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Ten GOP Senators Offer Counterproposal For COVID-19 Relief Plan And Request Meeting With President Biden; Nearly 100,000 Americans Killed In January, Worst Month Of The Pandemic; Donald Trump's Defense Team Quits Just Over A Week Before Impeachment Trial. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 31, 2021 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:40]

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

We begin this hour in a snowy Washington, but hopes of a potential thaw in a stalemate that affects millions of Americans. Today, 10 Republican senators are pitching a counterproposal to President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package in hopes of reaching a compromise.

Millions of Americans are suffering physically and financially because of the coronavirus. Nearly 100,000 Americans have died in January alone making it the single deadliest month to date in this horrific pandemic.

All of this is happening just days from President Trump's second impeachment trial. CNN learning today that Trump's entire legal team has now quit. A person familiar with the departure is telling CNN Trump wanted his attorneys to make his lie that the election was stolen central to his defense.

Let's start with that group of 10 Republicans hoping to strike a bipartisan COVID relief package. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is following the latest developments for us, so Sunlen, what's in this proposal? And are there other Republicans on board?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Fred, it is just these 10 Republicans. But the point of this is not necessarily to attract specific numbers of people to sign on to this proposal, but more to drive the talks more towards the middle.

Now these group of Republican senators, they sent a letter to President Biden saying, quote, "Our proposal reflects many of your stated priorities. And with your support, we believe that this plan could be approved quickly by Congress and with bipartisan support."

Now here is what they are proposing. First, there would be a new round of what they say is more targeted direct payments. They want to reach families who need this specific money the most and it includes $160 billion for vaccines. It would extend the enhanced unemployment benefits, and it also includes $4 billion for behavioral health and substance abuse. Now, notably, the price tag for this proposal, likely around $500

billion to $600 billion. That is much, much less than the Biden administration's proposal. They have proposed $1.9 trillion. So we will see many areas in this Republican proposal that are less funded than in the Biden proposal specifically on education, on money for schools, much less money in this Republican proposal.

Here's what one of the Republicans said about this disparity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): One area that we decrease, he has $170 billion for schools. Now, we've already given schools 110 percent of what they usually receive from the Federal government. Parochial schools have opened with a fraction of that money. Charter schools are open.

The real problem is public schools. That issue is not money. That issue is teachers unions telling their teachers not to go to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Now, this new proposal comes at a time where Hill Democrats are pushing for the Biden plan. They are hoping to potentially pass it this week through a procedural maneuver called reconciliation. The important part of that, Fred, is that they could pass it without Republican support.

So these Republicans are saying, wait a minute, calling President Biden to meet with them in the hopes of potentially moving forward on a bipartisan way -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much.

So as pressure mounts on President Biden from both sides of the political aisle, there are some members of his own party pushing to use reconciliation in the Senate to pass the COVID relief package using only Democratic votes without Republican input.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has the latest now from the White House. Arlette, is the White House willing to go down that path without a bipartisan agreement?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, President Biden has made clear that his preference is to have a bipartisan consensus on this package, but he has also said that it needs to be passed with or without Republican support.

But today, we are hearing from the White House that they are willing to negotiate on some elements of this bill. The White House Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, appeared on CNN earlier today, where he talked about how one area where the President will not concede on is trying to get this measure passed quickly.

Take a listen to what he had to tell Dana Bash earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN DEESE, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We're in a unique crisis and the elements of this plan really were designed and are designed to take on that crisis head on.

How are we going to get shots in people's arms? How are we going to get schools reopened, so parents can get back to work? And how are we going to provide that direct relief to those families and those businesses that are struggling the most?

So that's the theory behind the plan. We're certainly open to input from anywhere where we can find a constructive idea to make this package as effective as possible, but the President is uncompromising when it comes to the speed that we need to act at to address this crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:37]

SAENZ: Now, the White House has not indicated whether they are willing to budge from that $1.9 trillion price tag, which is quite a difference from what Senate Republicans are now proposing. But one area that they said that they would be willing to negotiate on is those stimulus checks.

If you take a look at the Biden plan right now, that would dole out about $1,400.00 in stimulus checks for people making a certain amount, Republicans really want to see those checks become a bit more targeted to ensure that the people who actually need that money the most are the ones who receive it. So the White House is indicating that that is one area where they are willing to compromise and negotiate on.

Now, so far, the President has been conducting his outreach to senators behind closed doors, picking up the phones, talking to Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio, two of the senators who are signing on to that new proposal that they discussed today.

But one thing we are still waiting to hear from the White House is whether the President would be willing to actually sit down with that group of 10 Republicans to talk about their concerns, as they are really trying to get this COVID package passed quickly -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz outside a snowy White House. Thank you so much.

So all of this happening with the backdrop of an extremely partisan issue, former President Trump's impeachment trial, and even though it's set to begin in just over a week from now, his entire legal team has deserted him.

A source tells CNN, Trump wanted them to argue the 2020 election was stolen from him, which is a lie, and a strategy they did not agree with. For more, let's bring in CNN correspondent, Whitney Wild. So legal

briefs are due in a matter of days, what does this mean for the President's impeachment trial?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it means that his entire legal defense is in complete disarray, and it doesn't seem like that's going to coalesce anytime soon, because we know from reporting that the President is having a hard time finding any lawyers who are going to take up this case.

Right now, what he is doing is tossing in another question into this overall impeachment trial question. So Democrats had hoped to point to just a single question, which was: did he incite an insurrection? They believe the overwhelming evidence is that he absolutely did.

However, his legal team thought that a better strategy to fight that would be to debate the constitutionality of even having an impeachment trial of a former President. They thought that was the path of least resistance, the strongest legal strategy here, and they were getting some indications that some Republicans might actually bite on that strategy because earlier this week, there was a question about whether or not they should even have a conversation about the constitutionality of this impeachment trial, and some Republicans -- 45 Republicans said, yes, it should be debated.

So it seems like you could have gotten them to buy in to this legal strategy that the former Trump legal team was going to put forth. However, he was not buying into that. He wants to make this about whether or not the election was stolen from him, which as we know, it simply was not.

We have Republicans reacting to this major development, here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): We have to acknowledge that this election was lost and we have to move on and Joe Biden is now the duly elected President of the United States.

So if the argument is not going to be made on issues like constitutionality, which are real issues and need to be addressed, I think it will not benefit the President.

CASSIDY: The evidence is, as I understand going to focus on whether or not the President contributed to an atmosphere, to have people charge the Capitol, break in, threatening, if you will, both Members of Congress and Vice President Pence. That's the charge.

So I would hope that whatever defense is put up, refutes that charge. But again, I will wait to judge based upon the evidence, which is presented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: We'll wait to see whether or not evidence is presented to refute that very question. What we know is that this was a mutual decision. We've reached out to all of these attorneys involved, Fredricka, but we haven't heard back yet.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Let us know when you do. Whitney Wild, thanks so much.

All right, coming up New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio calling attention to racial disparities in vaccine access. Why did a site in a Latino neighborhood serve more white New Yorkers from other areas?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:56]

WHITFIELD: More than 31 million coronavirus vaccine doses have now been administered in the U.S., but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling attention to racial disparities with vaccine access. This, as officials tell CNN that a vaccination site geared toward hard-hit Latinos in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood instead served many white people from other areas.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro joins me now from New York. So Evan, what are you learning?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, since the very beginning of the very beginning of the conversation about the vaccine program here in New York City, officials and activists have worried that existing racial inequities in the healthcare system would mean that communities of color and communities with that lacking economic resources, some of the hardest hit communities by the pandemic would suffer in the vaccine distribution as well.

Now, we've had anecdotal evidence that supported that, but today, we got some actual numbers that show that might actually be happening. Let me delve with those numbers a little bit for you, if you can.

[15:10:00]

SANTORO: We just got numbers showing the distribution of the vaccine based on race. You can see 48 percent for white people, 50 percent went to Asian people, 15 percent to Latino people, 11 percent to black people. Now, when you look at those numbers with the population of New York City, you can see how off those figures are. White people are getting more of the vaccine than they are in the population, Asians about the same, Latinos and blacks are dramatically underserved. Now, these numbers are not perfect.

In a press conference today, Mayor Bill de Blasio stressed that these data is still challenging to get, but he did say these figures are not a good sign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: But the information we do have shows clear disparity. Clearly, what we see is a particularly pronounced reality of many more people from white communities getting vaccination than folks from black and Latino communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTORO: You mentioned that Washington Heights location that was reported on by our colleague, Nicquel Terry Ellis, it was a great piece. I mean, we went up there to that location to talk to people about what's going on up there. This data today showing that the anecdotal evidence showing that people who are not from the neighborhood are getting the vaccine is being borne out.

I spoke to the City Council person from that area, who talked about what those numbers reflect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LEVINE, NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMEMBER: Tragically, I can't say I am surprised, but it is nonetheless shocking. Because throughout this pandemic, inequality has been revealed and exacerbated.

And as painful as it is, it's not a surprise to see it happen again now, but this should shock the conscience of New York City and should force us to act in concrete ways that ensure no one is left behind in this vaccination program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTORO: Now, of course, the folks who are booking these appointments are not doing anything wrong. They're following the rules. But city leaders are saying those rules now need to change to make sure that these locations are not just there in the geography of these neighborhoods, but are actually serving these neighborhoods. We're talking about setting aside hours for appointments and communicating directly with those -- with the people who live there.

People say that this is also tied to the scarcity of the doses. The more doses that we get, the easier this will be. But they also say that this will never be a good program, unless it's a fair program -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Evan McMorris-Santoro, thank you so much.

All right, joining me now to discuss is Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a CNN contributor and the former Detroit Health Commissioner. He's also an epidemiologist and the author of the new book, "Medicare-for-All: A Citizen's Guide." And that book comes out tomorrow. Congratulations on that. We'll get to that in a moment.

So Doctor, in your view, is it the same issue of distrust that may be at the root of some racial disparities? Or do you see that there are other things to blame today?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Fred, first, thank you for having me. There are two issues here, there's the supply problem and then there's the demand problem. Let's talk about the supply problem first. We know that this virus has taken a disproportionate toll on black and

brown communities, and that's a function, not of the virus, but of the circumstances in which black and brown communities live, as a function of systemic racism, patterning the air people breathe, the schools that people go to, the neighborhoods that they can live in, the houses that they are in and the jobs they can work.

And all of those things are going to shape both preexisting conditions, and then the probability of getting infected in the first place. But then, what we're seeing here is that as vaccine doses are being made available, folks with resources, whether that's time or money, or connections are better able to get themselves access to a vaccine appointment. And of course, that's going to lead to different rates of vaccines.

And what we're seeing here is that those folks because again, systemic racism, and the barriers that it imposes on black and brown communities, what that means is that we're seeing these disparities here.

The other side of it, though, is the distrust. And here again, we see systemic racism in the past playing a role in shaping our future, and that's because anybody you talk to in the black community, they've heard the stories of Tuskegee, or J. Marion Sims, and the exploitation of black bodies by the biomedical establishment that destroys trust, and can shake demand.

WHITFIELD: So is it your view that whether it be the Biden administration or on a local or state level, restrictions would need to be put in place, meaning, access and availabilities of vaccines in certain communities, particularly if it's -- you know, Latino community or black community and the effort is being made to get vaccines to that community, restrictions that you have to show that you live in that community in order to actually get your name on a list in order to have an appointment to get a vaccine?

EL-SAYED: Well, I think when we say that there are vaccines in different communities, that they've got to be available for folks in those communities, and I think it's really important that we're working with local leaders to facilitate both the vaccinations and also to have a conversation about what this vaccine is about, and why it's so important that people take it.

And so, I do think that we have to be holding some vaccine available for folks who live in those communities and making sure that we're working harder to address the circumstances imposed on people by systemic racism, both in the past and in the present.

[15:20:15]

WHITFIELD: Through the course of the pandemic, the global crisis has highlighted dysfunction across all aspects of the country's healthcare system, and in your new book, you are proposing Medicare-for-All, walk us through why you are suggesting that?

EL-SAYED: Well, you know, you can start from the very beginning. Our public health infrastructure in this country has been decimated because well, in this country, we are unique insofar as we operate our healthcare system as a business, never mind the fact that there are people's bodies at risk.

Healthcare operates in the United States as a business. And unfortunately, there's not that much money to be made preventing disease, and so we don't do very much of it. And we see the consequences there. We've been able to create a vaccine in this country, but we can't seem to get it into enough arms because our public health infrastructure is not there.

And then in the hospitals themselves, we watched as our healthcare providers didn't have the basic PPE they needed because of course, some management consultants somewhere in the hospital decided that it wasn't worth keeping that stuff on stock.

Meanwhile, we've watched as hospitalizations have grown and forced our healthcare systems to think through whether or not they should ration healthcare. All of that in a moment when we should be asking why it is that the health insurance corporations are making more money than they've ever made, and our hospital systems have been crippled by this pandemic.

The system doesn't work the way that it is supposed to, and I think this is a time for us to have a conversation about how we ought to work so that we're dignifying people's bodies, rather than the profits of major corporations.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, good to see you. Thank you so much. And again, congratulations on your new book.

EL-SAYED: Thank you, Fred. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, healthcare workers in Oregon, we're not going to let vaccine doses go to waste simply because Mother Nature got in the way. Josephine County Public Health staffers and volunteers had just concluded a mass vaccination event at a nearby high school. But then a snowstorm swept in leaving 20 members of the group stranded on the road with six leftover doses of vaccine on hand.

And rather than letting the vaccine expire, they went car to car on foot there, offering the shots to anyone who wanted one. They even had an ambulance on standby just in case anyone experienced adverse reactions.

And guess what? All six doses were administered.

Stay with us. We're keeping an eye on a massive winter storm hitting the Midwest and bearing down on the East Coast. You're looking at live pictures right now out of Philadelphia where they could see up to a foot of snow.

Over 110 million people are under winter weather alerts from Minnesota to Maine with heavy snow and ice expected right into Tuesday. We're back in a moment.

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[15:27:20]

WHITFIELD: For the second weekend in a row, thousands of people across Russia came out to demonstrate in support of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who was arrested when he returned to the country two weeks ago after being poisoned.

Video shows police violently cracking down on protesters. One monitoring group says at least 4,000 demonstrators have been arrested in various cities. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the harsh tactics of Russian authorities and called for the release of those arrested including Navalny.

Navalny has been an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and says he was targeted by Russian secret police in a poisoning attack last year.

The world surpassed 100 million cases of COVID-19 this week, and the virus has killed well over two million people. In Europe, South America and Africa, new variants are alarming public health experts and bringing even greater urgency to vaccination efforts.

CNN correspondents are covering this global story.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Melissa Bell in Paris. Germany has announced that it has begun acquiring vaccines for 2022 even as the country faces shortages, as well as some of its European neighbors. In some parts of European countries, the vaccination campaigns have had to grind to a halt over a lack of supplies.

On Sunday night, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission held talks with representatives of the Big Pharma groups with which the E.U. have signed contracts. She announced afterwards that she negotiated an extra nine million doses from AstraZeneca after the furious row of the last few days taking the full amount that will be delivered to the E.U. to 14 million doses in the first quarter. This, as COVID figures in several European countries continue to worsen.

There were protests as well against the measures against the restrictions in Brussels, in Vienna and Budapest where protesters say the restrictions and the lockdowns have simply gone on for too long.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am Matt Rivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where we're following some tragic news out of one of this country's indigenous territories in the northern part of the country, in a territory called Yanomami. We've learned from regional health authorities that nine children between the ages of one and five have died recently while experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 including a high fever.

Health authorities say clinics that were set up in both of these villages closed roughly two months ago that left both villages with only one healthcare worker to care for all of the people up there. There's a lot of indigenous territories across this country, many of

which are simply under equipped to deal with the kind of pandemic that this country is experiencing right now.

[15:30:08]

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm David McKenzie in Soweto. We were inside the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial here as they are monitoring volunteers of that trial as the news broke of how effective that single dose vaccine is.

Now, the news is good. There is certainly effectiveness against severe disease, but it does show disturbingly slightly less effectiveness here in South Africa, where a new strain of the virus has ripped through the country during a dramatic second wave. It underscores the importance says scientists of getting vaccines out quickly to across the globe because here in South Africa, there has been evidence of reinfection.

And as cases of the South African variant emerged in the U.S., they say speed is incredibly important in getting those vaccines out.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much to our correspondents around the world.

Meanwhile, one country that is largely succeeded in handling the pandemic is Australia. It reopened its travel bubble with New Zealand yesterday after a brief pause this week. In total, the country has recorded less than 30,000 cases. For context, the U.S. is currently averaging five times that per day.

Former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is with us now from Brisbane. He now serves as President and CEO of the Asia Society. Prime Minister, good to see you.

KEVIN RUDD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ASIA SOCIETY: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: So what can other countries including the U.S. learn from Australia's approach?

RUDD: In Australia, the effort on action on dealing with the pandemic has largely been driven by our state governments. We're a federation like the United States, but our state governments have been able to use a science-based approach being quite strict in terms of contact tracing, quite strict in terms of lockdown wherever necessary. And by and large, the Australian people, thanks to them, have complied.

We've taken a lot of these examples from across the Tasman Sea from our friends in New Zealand, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has done a first class job. In fact, her response has been ranked number one in the world and we've been following in his steps, but full marks to the Australian state government authorities who have handled this really well.

WHITFIELD: I want to pivot now to climate. America's new President is committed to addressing climate issues, even naming John Kerry as U.S. climate envoy. How will this in your view help repair or mend global climate crises efforts?

RUDD: Well, the world is currently heaving a sigh of relief on climate action because of President Biden's election and that's for two real reasons. One is, he has put together quite a remarkable set of policy announcements in his Executive Order on climate change. We see that in terms of decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement. We've seen it in terms of what he is committed now to doing to bring about the de- carbonization of the energy sector by 2035.

And most critically, by announcing a range of measures in his Build Back Better approach, which are designed to make this set of climate actions job intensive, that is doing it with good jobs on the way through.

The second reason why the world is heaving a sigh of relief is because he has put together a first-class team. When you look at John Kerry, who I know well, former U.S. Secretary of State, this is a guy with enormous experience now as the Special Envoy on Climate back out in the field, of course, by the formidable resources of the State Department now headed by another person who gets climate change action. That's the Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

So for those two sets of reasons, the world is feeling in a reasonably good place right now, no room for complacency. We're in an infinitely better place than we were a few months ago.

WHITFIELD: Climate envoy Kerry says U.S. tensions with China really could complicate matters, especially on the climate. But he also says, there's still time to find some kind of common ground and, and here, he was speaking to my colleague, Fareed Zakaria this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: We don't have to go down that road. I think there are ways and I think President Biden is deeply committed to and understands how to find those ways as well as anybody. I think he is the right President for this moment, partly because of that, his experience in foreign affairs, the relationship that he already has with President Xi is strong.

I think that he is going to be critical to helping to get this equation to come together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So you share his optimism.

RUDD: Well, look, there's a fundamental national interest both in China and the United States that whatever the geopolitics of that relationship at present, and that is for both countries to work actively on climate change action at home and abroad.

And I think knowing China reasonably well, that's an active belief in Beijing as well. I saw Special Envoy John Kerry say the other day that climate collaboration should be seen as a standalone issue in the U.S.-China relationship. I think he's right. [15:35:16]

RUDD: I also think given some polling research, we, in the Asia Society have done in the United States on voter attitudes since the last election on climate collaboration with China, that there is more than a half of American voters want this to happen in order to guarantee real climate change outcomes.

And in fact, there's a huge slab of American voters, both Democrat and Republican who want to see greater effort on renewable energy as well. So China, I think there's a way ahead. There will still be strategic competition with China right across the economy, foreign policy, and human rights, but you can accommodate climate collaboration on the way through.

WHITFIELD: And Prime Minister Rudd, you know, the Trump presidency strained several U.S. alliances around the world. President Biden says rebuilding them is his top priority. Do you think he can undo damage?

RUDD: I believe the President can. Let's not underestimate the degree to which these relations have been damaged at a diplomatic level and at a political level and at a substandard level, for example, a horrible message set out to the world by the Trump administration's unilateral withdrawal from Paris Agreement which took us years to put together back in 2015.

So, I think the international community friends, allies and partners of the United States are willing to give this new administration a real opportunity to rebuild and on climate, what you now see with the Executive Order from President Biden, but also determination to have a summit on climate chaired by the United States.

In addition to that, reconvening gatherings, such as the major economies forum, leading the world in terms of mid-century carbon neutrality, leading the world in terms of what we now do with ambitious, nationally determined commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through 2025 and 2030.

American leadership is back. The world looks forward to it. And the good thing is, the team and the intellectual grunt to do it in Washington is now there.

WHITFIELD: Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, thank you so much for being with us.

RUDD: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, an emotional moment for seven women who accused former President Trump of sexual misconduct. How they came together to watch the Inauguration of President Biden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:51]

WHITFIELD: An impeachment trial for a former President Trump is just over a week away and his legal defense team is in shambles. And now that he is a private citizen again, it may be full steam ahead for some legal cases against him.

For seven women who accused the former President of sexual misconduct, watching him finally leave office was both emotional and cathartic. Here is CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY (voice over): For these seven women who have all accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct, the end of the Trump presidency was personal.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me, God.

SERFATY (voice over): And they needed to watch it happen together. For nearly two hours on Inauguration Day, the women gathered on a Zoom call that they gave CNN access to. They burned sage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our salute.

SERFATY (voice over): Read poems they wrote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I found no support, nothing seemed to change for Donald Trump to suffer seemed out of range.

SERFATY (voice over): And gave blessings as they watched.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, I call forth a balancing out of the pain and trauma that has filled each of our lives.

SERFATY (voice over): One woman who worked for Trump in the past set fire to her old Trump campaign business card.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Burn, baby, burn.

SERFATY (voice over): It was a party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Goodbye.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Goodbye.

SERFATY (voice over): And it was therapy.

ALVA JOHNSON, ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: As unfortunate as all of our situations have been, the bright spot out of it all is that we have come together.

SERFATY (voice over): A chance for the women forever connected by their public allegations against Donald Trump, allegations he has consistently denied to get some closure.

KRISTIN ANDERSON, ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: We were really alone until we came together, and then we were able to make sense of the absurdity.

SERFATY (voice over): CNN spoke to many of the women who have started calling their group the Sisters of the Strange Sorority.

E. JEAN CARROLL, ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: And having these women around me makes me feel -- well, it makes me feel great.

SERFATY (voice over): In January of 2019, many of the women met for the first time. They started a group text, a group playlist with cheeky songs like "Hit the road, Jack" and "You can't Touch this." After the pandemic hit, they took it to Zoom, first in October, and then again on Election Night.

CARROLL: There are groups all over America, of women who get together to talk about sexual harassment. Our group gets together to talk about a man who was the most powerful man in the world who put his hands on us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A final toast

SERFATY (voice over): Together toasting a turning point for Trump and for themselves.

NATASHA STOYNOFF, ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: This moment watching them with the women was like a healing. I mean, we've been in war together and we were seeing the triumph together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies, we did it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY (on camera): And many of the women I spoke to for this piece said that they still need the support of this group even with the former President Trump out of office and Fred, they are planning to Zoom next week at the start of President Trump's impeachment trial.

[15:45:05]

WHITFIELD: And is that, Sunlen, partly because some of these women including, you know, Jean Carroll have pending cases against the former President? Do we know where these cases stand? Where they're going from here?

SERFATY: Yes. That's right, Fred. For many of them, the legal battles with the former President continues, three of these women are still wrapped up in this legal battle with him. Two right now are suing him for defamation. And third, they're going through -- she is going through arbitration, the former President claims that she broke the terms of her non-disclosure agreement. So for them, all of this back and forth does still continue.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much.

All right, let's be honest, there is no question the pandemic has put a strain on so many of our relationships. Next, why a Tennessee woman decided a difference of opinion over masks was enough to file for a divorce.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:50:18]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are nearing one year since many of the pandemic restrictions went into place. But a study from the C.D.C. says men are less likely to take coronavirus seriously and therefore less likely to follow safety measures. And the added stress of it all is putting pressure on marriages in an unprecedented way.

"USA Today" sums it up this way: "I have cried, I have begged, I have yelled. Couples clash over COVID."

For more on all this, I want to bring in psychotherapist, Robi Ludwig. She is also the author of the book "Till Death do Us Part: Love, Marriage and the Mind of the Killer Spouse." But we're not making a correlation between that and COVID, thankfully.

Robi, good to see you. So let's talk about this whole dynamic. I mean, families as a whole are spending a lot more time together these past few months, in ways that can stress out people and couples especially. So what are your suggestions on how people need to keep it together?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: There used to be this saying, "You should never spend breakfast, lunch and dinner with your partner," and yet, we find ourselves in a situation where we need to be around each other for long periods of time. And what we do know about couples is we tend to be our worst self with our partner because that's the safest place where we can release our anxiety and our tension.

And this is a good time to take a step back and try to be patient and kind and ask for what you need. What's happening is all of our frustrations and different values and coping mechanisms are -- you know, we're seeing our differences instead of our similarities. So look for the similarities and what you both want to achieve during this time to be tremendously helpful.

WHITFIELD: So "U.S.A. Today" reports that a Tennessee couple in their 60s and 70s, are actually thinking about getting divorced, because they are fighting so much over the pandemic. I mean, how do you prevent these kinds of arguments, you know, from just blossoming and getting just too big, too out of control?

LUDWIG: Well, each couple needs to feel safe health-wise. So even if two couples disagree, sometimes you have to say we need to disagree, or agree to disagree. But let's put a plan in place that we can both follow that we both feel safe about.

What you want to do is try not to make your partner wrong, even if you completely disagree with them, and try to find what you can agree upon. So certain safety measures, right? If one person is not wearing a mask, then how do you deal with that in the house? Do you have separate rooms? Do you agree to follow certain rules because it makes your partner feel comfortable? This all needs to be figured out in order to live in the same house.

WHITFIELD: And that's a big one because --

LUDWIG: And in some cases --

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's a big one, because if you've got one of the partners who is going out with a mask, and the other one is not and then you've got to, you know, cohabitate. I mean, obviously the concern is exposure overall. So where in the world, because that's the case in that, you know, between that couple, so where do you reconcile?

LUDWIG: It might be that the plan is, listen, if you refuse to wear a mask, I'm going to have to live in a different part of the house or live with a friend where the rules are more in sync with my comfort levels.

Again, that's where the plan comes in place, because if you can't get your partner or you ask your partner to be living in a separate space where they can do what they want, but it doesn't affect your health, but these difficult decisions have to be made and agreed upon because we don't want to cause somebody physical harm. And we need to respect that people have different comfort levels. That's just the way it is.

WHITFIELD: So is this really the ultimate test for a lot of families and couples in particular? I mean, people used to say it's a road trip. That was the ultimate test, you know, could you drive cross country, you know, with that person and still love each other in the end? In this case, it's this pandemic being under the same roof top confined conditions.

LUDWIG: Yes, I mean, it's exposing our different values. It's exposing our different health concerns. And I came across this quote, "Instead of getting furious, get curious." Try to understand your partner's why? Why are they behaving the way they are? Instead of making them wrong, try to state your feelings about what you need from your husband or wife and see if you can incorporate that into the relationship.

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LUDWIG: Acknowledge the stress and also self-care can be used. It's really important to know you can't get all of your needs met by your partner. Maybe you need to exercise, eat right, sleep right so you're more emotionally resilient. Ask yourself what you need and how you can make that happen for yourself under these unusual circumstances.

And talk to family and friends who really love you where you can feel supported.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Robi Ludwig, always good to see you. Always great to hear your advice. Thanks so much.

LUDWIG: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN NEWSROOM with Ana Cabrera starts right after this.

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