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The Situation Room
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer To Announce Bipartisan Senate Rules; President Biden's COVID Relief Package Moves Ahead; Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Is Interviewed On U.S. Foreign Policies; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 464,000 With 27 Million Cases As Country Reports Lowest Daily Case Count Since Early November; CDC: Nearly 700 Cases Of Variants Reported In The U.S.; Feds Charge 18-Year-Old For Assaulting Capitol Police Officer, Youngest Person Charged After January 6 Riot. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired February 08, 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: She was an aerospace engineer in El Segundo, California. She helped design and build space satellites. Her mother says her daughter Jackie was strong-willed, compassionate, a fierce defender of those disadvantaged. She loved space exploration. She also volunteered helping children with special needs. She taught science and technology outreach programs.
Jackie was born and raised in Maryland where her family is planning a memorial service for next weekend. To the Tardif family, our deepest condolences. May her memory be a blessing. Our coverage continues on CNN 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 what is expected to be a very historic week here in the United States.
That situation that is unfolding involve some critical decisions for the members of the U.S. Senate. Less than 24 hours before the start of what's expected to be an unprecedented proceeding, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has just announced that he will present arguments, arguments that will restrict what is going to happen in this historic trial. The second impeachment trial against the former president of the United States.
Trump, of course, is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice, the only one to be prosecuted after leaving office. But the White House says the trial won't be President Biden's primary focus. Instead, he will be watching key developments as lawmakers work on his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, which the White House expects to "track closely with what the president has proposed."
Also this hour, the new secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will join us here in THE SITUATION ROOM for his first, his first CNN interview. We'll get much more on all of that coming up, but this is clearly a critical and historic week here in Washington for the president and certainly for his massive pandemic relief plan. Our senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly is joining us
right now. Phil, the White House believes the bill being crafted right now by congressional Democrats will align very closely with what the president has outlined.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, Wolf. That $1.9 trillion plan. While the rest of Washington shifts its focus starting tomorrow to impeachment, the White House making clear from the president on down, their focus is getting that plan signed into law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: --expects that will be a primary focus for him this week or of his senior staff either.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): On the eve of his predecessor's second impeachment trial --
PSAKI: The president himself would tell you that we keep him pretty busy and he has a full schedule this week.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): President Biden focused primarily on one thing, COVID relief.
PSAKI: We're encouraged that both Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer are in full agreement about the need to move swiftly on the president's proposal and the committee markups we'll see throughout the week are evidence of Congress acting on that expeditiously.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Today, Biden underscoring the need for federal assistance during a virtual tour of a vaccination site at an NFL stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The hope is to vaccinate more people, more quickly, and to get ahead of this virus instead of behind it.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): But with congressional Democrats moving forward this week without GOP support --
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We have enormous crises and we have got to pass that legislation as soon as we possibly can.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Razor thin majorities in both chambers bringing in early tests with the highest stakes. Biden already signaling a key progressive provision, $15 minimum wage may not survive.
BIDEN: I put it in, but I don't think it's going to survive.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Biden citing Senate rules for the provision's demise, something Senate Budget Committee chair Bernie Sanders is working to overcome.
SANDERS: We have a room full of lawyers working as hard as we can to make the case for the parliamentarian that, in fact, raising the minimum wage will have significant budget implications and, in fact, should be consistent with reconciliation rules.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): In the White House, still unclear on how to proceed on another looming intra-party battle, the targeting of stimulus checks.
PSAKI: It's still working its way through Congress and I don't think a conclusion has been made yet on the exact level of targeting.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): But key pieces are coming together. With Democrats introducing a central element of Biden's plan. An expansion of the child tax credit to $3,600 per child under the age of 6 and $3,000 per child ages 6 to 17.
An emergency provision for one year Biden has pushed for since his campaign, all as Biden this weekend made clear he doesn't believe former President Trump should have any access to intelligence briefings.
NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS HOST: Should former president Trump still receive intelligence briefings?
BIDEN: I think not.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): But White House press secretary Jen Psaki making clear that statement is not policy.
[17:05:00]
PSAKI: He was expressing his concern about former president Trump receiving access to sensitive intelligence, but he also has deep trust in his own intelligence team to make a determination about how to provide intelligence information if at any point the former president requests a briefing.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): And as to the looming trial, well, Biden is not willing to bite.
BIDEN: Look, he's got an offer to come and testify. He has decided not to. We'll let the Senate work that out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (on camera): And, Wolf, this is the most crucial moment for that coronavirus relief package. Democrats on Capitol Hill putting pen to paper, the intra-party disputes starting to spill out, trying to stay unified given those razor-thin majorities. But the president and his team are engaged. They are working hand in glove with the legislative effort on Capitol Hill.
And for the president himself, he plans to remain engaged in trying to sell that proposal, expected to talk to business leaders, mayors and governors throughout the course of this week as his team continues to work with Democrats on Capitol Hill to turn that legislation into law, Wolf. BLITZER: Yes. Lots of work going on indeed. All right, Phil, thank you
very much. Let's go to Capitol Hill right now. Our chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is standing by. Manu, we just heard the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announce that a deal has been reached on the various rules that will be necessary in advance of the second Trump impeachment trial. Update our viewers.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes. This is much different than the 2020 trial when the rules package devolved into partisan fight between Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. This time, a bipartisan deal setting the parameters for the proceedings. The proceedings could take -- could move much quicker than the 2020 trial that lasted 21 days.
This one could potentially be done as soon as the middle of next week if Democrats don't move forward on witnesses. At the moment, it does not seem that they're moving forward on witnesses. And ultimately, the key question will be if any more GOP senators break ranks and decide to convict the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAJU (voice-over): House Democrats tonight making their final preparations at a case expected to vividly detail the deadly insurrection at the capitol last month and accuse Donald Trump of intentionally inciting it. The Democrats' case will rely heavily on video.
UNKNOWN: We won the (BLEEP) day.
RAJU (voice-over): And court filings from charged insurrectionists claiming they were taking their cues from the president.
UNKNOWN: Donald Trump asked everybody to go home. He just put out a tweet. It's a minute long. He asked everybody to go home.
RAJU (voice-over): Today, Trump's team provided their most detailed argument to date, and even defending these remarks from the January 6th rally right before his supporters stormed the capitol, seeking to stop certification of Joe Biden's victory.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.
RAJU (voice-over): His attorneys downplaying those remarks, writing today, "of the over 10,000 words spoken, Mr. Trump used the word "fight" a little more than a handful of times and each time in the figurative sense that has long been accepted in public discourse."
Democrats responding in their own brief today, writing, "This is not a case about protected speech. The House did not impeach President Trump because he expressed an unpopular political opinion. It impeached him because he willfully incited violent insurrection against the government." While it still hasn't been decided whether there will be witnesses, Democratic sources tell CNN that is unlikely. Tomorrow, the two sides will argue whether the trial is constitutional before the full Senate votes on that question. Democrats got a boost when conservative attorney Charles Cooper wrote in "The Wall Street Journal" that the constitution doesn't bar impeachment trial.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): That's no liberal. That's Chuck Cooper, a lawyer who represented House Republicans in a lawsuit against Speaker Pelosi, a former adviser to Senator Cruz's presidential campaign, driving a stake into the central argument we're going to hear from the former president's counsel.
RAJU (voice-over): Already, five GOP senators have indicated they believe the constitution gives the senate the authority to try a former federal office holder.
SEN. BEN SASSE (D-NE): The president lied to you. He lied about the election results for 60 days.
RAJU (voice-over): But to convict Trump, there will need to be 17 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats, something incredibly unlikely amid the vocal Trump wing of the party looking to punish anyone who defects.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, one of 10 house Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last month, censured by the Wyoming state GOP this weekend. Cheney offering no regrets.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We've never seen that kind of an assault by a president of the United States on another branch of government, and that can never happen again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAJU (on camera): And Wolf, we are hearing that Donald Trump and his team are confident that he will be acquitted and Trump allies also planning to go after anyone who breaks ranks.
[17:04:52]
We saw that over the weekend with Liz Cheney and undoubtedly this is going to weigh on senators' minds, Republican senators' minds as they decide whether or not to vote to convict the president or whether or not to vote tomorrow to determine whether or not the former president's trial is constitutional, whether it should go forward.
One Republican senator who is up for re-election, Roy Blunt, I just asked him whether or not he believes the trial is constitutional. He says he has seen nothing in his view that makes it constitutional. He said he plans to vote the same way. So that means, Wolf, another Republican senator likely to vote that it's unconstitutional tomorrow and then ultimately vote to acquit the former president. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, Manu Raju, up on Capitol Hill. Let's get some more on all of this. Joining us now, our chief political correspondent Dana Bash, CNN senior commentator, former Ohio Republican governor John Kasich.
Dana, the White House is making it abundantly clear where its priorities lie this week, namely on coronavirus relief not the Senate impeachment trial. This is a rather delicate matter for the current president, isn't it?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is, and that this is really the only political option and frankly, the only policy, substantive option for the current president to kind of just keep on working on what he has to do.
When I say political, it doesn't benefit their case, the Democrats' case, for the current president to weigh in. And then politically, it definitely doesn't -- I mean, excuse me, policy-wise, Joe Biden has a lot on his plate.
And just the way Phil laid out all of the challenges that he has, never mind the notion of working across the aisle with Republicans. Right now, we're already at the place where he is trying to delicately find the balance on how to put this huge package forward of COVID relief and make sure that there's not a huge divide within the Democratic Party about really key parts of it.
From the minimum wage, we heard Bernie Sanders on "State of the Union" say he's going to try very hard to get that into the -- keep that in the package even though the president said it probably won't make it, to other really specific delicate issues like how big is the stimulus bill going to be? So, it makes perfect sense that that is where his focus is, and his senior staff.
BLITZER: You know, Governor Kasich you spent, what, nearly two decades in the House of Representatives. How important is it for the majority party, in this case the Democrats, to be united to get a piece of legislation as substantial as this one to the president's desk?
JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR COMMENTATOR: Well, they're going to have to -- the Democrats are going to be united. They're going to pass it. They can't afford to fail on this. But Wolf, as I've been saying now for a number of appearances with you, it seems as though this train is rolling down the tracks and there are some Republicans out there at the station trying to get on the train, and the train's blasting through there, you know, a couple of hundred miles an hour.
And that's just not good, not for somebody who is running for president who says I want to bring the country together. And I know the package has support from the public, but the definition of bipartisanship is not the way the White House is trying to define it, which is why the majority of the people of the country support it.
No. The bipartisanship means you get Republicans and Democrats. Now, my view is these 10 Republicans who came out and said they had a package, well, what they ought to do is realize the president is going to get the bulk of what he wants, which is the way it works in our system, but they ought to commit to supporting the package that Joe Biden ultimately is able to produce.
If they won't do it, then Biden is left with no choice but to move forward. I just still think there should be efforts to be made, real efforts to be made at bipartisanship. I am not convinced there have been real efforts made and I'm not sure that Republicans can deliver those 10 votes.
So, I think it's a missed opportunity. Now, there is going to be a lot of other legislation coming down the road that they will have to seek Republican support on, namely one that jumps up right away is immigration. We got to see how that works out.
I will give a little compliment to Mitt Romney. He is for doing things to improve the child tax credit, that's good. But, frankly, I wish they just slow that train down and invite a few Republicans on board.
BLITZER: You know, Dana, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the White House for that matter, they all agree they want the impeachment trial behind them as quickly as possible. So what political calculations are at play right now?
BASH: Well, just as you said. They want it behind them as quickly as possible. But, I mean, if you see and hear the passion with which Nancy Pelosi, in particular, but Chuck Schumer as well, speak about the need for justice based on what happened and the unprecedented attack not just on the physical capitol, but on the people who were in it, and on the process that they were working on, which is a constitutional process to certify the electoral college.
[17:14:57]
They do -- it's not just political what the Democrats are saying and doing with this impeachment vote in the House, of course, before and now the trial that starts tomorrow. They believe that it is critical for justice.
Having said that, it certainly is not, I mean, if the impeachment trial didn't -- if the insurrection didn't happen, they would be very, very happy not to focus on that and to focus on the issues that they all campaigned on in November.
BLITZER: I want to bring Norm Eisen into this conversation. He served as impeachment counsel for the House Democrats during the first Trump impeachment trial a year ago. He is also a CNN legal analyst.
You know, Norm, with less than 24 hours until the trial begins tomorrow, the impeachment managers are arguing there is no valid excuse for the former president's actions. So, what did you take away from their new filing today?
NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I thought the impeachment managers' filing today was powerful, Wolf. It hit the basic circumstances here. The president incited insurrection. The facts are clear that he committed a high crime and misdemeanor.
And the law is clear. We just heard Chuck Cooper, who was our main adversary, Representing John Bolton in the last impeachment, Wolf, has now come over and said there's no constitutional basis not to prosecute a president here.
The founders of our country and the framers of the constitution are rolling over in their graves, thinking that this could not be an impeachable offense. So, I thought the brief that they filed today, you know, was brief, powerfully made those points. It tore down the other nonsense, first amendment defenses, which are totally inapplicable here.
The only question that remains is will a sufficient number of Republican senators, as Governor Kasich said, do the bipartisan thing, the right thing across the aisle and vote to convict and disqualify?
BLITZER: And we'll of course have live coverage of the impeachment trial tomorrow at noon eastern. We got to take a quick break. Everybody stand by. Also coming up, my one-on-one interview with the new Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. He's standing by over at the State Department. You can see him live. We have lots to discuss on the most important national security issues facing the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:20:00]
BLITZER: Joining us now in THE SITUATION ROOM, the new Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Mr. Secretary, congratulations. Thanks so much for joining us. I know you got a lot on your plate. We're grateful to you for taking a few moments to discuss these issues with us.
I know you've already outlined some aspects of what's being described as the emerging Biden doctrine. What are the biggest differences from your perspective between the Trump and Biden doctrines when it comes to foreign policy?
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, Wolf, first, it's great to see you and it's great to be with you today. Thanks for having me. Look, I think when the president is looking at this, two basic conclusions. First, the world doesn't organize itself.
So, if we're not in there and present every single day trying to do some of that organizing, helping to write the rules and shape the norms that sort of govern the way countries relate to each other, then either someone else is going to do it in our place or maybe just as bad, no one does it and then you have chaos. Either way, not good for America. So, part one is showing up, being engaged.
Part two is this. None of the big problems that we face and that are actually going to affect the lives of the American people every single day, whether it's climate, whether it's the pandemic, whether it's the spread of bad weapons, not a single one can be addressed by any one country acting alone even one as powerful as the United States. So there's a premium on cooperation and so a premium on diplomacy because how do we get that cooperation from other countries? It starts with our diplomacy. BLITZER: Let's talk about some specific issues, Russia first.
President Biden is warning that he won't, in his words, hesitate to raise the cost on Russia. But so far, the Biden administration hasn't offered any specifics. What is that cost from your perspective look like?
BLINKEN: Well, first, I think when it comes to Mr. Navalny, the fact that Russia feels compelled, that Mr. Putin feels compelled to try to silence one voice speaks volumes about how important that voice is and how it's representative of so many millions of Russians who want to be heard and who are fed up with the corruption and with the kleptocracy.
But what we're doing is first of all consulting and working closely with other countries who are very concerned about what's happened not just to Mr. Navalny but others who have stood up to exercise their rights. But second, Wolf, as you know, it seems apparent that a chemical weapon was used to try to kill Mr. Navalny.
That violates the Chemical Weapons Convention and other obligations that Russia has. It violates clear sanctions that Congress has. We're reviewing that. We're looking at that very carefully and when we have the results we'll take action in the appropriate way.
BLITZER: And then you'll spell it out at that time?
BLINKEN: That's right.
BLITZER: Do the protests in support of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, from your perspective, signal vulnerability in Putin -- when it comes to Putin's grip on the country?
BLINKEN: I think it spells a deep dissatisfaction with, as I said, the corruption that is rampant, the kleptocracy that dominates the government. And it just speaks to the fact that Russians are looking for ways to make sure that their voice is heard. And the system, as it's currently constituted, doesn't exactly favor that.
So, look, this is fundamentally about Russia, the Russian people, their future. It's not about us. And I think the Russian government would make a mistake in attributing to outside actors, whether it's the United States, European partners and others, responsibility for what's happening. This is fundamentally about Russia, about Russia's future and hopefully about a more Democratic system going forward.
BLITZER: You're facing a stalemate apparently when it comes to Iran, the Iran Nuclear Deal. Iran's ayatollah says the U.S. needs to lift sanctions before it returns to the deal. President Biden says he won't lift sanctions first. So what happens now?
[17:25:00]
BLINKEN: Look, the president has been very clear about this. If Iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement, we will do the same thing and then we would work with our allies and partners to try to build a longer and stronger agreement and also bring in some of these other issues like Iran's missile program, like it's destabilizing actions in the region that need to be addressed as well.
The problem we face now, Wolf, is that in recent months, Iran has lifted one restraint after another that was -- they were being held in check by the agreement. We got out of the agreement. Iran started to lift the various restraints in the agreement and the result is they are closer than they've been to having the capacity on short order to produce the raw (ph) material for a nuclear weapon.
The agreement had pushed past a year according to public reports now. It's down to three or four months and heading in the wrong direction. So, the first thing that's so critical is for Iran to come back into compliance with its obligations. They're a ways from that, but if they do that, the path to diplomacy is there and we're willing to walk it.
BLITZER: So they got to take the first step and then the U.S. will respond, is that right?
BLINKEN: That's -- the president has been clear about that. They need to come back into compliance. And if they do, we will look to do the same thing.
BLITZER: Let's talk about China. The president says he's, "not going to do it the way Trump did," but are there some aspects of the Trump approach, Mr. Secretary, he may, in fact, build on, for example, tougher stance on unfair trade practices, the cyber theft of American technology? What do you say?
BLINKEN: So, I think in fairness to President Trump, he was right to take a tougher approach to China. That was the right thing to do. The way he went about it, in my judgment, was wrong across the board. But the basic principle was the right one.
But what does this require of us? We have to engage China from a position of strength and whether it's the adversarial aspects of the relationship, the competitive ones or the cooperative ones, which are there in our mutual interest, we have to deal with it from a position of strength.
That means having strong alliances. That's a source of advantage for us, not denigrating alliances. It means, as we were talking about earlier, showing up in the world, engaging, because if we don't when we pull back, China fills in.
It means standing up for our values not abdicating them. When we see the abuse of the rights of the Uighurs in Xinjiang or democracy in Hong Kong. It means making sure that we're postured militarily to deter aggression and it means investing in our own people so that they can compete effectively. If we do all of these things and all these things are within our control, we can engage China from a position of strength.
BLITZER: You say the Uighurs are victims of genocide. That's a powerful word as we all know. How much weight will human rights abuses carry in President Biden's overall approach to China?
BLINKEN: The president has been very clear that he wants to put and will put, and is putting human rights and democracy back at the center of our foreign policy. And so whether it's China or any other country where we have deep and serious concerns, this will be something that is front and center. And I think you've already seen that play out.
BLITZER: How is it going to play out do you think down the road? Let's say in the next immediate period ahead?
BLINKEN: Well, we have these deep concerns that we will act on, but also act on in concert with other countries, with allies and partners, who share the concerns that we have, particularly again about the abuse of human rights of the Uighurs, but also the abuse of democracy in Hong Kong.
China made commitments during the handover from the United Kingdom to China about Hong Kong, about the rights of its people. Those commitments have not been upheld.
BLITZER: Let's get to some other sensitive issues. President Biden is ending U.S. military support for Saudi and Emirati offensive operations in Yemen pausing arms sales to those countries. Does President Biden intend to substantially change the U.S.-Saudi relationship?
BLINKEN: Well, first, on Yemen itself, Wolf. Three things are critical. One, we are ending our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Second, as we are doing that, we're also deeply committed to the defense of Saudi Arabia, aggression directed at it from the Houthis. So, those two points are very critical.
The third point, though, is equally important. Even as we are getting out of supporting the military campaign, we're leaning into playing a leading role and an active role in the diplomacy to try to actually end the war. The president, through the State Department, appointed a senior special envoy to deal with Yemen and he is now engaged and acting.
We need to lean into this. This is, by most accounts, the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and that is saying something right now. Millions of people living in very, very desperate situation. Ending the war is the critical thing to actually improving their lot and their situation.
[17:29:59]
BLITZER: Yes, certainly is an awful situation. A State Department spokesperson has given the Trump administration credit for what's called the Abraham Accords, the normalization deals that Israel worked out. Thanks to the Trump administration, with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, but at the same time, you're saying it can't be a substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace. So how exactly are you going to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
BLINKEN: Well, first of all, yes, we applauded the Abraham Accords. This is a important step forward. Whenever we see Israel and its neighbors, normalizing relations, improving relations, that's good for Israel, it's good for the other countries in question. It's good for overall peace and security.
And I think it offers new prospects, to people throughout the region, through travel, through trade, through other work that they can do together, to actually maturely improve their lives. So that's a good thing.
But as you said, rightly, that doesn't mean that the challenges of the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians go away. They don't. They're still there. They're not going to miraculously disappear. And so, we need to engage on that. But in the first instance, the parties in question need to engage on that.
Look, the hard truth is, we are a long way, I think, from seeing peace breakout and seeing a final resolution of the problems between Israel and the Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state. In the first instance, now, it's do no harm.
We're looking to make sure that neither side takes unilateral actions that make the prospects for moving toward peace and a resolution even more challenging than they already are. And then hopefully, we'll see both sides take steps to create a better environment in which actual negotiations can take place.
BLITZER: I know that you, the Biden administration still supports what's called a two-state solution --
BLINKEN: Right.
BLITZER: -- Israel, a new state of Palestine. I -- but I understand that President Biden still hasn't even spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu, is that right?
BLINKEN: Well, they spoke actually, during the transition. I think one of the first calls that the President had was with the Prime Minister. I've talked to my Israeli counterparts on multiple occasions already. And you're exactly right about the two-state solution. The President strongly supports it. It is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, and the only way to give the Palestinians the state to which they're entitled.
BLITZER: But is there a reason as President, he still hasn't spoken with Netanyahu? He's spoken with so many other world leaders.
BLINKEN: I'm sure that they'll have occasion to speak, you know, in the near future.
BLITZER: I'm anxious to get your yes or no on some specifics, very sensitive issues. You've said the United States will keep the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. It used to be in Tel Aviv. Do you regard Jerusalem as Israel's capital?
BLINKEN: I do. Yes. And we, and more importantly, we do.
BLITZER: As part of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, would you support a Palestine having its capital in East Jerusalem? BLINKEN: Look, the -- what we have to see happen is for the parties to get together directly and negotiate these so-called final status issues. That's the objective. And as I said, we're unfortunately away from that, at this point in time,
BLITZER: The Trump administration is, you know, also recognizes really sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria, back in 1967. Will your administration, the Biden administration, continue to see the Golan Heights as part of Israel?
BLINKEN: Look, leaving aside the legalities of that question, as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel's security, as long as Assad is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by around, the Assad regime itself.
All of these pose significant security threat to Israel. And as a practical matter, the control of the Golan in that situation, I think remains of real importance, digital security, legal questions or something else. And over time, if the situation were to change in Syria, that's something we look at, but we are nowhere near with that.
BLITZER: The President is facing a major challenge right now with the coup in Myanmar, where thousands of protesters have now taken to the streets. So, how does the U.S. speak with authority on democracy when people around the world saw our capital attack that our democratic institutions pushed to the brink?
BLINKEN: Look, Wolf, there's no doubt that our ability to speak with that that strong voice for democracy and human rights took a hit with what happened on January 6th, that happened in the Capitol. But I got to tell you, I actually see the glass as half full on that because we had a peaceful transition of power pursuant to our Constitution.
The grievous assault on Congress, what happened? Members of Congress came back. They came back to the Senate, they came back to the House, they came back to the halls of Congress and they did their job pursuant to the Constitution to ensure that we had a peaceful transition of power.
[17:35:07]
You know this so well throughout our history. We've had incredibly challenging moments. And sometimes we've taken our own steps backward. But what's made us different is our willingness, our ability to confront these challenges with full transparency. We -- in front of the entire world. And that's very unlike. Other countries, when they face challenges, they try to sweep everything under the rug, ignore it, repress it, push it back.
We're doing this all out in the open. Sometimes it's incredibly difficult. Sometimes it's ugly. But I think we have a very strong story to tell about the resilience of democracy, the resilience of our institutions, and the determination of this country to always try to form a more perfect union.
BLITZER: I know you got to run, but very quickly before I let you go. You and I both have family who survived the Holocaust. How does that shape your approach to your new role as the United States Secretary of State?
BLINKEN: Look, Wolf, as we've talked about before, I think for both of our families, previous generations, they saw the United States as that last hope on earth for them, for their futures and it provided that hope, it made it real. And so, I have a -- an incalculable debt to my own country for what it's done for my family. And I hope that this gives me the opportunity in a very small way to help return the favor and to make sure that the United States remains that last best hope on Earth, for people who need it.
BLITZER: And I echo those comments, personally, as well. Mr. Secretary, once again, congratulations on your new assignment. You got a tough, tough road ahead. We'll stay in close touch. Thanks so much for joining us.
BLINKEN: Thanks, Wolf. Great to see you.
BLITZER: Thank you.
Coming up, the U.S. has just surpassed 27 million confirmed coronavirus cases. But there are other new numbers tonight offering a glimmer of hope. Plus, new details emerging of the extraordinary security in place for tomorrow's second impeachment trial of former President Trump.
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[17:41:37]
BLITZER: Tonight, the coronavirus death toll here in the United States stands at more than 464,000 people in the country, just top 27 million confirmed cases. But the daily case count has fallen to its lowest level since early November. CNN's Nick Watt has more from Los Angeles.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lowest daily case count in the U.S. since early November was just logged Sunday. Numbers in the hospital also falling fast, but still higher than the summer surge and --
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: The continued proliferation of variants remains of great concern and is a threat that could reverse the recent trend -- positive trends we are seeing.
WATT (voice-over): Nearly 700 cases of the more contagious variant first found in the U.K., now detected here and doubling roughly every 10 days, according to a new study that's not yet peer reviewed.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think we have to assume that there are maybe tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of those variants.
WATT (voice-over): Meantime, nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population has now had at least one dose of vaccine.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER ON COVID-19 TO PRES. BIDEN: The encouraging news is that the vaccines that we're currently distributing right now are quite effective against that particular variant, less so against the South African.
WATT (voice-over): In fact, South Africa just paused its rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine after a small study found it offers little protection against mild and moderate illness caused by that variant.
DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST & EPIDEMIOLOGIST: If we allow the virus to continue spreading and mutating, we may well find ourselves in a place where the vaccines no longer work at all.
WATT (voice-over): So a negative test before you're allowed on even a domestic flight might become mandatory.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: There's an active conversation with the CDC right now. What I can tell you is it's going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine and by the input of that people are actually going to have to carry this out.
WATT (voice-over): Representative Ron Wright of Texas tested positive January 21st, died yesterday, the first sitting Congress member to die after catching COVID-19. Chicago and its teachers union just reached a tentative agreement to get back into the classroom this week. New York City now plans to bring back tens of thousands of middle schoolers, end of the month.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's time for schools to reopen safely, safely. You have to have fewer people in the classroom. You have to have ventilation systems that had been reworked.
WATT (voice-over): Detailed CDC guidance on that and more is expected Wednesday.
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WATT: And here in California, the Governor says he'll have a plan for schools very shortly. In New York, the Governor says at least some people will be back dining indoors in New York City before Valentine's Day. There's optimism, but there's also caution. This today, from the CDC Director, she says, we have yet to control this pandemic. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Nick, thank you very much.
Let's get some more in all of these, Dr. Peter Hotez is joining us. He's a professor, dean of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez, thank you so much for joining us. Are we doing enough to stay ahead of these new viral variants that are causing so much concern?
DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, you know, there's a big problem often that we're not really looking at it. So, we're (INAUDIBLE) hear to the extent that we need to know about.
[17:45:10]
So, for instance, we've only done a couple of 100,000 virus genome sequences when we should be doing around 10 million sequences at this point. So, the fact that we're finding any variants, U.K. and South African means there's a lot more here. And the numbers are saying that the U.K. variants are going up precipitously, doubling every 10 days.
And we have the unfortunate news today that was just released by the Houston Chronicle, our local -- our paper here that the South African variant is now in Houston. So, this is all very troubling, where we are doing better in terms of number of new cases declining precipitously, but it's this steep rise and acceleration that I'm going to be worried about over the spring due to the U.K. and now possibly the South African variants.
BLITZER: In light of these falling case, Dr. Hotez, officials in some states have decided to begin lifting restrictions is now the right time to reopen things, let's say, like indoor dining.
HOTEZ: Think of it this way, Wolf. Think of it as being in the eye of the hurricane. It's like seeing the eye -- being in the eye of the hurricane looking around, hey, this looks pretty good. And then going outside and going about your normal activities, oblivious to the big wave that's about to come and that's where we're at now with the U.K. variant, definitely on the steep acceleration.
And now we've got the South African variant in Houston, Texas, in South Carolina, undoubtedly elsewhere in the country. So this is a time to take extra measures. And the priority has got to be on vaccinating the American people as rapidly as possible.
BLITZER: What are your thoughts Dr. Hotez on a potential, potential new policy requiring a negative COVID test before flying on a commercial airline? Do you think that's a practical way to make air travel safer?
HOTEZ: Well, it all depends on how quick a timeframe you do it. If you do a PCR test, but you get it three days before, that's not going to be very helpful. So, finding a way to do this in a high throughput simple way is going to be the -- what's going to be definitely required. Otherwise, it's just not going to work out well.
And I think there are advantages to testing definitely for security of the staff, pilots, the flight attendants, but also for passenger safety, but it's still no substitute for what I've been pushing and what we've been talking about all in 2021, which is the urgency to vaccinate the American people.
BLITZER: Dr. Hotez, thanks as usual, for joining us.
HOTEZ: Thank you.
BLITZER: Coming up, a closer look at the extraordinary security now in place at the U.S. Capitol as the Senate prepares for Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. We'll be right back.
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[17:52:05]
BLITZER: There will surely be extraordinary security in place tomorrow when the United States Senate starts the second impeachment trial of former President Trump. Let's go to our Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. Evan, explain the measures we are already seeing up on Capitol Hill.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you already see those eight-foot tall, non-scalable fences. We know that there are thousands of U.S. National Guard troops that are still sitting there around the Capitol Complex. And this is all, of course, because of the impeachment trial.
We know that there were threats that law enforcement, the FBI, and some of the intelligence that was coming in, they were reacting to the fact that there were these possible threats that could come during this trial. And so, this is an abundance of caution measure right now.
They tell us that there are no specific imminent threats that they know of lawmakers have been briefed, but they know of no specific threats. That said, Wolf, they're taking no chances after what happened on January 6th. You remember that there were no specific threats then and then we see what happened.
BLITZER: Also today, the youngest person, I'm told. the youngest person yet was actually charged, criminally charged. What can you tell us about that?
PEREZ: He's 18 years old. His name is Bruno Cua, and he's from Milton, Georgia. And he's seen on video, Wolf, and in social media, talking about his exploits inside the U.S. Capitol. He's accused of assaulting a police officers there in the -- who are trying to defend and trying to protect the Senate chambers.
And so that's what these charges relate to. He later posted, according to prosecutor, he's later posted on his Instagram account, describing -- essentially admitting that this is what he was doing. So, as you said, this is the youngest person, we're close to 200 arrests now at this point, just a month after the January 6th insurrection.
BLITZER: 200 arrests already but that number, we're told, that this is probably the biggest FBI investigation in a long, long time, is that right?
PEREZ: It is, it is sprawling. It is going from coast to coast. We know of arrest as far as way as Hawaii, down in Florida, of course. And, Wolf, yes, this is obviously one of the biggest things that the FBI has had to do the manpower simply because, again, you had hundreds of people who got in to the U.S. Capitol, broke the law, according to prosecutors, and were allowed to leave without being arrested.
So now the FBI and other agencies are having to go and find them and arrest them. And as you pointed out, Wolf, about 200 already, we're told that you can see probably another couple 100 before this investigation concludes.
BLITZER: Yes, I think it's going to continue for a while. All right, thanks very much. Evan Perez, reporting on the late breaking developments.
Coming up, the rules for former President Trump's historic second impeachment trial, they have just been announced less than 24 hours before the truly unprecedented proceeding actually begin.
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[17:59:27]
BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. As we begin a very consequential week here in Washington, including the first impeachment trial of a former, a former president of the United States, the first time in U.S. history.
Just a short while ago, Senate leaders reached a deal on the rules for Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. It gets underway less than 24 hours from now. The Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says each side will get 16 hours over two days to present their respective arguments.
