Anderson Cooper 360

An adviser to former Pres. Trump says he may add more attorneys to his legal team before his impeachment trial starts. Trump named two new lawyers for his trial a day after five members of his team left and his team effectively collapsed. A separate adviser said the former President is still obsessed with the false conspiracy theory that he won the election and “he just wants the world to know the election was stolen from him.” Republican Senator John Cornyn who is a member of the GOP leadership, told CNN it would be a “disservice for Trump’s legal team to focus on his baseless claims.” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal is a juror in the upcoming trial and tells Anderson Cooper the argument that impeaching a former president is unconstitutional is flat wrong. He thinks it’d be wiser to rely on that defense instead of arguing the election was stolen, which has already been rejected by the courts. Plus, new Covid-19 hospitalizations and cases are down dramatically even as January became the deadliest month of the pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning that even if you’ve had the virus, there’s a “very high rate” of being reinfected with the new variants if they become dominant. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins AC360 to discuss Dr. Fauci’s warning about the new variants and how crucial it is to get vaccinated.   Airdate: February 1, 2021   Guests: Sen. Richard Blumenthal Dr. Sanjay Gupta  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnson & Johnson released the efficacy results of their one-shot Covid-19 vaccine candidate as coronavirus variants are increasingly being found in the U.S. The company announced their vaccine was shown to be 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe disease in a global Phase 3 trial and 85% effective against severe disease. It also was shown to be 72% effective against moderate and severe diseases in the U.S. While the trial apparently shows a lower efficacy rate than the other two vaccines on the market from Pfizer and Moderna, experts say the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would help fight the pandemic. Dr. Leana Wen is the former Baltimore Health Commissioner, an emergency room physician and a CNN Medical Analyst. She tells Anderson Cooper these results are promising. Plus, Pres. Joe Biden plans to intensify public lobbying for his Covid-19 relief bill and says it “has to pass.” Independent Senator Bernie Sanders has said the timeline for this bill to pass is “as soon as we possibly can.” He joins AC360 to give an update on where the $1.9 trillion bill stands on Capitol Hill and whether or not the Democrats have the votes to pass without any Republican support.   Airdate: January 29, 2021   Guests: Dr. Leana Wen Sen. Bernie Sanders  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Republican leadership on their failure to rebuke Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over her past comments. Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians, including Pelosi, in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress. The House Speaker is also criticizing Greene’s placement on the House Education and Labor Committee after comments surfaced that showed her agreeing with people who said the 2018 Parkland school shooting was a “false flag” operation. Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens is a member of that committee and has called for Greene’s removal. She tells Anderson Cooper these types of antics have no place in their committee. Plus, South Carolina has detected the first U.S. cases of the Covid-19 strain first seen in South Africa. Scientists are concerned about this strain because it seems to be more transmissible. Dr. Leana Wen is the former Baltimore Health Commissioner, an emergency room physician and is a CNN Medical Analyst. She joins AC360 to discuss her concerns about the new variant.   Airdate: January 28, 2021   Guests: Rep. Haley Stevens 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. Joe Biden announced several measures to help ramp up Covid-19 vaccinations, including his administration’s plan to purchase 200 million additional doses. With the purchase of the additional doses, Biden says there would be enough to vaccinate 300 million Americans, nearly entire U.S. population by the end of the summer or early fall. Michael Osterholm is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He tells Anderson Cooper he thinks the Biden administration’s timeline is doable but the biggest challenge will be vaccine hesitancy. Plus, CNN has learned the House impeachment managers are planning to show how former Pres. Trump’s words and actions motivated the Capitol Hill rioters even as most Republicans claim impeaching Trump is unconstitutional because he’s no longer in office. Noah Feldman is a constitutional scholar, a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to discuss whether or not he thinks impeaching a former President is constitutional.   Airdate: January 26, 2021   Guests: Michael Osterholm Noah Feldman  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nine House impeachment managers delivered the article of impeachment against former Pres. Trump to the Senate. The trial isn’t expected to begin until February 9th. Democratic Congressman David Cicilline is one of those nine impeachment mangers who will be arguing the case against Trump. He tells Anderson Cooper they will present “overwhelming evidence” that Trump incited a violent attack on the Capitol. Plus, Pres. Joe Biden raised the bar on his promise to vaccinate 100 million people in his first 100 days in office and suggests the U.S. could reach 1.5 million shots in arms per day. Meanwhile, an influential University of Washington model is projecting 569,000 U.S. Covid-19 deaths by May 1. Dr. Chris Murray is the director of the group at the University of Washington that’s been working on these models throughout the pandemic. He joins AC360 to discuss the latest model and how increasing vaccinations could affect the number of deaths.   Airdate: January 25, 2021   Guests: Rep. David Cicilline Dr. Chris MurrayTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that former President Trump’s impeachment trial won’t begin until February 9, giving time for the Senate to confirm Pres. Joe Biden’s Cabinet. A growing number of Republicans have expressed confidence that the party will acquit the former President. Democratic Congressman. Jim Himes joins AC360 to react to the trial delay and says “it’s the best play against a pretty tough hand here.” Plus, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is privately saying he wants Trump gone as CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans—including some top Trump administration officials—have been quietly lobbying GOP members to vote to impeach and convict the former President. Scott Jennings was a Special Assistant to Pres. George W. Bush and is a longtime political adviser to McConnell. He tells AC360 he thinks the GOP influence could have some impact and “any political operative could reasonably conclude it would be insane for the Republican party to continue to follow Donald Trump.”   Airdate: January 22, 2021   Guests: Rep. Jim Himes Scott JenningsTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pres. Joe Biden rolled out a national strategy to combat Covid-19 in his first full day in office. Biden said his plan is “based on science, not politics” and was developed with input from Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts. In his return to the White House briefing room, Dr. Fauci told reporters working with Biden is a “liberating feeling.” Dr. Leana Wen is an Emergency Room Physician and is the former Baltimore Health Commissioner. She tells Anderson Cooper the Biden administration’s goal to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days isn’t an aspirational goal because the country is already vaccinating one million people a day right now. Plus, seven Senate Democrats filed an ethics complaint against Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and are called for an investigation into how their objections to the Electoral College votes may have contributed to inciting the Capitol Hill insurrection. Senator Mazie Hirono is one of those Democrats to call for the probe. She joins AC360 to discuss why she thinks there should be an investigation and says neither Senator has shown any contrition.   Airdate: January 21, 2021   Guests: Dr. Leana Wen Sen. Mazie Hirono Ken Burns  Doris Kearns GoodwinTo 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 being inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, and in front of a memorial remembering the more than 400,000 lives lost to Covid-19, President-elect Joe Biden calls on Americans to “shine the lights in the darkness.” Meanwhile, sources tell CNN that Pres. Trump is spending the final hours of his presidency secluded in the White House with a muted demeanor. The President and First Lady are breaking with tradition by leaving the White House without greeting the Bidens. Trump will be the first president in modern history to not attend his successor’s inauguration. Former Vice President Al Gore joins AC360 to discuss Trump’s refusal to graciously accept the election results and predict what the next four years may look like. Plus, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin join Anderson Cooper to reflect on President Trump’s last four years and how the U.S. will respond to the challenges ahead with Biden in the White House.   Airdate: January 19, 2021   Guests: Al Gore Ken Burns Doris Kearns GoodwinTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pres. Trump has been hiding in the White House and spending his final days as Commander-in-Chief focusing on about 100 pardons and commutations he’s expected to issue in his last full day in office. Trump hasn’t been seen since his trip to Texas nearly a week ago but sources tell CNN he’s taped a farewell message touting his accomplishments. New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist Thomas Friedman joins AC360 to discuss Trump’s final days in office and what his legacy will be. Plus, the acting Defense Secretary says “we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat” to the inauguration but National Guard members arriving in Washington are being vetted by law enforcement. Jeh Johnson served as Homeland Security Secretary under Pres. Obama and was in charge of security for the Trump’s inauguration four years ago. He tells Anderson Cooper this will be the “most secure domestic event we’ve seen in a very, very long time.”   Airdate: January 18, 2021   Guests: Tom Friedman Jeh JohnsonTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pentagon has authorized up to 25,000 National Guard members for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration as the nation braces for more possible violence after the deadly Capitol Hill riots. After a FBI bulletin warned of armed protests in all 50 state capitols in the days leading up to January 20th, the National Guard Bureau said “every state, territory and the District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration.” Jonathan Wackrow was a Secret Service Agent during the Obama Administration and helped with the 2013 inauguration committee planning. He joins AC360 to discuss the current threat to Washington, DC and says the worry should be people acting as lone wolves. Plus, Pres. Trump is planning to leave for his new home in Florida the morning of the inauguration and sources say he’s considering a color guard, military band, 21-gun salute and even a red carpet for his departure ceremony. Tony Schwartz is co-author of Trump’s “Art of the Deal.” He tells Anderson Cooper he isn’t surprised and doesn’t think the President is able to take in the “enormity of the defeat.”   Airdate: January 15, 2021   Guests: Jonathan Wackrow Tony SchwartzTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices