, he says joe biden has always had balls. sometimes more balls than sense. >> right. >> but that is how joe biden approached things. at least back then, at least through the '80s. and i wonder if the last few decades of joe biden's life, everything he's done in some ways the tragedies and some ways the experiences, what kind of perspective you think that has given him as he takes office tomorrow? >> yeah. i think perspective is the keyword, john. you know, he is in so many ways at the age of 78 the product of the best moments of his life and the worst moments of his life. we know the stories of the tragedy the losses he suffered and the setbacks, the things of his own doing, failing out of the '87, '88 presidential race. and it took him a while, took him some years later before he could acknowledge, as he said in 2008, i wasn't ready to be president. and there is a sense in which the man we see today who is a little calmer, a little quieter, a little slower than he was when he got into this business, as that ambitious man in

and first, joe biden has to just take the temperature out of the room a little bit. less partisan talk which he has already done. telling his party we have to work together. understanding the new majorities are not that big and we have very tight window in the first 100 days to get some big things done. to your point he has to start being very factual and have daily press briefings, communicating with people and explaining why it is important to take the virus shot, and why it is important to pass a stimulus bill and to just be really factual. >> right. >> i think those are the things he has to do and do it in his typical uncle joe way of explaining to the country the difficult choices that are ahead. >> jim, always a pleasure and i will see you later. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> prominent republican senators taking public shots tonight. split on how to solve the problem like donald trump's impeachment trial. a new update right after this break. it's a thirteen-hour flight, that's not a weekend trip. fifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off.

we've seen joe biden's emotional before. this is clearly moving for him. >> joe biden is an emotional man. he always has been, and i think now even more so. when you consider the difference between donald trump and joe biden, it couldn't be more different. i once asked joe biden if he was the polar opposite of donald trump and he jokingly crossed himself and said, "i hope so." here you see it. he's someone who believes he owes an awful lot to the state of delaware. they sent him to the senate right from the county council when he was elected. he wasn't old enough to serve in the senate. he was one of the youngest people ever elected to senate and now one of the oldest to ever put his hands on the bible, to be sworn in as president. of course, the mention of beau biden and him saying that he only had one regret, that we should be introducing him as president, meaning beau. he doesn't keep that a secret. he doesn't keep a lot of things secret when it comes to his emotions and his family and his love for his family. again, it's

they called him joe biden 2.0. he often said -- joe biden would often say beau has all my best qualities and none of my worst. and there was a real sense of service and commitment and the presidency, and all of these things are wrapped up in one for the biden family. >> john king, as we see this motorcade leave joint base andrews and make that drive over to the lincoln memorial for this memorial service, honoring the 400,000 americans who have died from coronavirus, we can't stress enough that this is the first thing that the president-elect of the united states wanted to do. remember and honor the victims of coronavirus. and that is in such stark contrast, as you point out, to what the current president, the outgoing president of the united states has wanted to do over these many, many months. >> the current president, who will be the former president this time tomorrow, has ignored the pandemic, denied fact, logic, reason and so on from the very beginning. he said it was not going to be a pandemic. he said it wou

he has not called joe biden. joe biden won the election. he won the election. donald trump had every right to challenge it. to ask for recounts, to go to court. he did that. and more than 60 times, judges, including judges he appointed told him to go away. you have no evidence. he does not have the grace to call the president-elect. he was not. we'll see if it happens. he's not planning to adhere to the tradition of leaving a note. maybe part of this is the covid era, but no meeting at the white house, nothing to show respect for the office and respect for the democracy. it's more than awkward. it's reprehensible. but it's a testament to what we have seen for four years. this has been the grievance, grievance presidency every day. it's the mexicans' fault, black people's fight, rinos fault, meaning republicans in name only. it's mike pence's fault that he wouldn't stand up for the president in the capitol building. president trump always blamed somebody else which is part of the turning of the page we'll see. joe biden's personal tragedy to become president now

and joe biden did a lot of brave things in 2020. don, i know your new book deals so much with civil rights, and james baldwin, and the like. but biden on july 4th, urged americans. he said we're going to rip the roots of systematic racism, and it was an important statement when biden made it. i think tomorrow will be about unity. but i think biden on week two and three will have to be a fighting, happy warrior. we'll have to collectively take on all of the crises and the management that we haven't done properly during the trump administration. >> thank you, the book was number one on amazon today, and it talks about the issues we're dealing with. so i appreciate you mentioning it today. president trump has raised the idea of starting to new political party in recent days. it's unclear how determined he is to do this. but what would that mean for the republican party, and what would that mean for this country, because i think it would mean good news for democrats. they would say, bring it on. because it splits republicans. no? >> i d

joe biden. >> all right, pamela. thank you so much. appreciate it. arlette, it is perhaps the most important speech of his life, the one that the president-elect is about to deliver. he did a decent job at the democratic convention. but this is going to be a tougher task because the country is in real pain and is deeply divided. what can you tell us about the work that president-elect biden is doing on this speech? >> reporter: well, the president-elect is aware of the gravity and the moment that this speech will offer as this country really in a divided moment and also grappling with this pandemic. but i'm told that the president-elect is likely to make final tweaks on his speech until the very last minute. this is not entirely surprising in biden world. he is a meticulous preparer for speeches big and small, and he's often flown to make those changes until the very, very last minute. now, the president-elect has been working on this speech for a few weeks with his chief speech writer, renee re

even what joe biden will face, you can imagine joe biden a veteran of washington, cultural politics of this town. is thinking about the daunting challenge of hitting a reset of four years of donald trump. what he attempted to do, what trump did, and the division in the country. the stakes are very, very high. and manifestations of that, the ravages of the pandemic on top of all of that, will be evident as the 46th president looks out across the national mall on this chilly morning, and this chilly midday, to see no spectators. no fellow americans watching him because of a combination of the division in the country, which creates this armed encampment and the threats of his inauguration and the pandemic. so there's a lot for him to deal with. there's no doubt -- i hope he's getting good sleep, but it makes for a difficult morning. >> natasha, it feels as though we're in this period of suspended animation. people holding their breath. the president still in the white house, he will fly off but it will take much longer than that, obviously, for americans and historians and everybody to pr

of joe biden's approach. that's a repudiation of donald trump's approach. that's the wages of four years of alienating our allies and of refusing the work with them on these issues and that's true both in the asia-pacific and in europe. and so when joe biden takes office on january 20th and sits down in consultation out of mutual respect with key like-minded economies that as i said, collectively comprise of 60% of the world's economy, we're confident that we can develop a common agenda on issues where we share deep concerns about china. it's not just on trade. it's on technology. it's on human rights. it's on military aggression. and so our proposition, which we will begin testing when we take office, because, of course, we're not in office yet, is that will put us in a stronger position to be able to deal with china effectively, in a clear-eyed way and in a way that delivers the kind of results that have entirely escaped the trump administration over the last four years. >> there is a domestic political rea

like joe biden doesn't know what's happening. today joe biden came out prepared. he knew the facts. he knew the statistics. he knew what was happening on immigration, on one side of the border and on the other side of the border. he was a man fully in control and at the same time, doing it all with empathy. >> i think you're correct. the whole idea about joe biden, listen, it is not a razzle dazzle sort of con, snake oil salesman of the former president. and not the cool customer of a barack obama. it was, you know, uncle joe, right? this guy who want to work for the american people, who knew the facts but was that out there to impress people. i just want to do the work. so let's talk some policy here. okay? because the former president trump was on fox tonight. this is what he said about officials charging insurrectionists. watch this. >> they go after people, i guess you would call them, lean toward the right. they wave american flags in many cases. they're waving the american flag and they love our country. it was zero threat right from the start. it was zero threat. look. they w

joe biden is a uniter in nature. he's not going to have rhetoric daily that is aimed at dividing the country and dividing neighbor from neighbor in america. that's not his approach at all. so, there's reason there to be hopeful because he has set this goal to really try to bring america together and he actually says he thinks it's the only way to succeed at battling covid. and so, it's his mission. i think you're right to be optimistic, but i think you have to understand the country is so divided and that number i think exposes the division more than anything else. >> david chalian, margaret talev, thank you both very much for your thoughts. >>> so u.s. capitol police officers tell cnn they were unprepared and outnumbered. they say they feel betrayed by their leadership after the capitol insurrection. one officer says he was just trying to survive. all of that is next. research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that

joe biden knows that. he understands that and that's why he is the president for this moment. >> but he's got to reach the other side who has not been to this point willing to even accept that he is the actual president of the united states. that's a tall order, jason. >> well, it is a tall order. >> >> but look at the speech he gave yesterday. he didn't talk about himself, he didn't talk o about donald trump, he talked about america and bringing it altogether. he has been consistent. like a broken record. when he came here joe biden is saying the same old thing about unity and folks coming together. he has been like a broken record time and time again talking about this issue of bringing this country together and healing us. some people don't want. that's okay. you take the time you need but eventually you'll have somebody with open arms saying let's move forward together. >> i want you to help me understand this. you mentioned his speech and what he talked about. i'm not sure how people got this out of h

joe biden quoted st. augustine today. >> also you think about the three former presidents that we saw gather together to speak about this moment in history, to speak about the new president merchandise the former president who just left office could have been among those three, could have been four. and forevermore now one considers when there are gatherings of all the presidents will the most recent president who just left, will he be in there? >> not a chance. >> i've been thinking about this a lot. if two things had happened donald trump would have left washington in a much different way today. if during this pandemic he had leveled with people and just advocated from the beginning people wear masks, that would be one thing. and obviously if he had accepted the results of the election and he had done what all other presidents have done in assisting his successor and leaving gracefully. as he praised barack obama for doing four years ago in his own speech, in his inaugural address. i think he would have

can joe biden's administration pull it off? we'll take a look. when you switch to xfinity mobile, you're choosing to get connected to the most reliable network nationwide, now with 5g included. discover how to save up to $300 a year with shared data starting at $15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. you can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store. >>> welcome back, everyone. u.s. president joe biden is making moves to address the economic toll of the pandemic. his top economic official held a call with a bipartisan group of senators on sunday. the white house is trying to drum up support for its proposed $1.9 trillion covid relief package. a source says the call was productive, but members want more details on where the money is needed most. cnn's john joins us now. with so many americans lining up at food banks, so

joe biden's party is not doing him any favors. i talked to several members of congress who spoke to him as he was trying to encourage them. they said he was very on tap with the numbers and he knew exactly what was in this bill. he said he was confused by one thing, confused by the divisions in the party, they could not simply get around this. so the thought that sticks democrats voting against infrastructure, they should be primaried. we'll see what happens with all that. the biggest problem in the white house is the biggest challenge are democrats themselves. >> look at how democrats view the president according to npr, pbs and marist poll from october 18th. do democrats have a better chance of winning the presidency with biden as the nominee? 36%, just 36% say yes. 44% say no and 20% are unsure. >> right, if you dig deeper on someone else. >> who? >> there is no other choice who is more popular. i think what you said is exactly right. is biden lbj or is biden fdr? maybe biden's eisenhower. if all he gets is infrastructure he'll

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but you are hearing from people like senator joe manchin, saying they have questions how big joe biden is trying to go. but he is reasoning that, not in washington, but on the road today here in georgia for this first stop. he's going to pennsylvania tomorrow. he's got several more stops planned for next week, because what they're focusing on is selling it as -- i heard you talking about this transformational moment. they view it that way, but he sees an opening given the pandemic and given the economic disaster that followed that, see thing is a spot where they can succeed in getting a plan like this through with what he envisions. whether or not that happens still remains to be seen. how do american voters feel about this? we saw the polling on the coronavirus relief bill. that relief bill paired with the infrastructure bill and paired with the american families plan is about $6 trillion in spending. that's a whole lot of spending. so i think that is going to be a massive question facing them. but the way joe biden was trying to sell it here tonight, and what we are hearing from offi

joe biden said he doesn't trust the taliban. so we have to ask, is he correct that sit a better counterterrorism strategy to take our finger off the scale in afghanistan and to use over the horizon capabilities, i suppose he means hell fire missiles, to deal with future terrorism. or was it better for us to meddle a little in the politics of afghanistan, because that place is so unstable, that there are many terrorist organizations to disrupt and it's harder to disrupt if we're outside of the country. that's to be seen, and that's going to be the legacy. >> tim, thank you very much. >>> evacuating all americans from afghanistan who want to leave, the president says that's the goal, even though admitting it may be an impossible one to meet. right now, more than a dozen american students are stranded in afghanistan with their families. the frantic effort to get them out safely, next. for what you ! with customized car insurance from liberty mutual! nothing rhymes with liberty mutual. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. libert

inauguration of president-elect joe biden four days away. shimon prokupecz is working his sources up on capitol hill for us. cnn's matt rivers and then jeremy diamond at the white house. shimon, what more do we know about this disturbing arrest by u.s. capitol police of this virginia man? >> reporter: right, his name is wesley allen bealer and we're told based on some information we've obtained he drove up to e street northeast and presented this fake credential. this inaugural credential and when the authorities checked on the list to see if he had, in fact, been credentialed to enter, they say they did not see that, and so when they asked some questions, he told them he had a weapon in the car and that's when they removed a 9 millimeter glock and as you said, found over 500 rounds of ammunition. one of the biggest concerns here, obviously, is that fake inaugural credential and obviously, the weapon and the ammunition in the car. we don't know much more at this point. authorities are continuing to investigate what he was doing there, but as

joe biden said it beautifully. if you're going to unite, you must remember and we must -- and look at that is our responsibility, to uphold the integrity of the congress. united states. that is our responsibility. to protect and defend the constitution of the united states. and that is what we will do. and just because he's now gone, thank god, that we -- you don't say to a president do whatever you want in the last months of your administration, you're going to get a get out of jail card free because people think we should make nice and forget that people died here on january 6th, that the attempt to undermine our election, to undermine our democracy, to dishonor our constitution, no. i don't see that at all. i think that would be harmful to unity. >> speaker pelosi -- >> madam speaker, a year ago in the last impeachment trial you said you could not have a trial without documents and witnesses, i'm wondering what kind of trial you would like to see your impeachment managers put forward and is that what you're wait

president joe biden. why? because if you want to get things done, and he has to get things done, he needs to figure out what the paths are and that includes through the gop. it matters. we saw what happened when you play one side and make the other side the enemy. you get where we are. we want better we have to do differently. some of the music biden hopes will heal the nation. >> they're playing our song later. >> i will be president for all americans. all americans. i promise you i will fight as hard for those who didn't support me as for those who did. we're all finding ways to keep moving. but how do we make sure the direction we're headed is forward? at fidelity, you'll get the planning and advice to prepare you for the future, without sacrificing the things that are important to you today. we'll help you plan for healthcare costs, taxes and any other uncertainties along the way. because with fidelity, you can feel confident that the only direction you're moving is forward. these folks, they don't have ti

>> well, we need joe biden. joe biden, and i was talking with somebody the other day, and they asked, well, do you think that joe biden is going to be a good president? joe biden didn't win the presidency for a few times, but my grandma always taught me, don, that we have a plan as individuals, and the lord has a plan for us, and that sometimes the plans are not the same, but we need to follow the plan. so i think that this is the moment for joe biden. he was made for this moment. we need somebody who is empathetic who has gone to hell and gone back and someone who understands the power of joy and bringing folks together. joe biden knows that. he understands that. and that is why he is the president for this moment. >> but he has to reach the other side who has not been to this point willing to even accept that he is the actual president of the united states. that is a tall order, jamie. >> well, it is a tall order. but look at the speech that he gave yesterday. he did not talk about himself or donald trump, but

that's an inheritance coming from the last administration and joe biden just -- joe biden got -- he inherited four simultaneous crisis and i think he's done as well as any human being could do. i do welcome this lower key approach for a while in the presidency. i think it suits him well and i think it suits the country well. >> it gives us all a chance to take a deep breath which has been hard to do over the past four years. remember trump's first super bowl interview? that's when he made the big uproar over questions about putin and he said, oh, you think america is so innocent? talk about contrast in tone, right? david gergen, thank you so much, sir. >> good to see you again. >> you too. >>> coming up, you've heard of the more contagious variant in the uk, a new study has found it is spreading rapidly here in the united states. what does that mean for the fight against the pandemic? that's next. you're live in the cnn newsroom. i give to shriners hospitals for children because i want to be a part of something amazing. - i know my gift to shriners hospitals for children makes a difference in

joe biden is swinging for the fences. you look at this speech, this is a once in a century opportunity to reset the american system. you're talking about a free community college? you're talking about child care. you're talking about family leave. you're talking about the family economics that are on display here will change people's lives in a real way. so i think nobody has really put it together yet. this is a big reveal. you put all the stuff together. you've got the deferred maintenance taking care of for how this country can work for more people. i think it's a big deal. >> evan, you wrote the book on joe biden. are you surprised by the direction he's moving? >> he feels this moment calls as van said for something larger than an ordinary set of policy items. in his inauguration address 99 days ago, he mentioned democracy more than any address in history not only because we were two weeks after the insurrection out capitol. it's because he really sees there is a risk if americans don't believe democracy can deliver f

now joe biden followed up on what he was saying with those executive orders and joe biden is doing the same thing and there is placomplaints from the opposite party? should they be surprised and governing like a democrat when that's what he was elected to do? >> you can't go back and forth in between administration like this. you have to get some of this cod fied and put into law. joe biden himself is not a big fan of executive orders except now, they feel they have no chance and gotten momentum and it is the beginning o f the administration so they are undoing a lot of this stuff that trump did, rejoining the paris climate accord and etcetera and undoing the muslim ban and climate change. right now first thing's first, get stimulus passed and covid done. you don't see the president really commenting except a little bit on impeachment. stay out of that also. joe biden was not born yesterday, we all know. he was in the senate for 36 years. he understands and when he needs to hang back and let them have their own fight and just do his j job. >> republicans, the house minority leader, kev

does he even mention joe biden's name? that's what we're looking at today. >> and maggie, just very quickly, you mentioned the possibility that he would pick up the phone and call donald trump. and call joe biden. anymore reporting on that? >> i've heard that it is less likely than it was yesterday, but let's see what happens. >> and tim, as a presidential historian, i'm always struck by these hours, right? joe biden is waking up in blair house and he's got a few hours to kill until he has to address the universe at this critical moment when he takes over the presidency what does history tell us about what these president-elects go through in the hours before they take office? >> well, they used to stay at a hotel, the willard hotel on pennsylvania avenue, and this would be the time when they would check over the notes of their inaugural address. in some -- the original tradition was actually for the incoming president to give the inaugural address before they were sworn in. so they would be looking at their inaugural addr

of joe biden. he's a man that tries to get along with people. i think he should have a couple, three months, but there's going to come a time when a decision is going to have to be made. remember, to get rid of the filibuster takes a simple majority vote. >> senator, you served under that dome for a long time as a member of the united states senate. you also served a long time ago as a member of the capitol police force. i know you live in nevada now, you're back home. what was going through your mind? what was your thought process when you saw the united states capitol under siege from americans? this was not 9/11 where you were told to go into hiding, get out of there, there could be a plane of foreign terrorists coming at the united states capitol. these were americans. what were you thinking? >> john, my first job in washington was a capitol policeman. i carried a pistol, i directed traffic, i helped crowd control. i was a police officer. and when i came to the senate, i was kind of the protect

>> i think joe biden did a great job. you know, in d.c., we often say that this night is a night that kind of lays the foundation for 2022 and 2024. but what joe biden did was really talk to people, who are suffering and who are in pain right now. and have been, for quite some time. but one thing that i thought was really interesting is, as i was listening to, particularly, like, that first-35 minutes, 40 minutes of the speech that really talked about the economy. it felt like that speech was written for women. moms and women, who have been impacted so much by this pandemic. being at home. really, bearing the brunt of childcare. and so, it -- it wasn't ironic, i don't think, that there are two women behind him making history. i also thought it was, you know, unique that he took the time to identify the asian-american/pacific islander community. transgender individuals. african-americans. immigrants. he really, really met the moment. i would -- my only critique would be, and that i was expecting a little bit more, he did t

joe biden will be sworn in on january 20th. the president-elect is forcefully condemning the violent mob that stormed the capitol. we have much more on all of these developments. if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, ...little things... ...can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. the sleep number 360 smart bed. prices of the season on can it help with snoring? i've never

invited joe biden. so certainly tomorrow will look different in that sense from what americans have been used to. >> and i remember thinking seeing barack obama and michelle obama standing at the white house and welcoming the trumps there. it is amazing, when you talk about the most contentious of times, the two people who pushed the birther conspiracy, the obamas were still going to welcome to the white house because that is what you do. these traditions are about the peaceful transfer of power. for the first time in this country we did not see a peaceful transfer of power and joe biden is taking over a country that is so divided, what does history tell you about how joe biden could go about overcoming this? >> well, actually, history on both points, points me to the 1933 inauguration both on the idea that there is a peaceful transfer of power between people who don't like each other and the way crisis could conform to an opportunity. when two men couldn't stand each other and they wouldn't talk to eac

president joe biden in cornwall, england, for the g7 summit. it's his first trip abroad since taking office, it also represents a major attempt at fence mending with america's most reliable european allies after four years of president trump's belligerent isolationism. later today president biden and prime minister boris johnson will embrace a renewed atlantic charter, a strategic document between the u.s. and uk dating back to 1941. the prime minister as summit host said covid-19 and climate change would be major areas of discussion among many others. >> here at the g7 what we're looking at is making sure that we have a new treaty on pandemics, working to that, building back greener, building back better, which is why we're looking at what's going on here in cornwall with all the green technology, but also talking about the values we have in common, everything we want to do together. it is a huge agenda. >> it's worth noting that the g7 actually has eight members if you factor in the eu. from 1998 to 2014 the group was called the g8, but then

so many on the right want to make it seem like joe biden's not in charge, like joe biden doesn't know what's happening. today joe biden came out prepared. he knew the facts. he knew the statistics. he knew what was happening on immig immigration on one side of the border and on the other side of the border. he was a man in authority and in control. and at the same time doing it all with empathy. >> i think you're correct. the whole idea about joe biden -- listen, it's not the razzle-dazzle of the sort of con snake oil salesman of the former president, and continuities the cool customer of a barack obama. as they call it, uncle sle joe,s guy who wants to work for the american people, who knew the facts but wasn't out there to impress people, i just want to do the work. let's talk some policy here. okay, alice? because former president trump was on fox tonight. this is what he said about officials charging insurrectionists. watch this. >> they go after people that i guess you'd call them lean toward the right and they wave american flags, in many cases they're waving the american flag.

joe biden is giving us a road map. he's offering a set of language, opening a door to a way for us to talk about unity, to talk about working across the aisle and i find it very inspiring and i'm excited to be trying to echo those same kind, that same kind of language as i work with republican colleagues. >> yesterday the death toll nearly 700 deaths. the president is saying it's going to get worse before it gets better. >> i think people need to hear the truth. they know on the ground how bad it is. people are losing loved ones, spending hours and hours or days and days trying to get a vaccine appointment. they're struggling to find a covid test. the american people know how bad this is. i think what president biden is trying to do is level with the american people, establish where we are and then begin to lay out a plan for how things can get better, and they need to get better. we need to ramp up vaccine production and distribution. we need to commit at the federal level to state and local funding, but we have to ha

>> john, it's going to be extremely hard for joe biden to do that. but let's just step back and think about the journey that joe biden has traveled to get to this day. i'm older than all of you guys. i was there in the spring of 1987 at the wilmington train station where joe biden announced his first campaign for president. he was a young man then. he was going to galvanize the baby boom vote. new generation of leadership at a time when george h.w. bush represented a previous generation. i was there in the senate office building when he pulled out of that campaign. he was a flawed candidate. 20 years later, tried again in 2007. way overmatched by hillary clinton and barack obama. that campaign was not a success. however, barack obama saw in joe biden somebody who could help him succeed as president. and now we have found almost -- more than 30 years after that initial attempt by joe biden, he has arrived at a place where there is no politician in the united states who has a better opportunity by virtue of his personal characteristics and his experien

and, you know, but joe biden has known mitch mcconnell a long time. he's made very big efforts to reach out, to not demonize mitch mcconnell, to not criticize him during this transition. this will be a first test about whether you can actually see cooperation between the republican leader and the democratic leader in the senate. if they manage to negotiate this, maybe they can manage to negotiate some other things after impeachment is over. >> because i remember when he was a senator and he was a senator for a long time, long before he became vice president of the united states, on so many issues, domestic issues, national security issues, and you remember this well, he worked very closely with his republican colleagues in the senate. in those days there was good bipartisan cooperation. do you think that is potentially available right now, that he will, with the then-minority-leader mitch mcconnell, work closely together? >> i think the safe bet with congress these days is for polarization and gridlock. but that has been the message from joe biden dur

he's leaving before joe biden is going to be sworn in. there are new questions about just how many people are going to be at the sendoff ceremony at joint base andrews. the white house is inviting a lot of people. they can bring up to five guests per invitation. some guests are saying they are not going because of the travel restrictions happening in d.c. or the fallout from the president's response to that attack. it's an open question of what that ceremony is going to look like for the president. that's what we're monitoring. whether or not the president is going to be in public or just make that video that we know he taped on monday, that final farewell address highlighting his accomplishments. that is something we expect the white house to say today. kaitlyn collins, cnn, the white house. >>> some 25,000 national guard troops have been authorized by the pentagon to help keep the inauguration safe, but fears of an inside attack have prompted additional screening of the troops themselves. >> they're screened and repeatedly screened a re

he's -- he's moving now, joe biden. due to his age and due to covid, he's pretty much stayed in washington since the inaugural but now he's going into the midwest. and he's also -- you know, he has such grace notes, joe biden. i think his calling card is he feels other people's pain. we've seen this over and over again. and i think he's always good at slapping people on the back and saying good job. and i believe the medical workers of america, people that are exhausted from a year of this are responding to biden's presidency. they're feeling that they have a leader now who is not working against them. biden's poll numbers are good and all this important first 100 days of his presidency so far has been great. he's done well of probably having to take a low key approach to dealing with the insurrection of trump, not part of the impeachment debacle that occurred on capitol hill. but biden now needs to lead as nancy pelosi said, don, on getting a 9/11 commission report. we need facts as many as we can assemble about what o

this morning it might not be joe biden or zee others. how about joe manchin. he's putting himself in the middle of passing the $2 trillion bill. he indicated overnight he's opposed to passing key legislation on strict party votes, that he is alarmed by that process. and since we haven't heard any republican saying they support the white house infrastructure plan just yet, that puts it in serious, serious peril. later this morning the president will announce his first executive actions on guns in response to the latest flurry of mass shootings. >>> meanwhile the united states reporting more than 70,000 new coronavirus cases. hospitalizations climbing to their highest level in a month, and the cdc confirming that the highly contagious variant which was first identified in the united kingdom is now the most common strain of the coronavirus here in the united states. despite that, the cdc director says she believes all children will be back in classrooms by september. let's beginning with jeremy diamond who's live at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: sen

the coup failed, the weaponized attempt to block the election of joe biden failed. donald trump sent a mob to overrun the capitol, to stop the moment you are about to see, it failed. and vice president mike pence read aloud the results of the election, formalizing the count of the electoral vote. >> within that whole number, a majority is 270. the votes for president of the

so, joe biden does that much better than many do. so, i think that was one of the many memorable connections of the evening. now, did he make some grand policy pronouncement or make headway on how he's going to get the covid bill passed? not necessarily tonight. but he was absolutely relatable. and there was the sense that there is a new president. yes, we've known that. but as he enters the second month of his presidency, it has the sense it's an entirely different moment. so, these young children will be growing up with a different president. so, that, to me, don, stuck out tremendously as he talked to that second grader. >> kaitlan, at one point the president referred to the former president as the former guy. i said is he speaking to the media right now because he doesn't want to talk about him. he wants to put him -- meaning the former guy, as he says -- behind him, in the rear-view mirror. >> yeah, well, jeff noting this is entering almost the second month of his presidency. the first half -- the first beginning part of it has

in just 19 days, president-elect joe biden, he will be inaugurated. in less than a week, we'll know which party will control the u.s. senate. and what will be president trump's influence on the republican party after he leaves office? >> meanwhile, so many americans are struggling financially. so christine romans breaks down what you need to know heading into this new year. we have that and much more ahead on this special new year's edition of "new day." but first, let's get a check of your headlines at the news desk. >> good morning and happy new year. i'm alison kosik in new york. finally, right, the world said good-bye and in most cases good riddance to 2020. the ball dropping in times square amid scant crowds. celebrations here and around the world were very different from normal, muted due to the coronavirus. toronto canceled all in-person celebrations, instead, providing at-home revelers a light show at cn tower streamed live on youtube. coronavirus still hitting grim levels to start the new year. today in a matter of hours, the u.s. will hit 20

>> joe biden, for all the republicans and all the conservatives say how liberal and radical joe biden's socialist agenda is, that's laughable because there is a progressive flank of the democratic party that is pulling joe biden to the left. recall, he said bipartisan ship and working together and unity -- unity seven times in his inaugural address. this is a president who really does -- he's a moderate democrat and he wants to governor from center. he really does want to try to heal the country. it's going quite difficult with the progressive base especially with progressive so senator schumer trying to fight off his left flank from the likes of alexandria ocasio-cortez. they would like to get everything done through reconciliation and destroy the filibuster and ram through a progressive agenda. the problem is joe biden wasn't elected to be president to govern from the progressive left. that was just evident and abundant all down the line as republicans won at the state level and the state legislative level. even in congress. so i think you're right, anna, we're really teeing up to hav

i don't know how much of this is in joe biden's control to get a lot of people that tune out joe biden or in information echo chambers that do not sort of convey the president's message of what he's trying to do on the vaccine. it's going to be very hard for joe biden to reach those. other folks are going to need to reach those americans. >> governor, i want to bring you in now because you're the former governor of the state. biden and you both believe he could work with republicans. but even more importantly, you both believe republicans could work with him. were you right or were you wrong? >> well, look. i mean, two things. first of all, the mood and the tone in our country is much better. people aren't waking up in the morning trying to figure out what the heck just happened down there in the white house, and that's been a really good positive. but i will tell you, don, i think that joe biden is frankly afraid to offend the left wing of his party. and that stops him. look, you might have an infrastructure bill. the minute they negotiate an infrastructure bill, the left goes crazy a

this is a crucial moment for president joe biden. it really is. he's facing one huge challenge after another at home and in the wake of the end of the america's longest war and chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan, the pandemic and the u.s. passing 40 million cases, 40 million cases. the aftermath of hurricane ida and people dead in the gulf and 52 in the northeast and flash floods and tornados. a dramatic picture showing how the climate crisis is ravaging america's ageing infrastructure. big picture, okay? a lot is riding on president joe biden showing he can manage all these crisis at once. and one of the biggest challenges that he faces is covid really. president planning to layout his strategy to stop the spread of delta in a major speech on thursday. but the celebrations in packed stadiums we saw over the labor day weekend may tell us a lot what to expect in the fall and with more kids going back to school. more than one in four of the weekly covid cases in this country are now in children. more than one in four of the weekly covid cases in th

have-hours left until joe biden takes the oath of office. the president, donald trump, will fill some of that time with these pardons. but the spectre of the senate trial has to be hanging over him. and i do think it will color what decisions he makes about pardoning himself, maybe don, jr., rudy guiliani, people, if he does pardon could hurt him in a senate trial. >> well, john, i think you identified the key variable, it's the one ken pointed to a moment ago when he talked about donald trump being transactional. that is all what donald trump is. what makes donald trump and this situation different from previous presidents. there is always las vegas at the end of a presidential term. but there are two guardrails that tend to apply. one is the pardon process through the justice department and the second is, the president's sense of right and wrong, shame, morality in applying this. there is an interaction of those two things. with donald trump, neither of those two things apply. right and wrong does not figure into his calculations. what fig

just one for joe biden. there is one reason, big reason why other nominees haven't been confirmed is debate on going between the top democrat, the new majority leader chuck schumer and senate republican leader mitch mcconnell how they will share power in the congress split 50/50 in the senate and kamala harris will break ties but there is disagreement about how to organize nietthe committ and as a result, the comkcommit process may get derailed meaning nominations may take time to be concerned in the senate. just as joe biden is demanding action on his nominees, it could take awhile for the senate to actually get to that point. still questions remain about whether or not a deal can be reached about whether, how to organize nietthe senate and one reason why is mitch mcconnell is demanding they spare the tactic and democrats say they won't agree to that. amid calls for unity on both sides, call to turn the page uncertain about whether or not the senate can get its act together, get these nominations confirmed

that's where joe biden is strongest. where is he weak? non-call edge degree, men, whites and conservative. you would think largely the trump coalition, president biden has a lot of work to do to win them over there, if he can. campaign promises, so far the american people think this president, 6 in 10 americans think he's doing a good job of keeping his campaign promises, and by and large 6 in 10 americans say this president is keeping his campaign promises so far. let's bring into our conversation right now to share their insights, a republican pollster among the co-founders of public opinion strategies. this is the world we live in, right? joe biden is not going to have an approval rating like george w. bush or barack obama because we lived in polarized time. you focus on the middle of the electorate. why is that so important and how strong is this, 57% approval among independents? >> very strong, and even stronger, 60% among independents on covid, and we have independents for the first time positive on the economy, and they are the one

joe biden won fair and square? was there an election fraud in 2020, are you kidding me? >> reporter: the flip-flop is not sitting well with trump supporters. >> joe biden won the election fairly and squarely? >> i am answering the question. >> he didn't want to talk to us about it either. >> there was that last question -- >> what else did i talked about? >> reporter: he didn't stick around long enough for me to ask. how concerned are california democrats about larry elder? governor newsom campaign released an attack ad on elder increasingly his sharpest attacks have been about larry elder mentioning him by name. the governor has been stressing that in a state where democrats out numbered republicans 2-1, a governor larry elder would be out of step with the majority voters in this liberal state. don. >> kyung lah, we'll be right back. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the

joe biden is the new president. there is a lot of talk about him attempting to unite the country with his words tomorrow. it is a tall order. given the division. what are you looking for, from not just what he said tomorrow but what he does in his first several days in office. >> well, jim, as you and i both know and as our viewers know, joe biden is good at being em pathetic and understanding and being a shoulder for somebody to lay their head on. tomorrow he'll have to try to start reaching out to the 74 plus million americans who voted for donald trump who might not think that he is the right person at the right time for this job. but i do think you're going to see him really try to do bite size major things. and i do think that covid obviously has to be front and center and we've already heard from his administration, we've heard from health officials that they are trackling this right now. in addition to that, you have to look long-term and wonder what could get done in a divided congress in a senate that is a