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House GOP Leader Meets with Trump After Source Says He was Warned against "Crawling Back to Trump; Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Calls for Permanent Fencing Around the Capitol, Back-Up Forces Nearby; Rep. Adam Schiff (D) California is Interviewed about U.S. Capitol, Congress; Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Calls For Permanent Around The Capitol, Back-Up Forces Nearby; Russian Court Rules Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny To Remain In Detention Ahead Of Hearing Next Week. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 28, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: To the Lee family, our deepest condolences and may his memory be a blessing.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @JakeTapper. You can tweet the show @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room. We're following breaking news.

The Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief are now calling for permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol and backup forces deployed right nearby amid the growing security threats here in Washington D.C. That comes as we learn new details about a West Virginia man who was arrested near the Capitol armed with a gun and 20 rounds of ammunition for documents say he had a stop to steal paperwork with him, along with contact information about U.S. senators and representatives.

Amid all of this, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now says efforts to address security concerns are being hampered because quote, and I'm quoting here now, the enemy "is within the House of Representatives," referring to the words and actions of some Republican members.

Let's go to our CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz.

All right, Shimon, tell us more about the dramatic moves to tighten security, almost unbelievable what's going on here at the U.S. Capitol?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very clear that, Wolf, that a lot is going to change in our nation's capital after the January 6 insurrection. And one of the things that is being suggested by the acting police chief is permanent fencing across the Capitol.

The Capitol has been an open -- it's been open for people to walk through an open field of a sprawling complex that people can get close to. Well, now the acting chief is recommending that that change, in a press release, she said that "In light of recent events, I can say that vast improvements to the physical infrastructure must be made to include permanent fencing."

She then goes on to talk about also having backup units to respond in case of some kind of violence.

Now the mayor, Muriel Bowser, here in D.C. opposes any kind of fortress like atmosphere across Washington, D.C. in the days after the -- after -- when all the fencing went up, and the days after it, a lot of it did come down. The mayor here opposing any further permanent kind of fencing.

So, this is going to be left up to certainly members of Congress and security around the Capitol whether or not it needs to be increased.

But it's very clear Wolf that a lot has to change, much like it did after 9/11. After this what really is a terrorist attack on our nation's capital.

BLITZER: Just yesterday, Shimon, there was an arrest of a shouting man right near the Capitol fence with a gun in his car and ammunition. Tell us what we know.

PROKUPECZ: Yes, so he's a 71-year-old man. He was taken into custody. The judge just releasing him a short time ago.

And what the police say they found, they found a gun in his car and 20 rounds of ammunition. But then they also describe some other information that they did find inside his car.

As you said he did have this interaction with guards and police. There was -- they were shouting. Police say that he had stopped the steal literature, of course referring to the election and all of the wrong and fake and information that went out about the election, the false information.

He also had names of lawmakers and other information concerning lawmakers inside his vehicle. There were also, police say, Facebook postings about Trump and QAnon.

The judge here in Washington D.C., clearly doesn't see that this man was posing any kind of threat and so he was released. But nonetheless, Wolf, I think it's also just highlights the type of environment that here everyone has under in Washington, D.C.,

BLITZER: Yes. So many members of Congress right now are so understandably concerned about their own security, their family's security, their staff security. This is really an awful situation that's unfolding right now.

Shimon, I know you're working your sources, we're going to get back to you.

We're also just getting some new details right now of a meeting between the former President Donald Trump and the House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. It comes at a time of growing disarray within the GOP over loyalty to Trump.

Let's go to our Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

Jeff so, tell us what we know about this meeting down at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we do know that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was in Florida on a fundraising swing and he scheduled a meeting with former President Donald Trump. You can see them there in Mar-a-Lago about noon time today.

[17:05:00]

And the meeting, we're told, was all about getting the former president on board to help Republicans win back the House of Representatives. But it is so much more than that. It is signaling Leader McCarthy's direction that he does not want to turn the page from the Trump administration from the Trump era. He wants to embrace him and lean into that.

Now, aides to the former president had this to say about the meeting. They said that "President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today. And his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time."

Now we should fact check that a little bit because, of course, his popularity is not as strong as it once was. But he is still very popular inside the Republican Party for primary voters. So that is the open question here.

But this is a party in disarray, Wolf. We have seen, you know, a complete different handling of this from Mitch McConnell in the Senate. He has not spoken to former President Trump for more than a month since December 14, he said. So clearly, many Republicans were eager to move on from the Trump era. Kevin McCarthy, not so much.

BLITZER: McCarthy and other Republicans at the same time are facing very, very serious, tough questions about why they aren't doing more to rebuke a GOP member for her truly shocking, outrageous statements about school shootings, violence against Democrats, update our viewers on this.

ZELENY: And, Wolf, this is really extraordinary. Of course, we've heard a lot from congressman from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene. And we've seen some video that was unearthed by a CNN's k file of her before she became a member of Congress was simply harassing students from Parkland, school who are here in Washington, lobbying senators and other members of Congress on gun legislation.

We can look at some of that video here. She's following them around on Capitol Hill. She certainly is taunting them repeatedly. And it is clear that this has been upsetting for many Republicans, and many members of Congress am on both sides of the aisle. Now Leader McCarthy said he is, you know, certainly not pleased by this, and he would have a conversation with her. But he has not stripped her of committee assignments. In fact, he has assigned her a committee assignment be on the House Education and Labor Committee.

Now this is all coming from a strong rebuke from speaker Nancy Pelosi. She had this to say earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: Assigning her to the Education Committee when she has mocked the killing of little children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when she has mocked the killing of teenagers in high school at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, what could they be thinking or thinking too generous a word for what they might be doing?

It's absolutely appalling. And I think that the focus has to be on the Republican leadership of this House of Representatives for the disregard they had for the death of those children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Now, this is something we have absolutely not seen before the level of rancor against members of Congress like this.

And of course, a Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, you know, has embraced and supported these QAnon conspiracy theories, questioning, you know, the legitimacy of all of these tragic shootings we have seen now.

She just released a statement a short time ago, it says in part, this, "They're coming after me because they know I ever represent the people, not the politicians. They are coming after me because like President Trump, I will always defend conservative values," she says. "They want to take me out because I represent the people. And they absolutely hate it."

Now, of course, that simply is not the whole matter here, Wolf. She has embraced these conspiracy theories was harassing these students. So this now is someone who is serving inside the Republican ranks. And it's part of this deeper story of the civil war brewing within the Republican Party. And Kevin McCarthy, the House leader, is certainly embracing President Trump in their bid to win back the House majority in 2022.

BLITZER: Yes, awful situation as well.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.

Let's get some more in all of this. Joining us now, our Chief National Correspondent John King and CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger.

John, the acting Capitol Police Chief now calling for permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol, backup forces not very far away after ready. What does that say about this new reality that all of us are seeing here in the nation's capital?

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: It's an incredibly sad statement about the severity of the threats and the belief among law enforcement officials that these are not passing threats, that they will stay with us on Capitol Hill and from the Department of Homeland Security and others you hear at least through the impeachment trial. So that means at least for the month of February.

And many law enforcement officials think that will go on even after that. As those being prosecuted for the insurrection have their trials and like.

So, you're already hearing some pushback from members of Congress. They don't like the fencing. You heard Jeff Zeleny talking about that, I mean, Shimon talking about how the D.C. mayor doesn't like this, but without a doubt will fortress Washington is with us for the foreseeable future around the United States Capitol.

Maybe not the razor wire fencing. Maybe -- General Honore who's Nancy Pelosi will recommend some other steps with there's no question. There'll be more fencing, more security and more law enforcement around the United States Capitol and other key installations for the foreseeable future because of this threat level. And again, to remind people, it's a threat level from within.

[17:10:15]

BLITZER: Yes.

KING: They're worried about domestic terrorists and largely supporters of the former president.

BLITZER: It's totally understandable that they need this kind of security around the U.S. Capitol.

You know, Gloria, it all comes as we heard what I, I think you'll agree with me, a truly stunning statement from the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today on the range of threats, the range of threats facing U.S. members of Congress. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: The enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about.

We have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Gloria, how incredible is this?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it is incredible. I mean, what Nancy Pelosi did not say is that her own life was threatened by Marjorie Taylor Greene in -- on social media. And imagine, Wolf, going into work every day and not wondering whether you are safe because somebody you work with and you see on the floor, where you work, is carrying a gun and you don't trust that person because in a previous life, they have threatened you. Imagine that? I mean, lawmakers have to go through this now every day. And I know they're pushing back, as John says, about this kind of security because this is the people's house. But January 6, not only changed the country, but it changed the Congress, and it changed the way people who work there feel about their safety and feel about their jobs.

And I think that's a shame, but it is the world we're living in.

BLITZER: Yes. It's really awful situation as well.

You know, John, the former President Donald Trump, as we've been reporting, he met with the Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy today down in Palm Beach. He put out a statement afterwards, the Trump campaign put out a statement saying, "His endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time." That's the former president of the United States talking about his own endorsement. What do you make of that?

KING: Well, that picture speaks more than 1000 words, it speaks 2 million words.

Look, the former president likes himself. There's no surprise there. That's not breaking news. He thinks he's the most powerful president ever.

Look, his political standing has been diminished significantly nationally. However, that picture tells you everything you need to know. Kevin McCarthy wants to be speaker. The Democrats have a very narrow majority in the House.

Kevin McCarthy thinks kissing the ring and making this without a doubt the party of Trump going forward for the next two years is his path to the speakership.

What is the effect of that? Wolf, you see it, you see it in the conversation with just having about Marjorie Taylor Greene. You see it today and Matt Gates, a rank and file Trumpy Republican member of the House from Florida, going to Wyoming and Liz Cheney's district ,calling her corrupt, saying she's part of an insider club in Washington, saying Mitch McConnell is in that club too. A club he says is screwing the American people every day.

So Kevin McCarthy does not have control over his own caucus now because they know by and through his actions today, he supports this. They have one leader Donald Trump, period.

Look what happened today with Kevin McCarthy, watch with these House Trump like -- Trump loving Republicans are saying in the House. Look at the test vote in the Senate yesterday.

If you hear Republicans saying we're trying to break from President Trump, just turned down the volume because it's not a serious movement. It's his party, period.

BORGER: And can I just -- can I just add that, you know, Kevin McCarthy, had a phone call with his members yesterday where he said cut out the crap of fighting with each other. And then what did he do? He took sides today.

He went to go see Donald Trump to tell him how much he loved him, to make sure that Donald Trump would welcome him back into the fold. Because remember, he went on the floor at one point and said that Donald Trump bears responsibility for January 6, then he kind of took it back. But he took sides today.

Matt Gates is free to do whatever he wants. And the president, the ex- president wants to see Liz Cheney kicked out of leadership. McCarthy has said she ought to remain, but he has concerns about her. Let's see what he says when he comes back.

He took sides today because he needs the money, because he wants to be speaker.

BLITZER: There are Republicans though, John, who agree with Liz Cheney, you know, who agree with Adam Kinzinger, other Republicans who are saying the former president has been a disaster for the Republican Party and they got to move on. They got to get new leadership, right?

KING: Yes, there are, but they are a distinct minority. It's a handful, maybe a dozen members of the House. Ten House Republicans voted to impeach the president. There might be twice that many who will publicly say the party needs to at least distance itself from him.

But you just saw that vote Wolf, you know, 45 of the 50 Republican senators saying they don't want to have an impeachment trial. You do have Republican governors like Larry Hogan of Maryland, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, but they're more centrist to almost liberal Republicans, moderate Republicans. This is Trump's party, plain and simple.

[17:15:05]

And the calculation here is about 2022. You have a 50-50 Senate. You have the smallest House Majority for the Democrats that we've had in some time.

The Republicans think they can get power back, but they know they will not if they have the civil war. So those voices saying Republicans need to make a 10 or 20 year play here, look at demographics, look at college educated people, look at younger people, look at voters of color, they're being drowned out by the people who are looking at 2022 saying Republicans can take back power, at least they believe they can. But they know to do that, they need Trump, period.

BLITZER: You know, Gloria, Kevin McCarthy was warned not to get out of Florida, with one source telling us it makes it look like he's, "Crawling back to Trump." Does the GOP see a path forward without Trump? BORGER: Well, as you can see today from that picture, and I agree with John, it tells you everything you need to know. No, they don't. Those are forced smiles there.

And what Kevin McCarthy is doing is enabling Donald Trump and saying you can still be our kingmaker. We want you to be our kingmaker.

What we all know about Donald Trump is that he cares about himself. He wants to be back in the spotlight, he probably misses it.

This is about him. He doesn't care about saving the Republican Party. He would like to be able to say that he is important. And what Kevin McCarthy did was give him all the oxygen he needs to start doing that again.

So, McCarthy gave the signal, we're going to get the majority. It's going to be Donald Trump's majority. If that's the way, the only way I can get it, and I think that's what he cares about. He wants to be the speaker.

BLITZER: Yes. He certainly does.

All right, Gloria and John, guys, thank you very much.

Coming up, we're going to get the latest on the state of President Biden's nearly $2 trillion COVID relief package. There are new developments unfolding right now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:44]

BLITZER: Tonight's more breaking news we're following, the White House saying just a little while ago that President Biden believes his massive COVID relief bill can be and will be bipartisan, despite a stalemate in Congress right now.

Let's go to our Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

Kaitlan, does the Biden administration still see a path to getting a bipartisan amount of support on this $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they have said that they do. A lot of people in Washington are skeptical of that, based on the responses that we've heard from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. And so there are new questions today about whether Democrats are going to use this process called reconciliation to get this proposal passed, of course, that would stop them from having to get Republican support to reach that 60 vote threshold.

So, there are questions about that, given President Biden came into office promising to compromise with Republicans, strike this sense of unity. And so there are real questions about what's going to happen with this proposal.

We asked the White House would he sign a bill that only democrats supported. And here's what the press secretary said today, Wolf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Given that Democrats have kind of indicated they will move forward with or without Republican support, would President Biden sign a bill that only Democrats voted for?

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, we're not quite there. That's getting us a few steps ahead of where we are now. He continues to believe that this can be -- will -- should be and will be a bipartisan bill that receives support from Democrats and Republicans. And he's having conversations with and listening to leaders and members of both parties to assure that we get to exactly that place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, Wolf, there's a bit of a time crunch here because two things, one, the White House has tied the funding that they've allocated for schools in this proposal to that promise from President Biden to get most schools open within his first 100 days in office. So they're facing questions about whether that promise still stands if this bill doesn't get passed.

The other thing is and something the White House has noted multiple times, jobless benefits expire in March. So of course, that is something that's in this proposal, a solution for that remains to be seen. So we will be waiting to see if they strike any deals with Republicans and Democrats on this. We do know that President Biden has been personally involved in this and working the phones with lawmakers to talk through their issues of the bill.

BLITZER: Yes, speaking of jobless benefits with 847,000 Americans lost their jobs filed for first time unemployment benefits just last week. The economy, obviously clearly in deep, deep trouble.

Kaitlan, the President did make some sweeping changes today on health care, basically undoing the changes that Trump made. Explain to our viewers out there, what today's executive orders mean.

COLLINS: Yes. He framed it is undoing the damage that President Trump did.

And one of the main things that I think will -- you'll see almost immediately starting next month is he has reopened the period for that enrollment session for those federal marketplaces, for the federal -- for the Affordable Care Act.

Of course, that is something that President Trump was urged to do as the pandemic hit. And people started to lose their jobs and lose their access to health care or realized they needed health care given Of course, there was a pandemic sweeping the nation. But President Trump refused to do that. they kept it at a six week period that expired in December.

So what this order would do today that President Biden sign would extend that period for about 90 days, reopen it to run from February 15 to May 15. And so the White House is saying this is his attempt to bolster the Affordable Care Act to reopen this period. Because of course, what you were just noting there about those people filing for first time, unemployment, healthcare has been a massive aspect of that.

And so this is one of several other steps he took today. But this is the one that will likely have the most immediate effects that he could do via an executive action.

BLITZER: Yes, if Trump signed executive orders, Biden could sign executive orders doing away with Trump's executive orders. This is not legislation passed by Congress that you need new legislation. These are simply executive orders.

Kaitlan, thank you very, very much.

Let's discuss with the California Democratic Representative Adam Schiff. He's the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. And I want to discuss the stimulus with you in a moment.

But let me get your thoughts first, the acting Capitol Police Chief now calling for permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol. And just yesterday, a man was arrested near the Capitol not far from the U.S. Capitol with a gun ammunition and disturbingly a list of US senators and representatives. How dangerous is the situation right now?

[17:25:09]

REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D) INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: Well, it's very dangerous. And we continue to get information about just how many threats are out there. You know, I think that the acting police chief is responding to that.

But many of us, I think, in Congress, Wolf would, frankly be very reluctant to see that permanent barrier between the representatives and the people. It may be necessary for some time, but I sure hope it's not permanent. I hope that we're going through a really dark period in our history, but that we can get beyond it and not have to, you know, do our government work behind the barricades.

It's just awful to see the necessary presence of so many troops, National Guard troops guarding the nation's capital. I just would never imagine that would be necessary. And I hope that it won't be necessary indefinitely.

BLITZER: Yes, one of the beautiful things over all these years. And I've been in Washington a long time is that the whole area around Capitol Hill people could just walk around, they could go up to the building. And now and I go around it every day, just to see what's going on, including today, you see these fences that are not being moved the barbed wire, the troops, the, you know, the military vehicles. This is what I saw earlier today when I was driving around.

It's heartbreaking to see this because the folks want to, tourists especially, they come to Washington, they want to see the U.S. Capitol, they want to walk around and they want to have an opportunity to meet with their representatives and their senators.

One very disturbing thing, and there's so many disturbing things, Congressman, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today, and I'm quoting her now "The enemy is within, within, the House of Representatives." Do you agree with her?

SCHIFF: Well, sadly, I do agree. You look at some of these members, including Representative Greene, who have threatened in social media prior to her election, other members of Congress.

You have members like her who have suggested that attacks against students murderous attacks on high school campuses, like at Parkland, were somehow faked fraudulent or false flag operations. And they're being rewarded by Kevin McCarthy with assignments on the Education Committee.

You know, the GOP leadership is becoming little more than a cult and a dangerous cult. That photo you showed of Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump.

You know what Kevin McCarthy is saying in that photo is, I don't stand for anything. I don't care about anything, except my own personal ambition. And if I have to embrace someone who just incited an insurrection against the Capitol that resulted in multiple dissonant (ph), I will do it.

And that is sadly where the GOP leadership is out in Congress. And that's part of the reason why the Capitol looks like in our fortress right now.

BLITZER: We're showing our viewers of picture that the save America pack, the Trump pack put out this picture. Let's put it up on the screen. Once again, down in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Kevin McCarthy and the former president there was a little bit of a forced smile. But clearly, he went down there to try to make up for what he had said earlier.

And it was a pretty blunt what he had said earlier, he blamed Trump for the insurrection. And since then, he's been trying, Congressman Schiff, to walk back from that statement, which is pretty ridiculous.

SCHIFF: It is ridiculous. But you know, it is very consistent with Kevin McCarthy, which is nothing if not malleable to whatever -- whichever direction the wind is blowing. And he thinks the wind is blowing in Donald Trump's favor. And he is willing to embrace that, notwithstanding the destruction that that man brought to this country.

And you know, it's just reprehensible. But that's where the GOP leadership is. And I don't know how many years is going to take for that party to purge itself of Donald Trump.

We need two functioning parties in this country for a system to work. Right now we don't. And, you know, I think we see that played out in the debate over the relief package, and whether we can get a bipartisan package done. But right now, the GOP is still in the thrall of Donald Trump not met notwithstanding how much death and destruction he has wrought.

BLITZER: Congressman Adam Schiff, thanks so much for joining us.

SCHIFF: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following, South Carolina now confirming that, not one but two people there have been infected with a South African Coronavirus variant that's easier to spread. We'll update you on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:34:20]

BLITZER: We're also following breaking pandemic news, the U.S. death toll has now topped 431,000 people with more than 25.7 million confirmed cases here in the United States. Yesterday alone, almost 4,000 Americans lost their lives to COVID. CNN National Correspondent Athena Jones has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That new more transmissible coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa is now here in the United States. South Carolina officials confirming two cases of the variant that along with strains first spotted in the United Kingdom and Brazil are increasing concerns among experts.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: The variants have been identified recently seem to spread more easily. They're more transmissible which can lead to increased number of cases and increased stress on our already taxed health care system.

[17:35:11]

JONES (voice-over): This as new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations slow nationwide. With some states looking to ease public health measures, New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo lifting restrictions for every region of the state, except one zone upstate and three zones in New York City, while aiming to release a plan for reopening indoor dining in the city by Friday.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: I think at this point, it's safe to say the holiday surge was anticipated, the holiday surge did happen, but the holiday surge is over.

JONES (voice-over): Still others warn not so fast.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: So what we can expect to see in the course of the next, I think, six to 14 weeks is something that we haven't even come close to experiencing yet.

JONES (voice-over): One expert saying the worst is yet to come. OSTERHOLM: This is going to be the darkest of the days. And so we have to help our political leaders understand. Now is the time not to roll out, not the time to ease up. We will be pumping the brakes after the cars wrapped around the tree if we do that.

JONES (voice-over): The concern coming as daily COVID-19 related deaths nationwide remain high. Nearly 4,000 reported Wednesday. Even as new cases decline and amid fears the new variants will supercharge the viruses spread. At least 315 cases of the U.K. variant already identified in 28 states. One bright spot, another study suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be mostly effective against the U.K. and South African strains. But the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may offer less protection from the South African one.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We're much more concerned about the South African strain. What we're going to do about it? We are already working with the companies to make what we would call a booster.

JONES (voice-over): But vaccines won't work unless people can get them and distribution in the U.S. continues to lag with only about half the doses distributed to states having been administered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Now to help boost vaccine distribution, FEMA has asked the Pentagon to help possibly by sending as many as 10,000 troops to vaccination mega hubs. But the problem with places like this right outside Yankee Stadium is not enough vaccine. This is one of several mass vaccination sites officials plan to use but they can't open until they have enough doses of vaccine. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes. They got to get those doses out there. They got to do it quickly. Athena, thank you very much.

Let's get some more in all of these, the former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden is joining us right now. Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for joining us. Let's talk about this coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa. It's confirmed not to be spreading here in the United States as well. Does this make rapid and widespread coronavirus vaccine distribution even more critical?

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: Well, the good news, Wolf, is that it appears that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are likely to work pretty well against the strains that have been identified. The bad news is that this is a warning that the virus really can become more dangerous. And we need to do two things. The first is keep up and get better at protection. Double down on protection protocols.

And the second is ramp up vaccination as soon as possible. We need vaccines, out of freezers and into arms. And we need to be focusing on communities that are getting neglected, communities that have lower vaccination rates, as well as making sure that we do a really good job vaccinating in nursing homes, residents and staff to drive down the risk of death there. BLITZER: Dr. Fauci says that variant first identified in South Africa troubles him because of the amount of protection current vaccines appear to offer against it. To be clear, it's still important for Americans to go ahead, get the vaccine, both doses of the Pfizer and the Moderna as quickly as possible. It's critically important, but do you think they might need a third dose of booster after the first two?

FRIEDEN: From everything we've seen, none of the strains, not the strain identified in South Africa or any other one really is going to make this vaccine ineffective. The vaccine gives such a high level of antibody, such a high level of immunity, that there's likely a margin of safety there, their time will tell. What's really more of a concern is that these strains are an early warning that there may be other variants that emerge that do evade the vaccine. And that's why it's important to do two things, again, roll out vaccination as rapidly as possible, but also tamp down spread. The more spread there is, the more risk there will be that a more dangerous variant will emerge and spread.

BLITZER: Good advice as always from Dr. Frieden. Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

FRIEDEN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, we'll have more on this hour's breaking news here in Washington. The city's mayor now forcefully rejecting calls for permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol and stationing extra U.S. military forces nearby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:35]

BLITZER: We're following multiple breaking stories, including a new call from the acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief for permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol Building, as well as backup military forces stationed nearby. Let's go to our Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto. Put this into context for us, Jim, you've been doing a lot of reporting. You've got a lot of experience in this area. What is this proposal from the acting police chief say about just how real these threats and let's call them what they are terrorist threats really are?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. You know, what struck me -- strikes me as I look at this proposal that this is a step that the U.S. did not take in the 20 years since 911, when there were other terror threats to the Capitol even through the years of deep fears of ISIS, lone wolves, et cetera, or even after the 1998 Capitol shooting in which two Capitol police officers were killed when a gunman entered the Capitol. So, through all that, this has not been proposed, but now it is and why is that? One, the gravity of what happened on January 6th, the reality, the images of hundreds of people assaulting the Capitol and just overwhelming the security they had. But it also speaks to, Wolf, the realization, the awareness within law enforcement and U.S. national security officials that this, in some ways, is the tip of the iceberg, right, that there are groups out there, many hundreds, perhaps thousands of adherence to this view of the world, right?

[17:45:00]

The sense that the election was stolen ties to violent groups, willingness to use violence against their opponents, that this may be a necessary step. Now, there is opposition to walling off the Capitol. But it does speak to the gravity of that event on January 6th, and fears of what could come next.

BLITZER: Yes. Just yesterday, as you know, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Terrorism Advisory System said that these individuals want to target elected officials and government facilities. And we know a man was arrested right near the Capitol with a gun and lot of ammunition, 20 rounds of ammunition, a list of representatives and senators who said he believed there was election fraud in 2020. How much of this threat stems from all these lies the misinformation out there?

SCIUTTO: Enormously, right? And it's the election lie, right, propagated by the President. But it's a whole series of lies prior to that, and again, fed by the President over the years. The sense of the system being against them, the system is rigged, the Deep State is behind this, that law enforcement is tied to the deep state, right, that all these levers of power are working against them. And that's why you saw in that event, not just attacking or targeting the hope of targeting lawmakers, but law enforcement officers themselves, and of course, one paid with his life, you know, more than 100 were seriously injured.

And the real danger right now, right, is that the chief propagator of the lie, right, is still a powerful force in these groups. That is President Trump and he's still not given up the lie. He still claims the election was stolen, still claims that the root motivation at the root of their cause exists here. And that's enormously dangerous.

And I think, Wolf, if we compared that, and by the way, this is the way law enforcement looks at the domestic terror threat now is equal or greater than international terrorism. If we compared that to a U.S. politician propagating Islamist, terrorist, thought, materials, lies, et cetera, imagine the reaction. And yet sadly, there's still a partisan reaction to this, some denying that the threat is real and that the lie behind the threat is dangerous.

BLITZER: The U.S. Capitol Police, acting police chief says that there has to be permanent fencing and the availability of ready backup forces in close proximity to the Capitol. Hard to believe.

All right, Jim Sciutto, thank you very, very much.

SCIUTTO: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, the GOP in disarray as loyalty to former President Trump splits the party. Plus, the urgent effort underway right now to get more COVID vaccinations into the arms of Americans. We're going to get the latest from a senior adviser on the Biden White House COVID response team. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:52:13]

BLITZER: We have much more coming up on the very serious security threats here in Washington right now, prompting calls for a permanent barrier around the U.S. Capitol Building. But first, the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will stay in detention until a hearing next week over whether the Kremlin critic should face jail time in the years old fraud case. Our Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Tonight, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny not backing down despite being kept in jail after a Russian court hearing that he called a sham. This is demonstrated lawlessness aimed at intimidating me and everyone else, he said, and it's not even done by the judges because the judges here are just obedient slaves. It's done by people who have been stealing from our country for 20 years.

Navalny was detained immediately when he landed in Moscow after recovering from poisoning by the chemical weapon Novichok. Tens of thousands came out last weekend to demand his release despite a massive police response. Far from being intimidated, Navalny, who was only allowed to attend his own hearing via video link from the notorious Moscow jail where he's detained, called on Russians to keep protesting.

I support those who protests, he said, they are the last barrier preventing this country from slipping into complete degradation. They are the defenders of our country and true patriots. You won't be able to scare us, we are the majority.

Vladimir Putin recently took the unusual step of publicly denying ownership of a palatial Black Sea residence that Navalny's group alleges was funded by corruption. The opposition leader's lawyer tells me he believes the authorities are nervous and looking to lock the Navalny up for a long time.

VADIM KOBZEV, NAVALNY'S LAWYER (through translation): Today's decision is a clear signal but next week, he will be essentially sent to prison.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Surprisingly, turnout at last weekend's pro- Navalny demo was high not only in Moscow, but in many regions across all of Russia. Lawyer Elsa Nisanbekova helps those who get into trouble for protesting in Kazan (ph) about 500 miles east of Moscow.

ELSA NISANBEKOVA, LAWYER (through translation): I was honestly surprised by how many people came out. We usually have small demos under 1,000 people. But this time this was a huge event.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Kremlin has ripped into what it calls, quote, illegal protests. But despite remaining in detention, Alexei Navalny and his movements so far show no signs of slowing down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:55:02]

PLEITGEN: And, Wolf, Navalny visibly angry as that hearing ended today saying he already had expected exactly this outcome. And then when he was in detention once again, he published a text calling on people to come out and protest this Sunday. Wolf, all this increasingly also becoming an issue for Vladimir Putin. Wolf?

BLITZER: Certainly is. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow for us, thank you.

There's more breaking news coming up next, the top Capitol security official now calling for a permanent barrier around the U.S. Capitol building and reinforcement troops deployed nearby. We're talking about military troops. We're going to get the latest on the growing security threats right here in Washington.

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