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President Biden And French President Speak Ahead Of Macron's Russia Visit; U.S. Troops Arrive In Poland, Romania To Reassure NATO Allies; SWAT Team Rescues Michael Bloomberg's Ranch Employee; Team USA Still Looking For First Gold Ahead Of Day 3 Of The Beijing Winter Olympics; Interview With Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Queen Elizabeth II Marks 70 Years On British Throne. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 06, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:34]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, Ukraine on high alert as new satellite images show the continued Russian military buildup near its border stoking fears that an invasion could be imminent.

JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There is a very distinct possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet.

BROWN: The U.S. taking no chances, sending 3,000 troops to support NATO efforts. Lawmakers who attended a classified briefing about the Russian threat equally concerned.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): The noose is being prepared. It's around Ukraine right now as we speak.

BROWN: Also, former Vice President Mike Pence calling out his former boss' big lie.

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Trump is wrong.

BROWN: Now Pence's former top aide agreed.

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: There's nothing in the 12th Amendment or the Electoral Count Act that would afford a vice president that authority.

BROWN: While the events of January continue to split the GOP.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): I think Mike Pence did his constitutional duty that day.

BROWN: And a new day dawns at the Winter Games as U.S. skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin goes for gold.

And Queen Elizabeth's message as she celebrates an incredible 70 years on the throne.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Sunday.

And new tonight, the U.S. ramps up support for its ally Ukraine amid fears that Russia's military buildup is reaching a critical point. Two U.S. officials tell CNN that Russia has positioned along Ukraine's border about 70 percent of the troops and weapons needed for a full- scale invasion. And new satellite images appear to show that Russia's military has advanced deployments at several locations in Belarus. That seems to back up local reports that Russian troops are within 20 miles of Ukraine.

The White House is warning that Moscow could strike with alarming speed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: We believe that there's a very distinct possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine. It could take a number of different forms. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could take some weeks yet. He has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now.

If they choose to go down the path of escalation instead, it will come at enormous human cost to Ukrainians but it will also, we believe, over time come at real strategic cost to Vladimir Putin.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Late this morning the U.S. embassy in Kyiv announced its eighth delivery of security assistance to Ukraine calling it 80-plus tons of solidarity. And Washington promises there is more to come. Remarkably Ukraine itself continues to downplay the threat. But regardless, this morning more U.S. troops arrived in Eastern Europe to reaffirm support for nervous NATO allies. More than half are coming from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is at Fort Bragg and John Harwood is at the White House.

All right, John, let's start with you. President Biden today spoke with his French counterpart again. Tell us about that.

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Emmanuel Macron of France has been a very energetic player in trying to be an interlocutor between the United States, NATO and Russia. And so while President Biden tomorrow will be meeting with the new German chancellor Olaf Scholz who kept a low profile on this trying to emphasize solidarity, see if they can get on the same page on sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron is going to be meeting with Vladimir Putin. Then he's going to go on to Ukraine. So you've got both of these men playing different roles in different places. The president has spoken to Emmanuel Macron twice in the last week. He wants -- last Wednesday, again today. They affirmed their support for Ukrainian sovereignty and President Biden is going to do his part tomorrow with this meeting with the new German chancellor.

BROWN: OK. Let's go now to Isabel Rosales there in Fort Bragg, North -- OK, and so, John, what else can you tell us? Because, you know, you mentioned this meeting tomorrow with the new German chancellor and then, of course, you have the, as we talked about, the meeting with the French counterpart today, Macron.

[18:05:08]

What else is being done behind the scenes as the administration gears up for potential invasion from Russia into Ukraine even though they're not using the word imminent anymore?

HARWOOD: That's right. Well, what we see visibly, of course, is the military buildup by the Russians, and now the response of the United States. So last week President Biden said he was going to send 3,000 U.S. troops to shore up NATO allies, and there's a big effort to send reinforcements to provide assistance, defensive assistance to Ukraine. But behind the scenes, they're trying to engineer this diplomatic off ramp.

We don't know what shape that could be because the United States has flatly ruled out Vladimir Putin's demand that NATO promise not to incorporate Ukraine, but since Ukraine is not on the verge of NATO membership even though that is stated as an aspiration and invitation there are ways of trying to finesse how long it will take for Ukraine to potentially qualify for membership.

That's what Emmanuel Macron is trying to explore. If there are other ways in which the security concerns of Russia could be responded to by the West, NATO, in ways that would cause Vladimir Putin to back down. It's a very volatile and difficult situation. Don't know if that could work, but that's what's happening privately is that diplomatic discussion.

BROWN: OK, John Harwood, thank you for bringing us the latest there at the White House. Hopefully we can check in with Isabel Rosales as some point once we fix her live shot there on the ground in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

But in the meantime joining me is Charles Kupchan. He is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and served on President Obama's National Security Council. He is also professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University and author of "Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World."

Hi, Charles. So you have said in the past that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the world's attention. Now he is getting it. But are we nearing a dangerous tipping point where he will invade just because of the fear of the appearance of backing down? CHARLES KUPCHAN, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well,

Putin got what he wanted in the sense that he's in the limelight. Everybody is talking to him. But I'm not sure this is exactly what he wanted in the sense that he's looking at a major, major military mission if he embarks on it and that's trying to invade and occupy Ukraine, a country of some 40 million people. That is not going to be easy.

And if he goes forward, he will face biting sanctions from the United States and its allies. Right now we're seeing dogged diplomacy almost every day there's a conversation across the Atlantic, Russia, U.S., Europe, Russia, Ukraine, everybody is in the game. As your correspondent just said, the sweet spot may be the reality that NATO keeps its doors open in principle, but everybody knows Ukraine is not now on the path to NATO membership.

Can we find a way -- can we find language that resolve the issue and allows Putin to say I got what I want? We don't know.

BROWN: And where do things stand diplomatically? Because we are hearing from officials that that is still very much an avenue that they are pursuing. Do you think that there is hope on that front?

KUPCHAN: I think that there is hope in part because the conversation is continuing. We see a lot of effort by all sides to try to find a diplomatic resolution, but we also see a lot of force moving to the border with Ukraine and not just in the east where Russia has already intervened but to the north. And that gives them a direct road to Kyiv if they decide that they want to occupy the capital and topple the government.

But again, that's a tall order. Putin is a tough customer. Putin has invaded many countries, but he goes for things that are relatively easy. This would not be easy. And that's why I think it's worth pursuing the diplomacy to the 11th hour. But at the same time doing what Biden is doing which is readying more force to go to NATO's eastern flank, readying a serious menu of sanctions to impose costs on Russia.

BROWN: Tomorrow President Biden will welcome Germany's new chancellor. We just heard John Harwood set that up there from the White House. Given Germany's dependence on Russian energy supply, there's some question of the NATO ally's resolve. And of course as you well know the new chancellor has been getting hit. In fact, the ambassador here sent a memo back to Berlin saying that there's critical issues with Germany's reputation right now.

How important is tomorrow's meeting?

[18:10:00]

KUPCHAN: I think it's a very important meeting, and it's a timely meeting because there has been some daylight between Washington and Berlin. Berlin has not been ready to send lethal weapons to Ukraine. Berlin is concerned about the potential loss of natural gas from Russia. And it relies on imports of Russian gas for about 40 percent of its needs. So we're talking about a serious potential for shortages.

But I would say this. If we see tanks rolling in to Kyiv, if we see the largest war in Europe since 1945 break out, I'm guessing you will see in Germany sufficient political support to join shoulder to shoulder with the United States and NATO allies to push back very hard against Russia. That's what happened in 2014 when the Russians shot down or the separatists shot down MH-17, that airliner.

What looked wobbly in terms of transatlantic unity firmed up. I expect the same thing to happen if Russia actually goes ahead and invades Ukraine.

BROWN: OK, Charlies Kupchan, thank you very much for joining us and for your time.

Now let's go to CNN's Isabel Rosales in Fort Bragg where U.S. troops are deploying to Germany and parts of Eastern Europe.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, right behind me is a C-17 military aircraft that can carry up to 100 soldiers at a time and just in the last couple of moments we saw them actually exiting from the reception area. And they are walking right there on board that C-17 headed to Poland.

All together in total 2,000 soldiers will deploy from Fort Bragg over to Eastern Europe. We know that 300 of them from the 18th Airborne are already there. They're in Germany, but they're still working on deploying these from the 82nd Airborne. That is happening around the clock. Last night we also saw another round of them boarding those C- 17s, heading overseas.

And I'm also learning that these soldiers will conduct military drills with their Polish counterparts. That is according to the spokesperson for the 82nd Airborne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So whether you're a first-time deployer or sixth or seven deployment like some of the older folks maybe, at the end of the day we all share the same threat. And we all wanted to serve.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And these soldiers do not know how long they will serve in Europe. The Pentagon has called this a temporary mission but 8500 other soldiers apart from these 3,000 have been placed on heightened alert -- Pamela.

BROWN: OK, thank you.

And up next on this Sunday dramatic new details on the violent kidnapping at Michael Bloomberg's ranch.

Also ahead, a new day dawns at the Beijing Olympics, and it brings back-to-back events for a Team USA power couple.

And Queen Elizabeth's message as she marks an incredible 70 years on the throne.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, and we will be right back with you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:09]

BROWN: New details tonight on a bizarre story involving former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.

You are seeing dramatic footage as a SWAT team moves in to rescue a woman who worked for Bloomberg at his Colorado ranch. Police say a heavily armed man broke into that ranch, asked where he could find Bloomberg's two adult daughters, and then fled taking the employee as a hostage.

CNN's Camila Bernal has more. Hi, Camila. So police were able to track him to a motel in Wyoming. What more can you tell us about that?

CAMILA BERNAL. CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Pam, yes. This really is a strange and concerning story, and in terms of the tracking, we know that it was an iPad that really led authorities to this motel in Wyoming. And once them got there, the SWAT team was there, they arrested Joseph Beecher and they found an AR-15 and a handgun. So of course a difficult situation not just for law enforcement but also for the hostage, for this woman who had been kidnapped.

But let's start from the beginning of all of this. This started on Wednesday at 10:15 in the morning, according to court documents that we have been going through which include his arrest warrant and a criminal complaint that was filed in federal court. So we know that he got to the ranch on Wednesday, got out of his truck and was looking at the fence at the ranch. Then he got back into his truck and decided to ram through that entrance according to surveillance video that authorities say they have.

Once inside the ranch that's when he found this woman and told her, according to these court documents, that he would shoot her head off. She told police that he was heavily armed saying that he wanted to create an international scene. She also told police that he would go on rants about Michael Bloomberg and asked for his daughters specifically by name. Then this man realized that none of the Bloombergs were at the ranch.

And that's when he decided to tell her that he wanted her to drive him around, so she got into her truck and did just that. They ended up going to a gas station where he told her that if she asked for help he would shoot everyone at the gas station including her. Then they went to an ATM because he said they needed cash according to these documents, and as she was getting the money out, she was trying to mouth the words help me.

But, as I mentioned, it wasn't the video from the ATM, it was the iPad that got authorities to that motel in Wyoming. Thankfully she's OK. And Michael Bloomberg, his spokesperson sending a statement out saying that they're thankful to law enforcement but really just thankful that they were able to bring this employee back home and safe to her family -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes. A good ending, fortunately, but, man, that must have been so terrifying for her. And federal prosecutors asked for this man to be held without bond. What comes next?

[18:20:04]

BERNAL: So we're expecting a court appearance on Tuesday. And at the moment there is no attorney listed for him but, of course, we expect that to change in the coming days. And there is the possibility that we hear from his attorney, but the reality here is that he's facing a number of charges including a federal kidnapping charge, so this is likely going to take a long time as it plays out in court. And there is the possibility that this man will remain in jail for many years to come. But of course we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out in court -- Pam.

BROWN: We will indeed. Camila Bernal, thanks for bringing us the latest there.

We are just a few days into the Winter Olympics. Can Team USA strike gold in Beijing? Don Riddell joins me next with a preview of what's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:18]

BROWN: Day three of competition in the Beijing Winter Olympics begins in just a couple of hours from now, and the U.S. has yet to win a gold medal but will have an opportunity to get atop the podium later today. Yesterday Julia Marino earned a silver in the women's snowboarding slopestyle marking Team USA's first medal of the games. A second silver quickly followed for Jaelin Kauf in the women's moguls free skiing event.

CNN "WORLD SPORT" host Don Riddell is with me now. Hi, Don. Team USA still chasing gold and could have a shot today with skier Mikaela Shiffrin. What more can you tell us about her?

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, WORLD SPORT: Yes. Not just a shot, it should be a big shot. I mean, Mikaela Shiffrin, Pam, is pretty much the biggest star of the American Winter Olympics team. She is fast on her way to becoming the greatest of all time, 73 World Cup wins. Her Olympic record in comparison isn't quite as glittering but she does still have two gold medals already to her name and she's going to be going in the giant slalom in just a few hours' time.

And she's a fascinating story because the way things have played out, the men's downhill on Sunday had to be postponed because of high winds, so that is going to be happening also in the coming hours. And it just so happens that her boyfriend from Norway Alexander Aamodt Kilde is going to be going for what he hopes will be his first Olympic medal. He's also a big star. They are considered skiing's power couple.

And the way it's just kind of worked out they could be winning gold medals within just a few minutes of each other. So that would be a wonderful story with just a week ahead of Valentine's Day. They're very open about their relationship. They're very public about it.

They both have helped each other through some pretty tricky times. Mikaela Shiffrin's father dying recently, and around about that time he was suffering from a pretty serious injury and was out of the sport. And they both helped each other get through that. So they really are a great story.

Some pretty exciting events coming up in the coming hours. We've got the women's team figure skating. There's going to be medals handed out there and there's so much interest in the 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valiyeva. Just 15 years old, she is considered the best in the world. She's already set nine world records. She's a European champion, she could easily be one of the big stars of these games. So keep an eye out from her.

And another sport that I think we'll all enjoy watching is the Olympic debut of the free ski big air. That is an absolutely spectacular event not for the faint of heart. Happy those guys are doing it and not me. But I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

BROWN: Man, as someone who is afraid of heights as myself, like just seeing that.

RIDDELL: Right.

BROWN: I'm like, oh, my gosh, how do they do that?

RIDDELL: Yes.

BROWN: Incredible. So, look, COVID isn't just hanging over the Olympics but every sport around the world. What can you tell us about the German soccer coach who tested positive and had to watch his team play from home? I love this.

RIDDELL: Yes, I'm glad you asked me about this because I know I was invited on to talk about the Winter Olympics but this is my favorite story of the weekend. COVID is not a laughing matter, but this coach, Steffen Baumgart is his name. These are still images of him on the touch line in his trademark flat cap and he's just one of those coaches that wears his heart on his sleeve. His daughter filmed him watching the game at home.

And, look, he's just behaving as if he's on the touch line. He manages to sit on his dog at one point and look at the way the dog reacts. Calm down, Coach. It's going to be OK. There he is pretending like he's coaching his team. Of course, they can't hear him. They're playing on TV and there's probably a massive satellite delay as well. But fortunately for him his Koln team beat Freiburg by a goal to nil.

This is one of the top coaches in German football and he's exactly the same at home as you see him on the touch line. Last year, by the way, Pamela, he won an award for the best saying in German football which is, according to him, the game is not over until the referee blows the whistle, and I stop yelling. And there he is. He's still yelling with the family and the dog at home. They can't shut him up.

BROWN: I know. I love that some of the clips of the dog, the dog there, and then some he's gone. I wonder if the dog like -- yes, then giving him a hug, too.

RIDDELL: Massaging the shoulders. It will be all right.

BROWN: That is so great. You know, we all need a good laugh sometimes.

RIDDELL: Agree. Yes.

BROWN: That video did it for me today. Don Riddell, thank you.

RIDDELL: All right.

BROWN: Well, sources tell CNN that Russia has positioned 70 percent of the troops needed to invade Ukraine. Meanwhile, the U.S. is sending its ally more military aid. We're going to discuss with Congressman Jason Crow from the Armed Services Committee. That's next.

[18:30:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAUL: The noose is being prepared. It's around Ukraine right now as we speak. These are dangerous times. Time is of the essence. This will be largest invasion in Europe since World War II, and the time frame, as Jake Sullivan mentioned, is closing in.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: A grim assessment there from the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As the world waits for what happens next in Ukraine, the U.S. is ramping up support for its ally.

[18:35:05]

U.S. officials tell CNN that Russia has positioned about 70 percent of the troops and weapons needed for a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Democratic Congressman Jason Crow joins me now.

Congressman, welcome to the show. You are on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. Tell us, given where you sit, how concerned are you about where things stand right now?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, hi, Pamela. I am very concerned because the forces continue to build up along the Ukrainian border. Vladimir Putin is not only moving massive amounts of combat power and mobilizing his reserves but you also look at what type of forces are being moved into place and the supporting forces because the tanks, the battalion tactical groups as Russia calls it, are one thing but actually putting in the support services, the fuel, the field hospitals, the blood supplies, all of the things that they would need for a full-scale invasion are also now being put into place.

And putting that stuff into place actually has cost for Putin. This isn't just like moving fixed units around. There are substantial costs to him doing that which indicates that he is intending to go ahead with an invasion.

And I think I also want to remind people this would be an additional invasion because Russia has already invaded Ukraine back in 2014. They took by force the Crimean Peninsula and eastern part of Ukraine, Donbass. This is looking like a much larger full-scale invasion that could take Kyiv as well, and I'm extremely concerned about it.

BROWN: Congress is working on a new round of tough sanctions. How quickly do you think you can get a bill to the president's desk?

CROW: Well, I mean, at this point, not quick enough in my own view. I mean, we should -- we I think should have gotten this done, you know, a week or two ago. That's been my push. I would like to see a very, very robust sanctions package passed by Congress go and get signed by the president so the second that any additional tanks of Russian forces cross into free and sovereign Ukrainian territory, let's not forget, this is a free and democratic nation, that we're looking at defending here.

The second that those tanks cross over, immediately there are crippling sanctions put into place. This would be a huge deterrent. And we haven't got it done yet and I think we have to get it done very soon.

BROWN: I want to ask you about what the Biden administration has put out there that Russia is planning a propaganda video to act as a pretext for an invasion. What more can you tell us about the supporting evidence for such a video that Russia is apparently involved in making?

CROW: Well, Pamela, as you know, I sit on both the Armed Services and the House Intelligence Committees. I've been briefed on this. And we can't get into the classified details because this is extremely sensitive intelligence that goes to sources and methods. What we never want to do is give up the source of that information or specific details about it because that compromises our ability to get future information.

It compromises our sources and it would be tremendously risky for those sources and information but it is very real. We are looking at a false flag operation that Russia would mount that would include a false attack, actual use of corpses, paid mourners, you know, the full theatrics that Vladimir Putin is used to putting into place to give a pretext for an invasion.

This is Vladimir Putin 101. Let's not forget this. This is what he does. He's very good at it. This is what he's intending to do. That's why we wanted to release the limited information that we have to show that this is a plan to try to prevent him from doing so.

BROWN: I'd like to switch gears to discuss January 6th. As someone who was there and, you know, you were an Army ranger. You've talked about January 6th being a day when you went into combat mode. What is your reaction to the Republican Party censuring your GOP colleagues Cheney and Kinzinger and saying that they're taking part in the persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse?

CROW: Well, Pamela, it's abhorrent and just shows how far this federal Republican Party in Washington, D.C., has become from the mainstream of the American people. You know, in what scenario does killing police officers, brutally beating 140 others, assaulting the United States Capitol, trying to by violence and force overturn a rightful election, at what point does that become classified as legitimate political discourse?

It just shows how out of touch they are. It shows the extent to which they're willing to go to sweep this under the rug even when it means maligning the memory of these officers and hurting the families who have already suffered so much after January 6th. It's abhorrent. I'm not going to let it happen and go unchecked and, of course, that's why we have the January 6th Select Committee to make sure that we're telling the truth and uncovering more information about the attack.

BROWN: Let's talk a little bit more about the committee today. This is what Senator Marco Rubio had to say about the January 6th Committee.

[18:40:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): The January 6th Commission is not the place to do it. That's what prosecutors are supposed to do. This commission is a partisan scam. They're going after -- the purpose of that commission is to try to embarrass and smear and harass as many Republicans as they can get their hands on.

MARGARET BRENNAN, MODERATOR, FACE THE NATION: That's what you believe your two --

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: He's saying it is a partisan scam. What is your message to him and other Republicans who keep casting doubt on the committee and its intent?

CROW: Well, when 140 police officers are beaten brutally, some of whom have lifelong injuries, haven't been able to return to work, have traumatic brain injury, five have died or taken their own lives after the attack, you know, people have seen the video. The American public has seen the video of the violence of that attack.

I was there myself. I was trapped in the House gallery. It's been since I served in the military that I saw that type of violence and I saw it at the United States Capitol, a place where, you know, as children we've all come to revere our democracy and our institutions. That building was attacked. And your rightful vote was attacked. So there's no smear campaign here. This is politics.

This is Republicans and people playing politics because they just don't want to admit what happened because it's inconvenient for them. It's embarrassing for them. It's threatening their elections at the ballot box. So they're just trying to mischaracterize it, sweep it under the rug. And I'm just not going to let them do it.

BROWN: And it's interesting, too, because they have repeatedly tried to frame the conversation around security failures, really putting the onus on law enforcement who was there that day who rescued members of Congress, protected them.

Today Mike Pence's former chief of staff, Marc Short, said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHORT: Unfortunately, the president had many bad advisers who were basically snake oil salesmen giving him really random and novel ideas as to what the vice president could do.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So he's basically blaming the people around Trump, former president, and painting the ex-president as a hapless bull taken in by others. Do you share his point of view?

CROW: No, I don't. I think everybody has their free will. They make decisions. I don't think Vice President Pence is a dumb man. I think he's a very smart person and knew what he was doing. The same with Donald Trump. You know, I think we cannot let people off the hook here. This does not happen because of a security failure. All right? This mob descended on the Capitol because that was the plan.

That's what they wanted to have happened, that's what they planned to have happened, and you have all sorts of information that's been uncovered by the January 6th Select committee including PowerPoint presentations, memoranda that were actually prepared for the president to seize voting machines, a blueprint, a written blueprint for a coup in the United States of America by President Trump, and all of the key enablers around him.

I'm not willing to let them off the hook because if we let them off the hook, it can and it will happen again. We have to be extremely clear and honest about what's happened. Continue to communicate that relentlessly and say we're not going to let it happen on our watch.

BROWN: All right, Congressman Jason Crow, thank you for the conversation tonight.

CROW: Thanks, Pamela.

BROWN: Well, Stacey Abrams, a Democratic candidate for Georgia governor, faces criticism tonight for what she didn't put on her face.

These are pictures that both Abrams and the principal of an Atlanta area elementary school tweeted out last week. Abrams was attending a Black History Month reading event, and you can see the children in the class are wearing masks. Teachers, staff, and guests in the class are wearing masks. Stacey Abrams is not. The event was in Decatur, that city and school district, have mask mandates.

Now since the backlash started Abrams has deleted the tweet and the school's principal who first tweeted the pictures has deactivated her Twitter account. But the Abrams campaign told "The Atlanta Journal Constitution" Abrams encourages schools to require masks for students, faculty and staff, and that she supports public health requirements that recommend masks in other closed or indoor settings.

Abrams acknowledges that a person may temporarily remove a mask in limited circumstances that adhere to scientific guidelines, citing studies.

Well, it is an incredible milestone for Britain's Queen Elizabeth. 70 years on the throne. CNN royal commentator and historian Kate Williams joins me next to talk about that and Queen Elizabeth's plans for the future, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:49:07]

BROWN: Queen Elizabeth II has used the milestone of her platinum jubilee to reshape the future of the British monarchy. She called for her daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen Camilla when Charles becomes king. The 95-year-old monarch laid out her plans as she marked 70 years on the throne.

CNN royal commentator Kate Williams joins us from London.

So hi there, Kate. How are people reacting to the Queen's milestone there?

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR AND HISTORIAN: It's a huge moment, it's a huge moment, the platinum jubilee, the longest reigning British monarch, the longest reigning monarch really alive with us. And she's just a couple of years more to go and she could be the longest reigning monarch of a sovereign state in history. And this is the moment, a celebrated moment she came to the throne 70 years ago, just a young woman, 25, a mother of two, and suddenly it was pitched into this new job in 1952.

[18:50:01]

It's really such an important moment. And the statement you were talking about, she talked about the importance of change in her reign. Huge (INAUDIBLE) changes, the social changes, cultural changes across the world, and just as you were saying she really did say what's going to happen in the future and particularly that she hopes that the affection that she's enjoyed will be extended to Charles and to Camilla, who she said it's her sincerest wish that Camilla will be Queen consort, and we haven't known before what Camilla's title will be, and now we know, Queen Consort, crowned in a coronation ceremony with Charles. So that's very significant. BROWN: And the Queen was quite young when she took the throne. You did

the math, only 25, and now 70 years on, still redefining history. Some experts calling her a symbol of stability in the U.K.

WILLIAMS: She is a symbol. She's -- and what's so fascinating is all the changes experienced when you think about the fact she was born in 1926, only eight years after the World War I had finished, and women in Britain, not all women, had the vote.

She came to the throne in 1952 and still most women really didn't have equality in the work place and here she was as monarch and she points that out. And what I think is really interesting about her statement today as well is that she talks about Charles, she talks about Camille, but also she makes it clear that she wishes to continue serving.

And it often pops up in jubilees. People say, oh, well, is the Queen going to abdicate? Is she going to retire because she's 95 now? Well, she was saying in her statement, absolutely no way, she said she wishes to continue to serve the country and the commonwealth with all of her heart so she isn't going anywhere. She loves the job. She wants to stay with it.

BROWN: Don't you just love that? I mean, it is really incredible at 95. So what type of precedence does her public support of Camilla set on her platinum jubilee because some seemed to be surprised that she would make this announcement around this time.

WILLIAMS: Yes, it is -- I think some people are taken by surprise by it. Quite interestingly, it's always been the line of the palace that Camilla would not be crowned with Charles in the coronation ceremony and she would be called princess consort, not queen, and that's really, I've seen a sea change actually recently.

A couple of years ago they used to have this as a Q&A on the royal Web site what would be Camilla's title and then that fell off a few years ago and I thought some change is afoot and clearly now it was decided at the platinum jubilee this is the moment to make it clear what the monarchy would be in the future.

The Queen here, she's seen ups and downs in popularity. At this moment, she's at the peak of her popularity. She's so popular and people love her, and yet she's thinking what about the monarchy to come? How can I improve the monarchy to ensure that my popularity continues when I'm no longer here. And that I think is a really important intervention. She knows that really sometimes the public love all change and she wants very much all the affection or the attention that she's enjoyed to be transferred to Charles when that time comes.

BROWN: Yes. She knows that especially based on media attention, the royals have had a slew of media attention from Meghan Markle and Harry's exit to the recent Prince Andrew allegations. Do you think this will reset the focus in a way that the monarch would like?

WILLIAMS: Well, Prince Andrew is going to be handing over the coronation, these coronations, the celebrations in June. We have huge celebrations planned, pop concerts, street parties, choosing the color, military parade, Thanksgiving ceremony, and obviously people are going to be saying, is Andrew going to be part of this? Because really, it doesn't seem possible that he can be. I'm certain today the information came through that he will be speaking to Virginia Giuffre's lawyer. He will be talking to the lawyers and being questioned by them.

It seems like he's not really going to step up and wants to fight the court case. It could be a trial, and I think it could be extremely problematic and embarrassing for the royal family so Andrew really is someone I think they're trying to cut to a degree cut away from the royal family because it's so problematic even if he's found innocent, he was very friendly with convicted sex trafficker, it's not appropriate.

So really, the royal family are at the moment I think the Queen is really putting the focus on herself, on Charles, on William, on the monarchy, on this focus on the monarch, and we've had these wonderful videos out, her looking at tributes to the royal archives and the statements in which he talked about the fact that in 1947 at 21, she promised to serve the country for as long as she lived and now here she is now, 95 years old, still serving, still doing the job, an incredible woman.

BROWN: Yes, we all love that moment. All right, Kate, thanks.

Well, it is basic physics, what goes up, must come down. How NASA plans to bring the International Space Station back to earth, next.

[18:55:06]

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BROWN: NASA is planning a crash landing for the International Space Station. The ISS entered service in 2000 and NASA says it will be retired by bringing it back to earth by 2030, just eight years from now. Can you believe that? 2030, just eight years from now?

A controlled reentry is supposed to put it here as you see on your screen, a remote part of the Pacific Ocean called Point Nemo.