Anderson Cooper 360

The North Carolina GOP censured Sen. Richard Burr after he voted to convict former President Trump. 16 other Republicans are facing similar backlash. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans for a “9/11-type commission” to investigate the Capitol attack. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders joins AC360 to discuss the clear divide in the GOP and his thoughts on the commission. Plus, the CDC recently released new guidelines for reopening schools including five key mitigation strategies: wearing masks, physical distancing, handwashing, maintaining clean facilities and contact tracing. CNN has learned that about 89% of children under 18 live in a county considered a “red zone” with high levels of Covid-19 transmission. Dr. Paul Offit is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He joins Anderson Cooper to react to the new CDC guidelines and whether or not he thinks the country is “turning the corner.” Airdate: February 15, 2021 Guests: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont Dr. Paul OffitTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Capitol was under attack on January 6th, then-Pres. Trump told House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy the rioters cared more about the election results than he did. In the expletive-laced phone call, McCarthy insisted the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged him to tell them to stop. The Republican members of Congress who were briefed on the call say the exchange shows the former President had no intention of calling off the rioters. Noah Feldman is a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to discuss how these new details could affect the impeachment trial. Plus, one of Trump’s attorneys claims “there was no insurrection.” CNN’s resident fact-checker Daniel Dale talks with Anderson Cooper about some of the false claims from the Trump legal team.       Airdate: February 12, 2021   Guests: Noah Feldman Daniel Dale   As the Capitol was under attack on January 6th, then-President Trump told House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy the rioters cared more about the election results than he did. In the expletive-laced phone call, McCarthy insisted the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged him to tell them to stop. The Republican members of Congress who were briefed on the call say the exchange shows the former President had no intention of calling off the rioters. Noah Feldman is a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to discuss how these new details could affect the impeachment trial. Plus, one of Trump’s attorneys claims “there was no insurrection.” CNN’s resident fact-checker Daniel Dale talks with Anderson Cooper about some of the false claims from the Trump legal team.       Airdate: February 12, 2021   Guests: Noah Feldman Daniel DaleTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Pres. Trump’s legal team met with Republican Senators, who are also jurors in the impeachment trial, to discuss “strategy.” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is also a juror in the trial. He joins AC360 to react to his colleagues meeting with Trump’s lawyers. Plus, a source tells CNN that Trump’s attorneys are looking to shorten their Senate presentation to as little as three hours in order to make it “short, tight and direct.” The former President’s legal team is expected to argue there is no “direct” link between the insurrectionists and Trump. George Conway is a conservative lawyer and has been a staunch critic of the former President. He tells Anderson Cooper that Trump knows the effect of his words and that he had a duty to protect the country on January 6th but did the exact opposite.   Airdate: February 11, 2021   Guests: Sen. Chris Murphy George ConwayTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Advisers to former Pres. Trump say he still hasn’t shown any remorse for the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th. House impeachment managers released new video of the violent mob’s assault, including a clip of then-Vice President Mike Pence and his family being hustled away by Secret Service after rioters entered the building. Independent Sen. Angus King was also at the Capitol that day and is a juror in the trial. He joins AC360 to react to the newly released video and says seeing what Trump did and didn’t do that day was some of the most damning evidence. Plus, legendary newsman Dan Rather reacted to the second day of the impeachment trial by saying “the evidence is damning, chilling, and overwhelming. Only cowardice and complicity stands in the way of conviction.” He tells Anderson Cooper since “we have the proof. We have the clarity. What we need now is the reckoning and the accountability.”       Airdate: February 10, 2021   Guests: Sen. Angus King Dan RatherTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sources tell CNN former Pres. Trump was unhappy with his attorney Brian Castor’s opening argument on the Senate floor during the first day of his second impeachment trial but Castor said “I thought we had a good day.” Six GOP senators joined the Democrats to vote that the impeachment trial is constitutional, including Sen. Bill Cassidy who said he made his decision after Trump’s legal team failed to make a compelling argument. Rep. Adam Kinzinger was one of ten House Republicans to cross party lines and vote to impeach then-President Trump. He tells Anderson Cooper he thinks Trump “bears serious responsibility for what we saw on the 6th and not just the speech that day. It’s the four years of building the ground work leading up to that.” Plus, a GOP senator says a number of their Republican colleagues not only universally believed that the former President’s attorneys were awful during their opening arguments but added “no wonder why the other guys quit.” George Conway is a conservative lawyer, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and has been a staunch critic of Trump. He joins AC360 to discuss Trump’s legal team and to explain why he says these lawyers were “terrible.”   Airdate: February 9, 2021   Guests: Rep. Adam Kinzinger George ConwayTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of his second impeachment trial, sources tell CNN since leaving office former Pres. Trump is fixated on “accountability” for the Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach him and is telling aides he believes he’ll be acquitted. The Trump legal team argues that the former President’s words “fight like hell” at the “Stop the Steal” rally before the insurrection did not incite riots. Meanwhile, a former aide recalls the then-President “loving watching the Capitol mob.” Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is a juror in the upcoming trial and she tells Anderson Cooper “you can’t have a President who just because he clearly loses an election, decides he’s going to mess around with our democracy and literally attack a co-equal branch of government that was simply doing its job to certify the votes that had already been certified.” Plus, the CDC says more than 42 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. as the country is averaging half the new daily cases it was logging just a few weeks ago. Experts warn now is not the time to get complacent because the new variants spreading in the U.S. put the country in the “eye of the hurricane.” Dr. Leana Wen is the former Baltimore Health Commissioner and is currently an emergency room physician and CNN Medical Analyst. She joins AC360 to discuss her worries about the new variants and says we may be in the “calm before the storm.”   Airdate: February 8, 2021   Guests: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Dr. Leana WenTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pres. Biden says former Pres. Trump should no longer receive classified intelligence briefings pointing to his “erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection.” Former presidents traditionally have access to the same intelligence briefings their successors have. James Clapper is the former Director of National Intelligence and is a CNN National Security Analyst. He tells Anderson Cooper he agrees with Biden and says “it’s absolutely the right thing to do.” Plus, controversial Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says her party is completely under the power of Donald Trump and it “doesn’t belong to anyone else.” Former Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock joins AC360 to react to Greene’s claim and says she wouldn’t be surprised if Greene is eventually kicked out of the party.   Airdate: February 5, 2021   Guests: James Clapper Barbara Comstock To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House voted to strip Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments after past violent statements and controversial conspiracy theories came to light. Eleven Republicans voted with the Democrats to remove the congresswoman from her committees. Anthony Scaramucci is a Republican and briefly served as the White House Communications Director in the Trump administration but has since been a critic of the former President. He joins AC360 to react to the distinct divide in the Republican party and says this is the after-glow of the Trump presidency and the GOP is allowing Trumpism to invade the party. Plus, former Pres. Trump quickly rejected the House impeachment managers’ request for his testimony at the upcoming Senate impeachment trial. Attorneys for Trump responded saying "the use of our Constitution to bring a purported impeachment proceeding is much too serious to try to play these games.” Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe tells Anderson Cooper he’s not surprised Trump decline to testify.   Airdate: February 4, 2021   Guests: Anthony Scaramucci Laurence Tribe  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

House Republican leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s past statements “do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference,” suggesting she won’t be stripped of her committee assignments. A growing number of the GOP, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are speaking out about wanting their party to expunge voices promoting wild conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Greene says “I don’t think I have anything to apologize for” and that her social media posts do not reflect who she is as a person. Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon tells Anderson Cooper she doesn’t think Greene is interested in serving in Congress and instead is interested in being on Twitter and spouting whatever pops into her head. Plus, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney defended her decision to vote to impeach former Pres. Trump saying “I won’t apologize for the vote.” Cheney was among 10 House Republicans who sided with the Democrats to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol that left five people dead. The House GOP Conference voted to keep Cheney as the third ranking Republican. CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash joins AC360 to discuss Cheney’s future and says this is about somebody who voted her conscience because she thought that a President, regardless of party, incited an insurrection on the building where she works.   Airdate: February 3, 2021   Guests: Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon Dana BashTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House impeachment managers argue that former Pres. Trump is “singularly responsible” for inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as Trump’s legal team claims he’s protected by the First Amendment and a Senate conviction would be unconstitutional. Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries was an impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to react to the former President’s defense strategy. Plus, Senate Republicans are distancing themselves from GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene as many are indicating enough is enough. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy met with Greene after several of her debunked theories over the years came to light, ranging from her questioning whether the Parkland school shooting was a “false flag” to whether a plane really hit the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Sen. John Thune, a member of the GOP leadership, said House Republicans have to decide if they want to focus on “limited government and fiscal responsibility, free markets, peace through strength and pro-life” or if they “want to be the party of conspiracy theories and QAnon.” George Conway is a conservative lawyer and co-founder of the Lincoln Project. He tells Anderson Cooper we’re watching the “moral collapse of the Republican party.”   Airdate: February 2, 2021   Guests: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries George ConwayTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices