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EARLY START

Security Ramping Up at U.S. State Capitols Ahead of Inauguration; Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion COVID, Economic Relief Plan; Pandemic Killing 1 Person Every 6 Minutes in L.A. County; Senate Democrats to Juggle Impeachment Trial, Biden Agenda. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 15, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:29]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.

This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, January 15th. Happy Friday, everybody, 5:00 a.m. exactly in New York.

And this morning, America closes a historic week and prepares for what could be a very dangerous time. Security concerns in D.C. are so serious, President-elect Joe Biden has asked his deputy attorney general nominee Lisa Monaco to serve as a homeland security adviser to his inauguration team. A higher, sturdier wall is being installed in front of the U.S. Capitol. The National Mall will now be closed, closed on Inauguration Day.

And since Monday, National Guard forces in D.C. for the inauguration have more than doubled to more than 20,000 troops.

JARRETT: While the president shows no interest in leading and remains cut off from social media, the vice president made to a visit to the Hill to thank the National Guard. He also took part in a security briefing where FBI Director Chris Wray in his first public appearance since last week's riot warned about what he calls concerning online chatter surrounding next week's inauguration. He says investigators have identified more than 200 suspects and have arrested more than 100.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: Wherever they scattered to, whether it was Memphis, Phoenix, Dallas, Honolulu, what they are finding is you got FBI agents tracking them down and arresting them. And if I were those people, you wouldn't want to be those people having FBI agents knocking on your door at 6:00 a.m.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Of course, thousands of rioters managed to flee. Investigators are poring over video and social media posts. They are vetting tips but the fear is some may still be planning trouble at state capitols nationwide. Governors of Ohio, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Oregon, Wisconsin, are all activating the National Guard.

In California, the highway patrol is denying all requests for permits to protest through inauguration day.

Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, will remain close through at least next Thursday.

JARRETT: In Carson City, Nevada, the governor has ordered in national guard quick response team there. And in Florida and Oklahoma lawmakers and staff are being told to work from home this weekend.

CNN has reporters covering the story across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Young in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can see the Georgia state capitol behind me. There are extra patrol. In fact, you can see officers walking around with long guns. You can also see this armored patrol vehicle they put in place just in case.

The Georgia National Guard is also sending 300 troops up north to Washington, D.C., and we're being building by the Georgia building authority, no permits have been issued so far for any protests, but the Atlanta Police Department tells us they're watching and waiting just in case.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers outside the state capitol in Austin, Texas, where we've learned the state Department of Public Safety has been offering active shooter training to lawmakers and their staff across multiple sessions this week.

Now, DPS tells us that those sessions were scheduled back in December, but they take on added relevance right now, given what we saw happened last week and with the added threat of potential armed protests here in the next few days leading up to the inauguration. During the day, Thursday we saw several dozen officers outside the Capitol, guarding this area. They're part of the additional resources that have been deployed here.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez in Lansing, Michigan, here at the State Capitol where authorities are beginning the process this building over the next couple of days. They will put up a fence along this area, all the way around the capitol here, much like the U.S. Capitol.

From state police, which will be in charge of security, to the National Guard here, to local authorities, they're not entirely sure what to expect, but they are planning for thousands of armed protesters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Armed protesters.

Thanks so much for that, Miguel, and all of our other correspondents.

This morning, CNN has firsthand accounts from police who faced unspeakable violence during the capitol violence.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

ROMANS: Fighting for his life, we've all seen the pain of that officer being crushed in a doorway while his helmet is being torn off. His name is Officer Daniel Hodges. He told CNN what it was like to face that mob.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HODGES, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: There was a guy ripping my mask off. He was able to rip away my baton and beat me with it. He was practically foaming at the mouth. So just these people were true believers in the worst way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:05:06]

JARRETT: Another D.C. officer, Michael Fanone, had his gear ripped away by rioters. They took spare ammunition, ripped a police radio off his chest and even stole his badge. Then it got even worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: And then, some guys started getting ahold of my gun. And they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun. At that point, you know, it was just, like, self-preservation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: We knew it was bad. But the more video that emerges, the more we see just how brutal and violent this uprising actually was.

A former firefighter, now under arrest for hurling a fire extinguisher at the head of a Capitol police officer. You can see there.

And then, there's this guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER FRANCIS STAGER, CHARGED IN U.S. CAPITOL INSURRECTION: Everybody in there is a disgrace. That entire building is filled with treasonous traitors. Death is the only remedy for what's in that building.

Every single one of those Capitol law enforcement officers, death is the remedy. It is the only remedy they get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have defied their oath.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those scum bags, this time not with the bible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That man, Peter Stager of Arkansas, is now facing charges. Authorities believe he is the man on the video using a flagpole with an American flag to beat an officer as he lay on the ground, surrounded by a mob. Investigators suspect there was some level of planning for the insurrection, as evidence continues to grow that this was not just a -- a protest that spiraled out of control.

JARRETT: And, certainly, that could change the level of charges that we see here.

ROMANS: And even as the insurrection, impeachment, and inauguration draw so much attention, this is all happening, of course, against the backdrop of coronavirus, the mind-numbing death toll, regularly, reaching more than 3,000 Americans, a day, now. In almost all of his recent, public appearances, President-elect Joe Biden remains focused on the pandemic. Leading in an area, where President Trump has just completely checked out.

Now, Biden is unveiling his COVID and economic-relief plan, as he gets ready to take office next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT: All of you fall on hard times. I know you can never get back what you lost. But, as your president, I know that every day matters, and every person matters. So, come Wednesday, we begin a new chapter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports from Wilmington, Delaware, for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Laura. President-elect Joe Biden will be delivering another speech, here, today in Wilmington. Offering a detailed plan for the vaccination rollout that he says will begin, when his administration takes office, next week. He called the Trump administration's plan a dismal failure.

Now, in a sweeping set of remarks, last night, here in Wilmington, he offered, for the first time, a deep outline for his economic-relief plan, and his COVID-virus-taming plan as well, a $1.9 trillion package. Now, this is mixed with economic relief, as well as billions of dollars dedicated to helping states improve their vaccination rollout. But he framed it as a moral obligation, for the country.

BIDEN: There is real pain, overwhelming the real economy. One, where people rely on paychecks, not their investments to pay for their bills and their meals, and their children's needs. The decisions we make in the next few weeks and months are going to determine whether we thrive, in a way that benefits all Americans. Or that we stay stuck in a place, where those at the top do great, while economic growth for most everyone else is just a spectator sport.

ZELENY: Now, there is no question, the size and scope of this plan is daunting, and it will be difficult to get through the Congress. One thing that Mr. Biden did not mention, impeachment. That will complicate this, even more, of course.

But he is still hoping for bifurcation in the Senate. What that means, that they can work on the impeachment trial of what will be former President Donald Trump, even as they are considering this sweeping- legislative package.

Now, he said he will, also, outline the second part of this package, in February, when he delivers a joint address to a joint session of Congress. But, the question here is can he do all of this? Is this too much, too fast? He will find that out, of course.

So, even though next week he delivers his inaugural address, the speech on Thursday night, here in Wilmington, offers a roadmap for his agenda. An agenda, now complicated by impeachment -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Jeff, in Wilmington. Thanks.

So what's in the rescue package? Bigger stimulus checks. $1,400. More aid for the unemployed, the hungry, and people facing eviction. Additional support for small business, money for schools, state and local aid, and key here, more money for testing.

[05:10:06]

There is a $15 an hour minimum wage to tackle income inequality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Let's make sure our caregivers, mostly women, women of color, immigrants, have the same pay and dignity that they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Lot of work ahead for the Biden administration. America is in a deep-jobs hole, 140,000 jobs were lost, in December. The first net- job loss, since April.

The economy, still down 9.8 million jobs, since February. That's not a V there, folks, that is not a V, at all. When you dig deeper into the numbers, women accounted for all the job losses in the month, losing 156,000 net jobs, while men gained 16,000.

The coronavirus recession really a she-session, here, hurting women and minority women, the most, and that is something the Biden team keenly aware of, Laura. JARRETT: Yeah. I thought it was so interesting. You can really see

the thread through all of this is the quest to try to get rid of the income inequality, and the focus on women there, just front and center, for him. Really, interesting.

All right. Still ahead for you. The severity of COVID in California. It's just off the charts. It cannot be ignored. Ten people in Los Angeles will die, this hour, alone. The country is running out of space to store victims' remains.

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[05:15:32]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

This morning, coronavirus is ravaging communities in California. There are about a thousand ICU beds available, for the state's 40 million residents. Now, we have already reported patients are being turned away from overcrowded facilities.

In Los Angeles County, one person dies from coronavirus, every six minutes. The L.A. County coroner is adding space to store all of the bodies of COVID victims. And a new study shows the pandemic will knock more than a year off average U.S. life expectancy.

ROMANS: Now, the vaccine rollout in California and elsewhere is beginning to speed up, almost doubling in a week. But this is complex. Overnight, a health facility in Colorado lost 165 doses of its vaccine, following a power outage.

President-elect Biden's coronavirus adviser says public trust in the rollout has eroded because the White House overpromised and under under-delivered.

Biden, himself, has promised 100 million vaccine doses, in 100 days, which is a tall order. CNN has reporters covering the pandemic, coast to coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam, in Los Angeles.

The state of California is working to turn vaccines into vaccinations at a much quicker rate. To that end, all people over the age of 65 in the state are now allowed to get the vaccine. They join, along with health-care workers, and people who live and work in long-term-care facilities, meaning that now 6.6 Californians are eligible to get the vaccine.

They have, also, are opening up three large sites for vaccinations. That would be Cal Expo in Sacramento, Dodger Stadium here in Los Angeles County, and Disneyland in Orange County.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Lavandera, in Dallas. Texas has become the first state in the country to deliver more than a million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. That's about half of the 2.1 million doses the state has received, so far. But state-health officials say they are in the process of ramping up the delivery. They have created 28 massive-distribution hubs, across the state. These are mostly at civic centers and stadiums in the more highly populated areas.

And the goal is to deliver more than 300,000 first doses, and more than 500,000 second doses, per week, through the end of this month.

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Erica Hill in New York.

The state has just opened its first drive-thru mass-vaccination site at Long Island's Jones Beach State Park. Officials say which is by appointment only can process 10,000 a day. It's one of four mass- vaccination sites in the state. Seven million workers are currently available for the vaccine, though, with just 300,000 doses arriving each week, the governor warns, it may be months before everyone can get it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Thanks to all of our correspondents for those updates.

Senate Republicans, wrestling with impeachment and their legacy. Will they hold the president accountable for putting their own lives in danger? We have the state of play, from Capitol Hill, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Senate Democrats are about to take power with their first order of business, the impeachment trial. Republicans are weighing the risks of convicting President Trump. The only argument offered against, seems to be it's too late and impeachment is too divisive. Though, the same Republicans did not speak out against President Trump's divisiveness, of course, for four years.

CNN's Manu Raju has more, on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Laura.

There is a growing consensus within the Senate Republican conference that Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses by his actions post- November 3rd, that led up to his incitement of that mob, that led -- came to Capitol Hill, killed five people, as part of this pro-Trump effort to overturn the elections.

But, there is still uncertainty about whether there will be at least 17 Republican senators who would break ranks, and join, presumably, with all 50 Democrats, to convict him in an impeachment trial. One person everybody is looking at is Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader, soon-to-be Senate minority leader, someone who holds incredible sway within the Republican conference.

I am told by multiple sources he is firmly undecided. He says he will sit back. He will listen to the arguments, on both sides. He will make a decision, then, about whether to convict.

This is different than 2019, when he sided with the president, the first time the president was impeached. This time, he may go the other way. This could all -- also come down to how house Democratic managers present their case, which witnesses do they bring in? Do they decide to bring in witnesses? And what do the motions, at the moment, come down?

Are they still raw, at that time, when it's time to say yes or no, the president should be convicted?

All those things will come into play, as well as politics, political considerations, 2022, when a lot of members are up for re-election. Have to worry about primary challenges. So many things to consider. This impeachment trial will get underway, presumably, right after Joe Biden becomes president -- guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Manu Raju, on Capitol Hill, thank you so much for that.

Well, shutting down online accounts used by the insurrectionists may be driving them underground, where they could be harder to track. After Facebook and Twitter cracked down on thousands of accounts for spreading misinformation and hate, millions of people are now flocking to apps, like Telegram and Signal.

[05:25:09]

Now, some of these are encrypted making it harder for law enforcement to monitor all of their activity. Telegram says it added more than 25 million users in three days this week. Signal added nearly 1.3 million users, on Monday alone. And Parler saw downloads just surging last weekend before its hosting service, Amazon, pulled the plug.

ROMANS: All right. Security threats loom nationwide in the wake of domestic terror in the nation's capitol. Governors are fortifying their own capitols for the final weekend of the Trump presidency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Good morning. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. About 29 minutes past the hour here, in New York.

And this morning, America closes a historic week, with preparations for what could be a very dangerous time. Security concerns, in D.C., are so serious right now, President-elect Joe Biden has asked his deputy attorney general nominee.