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President Biden Declares National Emergency; Second Impeachment Trial Of Trump To Start On Tuesday; South Africa's AstraZeneca Rollout Put On Hold; Super Bowl LV, Tampa Bay Versus Kansas City. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired February 07, 2021 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM and we begin with President Joe Biden calling the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency and revealing what he wants to see happen with schools.
In his first network TV interview since taking office, he spoke to CBS News ahead of tonight's Super Bowl. And Biden says his priority for schools is for them to reopen but carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS HOST: Do you think it's time for schools to reopen?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it's time for schools to reopen safely -- safely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Let's go to CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz for more on all of this. Arlette, what else did the president say about the challenges the country is facing?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, he called the ongoing coronavirus pandemic a national emergency and also criticized the Trump administration for what they left behind with this pandemic, particularly when it came to vaccines. And the president again stressed his commitment to trying to reopen schools safely. Take a listen to a bit more of what he said to CBS a little earlier today.
(BEGINV VIDEOTAPE)
BIDEN: One of the disappointments was, when we came into office, is the circumstance relating to how the administration was handling COVID was even more dire than we thought.
O'DONNELL: The Trump administration.
BIDEN: The Trump administration. We thought that it indicated there was a lot more vaccine available and it didn't turn out to be the case. So that's why we've ramped up every way we can. I got a call through Commissioner Goodell saying we could have all 32 NFL stadiums available for mass vaccinations. We are --
O'DONNELL: Are you going to use them, NFL stadiums to vaccinate?
BIDEN: Absolutely we will. I mean, let me put it this way. I'm going to tell my team they're available and I believe we'll use them. Look, it was one thing if we had enough vaccine, which we didn't so we're pushing as hard as we can to get more vaccine manufactured.
O'DONNELL: You're president of the United States. Commander-in-chief. Can you do something in terms of going to Moderna, going to Pfizer, saying we need more production?
BIDEN: Yes, I think, because we've already done it. But the idea that this can be done and we can get to herd immunity much before the end of this summer is very difficult.
O'DONNELL: Let's turn to schools.
BIDEN: Sure.
O'DONNELL: About 20 million American children have not been in the classroom for nearly a year.
BIDEN: I know.
O'DONNELL: There is a mental health crisis happening.
BIDEN: There really is.
O'DONNELL: Women are dropping out of the work force. Is this a national emergency?
BIDEN: It is a national emergency. It genuinely is a national emergency.
O'DONNELL: Do you think it's time for schools to reopen?
BIDEN: I think it's time for schools to reopen safely -- safely. You have to have fewer people in the classroom. You have to have ventilation systems that have been reworked. Our CDC commissioner is going to be coming out with science based judgment within I think as early as Wednesday as to what the minimum requirements are.
O'DONNELL: It's so hard with kids not being able to play sports now.
BIDEN: It really is. I think about the price so many of my grandkids and your kids are going to pay for not having had the chance to finish whatever it was. That graduation where you didn't get to walk across the stage. I think they're going through a lot, these kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAENZ: And as for tonight's big game, the president was very diplomatic and did not pick which team he thinks will win the Super Bowl, but he did say that he is hoping that by this time next year that Super Bowl will be played in front of a full stadium, Ana. CABRERA: Amen. I think we're all hoping that. Thank you, Arlette.
President Biden is trying to get his agenda pushed through at the same time the Senate is now bracing for Trump's historic second impeachment trial and the monumental challenge of getting 17 Republican senators to side with Democrats for a conviction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: Do you think the outcome is predetermined here?
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Do I interpret --
TODD: Yes.
CASSIDY: You know, I -- everybody -- no I don't. I think it depends upon that which is presented.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): A zero chance of conviction, 45 Republicans have said it's not even a legitimate proceeding so it's really over before it starts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Joining us now is CNN senior political analyst John Avlon and CNN political commentator and host of PBS's show "Firing Line," Margaret Hoover. She is also a former staffer in the Bush White House. So, good to have you both here especially before the Super Bowl. Appreciate you making the time guys.
[17:05:03]
John, one Republican senator we just played said it is not a predetermined outcome. The other says zero chance of conviction. What is the reality?
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Closer to Bill Cassidy. Look, they all take an oath to be impartial jurors. Rand Paul has been carrying a lot of water for this president and he is mischaracterizing that vote that he compelled, the 45 person vote because that was about a question about whether to debate, whether the process was constitutional.
It was not a vote whether it was a legitimate process. And he is mischaracterizing it intentionally. So, if senators are going to take their oath seriously, let's hope they do, then you got to say Bill Cassidy is telling the truth. They have to keep an open mind and listen to the evidence.
CABRERA: Margaret, former Republican congresswoman, Barbara Comstock, made the point this week that a 70 something-year-old man is not the future of the party, referring to Trump. And on that note, I just want to play you how Senator Lindsey Graham reacted when he was asked about Trump being the face of the party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS NEWS HOST: You still believe President Trump is the best face for the Republican Party? Yes or no?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think he's -- I think he's the -- yes, well, I think, yes. I think Donald Trump's policies served the country well. I think Donald Trump has to rehabilitate himself as a politician.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Was it just me or did he struggle with that answer?
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, he shouldn't have. And what Republicans, if they want to have a prayer for future strength and revival and trust and confidence in this party, is to unequivocally denounce Donald Trump, denounce his leadership.
Forget about his policies. This is about the constitution now. I thought we were constitutional conservatives. I mean, this is a man who, you know, yelled about a fake election for months and then tried to undermine the election and have it rigged for himself.
I mean, this is no longer about the policies. And by the way, that conservative populist base that Lindsey is so quivering over is interwoven, interlaced with conspiracy theorists now and the paranoid style of American politics. So, let's get on with it. Let's have an open hearing in the senate.
I mean, who knows if Lindsey will do his job and actually hear the evidence, but that is their -- that is their responsibility. And I don't think in the media we should rush to judgment like we know how that vote will come out because there is going to be evidence that is presented before the American people that is going to be examined and studied and heard and presented in a way that we haven't had laid out before us yet.
CABRERA: Perhaps some of these Republican senators though are fearful of having the kind of backlash that people like Liz Cheney have been experiencing after she voted to impeach Trump. She is the number three Republican in the House and her state, her state party, Wyoming, the Republicans there, you know, just this weekend decided to censure her for her vote. Let's listen to how she is defending herself today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): 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 6th spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged, was a lie. And people need to understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: John, what do you think her future looks like?
AVALON: Good. Strong. Here's why. It does not take a genius to figure out who is on the right side of history in this debate. You know, the senators and congressmen who are getting censured by their home state parties for telling the truth are telling the truth.
They are not enthralled to the cult of personality. And those Republican senators and congressmen who are still playing footsie with the QAnon and crazy caucus, can either wake up the fact they no longer live in fear of a mean tweet. Donald Trump doesn't have the platform.
Yes, the party is divided. Yes, it has a strong conservative populous base that is thrown in with conspiracy theorists. But the folks who stand up for telling the truth and real principles are going to come out of this on top if they can weather this storm and they will. You lose some battles before you win a war, that's very clear. Well, who's going to win the larger war over time?
CABRERA: Let's move on and talk about COVID relief now. The new treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, appeared on "State of the Union" today with Jake Tapper and she made some headlines for saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET YELLEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I would expect that if this package is passed that we would get back to full employment next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: But she added that without the additional funding, unemployment could be elevated for years, possibly 2025. Margaret, what do you think Republicans do with this?
HOOVER: Look, I actually think there's been a lot of speculation and, you know, the conservative commentary has been I think a bit too critical of this process so far because what you've actually seen is a progressive base of the Democratic Party come out with a bill that was too large even for the moderates in the Democratic Party.
[17:10:04]
You've seen 10 Republicans get invited to the White House to sit down and talk about their priorities. You've seen President Biden say, well, you know, maybe the $15 minimum wage that the Republicans don't like and that the moderate Democrats won't vote for, maybe that should be its own bill. So you're seeing a real bipartisan negotiation over this really important bill.
And by the way, it doesn't have to be done tomorrow. It needs to be done by March. So, this is bipartisanship. I think we've forgotten what it looks like.
CABRERA: It doesn't have to be done tomorrow? I think a lot of Americans would disagree with that -- that idea. I think people are saying I might not be able to pay my rent tomorrow. I might not be able to put food on the table for my kids this week.
HOOVER: That's right. But the next COVID relief bill, the bill doesn't expire until mid-March. So, of course, Americans need relief immediately. And by the way, we also need the billions of dollars of resources that goes towards the vaccination and to getting the money out.
So, it's a hurry but I think the progressive left is, look, you don't want to make the perfect enemy of the good. You want it done, but you also want it to be bipartisan and I think that Joe Biden is trying to do that in so far as there is good will from some Republican senators.
CABRERA: I know you want to jump in, John, but let me just add this, because I think a lot of the argument for going forward without bipartisan support is because of expediency and this needs to happen immediately, John. Do you think that President Biden should wait just a bit longer to make it a more bipartisan process?
AVLON: Look, he wants to see if he can win some Republicans but the reason that people are counseling him and he seems to be indicating to go big rather than go bipartisan is because they are mindful of losing the football all over again.
During the fiscal crisis, they negotiated down almost $800 billion on a stimulus bill. Didn't get Republican support. And then it was criticized in the rear view mirror for not being big enough. The recovery wasn't fast enough. You've seen Republicans sign on to this massive stimulus and bail out bills in the recent past. That fiscal conservative credibility is toast.
So, if they can get goodwill from Republican senators, they want them to sign on. They can negotiate around the margins, but he is not going to cut the bill in half and then pay the price politically and economically for having a bill that's not big enough to jump-start the economy and get the COVID process on fast track further.
CABRERA: John Avlon and Margaret Hoover, I see you're both wearing some red. Of course, both teams tonight in the Super Bowl also have that in their team covers.
HOOVER: Go Chiefs.
CABRERA: Okay, Chiefs. Are you both going for Chiefs?
AVLON: Yes.
CABRERA: Okay. Have fun, guys. Thank you.
HOOVER: We (inaudible) the household on football.
CABRERA: Coming up, we are going to head live to Tampa ahead of the Super Bowl where fears are growing that the packed bars and the restaurants there could be superspreader events.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:15:00]
CABRERA: We have new video this weekend from the moments after the U.S. Capitol attack and it underscores how some of the rioters were taking their cues directly from Trump. I have to warn you the clip you're about to hear contains strong language.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: How did you get out?
JASON CHANSLEY, QANON SHAMAN: How do I get what?
UNKNOWN: How did you get out?
CHANSLEY: Of the Senate?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
CHANSLEY: Cops walked out with me.
UNKNOWN: They just let you go?
CHANSLEY: Yes.
UNKNOWN: What's your message to everybody now? Like, what are you all yelling at?
CHANSLEY: Oh, well Donald Trump asked everybody to go home. He just put out a tweet. It's a minute long. He asked everybody to go home.
UNKNOWN: Why do you think so?
CHANSLEY: Because we won the (BEEP) day. We (BLEEP) won.
UNKNOWN: How did we win?
CHANSLEY: Well, we won by sending a message to the senators and the congressman. We won by sending a message to Pence. Okay? That if they don't do as they are -- as their oath to do, if they don't uphold the constitution, then we will remove them from office. One way or another.
UNKNOWN: Okay.
UNKNOWN: This guy is recording you. He's not on our side.
UNKNOWN: Yes.
UNKNOWN: I thought you assumed that though.
CHANSLEY: I'm fine with being recorded.
UNKNOWN: (Inaudible).
CHANSLEY: All I can say is, we won the (BLEEP) day. Donald Trump is still our president.
UNKNOWN: I do have one more question for you guys. There's a lot of people that doubt that do you would just happen to just go in there and come out. Like, what do you have to say to them that doubt that you just walked out?
CHANSLEY: Well, a lot of people doubted a lot of prophets, saints and sages. A lot of people doubted Christ. You know?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Joining us now is CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Laura Coates. Laura, in that clip you just heard Jacob Chansely, the so-called QAnon shaman, say Trump just put out a tweet and asked everyone to go home implying that he was hanging and watching for Trump's every word. As a lawyer, how important is evidence like this?
LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: You know, it's very important. You think about the two different courts we're talking about. On the one hand for impeachment, the impeachment management will look at that as evidence to show that this person was directed by the president of the United States. They note singularly responsible and a very unique position to be able to instruct or tell people to go home or to actually arrive.
Talking about a criminal court, however, they're probably going to be using that evidence to show that he intended, that particular person and others like him, intended to perform these actions even though they were aware of perhaps the consequences because they're making a political point here.
Of course, the fact that Trump has tried to distance himself in prior videos will not bode too well with their ability to say, well, I'm directed by somebody who was the president of the United States, the head executive branch of government.
Well, we know of no pardons here, do we, Ana, at all, to make sure their conduct was somehow not held accountable. We know of no pardons for those people. So they will be held accountable in a court of law even they thought they followed instructions they believe.
CABRERA: But the question is, is Trump going to be held accountable? His lawyers have already advised him not to testify in his defense. If you were representing the former president, what other strategies would you be using?
COATES: Well, I would tell him not to testify and here's why. Well, everything he says now that he is a private citizen knowing the extent of the criminal litigation, civil liability, exposure as well, he is a loose cannon.
[17:20:04]
And therefore, he probably would dig himself into a deeper hole than he otherwise already is in. But I'd also look for things to show, look, past conduct, his past speeches, a lot of emphasis are going to be put on what he said at this rally at this particular moment in time.
But a look back to other things he said and to say, look, I have said, you know, bombastic, hyperbolic statements in the past and it did not lead to this conduct. I've done it year after year after year. And so this was the anomaly. This was not me instructing. This was the aberration that was done by the people who followed me. Not any other rally.
Now, whether that's going to hold a lot of weight knowing his very precise language and knowing that the Supreme Court has a very clear rule here, Ana. It's that you had to intend for the behavior to occur. You had to call for it at a specific point in time and say it in an environment where violence was likely to occur.
Surely, he was aware of it before the rally. And then during the insurrection, he had every opportunity to do things to stop it perhaps, but what did he do? We know that he inadvertently called one senator hoping to reach another senator to ask about what his vote would be.
This is not the conduct of somebody who was clutching his pearls, shocked about what's happening. And as one senator called it, apparently, he was delighted. It's shocking behavior.
CABRERA: Yes. It really is. Trump's current lawyers, they were just hired about a week ago. As you recall, it was last weekend his original impeachment team all quit. Here's what we've learned about his new lawyers.
David Schoen was on Roger Stone's appeal team. He met with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein days before Epstein's suicide, but says he doesn't believe he took his own life. And then there is Bruce Castro, Jr. He was the district attorney for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania when he declined to prosecute Bill Cosby for sexual assault in 2005. Laura, what are you going to be watching from these two?
COATES: I'm going to be watching why they were chosen with no real impeachment background, no real notion of free speech and First Amendment cases because that is going to be the crux of the issue for them. If they're just there to put up smoke screens and to stop somebody who is a celebrity-esque (ph) person from getting prosecuted.
We know at least one has done that and turned to the civil side instead, that came back to haunt that particular person, Castor. Not only did he lose an election, he also -- it led to the very deposition testimony being used against the person that he seemingly was trying to protect. So you have all these notions here about why these people were chosen.
It seems as though if they were chosen for the purpose of being the compromising legal team that would present a big lie and then a procedural off ramp for the juror members who are the Republican members of the Senate. Well, then he's got potentially a dream team.
If he wants somebody to have a substantive defense to an extraordinarily holistic, comprehensive, and legally sound argument of the House impeachment managers, I don't think it bodes well for him. So I'm curious to see whether it will be proactive, whether what could the procedural off ramp of saying that you don't have jurisdiction here.
Or whether this will actually be them saying here is why this was protected speech. Here is why this person should not be held liable. Here is why you do not have jurisdiction. And they are going to have to come against an extraordinarily strong team of constitutional scholars led by an extraordinary lawyer, Jamie Raskin.
CABRERA: Rudy Giuliani is not helping out the president in this particular impeachment trial. He was among those named as part of a massive $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit just this past week that was filed by a voting tech company over election misinformation. I want you to listen to Giuliani's reaction when a disclaimer was suddenly added to his radio show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: The views, assumptions, and opinions expressed by former U.S. attorney, former attorney to the president of the United States, and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his guests, and callers on this program are strictly their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions, beliefs, or policies of WABC radio.
UNKNOWN: Now, it's former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on New York's talk radio 77 WABC.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER ATTONEY TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would have thought they would have told me about that before just doing what they just did. Rather insulting. And gives you a sense of how far this free speech thing has gone. I also think putting it on without telling me, not the right thing to do. Not the right thing to do at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Laura, sounds like his station was worried about getting sued.
COATES: Well, they should be. And I'd note that I do a three-hour radio show five days a week live with no disclaimer. Why is that, Ana, and why do most people never do that? Because most people don't have to have the 10-foot pole extended out because of careless statements that jeopardize the ability of a news organization or otherwise to say that we actually are presenting facts and information.
[05:25:02]
We begin with facts and then invite you to form an opinion after that. If you begin with opinion and want to work backwards and make up your facts, well, you run into issues that he's in right now including the defamation suits. Over the period of two weeks, he had two-billion- dollar plus lawsuits against him. Why was that, Ana?
Because he began with the opinion and tried to work backwards in a way that he did not do in a court of law when he was asked, but tried to do in the court of opinion. He made disparaging comments. He has now made liable and jeopardized the ability of Fox News and other outlets to be able to profess that they are trying to be straight shooters.
You can decide what you want about them in the first place about that issue, but the idea here that he -- every type of speech is not protected. This is a real fallacy, Ana, as you know.
CABRERA: Right.
COATES: The idea that everyone says free speech is everything? We always have constraints and parameters. And when you're telling lies, when you are defaming, when you are threatening or inciting among other things, you don't have the same protection under the first amendment or the same professional courtesy other radio hosts do get and other people who don't jeopardize their businesses for that reason.
CABRERA: It's like some people have just lost the lesson we all learned as kids, which is lies have consequences. Right? Ans o now people are having to perhaps pay up. Laura Coates, I always appreciates hearing from you and getting your expertise. Thank you.
COATES: Thank you.
CABRERA: We have breaking news now we're following in the coronavirus pandemic. South Africa halting its use of the AstraZeneca vaccine just days after the country received 1 million doses. What happened? That's next in a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:30:00]
CABRERA: We have breaking news in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Health officials in South Africa say they are pausing the roll out of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. CNN's Eleni Giokos is joining us now. Eleni, what more are you learning about this?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana. Yes, health officials are saying that they need to pause the roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine and this is what we do know. The initial results that they received in October showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine had 75 percent efficacy in avoiding the spread of coronavirus in South Africa.
When the variant that emerged post that, they weren't able to replicate those results. Essentially now saying that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not show efficacy on mild to moderate COVID-19 cases specifically on the variant front.
So now they need to put on hold the vaccine roll out. And you'll know that we've received 1 million doses just this week. The health department saying this is very disappointing, but they are also saying that they are optimistic that even though it doesn't have an impact on mild to moderate cases, that it might actually have an impact on the severity of the cases. This is why they're waiting to see what steps they'll take next.
Right now, they want to expedite the use of other vaccines and trial with Johnson & Johnson vaccination, which is single dose and look at other vaccines that are currently in trial. This is a very big blow to the country that is now fully in its second wave. South Africa has had to go into a much stricter lockdown scenario.
It has had devastating impacts on the economy. And just so much is known, so little is known on this variant and just how it is going to impact cases going forward. This has been the big issue South Africa has been facing over the last few weeks. These results coming through from Oxford University and locally as well from the University of the Witwatersrand.
The hope right now here is that the vaccine will still prompt some kind of immune response, but again here, it's all about the trials that are currently under way and of course finding a vaccine that will have a big impact on the cases and specifically the variant here in South Africa.
CABRERA: Okay, thank you so much for bringing us that breaking news. Eleni Giokos, again, the breaking news. AstraZeneca pausing its vaccine roll out there in South Africa because they have found it offered minimal protection against mild and moderate COVID-19 from the variant that was first identified there.
So they are investigating that. I want to bring in Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez, how big of a setback is this?
PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Yes, it is a pretty big setback, Ana, and it has profound implications both for the world's low and middle income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as the United States. With regard to the former, the South African variant obviously now occupies about 95 percent of the COVID-19 viruses in South Africa and may be spreading across the African continent.
So the fact that this vaccine is not protecting against moderate infections means that we've got to quickly design a booster for that vaccine that does work against the variants. Either using the same technology, the adenovirus or one like ours, a recombinant protein vaccine.
And that the added stakes are high because we don't have a lot of options already for low and middle-income countries because the mRNA vaccines are probably not going to filter to the low and middle income countries because of the difficulty in scaling up.
[17:35:03]
We only have a handful of options. The Merck vaccines have already dropped out. We have delay in Sanofi vaccine. So, what do we have left? We have the J&J, the AstraZeneca vaccine, maybe our vaccine, maybe one or two others, so, this is really worrisome. And the South African variant is not staying in South Africa.
CABRERA: Right.
HOTEZ: It's in the U.K. It's now in the United States. It's in Latin America. And then we have the implications for the U.S.
CABRERA: Right. And also concerning are images like we're seeing this weekend, Super Bowl weekend. We have, you know, images like this out of Tampa last night, the night before today's game. You see people crowded together. Very few masks, really no social distancing.
This is something that health officials are urging people not to do, concerned that Super Bowl parties could lead to spikes in cases and it's not just the original virus they need to worry about. We're getting new information about the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K.
A new study just today confirming it is spreading rapidly through the United States with confirmed cases of that variant doubling every week and a half here in the U.S. The CDC forecast released just last month showed the U.K. variant becoming the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. So, doctor, how concerned should we be about this?
HOTEZ: Yes, this is also worrisome. I've been on Zoom calls for the last two weeks about how we're going to manage this. So even though the number of new cases daily is cut in half, that's the eye of the hurricane and the big wall is about to hit us again and these are the new variants.
So the U.K. and the South African variant maybe one or two others are going to be dominant. These are more contagious, more transmissible and we also think the severity of the illness is going to increase as well, maybe 30 percent increase in mortality rates.
We don't have that last piece confirmed yet, but that is something we're looking at. So, this could be really very dire for our country as we head into the spring and the CDC is predicting, as you point out, that the variants will be dominant across the United States.
So now we're in a race. We're on the race to see how quickly we can vaccinate the American people. The good news is the two mRNA vaccines and the J&J vaccine do partially protect, or at least we think it does, against the South African variant and more likely the U.K. variant. So, we'll be okay with these vaccines. You should still go forward with those vaccines.
But it means we're all scrambling now to see how we're going to be developing boosters for a third immunization in the coming months. So, it's going to require a lot of situational awareness.
CABRERA: And obviously, I know we sound like broken records when we keep telling people to keep wearing their masks, keep doing the social distancing, keep washing their hands, but those are also such vital ways that we can help protect ourselves in this race to get vaccinated ahead of all of the variants as well. Thank you, Dr. Peter Hotez, as always, I so appreciate your expertise and time with us.
HOTEZ: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: Up next, we're learning of new indictments related to the capitol riot. What are the charges and who are they against? That's next, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:40:00]
CABRERA: Just over a month after the capitol insurrection, almost 200 people have now been charged by federal prosecutors. And now we know a handful have been formally indicted by grand juries. Joining us now is CNN's Whitney Wild. And Whitney, we're seeing a slew of new indictments. Fill us in.
WHITNEY WILD, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT FOR CNN NEWSOURCE: Well, most notably, it's a new indictment of Robert Sanford. And we are bringing this to your attention because his moment at the riot was one of these iconic moments, pieces of video that went all over the world to underscore the real violence of the day.
I think we have that video. We'll show it to you in just a moment. But he is accused of throwing a fire extinguisher at police on scene of that riot. He was actually charged last month. And now this -- last week, the end of last week, formally indicted.
Again, here is the video. And this is so important because like I said it underscores the violence. That's just one moment in this huge event. So that's why we're bringing this to our viewers' attention today. And then further, this indictment, this new indictment underscores that despite the volume of this case, Ana, it is moving forward. As you see from the video there is a lot of evidence for prosecutors to work with, Ana.
CABRERA: And it's just a reminder when you see those videos just how many people were involved. The more people who could eventually be prosecuted. Whitney Wild, thank you for that update.
Front line heroes and cardboard cutouts will fill the seats at the Super Bowl tonight. That's not the only thing that will be different. We'll take you live to Tampa.
Plus, award-winning actor and best-selling cook book author Stanley Tucci is coming to CNN and bringing you along for an unforgettable journey through Italy. Don't we all wish we could travel right now? The new CNN original series "Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy" is your ticket. That's next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. here on CNN.
And before we head to break, here is Christine Romans with your "Before the Bell" report. Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana. With the Reddit fueled frenzy calming down, investors are now refocusing on the fundamentals. And corporate earnings have looked pretty solid. More than 80 percent of S&P 500 companies have beaten fourth quarter estimates.
This week, Twitter, Uber, and Lyft as well as General Motors and Disney are among the companies reporting results. Optimism over corporate profits plus the dwindling craziness over Gamestop helped push the S&P and the Nasdaq to record highs last week.
But the job market, important here to note, it remains in crisis. The U.S. economy added just 49,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent, but it fell for the wrong reasons as more than 400,000 people left the labor force.
Three and a half million people are considered permanently unemployed and the economy is still down nearly 10 million jobs since the pandemic began.
[17:44:58]
Investors are betting fiscal stimulus is coming from the Biden administration. The only question for Wall Street is how much and when. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.
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CABRERA: The Super Bowl showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers begins in less than an hour for now. And tonight's quarterback match-up is all everybody is talking about -- 43-year-old Tom Brady versus 25-year-old Patrick Mahomes.
[17:50:03]
Brady ended his historic run with the New England Patriots last year, but the Patriots this year are treating 76 vaccinated health care workers to an all-expenses paid Super Bowl trip, even plying flying them to Tampa on the Patriots team plane.
I want to bring in CNN's Randi Kay. And Randi, you're enjoying all this excitement there in person. What are you seeing and hearing ahead of tonight's big game?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, we're trying to enjoy it safely. We are at the Pour House in Tampa, which is a very lively bar and restaurant, which is why I'm double masked. But if you take a look here at the scene, behind me you can see that a lot of people are here. They're gathered. They're already cheering for their favorite team.
They're outside, so it's considered to be safer and they are allowed to be here. They're only supposed to take their masks off while they're eating or drinking, but you can see quite a large crowd. Certainly not all in one single family or one single household that are mixing.
But that is allowed here in the city of Tampa right now. But let me show you a scene from last night in an area called Ybor City. We have some video to show you. You can see on the streets of Ybor City, this massive crowd, again, not many of them wearing a mask, this is a very popular spot where people go to bars and restaurants.
There were some police there, but we're unsure about citations. I spoke to the Tampa police and I asked them, what are you doing about this because a lot of people were very concerned? Apparently, the dance floors were full and that's right now not allowed during the pandemic here in the city.
And there is a mask mandate in any of these entertainment and event areas. And if you're not wearing a mask and you can't safely social distance, you could be fined up to $500, but that's obviously being largely ignored by many here who are in the city.
So the Tampa police tell me that they're very disappointed by what they've seen and some of these establishments do risk being shut down. There are about 30,000 people a day that have been coming into Tampa International Airport. This is really the officials' greatest fears.
The last thing they want is for the Super Bowl to turn into some type of superspreader event. So they are very concerned about that. But the city is extremely crowded. Officials are asking people not to yell, not to cheer, but we're already hearing that here.
They know that that's how the virus spreads. They're very concerned about that. They also don't want them to drink a lot of alcohol, but we're seeing plenty of that as well. They say that's when people let their guard down.
They might not social distance. They might not take all the safety protocols that they need to be taking, Ana. So, certainly, a lot happening here in the city of Tampa. Of course, people are excited about the game, but there is safety to be concerned about too.
CABRERA: No kidding. It is really concerning to see all those images with people not wearing masks and seemingly to have just completely let their guard down when it comes to the pandemic as they are excited about the Super Bowl.
But Randi, there are millions who are going to be watching tonight's game at home, probably, with just their family. President Biden will likely be one of them. And he was, you know, part of an interview -- a pre-game interview. Did he offer any insight into who he is rooting for?
KAYE: Well, he did. This was his first network news interview since the inauguration and of course they talked about some serious topics like Iran and the stimulus plan, but they did talk football. He spoke with CBS's Nora O'Donnell. And when she asked him who he thinks might win, he was pretty cagey about it. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: SO, many people may not know that you were once a pretty good receiver yourself back in the day.
BIDEN: I had wild dreams. I wouldn't be president. I thought I could be a flanker back in the NFL.
O'DONNELL: But as a former receiver, which quarterback would you rather have throw to you? Tom Brady or Mahomes?
BIDEN: Obviously Brady is a great quarterback. Mahomes seems like he's got a lot of potential and so I would probably take a shot with the young guy than you expect as much from.
O'DONNELL: Are you thinking the Kansas City Chiefs may win?
BIDEN: Well, I didn't say that. I don't know who's going to win. I think they're both great quarterbacks. One is just a younger version potentially of an old great quarterback. Now old, in NFL terms old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, he was certainly pretty diplomatic there. He's not going to choose a side, Ana, but I can tell you, this crowd, they're choosing a side. They're already cheering quite a bit for Tom Brady and then the other half of the bar is cheering for the Chiefs. So, I'll leave you with just one more look at this crowd here behind us, Ana.
CABRERA: It's got to be magical for people to be, you know, on home turf and having a Super Bowl with their home team in it. Randi Kaye, appreciate your reporting. Thank you. Stay safe. Get out of the crowd as much as you can.
[17:55:00]
Up next, we're getting some indications of how senators are leaning ahead of the second Trump impeachment trial on Tuesday. That's next live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[17:59:59]
CABRERA: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. It's great to have you with me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.
