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New Testimony Echoes Multiple Police Witnesses Who Say Derek Chauvin Used Excessive Force On George Floyd; Sources: Rep. Matt Gaetz Sought A Preemptive Pardon From Trump, But The Request Was Never Seriously Considered; Biden Defends Definition Of Infrastructure In $2 Trillion Plan, Says "Compromises Are Inevitable, Changes Are Certain"; Atlanta Mayor Vows To "Mitigate" Restrictive GA Voting Law; Ten Dems Join Lawsuit Against Trump For Role In Capitol Attack. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 07, 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: At the time, Warren G Harding was president, gas was about 20 cents a gallon. Now she lives in Haddock, Georgia. The town threw her a birthday parade. Now she says her secret to a long life, keep moving, treat people the way you want to be treated. Happy birthday.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter @jaketapper. 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 tracking some key developments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. New testimony today echoing the growing chorus of witnesses who say Chauvin used excessive force during George Floyd's arrest. The prosecution once again leaned heavily on police officers to testify against Chauvin, including one expert witness who said Chauvin used deadly force in a situation where no force was needed at all. He also told the court that Floyd did not pose a threat to police or to the bystanders.

Let's go to CNN's Sara Sidner, she's covering the Chauvin trial for us in Minneapolis.

Sara, the prosecution once again turned to law enforcement officers to try to bolster their argument the Chauvin used excessive force against George Floyd.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There have been nine Minneapolis police officers both current and former, including the police chief, who have testified for the prosecution in this trial and the trial against Derek Chauvin who was accused of murdering George Floyd.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Testimony will be the truth and nothing but the truth. SIDNER (voice-over): On day eight of testimony we saw more police officers taking the stand against former police officer Derek Chauvin. So far, nine Minneapolis current or former police officers including the chief have testified for the prosecution. On Wednesday, two other officers testified, the lead investigator on the case for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a prosecution expert on use-of-force from the Los Angeles Police Department, Sergeant Jody Stiger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, do you have an opinion to a degree of reasonable professional certainty whether the force used as shown in exhibit 254, whether that force being applied then for the restraint period, which you've defined as nine minutes and 29 seconds would constitute deadly force?

SGT. JODY STIGER, LAPD EXPERT WITNESS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what is that opinion?

STIGER: That it would.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that?

SIDNER: He was also asked about the crowd shouting at police as they restrained Floyd.

STEVE SCHLEICHER, PROSECUTOR: It would be possible for a group, loud group to distract the defendant from being attentive to George Floyd. Is that right?

STIGER: Yes.

SCHLEICHER: Do you believe that occurred?

STIGER: No, I do not.

SCHLEICHER: And why is that?

STIGER: Because in the body worn video, you can hear Mr. Floyd displaying his discomfort and pain and you can also hear the defendant responding to him.

GEORGE FLOYD, VICTIM: (INAUDIBLE) there's water or something. Please. Please. I can't breathe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax.

SIDNER: Stiger testified about the medical complication he learned off as an officer himself when putting pressure on someone's body who's lying on their stomach.

SCHLEICHER: How long have the dangers of positional asphyxia been known?

STIGER: At least 20 years. SIDNER: He testified he watched the body camera and bystander video of George Floyd's interaction with police to make his assessment as to whether the use-of-force was necessary once Floyd was handcuffed and laying on the ground.

SCHLEICHER: The severity of the crime issue, do that change during the restraint period?

STIGER: No. The crime was still that Mr. Floyd was in possession of a fake $20 bill.

SIDNER: In cross examination, Chauvin's attorney question Stiger's expertise.

ERIC NELSON, DEFFENSE ATTORNEY: Have you ever previously testified in any court or in any state or in federal court as an expert on the police use-of-force?

STIGER: No, I have not.

NELSON: You've never been trained by the Minneapolis police department, correct?

STIGER: No, I have not.

SIDNER: Eric Nelson argued the crowd was distracting Chauvin. He brought in the issue of Floyd's drug use, intimating he took drugs during the arrest.

FLOYD: I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me see your other hand.

SIDNER: Trying to make one point of the defense case even clearer, that drugs not Chauvin's actions killed Floyd.

NELSON: Does it sound like he says, I ate too many drugs listening on.

FLOYD: Ah ha. I (INAUDIBLE).

STIGER: I can't make that out. No.

NELSON: So, in the chaos of a situation, things can be messed, right?

STIGER: Yes.

SIDNER: The next police witness, James Ryerson, disputed Nelson's interpretation of what Floyd said.

JAMES RYERSON, SPECIAL AGENT: I believe Mr. Floyd was saying, I ain't do no drugs.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

[17:05:00] SIDNER: So, we have been listening in the last few seconds to Mackenzie Anderson (ph). She is also with the Minnesota Bureau of Crime Apprehension. She has a forensic scientist who has been looking at the forensics in this case. And she is being asked from the prosecution about some of the items that the defense was talking about, for example, a pill in the car, where she tested that pill and we're just waiting to hear more of her testimony as this trial is going to resume in just a few seconds here. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Sara Sidner, standby. We're going to get back to you. I also want to bring in our CNN Legal Analyst Elliott Williams and former Missouri State Highway Patrol, Captain Ron Johnson.

Elliot, this expert with the Los Angeles Police Department testified that Chauvin use deadly force and that in his words, no force should have been used once Floyd was actually handcuffed, that was on the ground. How important is it for the jurors to hear that from an outside expert?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Right. Look, you know, they've put on -- the prosecution's put on a lot of different witnesses placement is (ph), and I've heard a number of individuals who've watched this say, well, you know, they might be overdoing it here going too far, calling too many witnesses.

The simple fact is, though, Wolf, the reasonable doubt standard in criminal trials, you hear these terms all the time, it's a very, very high bar to meet, and particularly in a trial of a police officer, where the public often is predisposed against convicting a police officer. It is in the interest of the prosecution to put on as many witnesses as they can, including outside witnesses.

Now, the defense attacked him, sort of attacking his potential bias, or the fact that he's paid. But that's not an uncommon strategy by defense attorneys to sort of criticize or poke holes in the potential bias of a witness. And so, yes, it was important for the prosecution put them on and he gave quite compelling testimony even after being challenged on cross examination.

BLITZER: You know, Captain Johnson, throughout this trial, we keep hearing about what's called proportional use of force. Tell us why that's so critical to this case.

RON JOHNSON, FORMER CAPTAIN, MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL: I think because it coincide with the actions of Mr. Floyd and it's saying that your action of use-of-force need to coincide with the actions of the person you're trying to arrest. And in this case, it did. Mr. Floyd's actions less than Officer Chauvin's actions continued. So, that is really important. I think the lieutenant from Los Angeles show that today and really had a good day in testimony.

BLITZER: Sara, isn't clear yet how many more witnesses the prosecution plans to call?

SIDNER: It isn't just yet. And we know that there is a roster of potentially 400 witnesses. We have gone through 27, I think, now. And we are entering, obviously, the mid -- second week of this trial.

But there is a lot of folks who I've talked to around here, analysts that say there's no way that either side is going to call every single witness that they have put out there, that who are potential witnesses. But I do want to say this one thing about inside the court today, that we saw something a little bit different reported from the court the things that the public cannot see, which is the jury.

And the reporters inside are talking about what the jury is doing. And the jury throughout this up until today have been pretty much riveted. I was in there as well. They didn't take their eyes off the witness, unless they were taking notes.

Today we're noticing something just a little bit different. Yes, they're still paying attention, but there are times when they lose a little bit of their focus, maybe fidgeting a little bit more because this has now gone on into the second week and they're hearing some of the same information over and over.

But they certainly looked up when the issue of what George Floyd said in that video came up, whether he said I was doing drugs or whether he says I am not doing drugs, that seemed to spark their attention. And we should say that we listened to that over and over and over again when we got that video and it is very hard to hear. I certainly couldn't tell myself exactly what was being said by George Floyd at that point in time, Wolf.

BLITZER: That's an important point, Elliot, because there clearly is a lot of confusion about what George Floyd exactly said while he was on the ground. The defense arguing he said, I ate, I ate too many drugs. But then other suggesting, he said, I ain't do no drugs. I ain't do no drugs. So, tell us why this is very relevant.

WILLIAMS: Right. Well, anybody, and this is backing up exactly what Sara said, anybody who can listen to that video and come to a conclusion about what Mr. Floyd had said, get ought to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn just because no it is abundantly unclear. I listened to it as well, I rewound it, and you just can't hear it.

Now, what the defense is doing is creating a question of fact, and there is legitimately a question of fact as to what he said. Now, there's a -- this will play into what the cause of death might have been for George Floyd, were there drugs in his system or not? It's not going to make or break the case.

But it's still one of those doubts I was talking about a little bit earlier that the defense can plant in juror's heads and they just have to get sufficiently to -- through to one juror to make them convinced that the cause of death may not have been Derek Chauvin's knee.

[17:10:13]

Now, that defies common sense. You watch the video, I watched the video, America watch the video, a man ends up dead after several minutes of a neck -- a knee on his neck. So, it's hard to see how they overcome that. But it's still a question of fact. BLITZER: Because either way, Captain Johnson, whenever he said, didn't Chauvin have an obligation to get George Floyd medical care?

JOHNSON: He did. You know, we were talking about the cause of death and inattention plays a part in that. So, he had an obligation. He had the training. Now, we've had a number of witnesses that come up and talk about the training and what the officers are equipped to do.

And so, he definitely had that. That's a part of his duty. And so, I think it's hard to get around that.

BLITZER: Let me also get your thoughts, Captain Johnson, on the fact that at least so far, a current and former members of the Minneapolis Police Department have now testified against the former police officer, Derek Chauvin. How unusual is that?

JOHNSON: I think this is the first time in our country we've ever seen as in trials like is that department has come and stood on what is right. And I think down from the chief to the dispatcher. So, I think that is very important. I think that that will be -- it really impact with the jury that's in place.

BLITZER: An important day in this trial. We'll have more coming up later.

Guys, thank you very, very much.

Also coming up, President Biden is making a major push right now for his $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. He says he's up into compromises to try to bring Congress on board.

Plus, Congressman Matt Gaetz is getting a boost from former President Trump as he fends off a federal sex trafficking investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:42]

BLITZER: Embattled Congressman Matt Gaetz is now getting a boost from former President Trump who just released a statement insisting they never discussed a preemptive pardon. Gaetz is fending off a federal sex trafficking investigation and allegations he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. CNN Congressional Correspondent Ryan Nobles has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, embattled Congressman Matt Gaetz in search of support and getting a returned favor from the man he spent years defending and praising.

REP. MATT GAETZ, (R) FLORIDA: President Trump sometimes raises his voice and a ruckus. He knows that's what it takes to raise an army of patriots who love America and will protect her.

NOBLES: Former President Donald Trump weighing in publicly for the first time on the scandal surrounding one of his most loyal allies on Capitol Hill. Trump responding to reports confirmed by CNN that the Florida congressman approached allies to the president requesting a preemptive blanket pardon for himself before Trump left the White House.

Trump today denying Gaetz ever asked him personally for a pardon and then saying, "It must be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him."

GAETZ: It is a horrible allegation, and it is a lie.

NOBLES: In a short time in Washington, the Florida congressman has gone out of his way to attach himself to Trump, as demonstrated in the 2020 HBO documentary, "The Swamp."

GAETZ: Hey, Mr. President, it's Matt Gaetz. I don't need anything, sir. Just calling to tell you, you did a great job today. Don't let these people get you down. We're going to keep fighting for you with all we got.

NOBLES: Gaetz defending Trump, even when some Republicans were unwilling.

GAETZ: My fellow patriots, don't be shy and don't be sorry. Join me as we proudly represent the pro-Trump America first wing of the conservative movement.

Madam Speaker --

NOBLES: Gaetz went to the House floor after the deadly insurrection and claimed, without evidence, that it was groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa to blame for the violence, not Trump.

GAETZ: This morning, President Trump explicitly called for demonstrations and protests to be peaceful. He was far more -- you can moan and groan, but he was far more explicit about his calls for peace than some of the BLM and left wing rioters were this summer when we saw violence sweep across this nation.

NOBLES: During the former president's first impeachment inquiry, Gaetz and a group of House Republicans busted into a secure meeting in an attempt to reveal classified information about the investigation into Trump's conduct.

GAETZ: That behind those doors, they intend to overturn the results of an American presidential election. We want to know what's going on. And it's only reasonable that we would have questions.

NOBLES: He has also battled his fellow Republicans, those he deems not loyal enough to the Trump MAGA movement. Gaetz traveled to Wyoming to attack fellow GOP Representative Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump after the insurrection.

GAETZ: You can send a representative who actually represents you, and you can send Liz Cheney home, back home to Washington D.C.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NOBLES: And while former President Trump is offering Gaetz a modicum of support, it is far from enthusiastic. In fact, sources tell CNN that the former president is being advised to stay away from the Gaetz scandal.

Meanwhile, the congressman showing no signs of backing away He has sent out multiple fundraising appeals based on this scandal. And Wolf, he is expected to reappear in public for the first time on Friday speaking at a summit that will be held, of course, at Trump National Golf Course in Doral, Florida, Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Nobles with the latest from Capitol Hill. Thanks very much.

Let's get some analysis from our Senior Legal Analyst Preet Bharara and our Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash.

You know, Preet, you think this is -- this is something that an innocent person would typically do, typically behave like this?

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: No. And the typical innocent person, and typical guilty person for that matter, doesn't have a close relationship with the president at the time of you United States of America.

And it's an example of the culture that was created in the White House that if you want to pardon, if your Roger Stone, if you're Michael Flynn, if you're someone who's close to the President, that maybe you could get away with criminal activity on the federal level, at least, and get a jail free card for it, because you had a relationship with the president.

[17:20:20]

The fact that Matt Gaetz, according to "The New York Times" and other sources, was lobbying for this broad, preemptive, sweeping pardon without any particular charges being brought, without any reporting of an investigation even being done, though he might have had some knowledge of it, to me is what the lawyers call consciousness of guilt. You know, you've done something wrong, you want to get protection for it. Here's a president who's been handing out pardons right and left, maybe I should get one too.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Dana, because Trump in his statement, he specifically said, "Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon." Very specifically says never asked him, not that he never asked for a pardon from the White House, from other officials, carefully chosen words, I suspect.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: No question. That was very, very intentional. And, you know, just a reminder that for people who didn't read "The New York Times" story, which broke this and CNN subsequent reporting on this very issue, there was no reporting specifically that said the ask went directly to the President. It wasn't clear. So, thank you to the former president for clearing that up.

But leaving a very, very gaping hole in the notion of Gaetz actually asking people in and around the former president. It was definitely confirmation by omission from the way that I'm looking at it.

BLITZER: Yes, the way that statement was written. You know, Preet, "The New York Times" also reports that some Trump associates have theorized that Gaetz, his decision to seek pardons for multiple people may have been a way to disguise his own potential legal exposure. What do you make of that?

BHARARA: It's a weird strategy, it seems to me. And on one hand, if it turns out, excuse me, if it turns out that he was trying to get coverage or criminal conduct that he was liable for, because of this investigation, and the indictment of his associate, Joel Greenberg in Florida, yes, sure.

You bring in some other congressmen, you say, there's a group of us who have been sort of had witch hunts launched against them vaguely by the public, and might be by future Democratic administration. So, give us all a pardon.

And on the other hand, it also made it more remote, the likelihood that even that White House, even the Trump White House, which was pretty generous with pardons, was going to willy-nilly just sort of pick a group of sitting United States congressman and give them preemptive blanket pardons without specific. So, you know, I get it, I guess on one level -- on another level, I really, really don't get it.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Dana, because Trump may have released this very short two sentences little statement on paper. But his Republican colleagues in Congress are essentially silent right now. What does that say to you?

BASH: The sound of that silence is quite deafening. Because there is virtually with notable exceptions, Jim Jordan, who is also a staunch defender for no matter what goes will go to the nth degree to support President Trump. And Marjorie Taylor Greene, for the most part, there has been crickets, except for Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader who said that they were going to have a conversation.

We don't know if that conversation has ever taken place. And also said that if Matt Gaetz is indicted, if there are actual charges brought against him, then he would have to be removed from the Judiciary Committee on which he sits. The one thing I will remind you, Wolf, is that Congress has been on recess since this whole thing exploded.

And it is a very different dynamic, a very different atmosphere when these lawmakers, particularly Republicans and leadership are walking in the hallways, you know, in front of cameras trying to talk about their agenda and their message and they get questions from reporters. And so, my question is whether or not that is going to change the dynamic, also whether more reporting is going to come out that would add to that.

BLITZER: Where do you think, Preet, this goes from here? Because I suspect that one potential nightmare scenario for Gaetz is if his associate who has already been charged flips, cooperates, tries to get some sort of plea agreement, pleads guilty in hopes of getting a reduced sentence decides to speak out against this friend, Congressman Gaetz.

BHARARA: Yes, so there's a lot of speculation about that. And I think it's reasonable speculation. You have a person who has a number of charges that keep getting added to his indictment.

He's facing a very substantial prison term if he's convicted at trial or he pleads guilty. And in that situation as we've learned over the last number of years, the best way to help yourself is to provide substantial assistance about some other person who the federal government might think is a substantial target. And any sitting congressman that takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, and as a position of trust is such a target.

[17:25:20]

And there are questions about whether or not Matt Gaetz use public funds to engage in some of this, you know, sexual misconduct that's been alleged, but not proven. So, yes, I think it's a dire situation for Matt Gaetz. And I think we'll find out relatively soon if his associate has in fact flipped.

BLITZER: Yes. If that happens, that certainly is a nightmare, potential nightmare scenario for Congressman Gaetz.

Preet, thank you. Dana, thanks to you as well.

Up next. The CDC now says the more contagious COVID strain first identified in the U.K. is now dominant, dominant here in the United States. Will vaccines be able to keep up with the growing threat? We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:23]

BLITZER: Earlier this afternoon, President Biden argued very strongly for his multibillion dollar jobs and infrastructure plan, trying to overcome resistance from Republicans, as well as from some Democrats. Let's go to our chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, the President says he's now open to compromise. Tell us about that.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, he did. And this was in a speech that seemed to be squarely aimed at Republicans. And while he said he is open to compromise, and said he does believe that when it comes to this proposal, change is probably inevitable. He said he is not willing to do nothing when it comes to infrastructure. But of course, Wolf, the problem is they're fighting over what the definition of infrastructure is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not a plan that tinkers around the edges.

COLLINS (voice-over): Tonight, President Biden is justifying his plan to revamp the nation's infrastructure as Republicans say he's attempting to redefine what it means.

BIDEN: We invest today so these jobs will be here in America tomorrow.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden arguing infrastructure isn't just roads and bridges, but water pipes, electric grids, and broadband too.

BIDEN: But to automatically say that the only thing as infrastructure as a highway, a bridge, or whatever, that's just not rational.

COLLINS (voice-over): Republican lawmakers say the President is stretching the definition by including hundreds of billions for homecare services and electric vehicle charging stations, and a package they say should be more narrowly focused.

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): When people think about infrastructure, they're thinking about roads, bridges, ports, and airports.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden arguing it's time to expand that definition or risk losing out to other countries.

BIDEN: Do we think the rest of the world is waiting around? Take a look. Do you think China is waiting around invest in this digital infrastructure? I promise you, they are not waiting.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden's plan is facing an uphill battle in Congress, but not just from the other party. Moderate Democrats like Senator Joe Manchin have come out against his proposal to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent. Though Biden said today he's open to negotiating.

BIDEN: I tried to punish anybody. But dammit, maybe it's because I come from a middle class neighborhood. I'm sick and tired, ordinary people being fleeced.

COLLINS (voice-over): At least two corporations, Amazon and the ride sharing company Lyft have both publicly supported the move.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Does Lyft and do you support a 28 percent corporate tax rate to pay for it?

JOHN ZIMMER, LYFT COFOUNDER & PRESIDENT: I do. I think it's important to make investments again in the country and the economy.

COLLINS (voice-over): With coronavirus infections rising in the U.S., passing his infrastructure bill is far from being Biden's biggest challenge.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: The B117 variant is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States.

COLLINS (voice-over): CDC Director Walensky confirming today, the U.K. variant is now the most common strain of coronavirus in the U.S., not just among the different variants. Studies have shown it is more contagious, more dangerous, and maybe even deadlier.

WALENSKY: It is the most common lineage, period.

COLLINS (voice-over): With three vaccines authorized, Dr. Anthony Fauci said today studies have shown they likely provide protection for a minimum of six months and likely even longer.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT: Antibodies delivered by vaccination persist at least through six months and likely from the shape of the curve well beyond that.

COLLINS (voice-over): A fourth potential vaccine from AstraZeneca hasn't been authorized in the U.S. yet but is facing further setbacks in European countries over concerns about links to where blood clots. Dr. Fauci telling CNN, we have three excellent vaccines. Even if the FDA deems that this vaccine is a very good vaccine, we don't need yet again another very good vaccine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And Wolf, tomorrow here at the White House, we are going to see President Biden signing some executive actions on guns. Of course, that is something he said was going to be imminent. A few weeks ago, we don't know exactly what those are going to look like though they will likely pertain to those so called ghost guns, strengthening background checks, things that he has said is important to him and it's called on Congress to do.

But we do know one thing he's expected to do, Wolf, is nominate someone to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That's going to be David Chipman. He's a former ATF agent himself. But lately he has been working as a senior policy advisor at Giffords, that's that gun control advocacy foundation that was founded by the former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who of course was shot about a decade ago.

And he is expected to nominate him tomorrow when he is making these announcements next to the Attorney General, Wolf.

[17:35:08]

BLITZER: Kaitlan Collins reporting for us from the White House. Kaitlan, thanks very much especially on this very important day. I think I speak for all of our viewers here in the United States and around the world when I wish you, happy birthday, happy birthday Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Let's take a little bit more close -- a closer look right now, at all the days coronavirus headlines, I'm joined by our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, the fact that the coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom is now officially the most common variant here in the United States. What does that mean for containment of the virus and the vaccine rollout?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, first of all, I think this has probably been the case where it's been the dominant strain for some time. There is a -- there's a real lag between the time that, you know, they're doing some of this genetic sequencing, and being able to say what they said today, which is, it's now the most dominant. We know in certain states, and we can show you which ones, this this variant B117, or the UK variant has, you know, really 60, 75 percent.

And we've seen, obviously, the numbers, Wolf, go up in Michigan, of people who are newly infected. So that's the big concern. I think things that you maybe could have gotten away with before, you just have to be more vigilant in terms of masking and distancing, and things like that. But the good news, Wolf, is that the protection that people have either from having been previously infected, and certainly from having been vaccinated, seems to be protective against this variant as well.

So even if you become infected, you should be well protected against becoming severely ill, hospital -- needing hospitalization, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, that's really good news. That's really important. Dr. Anthony Fauci, as you well know, Sanjay, says we have three effective vaccines here in the United States right now that likely will offer protection for at least six months, probably a lot longer than that. When do you think we'll know exactly how long they're effective for it?

GUPTA: Some of this, Wolf, just kind of comes with the passage of time. I mean, I think you can make predictions, you know, based on how many -- what the antibody levels are like at six months, sometimes you'll look historically and say, people who got infected with SARS, for example, back in 2003, how long did those sorts of antibodies last after being infected? We don't know. I mean, there's a good chance that they could last much longer.

I think what they're saying by the six months is we now know it lasts at least six months. And I think is as time goes on, we may hear that again, at nine months, in a year. So hopefully it'll last a long time. That's the whole point. And the benefit of the vaccine versus infection is the vaccine should be a longer and more durable protection.

BLITZER: Yes, we get a flu shot once a year. Maybe we'll have to get, you know, a COVID shot once a year that wouldn't be so horrible. Dr. Gupta, thanks very much for joining us.

GUPTA: You got it.

BLITZER: Just ahead, more financial fallout for Georgia amid a growing corporate pressure campaign against the state's restrictive new voting law. I'll discuss that and more with the Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, there she is. We'll discuss when we come back.

And later, 10 congressional Democrats have just joined a growing a lawsuit against the former President Donald Trump. We have new information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:23]

BLITZER: We're tracking some new fallout from Georgia's restrictive new voting law including a growing corporate pressure campaign against the state. Let's discuss with the Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Mayor Bottoms, thank you so much for joining us. I know you just issued an executive order to try to mitigate the impact of Georgia's new voting restrictions. You obviously can't change the state election law. So what exactly does this do?

MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Well, thank you for having me, Wolf. The new executive order that I issued will inform our 1.2 million voter (ph) customers in the city of Atlanta on ways that they can access voting.

We'll also train, for example, our customer service operators so that if people call, needing information on how they can get an absentee ballot of where they can drop off an absentee ballot, how do they secure the identification that's needed for voting? We will offer all of that to people in the city of Atlanta, and hopefully it will help offset some of the many issues that are included in this voting bill.

BLITZER: You know, that's really important to do that kind of education. As you know, the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is now trying to walk back some of his comments that corporations like Major League Baseball for that matter, were stupid in his words, to wade into voting rights. But he says CEOs, quote, ought to read the damn bill. That's a direct quote. How do you respond to that?

BOTTOMS: Well, I have read the bill, all 98 pages of the bill. And I know exactly what's in that bill. So what that bill does, it strips the Secretary of State of a place on the state Election Board. It also gives the Republican controlled legislature an opportunity to take over county voting -- county election offices.

So if you think of Fulton County and DeKalb County, where the city of Atlanta is located, that's primarily a Democrat, primarily Democrat areas, this would now be controlled essentially by the Republican controlled legislature. So there are many challenges with those bills. I don't know if Mitch McConnell has read it. I've read all 98 pages. And I've seen the multitude of issues inherent in this bill.

BLITZER: The sad thing is that Georgia is going to take, is already taking a huge economic hit with the all-star game being moved from Atlanta to Denver. Potentially we're told that could be a $100 million loss for the city of Atlanta for Georgia right now.

But you say this won't be the last boycott of your state. Is taking a stand against these voting restrictions, and a lot of people are wondering, is that worth the economic price especially to all those folks who are going to be losing a lot of money in your city? [17:45:12]

BOTTOMS: So the irony of it, Wolf, is that the Governor opened up our state early in the middle of a pandemic, under the guise of economic recovery. And with one signature, he's wiped it out. So if you think of the big events that we host in Atlanta, we're up to host the World Cup. You have the all-star game that's already moved, Major League Baseball. We just hosted the NBA All Star game. We've hosted a Super Bowl College National Championship.

Those are just sporting events, and many more that I've not named. And you think of the corporations that potentially will be boycott, that people are calling for a boycott of in our state, this could be devastating to our state's economy. Metro Atlanta is a 10th largest economy in the nation. And my concern is that as people boycott this state, it will be the metropolitan area that will be hardest hit, an area that voted for Joe Biden and voted for Kamala Harris and Ossoff and Warnock.

And it's unfortunate that we've been placed in this position as a state. It's silly. It's unnecessary. And economically it's going to be devastating to millions of people across our state.

BLITZER: Atlanta is a city I love, as you well know, it was the home, it was where CNN was born back in 1980. It's a great city you have. Good luck, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Thanks so much for joining us.

BOTTOMS: Thank you.

BLITZER: Coming up, we're going to have an update on a lawsuit against former President Trump accusing him of inciting the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. Ten more Democratic lawmakers, by the way, have just joined in.

And later, I'll speak with Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the George Floyd family about all the late breaking developments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. We'll be right back.

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[17:51:22]

BLITZER: Ten Democratic members of Congress have just joined in on a new lawsuit against former President Trump and Rudy Giuliani, accusing them of inciting the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. And the former president is also now taking a lot of heat from all directions, including from the former Republican House Speaker John Boehner. CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former House Speaker John Boehner is getting candid and unleashing on the former president from his own party in his new memoir, writing that Trump incited that bloody insurrection for nothing more than selfish reasons, perpetuated by the BS he'd been shoveling since he lost a fair election the previous November.

The excerpts were obtained by "The New York Times" and Boehner blast Trump's repeated insistence that the election was rigged writing, he claimed voter fraud without any evidence, and repeated those claims, taking advantage of the trust placed in him by his supporters and ultimately betraying that trust.

Trump shot back in his signature style calling Boehner, a swamp creature through his spokesperson and statement to CNN. Boehner's biting remarks were echoed by retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore at an event Tuesday night. Honore led to security review at the Capitol after January 6th. And now says the Capitol attack was the result of a disinformation campaign led by then President Trump.

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE (RET.), LED REVIEW OF U.S. CAPITOL SECURITY: And people who wanting to believe that message that the election was stolen, they rode with it, and they continue to ride with it. I think we've been had by law propaganda, and a superb use of information operation which is an offensive weapon to shape people minds. And again, just tell him that a little BS about what they want to hear sliver of truth and have them back on it.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Meanwhile, 10 members of Congress who were in the house gallery when the Capitol was breached have joined a lawsuit against Trump and Rudy Giuliani and the far right extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, accusing them of conspiring to incite the insurrection. It was first filed in February by top Democrat Betty Thompson.

But now 10 more Democrats are sharing their stories of how they fled the House floor and huddled in their offices for hours. Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen described clutching a baseball bat in his pitch black office preparing for the worst. As I sat in my office on January 6th with rioters roaming the hallways, I feared for my life and thought I was going to die.

The civil lawsuit is seeking unspecified money damages from Trump and the other defendants. Trump's spokesperson previously said Trump played no part inciting the riot at the Capitol.

More than 300 people have been charged for their role in the Capitol attack and they're still appearing in court almost daily. But prosecutors have told a judge they are close to a plea deal with at least one defendant, Jon Schaffer.

JON SCHAFFER, HEAVY METAL MUSICIAN: My name is Jon Schaffer. I'm from Indiana.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): A 53-year-old heavy metal guitarist with ties to extremist groups. Schaffer allegedly charged at police and is still now sitting in jail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: And tonight, we're learning that a separate defendant has flipped against the Proud Boys agreeing to provide information that could allow prosecutors to bring more severe charges against the extremist group's leadership. And of course, this is a significant development since several members have already been charged with conspiracy. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, that's important. There's also, Jessica, some new video of Noah Green, the man who killed one Capitol police officer last week, injured another police officer, actually shopping for a knife before the attack, what are you learning?

[17:55:01]

SCHNEIDER: Yes. We've learned, Wolf, that Noah Green actually purchased that knife 90 minutes before he attacked the officers at the Capitol and he bought it at this store less than two miles from the Capitol itself. We have this surveillance video that shows him inside district cutlery.

And the owner tells us that he spent 22 minutes inside the store looking through glass display cases, and he ultimately bought a $300 slicing knife. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Jessica, thank you very much, very disturbing indeed.

Coming up, we're going to have all the latest updates on the late breaking developments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. We'll be right back.

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[18:00:07]

BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world.