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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Beat Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 In The Super Bowl LV; Some 25,000 Fans Attended The NFL Game With Masks And PPE; Senate To Begin Trump's Second Impeachment Trial But Conviction Seems Unlikely; Coronavirus Pandemic; Myanmar Coup; Super Bowl LV. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired February 07, 2021 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:19]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Bianna Golodryga. And we are following three big stories here in the U.S. this hour.

The country is bracing for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump this week just as it deals with more alarming news from the COVID pandemic. A new study suggests variants of the virus are spreading quickly, and experts are warning of more infections from Super Bowl gatherings this weekend.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, the America's premier sporting event wrapped up a short time ago with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. Tom Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl. Talk about a GOAT.

It was a game like no other. With only about 25,000 spectators in attendance, all of them were given masks even those who had already been vaccinated. But outside of the stadium, streets were packed over the weekend with thousands of fans, very few masks and almost no social distancing.

Let's get more from our correspondents there live. CNN's Randi Kaye and Coy Wire in Tampa, Florida. Let's first go to Coy for the biggest headlines of tonight's games.

Wow, Coy, I don't think Tom Brady even broke a sweat tonight. I mean, once again he made this look so seamless. Incredible not only because he's 43, he's the oldest to win a Super Bowl but this is his first year with the Buccaneers. I mean, no wonder they're calling him, the team, Tampa Brady.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Or Tom-pa Bay. If he did sweat, Bianna, it'd probably smelled like honey. The guy is just incredible, what he's done. I played nine seasons in the NFL. I thought that was a lot. He played 21 seasons, this was his 10th Super Bowl. Unreal.

Let's get you to some of the highlights in this game. Tom Brady, the Buccaneers, as you mentioned, playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium for the first time any team to do that in Super Bowl history. The first question, 3-0, Kansas City, and for the first time in 10 Super Bowl appearances Brady gets a first-quarter touchdown. He finds his old -- Rob Gronkowski for the eight-yard touchdown.

Brady and Gronk now 13 postseason touchdowns after this one. That passed any other wide receiver-quarterback duo in postseason history. 7-3, Tampa Bay. Second quarter, 7-3 Tampa Bay. And after Chiefs' rough side the Bucs made field goal off the fourth. Brady found Gronkowski again. Now second quarter here, 14-6 Tampa Bay after a big pass interference penalty that set up the Buccaneers, Brady finds Antonio Brown for a touchdown. 21-6 Tampa.

Third quarter now. Tampa Bay, Buccaneers answer right back. Leonard Fournette, untouched, 27 yards for the touchdown. He's like a bull in a China shop out there. Third quarter still Tampa Bay. Chiefs pass, Mahomes throws the pass, tipped by the Bucs' Mike Edwards and intercepted by Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield Jr., 28-9.

Afterwards, after this big win it's going to be Tom Brady being named MVP of the Super Bowl for a fifth time in his career. Here he was after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK: I'm so proud of all these guys out here. Everything we dealt with all year. We had a rough month in November but B.A. had all the confidence in us, the team had confidence. We came together at the right time. I think we knew this was going to happen, didn't we? We ended up playing our best game of the year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now Tom Brady there, shortly after, celebrating with his wife, Gisele, and their children on the field, something he has done six times before this. Seven Super Bowl wins now for Tom Brady. That's more than any franchise in NFL history, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: It is incredible. And Kansas City, let's be real, never really stood a chance in this game. The first half, it was all the Brady and Gronk show. I think we had to watch highlights back from the Patriots games, right, to relive that teamwork and the connection between the two of them, but all of the talk leading up to this game was Brady versus Mahomes, the old GOAT versus perhaps the new.

Mahomes really being pushed to work a lot harder up against Tampa Bay's defense. What did we learn about this match-up on the field tonight?

WIRE: Well, I think we saw just how difficult it is to do what Tom Brady has done, how impressive it is because as impressive as Patrick Mahomes is at just 25 years old, generally thought to be the greatest quarterback in the game right now, you're seeing that to be able to do it at that level, to which Tom Brady does it, toe to toe, is very difficult on the highest stage of them all. [23:05:06]

And you mentioned Gronk and Brady. Remember, Brady was the one who got Gronk to come out of retirement to come down here to Florida. And what does the duo do? They win another Super Bowl again. But you have to give credit to the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes for getting back to this stage. But it was just no match today. It was showing who truly is the GOAT.

GOLODRYGA: And of course, Mahomes has a huge career ahead of him. You talk about that age gap. I just have to read this factoid for you because when Brady was born, Mahomes' mother was 1 year old. I mean, that talks about the time gap between their lifespans there. And many were worried about Tom Brady being 43 years old, would he be hurt, would he be limping here? And if anybody seemed a bit injured tonight it was Mahomes at 25.

WIRE: Yes. Brady is -- he got to this level with an incorrigible work ethic, with a level of discipline and sacrifice higher than I've ever seen any pro athlete really. For him to do what he has done for 21 seasons and make it to the Super Bowl in 10, I mean, you go around the league. I played nine years, never sniffed the Super Bowl. And there are guys who are Hall of Famers who played 14, 15 years who've never even made it to a Super Bowl.

So we will never see something like this ever again. And people would compare Patrick Mahomes to Brady, saying that he's on pace to become -- you can't say that because he'd have to be on pace, Bianna, for two more decades to be able to do what Tom Brady has done.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Tom Brady setting the bar so incredibly high. You would never know this was his first year playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Incredible win for them and well-deserved MVP for Tom Brady.

Coy Wire, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

So how do you play a Super Bowl during a pandemic? Well, we found out tonight. Here to discuss the precautions the city and the NFL put in place is CNN correspondent Randi Kaye from Tampa.

Randi, so much focus was on the fans tonight. I know you were with them as they were watching this game. What did you see in terms of precautions?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, we are still with them. And not -- they're not taking a lot of precautions actually. If you just take a look at the scene here behind me, we're in downtown Tampa tonight. You can probably hear the horns honking. There were people that were dancing on top of city buses just moments ago. The bars are packed. The clubs are packed. So they're not listening to this mask mandate that the city put in place.

They said that anybody in an event area or around the entertainment must wear a mask or they face up to a $500 fine. Well, that is out the window. We saw a situation in Ebor City where people -- hundreds of people were on the street just last night not wearing masks, not social distancing, going on the dance floors where they're not even supposed to be.

We called the city of Tampa. I called the mayor's office, who sent me to the police department, and Tampa Police Department told me that they are disappointed in the fact that people are not paying attention to the mask mandate.

There was a party at a bar and grill, at a hotel. They were supposed to have precautions, mask mandate and temperature checks supposedly. That's what the Web site said for the event. But we saw pictures where people were very close, in very close quarters. So I spoke to the Tampa Police Department and the spokesman said to me that the level of responsibility must be followed or risk being shut down.

So clearly, a lot of people are having a good time here, but this is a real situation. It's exactly what the officials did not want to happen. That's why they put the mask mandate in place. But there are still plenty of people here, as you can see, not wearing masks, coming up to us, not wearing masks. I'm double masked. So that's a real situation for us because they don't want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader event, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And Randi, I am just floored. I have not seen one mask other than the two that you are wearing right now. And good for you. Every single person behind you, and all of the video that we have seen, there has not been one mask. You'd think this was video from a few years ago.

What do law enforcement officials expect to do? I know there had been a mandate for masks, that there would be fines issued. How are they going to possibly fine every single person behind you?

KAYE: I don't know. Let me just step out of the way a little bit even so you can see, as this limo goes by.

GOLODRYGA: Don't get run over. Right.

KAYE: You can see -- I'm not -- the crowd here, I'll step out. (INAUDIBLE). And I called, when I spoke to the Tampa Police Department, they said that they don't know what they're going to do because I asked them about the number of citations that have actually been given out or the number of fines that have been given out. And they didn't actually answer that question. So I don't know how, when you see all these people on the street, that they can actually track them down. I mean, this is a real situation for the city.

[23:10:02]

Not only a safety situation but how do you penalize all these people? And like I said, there's a city bus that's been sitting here in traffic next to us, and there are probably 10 people dancing on that city bus as it was parked.

They got up to the roof of the bus somehow. So, this is a very concerning situation for the city. And I think that the mayor and the police starting first thing in the morning or even late tonight are going to have to answer some questions about what they're going to do about fining these people.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Health officials' nightmare. Dr. Fauci had been warning about this. And well, maybe I've seen about four masks behind you, and that's it. Really stunning footage there. Everyone wants to celebrate and wants a reprieve but we have to do it safely. This pandemic is not behind us.

Randi Kaye, thank you for being safe tonight with your double mask. We appreciate it.

Well, Donald Trump's second impeachment trial starts in the Senate Tuesday. But it will be tough to convict the former U.S. president with many Republicans still siding with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think Donald Trump's policies served the country well. I think Donald Trump has to rehabilitate himself as a politician.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, President Biden says he's focused on rehabilitating the country. How a Democratic push this week could put cash into the hands of many families in need?

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:00]

GOLODRYGA: Former U.S. president Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial begins Tuesday. The Senate will have to decide whether he's guilty of inciting a mob of his supporters resulting in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last month.

It seems very likely that Trump will be acquitted for the second time since 17 Republicans would have to cross party lines to vote to convict. But we still don't know how long the trial will last or if any witnesses will be called.

Here is what some Republican senators are saying about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS": Do you think the outcome is predetermined here?

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Do I interpret --?

TODD: Yes.

CASSIDY: You know, everybody -- no, I don't. I think it depends upon that which is presented.

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): I think it's clearly constitutional to conduct a Senate trial with respect to an impeachment, in this case the impeachment occurred prior to the president's leaving office, but, you know, my job is going to be to listen to both sides of this, evaluate the arguments and make a decision.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): 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)

GOLODRYGA: House Democrats will soon unveil an enhanced child tax credit bill which would give millions of American families an economic boost. It's all part of President Biden's COVID relief package, totaling nearly $2 trillion. For one year it would provide a tax credit of up to $3600 for each child under the age of 6 and a $3,000 credit for children ages 6 through 17.

The U.S. Treasury secretary told CNN's Jake Tapper that adopting the president's plan now could quickly speed up job creation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET YELLEN, TREASURY SECRETARY: I would expect it if this package is passed that we would get back to full employment next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders continues to push for a minimum wage hike as part of the COVID relief plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We've got to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. And I can tell you, as chairman of the Budget Committee, we have a roomful 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 reconciliation rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins us from Los Angeles.

Ron, always great to see you, especially on Super Bowl night. Work on the COVID relief package will largely have to take a backseat to the impeachment trial, at least for this week. You can easily see Republicans make the argument by asking what do the American people need more right now, another impeachment trial for a now former president or economic stimulus for millions of Americans that are hurting? What's the best counterargument from Democrats and what's the best for President Biden? RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first, I mean, it

is unrealistic that the full floor action on a reconciliation package would be starting tomorrow. I mean, you know, Democrats are hoping to move the process forward fast enough that they could do it in early March because having to go the reconciliation route does add more time. Reconciliation, of course, is the special budget rules that allow you to pass things with only 51 votes.

If Republicans were, in fact, negotiating along the lines of anything like what Biden is proposing as opposed to an offer of one-third as big as what the administration believes is necessary, perhaps there would be more of a case that, you know, these things will be colliding with each other.

But once you have to do reconciliation, you extend the process. And secondly, the idea that we can just kind of sweep under the rug what happened on January 6th, I mean, the most serious I think armed attempt to overthrow an American election in our history is not only short sighted, it's dangerous.

Because without fully explicating what happened, without establishing consequences for what happened, we run the risk of more of this kind of extremist violence in the months and years ahead.

GOLODRYGA: And that's why I think in the days and even early weeks following the insurrection, there were thoughts that maybe more Republicans would actually be on board with convicting the president. Now we're a month in, and you see GOP senators going on Sunday shows and all but confirming what many have assumed now, that there doesn't seem like there's a pathway to conviction.

Senator Cassidy this morning was laying blame with House Democrats for, as he put it, rushing to impeach without process, even compared it to a Soviet show trial, which I thought was pretty rich. But how do House impeachment managers get through to skeptical Republicans, or can they?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it's very hard. I mean, first of all, the process argument Republicans are making, as you know, basically has no validity in history. I mean, there is precedent for holding an impeachment trial after an official left their position in the 19th Century with the defense secretary. The Senate -- there's already Senate precedent for doing this.

The problem the Republicans have, and it is a complex one, is that roughly three-quarters of their party continues to believe -- of their voters continues to believe the election was stolen, that Donald Trump did nothing wrong since the election, that the Republicans who voted with him to try to overturn the election did nothing wrong.

[23:20:07]

And you're seeing the magnetic pull of that, in making more and more of these officials reluctant to cross that and impose any consequences on Trump. On the other hand, the fact that somewhere between 15 percent and 30 percent of the party, depending on the question and the poll, are alienated by what they see happening, do see it as signs of extremism. That is also kind of an existential threat to Republicans because if anything like those numbers of voters peeled away from the party coalition, they would be in a very difficult position going forward.

GOLODRYGA: And it's clear that President Trump's lawyers will challenge the constitutionality of the trial. Those most serious experts, they would disagree with that argument. "The New York Times" is reporting that the impeachment manager, Jamie Raskin, will now be relying heavily on video as evidence.

"The Times" had even written that if Adam Schiff's team produced an HBO miniseries at last year's impeachment, Raskin is aiming for a blockbuster action film this week. Is this the right tactic to make, to make it very visual?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think it's a tactic to reach the public. But I was struck, as maybe you were, in reading the impeachment managers' brief that they didn't really put in a lot of information in there that went beyond what we already know in the press reporting and what we saw publicly. The question is, are they going to reveal more through witnesses or otherwise about what Trump did that afternoon?

What requests were made of him by, among others, Kevin McCarthy? And how did he react to the requests for greater -- you know, greater help, reinforcements at the Capitol as it was being overrun? What do we know about contacts between people in the Trump orbit and those who ultimately carried out the attack on the Capitol like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn?

I think one question is going to be whether they simply kind of show you the extent to which these rioters said and felt they were taking their cue from Trump and the extent to which they broaden our understanding of exactly what happened that day, which I think is crucial for the American public regardless of whether there are 17 Republicans willing to consider consequences for former President Trump.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That's a great point. Because one argument for waiting a month now and a few weeks is that you do have the opportunity to gather more evidence as opposed to the video, the heinous video, the stunning and shocking video that we've seen, and repeating that for viewers at home and obviously for Republicans as well. So that is interesting to note whether or not we will see anything new and additional.

But in terms of Republicans who continue to support President Trump, Lindsey Graham being front and center, saying today that Trump is still good for the party. Just a little rehab and he'll be fine. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. But assuming that Trump is acquitted, will the base continue to stick with Trump?

BROWNSTEIN: I think a big portion of the Republican base, as I have written for years, is motivated, above all, by anxiety about the way America is changing, demographically, culturally, economically. Two- thirds of Republican voters in polling say discrimination against whites is as big a problem as discrimination against minorities. In America, roughly three-fifths agree with the statement that immigrants are invading our country and replacing our culture.

That is the portion of the Republican base that Trump has spoken to in a more visceral way than really any politician, never, I mean, since George Wallace at least in 1968. I think those voters are going to go down the road with him a long way. But as we saw through the Trump presidency and again in 2020, the price of that is erosion for Republicans in the white-collar suburbs that they used to dominate.

And that's what tipped Georgia, that's what tipped Arizona, with Maricopa County. That's really what tipped back Pennsylvania, with the suburbs of Philadelphia. So as I said in the beginning, they are kind of caught in between. Trump does have the whip hand in the party. Most of the party is with Trump.

But the part of the coalition that is uneasy with him is plenty large enough to do big damage to Republicans if they conclude that the party is turning too far toward extremism and that is the conundrum they are caught in.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. You would think that with Trump not being on Twitter anymore, that perhaps he had been a bit muted but at least within the party it's anything but.

Ron Brownstein, I know we'll see you in the next hour as well. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

GOLODRYGA: And you can catch our special live coverage of Donald Trump's second impeachment trial throughout the day on Tuesday right here on CNN.

And in the race against the COVID variants, the U.S. is running behind. More contagious coronavirus is spreading fast. More on that, coming up after the break.

And AstraZeneca's vaccine rollout in South Africa is put on pause. The study behind the health officials' decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:28:29]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

Well, the New England Patriots flew more than 75 vaccinated health care workers to Tampa aboard their team playing to see the Super Bowl. The plane was used in April to transport more than one million protective masks from China to the U.S. The health care workers flew from New England were all among the nearly 8,000 front line heroes who got free tickets to Sunday's big game. And boy, do they deserve it.

The more contagious variant of COVID-19 that was first found in the U.K. is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. A new study finds cases here are doubling every 10 days. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are nearly 700 cases in 33 states linked to the U.K. strain. And on Sunday, the U.S. passed 27 million total cases since the pandemic began.

In a CBS News interview, President Joe Biden blamed the Trump administration for the current level of vaccinations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS HOST: The Trump administration?

BIDEN: The Trump administration. We thought that 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 everywhere we can. I got a call through Commissioner Goodell saying we could have all 32 NFL stadiums available for mass vaccinations. We are --

[23:30:00]

O'DONNELL: Are you going to use them NFL stadiums?

BIDEN: Absolutely, we will. I mean, let me put this way. I'm telling my team, they're available and I believe we'll use them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Meantime, health officials in South Africa are pausing the country's rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine. A study indicates it gives minimal protection against mild and moderate cases of the variant first identify there.

CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez joins us live from Los Angeles. Doctor, thank you so much for joining us. Let me get your response to the halting of the AstraZeneca vaccine in South Africa. How big of a setback is that?

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, it's a huge setback. But I think it's the right thing to do. You know, when the pharmaceutical company itself comes out and says that their vaccine is not protective against this very contagious, and possibly deadly variant, you know, that it really isn't working well, they couldn't even create enough what are called neutralizing antibodies in 2,000 patients to really say that this is going to be effective.

So for right now, it is definitely the right move, it seems like they're working on a new genetically modified vaccine that may and probably will work against this variant.

GOLODRYGA: So that's the South African variant, which has health officials most alarmed. But in terms of the U.K. variant that we've been warned about, as well, the variants are here, according to reports, they're becoming more dominant and the vaccines may not be a perfect match, how much is your concern level rising because of that?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, my concern level is rising because this virus is mutating. So quickly. We're going to have many variants coming along, there already have been thousands of mutations.

So right now, the two vaccines that have been given in the United States, the Pfizer, and the Moderna seem to be effective, highly effective against these variants. But what the message that needs to keep getting out there is that the virus doesn't replicate in thin air, it has to invade humans in order to make more viruses. And that's where mutations happen.

So even though you don't get sick, if you catch the virus, you are contributing to the mutation of the virus and possibly a much more virulent type of virus.

GOLODRYGA: Making this situation much more complex throughout the world. And it brought me to the conclusion that I think many health experts, including the former CDC director had mentioned as well in that this will likely be here for a while, right, we talked about going back to normal, things will get better, maybe we'll get more acclimated to this to this virus. But it'll be here similar to a flu.

Do you think that most Americans realize that as well? Or do they do still they think there's this end date insight that's approaching?

RODRIGUEZ: I agree with you, I think they -- they think that there is this end date coming at the end of the year, that everything is going to be back to normal. And I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. But no, it is not going to be. This is going to be around for many, many years in one form or another, hopefully a little bit more diminished.

Let's just consider this. Even if everybody in the United States gets vaccinated, the rest of the world still needs to get vaccinated. There are going to be variants arising. And I think the United Nations Secretary General said today in the southern world, and we're not isolated, there's going to be commerce between many parts of the world, there needs to be commerce.

So it's going to be probably a slow burn for many years. And hopefully, we'll get it contained to a manageable level.

GOLODRYGA: In business, as we know are having to adjust as well and particular international travel and much more. We live in a global world where we're connected, as you said to other countries, even if we have people here in the United States vaccinated.

President Biden is pushing to get schools open. This is front and center and top of mind for millions of American families. He wants to do this in the next 100 days. We saw some good news today deal struck in Chicago and San Francisco.

What is the best course of action to keep them safe? We want to keep teachers safe, we want to keep students safe. The evidence does suggest that students and teachers can be safe if mitigation is in place, even without a vaccine. But is that going to be enough to convince teachers to come back?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I don't think that is going to be enough to convince teachers back but I guess that's not my sphere of influence.

In my opinion, the first things that we need to do is prioritize teachers getting vaccinated so that they feel comfortable and safer, to come back to work and to teach kids. Secondly, we need to improve the school environment, school and classes were overcrowded to begin with somehow that needs to be worked on immediately and better ventilation, better aeration and yes, you know, that's not something that's growing happen overnight.

[23:35:00]

Now, another kinking in this wheel or sort of another cog in this wheel is the fact that nobody really knows how these variants which we're talking about are going to be affecting children in Europe, there's information that they may be more contagious in children. So this is, well a three dimensional puzzle that is moving at the same time.

GOLODRYGA: And we don't yet have studies showing us the effects of vaccines on children as well. And that could be months down the road. But obviously this is a number one issue to get students back into the classroom--

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely.

GOLODRYGA: -- both for themselves academically and for the economy. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, it's great to talk to you I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much.

RODRIGUEZ: Have a great day.

GOLODRYGA: Well, hospitals in Texas are dealing with a dramatic surge in COVID patients especially along the southern border.

CNN's Ed Lavandera spoke to a patient fighting for his life and yearning to be reunited with his wife and kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Coronavirus has held an excruciating grip of Jose Limon lungs since mid-January. Even as his voice trails off, it's clear he has one thing on his mind.

JOSE LIMON, COVID-19 PATIENT: Well I miss -- I miss -- I miss my family.

LAVANDERA: All this anxious time alone gives a 60-year-old man time to reflect on what matters most. So Limon thinks a lot about how he loves coaching baseball teams and dressing up as Santa Claus for kids around his hometown of Del Rio, Texas.

LIMON: I need to get back with them. We're going to make it.

LAVANDERA: He requires around the clock oxygen, but the desire to reunite with his wife and three children is his motivation.

LIMON: Going to get out of here. We're going to do it. We're going to make it.

LANA SANCHEZ, NURSE, VAL VERDE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: He's a fan favorite up here. He's a super sweet man and he keeps you going.

LAVANDERA: Lana Sanchez has been by Limon side in the Val Verde Regional Medical Center.

Sanchez has spent the pandemic inside this ICU treating the sickest patients. Her eyes are often the last thing a patient sees before they're put on a ventilator.

SANCHEZ: One of the worst things is the fear in their eyes right before they get intubated. Because I think it's that moment of, I don't know if I'm going to live, I can't breathe. So I think that is something really hard to see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is our ICU.

LAVANDERA: Last week, the Val Verde Regional Medical Center allowed CNN inside its COVID ICU to document the challenges facing their medical teams. Clinical coordinator, Leila Cervantez tells us they're working on moving a ventilated patient to a hospital in San Antonio for more specialized care. A nearly three hour drive.

LEILA CERVANTEZ, ICU CLINICAL COORDINATOR, VAL VERDE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: His oxygen started to dip down again, we had to hold up on the transfer till he's a little bit more stable.

LAVANDERA: On this day, last week, six of the seven beds in the hospital's ICU were filled with COVID patients. And in a second COVID wing, the number of sick jumped from six to 12 in just a few days.

Dr. Aurelio Laing is a battle weary veteran of the coronavirus pandemic.

DR. AURELIO LAING, PHYSICIAN, VAL VERDE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: It hit us like a train. We got through it. We lost a lot of friends, we lost employees, lost family members. I've signed so many death certificates in this past year, probably more than my whole career. And that's it's that's the worst part of it.

Aurelio Laing: The number of people hospitalized in Texas by the coronavirus reached record highs in recent weeks. The virus is ravaging the area around the South Texas town of Laredo, which currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country.

Dr. Ricardo Cigarroa runs a clinic in Laredo where he treats COVID patients every night. He's known as the Dr. Fauci of Laredo. Cigarroa says COVID is like an assassin in his hometown.

DR. RICARDO CIGARROA, CARDIOLOGIST IN LAREDO, TEXAS: We have a sniper here that has killed 600 people and is on track to kill another 1000 before this year is up, and we don't fear it. I guarantee you that was a sniper with a rifle. There wouldn't be one parent mending their child out.

LAVANDERA: A week after we saw Jose Limon in the ICU. He fought back and was well enough to leave the hospital. He wiped tears from his eyes as he reunited with his family.

At the Del Rio hospital another COVID patient needs urgent care. Paul Perry arrived in the emergency room this morning. He's being rushed to San Antonio for more intensive care.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Might be the last time I see him. So I asked him if I could see him. And he told me you can get close.

LAVANDERA: His wife tells us he felt fine the day before. Now she's left waving goodbye from a distance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm scared not having him come back home to me.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Laredo, Texas.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And thanks to Ed Lavandera for that important reporting. Well, it's been one week since the military coup in Myanmar. Thousands of people, activists and civilians alike are taken to the streets demanding democracy. We'll show you more straight ahead.

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[23:43:38]

GOLODRYGA: Search and rescue operations are underway in northern India after a glacier burst causing flash flooding. At least seven people have died so far. And 125 people are still missing. The Himalayan glacier broke apart and swept away a dam. The U.N. Secretary General says they are ready to assist with relief efforts.

And protesters are marching in cities across Myanmar for the third straight day. Caps weekend of growing civil disobedience tens of thousands turned out against the military junta that seized power in a coup just one week ago. Protesters are shouting pro-democracy slogans and demanding the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. And they're getting support from the U.S. and the Pope.

Paula Hancocks has the latest from Seoul. Paula, what are we seeing on the streets today, as we mentioned, this is the third straight day of protests.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Bianna. And what we're seeing is more numbers really coming out onto the streets as you say it's the third day in a row that we've seen these protesters coming out and it does appear to be picking up momentum.

Now what we're seeing today this Monday is Student Union led protests. In some cases, we're also seeing teachers engineers have joined this protest. And in addition, some nurses as well. Many of them are holding up the three finger salute to show their protests against what the military did just a week ago now, the military coup that happened in Myanmar.

[23:45:08]

Now we're also hearing and seeing from videos on social media from on the ground that there are monks who are involved in this as well. Many people are cheering, whether they're outside their homes or their businesses, and egging on those on the streets also seen a number of cars honking their horns in support as well.

So what we're really seeing is these numbers on the street starting to pick up now there was a statement earlier on social media, which has really only been working since Sunday afternoon, the military had been blocking the likes of, of Twitter and Facebook. And it was very difficult for people to get information around.

But what we're seeing is they're calling for this not to be a pro-NLD protest or March. This is the National League for Democracy, who won that democratic election back in November, of which Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader.

They're saying this isn't about being pro-NLD. It's about being against the military dictatorship. They say that has taken their democracy from them, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And this is a country that has had military unrest and political unrest going back decades. The military hasn't hesitated in the past to turn violent and more aggressive. Is there any indication that they may move in that direction now?

HANCOCKS: At this point, that isn't but certainly that is going to be one of the main concerns of people within Myanmar and also those from the outside looking in. There have been many statements from leaders around the world calling on the military to refrain from violence.

In fact, we had that from the U.S. ambassador to Myanmar, just earlier saying that said that Aung San Suu Kyi and the elected leaders need to be released, and the military needs to refrain from violence.

Now, of course, the most bloody crackdown we did see was the late 1980s in Myanmar. There has been clearly a generational change within the military since that time, but of course, no one knows for sure exactly how far they would go to try and quell these protests. As of now, though, they do appear to be largely peaceful.

GOLODRYGA: Let's hope they stay that way. As we know, President Biden said that he is paying close attention to what's unfolding there as well. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for your reporting. We appreciate it.

We'll turn it back to the U.S. the weekend didn't disappoint with this year Super Bowl halftime show. We'll break down his performance plus a special pregame appearance from star poet Amanda Gorman. We'll be right back.

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[23:51:34]

GOLODRYGA: Well, this year Super Bowl halftime show had everything you could ask for bright lights fireworks and a football field full of dancers. The Weeknd own the stage as he performed hits like Can't Feel My Face, Starboy and Blinding Not Lights.

There were no surprise guests though, only members of the Weeknd's production team were involved due to COVID protocols.

CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas joins me now with more. So Chloe, the Weeknd spent $7 million of his own money for tonight's show. Did his investment pay off?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Oh, man, look, I wish I could tell you that it did. And I am a fan of the Weeknd. So people listening right now you can't hate me for saying this. But people are taking to social media Bianna, saying that he didn't deliver and that it was visually chaotic.

I'm not saying I completely agree with that assessment. But he is getting some harsh criticism right now and people poking fun. You know, with some of the camera work and people saying it was making them dizzy. But I want you all to take a listen to a little bit of his performance.

I mean, look, when you compare it to last year with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and, you know 2015 Lenny Kravitz with Katy Perry and I just caught up with Lenny Kravitz recently. You know, this is a show Lenny was telling me where everything is about precision, and it's really timed. It's a tough stage to take.

And I think you know, he did hold his own. You know, but again, is he one of the greatest halftime performers out there with the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Beyonce, I don't know if he makes that top 10 cut to be honest with you.

GOLODRYGA: See, I think the gold goes to Prince topping his performance. I just think is impossible, but I I'm an outlier, maybe Chloe. I'm a huge fan of the Weeknd. I watched this. I purposely didn't look at social media to see the reaction there. And I enjoyed it. I mean, did it wow, me. No, but I thought he did a good job.

So it was interesting then to turn to Twitter and see people really tearing this apart. I'm sorry, I don't have better words to say. But in terms of other performances in the past, I mean, it's hard to beat somebody like Prince, it's hard to beat somebody like Bruno Mars, where would you rank this one?

MELAS: I mean, look, I'm not going to put it in the top 10. But again, I mean, I remember going to see the Weeknd at Coachella many years ago when he was just starting out. I'm a big fan of his in Blinding Lights. I did play it all summer and my three-year-old huge fan of that song as well.

So it's definitely not in my top 10. But do you want to know who is in my top 10, Amanda Gorman, she blew everybody away, you know, as the first poet to ever perform at the Super Bowl. And she did an original poem called the Chorus of the Captains. It was pre-taped and it was a, you know, paying homage to three real life heroes in LA teacher, an ICU nurse in Tampa and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Twitter erupted with praise in this case, from Kerry Washington, to Billie Jean King saying Amanda Gorman shines again.

[23:55:07]

Now this is a woman right now we're all eyes are on her. And she really she can do no wrong. She is so incredibly talented.

GOLODRYGA: She made me think why don't we hear poetry at every football game? Honestly, it just worked. She is so magical. I think she could make a beautiful poem out of just about anything, the talent that woman has, is just breathtaking.

Were there any other viral moments that you think we'll be talking about tomorrow night at the watercooler because most people don't go into the office these days. But Zoom meetings, Zoom calls.

MELAS: Exactly like GChat or I guess Slack and everything like that.

GOLODRYGA: Right. Right.

MELAS: So here is the ad that everybody is talking about. Because you know, one of the reasons to tune into the Super Bowl is for the commercials now this year, you know, big companies, some pulling out deciding not to advertise, but that was not the case for Jeep. And they went no further than the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, and he was part of a commercial called the middle.

It was two minutes about how this country is polarized from social justice to politics just completely divided down the middle and calling for unity. And that's what people are talking about.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that really stood out as well. Really poignant, really poignant ad, Chloe Melas, so much to talk about from last night. Thank you for wrapping up some of it with us. Always great to have your perspective. Good to see you. Really appreciate it.

MELAS: Thank you. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'll be back in just a moment with more news.

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