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The Situation Room

Interview With NAACP President Derrick Johnson; Trump Blasts McConnell; Top Democratic Congressman Files Lawsuit Against Trump, Giuliani; Biden Set To Hold Town Hall In Wisconsin; Fauci Pushes Back Vaccine Timeline, Says General Public Won't Be Eligible Until May Or June; CNN Examines More Than 800 Pieces Of Evidence Used By House Managers To Build Case Against Trump; Soon: Biden To Pitch His Pandemic Relief Plan Directly To Public In CNN Town Hall; Record- Breaking Deep Freeze Engulfing Much Of The U.S. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 16, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: President Biden will join Anderson Cooper for a CNN town hall live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The president is making an all-out push to sell to Congress and to the American people his promise to tackle the growing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic with a massive $1.9 trillion emergency relief package.

We're also following breaking news. Former President Trump has just released a blistering statement attacking the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, calling him -- and I'm quoting Trump now -- 'a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack," even though McConnell voted for acquittal during his impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.

And there are new developments surrounding the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The NAACP has joined with a leading House Democrat to sue Trump for allegedly inciting the riot.

It's the first lawsuit against the former president since he left office. The president and CEO of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, he's standing by live. We will discuss later right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

But, first, let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins.

Kaitlan, this is the president's first official trip since his inauguration. You're there in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for us. The stakes are extremely high right now.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Wolf, because you see President Biden taking off on Air Force One. This is his first real flight on there. He's gone to Delaware for an unofficial trip back home while he was in office. But this is his first major domestic trip.

And he has been meeting with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and Washington. He's met with governors as well. But this is the time where he has come into Wisconsin. And according to the White House, that is solely so he can pitch this economic relief plan that he is trying to sell in Washington to voters across the country.

And that's what you're going to see him doing tonight, interacting with voters for the first time since he has gone into the White House. He is going to be answering questions about that relief plan, which we have noted still does not have any congressional support from Republicans.

And, Wolf, as he was leaving the White House just a few moments ago, he only spoke with reporters briefly. But he said he believes that, if no Republicans get on board with this, it would be bad for Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is going to continue working on getting the American Rescue Plan passed. That is his top priority.

COLLINS (voice-over): Hoping to return attention to his COVID-19 relief bill, President Biden is hitting the road this week, as he attempts to build public support.

PSAKI: This is an opportunity, as you noted, to go out and have a conversation with the people of Wisconsin, people who agree with him, people who disagree with him.

COLLINS: At a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Biden will pitch his plan directly to voters, as he struggles to get Republican support, a decision the White House says they could come to regret.

PSAKI: I'm not sure what numbers Senator McConnell is looking at. But the American people have been clear what they're looking for. And if they make a decision, Republicans in Congress, Senator McConnell, to vote against the will of their constituents, I would suggest to you, ask them why that's smart politically for them to do.

COLLINS: But Democrats are also still divided over what the final version of this bill should look like. Right now, it includes stimulus checks, extended unemployment benefits, and a $15 federal minimum wage that has become a sticking point between moderate Democrats and progressives.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): So, I'm going to fight as hard as I can. And I believe that we will succeed in including the minimum wage in the reconciliation bill.

COLLINS: President Biden has disagreed and predicted the wage increase may not make it into the final version.

PSAKI: He thinks it's long past time to raise the minimum wage, but we will let the process see itself through.

COLLINS: Today, the Biden administration extended a federal moratorium on home foreclosures, while also expanding assistance for those who are behind on their mortgage payments because of the pandemic.

PSAKI: These critical protections were due to expire in March. But as part of today's announcement, the foreclosure moratorium and the mortgage forbearance enrollment window will be extended through June 30.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, Biden's top health officials are raising new questions about when all Americans will be able to get a vaccine.

Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted that would happen in April. But, today, he changed that timeline.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID DIRECTOR: That was predicated on J&J, the Johnson product, having considerably more doses than now we know they're going to have. So, that timeline will probably be prolonged maybe into mid to late May and early June.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now, Wolf, that Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been authorized by the FDA yet, but we are now learning that, once it is, if it is in the expected -- in the coming weeks, as expected, that rollout is going to be slower than federal health officials had anticipated.

They knew they were going to get probably somewhere in the single digit millions of doses once it is authorized. But they were hoping, by April, it could be around 20 to 30 million doses. However, they are now expecting to get fewer than 20 million doses by April of that Johnson & Johnson vaccine, though they do still believe it is going to ramp up to the 100 million doses by later this summer.

[18:05:10]

And Johnson & Johnson has confirmed that much in a statement. But, Wolf, that does delay things from what they had been expecting. And that is likely why you saw that statement from Dr. Anthony Fauci about that timeline of when everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.

BLITZER: Yes, that's important.

Kaitlan, I need you to stand by. I'm going to get back to you just a moment.

And to our viewers, remember, stay with CNN for our town hall with President Joe Biden. It starts 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight, Anderson Cooper moderating.

We're also tracking reaction to former President Trump's scathing, brutal new statement attacking the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.

Want to get an update now from CNN's Ryan Nobles. He's joining us from Capitol Hill.

Ryan, what does this tell you, what does it tell our viewers about the hole that Trump still has over the Republican Party?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, if we had any question whether or not the Republican Party is in the midst of a civil war, all those questions were answered today, after the scathing statement from the former president directed at Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, and someone who has been a loyal ally of the president over his four years in office.

This is the statement that Trump released, at least a part of it, earlier today. It said -- quote -- "The Republican Party can never again be respected or considered to be strong with political 'leaders'" -- in quotes -- 'like Senator Mitch McConnell at its helm. Mitch is a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack. And if Republican senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again."

And this is the important part: "Where necessary and appropriate, I will back primary rivals who espouse make America great again and our policy of America first."

And this Trump statement comes after a series of attacks by Mitch McConnell against the former president. He, of course, did vote to acquit the president in the impeachment trial last week. But then he went to the floor of the Senate and gave a blistering attack on Trump's conduct on January 6.

And then he followed it up with an op-ed that ran in "The Wall Street Journal" this morning. And this is a part of what that op-ed said. It said -- quote -- "There is no question former President Trump bears moral responsibility. His supporters stormed the Capitol because of the unhinged falsehoods he shouted into the world's largest megaphone. His behavior during and after the chaos was also unconscionable. But impeachment is not some final moral tribunal," which is suggesting to a certain extent that perhaps the former president could be facing some sort of criminal charge.

The big point here, though, Wolf, is, it is clear now that McConnell and Trump have taken sides. And they are willing to go to battle on the political playing field in the upcoming 2022 midterms. This is a worst-case scenario for Republicans, as they attempt to unify and win back control of both the House and the Senate.

Their biggest problem, though, is going to come in these Republican primaries, where the president, the former president, making it clear now that he is going to be involved in this process and take on Republicans who are not explicitly loyal to him and his agenda.

It's going to make the next two years very interesting for Republicans here on Capitol Hill -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Underscores are deeply divided the Republican Party is right now.

Ryan Nobles up on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.

Let's get some insight right now. Joining us, Biden biographer Evan Osnos, our political director, David Chalian, and our senior political reporter, Nia-Malika Henderson. Kaitlan Collins is back with us as well.

Nia, this is a scathing, as I said, brutal statement from the former president. He says McConnell will never do what is right, in his words, for our country, and that Republicans can't let -- quote -- "third-rate leaders dictate our future."

Is Trump full steam ahead now on revenge?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: It certainly seems like it, in terms of his statement there, in what he's saying.

He's criticizing Mitch McConnell, calling him a political hack. But it's unclear what he's actually willing to do. You have that part of his statement where he says he is going to back primary rivals where necessary and appropriate, which actually sounds like a kind of tempered response.

It doesn't sound like full-speed-ahead revenge at all. I think the question is, who is he thinking of primary? It's actually very hard to successfully unseat incumbent candidates, incumbent Republicans in this sense.

And if you look at who actually voted to acquit or convict Donald Trump, a lot of those folks are retiring. Some of them, like Lisa Murkowski, is up for reelection, and she'd probably be pretty hard to actually primary and unseat.

So, it's unclear to me. You have, in Donald Trump, someone who, for the last month or so, since he's been out of office, has been talking big, making threats. But we also know he is often someone who talks big and makes threats, but doesn't really follow through.

[18:10:00]

We know he's fairly unfocused. We know he's fairly undisciplined as well. So, I think it's kind of to be determined what sort of force he will actually be in picking primary opponents to unseat Republicans who go against him.

BLITZER: Yes, it's clear he hates McConnell, and he's really quite angry about that.

Kaitlan, Trump also uses the statement to advance his big lie conspiracy about election fraud that led to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. And now he's turning that anger on McConnell and others, for that matter. And he's got a lot of support out there in the American public. We're talking about Trump.

So how dangerous is this kind of rhetoric?

COLLINS: Well, we have seen the weight of former President Trump's words. We saw it on January 6, after he spent weeks undermining the election and pushing these false claims that absolutely were not true, when people like Mitch McConnell and others stood by as he did that.

So, they may be speaking out now, but they certainly were not then, before the riot actually took place. But I think what this statement really personifies, Wolf, is that the president -- the former president does not feel remorse about what happened, about the role that he played in this.

And you saw his attorneys at the impeachment trial saying that he was not watching with glee as he watched those rioters breach the walls of the Capitol, as CNN and other outlets reported. But I think this goes to show that the president does still believe he was wronged, he does still think he was aggrieved -- or he is still aggrieved by what happened.

And so you see there is no remorse in these statements. And I should note one thing in here, Wolf. If you look, he's clearly taking a shot at Mitch McConnell's family. Well, look at who his wife is, Elaine Chao, President Trump's former transportation secretary, who, of course, resigned after the January the 6th riots, saying that she was disgusted by what she saw.

So, she is someone who stood by for President Trump through a lot of controversies. That one was too far for her. And now he is not-so- secretly criticizing her in this statement, as well, of course, as blasting McConnell.

BLITZER: Yes.

In the statement, it's pretty brutal, what he says: "McConnell has no credibility on China because of his family's substantial Chinese business holdings. He does nothing on this tremendous economic and military threat."

That looked like an attack on Elaine Chao and her family, clearly.

David, what did the Republicans think would happen after they acquitted Trump? Because, clearly, based on this statement that was just released, he feels emboldened.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, well, they thought this would happen.

I mean, I don't think this statement comes as a surprise to Mitch McConnell, who has observed the way Donald Trump behaves. And when he is insulted and aggrieved, he is going to hit back and punch back. And McConnell no doubt was aware that could be coming his way.

And, remember, McConnell got into this uncomfortable partnership with Trump to get stuff out of it too, right? I mean, Donald Trump nominated a slew of judges that Mitch McConnell's Republican-led Senate at the time was able to pass through, get three Supreme Court nominees on the court.

So, McConnell got his end of the bargain. And now what McConnell is trying to do is, he thinks that Donald Trump's continued hold and sway over the party is potentially harmful to their ability to win back the majority in the Senate, to win future presidential elections. And McConnell is trying to steer the party in a different direction now, at least away from the firm grasp of Donald Trump.

And Donald Trump is threatening with words here -- we will see as -- the actions that he takes in the months ahead, but threatening with his words here to say, not so fast. McConnell. I'm going to stay in fight for this and try to fill the party up with nominees who are loyal to me, and not to your vision of what you think the Republican Party or the establishment thinks the Republican Party will be best positioned to win back.

He's like, I -- that's what he's doing in this statement. But I think we have to watch his actions here.

BLITZER: Yes. For Trump, loyalty is number one.

Evan, let's switch gears for a moment. I want to talk -- you're an expert on Biden. His focus, clearly, right now, as it should be, is the pandemic.

What do you think he hopes to do in our CNN town hall later tonight to sell his nearly $2 trillion COVID relief plan? Who will he need to appeal to later tonight?

EVAN OSNOS, BIDEN BIOGRAPHER: Well, this is a chance for Joe Biden to get beyond exactly what we have been talking about. He's literally leaving Washington to try to talk directly to the American public.

If you go back decades, the thing he has always tried to do when he gets into a room like this is what they call in the business the connect. It's that moment when he can try to catch the eye of somebody who might be a skeptic, somebody who might not be on his side. He's talked about it for a long time.

And he knows there are a lot of people who are going to be in that room and outside around the country who aren't sure whether his administration is up to the task of taking on the problem the economy, taking on the problem of the pandemic.

So, tonight, you're going to hear him give as much as he can, both putting policy in his own words. But it's also about tone. It's about demeanor. It's about conveying to the American public that, for all of the chaos -- let's call it what it is -- in Washington, that there is somebody at the helm who cares about what he's doing and is going to see it through, no matter what the political obstacles are.

[18:15:18]

That's the message he's trying to send. And he's trying to do it in his own voice.

BLITZER: Yes, and he's trying to sell it, not just to lawmakers here in Washington, but probably a lot more importantly to the American public media.

Nia, will we see just how much Biden owns the issues with the pandemic response so far when he answers questions at the town hall later tonight?

HENDERSON: I think that's right. This is why Biden got elected.

People didn't like Donald Trump's handling of the COVID pandemic. And they thought that Biden was much more trustworthy, much more empathetic in terms of what he would do. And so I think he's going to try to sell this $1.9 trillion relief package and tell Americans that this would make an immediate difference in their lives, it would lead to schools reopening, it would lead to a more streamlined process in terms of vaccine distribution.

It would put money in the pockets of Americans who are struggling to pay their bills. It would help small businesses stay afloat in this terrible, terrible economic downturn. So, yes, I think that is one of his goals, to own this.

And, listen, that means that what he says, people are going to be looking for results at some point. When he says that he's got certain metrics for this vaccine distribution, for getting the country back on track, people are listening to him and looking for him to live up to his words and promises.

So, tonight is a big, big night for this president.

BLITZER: You know, David, how do you think this battle for this COVID relief plan will impact Biden's strategy when it comes to additional -- the next policy items on his agenda?

CHALIAN: Well, it's a good question, Wolf.

And it's one that some Republicans have raised with him, sort of expressing concern, hey, if you're doing this Democrats only, you may spoil the well here, it may be harder to get the next deal done, although he's noted the next deal looks like it may be focused on infrastructure.

And that's a place that Republicans really do think that there's some potential for bipartisanship to spend money back home. And so I'm not sure that Joe Biden's approach is one that is going to alter his presidency forevermore. He is pretty committed time and again to this notion of talking to those across the aisle, bringing them in, not always necessarily waiting to pass a bill until he can get a Republican vote.

But I don't think you're ever going to see him sort of give Republicans the back of the hand. I think his whole being, 36 years in the Senate, is to deal, is to talk, is to continue that conversation. I think you're going to see him do that as president time and time again.

And we will just have to see if it has the desired effect at the end of the day.

BLITZER: Kaitlan, you're there. You're in Milwaukee. What are you going to be looking for? COLLINS: Well, I think that Nia makes a good point about the fact that

we are now actually into the Joe Biden presidency. And his own aides will say that. He's almost a month into office.

But, really, you have seen the last four weeks defined by so much of his predecessor as well, as that second trial was going on. But now it is completely going to be focused on the Biden agenda and what that's going to look like.

And I do think that every president gets a little bit of a honeymoon period when they first go into office. But we are still in the middle of a pandemic. There are serious questions about what the vaccine ramping up is going to look like. We were just talking about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that timeline already being shifted.

I think there are a lot of questions about schools and the reopening and whether or not that CDC guidance that we got last week was clear for people. And so those are going to be questions that are crucial to people here in Wisconsin. They want to know what's going on with that, when their kids are going to be fully back in school.

And so I think those are big topics that Biden is going to be pressed on.

BLITZER: Yes, they want answers, not just in Wisconsin, but all over the country, on those issues as well.

Everybody, stand by.

Just ahead: President -- former President Trump, I should say, is losing a longtime member of his legal team -- we're talking about Rudy Giuliani -- as he faces the first lawsuit of his post-presidential life.

And we're closing in on President Biden's town hall right here on CNN. Can he sell the American public on his signature promise, a massive relief bill amid a growing COVID crisis?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:23:19]

BLITZER: Tonight: a shakeup on former President Trump's legal team.

CNN has learned Rudy Giuliani is no longer representing the former president on any legal matters, this as the NAACP has joined with a leading Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson, to sue Trump for allegedly inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

For more than that, I'm joined by the president and CEO of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson.

Derrick, thanks so much for joining us.

We did -- as you all remember, we saw a rioter wave the Confederate Flag in the halls of Congress on January 6. A black police officer reported being called racial slurs, the N-word multiple times during the attack.

Are those disturbing details part of what prompted the NAACP to join in this lawsuit?

DERRICK JOHNSON, NAACP PRESIDENT: Well, we were concerned about the tone that was germinating from the White House from the time Trump entered the presidency.

Domestic terrorism in this country has always been based on white supremacist dogma. If you look at the domestic terrorists across the decades, they have all been white supremacists. And it's been no different in those who entered the Capitol.

Congressman Thompson and I were part of a lawsuit in 1993 to remove the Confederate symbol from the Mississippi state flag. And this is a fight that we have taken on up to this point. It is really important to understand that domestic terrorism, white supremacy is a threat to democracy.

And we have seen that firsthand on January 6.

BLITZER: Do you hope, Derrick, to depose former President Trump as part of this effort?

JOHNSON: Well, I'm going to allow our legal team to navigate this lawsuit.

[18:25:00]

I think it's important for them to gather as much information about what took place on January 6. It's important to hold all people accountable.

We know through history that, if we don't hold people accountable for these domestic terroristic acts, they will only grow over time. In the Deep South, we have seen from the '30s through the '60s an increase in violence against African-Americans from domestic terrorists who -- that based their ideology on white supremacist Confederacy.

And it went unchecked. And many people lost their lives. We have seen five people killed at the Capitol. We must hold people accountable, no matter what title they hold, especially if they hold commander in chief.

It was a terroristic act. We must address it as such. Insurrection should not be tolerated. If it was the Taliban, we would deploy troops. We should deploy troops to ensure that this can never happen again.

BLITZER: Are you in talks, Derrick, with additional members of Congress who are interested in perhaps joining this effort?

JOHNSON: We have heard from several members of Congress who will be joining this effort. And it's really important that, if the -- through the political

process of impeachment, Republicans could not bring themselves to rise above partisanship and stand with our Constitution, we must do so through legal action.

And I hope one of these many jurisdictions also bring criminal actions against what took place on January 6. And it's not enough just to get those who were involved on the front lines. It's really important for us to get those who have carried out and planned this disastrous attack on our democracy.

BLITZER: This lawsuit -- and I have a copy here -- it's 32 pages -- the Honorable Bennie Thompson vs. Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Proud Boys International, Oath Keepers.

Rudy Giuliani, tell us why you're filing this lawsuit against the former mayor of New York.

JOHNSON: Well, all of them were a part of creating the atmosphere that then led to January 6.

If you can recall, Rudy Giuliani went across the country challenging the legitimacy of elections primarily in African-American precincts to try to get votes thrown out. He also called at that rally that say that, if we cannot stop this process, we must do so through violence.

And as late as midnight the night of, of the members of Congress certifying the elections, he was on the phone calling members of Congress, asking them to slow the process down. He was involved up to his neck. It was not about legal representation. It was about subverting democracy, and through this insurrectionist act.

BLITZER: Derrick Johnson of the NAACP, thanks so much for joining us.

JOHNSON: Thank you for the opportunity.

BLITZER: Just ahead: Dr. Anthony Fauci is now tamping down expectations for the COVID vaccine rollout, now saying the general public might not be eligible for a shot until May or June.

And we're also following President Biden's first official trip since his inauguration, as he's now traveling to Wisconsin for a CNN town hall.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: After weeks of promising widespread vaccine availability by April, Dr. Anthony Fauci now says the general public here in the United States might not necessarily be fully eligible for a shot until May or June. Nick Watt is tracking the latest pandemic developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a little bit of a shock.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Snow and sub-zero temperatures slowing vaccinations from Illinois to Texas and delaying the delivery of doses.

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Sometimes by a day, sometimes by two days.

WATT: A momentary blip.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER ON COVID-19: The critical issue is that the demand far outweighs the supply. That is the issue.

WATT: Dr. Fauci had said everyone would be eligible for a shot by the end of April. Now says Johnson & Johnson will deliver fewer initial doses than the administration thought. So --

FAUCI: That timeline will probably be prolonged maybe into mid to late May and early June. But it may take until June, July and August to finally get everyone vaccinated.

WATT: Meantime, over 53,000 new cases logged yesterday, lowest tally in four months. New case counts and hospitalizations are falling faster now than at any point in this pandemic.

FAUCI: We've just got to be careful about getting too excited about that because we do have the challenge of variants.

WATT: That faster spreading variant first identified in South Africa now detected in eight U.S. states. The variant first found in the U.K. now confirmed in 40.

We're told masks and mitigation still required to keep overall case counts falling.

FAUCI: We've got to continue until we get it so low that it is not longer a threat.

WATT: But it complacency creeping in despite warnings not to? More than 5 million people flew in the five days over the holiday weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): Now, the Biden administration has pledged to up the pace of vaccinations. This is what it looks like on the ground. A brand-new site just opened today run by FEMA and the California governor, staffed by active duty military and the National Guard.

[18:35:00]

And this is in an underserved and diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles.

The ultimate goal here, Wolf, when they're up to capacity maybe later this week, 6,000 shots a day, right here. Wolf?

BLITZER: Well, that is good. That's really encouraging, Nick Watt, reporting for us, thanks very much.

For more on the pandemic, I want to bring in CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. Dr. Wen, thank you so much for joining us.

As you heard, Dr. Fauci now says maybe May or early June before vaccines are available to the general population here in the U.S., not April, as he had previously suggested. What would you say to a patient who is so eager right now to get the vaccine and might view this as some disappointing news?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, I definitely understand why people are eager to get the vaccines because they are so effective, especially at preventing severe disease.

I think there are three time points that we should be looking at. One is when is eligibility going to be opening up so that people who don't have chronic medical illnesses who are not in the priority group, when it is open season, I think that could be at late April, May.

And then the second is when are people actually going to be able to get the vaccine? Maybe that's later on in May or in June, when people actually can access the vaccine regardless of what category there in.

And then there's a third, which is when are we as a population going to be reaching herd immunity, that really depends on how quickly we can get the vaccines ramped up.

BLITZER: The CDC says more than 55 million doses of the vaccine have now been administered here in the United States. Are enough shots getting into arms daily right now in this country?

WEN: Wolf, I think we're getting better at getting vaccines into arms. We're at about 1.5 million, sometimes more every day, which is certainly an improvement from where we were. But at this rate, it's going to take us well in 2022 to reach herd immunity, assuming we need to get 80 percent of Americans vaccinated. So, we really need to speed up.

Ideally, we should be at 3 million vaccinations a day. I think we can get there but it's going to take concerted effort from everyone's part.

BLITZER: It certainly is. What advice do you have, Dr. Wen, for those Americans who have received the coronavirus vaccine and are wondering what activities they could safely resume?

WEN: I think this is a very important question, one that I get all of the time because, so far, the CDC guidance is lacking because they're basically saying you have to keep on doing everything that you were doing pre-vaccine, which is not really helpful. We need to be giving people practical guidance.

So I think there are three things that people can now do. One, certainly essential activities. If you've been putting off your cancer checkups, you're going to the dentist, you should definitely be doing that now because you're reasonably protected from coronavirus yourself.

The second is, you could probably see other people who are also fully vaccinated. So let's say that you are an older person, an older couple, and you have a neighbor that is an older couple, everybody in both households are fully vaccinated, I think you can see each other, including indoors, taking masks off, giving one another hugs, having dinner together.

I think, third is a lot of families want to see one another again. There are grandparents who want to travel across the country and see their grandkids. If the only reason the family was not getting together before, was out of concern for the grandparent's health, I think it's' probably fine for the grandparent to now in travel as long as they still keep wearing mask, physical distancing during that travel to avoid potentially infecting other people.

I think that kind of practical guidance is really important and it gives us hope and I think it really -- we should not be underselling the importance of these really effective vaccines at this point.

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Dr. Wen, thank you so much, really important practical advice, as always.

Just ahead, I will have the latest on the capitol riot including some newly released security video showing the desperate situation police officers faced during the insurrection.

Plus, we'll take a closer look toward tonight's CNN presidential town hall and what we expect to hear from President Biden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: We're following the latest developments in the investigation into the deadly Capitol insurrection as new security footage reveals more information about the rioters. CNN's Brian Todd is tracking all of this for us. Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. We are learning more from that newly released security video. Meanwhile today, you had at least a dozen suspects in court and we have new information tonight on some extraordinary requests made by some of those charged in the attack to the judges in their cases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): They arrived at the capitol riled up. Newly released security video reviewed by CNN shows rioters on January 6th had little or no fear of the police.

Here, one of the first rioters in the corridor is a man in tactical gear armed with a baseball bat. He and others engaged in a tense standoff with police.

Another rioter who seemingly wasn't deterred by police, Jenny Cudd, a florist from Texas, she appeared in court today claiming she can't get a fair trial in D.C. Facing disorderly conduct and other charges, Cudd has pleaded not guilty, even though she claimed on social media that she helped break down Nancy Pelosi's door and said according to court documents, quote, I f'ing charged the capitol today with patriots. Hell yes, I am proud of my actions.

Despite all that, a judge granted Cudd's request to travel to Mexico for a retreat before her trial. Is that normal?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: No. You know, especially if it is out of the country. Because the first thing that tends to happen here is you have to give up your passport. Somehow, she persuaded the judge that she was a good bet and she was coming back. If she doesn't, man, does he have egg on his face.

TODD: Another defendant in the attack on the Capitol had made a similar question.

[18:45:03]

Troy Williams who faced four criminal charges related to the riot, asked a judge to let him go to Peru later this month to get married. The Justice Department opposed that. Now, Williams has withdrawn that request.

It comes as House Speaker Pelosi is calling for a 9/11 commission style investigation into the assault on the Capitol.

A source tells CNN, legislation to establish that kind of commission could be introduced as early as this week. How would a commission help investigators?

LEE HAMILTON, FORMER VICE CHAIR OF 9/11 COMMISSION: If you are really going to be serious, you're going to have to get information from people who don't want to give it to you. And you have to have the power to force them to give you the information. You can only do that through the power of the subpoena, and the enforcement of the law.

TODD: All of this comes as Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson is filing a civil lawsuit accusing former President Trump and Rudy Giuliani of conspiring with far right extremist groups to incite the riot. If the lawsuit moves forward, Trump could have to answer questions and turn over documents about January 6th.

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: I is possible he's have to raise his right hand and tell all and giver up documents and there was a lot of social media back and forth and maybe phone calls and, of course, the Proud Boys will certainly be deposed. So we may find out a lot more about the course of conduct leading up to the 6th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): A spokesman for Trump says the former president did not incite or conspire to incite any violence at the Capitol. Rudy Giuliani has not yet responded to requests for comment on Congressman Thompson's lawsuit -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Brian, thank you.

Just ahead, Anderson Cooper is standing by to join us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're going to preview tonight's CNN town hall with President Joe Biden.

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[18:51:21]

BLITZER: A look at live picture of the CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That's coming up later tonight. Anderson Cooper moderating this town hall. Anderson is joining us right now for a little bit of a preview.

Set the scene for us, Anderson. What's going on where you are?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Well, we're at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. And we're just a couple of hours away from Joe Biden's first town hall as president of the United States, a chance for him to directly talk to the American people both through CNN and also Americans who are in -- will be in the theater asking questions of the -- of the president.

We got about 50 or so people who will be in the theater. It's a very large theater, obviously. So, they'll be spread out, socially distanced. But there's a lot of questions. You know, a lot of people -- there's a lot of concerns on people's minds about COVID, about vaccines, about getting back to the schools, about the economy.

So we're looking forward to a robust discussion tonight.

BLITZER: I'm sure it will be pretty robust, because a lot of people are struggling, certainly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, all over the country right now. They're trying to get answers on vaccines and COVID, I assume that's going to be a major focus of this town hall.

COOPER: Yeah. We -- look, we've got a lot of questions on a variety of topics. The key is to whittle them down and get as many questions to the president as possible. But, certainly, there's a lot of concerns about vaccines, where we are in this pandemic, what the next few months is going to look like and also the economic piece of this, the millions of people who are out of work, you know, and concerned about where their next paycheck is -- is going to be coming from.

So I'm sure that -- you know, there's going to be a wide variety of stuff. But that's certainly things that the president is going to be asked about.

BLITZER: The 50 people who are there in the theater with you. I assume they're going to stand up, wearing -- I assume they're going to be wearing masks and ask the questions directly to the president. Is that right? COOPER: Yes. So, there is strict social distancing inside the

theaters. Like I said, it's a 1,000 -- 13,000-seat theater. There's about 50 or so people who are actually going to be in the audience. They're going to be socially distanced unless they're family members, and they can sit together.

They will ask questions. All the audience members will be wearing masks. They have given us their history in terms of COVID, any symptoms, things like that and we have actually provided them with masks to make sure that they all have good quality masks and the president and I will not be wearing masks on the stage. Obviously, the president has been already vaccinated. I have been tested repeatedly over the last two weeks, especially up to this morning and yesterday and, obviously, we will be socially distancing as well.

BLITZER: Well, it's better to err on the side of caution, of course, especially during a dangerous time like this.

Anderson, we, of course, will be watching. Thanks so much for flying out there and thanks for everything you're doing.

And let me remind our viewers, stay with CNN for tonight's town hall with President Joe Biden. It airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

And we'll have more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:41]

BLITZER: Tonight, more than 100 million Americans are under a winter storm warning or watch with many facing the prospect of another stinging cold night without power. Already 2,000 records for low temperatures have been shattered as the deep freeze grips so much of the central United States. At least 15 people have died in weather- related vehicle crashes. The brutal weather has delayed desperately needed COVID vaccinations in many areas. More heavy snow and ice are expected as the storm now moves Northeast.

Finally tonight, we share the story of a father and daughter who died from the coronavirus within weeks of one another. Warren Coughlin of Connecticut was 90-years-old. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a great singer. He loved to dance and enjoyed watching "Family Feud".

His daughter Deborah was 67. She was a nurse, who was partial to the color pink and loved to go shopping. Her daughter Karen says Deborah cared for Warren when he couldn't care for himself. She takes comfort in believing they are now together in heaven.

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

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Be sure to tune in later for CNN's town hall with President Biden. That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

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