everyone, if you have the opportunity to get a vaccine now, get it now. Get some level of protection into you right now because that's going to be so important with the pandemic raging all across the country and that's also what's going to help all of us from having these variants spread and take over.
CABRERA: Absolutely. Dr. Leana Wen, so much great information, thank you very much.
WEN: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: Next, is there any way 17 Republicans will vote with all the Democrats to convict Trump at his upcoming impeachment trial?
Try to read the tea leaves. It's time for Cross Examine with Ellie Honig, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[17:32:46]
CABRERA: A little more than a week to go now before the start of Trump's second impeachment trial. And we're learning the former president is beefing up his legal team. He's now added three new lawyers bringing the total number to five. It's time for "CROSS EXAM" with CNN legal analyst and former federal
and state prosecutor, Elie Honig, who is here to answer your questions this hour.
Elie, one viewer asks: Given this week's vote by 45 Republican Senators about the constitutionality of trying a former president, any chance the Senate convicts former President Trump?
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Ana, so look, it was a big vote this week, but it's important to understand what it was and what it was not.
Senator Rand Paul made a motion. He said, let's debate and vote on the constitutional question of whether we can try a former president.
Those 45 Senators, all Republicans, said, yes, let's consider this now. The other 55, 50 Democrats plus five Republicans said, we're not going to debate this now. Doing what we call tabling.
Is that an indicator of where these 45 Republicans stand? Absolutely, it strongly stands they do not want to convict Donald Trump.
But does it mean it's over? Not necessarily. It's possible some of those 45 wanted to debate the constitutional question but remain open to the ultimate verdict either way.
In fact, that's exactly what Senators John Thune and Rob Portman told us publicly.
So there's no question, conviction is unlikely.
But remember, the trial hasn't even started yet. We're still seeing new evidence every day. You showed us that compelling new body camera footage.
Let's see what happens at the trial. Let's see how things play out.
CABRERA: Another viewer asks: In the impeachment trial, can the Senators cast their votes confidentially?
HONIG: Yes, the Senate actually can choose to vote confidentially. But it's exceedingly unlikely they will.
Generally, the Senate gets to set its own rules for the impeachment trial. All they need is a majority vote.
But it's a specific portion of the Constitution that says, if the Senate wants to do a vote in public, all it takes is one-fifth of the Senators, 20 out of 100.
Now, the argument for secret ballots is it minimizes political considerations, enables the Senators to vote their own conscience.
But the argument against it, it's too important of a vote. We need transparency and accountability. And historically, we've never had a secret ballot on a presidential impeachment. [17:35:05]
So, Ana, when this is over, I fully expect to see each Senator stand up one at a time and announce their verdict, guilty or not guilty.
CABRERA: Historically, we've never had it or a president impeached twice or insurrection.
Let me ask you about President Biden now. He's wasted no time putting pen to paper. He's signed 42 executive orders so far since taking orders 10 days ago.
Some are reversals of Mr. Trump's executive orders. A lot of them are, in fact.
One viewer wants to know: How much legal authority does the new president have to undo the executive actions of a prior president?
HONIG: So a lot, but not unlimited. President Biden has been busy signing executive orders on everything from immigration to the economy to COVID to the environment.
Now, the Supreme Court told us that presidents have very broad range to sign executive orders or rescind old ones.
The only limit is they cannot be is called arbitrary and capricious, meaning there has to be some minimal, reasonable consideration of process of public policy.
Last week, importantly, a federal court put on hold one of President Biden's executive orders on immigration. Now that's just temporary. It can and likely will be appealed.
But this -- we should get used to this happening because, let's remember, many of President Trump's executive orders were challenged in court. Some of them were struck down.
And we should expect to see more of these legal challenges aimed at President Biden's executive orders as well.
CABRERA: All right. Elie Honig, good to have you here, my friend.
HONIG: Thanks, Ana.
CABRERA: And I want to remind our viewers to check out Elie's column at CNN.com/opinion. That's where you can submit your questions.
Up next, CNN is learning an increasing number of people that took part in the January 6th deadly insurrection are retired U.S. veterans. CNN's Sara Sidner has a remarkable look at the link between the rioters and the military. That's next, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[17:41:04] CABRERA: The sworn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, but then came the capitol insurrection.
CNN's Sara Sidner tracked down some former military members accused of taking part in that attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They have the tactical training, gear and guns to bring the war home.
CNN tracked down nine of the military veterans, who are charged in the capitol siege.
JOSEPH RANDALL BIGGS, PROUD BOYS LEADER AND U.S. ARMY VETERAN: Oh, it's right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SIDNER: This guy is one of the most well-known, a far-right personality, known for spouting extremist views long before January 6th.
BIGGS: Hey, what's going on, everybody? This is Joe Biggs.
SIDNER: And 37-year-old Joseph Biggs is an Army veteran. He is also a leader in the far-right violence-prone Proud Boys.
His violent rhetoric got him banned on social media sites.
On January 6th, in Washington, D.C., it wasn't just rhetoric. Prosecutors say he did "aid, abet, counsel, command, induce or procure others to unlawfully enter the U.S. capitol by means of destruction of federal property."
This is Biggs as he helps lead the Proud Boys to the capitol steps.
(SHOUTING)
SIDNER: Once there, one of his Proud Boys, this guy, broke into the capitol. According to court documents, 20 seconds later, Biggs is seen inside the building.
Biggs is charged for an alleged commanding role in the insurrection. A judge ordered he could go home on house arrest.
We visited him there.
SIDNER (on camera): Mr. Biggs? I'm Sara with CNN.
(KNOCKING)
SIDNER: Look, all we want to ask you is whether or not you were in the capitol on January 6th, and what you were doing there.
BIGGS: (INAUDIBLE).
SIDNER: I'm sorry?
BIGGS: I'm calling the police.
SIDNER: You're calling the police, you said?
Are you an insurrectionist?
BIGGS: Oh, God, no.
SIDNER: You're not an insurrectionist?
Well, come talk to me.
What -- what are you?
I've seen some of the things that you've said over time. They've been pretty violent. Like give us an answer. What are -- what were you doing in the capitol on January 6th?
BIGGS: If you don't get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of here, I'm calling the police right now.
SIDNER: If we don't get the "F" out of here, you're calling the police?
SIDNER (voice-over): Former Army Captain Gabriel Garcia of Miami, Florida, is also a Proud Boy. He ran as a Republican for state office and lost the vote in 2020.
GABRIEL GARCIA, FORMER U.S. ARMY CAPTAIN & PROUD BOY MEMBER: There's people starting to adopt this process.
SIDNER: Here he is, inside the capitol. And now accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds, among other charges.
According to the federal complaint, Garcia posted video of himself inside the capitol, saying, "We just went ahead and stormed the capitol. It's about to get ugly."
And that he also called police "F'ing traitors!" for trying to stop the siege.
Time after time, our efforts to get comment were met with calls to police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment, leave. Leave now.
SIDNER: This man was outside the business of insurrectionist suspect, Ryan Nichols, in Longview, Texas. Nichols was not there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling 911 right now.
SIDNER: On the street, outside his house, his neighbor confronted us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do it. I'm going to call the police right now.
SIDNER: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have an issue with that.
SIDNER: Nichols is a former Marine, who ended up on "Ellen" for his work rescuing dogs in hurricanes. He also runs a wholesale business, he says, has made him a fortune.
RYAN NICHOLS, U.S. MILITARY VETERAN: Hey, Ryan here. I'm the owner and president with Wholesale Universe. I've made millions of dollars on the e-Commerce platforms.
SIDNER: This is also him, in a camo hat at the capitol. On the right side, his Texas buddy, Alex Harkrider. Both are military veterans, who also ran a non-profit.
ALEX HARKRIDER, U.S. MILITARY VETERAN: Alex and Ryan here.
SIDNER: In D.C., the FBI says Nichols sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray in the direction of federal officers trying to restrain the mob.
Court documents show Harkrider posted this on Snapchat, "We're in. Two people killed already. We need all patriots of this country to rally the 'F' up and fight for our freedom or it's gone forever."
[17:45:00]
They are both charged with conspiracy and assault with a deadly weapon on a federal officer.
Former FBI agent, Michael German, who spent years undercover in domestic extremist groups, says he's not surprised so many of the rioters are former military. There are many possible reasons for their actions but one stands out.
MICHAEL GERMAN, BRENNAN CENTER FELLOW & FORMER FBI AGENT: What we've seen too often is that this kind of ideological militancy is allowed to exist in the military.
And there isn't enough effort to root it out and to actually paint it as a -- what it is, an anti-democratic movement. And that's a threat to our security within our security forces.
SIDNER: That includes an Army veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart.
According to court documents, Joshua Lollar is caught on police body camera video wearing a gas mask at the capitol, saying, "Yes, I'm good. Just got gassed and fought with cops. That I never thought would happen."
Lollar was released on bond to his home. His father briefly talked to us. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell you anything.
SIDNER (on camera): Do you know him? Are you his dad or --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SIDNER: You are. Is there anything you want to say, just on his behalf?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SIDNER (voice-over): We also went to this accused Texas veteran's home. He is out on bond, too.
RECORDED VOICE: Please leave your message for --
LARRY RENDALL BROCK, U.S. AIR FORCE VETERAN: Larry Brock.
SIDNER: Air Force veteran, Larry Brock, is seen dressed for combat inside the Senate chamber, holding zip ties. Brock is the guy in the green helmet.
BROCK: I agree with you, brother, but it's not ours.
(CROSSTALK)
BROCK: It belongs to the Vice President of the United States.
SIDNER: Authorities say he may have intended to use those to restrain individuals who he saw as enemies, presumably lawmakers, something Brock denied to "The New Yorker."
And 1,000 miles away in Woodstock, Ohio, two more military veterans face some of the most serious charges yet in the insurrection, including conspiracy.
DONOVAN CROWL, FORMER U.S. MARINE: Overran the capitol.
JESSICA WATKINS, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: We're in the F'ing capitol, bro.
SIDNER: That's Army veteran, Jessica Watkins, in the background and former Marine, Donovan Crowl, in front, both dressed for battle, inside the capitol.
Watkins' boyfriend knows them both.
SIDNER: What's he like?
MONTANA SINIFF, WATKINS' PARTNER: When drunk, the guy you want to shut up. When sober, the best man you could have.
SIDNER: What was she doing?
SINIFF: She was supposed to help protect some VIP members within the Trump rally. And then, of course, the -- Trump said that they'll protest and some people took that to mean more than they should have probably.
SIDNER: Crowl was right there with her. So was Thomas Caldwell, of Clarke County, Virginia. The three are the first to be indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, obstruction, and destruction of government property.
Caldwell's disdain for Congress made clear before they stormed the capitol.
THOMAS CALDWELL, CAPITOL RIOTER: Every single (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in there is a traitor!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: That was Sara Sidner reporting.
Coming up, it's probably the most talked about story but the least understood. The mania behind GameStop explained, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:52:32]
CABRERA: This is really a David-versus-Goliath story. Amateurs traders taking on hedge fund managers. Surprise, shares of GameStop and a lot of money at stake.
CNN's Richard Quest breaks it down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE & CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": No one predicted the trading revolution would begin here.
ANNOUNCER: GameStop, play, trade, save, repeat.
QUEST: It's tale is all too familiar, a struggling brick-and-mortar retailer, and a target for short sellers.
Then something strange happened.
UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Video game retailer, GameStop, it shares up some 15 percent premarket.
QUEST (on camera): GameStop is soaring once again.
UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: The video game retailer GameStop set to continue the head spinning ascent.
QUEST: (voice-over): Retail traders organizing on Reddit had spotted a simple opportunity. They knew that the major institutional funds were predicting GameStop's demise.
So using trading apps like Robinhood they snapped up shares, en masse, and put hedge funds on the back foot. The results were staggering. The same big investors who bet that
GameStop shares would fall suddenly had to buy the shares, to protect their portfolio and position.
On Wednesday, the shares more than doubled in a day.
The Reddit traders celebrated their victory. The hedge funds liked their wounds. And suddenly, everyone wanted in.
JORDAN BELFORT, AUTHOR: I just know it's got to be more of a full-time job. And -- it's like catching a falling knife when things go the wrong way.
QUEST: Just as the world was waking up to this, the trading platforms were forced to act. Public interest was surging. And as a result, Robinhood blocked certain trades.
VLADIMIR TENEV, CEO, ROBINHOOD: You know, we had to make a very difficult decision to protect our customers and our firm.
QUEST: Retail traders from several platforms were blocked from buying shares in GameStop and other companies that were being targeted.
As GameStop shares tumbled, the online trading community was furious.
DAVE PORTNOY, FOUNDER, BARSTOOL SPORTS: In the history of the stock market, only the rich guys, the institutional firms, the hedge funds, saying hold on we're taking too much money, you better protect us in case it goes the other way. This seems like the little guy was winning and the rules changed on the fly.
[17:55:00]
QUEST: Robinhood later relaxed some of the block. Even so, where things go from now is anyone's guess.
There are calls for congressional hearings. The White House and the SEC say they are monitoring the situation.
And yet, because this trading is at the very grass roots, the mania continues. GameStop shares up more than 1,500 percent this year.
A partner at one venture capital firm says it's only the beginning.
DAVID PAKMAN, PARTNER, VENROCK: This is a fundamental change to the market dynamics. It's not just a bunch of institutional traders. Retail investors are forced to probably be understood and in a humble way.
QUEST: None of this is a game, of course. The risks are very real.
And so are the companies caught in the middle, whether its airlines or phone companies or bricks-and-mortar retailers.
Companies must now deal with a whole different breed of investors that can be having dramatic influences on their share price. Richard Quest, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: That does it for me today. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me.
Pamela Brown takes over right after this.
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