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P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu Pleaded Not Guilty; Democrats Working on Financial Assistance for Families; Patients Not Giving Up; Protesters Calling to End Coup; Australian Open Starts; Impeachment Might Be Dead on Arrival; Tom Brady Breaking Another Record; South Africa Pauses Vaccine Rollout; Oxford University to Retool Vaccines; President Biden Blames Trump. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 08, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump Democrats plan to show, not tell in their effort to prove the former president incited a deadly attack on the U.S. Capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just pleaded not guilty as he faces corruption charges. A live report from Jerusalem just ahead.

Plus, new team, no problem. Tom Brady scores his 7th Super Bowl win to close out a football season unlike any other. We will have the highlights.

Good to have you with us.

The U.S. is now bracing for what is said to be a dramatic week in Washington. As lawmakers kick off the historic and unprecedented second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. That begins Tuesday with House impeachment managers said to argue before the Senate that the former president was responsible for inciting last month's riot at the capitol.

Ahead of that the final pretrial legal briefs are due today. But still, questions remain including how long the trial will last and if we'll hear from any witnesses.

CNN's Joe Johns has more.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Some Republicans in the United States Senate say they are reserving judgment until all the evidence is in and some compare themselves to members of a jury, but for whatever reason many Republicans over the weekend said they were reluctant to convict Donald Trump in this trial that is expected to begin on Tuesday.

They are well aware of all the support that the former president has out in the country, even though some of the latest polling suggests quite the opposite. An ABC News poll says 56 percent of respondents believe the former president should be convicted and barred from holding office, while only 43 percent say he should not be. But it's not up to the responders polling, it's up to the Senate and here is what some of them said over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Zero chance of conviction by Republicans have said it's not even legitimate. So, it's really over before it starts.

CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: Do you think the outcome is predetermined here?

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Do I interpret -- yes. You know, everybody, no, I don't. I think it depends upon that which is presented. Let's face it. The House did an incredibly poor job of building a case before their impeachment vote. If -- the president was not there. He was not allowed council. They did not amass evidence.

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): I think it's 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS (on camera): So, the leadership watch continues here on Capitol Hill. All eyes on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to release the parameters of this upcoming trial. How long they expect it to last. Whether there will be witnesses or not and how long the impeachment managers as well as the former president's lawyers will get to address the members of the United States Senate and make their cases.

Joe Johns, CNN, the capitol.

KURTZ: Joining me is CNN legal analyst Shan Wu from Washington, D.C. Great to have you with us.

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

CHURCH: So former President Donald Trump faces an historic second impeachment trial this week. And of course, the big question is will 17 Republican senators join with the Democrats and convict Trump? So how likely is it that once they see all the evidence, they will do that? WU: It's looking rather unlikely. I thought that they might be a

little bit more open minded this time with that attack fresh in their minds. But judging from the reaction so far, it doesn't look like there are going to be enough votes to convict him on the impeachment.

[03:05:05]

Now there is always the possibility that their minds will change after hearing the evidence, but I think a lot of it will turn on exactly what kind of evidence they are showing.

CHURCH: And where do you think that will be? Because of course there is an abundance of evidence showing the involvement of Donald Trump and how he did incite this crowd. So, there would be no doubt looking at that if this were in a court of law, but it isn't. We are talking politics here, aren't we? And so, people will fall across party lines, no doubt, unless there is some strategy involved, perhaps on the part of Mitch McConnell to change that outcome. But talk to us about what those arguments would need to be on both sides of the equation?

WU: Well, I think the arguments are pretty much already known. I think the defense is going to talk about being an unconstitutional proceeding. I think the House managers may rebut that. But the evidence that I think might change some people's minds is the actual evidence of what happened to people during the attack.

When I used to try violent crimes myself as a prosecutor, the testimony from victims and those new victims was particularly compelling. And given that some of these lawmakers were in the capitol when it happened, hearing from police officers, hearing about the effects upon them, with injuries, that might make a bit of a difference and bring back the freshness of the terribleness of that attack.

CHURCH: And so, the goal of the Democrats in the end is to ensure that Trump never holds public office again. But if Trump is acquitted, as most people think he will be, what other options do the Democrats have to stop him from running for the presidency again?

WU: None, really. They can censure it, that would be something that could be more easily done, and I think at some points it's been discussed as maybe a political compromise to do that rather than seeking the impeachment. But they have to try. I mean, they're saying in prosecution that some cases need to be tried even if you think you won't win.

And perhaps the only real political effect it can have is by putting this evidence out there, reminding the American public, reminding Republican voters of what he caused, the damage that have been done, it could have been even more dangerous for many of the lawmakers. That might be the only real insurance there is against him running again.

But absent actually convicting him in the impeachment, removing him in that sense and then they would have to take a second vote which is about majority to bar him from future federal office. Without crossing that threshold, the first convicting him in the Senate, there is not real legal means to bar him.

CHURCH: Incredible. Of course, as we discussed, this would be a slam dunk in a court of law, but this is about politics and so far, it's only the judicial branch of government that has actually stood up to Trump's election lie. Will justice only be found in a court of law when it comes to Trump and all his questionable dealings?

WU: I think so. Really, impeachment is very much a political exercise, and it's really a vote of conscience. And it's up to the conscience of these senators, particularly the Republican senators when they hear this. But looking at the various criminal exposures that he has, I think that those cases are going to continue to move forward.

I mean, the Southern District of New York, the U.S. attorney's office there is moving forward, the state attorney general of New York is moving forward. I don't think -- I don't those are going to stop, and I think he is going to will face some real jeopardy along those lines. So ultimately, that may be the real justice that the American people get.

CHURCH: It is going to be an extraordinary week, also historic of course, and we thank you, Shan Wu, for your analysis. Many thanks.

WU: You're welcome.

CHURCH: In case you are living under a rock, quarterback Tom Brady power the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory on Sunday. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31 to 9. The 43-year-old quarterback won his 7th Super Bowl extending his own record in his first year with Tampa Bay.

And he was named the game's MVP. Fans celebrated in Tampa streets despite the coronavirus pandemic hitting Florida hard. Those attending the game were given PPE to reduce the spread of the virus, but as you can see not everyone wore masks in public spaces.

Well CNN's Andy Scholes joins me now. Good to see you, Andy. So, Tom Brady did it again, winning his 7th Super Bowl in his first year with the Buccaneers. Take us through the highlights.

[03:10:04]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Rosemary, I'll tell you what. At this game was built up so much it's just this epic quarterback duo. You had Tom Brady, the greatest of all-time. Going up against Patrick Mahomes who's the greatest right now, and in the end this game really did live up to the hype. It was not close in the second half, but we did get to see history.

Brady winning his 7th Super Bowl title. The 43-year-old now has more Super Bowl titles than any other team in the NFL history. Brady just proving that well, he can go anywhere and win a Super Bowl. And he convinced his old buddy Rob Gronkowski to come out from retirement this team, join him in Tampa. Well, they put on a show in this Super Bowl. Brady finding Gron for

two touchdowns in the first half. They have now hooked up for more touchdowns than any other duo in post-season's history. The Bucks were kind of running away with this one. And halftime they were up 21 to 6 and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and that Bucks defense just relentless all game long.

They pressured Patrick Mahomes more times than any quarterback in the Super Bowl history. This is the first time in Mahomes amazing career that the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown. Brady, meanwhile, three touchdown passes in the game. He was named the MVP of the Super Bowl for a fifth time in history his career. Bucks beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55, 31 to 9.

CHURCH: Amazing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK: I'm so proud of all these guys out here. Everything we dealt with al here. We had a rough month of November but V.A. had all the confidence. The team had a lot of confidence. We came together at the right time. I think we knew this was going to happen, tonight. Didn't we? We played our best game of the year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROB GRONKOWSKI, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS TIGHT END: It's hands down one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history. I mean, I'm not going to say it's the greatest, but I would say it's up there for sure, you know? To come down here to Tampa. Coming to an organization that is ready to win. Come down here with the players, you know, they're all fantastic players. Great guys. It's everyone overall. I mean, the story is just unbelievable. It's definitely ranks as, you know, one of my biggest accomplishments ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES (on camera): Yes, this is an unbelievable story, Rosemary. You know, Gron coming out of retirement. Brady going down to Tampa. His first season with the team, getting all kind of pieces together. Not having an off-season even to prepare due to the coronavirus pandemic. Impressive, impressive win. Brady and Gron both said they are not retiring. They are coming back.

CHURCH: I mean, you know, Brady, 43 years old. He showed everyone, didn't he?

SCHOLES: Yes.

CHURCH: Andy Scholes, I appreciate it. Thanks so much.

A pause in the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, coming up on CNN newsroom. Why South Africa has put the AstraZeneca shot on hold? And vaccinations are up as infection rates are falling in the U.S., but will it be enough to contain the rapid spread of emerging variance? We will take a look just ahead.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZWELI MKHIZE, SOUTH-AFRICAN MINISTER OF HEALTH: This is temporary until we figure out these issues. What are the next steps supposed to be? When we know those steps then of course we will bring it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): South Africa's health minister there announcing a pause of the country's rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. This follows a recent study showing it offered reduced protection against a variant that was first identified there.

From South Africa to the U.K. to the U.S., these emerging variants are creating headaches the world over as scientists race to stay ahead of them.

For more on that Eleni Giokos joins us now from St. Francis Bay in South Africa. Good to see you, Eleni.

So, the AstraZeneca vaccine offers only reduce protection against the South African variant, but it's going to be weeks before the other vaccines arrive. Is pausing the rollout the best decision here?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, this was the biggest fear. It's just hard what the efficacy would be of the vaccines that were produced, to specifically target the first train of COVID-19, and what the research tells us is that towards the end of last year there were still a 75 percent efficacy rate against COVID-19 across the country.

When the variant became dominant, this is when we started to see issues where the researchers say they could not replicate that 75 percent efficacy rate. And now they are saying that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not offer protection to the same extent against mild and moderate cases of variant -- of the variant COVID-19 in the country.

And here's now the catch. They are saying that they are disappointed but they are hopeful that it might have still an impact on the severity of illnesses. The reason they say they are pausing the rolling out is they want to do it in a wise and smart fashion so that they can try and quantify whether it would have an impact on hospitalizations. And that would be the interesting turning point.

They are now steaming ahead on trying to get trials done with Johnson & Johnson, on Moderna, and Pfizer in the hope that efficacy will still be somewhat better than what we have seen with AstraZeneca. Now what we do know here is that most of the vaccines will have diminished protection and impacts, but the question here is how quickly can the pharmaceutical companies come up with a second-generation vaccine that be able to target the variant? Right now, South Africa is firmly in its second wave. We are starting

to see a slight drop in case numbers after the country went into lockdown. But the variant has spread beyond South African borders. And this is the issue. Just what kind of vaccine will be required to have strong impact on halting the spread here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is a race against time for sure.

GIOKOS: Yes.

CHURCH: Eleni Giokos, many thanks.

Well researchers at Oxford University say they are retooling the AstraZeneca shot to be more effective against the South African variant. They hope to have the new vaccine ready by autumn.

[03:19:59]

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from London. Good to see you, Salma. So, the U.K. expects to have that booster version by autumn, but that's many months away. What happens in the meantime?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, I can tell you that this news from Oxford University and AstraZeneca about the limited efficacy that you just heard about towards the South African variant that has of course cause concern.

The vaccine minister taking to the airwaves writing an op-ed trying to reassure the public that this country is prepared to deal with any variants of COVID-19. Well how are they doing it? First, they have a genomic sequencing program, one of the best in the world. They're trying a track and trace every -- create a library of them. And make deals with manufacturers to develop new vaccines if they need to.

And the vaccine minister said that's not all. You might be looking at an annual shot in order to deal with any new mutations of COVID-19. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADHIM ZAHAWI, BRITISH VACCINE MINISTER: We see very much a problem annual or a booster in the autumn and then annually, and the way we do with the flu vaccinations, where you look at what variant of viruses spreading around the world. You rapidly produce a variant vaccine and then begin to vaccinate and protect the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: So future plans being made for future variants, the sense that very much this is a virus that's going to stick with us, Rosemary, even if we get out of this pandemic, we get out of this difficulty right now, this is a virus that we live among the population. That's the sense you get from the vaccine minister.

But as you heard in the meanwhile, vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, essentially try to immunize yourself out of lockdown, it really is a race against time as you said, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It definitely is. Thank you so much, Salma Abdelaziz for bringing us the very latest there from London.

Well France is accelerating its vaccination efforts. Health workers were the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine over the weekend. Officials hope that recently approved vaccine will help relieve a nationwide shortage of doses.

The French government is under pressure for a rollout strategy, where some were criticized as being too slow.

U.S. health officials are working to prevent more contagious coronavirus variants from reversing the recent downward trend of cases. The Centers for Disease Control says nearly 700 cases of new variants have been reported in the United States. The majority of those are the strain first identified in the U.K. And health officials say it could become the predominant variant by March. But they also say vaccinations are one way to help contain them.

According to the CDC more than 41 million vaccine doses have been administered now in the U.S. Still, some health officials are concerned existing supplies are not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The demand clearly outstrips the supply right now, if you look at the escalation of availability of doses, purely on the ability and the capability of manufacturing that, it's going to escalate and will continue to escalate as we go from February to March, to April and beyond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): U.S. President Joe Biden blamed his predecessor Donald Trump for some of those shortages. That some of those shortages criticizing the former administration's handling of the pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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, ANCHOR, CBS NEWS: The Trump administration?

BIDEN: The Trump administration. We thought 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 everywhere we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Mr. Biden also said he wants to see schools reopen, but it must be done safely with fewer people in the classroom and better ventilation.

Israel's prime minister is back in court today. For the latest joining me now is Dr. Esther Choo, professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. Always good to have you with us.

ESTHER CHOO, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, as we just saw, in his interview just before the Super Bowl President Joe Biden said his administration inherited a pandemic situation even more dire than they thought. And when you look at where things stand right now with more vaccinations begin administered and the decline in deaths and hospitalization and cases, is this country where it needs to be right now?

CHOO: Well, Rosemary, we still have a bit of time to see where the dust settles between the two administrations changing hands. Part of the decline in cases and hospitalizations and deaths will be as getting over the hump of the holiday surge.

[03:24:58]

And of course, we have quite a ways to go before we see the impact of vaccinations, but it is very encouraging to see the vaccination rate slowly start to rise consistently over a million shots a day, and just a plan for rapid dissemination and getting vaccines to pharmacies, to community health centers, you know, the kind of planned distribution that we've needed.

So, there is hope, certainly a huge lift, and of course the Biden administration has an outstanding team and great leadership but have only had a few weeks to really make an impact.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, everyone is very excited about the third vaccine that should come out very soon, the Johnson & Johnson option, but meantime, a new study shows the U.K. variant is now spreading rapidly through the United States, just as pressure increases to return kids to school. Teachers don't feel safe, but the CDC says they don't need to be vaccinated before they return to school. How can this decision be decided in a safe way?

CHOO: The situation about teachers is one where they really are no absolute right answers on either side of the debate. of course, you could certainly argue that everybody wants their kids back to school consistently. It is not fair to ask teachers to go back to school feeling unsafe.

And we haven't clearly defined what it means to be in a safe environment. And so, it's natural to want all the layers of protection that you can get, including testing and social distancing. Plenty of PPE and if possible, the vaccine. But the vaccine rollout has been slow, and who should be prioritized.

There is an argument that teachers should be up there if we are planning to open schools everywhere. On the other hand, vaccines should really be going to communities and to groups like the elderly, and racial and ethnic minorities who have been getting severe disease and dying at the highest rates. That's also a strong argument and clearly there is a strong equity of argument there.

So, I think there will need to be layers of decision making and prioritization. We certainly cannot leave groups behind who have been neglected already in this pandemic. And so, we'll have to combine that with our concern about getting teachers ready to go back, and they should have autonomy in this decision to choose to continue teaching online. So, a hybrid model would be what we are looking at until we get to the fall and we're closer to herd immunity.

CHURCH: Right. Yes. These are difficult decisions to make while there are supply issues with these vaccines. And also, how concerned are you about the Super Bowl parties? We know it was held last night across the country and present the potential for being a super spreader event just as we are getting past the holiday season.

CHOO: Yes, these parties, the Super Bowl itself where it seems that everybody was treating their masks like a shin guard, those were concerning. It is enough of a national past time that I'm worried it could have real epidemiologic impact. So, this may be the next wave of COVID that we see.

Of course, occurring right as we are realizing that the variants is everywhere and is more easily transmissible. So, time will tell, but that that maybe the next wave that we encounter. And of course, you know, already 100,000 deaths just in 2021 alone. We are far from being in a place where we can feel comfortable doing things like big group gatherings.

CHURCH: Dr. Esther Choo, thank you so very much.

CHOO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Israel's prime minister is back in court today for the latest in a long running corruption case against him. More details from Jerusalem, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court just a short time ago where he entered a not guilty plea to charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. It is the latest in three long running corruption cases that have dogged his political career. Mr. Netanyahu has described his indictment as a stitch-up, calling it an effort by Israel's liberal and media elites to topple him from power.

CNN's Sam Kiley is outside the courthouse. He joins us now live. So, Sam, talk to us about where this corruption trial is going and the possible consequences. SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Benjamin

Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister appearing in court today here at the Jerusalem district court just across the great line in east Jerusalem where he entered, or rather agreed with the previously written plea submitted by his lawyers of not guilty.

He then spent some time taking notes on a yellow legal pad before leaving after about 20 minutes, leaving behind, Rosemary, his legal team to argue at this stage that the attorney general did not give formal written orders or instructions to open investigations, and there are three cases being tried effectively, concurrently in these hearings over this period of this trial for the investigations to be undertaken.

The counter argument from the prosecution is that the attorney general who has submitted a memo to that effect have said they most certainly did give instructions both verbal and written instructions. This is really part of the arguments being played out in the court, and particularly in the political realm to try to get this trial postponed or delayed until after the March 23 elections here in Israel.

It will be very damaging politically for Benjamin Netanyahu. Of course, he's facing legal jeopardy over these prosecutions. It could lead to jail time of up to 10 years if convicted, but also, he's got general elections on May the 23rd. And if the prosecution are able to run out their prosecution witnesses during a trial in the interim during the six-week period that Israel now has ahead of those general elections, and obviously there will be political damage potentially done to Benjamin Netanyahu and a very crucial time in his very long running political career. The Israeli premiere is now 71 years old, Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, indeed, we'll keep an eye on all of this. Sam Kiley, many thanks to you.

In just a few hours, U.S. House Democrats will put forward a proposal that would give cash to millions of Americans with children for one year.

[03:35:03]

It would provide a tax credit of up to $3,600 for each child under age six. And a $3,000 credit for children ages 6 through 17. It's a key part of President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

And CNN's emerging markets editor, John Defterios joins me now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, John.

So, let's look at this. Because a sluggish labor market offers President Biden exactly the justification he need for his COVID rescue plan. And now, his treasury secretary says full employment by next year might not happen if that plan doesn't pass. So, given all of that, how likely is it that Congress will get this done?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, you know, Joe Biden is looking for a bipartisan support. He was a senator for a decade. Of course, if not he'll use that tie-breaking vote of Kamala Harris, the vice president in the Senate and he's even prepared to use executive order if necessary. He wants to move quickly on this.

And I think this narrative that you are talking about here, the sluggish job report that we saw for January is going to give him more ammunition. Let's take a look at that tally because we talked about going into it on Friday, Rosemary. Forty-nine thousand jobs are really below par for the United States, especially after losing 140,000 in the month of December. And then we had this stimulus package of $900 billion. It's just not looking good.

The unemployment rate of 6.3 percent looks good as a headline number, but is because so many Americans stopped looking for work. They fall off those payroll numbers that the U.S. Labor Department puts out. And finally, we still have nearly 10 million people without a job since the start of the pandemic. And that's why Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary saying let's not shy away from the bigger package. Let's push it out and reverse this trend. Let's take a listen.

(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 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 (on camera): And if you don't have this package of scale, she is suggesting that full employment, something around 4 percent unemployment and that was calculated, wouldn't happen until 2025, Rosemary. So, she is more alarmed than the Congressional Budget Office that we talked about last week.

CHURCH: All right. Understood. Thanks so much for that, John Defterios live from Abu Dhabi.

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 CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The coronavirus has held an excruciating grip of Jose Limon's 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 the 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 appear. He's a super sweet man. He keeps me going.

LAVANDERA: Lana Sanchez has been by Limon's 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 are 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 that is really hard to see.

LAVANDERA: So, this is our ICU.

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 have to hold up on the transfer till he is 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.

[03:40:04]

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

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. We 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.

LAVANDERA: 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 is known as the Dr. Fauci of Laredo. Cigarroa says COVID is like an assassin in his hometown.

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

LAVANDERA: A week after we saw Joe 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 has been rushed to San Antonio for more intensive care.

UNKNOWN: It might be the last time I see him so I asked him if I could see him and they told me you cannot get close.

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

UNKNOWN: I'm scared of not having him come back home to me.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Laredo, Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Iran is still enriching uranium and challenging Joe Biden to make the first move toward cooperation. But the U.S. president is saying no. In an interview with CBS News President Biden said the U.S. will not lift sanctions on Iran, particularly not while Tehran enriches more uranium than what was allowed in the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran argues former President Trump violated the deal by leaving it and so it's up to the U.S. to rejoin it and lift sanctions. U.S. officials are currently in talks with European allies to figure out their next moves.

Well despite a military coup and a social media crackdown, thousands of protesters are out on the streets of cities across Myanmar today. We will get the latest in a live report.

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CHURCH (on camera): You are looking at the moment a deadly flash flood roared down a river bed in northern India. It happened Sunday after a glacier in the Himalayas broke apart. Search and rescue operations are underway. Authorities say 15 people have been rescued. But the death toll has risen to 19. More than 150 people remain missing. The U.N. secretary general says they are ready to assist with relief efforts.

Well thousands of anti-coup protesters are marching in Myanmar today. It is the third straight day of demonstrations against a military coup, which seized power a week ago and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. And you can see many people in the crowd giving the three-fingered

salute, that's a reference to the "Hunger Games" movies. And popular symbol of recent pro-democracy protest.

Our Paula Hancocks is monitoring events from Seoul. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Paula. So, what is the latest on these protests and of course the police response so far.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we are seeing would appears to be a picking up of momentum when it comes to these protests. As you say, thousands are on the streets of Yangon at this point. It's day three that we have seen in a row that more people are coming out onto the streets.

Now today, Monday, we did see a number of student unions leading these protests. We also saw teachers, engineers, nurses, including monks as well coming out into the streets. So, a real cross section of society. And it seems fairly good nature at this point, because protesters are at pains to make sure that it is peaceful. Civil disobedience to make sure that they are saying to the government according to statements we are seeing on social media, that they do not want this coup. They want Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders to have been detained to be released.

And we are seeing as well as some on social media also saying that it doesn't necessarily have to be pro NLD, the National League for Democracy, which is the party that won the Democratic elections back in November before this coup actually took place a week ago.

They are saying this isn't pro NLD, it is anti-dictator, military dictatorship as they are calling it. So, we are also seeing many images on social media showing people coming out of their houses, out of their businesses standing on the streets and cheering, cars honking their horns as well to show support.

As of this moment we haven't seen much from the police or the military, although we did see at one point on a Reuters video that some water cannons were used on protesters, but then that stop. It's not clear at this point from the video whether there was anybody injured in that particular event, but this is obviously something that those inside Myanmar and of course, those outside are concerned about what could be the response from the military.

And there are calls from all over the world for the military to step down, to release the detained leaders and also to refrain from any violence. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And we will continue to watch the story very closely. Paula Hancocks bringing us the latest from her vantage point there in Seoul. I appreciate it.

Well, the Super Bowl may be over, but the Australian Open is just beginning. It is day one of the major tennis tournament. After the break, we will have the latest from Melbourne.

[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): It is day one of the Australian Open. One of the world's premier tennis tournaments. Of course, the pandemic means it looks very different than it usually does. Areas are sectioned off to maintain social distancing. Masks are only required indoors. Organizers expect up to 400,000 fans to attend the matches and watch some of the biggest players in tennis.

Angus Watson brings us the latest from Melbourne.

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ANGUS WATSON, JOURNALIST (voice over): The first day of the first Grand Slam of the year greeted by a slow trickle of spectator on an unseasonably gray and chilly Melbourne Monday. Some in masks, others not worrying. Thirty thousand tickets on sale for a day featuring Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. A lucky few taking the chance to celebrate their city's success in suppressing the coronavirus.

UNKNOWN: Really excited. We really think Melbourne needs this event.

WATSON: None of this would have been possible without tough measures put in place here to get on top of the virus, including one of the world's longest lockdowns last year. But now, nobody is in hospital in Melbourne with COVID-19. So, these tough rules have been pushed on to the players too. All having to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Australia, making for a disjointed lead up to a competition.

PAT CASH, TWO-TIME AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINALIST: I'd be surprised if we didn't see a few defaults during the tournament. And a few injuries and pull outs, and cramps, various things like that. It's just the way it is. We knew that was going to happen and we are happy to give it a shot.

WATSON: Organizers hope fans will give it a shot too, with close to 400,000 tickets on sale over the two-week event. Just half of with the Aussie open would attract in a year without a global pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:55:00]

WATSON (on camera): It's no free-for-all for the 30,000 fans expected to come here to the Australian open each day over the next two weeks. Social distancing remains the watch word. Organizers have divided Melbourne Park tennis center into three separate zones to try to keep people apart.

Masks are optional in the stands but mandatory indoors. On the courts you won't see a ball kid hand a player a towel. Ball tracking cameras have replaced line judges, meaning fewer interactions. Calls of in and out pre- recorded by frontline workers as a tribute.

CASH: It's an unusual world. Unusual circumstances. The world could bring some unusual results for the Australian open this year. WATSON: All that the Australian Open will hope that two weeks of

great tennis can restore a little bit of normalcy.

Angus Watson, in Melbourne, Australia.

CHURCH: The social media site Reddit is capitalizing on recent headlines by running a blink annual missed at Super Bowl ad this year. The five-second ad starts with which appears to be a car commercial, then the screen seemingly glitches and this message pops up. Reddit says it was inspired by the community of users who disrupted the Wall Street markets in the last few weeks.

And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Do stick around.

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CHURCH (on camera): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

[03:59:58]

And we want to get straight to our top stories this hour. One of the biggest sporting events in the world wrapped up just hours ago. The Super Bowl where Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated.