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Democrats Plan Video Evidence At Trump Impeachment Trail; Tampa Bay Bucks Take Super Bowl 31-9; Myanmar Protests Gain Momentum, So Far Peaceful; South Africa Pauses AstraZeneca Vaccine; Some Experts Say $1.9T Stimulus Could Speed Job Recovery; Navalny Supporters Regrouping after Police Crackdowns; Netanyahu at Courthouse to Enter Plea; The Highs and Lows of Super Bowl Entertainment. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 08, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
Washington prepares for a historic impeachment trial, putting Democrats and Republicans in control of former president Donald Trump's political fate.
Title number seven for the so-called GOAT of football. Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominate over the Chiefs in Super Bowl.
And later, Russia's opposition leader is in prison. So has his sentencing silenced Putin critics?
It will be an unprecedented moment in American history when former U.S. president Donald Trump's second impeachment trial begins Tuesday.
But senators on both sides are hoping for a speedy trial and many Democrats say they want to get back to focusing on the COVID relief bill.
Trump is accused of inciting a mob of his own supporters, resulting in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last month. Democrats are planning to show a lot of video evidence to build their case.
However, there appears to be no doubt about the ultimate outcome of the trial; that Trump will be acquitted once again by the Senate as it will likely be impossible to get 17 Republicans to cross party lines to vote to convict.
We also still don't know how long the trial will last or if any witnesses will be called.
Here's what some Republican senators are saying about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK TODD, HOST, MEET THE PRESS: Do you think the outcome is predetermine here?
SEN. BILL CASSIDY, (R-LA): Do I interpret -- yes. Oh -- 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 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.): 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)
GOLODRYGA: CNN legal analyst, Elie Honig, joins me now.
Elie, so let's pick up with what we just heard from senator Rand Paul, that this was not a legitimate proceeding to begin with.
Because we do see a top Republican, a conservative lawyer, breaking with that argument saying that, in fact, he can be tried for impeachment.
And here's what he said. I'm talking about a lawyer, Charles Cooper, who's a stalwart of the conservative legal establishment.
And he says, quote: "It defies logic to suggest that the Senate is prohibited from trying and convicting former office holders."
How much of a setback is this for Republicans given that this is a dominant argument for them?
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So I think what Republicans are doing here, Bianna, is being legally opportunistic.
I think when you look at Rand Paul, I think he knows where he wants to end up. He knows he wants to have this escape hatch to vote not guilty while still being able to distance himself from Donald Trump's actual conduct.
Now we don't have a specific answer this question in the constitution or from the Supreme Court. But as the editorial you referenced I think makes clear, by far the stronger legal argument is, of course, you can charge and impeach and try a former official. Otherwise, it would just be sort of a free-for-all in those final days of the presidency.
Also, keep in mind, the constitution gives us a specific punishment for this of disqualification.
The article makes a good point that if the only possible punishment was removal maybe then there would be a argument that you could only do it for a current officer. But the fact that you can disqualify? That's the punishment that applies to a former official like Donald Trump.
GOLODRYGA: And let's talk about the other argument that the president's lawyers will make and that is that he is protected by his First Amendment right, freedom of speech and that should vindicate him from any further questions about the role that he may have played in inciting this insurrection. Does that have legs to stand on?
HONIG: Well, we'll definitely hear that this week on the floor of the Senate. That First Amendment argument, that free speech argument, really relies on a very myopic view of the law.
What the lawyers are trying to do and they've done this in the briefs, they say let's look at each individual sentence that Donald Trump said to that crowd.
[01:05:00]
Well, he said you've got to fight like hell. Well, you might say that in a football game, they argue in one of their papers.
Well, yes. But it's different standing in a stadium with a bunch of people in pads playing a game versus standing in front of that crowd waving confederate flags and some wearing Nazi gear and telling them no, we're going to go down to the Capitol.
And I think it's going to be a question of -- the House impeachment managers are going to say look at all the conduct, look at the conduct that led up to it. Look at the reason Donald Trump called them down to Washington D.C. on January 6th -- that's the day the electoral votes were being counted.
Look at what Donald Trump said to them right before they stormed the Capitol and look what he did after. He praised them, he said you're great patriots after they stormed the Capitol and destroyed it.
So I think the argument's going to be if you look at all the conduct it definitely crosses the line of First Amendment free speech. That's what you'll hear from the House managers this week.
GOLODRYGA: In terms of the House managers and what we'll hear from them, they only need to look back one year to the last time that President Trump was on trial with the impeachment and was impeached and went before the Senate. He wasn't convicted then.
But I'm wondering from what you saw from the House and from impeachment managers then as to how they put together their argument and their case, will we see similarities this week or do you think they're going to take a different route?
HONIG: So the biggest difference now is this is a much more different straightforward fact pattern than the Ukraine scandal last year, right? The Ukraine scandal involved dozens of players, lots of sort of conversations that needed to be interpreted and linked up. It was a complex fact pattern. What we have here I think is much more straightforward. Donald Trump
called this group together, riled them up using the big lie of election fraud and then inspired them, incited them to go down to the Capitol.
So I think that we're going to see a different case. I think it's going to be more compact, I don't think it's going to last 21 days like last year, I think it will maybe will be in the five to ten-day range.
I think you're going to see a lot more video evidence here of what happened in the Capitol.
So while it is crazy to think that we are now are about to have two impeachment trials in a little more than a year, I think they're going to be very different in how they look and feel.
GOLODRYGA: Especially with the video that we all saw in the horror and shock just one month ago, the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. It's quite different from a conversation between two presidents, right?
HONIG: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: So this will be a different trial that's going to rely a lot more on video.
Nonetheless, it's going to be riveting to watch this all unfold this week. We'll be covering it live on CNN.
CNN legal analyst, Elie Honig. Thank you for joining us, you can get some sleep now. Thank you. Really appreciate it.
HONIG: Thanks, Bianna. Glad to be with you.
GOLODRYGA: And you, as I mentioned, you can catch our special live coverage of Donald Trump's second impeachment trial throughout the day on Tuesday right here on CNN.
Well, America's premier sporting event has wrapped up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Tom Brady clinched his seventh championship overall. He took home his fifth Super Bowl's most valuable player award as well.
Because of the pandemic the game is played in front of a limited crowd. Only about 25,000 spectators were allowed in the stands but it capped a successful season for the NFL. They weren't forced to cancel one single game because of COVID-19.
CNN's Andy Scholes is live in Atlanta with more on the game.
And, Andy, let's just pick up on that. Because everything else aside, this has been a successful year and season for the NFL given that not one game has been canceled. And, once again, we have Tom Brady --
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- the oldest ever to win a Super Bowl at 43 years old. Well deserved MVP.
SCHOLES: Yes. And Bianna, it's fitting in a year where most of us had to stay at home, Tom Brady is the first quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl in his home stadium.
This game, it was built up, it was going to be this awesome matchup between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, was it going to be the passing of the torch? Well, the game didn't really live up to the hype.
It wasn't close to the second half, we didn't get any kind of epic finish but we did get to see history with Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl title. The 43-year old now has more Super Bowl rings than any other team in NFL history. Brady just proving he can go anywhere and win.
And he convinced his old buddy, Rob Gronkowski, to come out of retirement and join him in Tampa. They put on a show at the Super Bowl, Brady finding Gronk for two touchdowns in the first half. They've now hooked up for more touchdowns than any other duo in post- season history.
The Bucks built up a big lead at halftime of 21-6. And then defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, and that Bucks D was just relentless all game long. They pressured Patrick Mahomes more than any quarterback in Super Bowl history.
This was the first time in Mahomes' amazing career that the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown, Brady three touchdown passes in the game. He was named (inaudible) MVP of the Super Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
[01:10:00]
Bucks victorious over the Chiefs, 31 to 9.
TOM BRADY, SUPER BOWL MVP: I'm so proud of all these guys out here. Everything we dealt with all year. We had a rough month of November but V.A. (ph) had all the confidence in us, the team had a lot of confidence. We came together at the right time -- I think we knew this was going to happen now, didn't we?
We ended up playing our best game of the year.
SCHOLES: And Brady also adding that he is absolutely coming back beyond that. And wouldn't surprise anyone if he was in the Super Bowl again next year at age 44.
GOLODRYGA: And we would love to see that, given the performance that we saw tonight. It was interesting at the end of the game you saw him and Patrick Mahomes sort of hug it out, and Patrick congratulating him. And Brady said stay in touch.
And I'm curious to get your take as to what went wrong with Patrick Mahomes' game today, was it just that the offensive line wasn't there for him? I felt for him every single time I saw a sack coming on.
SCHOLES: Yes. His left tackler, Fisher, was injured earlier in the playoffs and he wasn't there for this game. And that's the best offensive lineman. And the Tampa Bay Bucks defensive line, one of the best in football.
And they've been peaking at the right time. Just think about the quarterbacks they beat to get to this point. They beat Drew Brees, they beat Aaron Rogers, now they beat Patrick Mahomes, one of the best runs we've seen from a defense in a very long time.
And they put it all together. And Mahomes really had no chance all game long.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Look, he's 25 years old, he is a superstar and we will see him for years to come, I'm sure of that. But for now, tonight, it is Tom Brady who we are celebrating. A well deserved win.
Andy Scholes, thank you. We appreciate it.
SCHOLES: All right.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the crowds of the Super Bowl fans who gathered in Tampa's nightlife district are the real concern right now.
There were very few masks and social distancing appeared to be the last thing on anyone's mind.
CNN's Randi Kaye was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was quite a game and certainly quite a crowd here in Tampa.
There is a mask mandate for people who are in the entertainment zones and the entertainment areas. You have to wear a mask if you can't safely social distance or face a fine up to $500. But a lot of people are ignoring that mask mandate.
In fact, we have video of an area known as Ybor City were hundreds of people were lining the streets. They were going to bars and restaurants, many of them maskless -- they were inside the clubs.
Certainly, the city is being asked why they didn't do more to enforce the mask mandate.
We called the mayor's office today which sent me to the police in Tampa. And when I asked them, they said -- the spokesperson said that they were very disappointed certainly about one gathering, one event at a bar and grill at a hotel here in Tampa. They were very concerned about that. The spokesman for the police telling me that they have a level of responsibility that must be followed or risk being shut down.
Now that particular event was supposed to have a mask mandate and temperature checks in place but it's unclear if any of that was followed. In terms of citations or fines that were issued, the Tampa police wouldn't say how many, if any at all, were issued in the city.
KAYE (On Camera): Randi Kaye, CNN, Tampa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Randi for that.
Well, parts of Europe can breathe a bit easier thanks to falling COVID cases.
But fears of new virus variants are pushing the U.K. to consider the future of its vaccines.
[01:15:00]
(CNN HIGHLIGHT)
MATTHEW MCCARTHY, CEO, BEN & JERRY'S: As a business owner, it's my responsibility to take care of our people and also to take care of our consumers.
I think we've learned that the confluence of running a business, taking care of your staff, taking care of the people that you serve, are inseparable from the communities that businesses are part of.
I think Jerry and Ben when they founded this business 42 years ago understood that business was one of, if not the most powerful force in society. And it must be part of addressing the stuff that we're facing in our communities.
And sometimes people ask me, they say aren't you afraid of alienating consumers or business, maybe they should just stay out of these topics? I frankly think that's really ridiculous.
We are part of the fabric of our communities, we employ people, we create economic opportunity. We should be part of all of the situations.
They doesn't mean that everybody's going to agree. And that's perfectly fine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. has now surpassed 27 million confirmed coronavirus cases according to Johns Hopkins University.
The CDC says so far more than 40 million vaccine doses have been administered but just over 9 million Americans all fully vaccinated.
In an interview with "CBS News," President Joe Biden explains why more vaccines have not made it into arms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was one thing if we had enough vaccine, which we didn't, so I'm pushing as hard as we can to get more vaccines manufactured.
NORAH O'DONNELL, ANCHOR, CBS EVENING NEWS: 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 next -- this summer is very difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And then there's this disturbing news. That highly contagious variant first detected in the U.K. is spreading rapidly in the U.S..
A new report estimates that it's up to 45 percent more transmissible than earlier strains and doubling about every 10 days.
The CDC predicts the variant could be the predominant strain in the U.S. as soon as next month.
And new cases of the coronavirus are dropping in parts of Europe. The U.K., Spain and Germany have seen a steady fall in new cases over the last seven days.
But new virus variants mean some approved vaccines must reformulate to stay effective. The U.K.'s vaccine deployment minister says getting COVID-19 booster shots later this year followed by annual vaccinations could be a possibility.
So far, the U.K. has given over 12 million people their first vaccine shot and is on track to vaccinate the most vulnerable groups by mid- February.
And South Africa has paused its rolled out of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. It comes after a study showed it offered minimal protection against mild and moderate infections from the variant first detected in the country.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins me from London and CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in South Africa with more.
And Eleni, South Africa just received those doses. What are they going to do with them now?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, 1 million doses and the plan was that we have an aggressive rollout specifically targeting essential workers and healthcare workers.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, however, has now shown to not be effective against the variant that has emerged in South Africa.
[01:20:00]
The trials that were conducted up until the end of October 2020 showed a 75 percent efficacy rate in minimizing the contraction of COVID-19 but substantially diminished its efficacy against the variant. And, in fact, they say that it offers minimal protection against contracting COVID, mild or moderate cases; they say, however, they are hopeful that it might have an impact on severe illnesses. But that is still very much a big question and unknown.
Now the government says it is halting, it's pausing the rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine. What they will be doing with these doses still they are discussing at this point in time. But they have alluded to the fact that perhaps they will still go ahead and roll out the AstraZeneca vaccination to protect against the first strain of COVID- 19 and then focus and expedite the trials and usage of other vaccines that might be better equipped to deal with the variant.
Even the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccine showed diminished efficacy rates against the variant at however slightly better what we've seen with AstraZeneca. This is a highly transmissible variant that has emerged in South Africa, it's gone beyond South Africa's borders, the country is now firmly in the second wave.
And we're seeing big concerns about what it would mean. The big question with all these variants is just how -- what the efficacy will be of the vaccines that have been produced. And right now we're sitting with a problem.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. No doubt this was a big setback from AstraZeneca. Eleni, thank you.
And Salma, now to you. Variants, like the one in the U.K. are a major issue of concern, especially here in the U.S. right now.
How do officials plan on keeping any new variants from spreading? Are vaccines the answer?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Very good question, Bianna. Just as you heard from my colleague there, Eleni, not always. Vaccines are not always the answer. But so far it's all we have, is these vaccines.
So what's the plan here? The plan here is to make future plans for future variants so the government has a program, a genomic sequencing program, where they're trying to library all of the variants.
They're working on changing these vaccinations so they can deal with future variants. For example, Oxford University and AstraZeneca say they'll have a new vaccine by the fall to deal with that South Africa variant because of that limited efficacy. And also making plans for possibly annual vaccinations.
Take a listen to what the vaccine minister said yesterday. NADHIM ZAHAWI, BRITISH VACCINE MINISTER: We see very much probably an
annual or a booster in the autumn, and then an annual -- in the way we do with flu vaccinations. Where you look at what variant of virus is spreading around the world, you rapidly produce a varianted vaccine and then begin to vaccinate to protect the nation.
ABDELAZIZ: So the authorities here have already made agreements with manufacturers around the world to try to be prepared to create these future vaccines for these future variants. In addition to the vaccines, of course, there's very tough travel restrictions, tough rules in place. You can't come into the U.K. unless you show a negative test, you can't leave the U.K. unless you have an essential travel reason.
But let's be honest. To be honest, this is the first country that was really hit hard by one of these variants and they simply don't want to live that nightmare again.
GOLODRYGA: And the country one of the best in genomic sequencing as well. It's something the U.S. ranks I believe 44th in in the world. And that is the key to staying on top of these variants.
Huge headache, nonetheless, for all of these countries as the vaccines are being shipped out as well.
Eleni Giokos in St. Francis Bay, South Africa and Salma Abdelaziz in London, thank you to you both.
Well, pro-democracy demonstrators march in cities across Myanmar for the third straight day.
Video from Reuters shows police in the country's capital turning water cannons onto a crowd. It appears some people were injured but Reuters reports police stopped the cannons after protesters appealed to them.
Across the country, tens of thousands have been turning out against the military coup just one week ago. Marchers are demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders.
Paula Hancocks is monitoring events from Seoul and joins us now.
So, Paula, we know this is the third day of protesters. They are getting bigger now in the streets, the junta hasn't stepped them to stop them at some point.
But is that the next concern, that this could become more aggressive and we could potentially see violence?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, that's certainly a concern, not just within Myanmar but also from leaders around the world. Which is why we're hearing the call from so many leaders saying that the military should refrain from violence.
But we are seeing these protests pick up momentum, we are seeing more and more people coming out onto the streets. Monday, for example, today, there were many student unions that were
leading the protests but on top of that you have teachers, engineers, some nurses came out as well. We are seeing more participation by monks within these protests as well.
[01:25:00]
And we're seeing people outside their homes or their businesses coming out onto the street as the march is going past and applauding, cars driving past and honking. So it really feels like this is building momentum.
And many of the organizers do say that they want things to be non- violent. That they are calling for the military dictatorship, as they call it, to step down.
They are calling on Aung San Suu Kyi, the state counselor and the other elected officials, that were democratically elected last November, to be freed from detention as well.
We know that Aung San Suu Kyi is still in detention as we understand it, we don't know exactly where she is being held.
But this is really starting to become bigger. Now, as you say, there was that Reuters video of water cannons being used in one instance.
On Sunday there was an instance, we understand, just on the Thai Myanmar border where police actually shot to try and disperse crowds. It's unclear if the guns that were shot actually injured anybody at this point.
But apart from those two instances, we haven't seen any widespread crackdown by the military. But, of course, it is one of the concerns.
And we have been hearing, as I say, from leaders around the world. We've been hearing from the U.S. ambassador to Myanmar saying that the military should not carry out any violence and all detainees should be let go.
And also even hearing from Pope Francis saying he stands with the people of Myanmar. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: The turnout and the crowds there in protest really speaks to the popularity of Aung San Suu Kyi as well. And as you mentioned, the whole world is watching.
President Biden here in the States says he's paying close attention to this as well.
Paula Hancocks, I know you'll be covering this for us in the days ahead. Thank you so much, we appreciate it.
And coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. President Biden promises to go big on coronavirus relief, even if it means going it alone with the Democrats.
We'll look at the pandemic's latest hit to the U.S. economy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HIGHLIGHT)
LAURA TRANTHAM, FOUNDER, RIDE MY ROAD: When you're on a motorcycle, you're experiencing the world in such a different way.
When you hit the open road and there's nothing but kind of the sunset that you're chasing, it really does give you a sense of what it means to be alive.
My name is Lauren Trantham and I'm the founder and executive director of Ride My Road.
Ride my Road is a fund-raising organization. We primarily operate within the motorcycle community to raise funds and awareness around the topic of human trafficking in the United States.
In 2016, I was going through a divorce and it was a really tough time for me. And so I decided to jump on my motorcycle and take my camera. I did 10,000 miles across America, I photographed 40 survivors.
That was really how I began this journey, was more as a personal project, as a photographer. With just this idea, this thought that can we heal a broken heart through helping others.
Survivors are literally the best among us. They have persevered and have so much resilience and we have so much to learn from them.
We look at vulnerable people and think that maybe they're just cast aside or they're not important. But I think, really, we need to look to them if we want to move forward on issues like human trafficking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:54]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me thank you and all of our essential workers. Just remember we all can do our part to save lives. Wear masks. Stay socially-distanced. Get tested. Get vaccinated when it's your turn. And most of all, let's remember all of those who we lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BIANNA GOLODRYGAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Joe Biden there thanking frontline workers for their efforts during the pandemic and urging Americans to wear masks.
The president is hoping to fulfill his campaign promise and go big on a much needed COVID relief package. He is still hoping for bipartisan support to push his nearly $2 trillion plan through. Though he admits Republicans don't seem willing to go as big as he wants. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning that if Congress doesn't act soon the unemployment rate will likely stay above 4 percent until at least 2025.
CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios joins me now from Abu Dhabi. So John, does the latest jobless report provide momentum for the Biden administration to see a larger stimulus bill be completed?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Bianna, it's almost that the bad news now could provide a bigger package and faster from the Biden administration, although as you were suggesting in your lead in there, there's a lot of pushback from the Republican Party because this nearly matches what we saw in March of last year in the first stimulus package.
But Biden was responding to the fact that the unemployment report Friday had some pretty dire news. Let's take a closer look at the full tally.
Just 49,000 jobs created in January after losing 140,000. So this is well below average as you know. The unemployment rate looks promising at 6.3 percent falling from 6.7. But that's because millions of Americans are no longer looking for work. They just don't see the opportunity.
And we have nearly 10 million Americans out of a job since February 2020. We saw that record low unemployment rate below 3 percent. So Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary was suggesting with this level of dislocation, you have to have something that has both scale and focus to help the American worker.
Let's listen to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We have 10 million Americans who are unemployed, another four million who have dropped out of the labor force. Particularly women who have childcare responsibilities.
We need to reopen our schools. Make sure that children aren't not falling behind. Provide help. We already have way too many small businesses that are closing. We need to provide help to get them to the other side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Now the argument Yellen is making, if we get the package through we could get back to full employment by the end of 2022. The Congressional Budget Office was suggesting it could take until 2024.
She was saying without something of this scale it could be as long as something you are suggesting there 2025, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And of course, Janet Yellen prior to her position as treasury secretary was the fed chair as well. So this is an area that she knows very well indeed. But there does seems to be a robust debate that the wider implications of perhaps overdoing this round of spending most notably about sparking inflation. Incidentally that's something the Fed oversees as well.
What did Secretary Yellen say about that?
DEFTERIOS: I'm glad you flagged she was the Fed chair chief and said she is very aware of the inflation rate threat. But the pushback wasn't coming from the Republican Party this time. It came from the Democrats.
Lawrence Summers, now of Harvard University who was U.S. Treasury Secretary to Bill Clinton and also served in the Obama administration said this level of spending of nearly $2 trillion could unleash inflation we haven't seen in a generation. I remember it studying it late 1970s, early 1980s. It took Paul Volcker who was the Fed chair at the time to stamp it out.
[01:34:49]
DEFTERIOS: She says she is aware of all the risk. But the biggest risk right now is having this permanent dislocation of the workers. And she seemed to get pretty decent backing from the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva saying that she is a Fed experienced banker.
She will watch inflation but it is the threat of not getting jobs again that has to be priority number one, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, kind of comical to see so many Republicans citing Larry Summers of all people in their defense.
John Defterios --
(CROSSTALK)
GOLODRYGA: -- in Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much.
Well, Israel's prime minister is returning to court. Benjamin Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. Ahead, the charges that he will be facing.
Plus Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to prison and is facing more charges. But his supporters plan to put pressure on the Kremlin for the long haul.
That is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, are hitting pause on protests for now. This weekend has been quiet in Russia.
But just last weekend we saw huge nationwide demonstrations and police crackdowns. More than 5,000 people were arrested in the biggest show of force the country has seen in years.
Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to more than two and a half years in prison for charges he says are politically motivated. And he was back in court Friday on more charges.
[01:39:56]
GOLODRYGA: Here to discuss how this impacts his plan to take on Putin and how this all is playing out inside Russia, I'm joined by Ekaterina Kotrikadze, anchor and correspondent at Dozhd TV or Rain TV. And that's the only independent news network now in Russia, covering non state-run news. And Vladimir Ashurkov. He is the executive director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation. Welcome both of you.
Vladimir, let me start with you. I know that Navalny had anticipated a prison sentence was likely upon his return. You said that your plan is to play the long game here which could be even five years down the road.
Explain how that will work given what is happening in Russia right now.
VLADIMIR ASHURKOV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NAVALNY ANTI-CORRUPTION FOUNDATION: The regime of Vladimir Putin, which is based on economic and political corruption may seem stable but it's cracking in different parts. And we believe that discontent of people is growing. And our strategy is to be the most organized political force when this regime starts to change.
And we are gaining support, we are doing investigations. We are turning ourselves into a media outlet. We train in organizing mass protests. And that's what will get us there.
GOLODRYGA: Well, your videos have seen record numbers of clicks. The latest video about Putin's alleged palace has seen over 100 million clicks and it has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube.
So clearly you have hit a nerve there with Russians but you have actually suspended future protests now until the spring and summer, focusing instead on the upcoming presidential elections in September.
This comes as you say the economy is hurting, incomes are down so is Putin's image in the minds of millions thanks to the Navalny videos you put out. Explain the significance of these elections, especially for Putin's party, United Russia.
ASHURKOV: Even though our political system in Russia is quite oppressed and controlled from the Kremlin, elections are still a pressure point and uncertainty point for the authorities. And we plan to use it for campaigning, for trying to get independents into the parliament and generally to create awareness of the injustice and corruption of the current regime. And the alternative that we present.
GOLODRYGA: And this is picking up in cities across the country, we should note. Katya, I was glued to your programming over the past few weeks, ever
since Navalny's arrest. I watch you every day. You were covering his arrest. That farce of a trial, the sentencing. All of the protests including the brutal actions taken by police.
I have to say the reaction from you and your colleagues was what really jumped out at me. it deed seem as this took you even by surprise. Can you describe how so and also how these protests do seem to extend beyond just Navalny.
EKATERINA KOTRIKADZE, ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT, DOZHD TV: Yes. It's not about Navalny at all. I mean, yes, of course, he is the person who's the hero in Russia right now because He's the only person who could be brave enough to come back to Russia after he was poisoned and after he understood and it was absolutely clear for him that he would be detained.
And he knows and he understands that he may be poisoned or someone can try to kill him again. And now he's behind bars. And we understand that he's in a terrible danger.
That is why he is some kind of, you know, Russian new centering, new kind of a hero, a new myth and symbol in this country. But, you know, a lot of people including my friends, and lots of people around me -- journalists, political analysts, just citizens -- they really are fighting now not for him but for him to have an opportunity to be on the elections and to vote against him for example.
The problem is that he is banned from the elections during this, you know, years and years. And he's fighting and nothing happens. And just as he's banned, other liberal leaders, opposition leaders are banned, some people are just, you know, forced to leave Russia.
And now, the people who are trying to go outside of their rooms and uncomfortable spaces, they think that this is the time just to say that we are not -- we're not ok with Putin staying in power during 20 years. He's been here for 20 years. Can you imagine?
And he's planning to stay here in power during -- you know up to 2036. So it's going to be 16 more years, 15 more years.
[01:44:54]
KOTRIKADZE: And people are just trying to say that we need to have a choice. And we need to have an opportunity to vote for Navalny or someone else. But to have free elections.
That's why it's not just about Navalny. It's about the whole system which is corrupt and which is old and which is, you know, it's not a normal system for millions of Russians, including new generations, people who were born after Putin became the president already and this is ridiculous.
GOLODRYGA: And perhaps Navalny was just the catalyst here. But I watch you and then you contrast that with your counterparts on Russian state media. They are barely touching any of this, if at all. It's the final few moments of their hour-long programs and, of course, they give it a Kremlin endorsed propaganda spin.
Putin is still quite popular with the older Russians who are watching the state news. Can you talk about the dynamic among younger Russians who are the ones who are coming out to the streets as you said who are saying enough is enough? This is the only president we have known.
And those older Russians who may say you know what, we don't have war. I have food to put on the table. Let's not rock the boat because who knows what can happen if it's even worse than Putin.
KOTRIKADZE: The idea of the propaganda is that remember 90s. The 90s is the period of time for Russians -- for Russians which is dangerous, no food no money, no nothing. And the level of you know, the criminal level in Russia was just terrible in that period of time.
So Vladimir Putin's idea and idea of propaganda is that if you don't vote for Putin, if you don't want for stability that Putin represents then you go back to the chaos, and you know, dangerous, terrible period of time.
So it still works for the people who lived there, who lived in the 90s, but it doesn't work anymore for people who were born as I said after Putin came to power.
So this is the new challenge for Vladimir Putin's advisers, for his team, and the administration of the president because they really don't understand how to talk about this, and how to talk with this new generation.
They tried to be active on TikTok for example. On Instagram and Facebook and everywhere. But it is some kind of ridiculous often because for example, the minister of foreign affairs of Russia has just posted a new video on TikTok. This is the first video of the minister of foreign affairs.
And all of the people who watched this, most of them they really laugh (ph). I mean they don't know how to create this communication. It's really complicated for them on the stage.
GOLODRYGA: It didn't land well. I saw it as well and it was -- I was embarrassed for them almost that that was the video they put out.
Quickly, I know we only have a few seconds left Vladimir, how is Navalny doing? From what we see from when he presents himself in court he presents himself as having a lot of courage. He even exhibits some sense of humor. How is he doing?
ASHURKOV: He's visited daily by his lawyer. He cannot see his family yet. And of course we worry for his safety. But from the appearances that he had in court, he really is very courageous and he sends out brave messages to the whole of Russian.
And the message is don't be afraid. Don't put up with injustice and corruption. And we will win. GOLODRYGA: I will tell you, we will continue to follow the story
closely Vladimir Ashurkov and Ekaterina Kotrikadze. Thank you so much for this conversation.
Really appreciate.
Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the courthouse this hour to enter a plea at his corruption trial. Prosecutors accuse the prime minister of abusing his position to accept and solicit gifts from wealthy friends.
They also allege that he tried to influence the media with regularity favors. He has denied all charges.
Sam Kiley has the latest from Jerusalem.
So Sam, what are the lawyers set to present today?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially today what we are going to see is Benjamin Netanyahu, and his co- accused will be confirming pleas that they have already entered in writing by their lawyers.
[01:49:35]
KILEY: Of course, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, expected to enter a not guilty plea to three sets of charges relating to essentially the trade, if you like, of political influence through the media is the main case in case 4000 in return for regulatory favors which the prosecution will allege led to undue profits, if you like, of some estimated $280 million U.S.
No allegation that Benjamin Netanyahu benefited in a pecuniary sense but rather in a political sense. And that really is the issue here because not only does he face jeopardy within the courtroom in terms of his trial but the issue will really be does the trial continue over the next few weeks as Benjamin Netanyahu faces once again a general election here on March the 23rd.
It could be potentially damaging for his election campaign if a number of prosecution witnesses are wheeled out whilst he's trying to campaign for reelection, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All that and we still have yet to have a phone call between Netanyahu and President Biden. So we will be waiting for that as well.
Sam Kiley in Jerusalem. Thank you so much.
Well, The Weeknd didn't quite live up to the hype at the Super Bowl halftime show. We will break the -- I liked it -- we'll break down his performance, and look at the ads already taking the Internet by storm.
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[01:54:53] GOLODRYGA: Well, this year's Super Bowl halftime show featured a performance from The Weeknd which left some viewers, not me, but some viewers wishing it were already Monday.
Also making headlines, of course, are some of the ads which aired during the big game.
Here's CNN's Chloe Melas with more.
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Bianna, the Super Bowl may have lacked some of the star power of years past, but there is one ad that everyone is talking about.
It's a commercial for Jeep. It's two minutes long, and it features none other than Bruce Springsteen, calling for unity in the country in the wake of a deep political divide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SINGER: We can make it through the mountaintop, through the desert, and we will cross this divide.
Our light has always found its way through the darkness. And there is hope on the road up ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELAS: And when it comes to big moments, aside from football, The Weeknd took the stage as the halftime performer. But despite his highly anticipated performance he did receive some criticism with some fans calling the show visually chaotic.
His manager previously told "Billboard Magazine" that The Weeknd actually chipped in $7 million of his own money into this year's show.
Back to you.
GOLODRYGA: And thank you, Chloe.
And that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Robyn Curnow picks up our coverage right after this break.
[01:56:21]
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