my blood pressure is borderline. garlique healthy blood pressure formula helps maintain healthy blood pressure with a custom blend of ingredients. i'm taking charge, with garlique. good evening. there is breaking news, tonight. house speaker, nancy pelosi, briefing house democrats on plans to establish an outside, presumably-nonpartisan, 9/11-style commission, to investigate causes of the january 6th attack on the capitol. talk more about that, shortly. including how that meshes with the new president's desire not to litigate the incident, any

further, in the senate. first, though, how his motivation for putting the impeachment trial behind him, differs from that of republicans, who also want to close the book on it. for starters, president biden wants to focus on covid-relief legislation. more specific, reestablishing a sense of continuity, with the way presidents traditionally operate. he spent the weekend at camp david, with his grandchildren, who gave him this cap. there, and at the white house, he keeps a regular schedule. no cable-news benders or late-night tweets. no morning executive time spent watching even more tv. the president's daily brief is a daily brief, once again. on the weekend, he goes to sunday mass. this picture of presidential normality is both a reflection of who president biden is, as well as what he, clearly, wants to project, politically, at this moment. by contrast, this is the image the republican party has chosen for itself, this presidents' day. the republican national committee tweeted it out. it's a picture of the twice-impeached 45th president of the united states, alongside

jefferson, roosevelt, and lincoln at mt. rushmore. in actuality, though, this is where the former president was today. in a familiar place, unlike his party, after the second impeachment trial ended, this weekend, with his acquittal. even, coming under physical attack, by a violent, insurrectionary mob, would only sway seven republicans to vote to convict. as for the rest? well, here is senator lindsey graham gushing about talking to the former president, the one he said, back in 2016, would bring down the republican party. and the one, he claimed, he was done with, on the night of the insurrection. >> he is excited about 2022. and i'm going to go down to talk with him, next week, play a little golf, in florida. and i said, mr. president, this maga movement needs to continue. we need to unite the party. trump-plus is the way back, in 2022. >> trump plus. senator graham, also, suggested that vice president harris would be impeached, if republicans regain control of the house in 2022 and called for house speaker pelosi to be investigated in connection with the january 6th assault.

wisconsin senator, ron johnson, meantime, doesn't even think much of the attack, itself. listen to what he said on a milwaukee radio-talk show, today. >> the fact of the matter is, this doesn't seem like an armed insurrection, to me. i mean, armed. when you think -- hear armed, don't you think of firearms? here's questions i would have liked to ask. how many firearms were confiscated? how many shots were fired? i'm only aware of one. if that was an -- a -- a planned, armed insurrection, you have really a bunch of idiots. >> with and without, what you might think of, as standard weapons. one, used a hockey stick. others, flag poles. some carry bear spray. others, tasers. and yes, several have been charged with carrying firearms. allegedly, targeting house speaker pelosi. and then, of course, there were the pipe bombs, as well, planted the night before, according to

authorities. one police officer died, that day. two died of suicide, in the wake of the assault. senator johnson is, either, poorly informed, or just craven. or perhaps, both. other republican senators, at least acknowledge the horror, but hid behind technicalities. >> we have no power to convict and disqualify a former officeholder who is now a private citizen. >> that's, of course, senate-minority leader mitch mcconnell. and it's especially rich coming from him because just a few weeks ago as majority leader, he prevented that private citizen from being tried while he was still president. and if you want to relive the montreal olympics, he did a backflip, despite voting to acquit. >> there is no question, none, that president trump is, practically, and morally, responsible for provoking the events of the day. no question about it.

the people who stormed this building believed they were acting, on the wishes and instructions of the president. >> it's kind of like telling off the bully, but only after you are a few blocks away. he did what he did, after an account came to light of the former president's call during the assault with house-republican leader, kevin mccarthy. the president, refusing to call off the rioters. reportedly, telling mccarthy, quote, well, kevin, i guess, these people are more upset about the election than you are. senators voted to allow witnesses. then, for reasons not, yet, fully clear, instead, not to call any. instead, decided to get it all over with, and start their week-long recess. in a way, both sides are okay with that. for different reasons, from different places, as parties, with one side not even conceding simple facts about what happened that day. to them, in fact, tonight, the north carolina republican party. they are meeting to decide, whether to censure senator

richard burr for his vote to convict the former president. joining us now is cnn chief white house correspondent, kite lien collins, so how is the white house squaring with where the republican party stands post impeachment? >> publicly, i think they are still saying they want it to be a bipartisan agenda. in the end when the votes come down to it. but i think the reality, behind the scenes, is if they look at what has happened over the last four years. they look at how this vote on saturday went. they know that's going to be incredibly difficult. because, yes, they do have the house and the senate and the white house, of course. but they barely have the senate. so, they are still going to need republican support, for a lot of the things they want to get passed. if they want to overcome the filibuster. and they are going to need about ten republicans to support them, on certain things, unless they want to go through a weird, procedural process, like what they're doing right now with this covid-19 relief bill. and so, if you look at what happened on saturday. you look at things, like how

mitch mcconnell ended up voting and the speech he gave after. you still see the influence that former-president trump has over the republican party, and that people are not willing to break with him. so, for president biden to get a lot of republican support, it's going to be really tough. and that's what you are going to see on display this week, now that he is back here in washington. and the distraction of this second pacimpeachment trial is really behind us. this covid-19 relief bill is taking center stage but it has no congressional republicans supporting it so far. and the white house is kind of dismissing that, stepping away from it by saying it does have support out in the country, with mayors and governors. but no lawmakers here, in d.c., have supported it and that is what president biden promised on the campaign trail. that he would bring unity to washington. but so far, at least when it comes to this top-legislative priority of his, his initial one, it's eluding him. >> is there a sense his predecessor is now receding, in a meaningful way? >> i'm not sure. i think there is a sense donald trump will always kind of loom

in the background. i think, every new president tries to say they are going to be different than their predecessor. you saw it with obama and bush. you saw it with trump and obama. and you have really seen biden wield that, in a way where he is saying, you know, i am not just pushing my agenda. i am undoing a lot of what donald trump did. but then, there are other aspects that will not be as helpful to him. like, when it comes to trying to get bipartisanship on bills, and having republicans be concerned about crossing the line, for fearing the wrath of donald trump's base. and so, that's a big question, going forward. and i don't think it's clear, yet, what that's going to look like during president biden's time in office. >> kaitlan collins, appreciate it. thanks. jo joining us now, budget committee chairman, bernie sanders. senator sanders, thank you for being with us. speaker nancy pelosi announced a 9/11-type commission is going to be established to investigate all that happened on the insur insurrection on january 6th. is that important? and what would you want them to focus on? >> well, i do. when you have, for the first

time, in 200 years, an attempt to overthrow the government of the united states, you want to know as much as you can about who was behind it. and what happened. and -- and the role of the president of the united states. but i would, also, say this, anderson. it is, absolutely, imperative that the u.s. congress show the american people, who are hurting right now, in a way that they have not hurt in many, many years, that we can walk and chew bubble gum, at the same time. so, yeah, we got to deal with impeachment. yeah, we got to deal with this commission. but mostly, in my view, we have got to address the pandemic. make sure that, all over this country, people get the vaccines that they desperately need. we got to deal with the economic collapse. the fact that many millions of people have lost their health insurance. people have lost their jobs and their income. people are worried about being evicted. people cannot feed their children. we have to address these

problems. we have to focus on climate change. on criminal justice and racial injustice, on immigration reform. we have enormous crises facing this country, and we have got to go forward, aggressively, in standing up for the working families of this country. >> it doesn't seem, at this point, that the $15-an-hour, federal-minimum wage, is going to be part of this particular stimulus plan. i know that's, obviously, very important to you. is that acceptable, to you? and what are your thoughts on -- >> i don't agree, anderson. >> you don't agree. okay. >> the $15 minimum wage was included in the house bill. we are going to make our case, and this is enormously complicated. i won't bore anybody with senate rules, here. but we are going to make our case to the parliamentarian that we, absolutely, believe that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is consistent with the

rules of the senate and the reconciliation process. and i believe. look. when you have half of the people, in this country, living paycheck to paycheck. when, all over this country, you are having workers trying to survive on $9 or $10 an hour, or even less than that. the american people want, republicans, democrats, independents, want to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. 15 bucks an hour. it is popular. it is what the people want. it is what justice demands. so, i'm going to fight, as hard as i can. and i believe that we will succeed, in including the minimum wage in the reconciliation bill. >> march 14th is when a lot of folks' unemployment insurance runs out. how confident are you that something will be passed to make sure that people don't fall off the cliff -- the -- after the 14th? >> that's a great question, anderson. and you got millions of people, who will lose their unemployment benefits. we cannot allow that to happen. i am the chairman of the budget committee. this bill is going through the budget committee, and we're

working with leadership. working with the house, to make sure that we pass this bill, as quickly as we possibly can. and i want people to understand what is in this bill. it means, if you are watching this program, the likelihood is, if you are a working-class person, you have already received $600, per person. we're going to provide another $1,400, per adult, per kid, for people under 70 -- individuals, under 75,000. couples, under 150,000. because people are living in desperation, now. they need that. that's -- family, another $5,600 bucks. that's life or death for millions of families. we are going to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. anderson, we are going to do something we have not talked about enough in this country. we are going to cut childhood poverty, in half, because we are going to significantly increase the child-tax credit. we are going to make sure that cities and states have the resources that they need. so they're not going to be

laying off teachers or firefighters or police officers or other municipal and state employees. this is a comprehensive bill, which is attempting to address the unprecedented crises that working families throughout this country are facing. and let's be clear. the very, very rich are doing just fine. billionaires are seeing tremendous growth, in their wealth. but working families, today, are living in more desperation than since the great depression. and congress has got to move forward, vigorously. do what the president of the united states campaigned on, and wants to do. that's what we've got to do. not only to help american people, but to restore faith that government, in fact, can respond to the needs of ordinary americans. >> there has, you know, obviously, there's been a lot of hope, as there always is, in a change of administrations. that -- that things are going to become more bipartisan. that there is going to be more, you know, unification, unity. when you look at what happened over the impeachment, you know, and what you hear, now, from

republicans. you know, senator graham has, you know, once again, found love for the former president. and seems to be gushing about, you know, his power over the party. republicans are talking about impeaching kamala harris, in 2022, if they took back power. how do you -- i mean, how do you make -- how is unity possible, with this kind of rhetoric? i mean, with -- with the president -- with the former president still being head of the party? >> >> anderson, in my view, and i am not alone in believing this, the republican party is going to have to make a simple decision. the debate today is not about healthcare, not about climate change, not about education. it is, in fact, whether the republican party believes in democracy. or whether they are going to continue to believe in the big lie. you know, you may recall, that during the impeachment trial, i asked trump's attorneys whether, in fact, they believe that biden won the election.

or whether they believe that trump won a land-slide victory. they refused to answer that question. so, either the republican party will be the party of the big lie, the party of conspiracy theories. or the party of racism and divisiveness. and, by the way, the party of violence. or else, it will be, as it has traditionally been, a conservative party, operating within the framework of a democracy. that is what republicans are going to have to decide, in terms of their future. and obviously, i would hope that the leadership and ordinary republicans understand that people fought, and died, to protect american democracy. we don't believe in, one, an authoritarian government, run by one person, trump, or anybody else. we don't. we believe in the rule of law. that is a decision the republicans are going to have to make. and i'm going to do everything and -- that i can, not only fighting for working families but fighting for democracy.

>> senator bernie sanders, i appreciate your time. >> thanks, very much, anderson. >> thanks very much. as a reminder, president makes his first, official trip tomorrow to milwaukee for a "cnn town hall." i will be moderating that. you can see it here, live, 9:00 p.m. eastern time, from milwaukee. just ahead for us, tonight. anthony scaramucci on the president he once worked for. and what kind of republican party he sees today, and in the future of the. later, all that's coming to light now about a key element of the capitol mob, and the ties some of these attackers may have to law enforcement. investigating the so-called oath keepers tonight, on 360. and ite lower the amount of interest i was paying. sofi helped me pay off $23,000 of credit card debt. and i just couldn't have done it without them.

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well, breaking news tonight in the senate-minority leader's ongoing campaign to have it both ways on impeachment. mitch mcconnell weighing in tonight for a piece for "the wall street journal's" op-ed page. quoting now, there is no question president trump, there is moral responsibility. his supporters stormed the capitol because of the unhinged falsehood he shouted into the world's largest megaphone. his behavior during and after the chaos was also unconscionable, from attacking vice president mike pence. that said, leader mcconnell writes, quote, the senate's duty last week was clear. wasn't to guarantee a specific punishment, at any cost. our job was to defend the constitution, and respect its limits. that is what our acquittal delivered. anyone even trying to hold the former president accountable. as we mentioned at the top, north carolina republican senator, richard burr, is the

latest facing party discipline back home, tonight, for his vote to convict. louisiana republican bill cassidy was censured over the weekend for supporting conviction. congresswoman liz cheney, also, censured for her vote to impeach. we want to talk about what it all means. joining me is anthony scaramucci. anthony, good to see you. what does this divide mean for the future of the republican party? i mean, we have been talking about this, now, over the last year. not just the future of the party, but its ability to, actually, effectively, legislate and govern. >> well, i think it's been weakened, anderson. and i think there is a large group of people, in the party, that are organizing now, and are debating whether or not to have a faction inside the party. or to, literally, spin out and have a fall convention for a new party, as a precursor to the congressional midterms. and then, start slating candidates. now, we both know that there are state issues there, in terms of

getting everybody on the ballot, if we start a new party. but, listen. 63% of the surveyed republicans say that they want a new party. and so, you have a radical fringe. lindsey graham is, obviously, now part of that radical fringe, as well as others. and so, we have to liquidate that radical fringe because people that really love the country, anderson, would put the virtues of the democracy and the virtues of the constitution, over everything else. we can debate the policy issues, at later date. right now, we have to work on the preservation of the democracy. so, look for either a faction developing. being very well organized, by the way. or a new party. >> the thing, as we all know, any-third party has a huge, you know, it's not just state rules. just fundraising, everything, we just don't have that history in -- in modern times, here, in -- in this country. there had been talk among, you know, die-hard-trump supporters, back when it looked like, when

the president left. and -- and after the attack, when it looked like, perhaps, the gop was going to expel the -- the -- the memory of the former president. that they were talking -- you know, lou dobbs was talking about the patriot party and that spinning off. that seems to have gone away, and the gop, i mean, is now -- firmly, continues to be the party of trump. >> yeah. well, i think you are right about all of those things. but remember, if we can organize and effectuate a third party. and even if that third party is only 10% of the electorate and it's taking votes away from the current-trump party or the republican party. the -- the irony, anderson, is they're really the rhinos. really, they are sort of like trump in name only. so, if we can get 10, possibly 15, percent of the people. and by the way, that could, also, energize independents and, you know, centrist democrats. so it'll -- it'll be an interesting thing.

i think it's the right course. if someone was asking me my opinion, then trying to primary people, in a gerrymandered district. where the republicans can bring the radicals out to vote for them. if you -- if you have a standing candidate, you can start liquidating them on the edges, if you will. and then, they'll -- they'll lose those congressional seats. and then, that will force a restructuring of the party. so, yes, it's not going to be easy. but you've got two choices here. you can go with radical-fringe trumpism, where these people are literally signaling to you that they want to destroy your democracy. or you can try to set up people that really love the country, that have center-right values, can try to set up something new or a faction inside that party to rebut them. and this is a crisis, very, very similar to 1856 into the 1860 election. and so, you know, listen. we -- we've been here before, unfortunately. we've never had an insurrection, like this.

and this party's stainwed with that and so we have to rebuild it. >> you tweeted a couple days ago, republicans would be spineless if they acquitted the former president. you said they would be on a path to destroy whatever is left of their party. all but seven republicans voted to acquit. many are now facing censure by their state parties, which seems more than the former president has -- has gotten. why aren't they getting the credit, that you say, they deserve? >> well, time will tell. i mean, i -- i -- obviously, the president still controls the party. he's got 80% support, inside that party. remember, the registrations, the pew-research numbers, had them down to 29% a year ago. we believe that there's been way more disaffection. so, you probably have 25% of the electorate. the president controls 80% of those. so, that's 20% of the electorate. so, you're right. you know, but, you know, it's only 20%. so, if they're censuring people, you have to just think about where it's coming from. it's really, only 20% of the

electorate right now. and as we both know, the largest group of registrations are the independents. and so, there is a big opportunity here. and if you think like an entrepreneur. i've started a few companies, in this country. if you think like an entrepreneur, there's demand out there for a center-right, virtuous party. someone that would decry what has happened, as it related to trumpism. and what is happening in terms of the disfiguring of the principles that the republican party has stood on since abraham lincoln. to me, i think it's a huge opportunity. >> but, you know, former president won against a whole stage of republicans, who were decrying just that. i mean, lindsey graham, you know, was talking about -- lindsey graham, you know, was right, back then. he said this -- this guy is going to destroy our party. you know, ted cruz, for goodness sakes, was decrying that, as well. graham is now saying republicans can't take back the senate, without the former president's support. and that the former, first

daughter-in-law is the future of the republican party. i mean -- >> okay. but so -- just -- just think like an entrepreneur, for a second. imagine that we were able to galvanize 10 or 15% of the center-right movement in the country. and we took that party down to, let's call it, 30% of the electorate. >> uh-huh. >> they'll have no standing, anderson. i think -- i think that's got to be the first step in terms of the preserving of the democracy. >> did you -- like, forming a cente cen center-right party. i mean, how would that actually work? obviously, you would need, you know, people who had money to back this idea. like, what are the nuts and bolts of it? >> well, listen. again, it's like a business startup. you need a group of people, that are very interested in doing it. people that are willing to fund it. you have to put up some organizing principals. i don't want to go into all the names of the people i am speaking to right now because i don't know if they want to be open about it.

some of them, probably, want to remain anonymous, at this moment. but there's, already, a notion about, potentially, having a convention in a place like ripon, wisconsin, in the fall of this-coming year. and so, to me, you know, it's very, very exciting. and if you can get, as i said, 10 to 15% of the people moving towards that party. i think people are sick and tired of the separation, and i think people are tired of the radicalism that's coming from the trump fringe of the republican party. you could have something very exciting happen, in the age of social media. in the age of this sort of gorilla-like communication. so, you know, look, look, anderson. there's enough people. again, i believe, it's 10 to 15%, that will say i've had enough of this nonsense. we had a direct threat to our democracy and our constitution, as a result of these people and the way they talk and the way they act.

and that acquittal. that enough is enough. brave men and women will come together, and see if they can help save the democracy by forming something. and again, it could be a faction, inside. or it could be a brand-new party. and to your point, let's say, they put a trump-like figure up and they win the presidential nomination. if there's a third-party candidate out there, that has standing, very, very low probability that person will win. >> yeah. anthony scaramucci, appreciate it. thanks for your time. >> good to be here. still ahead. as house speaker pelosi calls for a 9/11-style commission to exactly what happened as why the capitol was breached. federal investigators focusing on one particular extremist group, for what they say, their role in the rioting. that's next. ...or this... ...or even this... ...we've seen and covered it. so, call 1-800-farmers and get a quote today. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪

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as reported at the top of the program, nancy pelosi is calling for an independent commission to examine every aspect of the attack on january 6th. as sara sidner reports, one particular group is fast-becoming a focus of investigators, looking into their brazenness and even their suspected ties to law enforcement. >> reporter: members of the extremist, anti-government, oath keepers, were a part of this siege. >> fight for trump! >> reporter: they are seen in combat gear, brazenly, bragging about breaching the capitol. >> overran the capitol.

>> reporter: the extremist, paramilitary group is known for recruiting current and former members of the military and law enforcement. it has emerged as one of the groups that is a major focus of federal investigators. the fbi is trying to hunt down the suspects, in these photos. some of whom, are wearing oath-keeper gear. these three-alleged oath keepers and military veterans, jessica watkins, donovan crowell, and thomas caldwell, were the first to face significant charges related to the attack. >> oath keepers received messages, while he was at the capitol. >> reporter: the federal claims against the accused oath keepers even mentioned during the second impeachment trial against former-president donald trump. >> the leader was given directions, to where representatives were thought to be sheltering. and instructions to, quote, turn on gas. seal them in. >> reporter: accused leader of the group that day, caldwell,

denies any involvement with the oath keepers. his attorney claims the fbi has shown no evidence of him inside the capitol. in court papers, his lawyer says he worked for the fbi. and has held a top-security clearance, since 1979. but this is, also, caldwell talking about members of congress on january 6th. >> every single [ bleep ] in there is a traitor. every single one! >> reporter: a source with inside knowledge of how the oath keepers operate, told cnn, about a dozen members were in federal-law enforcement, but purposely kept off the group's official-membership database. >> would it be a surprise, that someone who was in federal-law enforcement, was a member of the oath keepers? >> unfortunately not. right? for years, oath keepers have been targeting, you know, military and law-enforcement personnel, especially at the federal level, with their messaging recruitment. >> reporter: federal prosecutors say, just days before the attack, caldwell discussed, with another extremist, bringing weapons across the potomac via

boat. we could have our quick-response team, with the heavy weapons, standing by. load them and ferry them across the river to our, waiting arms. federal agents say he, also, sent messages to accused oath keepers, crowell and watkins. in this one to crowell, he says, i will probably do prestrike on the 5th. maybe, can do some night hunting. and then, mentions when his oath-keeper friends from north carolina will show up. in video from january 6th, it appears the three may not have been acting alone. watkins is seen, with others, marching towards the capitol. the fbi said she was part of a group of eight to ten people, all, wearing paramilitary gear and oath keeper paraphernalia, signifying their affiliation with the conspiracy-fueled, anti-government group. here she is, again, behind the guy with the eye patch. the leader and founder of the oath keepers, stuart rhodes, in the november trump rally in d.c. two months later, he is seen outside the capitol during the

attack. he has not been charged with any crime. he was clear on his oath keepers' mission in d.c. >> our mission there, as we stated in our call to action to go to d.c., always do, protect people, protect venues, protect events. that's, you know, vip escorts. >> reporter: and some did. appearing to stand guard with trump adviser roger stone. this is oath keeper of new jersey, according to several people who know him. later that day, he is seen yelling at police outside the capitol. soon after, a man wearing the same goggles and clothing is seen breaching the capitol. despite the mounting evidence, and manhunt for some of his oath keepers, this is rhodes, 24 days after the siege, talking about the current government. >> so there is going to be resistance. the only question is what will be the spark? >> reporter: still, spewing the lie that the election was stolen. and egging on his followers to act. >> we got to declare this regime to be illegitimate. we got to declare everything that comes out of king biden's

mouth as illegitimate, and null and void from inception. he is not a legitimate president. >> he is continuing to use violent rhetoric, and spread conspiracies that frame, you know, today's events in a way that necessitate action, on the part of his followers. >> reporter: though, rhodes, says it was a mistake for people to actually go inside the capitol that day. even in light of the insurrection, his rhetoric has not changed. >> they have plans for us that they know we'll rebel against. and they are afraid because there are 365 million of us. we outnumber them, vastly. and we are armed. well remarmed. so they have a problem and so they're afraid. >> sara, we know, according to those who track them, there are these so-called oath keepers in states throughout the country. have any of them come forward, and denounced what happened on january 6th? >> yeah. this is kind of the first time that we have heard such a strong denouncement. there were oath keepers from north carolina, a chapter there.

the state coordinator wrote a letter to his sheriff, actually, and that letter was shared with us, with their permission. and basically, said that they were horrified about what they saw. the capitol attack that day, on january 6th. and that they believe that the national leadership of the oath keepers could have stopped it, but did nothing. and so, in the end, they decided they are going to end their affiliation with the oath keepers there, in north carolina, and do their own thing. i, also, should mention that we tried to reach out to roberto manuta, who was there, standing near roger stone, in his oath-keeper gear. he was, also, seen yelling at a police officer. he did not respond to our comment. someone at his business said that he had no comment. we also tried to reach out to jessica watkins and donovan crowell. they are both, still, in jail. and they do not have attorneys representing them, yet. anderson. >> it's fascinating sara sidner, appreciate it. one final piece of related, breaking news. just now, to censure senator richard burr for his vote to

convict the former president. the party issuing a statement that reads, in part, quote, the ncgop agrees with the strong majority of republicans, u.s. house of representatives and senate, that the democrat-led attempt to impeach a former president lies outside the united states constitution. more breaking news coming up. cdc is out with new numbers on the percentage of school kids living in or near so-called red zones, where covid transmission is high or substantial. tell you what that means, ahead. this rain is bananas. lease the 2021 es 250 all-wheel drive for $349 a month for thirty six months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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my blood pressure is borderline. garlique healthy blood pressure formula helps maintain healthy blood pressure with a custom blend of ingredients. i'm taking charge, with garlique. there is breaking news from the cdc, tonight. in a new e-mail to cnn, a spokesman says even though the vast majority of school children, 89%, live in or near so-called red zones. areas where the transmission of the virus is high or substantial, that does not mean schools in those regions should be shut down. this, as the broad numbers show overall cases in the u.s. are, in fact, while -- are, in fact, down, while those covid variants

are increasing. two imposing inflexion points. we want to get perspective now from two experts. director of the vaccine education center at the children's hospital of philadelphia and dr. leana wen, cnn medical analyst and former health commissioner for the city of baltimore. so, dr. wen, cdc says even though 89% of kids in the u.s. live in counties experiencing either high or substantial levels of transmission. in-person learning can move forward, as long as schools are, quote, strictly implementing mitigation and monitoring cases in the school community. so, do you agree with that? >> i do. i think, we now do have very good evidence of this. that, first of all, the single-most important determinant of whether schools are safe is the level of transmission in the community. and second, that even if the levels are high, there are things that can be done. of course, the higher the rate of infection, the more things you need to do in schools. the more you have to not only have masking and physical distancing. but you, also, have to focus on other things, like improved

ventilation. now, i do want to say, though, it's just such a tragedy that we have 89% of our students living in these high-risk areas. i think, this represents a failure of our society to prioritize our children. because if we had wanted to, this summer, this fall, this winter, we could have done the hard things to drive down community transmission rates. we haven't done that, and that's why so many of our students are out of school. and i just hope that, moving forward, we do not put all of society's failures on our children and on the teachers and staff who work in them. >> dr. offett, i want to get dr. osterholm, member of the covid-advisory board, said earlier today about the cdc guidance, in schools. i am just going to play that, for our viewers. >> at this point, i think, most schools can handle the guidelines, relative to the younger kids. but the problem is, is that, again, as i pointed out, as case numbers rise in our communities, which is what the cdc has flagged, will be the problem. so, at this point, many areas

can open up. i don't think they'll be open very long because of what's coming down the pike, with cases. >> do you -- do you think that's accurate? that, as soon as schools reopen, they -- they may have to close, again, because of -- he is talking about the variants that may be coming down the pike. >> right. so -- so, what's striking to me is that -- that it's mid-february. it's the middle of winter. and this is a -- and it's sars-cov-2 is a winter-respiratory virus. nonetheless, we have a decrease in cases, decrease in hos hospitalizations, decrease in deaths. why? why is that happening? i think there is two reasons. one is that look at the -- the -- the sort of natural immunity. in other words, we list that 28 million people have been infected with this virus. but that's just people who have been tested, and found to be infected. many people, who are either asymptomatically infected or have mild disease never get tested. so how do you know how many people in this country have really been infected? you do antibody-surveillance studies, to see who's been exposed to the virus. when those studies were done in november, it showed the number

off by a factor of four. it's more likely at least 80 million people in this country have already been exposed to this virus and are immune. in addition, you have about 50 million doses of vaccine that are out there. about 12 million people have been given two doses. so add that all up. that's roughly another 10% of the population. now, you are at 35% of the population that is, at some level, immune from moderate-to-severe disease. that -- enough to start to see evidence of herd immunity. i think dr. otsterholm might be right if one of these variants becomes completely resistant to vaccine immunity. even the south african variant, the so-called b 351 variant. people exposed to that virus, who have been immunized with vaccines we are giving here, are still apparently protected against severe. so until we cross that line, i think, right now, there is a lot of reason for optimism.

but again, this virus is humbling. i think, whenever people make predictions about this virus, they may be humbled by it. but i am going to say i think we are starting to see evidence of turning the corner. >> dr. wen, do you agree with that? >> i am not so sure, that i am quite as optimistic at dr. offet here. maybe, we are turning the corner. the spring. the weather's going to be warmer. maybe, we are going to see a consistent decline. but i am also worried about a pattern we have seen in the past, which is that we see a big surge. we see restrictions being put into place. that surge decreases. and then, as soon as that -- as soon as restrictions get lifted again, people start behaving, in pre-pandemic ways, that are unsafe. and then, we see another surge. and right now, we are at a very high level of infection. we are at two-and-a-half-times the level of daily new cases we had in the summer and we have these new variants coming that i'm not sure we can exact hi predict how they'll go.

actually, schools that were open, the entire time, had to close, as a result. so, i am not sure that i would feel as optimistic and i do want to urge people, still, that we need to keep up our guard. that policymakers, really, should think twice before removing restrictions, especially mask keep on masking, physical distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings in the meantime. >> doctor, you would agree with that? even those who have been vaccinated, even those who maybe have had it, wearing masks is still important for a whole variety of reasons? >> yes. i think it's still important, obviously, to do everything we can to get people vaccinated, to wear masks, social distance. we're just starting to see us turn the corner. but by no means are we out of the woods. there's still a long way to g i agree with dr. wen completely that we immediate to keep our guard up. we may be seeing some early evidence of herd immutant. we'll see what happens. >> dr. offit, appreciate it. dr. wen, as always, appreciate

your time. governor andrew cuomo conceded he wasn't transparent enough when the pandemic crisis was at its height after withering criticism at the failure to release the accurate number of nursing home deaths from the state. political opponents said he was hiding the information. still, governor cuomo said nothing was deliberate and he should have done better with what he calls misinformation. more now from brynn gingras. >> we made a mistake. >> reporter: finally speaking out days after his top aide admitted their office when would data for months about deaths of nursing home residents. acknowledging on monday the data was not provided soon enough. >> in retro expect, we should have prioritized, providing more information. >> reporter: but arguing that the state's death counts were accurate, and that information was not hidden. >> to be clear, all the deaths in the nursing homes and in the

hospitals were always fully, publicly and accurately reported. >> until late last month, new york only accounted separately for people who died from covid-19 in long-term care facilities like nursing homes, but the data didn't include the number of residents from those facilities who died after they were transferred to a hospital or elsewhere. >> the public had many questions and concerns, and the press had many questions about nursing homes primarily. and i understand that they were not answered quickly enough. >> the tipping point came when, in a private video call the governor's top aide, melissa derosa, told state lawmakers they delayed giving updated information to them after then president trump's department of justice sent an inquiry about nursing home deaths in the state, because, quote, basically we froze because then we were in a position where we weren't sure of what we were going to give to the department of justice or what we give to you guys. what we start saying was going

to be used against us. her words, an admission that the administration stalled on showing a true picture of just how many nursing home residents died, just as the governor was lauded globally for his pandemic response. >> between his emmy for his coronavirus press briefings to governor cuomo's book, to his speech at the democratic national convention, governor cuomo has been held up as the model governor in his coronavirus response, even though new york was so hard hit by the virus early on. >> reporter: cuomo arguing today much the same as his top aide that, request for data by former president trump's department of justice was politically motivated but took priority over the state legislature's request. >> everybody was working 24 hours a day. everybody was overwhelmed. we were in the midst of dealing with a pandemic and trying to save lives. they were answering doj. >> reporter: now taking heat from both sides of the new york

legislature. >> the gravity of this cover-up cannot be overstated. >> reporter: republicans declaring he should be investigated. some even using the word "impeachment." >> andrew cuomo must be prosecuted and andrew cuomo must be impeached if this evidence exists. >> reporter: democrats are actively discussing drafting a bill to strip cuomo of his emergency powers. you're only sorry that you all got caught tweeted democratic senator alexander biaggi. >> in your piece you mentioned some republicans are mentioning impeachment. we heard that. what's the fallout, political or otherwise, from all of this? >> reporter: yeah, anderson. the governor said he's not really worried about investigation. he said he pretty much put everything out there today so there's nothing more to investigate. so, it will be -- we'll have to see really if republicans are going to continue with an investigation. again, they're calling to impeach him, or if they're satisfied with what he said today. even democrats have said that they might want to dig into

these numbers even further. one thing to point out that one critic told me, anderson, is that if the governors office had to prioritize responding to the doj and had to give later on the numbers to the state, then how did his administration, how did the governor have time to write a more than 300-page book about his administration's response to the pandemic, if they couldn't do both at the same time? there's still a lot of criticism that is out there. this is likely something that will plague him. as we know, the governor is up for re-election next year. anderson? >> clearly with the press conference today, hoping to put this behind them. it doesn't sound like he maybe accomplished that. >> reporter: yeah. it's really unclear at this point. there are still some questions out there, of course, going back to that leaked phone call with his top aide, melissa derosa, saying that they were worried numbers were going to be used against them when they responded either to the doj or the state legislature. what does that mean? why not have the number total of the nursing home deaths all one number from the very beginning? there are little bits of

information that people want really clear answers to, particularly the people who lost the loved ones because that's really, of course, what this is all about. they want to make sure that their loved one was accounted for accurately. >> brynn gingras, appreciate it. thank you very much. we'll be right back. ♪ comfort in the extreme. the lincoln family of luxury suvs. my body is truly powerful. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away

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as mentioned, president biden makes his first trip to milwaukee for cnn town hall. it's at 9:00 p.m. not 8:00 p.m. when i am usually on. we are flip flopping. he will start at 8:00. tonight he is on at 9:00, which starts right now. >> happy to switch it up. it will be really an event to watch. see you then. right now, i am chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." we need to be real about where things stand. so, let's get after it. and today is perfect timing, especially for president's day. as y