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Pre-Inauguration Security Very High Near U.S. Capitol; Federal Agencies Say Domestic Extremists Most Likely Threat To Inauguration; Interview With Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Biden Calls On Senate To Pursue Impeachment Along With The Nation's 'Other Urgent Business'; Despite Trump Administration Promise, Vaccine "Reserve" Doesn't Exist; State Capitols Tighten Security Amid Threat Of Armed Protests; Social Media Companies Cracking Down On Extremist Presence. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 16, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:16]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a Special Edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.

Today and through this weekend, America is on alert with just four days left of the Trump presidency. On alert with police and even the U.S. military manning security checkpoints here in Washington, D.C. A Virginia man arrested, the police report says he had a gun and a lot of ammunition. His intentions so far are not known.

On alert, the U.S. Postal Service taking away or locking blue mail collection boxes in major cities around the country. This is where blue U.S. mailboxes used to be. Postal officials say it's temporary and for public safety at a time of heightened security.

And on alert, after the F.B.I. warns of armed protests being planned at state capitals across the country in the days leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration. The threat not from foreign enemies, but from Americans. Domestic extremists furious that Donald Trump lost the presidential election and refusing to accept it as legitimate.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Washington right near the U.S. Capitol for us. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is over at the White House.

Shimon, we understand we're getting some more details on the arrest of that Virginia man not far from the U.S. Capitol. You're there on the scene. Give us all the late breaking developments.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, Wolf. So the man did have a court appearance and also the Capitol Police issuing a statement on the incident saying that when this happened yesterday at 6:30 last night on Friday, and that he came upon a checkpoint, a secure checkpoint, because of the inauguration all the increased security that he presented a non-government ID and that police saw a handgun in his car and that is when they took him into custody. They also say that he admitted to possessing the weapon and as you

said, Wolf, they did find those 500 rounds of ammunition, some of them belonging to the gun, some of them not belonging to the gun, some of them belonging to a rifle.

So they took them in to custody. They identify him as Wesley Allen Beeler. He is 31 years old, and he is from Virginia. He was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license. Here in Washington, D.C., you have to have a -- you have to be a registered gun owner. He is from Virginia. So there, the laws are a little different. So perhaps that explains why he possessed this gun.

Obviously, Wolf, a lot of questions surrounding what he was doing and where he was going. And some of our CNN reporters have been working on that so we'll be sure to have more information on that.

But obviously, given the security concerns all around the U.S. Capitol, all around Washington, D.C., this raised a lot of eyebrows and a lot of suspicion, and so police did take the man into custody and he was charged.

BLITZER: Yes, it says the charging document, the suspect was found to be in possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. The suspect was subsequently placed under arrest, 509 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition. They say he had 21 rounds of 12- gauge shotgun shells as well.

And "The Washington Post" has this disturbing little element that on that vehicle of his, there was a sticker, a bumper sticker that said if they come for your guns, give them your bullets first. So that's a little disturbing, as well.

Do we know anything at all about his political motivation if there was any political motivation? Because he was charged and arrested.

PROKUPECZ: Wolf, at this point, there's no indication that this has anything to do with politics, or there's any sort of threat associated with this. There's absolutely no information to indicate that.

Yes, there were these stickers that certainly raised some concerns with law enforcement on scene. In fact, it is perhaps why they asked him because when they looked at his car, and they went around, they looked at his vehicle. They asked him if he had any weapons in the car, any ammunition. He did tell them that he did have that weapon.

So yes, those stickers perhaps raised some concerns and so they did ask those questions. But other than that, there doesn't at least at this point, appear to be any threat associated with this individual.

BLITZER: All right. Well, that's encouraging you to hear that. Thanks very much. Standby. Jeremy, you're over at the White House for us. Tell us what if anything you're hearing from the White House, from the President as security is really tightening to the maximum level here in Washington.

[18:05:12] JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, we

have a very similar security perimeter here around the White House, as there is around the Capitol where Shimon was just speaking to you from. As for the President, though, he has been silent today. He has already been silenced of course last week on social media, so we're not hearing from him on Twitter as we have during most of the four years of his presidency.

But we do know that in just the last 24 hours, President Trump appears to have met with two of the individuals who have either enabled or helped President Trump spread many of his lies and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Yesterday, we know that the President was meeting with Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow, who handed him a document talking about more false allegations of voter fraud and even talked of Martial Law, according to a photograph of a document that Lindell handed the President, and in just the last hour or so, Wolf, Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal attorney who has been spearheading the efforts to try and overturn the 2020 election, he was spotted arriving here at the White House, presumably for a meeting with the President.

But as for the President, Wolf, he has really been consumed with this second historic impeachment that he face in the final days of his presidency and that is a big contrast to what we are seeing with Vice President Mike Pence, who just today was visiting a military installation over in California, touting the achievements and accomplishments as he sees them of the Trump administration's national security policy these last four years.

Mike Pence has also been doing other presidential duties, visiting with the National Guardsmen who are guarding the Capitol just this week, and also having a security briefing on the inauguration as well as giving a phone call to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris that, of course, is a courtesy that President Trump has not extended to President-elect Joe Biden.

And we also know that while Vice President Pence will attend the inauguration, President Trump plans not to do so; instead, he will be leaving Washington that morning of the inauguration and we are told that he has been asking aides for a big military style sendoff as he leaves in his final hours as President of the United States.

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy is over at the White House. Shimon is up on Capitol Hill. Guys, thank you very, very much.

We're joined now by the former Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama, Janet Napolitano. Madam Secretary, thanks very much for joining us. So this arrest in D.C., first of all, what does it tell you about the overall security situation here in the nation's capital?

JANET NAPOLITANO, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, what it tells me is that from a security standpoint, everyone is leaning forward, and there's no room for error here. No mistakes, this will be a very secure inaugural. BLITZER: Let's hope -- let's hope indeed. Washington D.C. right now,

if you walk around as I have, so many parts of that area from Capitol Hill, Constitution Avenue, all of the main streets, Pennsylvania, Independence all the way the Washington Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, it's almost become like a fortress. All those streets are closed, 25,000 National Guard troops, security fencing, checkpoints, how long do you think this added security, Madam Secretary, will be necessary?

NAPOLITANO: Well, one hopes it's not necessary for all that long. One of the things about our nation's capital is its relative openness. We are an open and free society.

I can't help but compare what the Capitol looks like today to what it looked like in 2009 when Barack Obama was getting ready to be inaugurated. It is such a different feel. More than a million people came to Washington to celebrate Obama's inauguration. Now, the town is just shut down and hoping to get through the inauguration of Joe Biden.

BLITZER: Yes, well, that's what we're all hoping. Several of the people charged for alleged roles in that Capitol Hill insurrection a week ago, and sadly to report this, were military veterans, police, even some elected officials. Madam Secretary, what do you make of that?

NAPOLITANO: Well, you know, I think it's troublesome. I think that both police departments and the military need to do some introspection in terms of how they are enforcing the rule of law amongst the troops and amongst their officers.

And if many or some were involved in the insurrection last week, that they ought to be arrested and prosecuted.

BLITZER: A U.S. Intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN, Madam Secretary says the Capitol riot has motivated far right extremist, white supremacist among others, some lawmakers are actually calling for stronger domestic terrorism laws. Do you think that's an answer?

[18:10:12]

NAPOLITANO: Well, I think it's time that we had a domestic terrorism statute. You know, it's interesting under the Patriot Act, the F.B.I. has the authority to investigate domestic terrorism, but there's no actual Federal law for prosecution for domestic terrorism.

And I think given the events of the recent days, and what we've seen developing in our country, we need to take a serious look at that.

BLITZER: How pressing, would it be, Madam Secretary, how pressing is the situation, the threat of these white supremacist, these far-right extremists, how much of a threat is it for the incoming Biden administration, especially because the President has for so long insisted that Biden has won the election. He is an illegitimate President, for all practical purposes, it was a stolen election, there was widespread fraud, and so many of these people, these extremists have come to believe that.

NAPOLITANO: Well, you know, it's hard to understand why facts simply don't matter to this particular part of our population. But the facts are the facts. Joe Biden won by a substantial majority, and he won the Electoral College.

But I do think this puts extra pressure on the administration to get the members of its Cabinet who deal with security in and confirmed and the members of the sub Cabinet, the leaders of the agencies that are within these big departments in and confirmed, because I do think we're going to be on an elevated security status for some period of time.

BLITZER: Yes, I'm sure we will be. Janet Napolitano, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck to you. Stay safe.

NAPOLITANO: Thank you.

BLITZER: There's some more breaking news out of Capitol Hill, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's Communications Director has now resigned. CNN has learned that decision by Ben Goldy was the result of his discomfort with Boebert's handling of the Capitol insurrection.

Less than two weeks in office, the freshman Congresswoman has courted plenty of controversy. Boebert was one of many Republicans who voted against the counting of the Electoral College votes for President- elect Joe Biden and most recently opposed the installation of metal detectors outside the House floor because she wants to carry a gun on Capitol grounds.

As the capital locks down to prevent another insurrection, the House is ramping up to send President Trump's impeachment articles over to the Senate next week.

Coming up, I'll speak to Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen. There you see him. He is joining us live. We'll discuss when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:01]

BLITZER: In the wake of last week's deadly insurrection here in Washington, D.C., the nation's capital right now is in a state of heightened security that makes it look more like a fortress at least parts of the city than the seat of the American democracy. And now we're learning that as an added precaution, the U.S. Postal Service is temporarily removing blue mailboxes in D.C. and across cities around the United States.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is joining us right now. Senator, thank you so much for joining us. I know there's a lot going on.

How concerned are you about the threats to the inauguration, the threats here in Washington as well as other state capitals? SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Well, Wolf, it's good to be with you.

I'm very concerned about the threats and that's why it's essential that we take these huge security precautions.

We now have, I think, 25,000 National Guards men and women in Washington, D.C. that's 10 times the amount of troops that we currently have in Afghanistan. And that's just the National Guard. On top of that, of course, you have different police forces.

So I think the security is definitely necessary and warranted. It is a sad reflection on where we are in our democracy today.

BLITZER: Will you feel safe going back to the Capitol doing your work in the Senate? I know so many other members of the House and the Senate, they're beefing up their personal security right now.

VAN HOLLEN: Well, yes, I do, Wolf. But I feel safe, partly because of the additional security measures that are being taken. Clearly, we had a complete failure of security at the Capitol on January 6, and so we've got to learn very quickly from what went wrong.

Of course, what went wrong in the big picture was we had a President of the United States inciting people to attack the Capitol to overturn the results of the election, and we had, essentially, you know, political accomplices in the House and the Senate who were fueling that lie and we're going to have to deal with that as a country going forward, as we work on the security base.

BLITZER: Well, give us a perspective if you can, Senator, have you ever seen anything like this unfold here in Washington, D.C.? You've been around like I have, for a while.

VAN HOLLEN: I've never seen anything like it, Wolf. As you said it is a fortress D.C., closing down the National Mall, closing down the Washington Metro System. Airbnb canceling reservations. The actions you just reported about the Post Office. This is, as if we were under attack from a foreign enemy. And what's so sad about it is it's an attack on our democracy from within instigated by the President of the United States.

These are the kind of forces you would normally see, you know, protecting us from an external enemy and yet here we are trying to protect ourselves from a violent mob and people who have been lied to, you know people who believe the President when he says that he was cheated out of an election.

We're going to have to come to grips with this, and this is why it's so important that Republican Members of Congress who helped fuel these lies, who gave oxygen to these lies, have got to say publicly, that they are wrong and that they're going to reverse their statements. That's the very least that they can do at this point.

[18:20:33]

BLITZER: Let's quickly talk about impeachment for a moment. You're a senator. I spoke to your colleague, Senator Jeff Merkley just a little while ago, he thinks the impeachment trial potentially could be very quick, maybe even two or three days. Do you agree or are you worried it could drag out, bog down the incoming administration's agenda?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, we're hoping to move it quickly. Of course, there's only one count, one article of impeachment here that the President incited the insurrection. What we don't know, Wolf, is what kind of defense the President intends to put on. He is entitled to put on a defense.

Right now, apparently, they are having trouble finding people who want to conduct that defense for him. So the timeline depends partly on that.

We are working very hard to double track our activity in the Senate so that we can proceed with nominees for the Biden administration. Hearings will start on Tuesday, a day before the inauguration for some of the key national security posts, but we're hoping to double track this so that we can do two things at once.

BLITZER: Because under the normal rules, I don't know if there will be normal rules for a former President as opposed to a sitting President, the impeachment trial, all 100 members is supposed to gather at noon, 12 noon each day, that dominates the rest of the day, basically.

So you would have to have confirmation hearings, other business in the morning. Is that what you're thinking?

VAN HOLLEN: That's right, Wolf, and it may require the cooperation of Senator McConnell and some of our Republican colleagues. This will be an early indication as to whether or not they will, you know, take Joe Biden's hand in some kind of bipartisan actions, at least with respect to nominations.

I mean, we hope they'll also join us on the President-elect's American rescue plan, the economic plan he laid out to fight the pandemic as well. You know, we'll have to see on that, but at the very least, they should help clear some of these nominations for essential national security positions.

BLITZER: To convict the President, he will now be the former President, you will need -- assuming all 50 Democratic senators vote in favor of conviction, you'll need 17 Republican senators, a two- thirds majority, 67 senators to convict. You think that's realistic?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, here's what I know. I know, I've talked to a number of Republican senators and there's no disagreement that that the President's conduct warrants conviction.

Look, people witnessed this with their own eyes. You've got the violent mob -- members of that mob saying that they were sent to the Capitol by Donald Trump. I mean, they want pardons from him now because they were doing his bidding. So the evidence is very clear, the President instigated this. It was on the heels, of course of him trying to coerce Georgia's Secretary of State.

So the only question is whether Republicans will do publicly what they acknowledge privately is really a no brainer when it comes to conviction.

BLITZER: Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, thanks so much for joining us. Stay safe out there. We will certainly stay in touch.

VAN HOLLEN: Thank you, Wolf, yes.

BLITZER: Thank you. To our viewers, you're watching a Special Edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. President-elect Joe Biden ready to roll back some of President Trump's biggest policies on the very first day of his new administration.

And be sure to join CNN for all-day live coverage of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, a history making event in unprecedented times. Special all-day live coverage starts early Wednesday morning, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:288:51]

BLITZER: President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in just four days, and he is planning to sign dozens of Executive Orders within his first few days in office. According to Biden's incoming Chief of Staff, the orders include rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, ending the ban on predominantly Muslim countries, halting evictions and student loan payments during the coronavirus pandemic and issuing a mask mandate on all Federal property.

Susan Page is joining us right now. She is the "U.S.A. Today" Washington Bureau Chief and a good friend. Susan, thank you so much for joining us. This is going to be a pretty drastic change from the Trump era politics immediately, won't it?

SUSAN PAGE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "U.S.A. TODAY": Yes, and I think we're going to see President-elect Biden once he is inaugurated use Executive Orders to do what he may or may not be able to do in actually passing legislation with Congress.

With a stroke of a pen, he can illustrate -- he can demonstrate that there is a new President charged with a very different view of the world, even as part of the capital, part of the Washington capital is going to be consumed with another impeachment of his predecessor.

[18:30:07]

PAGE: This is a way for Biden to show he's in charge.

BLITZER: Yes. Because these executive orders, you correctly pointed out, he can sign and you don't need to pass legislation in the House and the Senate that he signs it. He can do it very quickly and that's what you're bracing for, right?

PAGE: That's right. And we saw, actually, President Obama demonstrated his ability to use the pen as he would say at a time when he was getting stalled in Congress. And, of course, President Trump has used executive orders to do many far-reaching policies. Some of them have ended up in court challenged by Democrats about whether the President could do things by executive order on immigration and other issues.

But now we see, I think, President Biden will have learned some lessons from President Trump about what he can and cannot do by executive action. But we're going to see just in the first day, I think, we're going to see some really big and fundamental changes.

The Paris Climate accords, that is a big deal for us to rejoin. Action on immigration, that is the signature issue. That's the issue that President Trump talked about from the day he announced his first campaign for president. So this is going to be some dramatic action with the first day of the new Biden administration.

BLITZER: The President-elect, as you know, Susan is urging the Senate to carry out its impeachment duties, a formal Senate impeachment trial without sidelining his agenda. You think that's possible?

PAGE: Yes, I think it's possible. We've seen that happen in the past where the Senate has managed to negotiate a deal when it comes to dealing with the impeachment of other officials and the regular order of business. And Joe Biden has known Mitch McConnell a long time. He's made very big efforts to reach out, to not demonize Mitch McConnell, to not criticize him during this transition.

This will be a first test about whether you can actually see cooperation between the Republican leader and the Democratic leader in the Senate. If they manage to negotiate this, maybe they can manage to negotiate some other things after impeachment is over.

BLITZER: Because I remember when he was a senator and he was a senator for a long time, long before I became vice president of the United States, have so many issues, domestic issues, national security issues and you remember this well, he worked very closely with his Republican colleagues in the Senate. In those days, there was good bipartisan cooperation. Do you think that is potentially available right now that he will with the then Minority Leader Mitch McConnell work closely together?

PAGE: I think the safe bet with Congress these days is for polarization and gridlock. But that is been the message from Joe Biden during his campaign in the primaries. Even at a time when it wasn't doing much good when Democrats during those primaries were really seem to be looking for kind of a new order, a more aggressive Democratic Party, a more progressive Democratic Party, Joe Biden look like maybe he was out of step with us.

But as it turns out, he won the nomination. He won the presidency. His message has been pretty consistent, so we'll see if he can do what a lot of people think is naive. Maybe he's naive. Maybe we're mistaken.

BLITZER: We'll watch it all unfold together as we always do. Susan Page as usual, thank you so much for joining us. Stay safe out there.

PAGE: You too, Wolf.

BLITZER: Tomorrow, join our own Abby Phillip as she talks with the soon to be Vice President of United States, Kamala Harris and her family. CNN Special Report Kamala Harris Making History, that airs tomorrow night 10 pm Eastern.

Meanwhile, coronavirus is spreading at such an alarming rate in Los Angeles County, indeed, throughout so much of the United States right now. In L.A., it's now reporting more than 1 million cases that's higher than a whole lot of other countries. We'll have more on that when we return. Stay with us here on THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:03]

BLITZER: Here's a stunning statistic, Los Angeles is now the first U.S. county to report more than 1 million coronavirus cases that according to the county's Department of Public Health. For context, if Los Angeles were a country, it would ranked 19th in the world for cases. It's getting so bad that they're running out of space to store the bodies of all the COVID victims and are having to bring in additional refrigerated storage trucks.

About 90 percent of the state's residents are under stay-at-home orders as ICU capacity at hospitals projected to remain at critical levels for at least the next month. As so many Americans wait in long lines for precious vaccines, anger is building over a Trump administration promised to release extra vaccine doses to states. It turns out, this is so depressing, it turns out there are no more reserved second vaccine doses. They've already been distributed.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control warns that more contagious variants of the Coronavirus could actually worsen the spread. The U.K. variant is predicted to become the most dominant form of the virus here in the United States by March. It's been identified by a dozen states thus far with Michigan being but the latest.

CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Seema Yasmin, is joining us right now. Dr. Yasmin, thanks so much for joining us. I know there's so much going on. There's no question we need vaccines, we need them now. The CDC says more than 31 million doses have been delivered to states around the country but only 12.2 million doses have actually been administered, given to people. That's only 39 percent.

And we've just learned, listen to this, Dr. Yasmin, in New York State, 7 million people are eligible for the vaccine, but they're only getting what 250,000 doses next week. So how do we fix these problems?

SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We absolutely need to deploy FEMA, we need to be working with the National Guard in using the Defense Act.

[18:40:04]

All things that actually President-elect Joe Biden said he will do as soon as he comes into office.

The numbers you're sharing, Wolf, they are devastating because we really need this vaccine program to ramp up. But I do see some glimmers of hope. So, for example, states like West Virginia and Colorado, West Virginia is vaccinating people at twice the speed of the whole nation as a whole, so you can see what's worked there.

They have used National Guard to make sure that hospital staff who are already overwhelmed aren't then burdened with having to administer vaccines as well. They've also said, OK, we've looked at the federal guidelines.

You're saying work with CVS and Walgreens, but what we think will work here is us collaborating with local pharmacies and so they've established their own network of 250 pharmacies that are really well connected with long-term care facilities. And that's why West Virginia has actually administered 65 percent of all the vaccine that it's been given.

So we can see what works, different things work for different states, Wolf. Colorado is working with CVS and Walgreens and still vaccinating way above the national average. It can be done but we need FEMA. We need to use the Defense Act. We need to be reimbursing states by deploying the National Guard and that's the way that you can get to vaccinating 1 million Americans a day, which is really where we need to be at.

BLITZER: As you know the President-elect Joe Biden is aiming for 100 billion vaccines given to people it is first 100 days in office, Dr. Fauci believes that's a feasible goal. Do you agree?

YASMIN: I do. And I not only do I think it's feasible, but I think it absolutely has to happen. This vaccine is our main route out of the pandemic and I think just by talking about states like West Virginia that I just mentioned, Colorado, the Dakotas, there are states that are doing better than the national average when it comes to vaccinating their citizens.

So let's look at what's working there and then let's make sure that, yes, we do have a national vaccination campaign, but we're also letting states make decisions that they know will work for them. Give them the support and the autonomy that they need. Make sure we're working with local organizers at the community, grassroots level. They really know how to do what we call in public health deliver the last mile.

So I think it's feasible. I think it needs to happen and I think there are ways to implement that kind of vaccination program.

BLITZER: Yes. They need to do it. They need a national program. They need to do it quickly. They should have activated FEMA, as you correctly pointed out. I've been saying this for a long time. The U.S. military, they do it after a hurricane 400,000, Dr. Yasmin, 400,000 Americans will have died probably by next week alone over the past year, 400,000 Americans and the numbers keep going up. There are projections right now that a half a million, maybe 600,000 in the next few months alone up.

This is awful and it's getting worse by the day. Is that right?

YASMIN: It actually is and it's so hard to get your head around that, Wolf. I'm kind of losing my breath, as you say those numbers, because I know we repeat them every day. But that's 400,000 souls and actually a situation that looks like it might get worse before it gets better. And I just want to reiterate that, yes, the vaccination program is our way out of this, but it's not a vaccination program alone.

So for anyone watching who's had their first dose of the vaccine, that's great. You may even have two doses already. But please still keep wearing a mask, keep doing physical distancing, keep limiting gatherings, because until about 80 percent of Americans are vaccinated, we won't have achieved safe herd immunity and that means we could still be transmitting the virus to others, even if we've been vaccinated.

So it's going to be the vaccine that gets us out of this situation, but also those basic public health measures as well.

BLITZER: Yes. A really excellent advice, Dr. Yasmin. Thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Seema Yasmin is an expert in this area, you could tell. She knows what she's talking about. Appreciate it very much.

YASMIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: States around the country prepare for potentially violent protests in the coming days, that includes Georgia. Take a look at these live pictures coming in from the state Capitol in Atlanta. We're going to show you how that state which has found itself right at the center of the false claims of voter fraud is now preparing. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:56]

BLITZER: All 50 states are on high alert right now, bracing for potential violent attacks just ahead of President-elect Joe Biden inauguration on Wednesday. In fact, more than a dozen states have already activated their National Guard troops for the coming days and that includes Georgia, the epicenter of the biggest post-election battle and we're not one but two Senate seats just flipped from Republican to Democratic.

CNN's Natasha Chen is joining us from Atlanta right now. Natasha, so tell us how concerned officials are where you are.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said earlier in the week that the threat level here is low, but he's not taking any chances and we're seeing that play out here with local, state, federal authorities working together and the Capitol building is wrapped all the way around with this kind of low barrier.

Now, this is not that hard for someone to push through if they really wanted to, but then they would be met by armored vehicles, by a strong law enforcement presence that we're seeing. You can see this side of the building the sidewalk is closed as is the sidewalk on the opposite side as well.

[18:49:58]

Now, to see this kind of heightened state purity is really quite surreal for some of the state lawmakers, including Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan who said on CNN on Friday he acknowledged that President Trump's words have made Georgia less safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN (R-GA): There is an increased security presence at the Capitol. A very significant increased presence. We started our general assembly session on Monday. And here, I was getting out of the vehicle on Monday with armed SWAT members, with full body armor. Looking out my office window yesterday, it dawned on me that the gentleman standing there in the rain was there because not because of a terrorist, but because of potentially a Republican could want to attack our Capitol or myself. That's pretty - I can't fathom that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: Duncan also said that Georgia is trying to pick up the pieces at this point and move on because, as you said, this is a politically tense state right now that President Trump had called state election officials asking to find him votes. After being reliably Republican for decades here, the state elected Joe Biden in November and just sent to Democrats to the Senate.

So it is politically tense here and while we are not told of any specific threats this coming week, no one is taking anything for granted here, Wolf.

BLITZER: They got to be careful. They got to be abundantly careful. Natasha Chen in Atlanta for us. Thank you very much. As Washington braces for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, it's clear that certain corners of social media have fanned seditionist flames, allowing lots of conspiracy theories to gather and they're plotting as well.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had an election that was stolen from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Some of the biggest peddlers of the conspiracy theory that Trump didn't lose the election, including the President himself, have been purged from major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter since last week's insurrection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The President's Twitter account has been suspended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): But they and their followers have been finding new homes online, platforms like Parler and messaging app Telegram that have few rules and where hate and misinformation fester.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moving from Twitter to Parler. I'm moving to Parler. I'm moving to Parler. I have a Parler account.

BEN DECKER, CEO, MEMETICA: When people push disinformation or conspiracy theories, those conspiracy theories are just further reinforced. There's no counter rebuttal like there might be on Facebook or Twitter where you have fact checkers and people who have different views that offers a civic debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Weeks ago, we spoke to Parler users who explained why they preferred it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN (off camera): What is something you could say on Parler that you wouldn't be able to say on Facebook?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That the coronavirus is not as deadly as everybody says it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you can literally post that on Twitter and get in Twitter jail for that.

O'SULLIVAN (off camera): But you can post it on Parler?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Financially backed by prominent conservative donor, Rebekah Mercer, Parler is a social media app with an interface similar to Twitter. It was increasingly popular and reached number one on the Apple Store for a time before being taken offline overnight Sunday after Amazon which hosts the site pulled support for it.

Parler is suing the tech giant in a bid to get back up and running. But Parler did at least removed this post from Trump supporter, Attorney Lin Wood would seem to call for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by firing squad. Though Wood later told CNN he made no threats and believes in the rule of law.

The controversial far right group the Proud Boys is urging followers to welcome new users to the Telegram app where its channel has seen a surge in new followers over the past few days. We found this post on a Telegram channel summing up the potential influx of users partner.

"Parler being shut down has sent tens of thousands (or more) of people to Telegram. Now is our opportunity to grab them by the hand and lead them toward ideological truth."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DECKER: The further migration towards more secure fringe platforms is going to create a bigger blind spot for researchers and law enforcement. There's absolutely no doubt about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Donie, for that report. We're keeping a very close eye on our top story. The nation's Capitol lockdown right now with thousands of U.S. military personnel deployed here to try to safeguard the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. We'll have the latest on the security situation in Washington. That's coming up. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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[18:58:54]

BLITZER: Tonight, we share more stories of people who died from the coronavirus. James Glica-Hernandez was a beloved musical director at The Woodland Opera House. Before he passed of COVID-19 complications, he spent weeks in the hospital and hundreds of community members held virtual candlelight vigils even recorded a Broadway cover to play at his bedside. Our friend says James was passionate about helping others, believe in their own potential.

Betty Grier-Gallaher was an emergency room nurse. She worked at Coosa Valley Medical Center for more than 43 years. The hospital remembered Betty is someone who embodied the charge to care for patients' mind, body and spirit.

Earla Dan Dimitriadis was 66 years old. Her daughter said Earla grew up poor and was unable to complete her education beyond junior high. But in her late 50s, she earned her master's degree in psychology. She was a prolific, prolific Facebook poster. In her final update before she passed of COVID-19 complications, she wrote this, "Please pray for my husband. I regret not being able to hold him one more time, being kind to each other. I love you."

[19:00:08]

May they rest in peace, and may their memories be a blessing.

Thanks for joining us for this special edition of the "SITUATION ROOM." I'll be back tomorrow. Another special edition 7:00 pm Eastern CNN "NEWSROOM" with Ana Cabrera starts right now.