reporters are required to get tested to get on the white house grounds now on a daily basis. also they have installed plexiglass barriers on desks in the west wing. i saw secret service officers with them on there as well so you're already seeing some changes under way even before the new president has arranged here on the grounds, which we are expecting him to do in just a short matter of time, wolf. >> and it's so important that this new administration is setting a positive, important example for the american people. they're wearing masks everywhere. we see former presidents, the current president, the current vice president, they're all wearing masks and that is so, so important given this pandemic that's still very, very awful right now. phil mattingly is over at the white house as well looking -- he's overlooking the white house, i should say, right now. phil, what are you seeing? what are you hearing? >> reporter: i think kaitl input something forward that is important. that's what they want to lay out about the administration.

how they want to present themselves and that's going to carry over into what they do in a couple of hours with their executive actions, their focus on trying to address the joint crises they have both on the public health and on the economic side. kaitlin makes another excellent point about the familiarity with the white house, which extends for the biden administration up to capitol hill as well. obviously we saw the president, who had very friendly exchanges with congressional leaders, went to mass with congressional leaders this morning. it's what's happening behind the scenes as well that underscores how this administration is approaching things moving forward. at 5:15 you will see the president sign 15 executive actions related to a series of items, whether it's rolling back very specific things president trump's administration put into place, whether it's addressing covid, addressing the economic issues. when you talk to administration officials, they acknowledge that the big picture things they want to accomplish, the real way to address all of these crises they're dealing with, that's going to take congress and take legislation. that's why what's been happening behind the scenes over the

course of the last couple of weeks is so important according to sources i've been talking to. the biden team has been working behind the scenes with house lawmakers, with senate lawmakers, particularly on their $1.9 trillion stimulus package. briefing house democrats in full. also having their legislative affairs team reach out to several senators, including several republican senators they think they may get onboard with that proposal. there's no sense right now that senate soon-to-be minority leader mitch mcconnell will be signing on to a $1.9 trillion proposal any time soon. one, biden and mcconnell have a relationship. we all know that going back to when president obama was in office. that relationship is real and i'm told they have had several phone calls over the last several weeks. also keep an eye on the staff on the biden team. you have somebody on the house side who's very well respected on both the republican and democratic side.

on the senate side, reama doden who comes from richard durbin's office who is very respected on both the republican and democrat side. so the administration setting the tone early that they want to be involved with capitol hill and they know they need that involvement to secure these big legislative victories that they hope they can get in these first coming weeks and months, wolf. >> these are really, really important critical days. the parade route will be celebrating -- they're calling it parade across america. so much of it is a virtual parade. tell us what's going on, kate. >> reporter: well, there's some activity in recent minutes, wolf, here. we've got authorities, law enforcement lining up. there's some texas sheriffs wearing their cowboy hats here and another group of law enforcement from illinois. dump trucks that were blocking pennsylvania avenue for safety have been moved out, so there is now a path for the president and

the parade so to speak to come through and turn and make its way into the white house. so everything is getting set. wolf, while they have been at arlington cemetery, the movers have been moving in the new first family. this is a ritual that takes place every time a new first family moves in. things are being unpacked, clothes going into closets, favorite shampoos into the shower, right down to the kitchen being stocked with their favorite foods. so that's all happening so when the bidens are ready to go into the white house and officially make it their residence from here on out for the next four years at least, everything will be there, and that's what's happening now. it's a very delicate, very well choreographed move out, move in situation that these people are experts at. as you've said, this is going to be the street right here. everyone will be pulling up here as much of a parade as we can have in this very strange and different inauguration day is

what we plan to see here in just a few minutes, wolf. >> we'll see this virtual parade, a parade across america. bands, performers through all 50 states, six territories, we'll watch all of that as well. jim sciutto is watching it all very, very closely. jim, tell us i guess the president once he comes from arlington national cemetery, he's going to be going in where you are, right? >> that's exactly right. he'll approach from here down pennsylvania avenue. what you're seeing behind me is the military honor guard that arrived here about a half hour ago representing all five branches of the military. you see them lined up, about six feet apart, army, navy, air force, marines, coast guard. ceremonial to cooperate with the operational people we're seeing. but the ceremony means something. there is a new commander in chief. all these branches of the military now commanded by that commander in chief. one other word, wolf, as we begin to see this parade come

through here is history. it is all about history and it matters. leading the group is going to be members of the first platoon of the third u.s. infantry. it's called the old guard. why is it called the old guard? it's the oldest continuing operating unit in this country. it goes back to 1784. it's about continuity through presidents of parties, through trials and tribulations and wars and division like we're seeing now. that has remained a constant. you're also going to be seeing the u.s. army band. it's known as pershing's own. that has led inaugural parades in this country going back to 1925. each of those units, they might all look kind of the same, uniforms, et cetera, but each one is there for a reason because they represent something. one final note as you see them because i know there are a lot of proud mothers and fathers of members of these units. to get into these bands and these honor guards, highly

competitive. they're chosen from hundreds of applicants. when you get in, it's something special. it's a big day for all of those who are going to be taking part in this parade. >> and it's always so, so memorable and so exciting. i'm looking forward to it, as i know you are and all of our viewers are as well. brianna keilar is also near the white house. where exactly are you and what are you seeing? >> reporter: i am here on the edge of lafayette park. this way off camera is the white house and what you see behind me is the treasury building. so we're going to see this procession coming behind us. i'm really just down the street a little bit from jim sciutto. what strikes me, though, is how different a scene this is from four years ago. even though you see this ceremonial honor gauuard, normay on part of the area where they are standing there would be risers, there would be additional viewing area for the first family and for a number of guests. what is so different about this is that there is no crowd.

and we knew that, but it also just has a little bit of a different feel as well. there were levels of security, multiple levels of security to get through, wolf. and downtown washington, d.c., has been so much of a ghost town aside from folks who are obviously working the inauguration, covering the inauguration or the military that is here and law enforcement that is here as well. but it is going to be, i think, a very spectacular scene with the military involvement but it's also going to be very different in this age of coronavirus. >> it certainly will be, and for good reason indeed. you know, john, these parades on inauguration day, you've seen them many times, i have as well, and people are lined up on the sidewalks in big, big numbers. because of covid right now and some security concerns, that's not happening. >> it's not happening, so it is yet another piece of our new normal. 2020 carrying over into 2021. we're having to do so many things virtually that we once did in person.

and yet, joe biden won a campaign that was very different. he was mocked for respecting social distancing, for asking people to stay safe. so this is yet something else that has to be done differently, but it's a sign of the respect for the virus, respect for tradition to do what you can. i think phil was hitting on this a few moments ago. what a day for joe biden. he's about to roll past the treasury department into 1600 pennsylvania avenue. four years ago donald trump was the ultimate outsider, disrupter. winning the presidency in his first run for president. joe biden is coming back now as its resident, the president. >> we are waiting joe biden to arrive at the white house for the military procession marking his entrance to his new home, 1600 pennsylvania avenue, for the first time as the u.s. commander in chief. that's coming up along with the

parade across america featuring entertainers, athletes and american heroes all around the country. our extensive live coverage right here on cnn continues.

we are awaiting the start of the inaugural parade. president biden is leaving arlington national cemetery soon. he will make his way here, right near the white house, for a military procession. there will also be a made-for-tv parade, a virtual parade, as our

inauguration coverage continues. dana, when president biden walks into the white house, he's going to have work to do, literally and figuratively. he's got a lot on his plate. the country is in a bad spot, especially with the coronavirus pandemic and the economic and educational havoc wreaked. but also he has tasks that he's going to take care of today. >> he absolutely will, right here, right behind us. he is going to be there very shortly. he already has a long list of things he's going to do, including campaign promises. number one on his list has to do with fighting the pandemic and making a move that president trump refused to do in any way, shape or form and that is tell people aggressively to wear masks. he's going to take it a step further and sign an executive order that directs agencies to require mask wearing for federal workers in federal buildings and on federal lands, which is basically the limits of the

scope of what he can do, but it's also sending a signal to try to use the bully pulpit, to try to use whatever he can to say it, to do it, and to set an example, which he has been doing for some time. yes, the vaccines are on their way. but as he said, the winter is going to get darker before we see the light. >> and as our white house colleagues know, and sanjay gupta has talked about not that long ago at the white house, at the executive office building, it was commonplace to see staffers walking around with no masks in the midst of this pandemic, and so that's going to change pretty much immediately. the whole interior of the white house is going to get kind of a makeover in addition to a deep cleaning -- >> it's a hot zone over there. literally a hot zone. >> but it's symbolic, but there's a lot of practicality that they have to deal with. this vaccine rollout, i cannot

emphasize enough, has been a disaster. the biden transition, now biden administration has been very transparent about the fact that they believed that things were not done that could have been done to make this go a little bit faster. and if they can get the vaccine rollout in a better place, we could be potentially -- we could potentially have a much better handle on this pandemic, which is the number one priority for this administration. that is task number one. i think you can imagine that as people are getting to work at the white house right now picking up their badges, they're heading straight for that task and getting to work on that. >> the biden -- president biden's presidential motorcade is making its way from arlington national cemetery to the white house. there is the inaugural parade, actual physical inaugural parade ready to go as soon as biden gets here to the receiving stand, which is right behind us. then there will also be a virtual parade which will go on

nat nationally. i'm not going to spoil it for you, but it does look to be fun and interesting. abby, you talk about all the things the biden people want to do with the rollout of the vaccine that will change hopefully and be more efficient -- there's the presidential motorcade proceeding. and one of the things that's still so shocking about the last few months on a list of very, very shocking and horrific activities is the fact that donald trump, the former president, would not allow the transition to begin after joe biden was declared president on november 7th. and that hindered the ability of the biden team to get up to speed with where the vaccine rollout and everything having to do with the pandemic goes. and that -- whatever you think of president trump's feelings and all the lies having to do with the election, regardless of all of that, that put the health and lives of the american people at risk.

it undermined the ability of the biden team to do the job. >> oh, absolutely. and one of the things the biden team talked about was the trump administration withholding -- partially withholding information, only partially cooperating with them on key issues, not just on the vaccine and on covid-19, but on national security issues, on homeland security issues. and so those complaints were pervasive across the government. but it's not surprising because i remember four years ago, the incoming administration then, these were people who really didn't know how the government worked, didn't prepare for that part of the job. the biden administration is doing something completely different. >> as the biden presidential motorcade makes its way to the white house, we'll squeeze in one last break. on the other side, we will bring you the 59th presidential inaugural committee parade. stay with us.

president biden's motorcade is on the move from arlington national cemetery on the way to the white house, where standing by for him to arrive here right behind us at the viewing stand near the white house for a rousing celebration where the president and his team, his family, the vice president and her team, her family, will watch military bands. they will escort them all into joe biden's new home, president biden's new home, we'll show you that and the unique parade

across america. this virtual parade, it's interesting in this age of covid, the democratic and republican conventions had to reinvent what a convention is. now the people who organized this are trying to reinvent what an inaugural is. and this parade across america is going to feature bands, performers through all 50 states and six territories. it's going to start with a welcome from actor tony goldwyn whom viewers from "scandal" might known as fitz. >> president fitz. >> that's going to be a really fun part of this. actually at the dnc when they did this roll call of all 50 states, all across the country you got to see from hawaii to guam, it was one of the, i think, most lauded parts of the dnc and in some ways this perhaps could be a new version of that. i guess in the covid era, some

things have had to have been reinvented for the digital age and maybe even made better, so we'll see if they were able to improve on the traditional parade. the in-person part of this, though, that we're about to see, the escort of the president and the vice president to the white house is a tradition that dates all the way back to george washington. that's amazing when you really think about it. so it is nice to have a little bit of both, to have a little bit of what we are used to here in washington. usually we would be down there as high school marching bands are marching in front of pennsylvania avenue and the white house. now we're going to get some of the marching, but more of that coming from the virtual parade. >> and with covid they have had to get creative, like we all have over the last almost year. and so while we are seeing these images of the motorcade coming and there will be some of the parade, most of it is going to be done virtually and with the

creativity comes some really interesting stuff, as we saw over the summer with the democratic national convention. you mentioned tony goldwyn. jon stewart is also going to be speaking. >> a felly new jerseyian of yours. >> go jersey. but what they are trying to incorporate here is some good old-fashioned fun, some music and musical performances which we won't ruin but you should stay tuned for. but again nods in a fun way to some of the great stories of people who have made other people happy during this very hard year. for example, the tiktok doc. the doctor from oregon who has gone viral by trying to connect with young people who are underrepresented and elsewhere on tiktok, as he is trying to

save patients and work on the front lines of this health care crisis. so we'll have some of that kind of event during this virtual parade. >> we are used to there being lots of security in washington during an inauguration. but we are not used to there being this much, and we are not used to the streets being empty. >> and the silence. it's notable. >> it is eerie. it is a reminder that the u.s. right now, downtown washington, d.c., is under two threats. one of them is the threat of covid, and you see the secret service agents there wearing masks. and the other is, of course, the threat of the terrorism and domestic terrorist attacks that we all experienced two weeks ago. kate bennett is one of our white

house correspondents and she is covering the parade for us. kate, tell us what you know. >> reporter: well, jake, from here it now sounds like a very real parade with all the gravity and pomp and circumstance. it might be sort of inauguration light, but we're definitely seeing -- we're seeing the military band come up right now up 15th street. behind that in the distance, the president's motorcade has made it onto 15th street. so they are working their way slowly up. they're making the turn here to go in front of the white house. but certainly as you can see, there's plenty of excitement. certainly there may not be the packed crowds along the parade route, but we are seeing the parade. again, toward the end of 15th street, the president, the first

lady, the first family, the vice president, the second gentleman will be coming up this way making the traditional inaugural parade move into the white house onto pennsylvania avenue. i'm sure my colleague, brianna keilar, is probably going to see them next. she's just a little bit down the road from me. but certainly, jake, this is feeling very much like the traditional inaugural parade that we see as there's a transfer of power. and it's quite skb. something. >> it's an impressive array. the parade is impressive. but of course it is odd to not have millions of americans cheering from the sidewalks. >> from their couches. >> i guess that's the positive way to look at it. brianna keilar is also there. >> reporter: we also saw the

motorcycles go by and color guard go by. yes, we are used to seeing contingents of police and military as part of this parade, but in the last few weeks and here over the course of the last year, we have seen them in action. i mean we saw them a couple of weeks ago in the siege of the capitol. we saw the metro police involved in that. we've also seen the military involved in certainly political moments that even political leaders did not like this year. so we're seeing them here in a very ceremonial regard here. one of the military bands coming through. and this is it, jake. these are the sights and these are the sounds of the inauguration as we await the president, president biden, and vice president kamala harris. and we're also, i think, after we see the military bands coming through, we'll hear from the university of delaware drumline and from howard university's

drumline paying some homage of course to both of these leaders, who will be coming through as part of this procession. jake. >> all right. well, let's listen in to the parade. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> the uniforms were patterned after those worn by the field -- ♪

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♪ i'm standing here, you can see we're right across the street from the white house, this is lafayette square which you might remember from the unfortunate events over the summer. behind that is the reviewing stand where dignitaries are watching the parade. and then of course behind that is the white house itself. we're seeing some of the inaugural parade go by right now. you can hear the fife and drum

brigade. jim sciutto is also out there. jim, tell us what you're seeing. >> reporter: the motorcade is just about to turn the corner. the fife and drum unit just passed us here. i mean they're wearing the uniforms worn by musicians in george washington's army. it's all about history here today, with each -- each of the members of this procession. ahead, though, we should note, and you're going to see that coming into your screen now, of the president's motorcade -- well, there's the motorcade there, but just ahead of them is the university of delaware marching band as well. but this is the president's motorcade taking the turn off 15th street to pennsylvania avenue for his arrival at the white house. >> the university of delaware marching band obviously an homage to the president from delaware. kate bennett is also out there. kate, i believe president biden is right near you? >> reporter: he is. he just turned the corner right

in front of us. the beast stopped right in front of us. the 46 on the license plate on the back of the vehicle. we could see the president and the first lady in the car. we could see their profiles. they stopped for a minute before they turned. the other vehicles here will contain the family, contain the vice president and the second gentleman. right now president biden's car, as you can see the beast is surrounded by secret service agents. there's some discussion earlier as to whether he would get out of the vehicle and do a traditional walk outside of the vehicle. obviously with security concerns and covid precautions, sources were telling me this was a back-and-forth decision all day. we're still not sure whether or not he will get out. guys. >> yeah, i remember it was a big decision when president obama back in 2009 got out and walked

for a length of the procession because of security concerns. there were a lot of secret service agents and officials cautioning him not to do that, but he wanted to do that. there were obviously threats assessed at that time and there are threats being assessed today. we are still standing here, though, and you can see the actual physical parade as opposed to the virtual parade that we're going to bring you has passed by here. brianna keilar is out there. what are you seeing where you are? >> reporter: hi there, jake. we are just seeing the president's motorcade about to approach. they appear to be in a bit of a holding pattern but what i can tell you off camera is the university of delaware drumline is keeping time. so we're waiting to see if there's some sort of kind of grand entrance because this is really it. this could be the big moment that obviously we are going to see in this inauguration that is very much unlike any other inaugural parade that we have

seen. so at this point in time, as the band is keeping time, we're seeing the president's motorcade pausing here right in front of the treasury building, which is this building adjacent to the white house. and so we have this contingent of police officers and motorcycles. i thought i heard a little something. i thought i heard they were revving up and coming ready to go, but they appear to be paused. we can see the press pool on a truck trying to get a shot of the president and the vice president in their motorcade. and we're just waiting really to see what happens next, jake. >> all right, let's go to jim sciutto who's also out there. jim, obviously it's unusual, parade with very few spectators in person, although tens of millions of people watching around the world. >> reporter: no question. i mean a shame to some degree. the military can certainly put on a good show and they're doing one here with purpose, right? so much symbolism here that's

important about a peaceful transfer of power, a new commander in chief. that symbolism important, and i think we should remember the many concentric circles of security that surround this very spot where you see the president's motorcade and the white house for real operational function from the u.s. military to make this moment not only historic and traditional but safe. you're hearing me now, what you're hearing in the background there, that's the university of delaware marching band making its way now in front of the white house leading the president. >> i believe both the university of delaware and howard university are participating in this parade as nods to both the president and the vice president. kate bennett, tell us what you're seeing out there. >> reporter: the motorcade is still paused. it's still been stopped here. it's slowly rolling forward now. we heard those drums pick up. the motorcade is now moving.

the president's car with the new 46 license plates on the back is rolling forward very slowly at about a walking pace, making its way towards the east side of the white house eventually. let's see what brianna is seeing now, you're closer. bri? >> reporter: yeah, so right now we're seeing the police, everything is starting to move a little bit here. as you can see, the beast is starting to creep forward and the motorcycle police, this contingent of motorcycle police that is preceding it is moving forward. right now there is, as i suspected, a kind of grand entrance using the university of delaware drumline which you can hear off in the distance. really hard not to tap your foot to that. so this is, it appears, what is preceding president biden. we are just awaiting right now as we see the beast on the move. we are waiting to see if we are

perhaps going to get a glimpse of the president. we're starting to see some movement when it comes to the police cars in front of the president's motorcade and obviously you can see the secret service there standing at the ready. i will also tell you on either side in the shot you're seeing is from -- or you can see shots off of -- camera shots coming off of two trucks that are tracking. this is the press pool that is tracking president biden. >> yeah, it is a shame. i remember four years ago when president trump and first lady melania trump and their son, barron, got out and walked for a stretch. but because of covid and because of security concerns, obviously as of at least right now the decision has been made to not have president biden walk but perhaps that will change. there doesn't seem to be anybody on the street other than law

enforcement or secret service agents. but it is obviously a huge departure from previous inaugurations that probably everybody watching can recall where the president would get out and wave to the crowd. there is no crowd because of security concerns. the president being cautioned not to leave the beast, which is what they call the presidential limousine, which you see right there. not really a limousine, presidential vehicle. here we go. there we go. president biden walking out, getting out of the beast at the end of the inaugural parade. i'm sure first lady biden, jill biden will be walking out on the other side as well. there she is. and they are in a part of the city right near the white house, right near the treasury building.

this entire area has been cordoned off from spectators, from anybody really except for law enforcement and people who are working within the so-called green zone. here we will watch president and first lady biden walk into the white house with their family. this will be their new home, of course. when he was vice president, he lived at the naval observatory a couple of miles away on massachusetts avenue. let's listen in. >> congratulations. >> woo-hoo.

>> good job. >> thank you . >> mr. president, mr. president, we have a question for you. come over. >> the president and first lady biden and their family. brianna keilar is there. brianna. >> reporter: we are watching president biden right now come past our camera location with his -- hold on one second, jake. can you unite the country, mr. president? all right.

so just -- the president, jake, coming over to give one member of the press a fist bump saying keep doing what you're doing. we have some questions for him, obviously he is not answering them. certainly he must think there's plenty of time to do that, this being, of course, the one moment of really getting out and being seen and playing not to an audience in person, jake, but to the cameras that are here. and he is flanked, of course, by service members from the five branches. and this is a very different scene. i'm struck by being here, you know, four years ago and looking across the street and seeing -- you get to witness the first family as they partake in this procession, as we watch it after it comes through after them. this is obviously a very different scene, but also a very important moment where the president and the vice president are seen, where they are seen on

this parade route before the country in this important moment, a signifier of this transition of power. >> jim sciutto, tell us what you're seeing along the parade route. >> reporter: jake, you can see him there coming over. he just ran over to the side here. mr. president, can you unite the country? it's quite a moment, jake. this is something we did not know we would see today, given the security concerns. >> thank you. >> we saw mayor bowser as well. >> he just ran over -- yeah, he just ran over to washington, d.c., mayor, muriel bowser and said hello to her. >> i think it's worth emphasizing, jake, we did not know for certain we would see the president and the vice president, their extended family

have this moment outside, given the security concerns, and they have done it. granted in the last couple hundred yards of their walk to the white house, but an important one. you can see him, i think, reveling in this moment. taking chances to come to the side here to see the limited crowd that is allowed to be here. frankly a lot of them government officials and journalists, but taking that moment here to interact as he walks these final steps to the white house. >> love you. >> yeah, it's a pretty secure area this last block or two in front of the treasury building and the white house. let me just see if the camera is on me, i'll try to explain where they are. obviously there's a truck with cameras on it, that's why we're able to see such close shots of the new first family. and then you can see they're walking right over there. you can see the first family over there. and i believe they're going to take a turn and walk onto the white house grounds. there they go.

>> mr. president! how are you? >> kaitlin, i don't know if you're ready, but the president is coming to you. >> reporter: i was born ready. he is now entering the white house grounds, jake. this is the first time that joe biden has actually made it over here since he won the presidency, given that president trump broke tradition and did not invite him here like typically you would. now here he is walking down the north lawn of the white house for the first time since he won the presidency with his family. of course here's the beast coming right behind me, jake. i'm going to step back so you can see it. we don't often see the beast coming down this part of the driveway. there of course is the president and the new first lady walking down into the white house for the first time since being sworn in. but also the first time in four years. this is their first time back on these grounds. of course there is a band, there are flags, there are press all around him.

it looks like he's taking a moment to wave to those on the parade route one final time. and then, jake, he is going into the residence of the white house and he is going to be in the west wing. reporters will go back. he has a lot of executive orders he wants to sign. the first thing that we are told is on his agenda is dismantling a lot that donald trump has done over the last four years. >> that's right. rejoining the paris climate accords, getting rid of the ban on travel from those predominantly muslim countries, though not exclusively, and here it is. the president and first lady biden walking onto the white house grounds. as you noted, kaitlin, normally this would not be his first time on the white house grounds in the last month, but because president trump decided whatever, to put his feelings above that of what the country needs, he did not invite the bidens. neither did first lady melania

trump. at the end of the day it doesn't matter. they're still moving in. >> jake, one thing we should note that is waiting for him is that letter we are told by sources that president trump wrote for joe biden. they did not have their chance to speak, but he did follow we know that he loved the letter that president obama left for him when he took office. he often showed it to guests when they came to the white house. that is something that's waiting on him, on joe biden when he does get into the west wing here in a few moments after, of course -- >> let's listen in to this moment in history. ♪ [ hail to the chief ]

♪ [ god bless america instrumental ] ♪ >> well, america, meet your new first family. the bidens are walking into the house now, the white house where

the president and first lady will make their new home. and for anybody out there wondering, yes, there has been a deep clean of the building, given the fact that the previous occupants did not take coronavirus particularly seriously. so do not worry about that. the parade across america is about to start now. here is jon stewart. >> this grand tradition. this year we've had to create a new style of parade, allowing americans from our states and u.s. territories the ability to participate safely from their hometowns. it's been a tough year. a pandemic, economic downturns, political divisions, social unrest. but we need to remember this, that every day you may not be hearing about it on the news. you may not be seeing it on the internet, but there are millions

of unsung american heroes who are keeping our nation going, caring for our loved ones, teaching our kids, keeping us all connect ed, making us smile reminding us about what it is to truly be an american and what is great about america. that's what this day is about. america united by our commitment to each other. one of those heroes is dr. jason campbell, resident physician in oregon. you probably know him a little bit better as the dancing tiktok doc. how are you doing? >> mr. stewart, i'm doing well. how are you? thank you for having me today. >> when did you start dancing? is this a recent thing? you're tremendous at it. clearly, you had training. >> i started dancing when i was in high school, popping and locking and break dancing. they called me popping j when i was in high school. >> i was also referred to as

popping j in high school for often times how my back vertebrae would pop. this is obviously your first inaugural parade, yes? >> yes. this is incredibly special. if you look at president biden being elected and vice president harris as the first african-american, indian woman. that's so special. i treasure, my family treasures and so many that look like me are proud to see. >> i'm aye look forward to the pandemic being over so you and i could join a break dancing crew together. >> i would love that. what would the name be? >> probably the good dancing doctor and the old man who looks like he hurt himself. it's a long name. >> catchy. >> you're a good man, dr. campbell. so delighted you were able to catch up with us and we'll check you out later. >> thank you for having me, mr. stewart. it's time to kick off for the first time in our nation's

history and, god willing, the last time we won't be able to be together. here it is, our virtual parade across america. >> i'm tony goldwyn. i've got to tell you, i've played a president on tv a few years ago, and i never got a parade from shonda rhymes, anything like you'll see today. our parade across america features americans from across the country, joining us from their hometowns. in fact, you'll see participant s and performers from all 50 states in every u.s. territory honored to be part of this day, committed to the ideal of an america united. simply put, it's a virtual road show. we've got marching bands, baton and flag twirlers, dancers, equestrians, drill teams, musical performances, as well as tributes to the american heroes living right next door to us who have been making a difference in

their communities during this terrible pandemic. americans united on this historic day. and even though a virtual event is a bit different, this parade remains grateful to its most treasured and beloved traditions and one of those traditions is a performance by a group of -- >> you are watching the inaugural parade of president joe biden and vice president kamala harris. we'll have a hybrid parade due to coronavirus concerns. motorcade approaching. brianna keilar is on the route. what do you see from where you're standing now? >> reporter: this shot looking toward them is being taken essentially not too far from where i am. and i am looking down now, past the treasury building to the motorcade for the vice president. so, we are awaiting to see if -- you know, this is really the moment that the president had to get out and walk down

pennsylvania avenue, past the treasury building, past the white house, into the white house. so we're going to wait and see if we are, perhaps, going to get a glimpse of the vice president and the second gentleman. right now, they are holding in place, as we listen to the howard university drum line, which is quite festive, i must add, just down the way. it's really wonderful. and so we're -- of course, that's her alma mater, the vice president's alma mater. we are waiting to see at this point in time as we are looking down pennsylvania avenue here towards her motorcade. i will also mention that there is a truck of press that is tracking her in order to get some good views of the president and the vice president. they have been followed by open bed trucks with large contingents of press on them. you're looking now at a shot of the howard university marching band and what we sort of saw

before for the president was this grand entrance for the university of delaware marching band. we're waiting to see if that's what we see with the vice president coming this way. hopefully, erin. we're keeping our eye out here. >> the howard university band there and, you know, they pause sort of like this, as well, for the president, president biden, of course and the first lady got out and walked. i know where you were. at one point the president sort of run ning over and talking to somebody in the press. he did that at other times. obviously, we are anticipating, and it is quite likely, obviously, that the vice president and her husband, the second gentleman, will also be getting out. kate, are you closer or is brianna closer? >> i think i'm closer. i think i might be a little bit closer. i can see the back of the vice president's car. we are just seeing some of her family members, doug emh off's

children, vice president's stepchildren, walk toward her vehicle in much the same way we just saw the biden grandchildren walk toward the president and first lady. sort of seems like the same setup here so they will meet the vehicle with the vice president, hopefully as we saw with the bidens, get out of the car and walk a bit toward the white house. it looks like they're about to get out of the car. we just had the howard university drum line go through, too, right before the vice president, her alma mater. there she is is, kamala harris has gotten out. i don't know if you have a better angle than i do, brianna, but they are out of the car, about to take a walk with their family, continuing the tradition, even in this era of covid, even in this very high security, ten use time. this is a rite of passage that now the vice president is

continuing, as she historically greets her first afternoon and evening as vice president of the united states. >> yeah. obviously, the family -- one of these moments, i know, and other years, obviously, when we've all been along these parade routes and you see the first and second families get out and start walking. it's such an integral part of this tradition and part of the family nature of this special moment. and here they are. vice president kamala harris and her family, along with, of course, her husband, his children. you can see them all walking along there together on that route, just as joe biden did moments ago. they'll continue walking there up, of course, to the white house where the president has already gone in. what can you see from where you are now, brianna? >> i am seeing the vice president and her entourage approaching here.

but, you know, if we take this moment just to realize how his historic this is, erin, and the fact that all across the country there are little girls who are watching this moment right now with their parents or their grandparents, and they're never going to know a time when there wasn't a woman who was vice president, which is obviously a very different situation than most people have experienced. this is a first. and this is a new normal for a lot of young people out there as they watch kamala harris here walking down pennsylvania avenue. right now she and her family, the second gentleman there on her right, are walking in front of the treasury building. we're going to -- i see her sister as well. we're going to try and see if we can try to grab their attention. madam vice president?

all right. we're trying to get her to come over here, erin. >> how are you feeling, madam vice president? >> she was just asked, i will say, erin, how does it feel to be the first? and i believe what she said was, you know. i think that is what she said. this is, obviously, a moment that, for her -- you know, she's very much soaking in. she's keenly aware, of course, what this means to be the first female vice president and also being not only that, the first female president, the first female black president, also south asian descent. this is a very big deal as we're watching her walk down pennsylvania avenue here in front of the white house for what is a tremendous undertaking these next four years for her and and president biden, erin. >> it certainly is.

jim sciuto, you're standing as they're walking to you. there may not be a lot of people here, but there are a lot of press. what do you see from where you're standing? >> i see the vice president walking here in front of the white house, the first woman, the first woman of color with her family. a word about the security here. it is a relief. it is nice to see this. it was not certain that she or the president would leave the motorcade, but they did. we've been able to see them out here. but it speaks to the security risk that they were only able to do that for the final 100 or 200 yards or so of their trip into the white house, and the old executive office building. >> madam vice president, how does it feel? >> what's your first job? >> walking to work. >> walking to work is her first job. of course, erin, we should note, her office is in the old executive office building, just here next to the white house.

that's where she'll be walking toward today. i think that's part of the message today for both her and the president. they are hitting the ground running. they have lots of work to do. there will be executive orders today. they're going to be ironing out and revealing their plan to handle the pandemic today. this is all happening today. a moment to celebrate. as she said there, she's getting to work. >> that's right. as she gets there, to the white house, there's going to be that slue of executive orders here over the next hour or so. and, of course, the vice president, kamala harris, is actually just being sworn in herself, will also be swearing in the two new senators from georgia as well as her replacement senator from the state of california. so, all of that still to come here over the next hour. these moments, though, as she's walking there, holding the hand of her great niece. these are the moments, perhaps, that are most important for her, certainly for the president himself, as he walked with his family. that moment, it's a very brief

moment as we all know, right before that work begins, to share this with your family. what do you actually see, as you see them waving? can you describe, jim, because i think you're closest right now, sort of who are they waving to? usually we would all be there and there would be crowds. tell me what you're seeing off camera. >> it's a great point, erin. normally there would be crowds, members of the public here. the fact is, it's journalists. it's security. it's members of the military. some governor officials. d.c. mayor was just down here. but not that public event as it has been in the past. that's a sad fact of where we are today in this capitol. where i'm standing, where the white house is, where the viz is, is surrounded by 25,000 d.c. national guardsmen. many circles of security expanding out several blocks from here. that was necessary to secure this place and this moment following the events of january

6th. that's a sad reality. on the good side, they were able to leave the motorcade, to walk, to wave and get to work today. we can't forget what was necessary, to make this moment possible. and it is all that security that you don't see in this moment around us. and, frankly, the vast majority of people are going to watch this on their television screens, right, not in person, sadly. >> right. right. and when you have to take a step back, that's true every time, right? you think around the country how many people can actually go. we are all now forced to share this in the same way, perhaps as its own level of togetherness. it is a good thing as you point out, that they were actually able to get out of the motorcade. brianna and kate were talking about, obviously, they couldn't get out of the car until very close to the end here. as the vice president walks in those gates with her entourage and her family for the first time as vice president, bakari sellers, an early backer of

harris, joins me. what does this moment mean for her personally, as she is here now, walking with her family? >> i mean, it means so much. you see her, her husband. you see tony and maya. you see her nieces, mina and mina's children. you saw doug run over and hug reggie hundland well known for being the director of house party, produced django. his wife is kamala's best friend. for her, in particular, her mother is smiling down today. she and maya will share a very special moment today for little black girls around the world. today means so much, just to watch her walk in with the swag, to watch her walk in with the diagramity. to watch her walk in -- i'm not a big fan of the shouted question that reporters ask all

the time, but to hear them say madam vice president, it just means so much. today, she stands on the shoulders of fannie lou hamer, ella baker, on the shoulders of shirley chisom, hillary clinton, and she has shattered so many glass ceilings that today, even if you didn't support her or vote for her, this is history that we're watching. scratch that. this is her story that we're watching. and she's doing it with so much grace. today is just an awesome day. and i hope and i know my wife is sitting at home, watching with our two girls, bawling at the history that's being made with kamala debbie harris. ♪

♪ ♪ >> the vice president now at work there in the office building. as we have said, these very important moments happening, the

symbolism happening, and they're going to work. a slue of executive orders. she, herself, the vice president, as i said, will be swearing in three new democratic senators, including the two democratic senators from georgia. all of that, coming up here over the next hour. bakari, one thing you said there -- you spoke about the significance of this. you were talking about for your wife, for your children, for little black girls and for people, for everyone of any party. and you know one thing i wanted to say to you? i think that is so poignant and true. for young children, boys and girls, no matter the color, they will never remember a world where a woman wasn't a vice president. it will never be a thing that needs to be achieved or a thing that needs to happen. it's so important to make that point, an apolitical point. the symbolism of the moment cannot be underestimated. i see it with my own daughter, right? it is a hugely significant

thing. >> it is. and when you think about everything that she represents in this moment, i got a good smile out of howard university's band. it's not something that's seen on cnn often. how they came in with the high knees and the drummers and the dancers. historically black colleges and universities that are on the scene now, to the new u.s. capitol police chief, to stacey abrams, whose shoulders they rode in on. you begin to see that there is more to this country than we've seen in the other 48 vice presidents of meamerica. the extracurricular work, work they do in communities, community service. people are now getting to know that. while we want to talk about the policies she'll implement later

and in which way and which executive orders they're going to do, i think today is a day where we can actually talk about the history and everything that this black woman embodies, as she walks into the halls of the most powerful place in the world. >> and now she is in those halls. she is there, getting to work as, of course, we have a parade to come and the big performances tonight. phil mattingly is our senior white house correspondent. now that she has walked in those doors, phil, with the second gentleman by her side for that first entrance as the vice president, tell me what her first moves in the white house are. >> you know, when you talk to administration officials, they kind of echo what president biden tweeted a short time ago. there's no time to waste. i'm not stepping on what bakari was saying and this moment and what it means but as you talk to officials they acknowledge what they're face ing, as they walk into this historic moment on so many different levels, a

multiple set of crises, whether it's economic, public health, racial divides. all these issues that they'll try to address straight out of the gate. in about an hour, erin, you'll see president biden start action, if you will. i want to be contextual here. this is not massive overhauls of thing, it's not going to change the direction of everything in the country. there are limits of what the government can do just with the stroke of the president's pen but he has made clear he will implement a series of executive orders, a number of them to do with coronavirus, feldman date for mask wearing. and rolling back the previous administration's orders. setting a tone for what they're going to do in the weeks ahead. you saw the administration release the outline of an extensive overhall that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country and

lay out the $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. that will take congress. you will see those executive actions start to get kicked into gear. while they will have an impact on a smaller scale, particularly on the federal level, what they will do more than anything else is lay out a tone of what this administration is going to focus on, going to try to accomplish over the weeks and months ahead. >> right. >> legislatively as well as what the president can do himself, erin. >> and some of these -- many of these executive orders as you point out are not -- some of them reverse what president trump did, right? halting the border bans, revereverse ing noncitizens to be included in the census, how we aportion where those districts are. these are things that would be

of significant change. >> yeah. there's no question about it. look, when you talk to advisers and when advisers have said things over the last couple of days, they made clear they understand things. on the issue of the economy, things are going to get worse before they get better. i think they understand, and it dovetails with what bakari was saying, the history of the moment and recognizing where they are. they recognize where they are. day one, this is the moment that you get to set the tone. you don't get a redo on this moment. i think they're trying to set the tone over the course of the day. i would also acknowledge when you talk to them, they make very clear, this isn't it. this isn't going to be enough. we need to do so much more. the big questions that will come over the course of the next several days -- erin, it's not just today. over the course of the next eight or nine days you'll see a laser focus day-by-day message on issues like immigration, health care, more on covid starting tomorrow as well.

but they acknowledge more neesd to be done and that more is going to require congress, where they have very slim majorities in the house and the senate, where they'll need bipartisanship as the president laid out in his speech. >> david gregory is with me as well. you have covered so many administrations, david. so, talk us through these first few moments of the biden presidency, right? as the president and vice president have gone in those doors, of course, we'll see them again with all the pomp and circumstance tonight and these executive orders coming momentarily. what are these first few moments like? >> well, a lot of it is just organization. and because the transition was really undermined by the outgoing administration, this administration has to do more, faster, and play catch-up. we talked about that with cabinet officials not being in place. congress has to work on that, the senate has to work on that. you have acting secretaries that have to get into place.

what they have built up is this pandemic response and infrastructure and we'll see a focus on a lot more federal coordination with the states, vaccine rollout being the most important thing. you'll see -- i think this -- the president and the vice president are going to spend some time projecting a new u.s. image around the world. i think that will be important to signal, hey, we're back. there's a sense of normalcy in the administration. and when i say "we're back," the idea that the american presidency that america is going to revert back to a position of leadership that donald trump veered away from. again, he got applauded for that and obviously got criticism. but i think everything is about new orientation. there's a lot of people, especially those who are closest to president biden who have been there before. >> yes. >> they know how to get rolling

right away, including the president. >> yes. >> and this new vice president. i was struck watching kamala harris, what will her role be? she's going to have an important r role, just as vice president biden did to president obama. it will be interesting to watch that unfold as well. >> even as he has given his speeches recently, she was sitting in the chair behind him. it's very much visually been presented as a team, very explicitly so. it's interesting, this whole transition. they walk in there. you talk about how everything gets cleaned and, you know, joe biden walks in. when he goes through those doors he'll see the note that donald trump said that he left him. there's that moment that will happen. and then there's just the transition itself, right? the national security team came in before, right? before president biden became president. you needed them to be sitting in place so there wasn't a second of gap, right? what's that like, just that literal moving chair aspect of

this today? >> well, the first thing is, you want to find out what particular threats are being monitored, what the national security team has to respond to right away. are there some things that they didn't know, some things that may have been unattended or things that are cropping up in this immediate transition? the seamlessness of power in the united states is something to behold. even under these circumstances, it has been a peaceful transition. even as we've watched our capitol be an armed encampment, which is so unfortunate. the national security team wants to tend to that. i think the team also wants to learn what's new with regard to the virus and the virus response that they may not have known. there may have been some things that have come up in the last couple of days that they weren't aware of. you know, the new team has priorities. there's executive action, and

we've seen this before with other administrations. they take immediate executive action to undo some things the previous administration did. but as you've been talking about, the focus is let's get our secretaries in place. for instance, what about the threats we're talking about? thank god this has been a peaceful day. you've got a justice department, those who were there existing, the bureaucracy, the fbi. they have to monitor ongoing threats and there has to be a lot of coordination about that. that's going to be a priority as well. >> right, right. of course and as you said we at least 17 executive orders to be signed here over the next hour. bakari, one of the things that i think was so important today that we all saw was the continuity, right? of course, president trump wasn't there. and, you know, there was that first time in 150 years, right? but you had mike pence there. you had all the prior presidents there and their wives, and going to arlington ceremony.

you saw lady gaga come out afterwards, she talks to all of them quickly on her way out. that feeling of continuity that was so important. walk me through the moment when former president barack obama had that fist bump with kamala harris. tell me about what happened there. >> well, when you -- first of all, let's back up to when barack obama and michelle obama came in. they were wearing a designer -- michelle obama and kamala harris both wearing a designer from south carolina. so shout out to him as well, sergio hudson. just watching that aura, you begin to build that. that excitement begins to swell. then the communication between barack obama and kamala harris. their relationship goes back a long way. she was one of the first people to campaign for him in iowa back in 2008. you know how he thought so highly of her as a united states senator in the great state of

california. that fist bump means so much. to tie it all together, if i were to have taken you back to 2006 or 2007 and told you that joe biden would have been the most transcended political figure on the issue of race, you would have thought i was crazy. what do i mean by that? joe biden was the vice president to the first black president in the history of this country. joe biden also ushers in the first black vice president in the history of this country. and so to be affixed to both those hyper historical moments it means so much. just that moment between kamala and barack, that's a moment that swells your heart. that's a moment -- you have to understand, erin, when you go into black churches right now, down in the reception area, you've got a picture of jesus, martin luther king and you've got a picture of barack obama. and kamala harris now is in that same type of conversation with people like barack obama who are

luminaries, who mean so much to our community and will be prayed over and protected so they go out and do the work necessary to get our people out of the ditch. >> jim sciutto is outside of the white house. the president and vice president have just gone in. tell me what you see there now. obviously, they are beginning the work right behind you. >> that's right. listen, as quickly as it started, it ended. the ceremony, that is. the doors are closed to the white house and the old executive office building where the vice president's offices are, as they get to work. as kamala harris said to me a few minutes ago when i shouted a question to her, what's her job number one? she said getting to work. that, indeed, appears to be what they've done. a lot of the pomp quickly wrapping up here. the honor guard that represented all the branches of the mi military, they have now left, back to a less ceremonial security footing here.

although you certainly have the security. we've seen the city the last several days ringing the white house. the ceremony around the white house, we saw it. it was powerful. it was full of history. it was full of the moment. now you get a sense that they're at their desks and they're getting to work. >> yes. in just moments, president biden is going to sign at least a dozen more executive actions, and vice president kamala harris is going to swear in three new democratic senators who, of course, shifted the balance of power in the senate. you'll see both of those georgia senators sworn in by the vice president. we will be right back. between what is hoped for and what can be, there's a bridge. between endangered and protected,

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day or night, indoors or out. something wonderful awaits. hello. i'm erin burnett. thank you for joining me for cnn's special coverage for the inauguration of joseph robinette biden jr.

today will hold a moment in history for many reasons. biden is the oldest president to take office for the first term, and kamala harris the first woman, african-american, asian ever to be sworn in as vice president. so, kate, you know, obviously this is always a transition that requires a lot, right? in terms of one family leaving the white house and another coming in. and, of course, it's been incredibly fraught this year, given the behavior of the former president. so, tell me what happened behind the scenes physically to move from the trump family to the biden family. >> reporter: right, erin. what a day it's been. we started early this morning, of course, with the trumps leaving in that very unorthodoxed way, taking off from marine one on the south lawn, skipping inauguration all

together, bypassing the inviting of the new incoming president and first lady into the white house. just shunning them really. it was an absolute snub. so we started there this morning with that moment. now we've come full circle to see the transfer of power. i mean, as one president flew away, the incoming president literally drove right up 15 street, turned on pennsylvania avenue. we weren't sure if president biden was going to get out of the car because, as you know, this city is really in turmoil and in lockdowns. we saw the beast, his presidential limousine stop. we saw the biden children, hunter and his sister, ashley, and the grandchildren get out. and sure enough president biden and first lady jill biden did get out and do the ceremonial

walk. looking around here, as we've been here all day, there's certainly not the throngs of crowds, people we typically see at inaugural events. there was still pomp and circumstance. we had the marching bands, law enforcement. we sort of felt like there was a moment that democracy continued in a normal way, so to speak, in this very strange past year. i will say the trumps leaving and landing in palm beach, a lot of people felt a real lift here in washington and having a new president come in and now get settled in the house, where all of his things have been unpacked. the fridge has been stocked with their favorite foods. their closets have been filled with their clothes. they will spend the night there after a thorough deep clean worthy of a pandemic. this is now their home and the cycle starts all over again. >> so, obviously, kate is with us. i want to just note that the senate has gavelled in because there is so much work to be

done. you've got to have all these nominees approved. literally as all the pomp and circumstance is going on, you have that work being done there. manu raju joins me now. tell me exactly what's happening. what business will be conduct bed, finalized today? >> well, the big first thing that's going to happen is that democrats will formally take the senate majority, because three new democratic senators, the senator who is replacing kamala harris from california, the two new georgia senators who won their january 5g9 runoffs, those democrats will be sworn in this afternoon. kamala harris will swear in the senators as her role as president of the senate, one of her first official acts as vice president of the united states. at that point, senator chuck schumer of new york, the democrat, will be the majority leader of the senate. he will have the power to set the democrats' agenda, to determine what bills come to the floor, what nominations can come to the floor for a vote. but it's a 50/50 senate with

kamala harris breaking the tie. they'll need significant support from republicans to move forward. and one big thing they still need to resolve is how quickly to form joe biden's cabinet. and one issue holding things up about moving forward on the cabinet, one big issue, they need to reach an agreement on a power-sharing deal, how the 50/50 senate would actually work. and absent an agreement, according to democratic and republican senators, the committee process will essentially be stalled. so what does that mean? moving forward on these nominations to key cabinet posts could be derailed for some time until schumer and mcconnell can reach an agreement to fill some of these posts. erin, there's still a lot of questions about how quickly some of these nominees can be confirmed but there's expectation for janet yellen to be treasury secretary, first on the list but not tonight probably. that will be a break from the past. president biden's bread

certificates, donald trump, barack obama, bill clinton, george w. bush, all got nominees confirmed on day one. that's not going to happen here, certainly does not look like. it could be stalled for the foreseeable future as schumer and mcconnell figure out how to work in this 50/50 senate. >> of course, that's the practical side of the beautiful words we heard about unity today, right? can they actually do that in a practical and meaningful way? david gregory is with me. i just wanted to ask you about something. i saw a moment ago -- we saw, of course, the third most powerful democrat in the house, jim clyburn was there. he said he had a conversation with george w. bush, who was also there today, that they had had a conversation and george w. bush tells jim clyburn, you are a savior. specifically because of his role in getting joe biden through south carolina and winning the nomination. and bush tells clyburn,

according to clyburn, you are the only one who could have defeated the incumbent president. i thought it was a significant conversation to have happened between mr. clyburn and mr. bush. >> yeah. boy. that's an amazing detail, an amazing conversation. president bush, when he left office, was determined to be out of the spotlight. i, frankly, have been surprised, having covered him for eight years, that he kept as mum as he did, knowing that trump was outright hostile toward his presidency, legacy and his version of the republican party and, of course, critical of his foreign policy as well. but, you know, i think about president bush, george w. bush, saying that family values don't end at the rio grande river. he was ultimately overcome by a change among conservatives about immigration. he wanted immigration reform.

>> yeah. >> of the style that biden will now pursue as president. so, he rejected so much of what trump stood for. and i think it's quite interesting that he would then turn to clyburn and say, look, you had the power to set biden on a course to unite the country, to defeat trump after one term. quite a validation, and an indication that president bush represents a lot of other republicans, too, who felt that trump was so dangerous and really such a rogue element within the party. >> yes. and anna, though, very important, george w. bush's presence today. we felt it again and again, right, at arlington national cemetery with prior democratic presidents and george wncht bush and laura bush also being there toge together. >> anna, can you hear me?

sorry. >> oh, i thought you were talking to -- to anna, yeah. >> are you asking me? >> yes. >> listen, i thought it was incredibly symbolic, because there's things that should not be partisan, that should be about democracy, that should be about the institution, that should be about respect for a peaceful transfer of power. and i thought that george w. bush's presence there, and mike pence's presence there, as well, gave that. what we lacked because donald trump was incapable of showing the maturity of sitting there -- and that was fine. that's fine, you know. if he couldn't do it, it was better off for him not to do it. but certainly george w. bush being there, and mike pence being there meant, i think, an enormous amount. >> it certainly did. and scott jennings, as we are speaking, we're getting ready for all these executive orders, swearing in of the new senators, switching of the balance of power as manu just referred to

and the formal swearing in of the people who will run the white house and chun with the country, right? the press team, the chief of staff. all of this is happening right now. you have been part of a transition like this in the white house, in these moments right now when they come out of the parade, before they come out for those formal executive orders and then the evening's events. what's happening right now? >> well, there is a pretty special moment for the white house staff. you actually put your hand up and you take an oath of office as well. you get sworn in. it's a reminder to you about exactly why you're there. and that's to serve the public and uphold the constitution. that's really a special time. up on capitol hill in the senate, of course, we are seeing a pretty momentous thing. a balance of power is changing from republican to democrat. although they haven't worked out a power-sharing agreement with what's happening up on capitol hill is a pretty monumental item as it relates to joe biden's own agenda. so, there's a lot of stuff going

on right now, and it will change. the equilibrium slightly in washington, d.c. and what remains to be seen is how the two parties will work together to move the ball on certain issues. my advice to both parties would be find a way to work together on coronavirus vaccine distribution first, because that's the only way we're going to get the economy reopened, to get kids back in schools, so on and so forth. that's not a partisan issue. that's an american issue. everybody working on that deserves our support and loyalty. >> david, how significant, though, is what manu was just referring to? on an ordinary transition of power, which this is anything but. but purely from a legislative point of view, you start getting these nominees appointed today, right? new president comes in and that afternoon you have a bunch of new approvals. you have to have a power sharing agreement worked out this time because of this 50/50 split. how significant is that, that there's a delay that we're awaiting that still, david? >> well, it's indicative of this

new chapter in washington, you know. this is a closely divided government. that's what the american people decided on. so the president wins a resounding victory, but congress is more divided. and president biden, who has the experience in this, is going to have to deal with this now. and he's further hamstrung by the fact that the transition wasn't a full transition. what makes this all the more difficult, unlike what president bush dealt with, for example. he comes into office. he has an agenda, pursues his agenda, one thing after another. president obama came into office facing an immediate crisis that he had to deal with and respond to, and his agenda kind of got put on hold and he had to be in that responsive mode. and that's where president biden is. so he has the very fractious politics at the moment but has to get up and running, as scott was saying, everything is about the pandemic response initially.

but the politics are still standing in the way and that's a reality that he knew going in. >> manu, i want to go back to you right now. i understand there's a letter here that 17 house republicans have sent biden. 17 is the magic number that democrats would need from republicans for the full impeachment trial. but tell me about this letter. >> yeah. the house republican freshmen, who are indicating that they are willing to work with joe biden. they're calling for unity. some of those freshmen were involved with that effort to try to overturn the election. of course, they failed in doing that, but one of them, for example, madison cawthorne, freshman republican, did sign on to that letter, congratulating joe biden, along with some who voted to impeach joe biden, pete meijer, one of the ten republicans who did just that to impeach this president. the former president, i should

say, donald trump. the question, though, is how long does that call for unity last? there are some who are saying that they thought that president biden's speech was effective. they think this is an opportunity to turn the page from the divisive and toxic politics of the trump era. but, they are also going in fully recognizing that there is an ambitious agenda on the table. republicans have their own views, that are different than what joe biden is pushing. >> yeah. >> some are going to battle him tooth and nail. so, even though they are calling for unity, that is going to be put to the test immediately in the senate to confirm some of his nominees and also in the house, as nancy pelosi tries to move a covid relief package and tries to get republicans on board. >> yeah. >> will those same republicans join this? that's a different question. >> and really important. ana, what do you make of that when you look at okay, it's 17. what's interesting about that 17, manu points out, right, cawthorne and meijer on the same

list, sending this letter. in terms of how they handled the impeachment process, trump and the riot in washington couldn't have been more different. >> that's absolutely true. look, the bottom line is, donald trump has left the building. and if you saw today's sendoff, what he had billed as a big sendoff was a puny little crowd. i have seen bigger crowds at an apple store than what donald trump had there this morning waving him off. the king is gone. i actually think the person who is probably the most significant in all of this is mitch mcconnell. and what we heard mitch mcconnell say yesterday when, without mincing words, he said donald trump had fed his supporters lies, that had led to the insurrection and the charging of the capitol. that is an enormous -- that is a 180-degree change from what mitch mcconnell has been like in the last four years. and i think it's mitch mcconnell

who can set the tone, particularly in the senate. and also more of those establishment republicans, who i think are fed up with the stunts of people like ted cruz or like josh hawley. you know, watch what people like john cornyn, like thune, like rob portman, like mitt romney are going to do, and how they're going to be able to work with joe biden, who many of them have known as a colleague for decades. >> and what do you think it's actually going to mean, scott? obviously, you know mitch mcconnell well. mitch mcconnell and joe biden know each other well. and now trump is gone, right? left the station. mitch mcconnell has made it clear that he believes the former president of the united states was the one responsible for the riot, right? he said it directly. he said it bluntly. does that translate into real working together and real unity immediately? how much of this is not just talk?

>> well, i think there's a number of things here going on at the same time. i do think mitch mcconnell wants there to be unity among all the players and parties on defending the constitution. that's what happened january 6th. it was a direct assault on the constitution, not one part or the other. but it was a direct assault on the way we do t we have elections. there are winners and there are losers. i think he wants to drive unity on that point. number two, i've heard him say personally he thinks there's areas where there will be agreement. there could be bipartisan agreement as long as we all accept that most policy will be made between the 40 yard lines, but there are going to be areas of disagreement and we'll set those aside for debate and probably debate in the next mid-term election. but that shouldn't stop us from working together on the things that we know to be necessary. coronavirus vaccination distribution, whatever the congress can do, they have to do. future relief. infrastructure, i've heard, even though they're far apart on how to pay for it. everybody agrees we need roads, bridges and highways. >> yep.

>> if mitch mcconnell and joe biden approach it from that perspective, it could benefit everyone for years. >> let's listen in on the senate floor right now. [ applause ] >> all right. manu, please walk us through exactly what is happening here. we just heard the applause. tell us what's happening. >> this is the first official -- >> let's listen to the vice president swearing in the new senators. >> created by the resignation of former senator kamala d. harris

of california. yeah, that was very weird. okay. the certificates, the chair is advised, are in the forms suggested by the senate. if there be no objection, the reading of the certificates will be waived and they will be printed in full in the record. if the senators-elect and senator designate will now present themselves at the desk, the chair will administer the oath of office. >> mr. osoff, mr. padilla, mr. warnock.

>> please raise your right hand. okay. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. >> i do. >> i do. >> congratulations. [ applause ]

>> all right. you are watching the vice president swearing in three new senators that will change the balance of power in the senate. you're going to see, of course, raphael warnock, first black senator from georgia, john osoff, the first jewish senator from georgia. complete turn in georgia from two republicans to two democrats and senator padilla replacing kamala harris herself. he will be a senator from california and also making history, the first hispanic senator from the state of california. so bakari sellers, we are seeing history made again and again and again. and, of course, it all seems to stem from kamala harris herself, the vice president. if she speaks here, i'll cut you

off. but go ahead. >> yeah. no, i think what we saw are an uptick in voters of color throughout the country. all these major cities that dictated the trajectory of this race, atlanta, georgia, philadelphia, pennsylvania, milwaukee, wisconsin, detroit, michigan. you saw voters of color come to the forefront. native american voters in arizona, hispanic voters throughout the sun belt. and that's what you're seeing on your screen right now with the swearing in of osoff, your first millennial united states senator, raphael warnock, the pastor of martin luther king baptist. and senator padilla, first hispanic senator from the great state of california. you're starting to see the democratic party look like the demographic changes that are happening in the country. let me say something to kind of tie in, erin, to this conversation we were having, a larger conversation with the 17 house members, one including madison cawthorne, who was part

of inciting the riot that we saw on capitol hill. there has been a rise in this country of white supremacy and domestic terror. and this is going to have to be one of the challenges that this administration faces head on from the beginning. so, yes, we do have the issue of coronavirus, which we have to deal with. we are going to have issues like infrastructure, where you can have some bipartisan resolve. but you're also going to have to deal with the rise of white supremacist domestic terror that we saw storm the capitol on january 6th. so while we're talking about everybody coming together, we have to have accountability before we can get to healing. people want unity, but they don't want any atonement. we have to go through the steps necessary to get there and i anticipate as the senate changes, as the look of the white house changes, you will begin to see these changes, and us tackling these issues head on as well. >> of course, the country that

has gone through so much. we have now just seen a black latino, jewish senators all just sworn in. it is something all happening at once that really kind of only happened in this country. something to celebrate, that the world looks to. of course, you see the vice president there on the floor of the senate, and majority leader chuck schumer. stand by. we'll talk more about this in 30 seconds. i want to go to phil mattingly at the white house

right now. you are learning new details about what's happening at this moment there? >> that's exactly right. joe biden is officially in the oval office. obviously, we saw him walk into the white house. we saw him walk into the west wing. he is now in the oval office. that is for a couple of reasons. one, he is expected to sign those executive actions we've been discussing some time within the next 15 or 20 minutes. also something to keep in mind here. there is a letter in the resolute desk that was left by president trump. we don't know what that letter entails. we've got no sense from the white house whether or not we will ever find out what that letter entails. we usually get some sense of it later on in the process. that is something that is in the resolute desk that the new president will be able to open the drawer and look at, as all his predecessors have done before. president trump did not attend inauguration. president trump never conceded the race, president trump never congratulated president biden or vice president harris. that note is in there. the other thing is what we'll see in 15, 20 minutes, where the vice president is taking the

alcohols we're talking about, on climate change, taking the actions on covid, taking the actions on reversing many of the key priorities that his predecessor put into place. i think that will be a key thing to watch out for as he starts to do this, erin. >> certainly. as you point out, when it comes to that letter, we usually find out what they say. this is is such a very different time, we don't know if we will. i want to just give you a chance, an a, to react to what we're seeing on the floor of the senate right now. and that is history being made. as i pointed out again, related to kamala harris herself, right? her vacancy in california resulting in the first hispanic senator from the state of california, and georgia flipping to two democratic senate seats. you have a millennial, jewish man, a black pastor all now sworn in to the united states senate. it shifted the balance of power, but it is an incredible look at

the diverse ity that we would oy see here in america. >> i know, erin. when i hear you say it, it's almost like you're introducing a joke, right? a black, latino and jewish guy walks into the senate. but listen, i have been struck by how many friends of mine, how many people from around the country, of all ages, of all races, of all ethnicities have told me the amount of pent-up emotion and how emotional today was for them. i think we under estimated, man of us -- i know it's not the entire country, but many of us just how stressful, how difficult, how dark the last four years have been for so many. to see such deliberate acts of inclusion in this ceremony, be kamala harris is the first vice president who is a woman and she's african-american. and she's also, you know, from indian descent.

but she chose sonia sotomayor, the first latina, to swear her in. she thorogood marshall's bible. we're trying to be historical and heal the wounds we're feeling. >> all of you stay with me and our special coverage of the inauguration of president joe biden continues after this.

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