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Insurrectionist Charged with Assaulting Semi-Conscious Officer; Some Capitol Attackers Didn't Vote in Election They Tried to Overturn; Update on Coronavirus Responses Across the Country; W.H.O. Team in Wuhan, China, to Investigate Origins, Spread of COVID; Soon, Biden & 10 GOP Senators to Meet on COVID Relief Negotiations. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 01, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:33:38]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Federal prosecutors have charged one of the Capitol Hill insurrectionists with assaulting a police officer.

They say that Ryan Stephen Samsel was one of the first people who actually breached the barricades outside the capitol complex, and that his attack on the police line caused at least one officer to suffer a concussion.

CNN justice correspondent, Jessica Schneider, is on this story.

What are we learning about these charges, Jess?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we're learning just how carefully investigators are examining each and every person who participated in this insurrection.

And, in addition, how the video that these rioters recorded themselves are now leading to their arrests.

The latest to be charged here, Ryan Stephen Samsel. It was a recording they took of him leading a group as they tore down barricades on the left side, and then, according to prosecutors, assaulted officers.

There's this lengthy video clip. Prosecutors have pinpointed that man that is highlighted as Samsel. He has a red hat on, a MAGA hat, a jacket, a white hoodie sweatshirt.

You can see him and others there approaching the bicycle rack barricade. They shout at officers.

Then prosecutors say -- it's coming up in just a second -- Samsel rips off his jacket, turns his hat around as if to really show he's ready to fight, and just as another rioter starts talking to him, the crowd gets very rowdy. [13:34:59]

At one point, they actually walk up and knock over a capitol police officer. That's coming up. It's after this other rioter is talking to Samsel.

You can see the rioters getting really rowdy. And that woman, that female capitol police officer is eventually knocked over. That's when some of the other rioters rush over to her.

What's interesting is we're getting a further glimpse of this in the court filing.

Here's the detailed description of what prosecutors say then unfolded.

It said, "Samsel and others knocked over a capitol police officer as they lifted the barricades up and pushed toward the capitol, causing the officer's head to hit the stairs behind her, resulting in a loss of consciousness.

"Samsel picked the officer off the ground, and according to that officer said this: 'We don't have to hurt you. Why are you standing in our way?'"

So you see that when he rushed over to her.

We've heard from these court documents that the officer later blacked out, Brianna. And Samsel is now charged with forcibly assaulting a police officer.

And on top of that, investigators discovered that Samsel has a criminal history here. He was out on parole the day of that insurrection, January 6th.

And, Brianna, he also has a warrant out for his arrest in an assault in New Jersey.

This is just one of the defendants of the 175 at this point, Brianna, who have been charged, including 21 current and former members of the military.

We are seeing investigators tick defendant by defendant, and getting them with a lot of this video evidence that is out on the Internet for everybody's full view right now -- Brianna?

KEILAR: That was a moment, one of the early moments, that I think it showed us how bad things got from the get-go, and yet people still continued to move toward the capitol.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Thank you, Jess, so much for that.

CNN took a closer look at the rioters who are charged in the capitol insurrection, and some of them, of course, wanted to overturn the results of an election, and it turned out they didn't even vote in that election.

Plus, massive snowstorms across the northeast are crippling the nation's vaccination effort. We're going to take a look at that.

And Donald Trump's legal team is a mess one week before his impeachment trial after some of his lawyers quit. Hear why.

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[13:42:06]

KEILAR: They stormed a capitol to overturn an election that they didn't even vote in. That is what CNN has learned about some of the insurrectionists who wanted to, quote, "stop the steal."

CNN senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, is with us on this.

What are you learning, Drew?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The more you learn, the more delusional this whole thing becomes.

My colleagues, Blake Ellison and Melanie Hicken, looked at the first 80 people arrested at the capitol and their voting records, Brianna. They found out that 10 percent, eight of them, did not vote in the last election.

You want to know who they were? Here's three of them right now.

Donovan Crowl, he's the ex-Marine. He's affiliated with Oath Keepers. He registered to vote in 2013 but never voted, ever.

In fact, the state of Ohio, the county sent him a note asking for him to respond. He never responded so he was removed from the voter rolls.

This guy is charged in the detention of government property and conspiracy, destruction of government property and conspiracy.

And Jack Griffith is another one. He's 25-years-old. He's from Tennessee. Charged with violent entry. He did not vote in 2020.

Even though, on social media, he was posting things like, "Why God, why have you forsaken us. Trump still has a plan."

Part of that plan should have been that he voted for Trump but he did not.

Gracyn Courtright, University of Kentucky. She is a senior there. She's charged with entering a restricted building.

Registered to vote in West Virginia but, again, did not vote, Brianna. Did not vote in 2020 for Trump.

On social media, she was bragging about her participation, saying, that she "can't wait to tell my grandkids I was here," as for being there at the capitol that day.

So all these people who actually went to the capitol to protest and storm the capitol, I guess to show the vote was unfair to Donald Trump, it turns out they didn't vote at all.

KEILAR: Do we know why they would do that, why they would go to this extent of breaking into the capitol but they didn't vote?

GRIFFIN: Directly from them or their attorneys, we do not. There's no explanation.

Some of them, according to family members, there are some abuse problems.

Many of them, through social media, expressed that they bought into this whole delusional kind of misinformation stream that kind of brought them in.

And through some experts that we talked to, it's almost a classic brainwashing, Brianna.

That they were sucked into this and believed so much in this kind of cause that they ended up at the capitol even though they never took part in the democratic process that may have actually gotten their candidate elected.

KEILAR: Very interesting.

Drew Griffin, thank you so much for that.

Next, a major snowstorm in the northeast has put COVID vaccinations on hold in New York City, but not Boston, where people are lining up to get their shots at Fenway Park this morning.

[13:45:06]

And details on a new national mask mandate for all public transportation that takes effect at midnight.

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KEILAR: There's a huge snowstorm that is bearing down on the east coast right now, and it's impacting the vaccine rollout forcing some states to actually alter their plans.

Let's get more on that and other COVID headlines from our CNN correspondents across the country.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Polo Sandoval in snow-covered New York City where residents have been enduring this prolonged blizzard-like event since late Sunday evening.

[13:50:03] Authorities here in New York are hoping only essential workers are the ones using the streets right now and that everybody else staying at home. In fact, a state of emergency here in place in New York and also in neighboring New Jersey.

Mother Nature already interrupting vaccination efforts. In fact, some vaccinations have been postponed for later this week.

The city saying over the weekend that they did not want older residents to have to brave this kind of weather. So they'll be notified that those highly sought-after appointments will be scheduled for later this week instead.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alexandra Field at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the storied home of the Boston Red Sox, where it is a different kind of opening day.

These people are lined up for vaccines. This is the first day the ballpark is open for vaccines for the general public. This is also the city's first mass vaccination site.

Appointments booked out in a matter of hours for the first week here at Fenway Park. New appointments made available every week. They're starting with about 500 vaccinations a day. They plan to scale up to about 1,000, and then on to 1,250 a day.

As for what happens when it's time to play baseball here? Well, the CEO and president of the Red Sox says he hopes they'll be able to do both at the same time. Maybe vaccines in the morning, baseball at night.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I'm Pete Muntean at Reagan National Airport. The Transportation Security Administration is now requiring that you wear a mask starting here at security.

But also it says throughout the entire transportation system, public and commercial. That includes planes, trains, buses, boats, taxis and ride shares. Also here in airports and at transportation hubs.

All goes into effect 11:59 p.m. tonight. And those violating the rule could face civil penalties.

It is a big shift, a new administration and a new policy. The Trump administration failed to act on any sort of transportation mask mandate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Thank you to my colleagues for those reports.

A team from the World Health Organization returned to the wet market in Wuhan, China, that is believed to be central to the spread of COVID-19.

CNN's Steven Jiang is following their trip for us from Beijing.

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STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU SENIOR PRODUCER: This seafood market has been closed for a year and repeatedly disinfected. But the experts told CNN being there gave them a sense of the state of the market in terms of its infrastructure, maintenance, hygiene and flow of goods and people, because all the shops and equipment are still there.

They were also able to talk to workers, locals, as well as public health officials, who actually collected environmental samples from the market back then.

Now, these experts have also been given important data regarding flu- like diseases in and around Wuhan in the months leading up to December 2019, potentially offering clues about the origins of the virus.

They have said the Chinese authorities have been transparent and helpful so far.

But one member did note that she hoped to see future visits in the coming days conducted in smaller groups because it's been challenging to build up a relationship with their interviewees with a large delegation sitting around listening.

Now they also are keenly aware their entire mission is under a global spotlight with all of their moves and stops being closely watched.

But even though they insist they're scientists, not politicians, they say sometimes it seems impossible to keep politics entirely out of their agenda.

One of their stops last Saturday was to an exhibition touting the success of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in containing this virus in Wuhan and within the country.

Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Thank you, Steven, for that.

Just in, Democrats are now formally moving to remove Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene over her behavior, including that she has pushed conspiracy theories and once appeared to support the execution of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Plus, a mother who lost her son in the Parkland shooting, which Taylor Greene once suggested was a false-flag operation, just spoke with the congresswoman. And we will talk with her about what happened.

[13:54:19]

And the Biden administration warning that Iran is weeks away from having enough materiel to build a nuclear bomb.

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KEILAR: Hello. It's the top of the hour. I'm Brianna Keilar.

In just a few hours, President Biden will face what may be his biggest test yet in his pursuit to govern with unity.

He is set to meet with 10 Republican Senators -- these 10 here -- who just offered a counter to the president's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, but their plan is just one-third of the price tag of Biden's plan.

Moments ago, the White House called the Republican counterproposal a, quote, "good-faith effort."

And the press secretary, Jen Psaki, stressed this about what won't happen in this meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What this meeting is not is a forum for the president to make or accept an offer. The risk is not that it is too big, this package. The risk, that it is too small.

[13:59:57]

His view is that the size of the package needs to be commensurate with the crises we're facing, the dual crises we're facing, hence why he proposed a package that's $1.9 trillion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)