Anderson Cooper 360

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Cruz responds to criticism over Cancun trip Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz returned from Cancun, Mexico with hundreds of thousands of Texans still without power and dealing with severe water issues. Cruz took a flight back to Houston after claiming he flew to the Mexican resort city for a night because his daughters “asked to take a trip with friends” but later said “it was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight I wouldn't have done it.” He also admitted his family had planned on staying through the weekend, not just the night, like he had originally claimed. Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro represents San Antonio and the surrounding neighborhoods where many were without power for days. He joins AC360 to react to Cruz’s trip and says he thinks he “threw in the towel on Texas.” Plus, researchers found that just one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine provides more than 90% protection against the virus. The Pfizer vaccine is meant to be given as two doses, three or four weeks apart. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains to Anderson Cooper why people should still get the recommended second dose.

Airdate: February 18, 2021

Guests:

Rep. Joaquin Castro

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

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2.6+ million Texans without power with no end in sight Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

A winter storm and lengthy cold snap has crippled power facilities in Texas and left more than 2.6 million people without power for several days. The outages cover the area served by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, and some Texas officials have pointed the blame at the power company and some are blaming Republican Governor Greg Abbott for failing to adequately prepare for the storm. Beto O’Rourke is a former Democratic Presidential Candidate and was a U.S. Congressman representing the district around El Paso. He joins AC360 to discuss the power crisis in Texas. Plus, several states across the country are forced to delay Covid-19 vaccinations due to the extreme winter weather. Meanwhile, studies suggest both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can protect against the current known coronavirus variants. Dr. Anthony Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He tells Anderson Cooper we should be in good shape if we roll out the vaccine appropriately, efficiently and effectively while maintaining public health measures.

Airdate: February 17, 2021

Guests:

Beto O’Rourke

Dr. Anthony Fauci

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Republicans facing backlash after impeachment vote Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

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 Offit

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New details about Trump-McCarthy shouting match show Trump refused to call off the rioters Feb 13, 2021

Show notes

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 Dale

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GOP Senators and Trump’s defense team met to discuss “strategy” Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

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 Conway

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Trump advisers say he hasn’t shown remorse for the insurrection Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

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 Rather

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Sources: Trump unhappy with lawyer’s performance on first day of trial Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

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 Conway

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Sources: Trump telling aides he believes he’ll be acquitted Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

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 Wen

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Biden: “There is no need” for Trump to get intel briefings Feb 06, 2021

Show notes

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

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House strips Rep. Greene from committee assignments Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

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

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