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Study Shows More Contagious COVID Variant Spreading Rapidly In The U.S.; Senate To Begin Historic Second Impeachment Of Donald Trump On Tuesday; NYT Reports Flynn Reemerges To Push QAnon And Election Conspiracies. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 07, 2021 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:44]

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

We begin this hour with breaking news: a new study showing that the more contagious coronavirus strain first identified in the U.K. is now spreading rapidly throughout the United States. Researchers are urging the U.S. government to take urgent action in order to prevent another case surge in the coming months. At least 600 cases of the variant have been confirmed in 33 states.

Joining me right now to discuss is Dr. Carlos del Rio, the Executive Dean of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Doctor, good to see you. So what do you make of this? Was this to be expected in your view?

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-ATLANTA: It was to be expected and it's very concerning. This strain is 35 to 45 percent more contagious than the usual strain and the wave spreading was doubling in the U.S. like increasing by seven percent per day, it's expected -- it is doubling every 9.8 days. It will become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March 23, probably.

So this is very concerning, and it really emphasizes the need to really double down on precautions, to really take it seriously because this is much more contagious and it could rapidly spread and all the gains we've made so far, you know, cases are coming down, hospitalizations are coming down in our country. It can turn around very rapidly as a result of the strain.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, just yesterday, Saturday marked the eighth straight day that less than 100,000 coronavirus hospitalizations were reported across the country, and now we have got that coupled with this news of these emergent variants, is there a potential setback here?

DEL RIO: Well, you know, there's deep concern about potential setback. Right now, we're not having a setback, you know, cases are coming down, hospitalizations are coming down. But it remind people that, you know, we had yesterday 84,000 hospitalizations, that's still a lot higher than the summer peak of 60,000. So we're still at a very high rate, we just want to see those cases

come down. I want to see, you know, especially deaths come down. I want it to get below a thousand deaths per day and for that, vaccinations are really making a big difference.

WHITFIELD: Some experts, you know, have also pointed to the emerging variants as a reason to delay second doses in order to speed up vaccinations. Dr. Anthony Fauci says, we don't have enough time to study the effectiveness of a single dose, listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: From a theoretical standpoint, it would be nice to know if you just get one dose, how long the durability response lasts, and what is the level of effect. But what we have right now and what we must go with is the scientific data that we've accumulated, and it's really very solid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What are your thoughts?

DEL RIO: Well, my thoughts is that we continue giving two shots to the vaccines that we have, which is Moderna and Pfizer, but I'm very excited about the J&J vaccine, it is a single dose vaccine, The F.D.A. is going to hear about it in the next couple days, and I think if that vaccine gets any EUA, that will be a game changer, because it really is a vaccine that only requires one dose.

WHITFIELD: But in the meantime, those who are on the two dose vaccine, I can't imagine that it's very comforting when they are in the midst of that to hear that some are entertaining the idea of either delaying that second dose or doing away with it completely.

DEL RIO: I would not delay the second dose. I would encourage people to get their second dose. We're doing well in this country. We now -- you know, yesterday, we vaccinated over two million shots, and we now have about 10 percent of the population vaccinated.

So we just need to continue -- what I would say rather than delaying the dose, I would just say let's speed up the number of doses we're getting. I think we can get up to three million vaccinations per day, and if we do that, we will be fine.

WHITFIELD: A source on the former Trump administration's COVID-19 response team provided CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a cloth mask that the Trump administration planned to send out to Americans. The Trump team scrapped the plan because they didn't want to spark concern or panic. That's according to "The Washington Post."

In your view, would it have made a sizable difference?

DEL RIO: Well, you know, it's always difficult to look retrospectively, right? I mean, you know, having support for masking from the administration would have made a big difference, but I think we are here today where we are and we still need masks.

So I would encourage maybe you know when this article says we need rapid and decisive action from the government, maybe it's time for the Biden administration to send every American an appropriate facemask so they can wear it.

[15:05:14]

WHITFIELD: Dr. Carlos del Rio, thanks so much. Good to see you. Stay well.

DEL RIO: Good seeing you.

WHITFIELD: All right, and now to an unprecedented moment in history, the second impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump.

Tomorrow, lawyers for both sides must submit their final legal briefs in the case with the trial set to start on Tuesday. And unlike his previous trial, this time, Democrats hold a slim majority in the U.S. Senate. They will decide whether Trump should be convicted of incitement of insurrection for the deadly January six Capitol Hill riot.

CNN's Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill. So Joe, what do you know about the case? And how it is taking shape on Capitol Hill against President -- former President Trump?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we only know things around the edges, quite frankly, Fred. We know that Pat Leahy, the President Pro Tem of the Senate will be the person, the chair presiding. We know that it is just 48 hours away.

By the way, we are getting some weigh in from public opinion, in the form of polling. A new ABC News poll indicating that 56 percent of respondents told ABC they believe Trump should be convicted and barred from holding office again, while 43 percent say, he should not.

Of course, it's not the general public that's going to be deciding this case, it is the United States Senate, and they still have not worked out a lot of their procedures, including whether there will be witnesses, how long the various parties will have their opportunity to speak to the Senate, about the United States case against Donald Trump.

And we also know that there is a big difference of opinion between the senators who will be deciding the case, Democrats and Republicans. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): In the first trial, we didn't see what happened, the American public didn't have a window into decisions that were being made behind closed doors to trade American influence, in order for campaign help. This time, we saw what happened in real time.

President Trump sent that angry mob to the Capitol on live TV. So it's not as important that you have witnesses, but if the House Managers want witnesses, we should allow them to be able to put them on.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If you believe he committed a crime, he can be prosecuted like any other citizen. Impeachment is a political process. We've never impeached a President once they're out of office.

I think this is a very bad idea. Forty-five-plus Republicans are going to vote early on that it is unconstitutional.

The President's behavior in my view, is not a crime, but he can be charged with one if people think he committed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: We also don't know how long this trial is going to last, but one thing seems to be clear, Republicans have the upper hand. If all Democrats, all 50 Democrats in the United States Senate vote in favor of conviction of Donald Trump, it still needs 17 Republicans and it doesn't appear the numbers are there right now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Joe Johns, thank you so much, on Capitol Hill.

All right, so one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump is speaking out today after being censured by party leaders in her own State of Wyoming. Here's what Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the third ranking Republican in the House said about this backlash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): People in the party are mistaken. They believe that BLM and Antifa were behind what happened here at the Capitol. That's just simply not the case. It's not true. And we're going to have a lot of work we have to do.

People have been lied to. The extent to which the President -- President Trump for months leading up to January 6 spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie, and people need to understand that. We need to make sure that we, as Republicans are the party of truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about this. Charlie Dent is a CNN political commentator and a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania. Evan McMullin is the Executive Director of Stand Up Republic and a former Chief Policy Director for House Republicans, and Denver Riggleman is a former Republican congressman from Virginia. Good to see all of you.

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you.

EVAN MCMULLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STAND UP REPUBLIC: Good to see you.

DENVER RIGGLEMAN (R-VA), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: So, Evan, you first, you organized and participated in this recent meeting in recent days with some G.O.P. heavyweights concerned about the future of the party, to talk about a strategy as Republicans you know, move forward.

And Charlie and Denver you, too, were also there. So Evan, tell us why you called this meeting and what was your takeaway about the future?

MCMULLIN: Well, the reason we call the meeting was because simply there's a need for something new whether it is within the Republican Party or outside of it, the current direction of the party is destructive, both for its own interest, but most importantly for the interests of the country.

[15:10:10]

MCMULLIN: And at the same time, there's an opportunity after January 6, with I think about a fourth of the party, recognizing that its current trajectory isn't positive or worse, it's dangerous. And so there's an opportunity for us to have a discussion about the direction of the party, and about the need for something new.

Now, 25 percent of the party, not, you know, desiring something new, not liking its current direction that doesn't sound like a lot, but many of us have been fighting for a new direction for the party for the past four to five years. And so the fact that we now have 25, to, you know, a third, 33 percent of the party now looking for something new is a huge opportunity for us.

And so as extreme as some Members of Congress are getting on the Republican side, as the party deals with those related issues, there's also an opportunity for renewal and rebirth and that's what we spoke about.

WHITFIELD: So, Charlie, you know, what does this mean? I mean, particularly when you talk about a rebirth or renewal. I mean, Congresswoman Cheney, you know, says people have been lied to and she is telling the truth, and he or she would be censured about telling the truth.

So, you know, where do you suppose the party can go? Can it be saved? Can there be a rebirth? Does it mean a whole new one altogether?

DENT: Well, I actually believe the party can be saved, and good for Liz Cheney for saying what she said, because, you know, we -- the group of people who were assembled the other day to talk about these issues, but we were united about it, we believe in certain principles. We believe in democracy, the rule of law, and truth, as Liz Cheney just stated about truth.

You know, Donald Trump is pushing the birther lie for years. You know, you've got Marjorie Taylor Green, pushing this 9/11 didn't quite happen, the planes didn't quite hit The Pentagon. I mean, we have to get back to truth, and honesty and being straight with the American people and people in the Republican Party, who have been lied to by too many leaders starting at the top.

So right now, I think we're at an inflection point, and I think we believe that we'd like to reform the party from within, but at the same time, if we can't, then there are options on the outside creating a faction that either works within the party or one that works independently of the party.

Some are talking about a new party. I'm not, but some are.

WHITFIELD: So Denver, based on what you heard in that meeting, you know, is the party ready to move on in the direction away from President Trump and the fringe elements? You know, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, all of them, you know, embracing these conspiracy theories as Charlie just underscored, you know, or is it the case that Trump and people associated with him really do have a tight grip on the G.O.P.?

RIGGLEMAN: But when you see the people that were at the meeting, you get pretty positive, right? We had some people there that had incredible ideas about either creating a new party, or creating some type of faction, but anything that we do has to be based on truth and we've got to be willing to defend truth and just some things that are positive and some things that are bothersome, we talked about the positive part of the meeting, and those who think that if we stand on truth, and we reject what happened over the past months and years, when it came to disinformation, we have a chance.

But I have a couple of things that were concerning, and I pointed that out during the meeting. Number one, there's a 400 percent increase in Gab users over the last month. President Trump in January had about three and a half million Gab followers, and I don't have the latest numbers in front of me.

What you're seeing all over America, you have these little Stalins in the committees that are perpetuating this Stop the Steal mythology based on censures and things of that nature, and the latest was Wyoming. Look at what happened in Oregon or Texas, actually using QAnon slogans, you know, as part of their messaging, where you look at poor people like Fred Upton or Tom Rice, or me or Liz Cheney, all the people that are, you know, or Jeff Flake or Cindy McCain, all people getting censured right now. All we have to do is we need a squeeze.

We need information, sort of positive facts at the grassroots level and at the top. If we can squeeze from both sides, we might have a chance. But I think again, whatever we do as a faction or a party, we better come from the position of truth and we better have the courage to defend it.

WHITFIELD: So it sounds like you all have a uniform in a message. But then, you know, listen to Senator Lindsey Graham today, you know, talk about Trump and leadership of the party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: You still believe President Trump is the best face for the Republican Party? Yes or no?

GRAHAM: I think he's -- I think he's the -- well, I think, yes, I think -- I think Donald Trump's policies serve the country well. I think Donald Trump has to rehabilitate himself as a politician.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So, Charlie, you know, Senator Graham says Trump is still

the leader of the party. He is still hugely popular. So how do you work with that?

DENT: Well, I would respectfully disagree. I think -- look, Trump lost. He lost resoundingly while Republicans down ballot won in this last election. We lost the House and we lost the Senate under President Trump.

[15:15:10]

DENT: Trump is -- and you know, one of those policies, a foreign policy that has alienated allies and embraced adversaries, this cronyism is protectionism. These are not policies that I embrace, and that many Republicans that I know do not embrace.

So I think that most of us, you know, have to come to grips with the fact that not only was Donald Trump bad, but so many of his policies, not all, but many.

And again, the nativism and the nihilism, the protectionism, the isolationism, unilateralism are not things that we should be pursuing going forward. I think we need a clean break, and we need new leadership.

WHITFIELD: So Evan, it also seems that fear -- fear of going against Trump, fear of losing seats in 2022 are at stake and that explains some of this allegiance for the party of Trump.

MCMULLIN: Well, that's certainly true, but Charlie just explained, as we all know that Republicans under his leadership lost the House twice, they lost the Senate, and they lost the White House. So you know, and that's even with an incredible Republican turnout. So that's the lesson Republicans should learn -- leadership should learn that, hey, even with incredible turnout, we still didn't have what it took to actually win control of either Chamber of Congress or to keep the White House.

So I think we clearly need change. But hopefully, it's not just about that. It's not just about winning, although, of course, that's important in politics, but it's about the country and the best interests of the country.

And Fred, I'd also like to say that, you know, we're not doing what we're doing solely in opposition to Trump and whether you supported Trump are not is not a litmus test for what we're doing. The people who are with us, some of them are former administration officials, many of them have supported Trump in the past. That's okay. That's not the litmus test.

What we're about is a new direction for the party, and we are trying to unite people who are committed to our foundational values, to democracy, and who are desiring that regardless of who they supported in the past, and the fact that our numbers are growing is the most exciting thing about it.

WHITFIELD: And then Denver, you know, what is the starting point? How do you get going on this, you know, Republican Party anew?

RIGGLEMAN: I think you need to have some kind of public trust and ability to fight inflammation right at the point where it starts, and that's on social media, and then the total number of social media channels that can inject, you know, main line crap right into people's veins.

And I think, you know, and I'm listening, this is the great thing about having people like Evan and Charlie is we can disagree on policy. We can disagree on all these things. But we can agree there needs to be a new direction.

I want to humbly submit something. I think in certain districts based on polling and fundraising, it is still is the party of Trump because the issue have to do for a lot of these people running is they have got to get through the primaries.

We are at the convention season. Now, a lot of the individuals like the committees, they are ones that are absolutely involved in this at every single level, so it's very difficult if you're not supporting Trump right now to get through those baseline nomination processes.

For the general, great candidates, right? But if you can't get through the primary, you just can't get to the general election. So I think right now, I don't think the fight is over. And as you see the explosion in Gab, social media interaction, the explosion of committees around the country that are censuring and what's happening in certain districts, even like mine, here in Virginia Fifth, I think we have a long way to go, and I think in some respects, it's still the party of Trump.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now: Denver Riggleman, Evan McMullin and Charlie Dent. Oh, sorry, Evan, were you saying something?

MCMULLIN: Oh, yes. Sorry. I didn't mean to continue. I just wanted to make the point that yes, Denver is right that the party is largely under the control of Trump. Now, I mean, there's no doubt about it. We should change that at the very least.

But that's why whatever we do anew, whether it's a new faction or a new party, but let's say it's a new faction, it'll probably operate more independently of the Republican Party than past factions of the party. Meaning that yes, we'll have our own Republican candidates, we may have some Independents as well.

But in some cases, we may support Democrats, too. For example, in Arizona, if it's Senator Mark Kelly against Kelly Ward, who's an extremist Republican leading the party in Arizona, then we'll be for Mark Kelly, it'll be likely be that kind of thing. So we'll have to think creatively given the realities, but we would like two healthy parties committed to democracy, committed to truth and committed to our values.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's extraordinary. I think I've heard more clarity today on this subject than any day. So thank you so much, gentlemen. Really appreciate it.

DENT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, next, House Democrats set to unveil a bill tomorrow that would give families at least $3,000.00 per child over the course of the next year. Details on how that ties into President Biden's COVID Relief Plan.

Plus, some alarming pictures of large, mostly unmasked crowds in Tampa ahead of the big game. We'll take you there live as health officials now worry very much about COVID spread.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:24:15]

WHITFIELD: House Democrats are set to unveil legislation that would provide more help for millions of families as part of President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. The Enhanced Child Tax Credit Bill would provide monthly payments of $3,600.00 for children under the age of six and $3,000.00 payments for children ages six through 17.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is traveling with President Biden and joins me now from Wilmington, Delaware. So Arlette, you know, has President Biden indicated whether he indeed supports this.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is a key element of what President Biden has proposed in his COVID relief package and it would ultimately be extended to single parents who are making up to $75,000.00 a year and couples earning $150,000.00 a year and then those payments would phase out for people above those brackets, but this is just one of those types of relief that the President is trying to extend to American families on top of that $1,400.00 stimulus check that the President has promised will be part of his package.

[09:25:19]

SAENZ: He is not budging on that $1,400.00 figure, but he has said that he is willing to negotiate exactly who would qualify for that. But this all signals just how quickly Democrats are looking to move on this COVID relief package.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she hopes to get the package through the House within the next two weeks, and the President has signaled that he is willing to go it alone as right now, not any Republican signed on onto his measure.

But the President over the weekend has also conceded that one element of his proposal may not make it through and that is the $15.00 Federal minimum wage. That is something that Biden campaigned on during his run for President, but he is saying that he ultimately thinks it won't survive the package due to Senate rules.

But earlier today, Senator Bernie Sanders who is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, spoke with our colleague Jake Tapper, where he said that he hopes the President's prediction is ultimately wrong. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We've got to raise that minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. And I can tell you, as Chairman of the Budget Committee, we have a room full of lawyers working as hard as we can to make the case to the parliamentarian that in fact, raising the minimum wage will have significant budget implications, and in fact, should be consistent with our reconciliation rules.

SAENZ: Now, one of the President's top White House advisers, Cedric Richmond earlier today also said that they are supporting Sanders' moves in Congress relating to this bill. But the President has also indicated that he, if it doesn't make it into the package, he would really be willing to pursue this down the road as that $15.00 Federal minimum wage has really been a campaign promise for him as he went to the White House -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz in Wilmington, thanks so much.

All right, still ahead, I'll speak to the Miami Fire Department about its efforts to make sure Holocaust survivors get the vaccine.

Plus new details about what former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was up to in the days leading up to the riots, and a new media venture he has planned to keep fueling the right-wing conspiracies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:55]

WHITFIELD: A new report from "The New York Times" has some chilling details about the last weeks of the Trump administration and the role General Michael Flynn played. The piece calls Flynn one of the most extreme voices in Mr. Trump's 77-day push to overturn the election and that he -- and I'm quoting now from the article -- "He went so far as to suggest using the military to rerun the vote in crucial battleground states."

CNN national security analyst, Matthew Rosenberg wrote that piece for "The Times." He is joining us right now. So Matthew, you know, many people assumed Michael Flynn just kind of went away when he was dismissed as a national security adviser less than, you know, a month into President Trump's term. But here he is again.

So walk us through those days leading up to and after the riot. What kind of access did he have to Trump?

MATTHEW ROSENBERG, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: To understand his role here, you have to kind of understand the last four years. He kind of you know, was swept up in the Russia investigation, pled guilty and then hired Sidney Powell who is a conspiracy theorist and a lawyer and she really fought this and turned him into the kind of mega martyr, who fought off the guilty pleas. And then he is pardoned on November 27 by Trump.

WHITFIELD: Pardoned.

ROSENBERG: Yes, pardoned, free to speak his mind, and he goes straight out onto pretty far right media networks, Newsmax, OAN, elsewhere, and starts pushing, you know, the most extreme version of the kind of stolen election lie. He joins his former lawyer, Sidney Powell, in spreading this.

At one point at Newsmax, he suggests, you know, using the military capabilities to rerun elections in states and then there is a December 18th meeting at the Oval Office where Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn and others tried to push Trump on this.

You know, a lot of other Trump advisers are in there trying to push back. This is where the President floated the idea of making him maybe Chief of Staff or even naming him F.B.I. Director, which was never going to happen. He would never have been confirmed.

It's also where he suggested making Sidney Powell special counsel to look into election fraud allegations that were totally false, and most everyone knew that except for them. And so he really played that role in that moment.

And then, of course, on January 5th, the night before the attack in the Capitol, he was one of the lead speakers at a rally and really fired up the crowd and got them ready to go, and that kind of set the stage for what unfolded the next day.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And at a minimum, how extraordinary that he would be in the White House after all of those things that you just reminded, you know, people of after, you know, being pardoned. And then now here he would be, you know, front and center ahead of that a January 6th insurrection, helping to push these QAnon conspiracies as well.

ROSENBERG: Well, you know, I think that for a segment of the President's most ardent supporters, the former President's most ardent supporters, Mike Flynn, really is this martyr, this kind of hero who stood up to the Russia investigation, sacrificed himself and was put through four years of unjust kind of, you know, legal torture. That's how they view him.

And for the QAnon crowd, especially his kind of combination of being, you know, military intelligence in the past, and his closeness to former President Trump, he is really viewed as this guy who knows where the bodies are buried, who is kind of almost second to Trump in their kind of pantheon of people.

[15:35:20]

WHITFIELD: Wow. Tell me how he is also cashing in, so to speak. He has made -- he has commercialized his posture.

ROSENBERG: So he has got -- he is selling t-shirts with the hashtag, #FightLikeAFlynn, and another QAnon slogan on them as well. He's also starting a new media adventure called Digital Soldiers. He is doing it with a group of people who produced "Uncover D.C.," which is a website known mostly for conspiracy theories and Digital Soldiers is going to be this citizen journalism enterprise. That kind of frees readers, as it claims, frees them from the tyranny of the mainstream media.

Now, the term Digital Soldier is kind of a classic QAnon term that is actually drawn from a speech Flynn gave in November 2016 about the kind of Trump's digital soldiers help getting him elected.

Now, of course, QAnon didn't exist then and Flynn had no idea he was going to do this. There's just no evidence that he was part of its creation. But you know, that that speech he gave us became somewhat of a foundational text for QAnon, and he is really one of their more important people and he seems to be embracing that in an attempt to pay off legal debts that I'm told are maybe as high as $10 million.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So there's a feeling that he is not necessarily going to play him out.

ROSENBERG: No, I think to a certain kind of hard right segment of the former President's supporters, Michael Flynn is an incredibly important person. You know, he's not as kind of loud as some of the other people in in Trump world, but he is seen as this respectable kind of knowledgeable former General, who can be depended on and who can lead them and who can really have a really important voice, and I think you're going to see more of that going forward.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's such a resurrection, really. It is extraordinary. Thank you so much, Matthew Rosenberg. Appreciate it.

ROSENBERG: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, next, I'll be joined live by two firefighters from Miami who are helping Holocaust survivors get their COVID vaccines, and they're even making house calls to be sure no one is left out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:19]

WHITFIELD: First Responders in South Florida are joining forces to get some of the state's most vulnerable vaccinated. This week, fire fighters and paramedics from 18 different departments went to the homes of Holocaust survivors to give them shots at home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't feel nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't feel nothing and I can't have him. Hey, hey. Hey, hurray. I am 85 years old and I hope to live to a hundred and eighty five. God bless us all. Thank you, guys.

Now, before you go, you're getting cookies and you're getting cocoa later. Wait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I love that enthusiasm. I'm joined right now by two of these men here who are helping to get the shots in the arms, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Lieutenant Mike Barfield and Miami Beach Fire Rescue firefighter and paramedic Casey Seidner. They're both part of the South Florida Region Seven Strike Team. Good to see you both, gentlemen.

LIEUTENANT MIKE BARFIELD, PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE RESCUE: Hey.

CASEY SEIDNER, MIAMI BEACH FIRE RESCUE FIREFIGHTER AND PARAMEDIC: Thanks for having us.

WHITFIELD: So Mike, you first tell me how this mission came together?

BARFIELD: Well, I got a phone call last weekend and said -- they asked me if I was available for a nice long period of time to help out with this, and I said absolutely. I don't even think I asked my wife before I committed to it. So, it is pretty exciting to have the opportunity.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's wonderful. So Casey, why was this important in your view to, you know, try to meet the need at their homes?

SEIDNER: Well, you know, as 911, you know, responders, we usually get calls for immediate danger or life threatening situation, to be able to change it around and provide vaccination and help in a different manner, I think it's really important for us as, you know, Fire Rescue to be able to get back to the community in a different way just putting ourselves out there as you know, the guys that want to be able to be able to vaccinate and show that we're there more importantly, to do something, not just save lives.

WHITFIELD: And Mike, we heard from one of the survivors a moment ago. I mean, she was, you know, really pumped up. Give me an idea what it's been like -- what have other elders said to you when you've gone in their homes and given them this shot in the arm?

BARFIELD: Well, I'll tell you, I wasn't able to see the video, but just the soundbite from it couldn't have been more perfect. So that's exactly what it is> These people, you know, they are used to, especially for the last year stuck in their home and for us to be able to go there and provide them not only with just a human body being there for them, but in this time of need as vulnerable as they are, it has just been amazing.

WHITFIELD: And Casey, you all are faced with emergencies, responding to emergencies all the time, house fires, car crashes, obviously this assignment is very different. Is it also your hope that it might be expanded to other elders? Or what do you think is next in this chapter? SEIDNER: Absolutely. I think that's the most important thing is trying

to get this vaccine out to as many people as possible, you know. If we can get it out to the entire U.S. and even go global after that, that's what we're trying to do here, it is to kind of put an end to this pandemic and get things back to normal.

And you know, I think, you know, being with the Fire Department in Florida, you know, has really taken a good step in the right direction trying to get this out to as many people as possible.

WHITFIELD: Mike Barfield and Casey Seidner, thanks so much and thanks so much for what you're doing and bringing these kind of comforts to so many elders there in South Florida.

BARFIELD: It's been awesome.

[15:45:11]

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next. We are live in Tampa with more on the pregame festivities, and, of course pregame fears that are growing because a lot of the bars and restaurants are packed and not everybody wearing masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Venues that are operating at a hundred percent capacity, stuffing their place to the gill. We were not supposed to allow dance floors.

We need a plan. We need action and we need the bad businesses shut down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:08]

WHITFIELD: Kansas City, Missouri Police say a five-year-old remains in critical condition after a multivehicle crash Thursday night involving Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Coach Britt Reid, son of head coach Andy Reid.

Police say a car had broken down on an Interstate Highway ramp. That vehicle along with another car which came to help were both stopped on the ramp when they were hit by a pickup truck driven by Assistant Coach Reid.

The details of a search warrant revealed Reid told a responding officer that he had consumed two or three drinks after the officer observed an odor of alcohol emanating from him. He will not be at today's game and the Kansas City Chiefs released a statement on the incident saying this -- I'm quoting now -- "The organization has been made aware of a multivehicle accident involving outside linebacker's coach Britt Reid. We are in the process of gathering information and we will have no further comment at this time." Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.

Meantime, the Super Bowl is now just hours away, and among the fans in attendance are thousands of healthcare workers including 76 from New England who were flown down on the Patriots team plane and given a sendoff by the Massachusetts Governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER (D-MA): When you think about some of those great Patriots slogans, do your job, no days off. There's probably no group over the course of this pandemic who's demonstrated that more day after day after day than our healthcare workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And let's go to Tampa right now where we find CNN's Randi Kaye and Randi, despite warnings from officials and from the NFL itself, you know, we are seeing pictures emerge of massive crowds partying in Tampa's club district.

You're at a bar in that general location, right? Does there remain a lot of concern about crowds who are converging and people not taking all the precautions that have been recommended?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, there is a lot of concern here, Fred, hence my double mask that I'm wearing here.

We're at the Poorhouse in Tampa, and if you take a look here behind me, you can see there's a pretty healthy crowd here. We are outside and they are doing their best to safely social distance. But there are a lot of people here. Some of them are just hanging out at tables. They're not all from the same party obviously or are they from the same family, which is what officials recommend, but they are outside.

But let me show you this video from last night on Super Bowl eve from Ybor City, just take a look at this. This is a huge amount of people, hundreds of people in the street. And you can see most of them are not even wearing masks. We're also told that they were on the dance floors in a lot of these clubs and the dance floors right now during the pandemic are supposed to actually be closed.

I gave a call to Tampa Police to ask them what's going on with all these people that are out and about and not wearing masks because there is a mask mandate in the City of Tampa while this pandemic is underway and during this time of the game there. You're not -- you're supposed to be wearing a mask if you're anywhere near Raymond James Stadium, if you're in a bar or a restaurant or anywhere in one of these event or entertainment areas.

And you can see from the pictures and the video that we have that people are just not paying much attention to that mask mandate. They are supposed to be fined up to $500.00. So I asked the Tampa Police, how many citations have been issued? What do you want to say in response to this? What's being done about it because a lot of people are upset about it? And they have not gotten back to me yet. But a lot of people here in town, Fred, a lot of out-of-towners,

that's what people are concerned about, about 30,000 people a day have been coming in through Tampa International Airport and they are very, very concerned that they are going to see a spike already about a 10 percent positivity rate here, they certainly don't want that to go up in the county -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow, I mean, a lot of these pictures look kind of pre- pandemic, so there is a lot of express concern going on. Randi Kaye, thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:59:04]

WHITFIELD: His name was made central in former President Trump's campaign for re-election. Now, Hunter Biden, President Biden's son will speak for himself in a memoir out in April.

In it, he writes at length about his struggles with substance abuse and addiction. The President says his family is one of many in America wrestling with those demons. He choked up discussing the book on CBS. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I bet there is not a family you know that doesn't have somebody in the family that have a drug problem or an alcohol problem.

But the honesty with which he stepped forward and talked about the problem and the hope that it gave me hope reading it. I mean, it was like "my boy is back," you know what I mean? Anyway, I'm sorry to get so personal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hunter is the President's only surviving son. Hunter's older brother, Beau, passed away from brain cancer in 2015.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, CNN NEWSROOM with Ana Cabrera starts right now.

[16:00:11]