out front tonight, stunt show. i'm going to show you some live pictures. that's the senate floor. the senate clerk is reading out loud the 628-page covid relief bill. this is expected to take about ten hours. it is after all, 628 pages. and you can thank republican senator ron johnson for this stall tickactic. it is a stunt pure and simple. by midnight he can change some democrats' minds. that is not what he is actually trying to do. first of all, only one senator has been in the room the whole time listening. only one, and that senator is ron johnson. the senators who have been there, at most it's been a handful at a time. they weren't even paying close attention when they did stop by. this reading is not going to do anything but delay. and just hear it from the majority leader himself. >> we all know this will merely delay the inevitable. it will accomplish little more than a few sore throats for the senate clerks who work very hard day in, day out to help the senate function. >> senator johnson isn't going to change any minds. and he knows that. he is a troubling face for opposition to the bill as well. because johnson has become a face of trump's election lies. he staked his career on this. he has become known because of his support for trump's election lie. here he is recently repeating trump supporters weren't behind the insurrection. >> some obviously didn't fit in and he describes four different types of people. plain clothes militants. agents provocateurs. fake trump protesters, and then disciplined uniform attackers. these were people that probably planned this. >> that was untrue. he knew it. and when johnson was chair of the homeland security committee, he actually held a hearing. he held a hearing to elevate what he knew was trump's big lie. >> a large percentage of the american public does not believe the november election results are legitimate. many of these irregularities raise legitimate concerns and they do need to be taken seriously. >> and johnson has also pushed trump's false claims about coronavirus cure, specifically hydroxychloroquine. johnson is not a person who is going to change minds and he is not trying for anything more than a simplistic circus stunt. this is not the time for that. this is a time to have a serious substantive debate about the bill if that is what you're about. that, of course, is not what this is about. >> the business concern or organization and bb is a majority owned or controlled by -- >> right, that's page something of 628 being read to ron johnson on the floor. a lot of americans are depending on some of what's in this bill. it includes $1400 stimulus checks and unemployment assistance. if johnson wants to make the covid relief bill better, there are other ways to do it, ways that could work, like working with democrats coming up with amendments. that would be best for everyone. because, to be honest, we only learned a lot of the details in this bill democrats are trying to ram the $1.9 trillion plan through. but senator ron johnson is not the face you put up to get a better bill. he's not trying to. he's not trying to change minds or reveal a smoking gun in the 628 pages. he is just pulling a stunt. manu raju is out front on capitol hill. manu, what is johnson's plan here? as we were pointing out, he's the only one sitting listening to this right now. >> reporter: yeah, i just emerged from the senate house chamber. and he was the only senator other than the presiding officer who is there. he's flipping through the bill pages one by one as the clerks are reading it. he's got his mask on his desk as he's listening. his mind is already made up as is the mind of senators of both parties whether or not to get behind this massive proposal. this reading could take up to ten hours, and then at that point the senate is expected to essentially adjourn for the night, delaying a debate that would happen on the senate floor ordinarily at this time. that debate would occur tomorrow before there is a marathon series of votes starting in the afternoon in which johnson and other republicans plan to try to derail this bill, try to change it to their liking, try to court any democratic support. tactics like this johnson is employing is not going to win over democrats, but perhaps negotiations behind the scenes could. there's no sign that's happening yet. but what johnson is hiding behind the scenes, he's talking to a number of his colleagues to essentially offer seemingly endless amount of amendments. he's trying to schedule shifts in which senators would offer amendments starting tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow night into the weekend to keep the senate voting on amendments and not moving towards final passage. he can do that under the rules of the process they are employing here. he according to democrats is delaying the inevitable. they are confident they are going to get enough votes to get this bill through. they just need to keep their caucus together. at the moment they are united. at the moment, erin, ron johnson up for reelection has not made a decision yet. he did tell me he is the number one target of democrats come next year. erin? >> thank you very much, manu. out front now, i want to go to cecilia and her first interview since becoming chair of president biden's white house council of economic advisers. i really appreciate your time, chairwoman. so, republicans are trying to delay the vote on the bill obviously as we are laying out here. but democrats did sort of plop the whole 628 pages down on the table pretty much here as we are hitting the finish line. did they miss calculate by trying to push this through so quickly? >> well, look, it's important to remember that we are still in the middle of this pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. we are definitely seeing signs of life coming back in terms of the vaccines are on the way. it's going to be spring, and we know we're going to get past this pandemic. but we're not there yet. and importantly in just ten days, 11 million americans are going to lose their unemployment insurance benefits. we have 1 million families that are on unemployment that depend on those checks, that have children that are hungry. we have those who are unable to pay their rent and their mortgage. so we're not through this yet. and the very generous bill that was passed in december is about to expire. so, you know, the time is now. it's very important that we help our businesses, we help our families, we help our workers get to the other side of this pandemic, and we need additional relief now. >> all right. let me ask you about some criticism you're getting from the progressive part of your party. biden has agreed to compromise with moderate democrats. so he's narrowing the income eligibility for the next round of stimulus checks. so fewer people are going to get them. congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez disagrees with this. she tweeted, conservative demes have fought with the biden administration for fewer relief checks than the trump administration did. she goes on criticizing it. you cave to conservative democrats, fewer checks, what's your response? >> the president has always been dedicated and committed to ensuring that those americans that need checks receive those checks. let's be clear on the differences. 98% of the households that receive checks will receive checks under the american rescue plan. and those checks are just as -- the president is committed to those households receiving $2,000 checks. so, you know, there was a small compromise, but really the vast majority of americans and households are going to receive the same level of assistance from the federal government as before. >> all right. 98%, it's pretty stark. you make your point. i want to ask you another thing. i know you heard about this. recently i've been talking to a variety of business owners who are saying -- this is anecdotal, their experience -- they can't get employees to come back to work right now for things like cleaning because of the $300 enhanced unemployment benefit is paying some of them more than going back to work. obviously this bill would up that payment from 300 to $400. does that concern you? and is there a point where you say you're going to have to pull the plug, that you're going to end these extra benefits which -- that's going to become hard to do. >> so, that's interesting. the economic evidence suggests that these -- that the unemployment assistance that has been extended during the pandemic has not actually discouraged people looking for work. i appreciate that small business owners have their own lived experience, but by and large, the benefits have helped families get through the pandemic to pay their bills, and there's not evidence that it's actually discouraged people from looking for work. we know that the economy will pickup. that is the very intent. the idea is not to be on life support forever. we know we're going to get to the other side of this pandemic. and so there will be a time when we do not need the additional federal assistance, we're just not there yet. >> let me ask you one other thing, obviously the fraud that happened. the government accountability office said this week the p.p.p. loans, small business loans are high risk for fraud. those are their words. the inspector general for the small business administration earlier this year said more than 3 1/2 billion dollar, i believe, in p.p.p. loans were given to people who were on the treasury department's, quote, do not pay list. so, look, it's hard in legislation to stop all of this, but are there more safeguards in place so that that fraud doesn't happen? >> when the p.p.p. program was stood up last spring, congress acted so quickly in the face of an unprecedented crisis. and, you know, the imperative was not let the imperfect be the enemy of the good. the small business administration and treasury are working to ensure that the loans get to the right businesses and that there is accountability on the other end. what is important is that we aid those businesses, especially the small businesses that truly need our assistance. >> i want to ask you one other thing. you and i talked months ago in the height of the pandemic, the white house today acknowledging there is a lot of support for the next omb nominee, neera tanden's nomination has been withdrawn. if young had been nominated and confirmed, the president's economic team would be mostly women. treasury secretary yellen, gina remundo, yourself. on a personal level, how significant is that to you? >> you know, i am just so proud to be working with this team of women and men, but there is an economic team the president has assembled. i have to say it's true a triumph. the economic profession is not known for gender diversity. it really is a testament to the strides that we've made. and i'm just very proud and excited to be working with them. >> all right. i appreciate your time, chairwoman. thank you so much tonight. >> you're very welcome. thank you. >> next we have breaking news. cnn learning that investigators are looking into communications between lawmakers and the capitol rioters. did members of congress actually help the insurrectionists? plus the biden administration hitting back at texas after the state's governor made this claim. >> the biden administration has been releasing immigrants in south texas that have been exposing texans to covid. >> and one of new york governor cuomo's accusers is speaking out. >> he implied to me that i was old enough for him and he was odoes it worry mem and he was lonely among my. ? absolutely. sensodyne sensitivity and gum gives us a dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. there's no question it's something that i would recommend. the sun is incredible. it makes our lipton tea leaves better. which makes the smooth tea taste better, and time together even better. and drinking lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton is a proud sponsor of the american heart association's life is why campaign. we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ will there be an ev for me? we're made for. what about me? one for me? you mean us? what about me? and me? how about us? yeah, how about us? great question. wait, can i get one in green? got one for me?! hey, what about me? what about us? is there an ev for me? ev for me? us? what about me? me? for me? ♪ ♪ (dog whimpers) ♪ (car horn) ♪ turn today's dreams into tomorrow's trips... with millions of flexible booking options. all in one place. expedia. breaking news. cnn learning federal investigators are looking at communications between lawmakers and the pro-trump mob that attacked the u.s. capitol in the days around january 6. officials are trying to determine whether members wittingly helped the insurrectionists. evan is reporting tonight. what are you learning about contacts between lawmakers and rioters? we've heard they are investigating and getting at the crucial question whether it was witting coordination in any way. >> reporter: yeah, look, erin, in the weeks of this investigation that's been going on, the investigators have been able to get some devices that belong to some of the accused rioters, and on those devices they have found contacts with members of congress in the days surrounding january 6. now, we don't know what the content of those communications were. we don't know the extent of it, but we know that there are some instances where some of these accused rioters claimed that they had close associations with members of congress. some of them said they were providing security to some of those lawmakers who spoke at events in the days around january 6. and so one officially talked to said there is a lot of smoke. so now the fbi and prosecutors need to try to figure out what this means. now, there is no -- at this point, you know, there is no indication that members of congress are themselves yet under investigation, but, you know, as you know, some members of the democratic members of congress have accused republican lawmakers of giving tours that could have been used to do some surveillance. you hear in some of those videos people having a pretty good idea of where things are in that building. and if you've ever been in that building, you know how byzantine it can be to try to find your way around. again, these are questions investigators are trying to find out. big thing you're finding out, whether they provided witting or unwitting support for the insurrection. >> it's crucial. not just contacts, but texts in the cell phones. for most people watching that in itself is, wow, that alone. evan, thank you very much. i want to go to greg who was with the fbi for more than 20 years focusing on domestic terrorism, current vp of analysis for the antidefamation league. greg, the point i just made to evan, the fact there are communications between lawmakers and people who are part of that armed mob is in and of itself pretty disturbing and shocking and should be to anybody. it does not, however, answer the questions of what those communications were and whether there was witting coordination between members of congress and the mob. so what will investigators do to answer that crucial question? >> the events on january 6 are not the end of the story, it's the beginning. and the bureau is the best in the world at this. what they are looking at right now are what we call the metta data between the communications. first and foremost, that places people at the scene, which is evidentiary, but then they have to dig a little deeper and say, is there criminality involved? i agree with you, any contact between somebody in the building and one of these rioters, especially if they committed a crime, is certainly troublesome. but the bureau needs time to methodically go through this and look into the investigation to come up with the answers to the questions you're looking for. >> i recently spoke with congresswoman mary scanlon. she told me she saw a tour of people in maga apparel one or two days before the attack. here's exactly what she told me about it. >> i noticed a tour going through the tunnels underneath the office building to the capitol, and i remarked upon it because it was unusual. i hadn't seen a tour since march. you can't even get into that area unless you're with a staffer. so there had to be some sort of license to get in there. >> she's pointing out, greg, that during the virus you couldn't just bring in tours. the fact anybody was in there getting a tour was so unusual it was notable to her. of course, it was the people in maga apparel, it was right before the indiana pacers be recollection. how unusual does this all seem to you when you put it in the context of evan's reporting? >> i'm sorry, erin, i think i got most of your question. if you can hear me, it's troublesome. but we need to go back and the bureau is going to be looking at this very carefully and say, were tours allowed? how did those tours get established? first ensure these facts did happen. they have to look at what the impetus was, who were they, what the rationale was and if there is a criminal aspect -- >> all right, looks like -- the main part of his answer. thanks very much to you, greg, if you can hear me from your tv somewhere. next we're going to take you to texas where the governor's decision to lift the mask mandate is duy vividing busines owners. plus we hear from one of governor cuomo's accusers who said the governor wanted to sleep with her. to help keep the gum seal tight. new parodontax active gum repair toothpaste. when we found out our son had autism, his future became my focus. lavender baths calmed him. so we made a plan to turn bath time into a business. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com with unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans, there's more to take advantage of. see a doctor in the morning here... or talk to a nurse in the moonlight there. ♪ wow, uh-huh ♪ unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans. take advantage everywhere. ♪ wow. ♪ i think the sketchy website i bought this turtle from stole all of my info. ooh, have you looked on the bright side? discover never holds you responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card. (giggling) that's my turtle. fraud protection. discover. something brighter. you can't plan for your period's... (giggling) what the gush moments.rtle. but the right pad can. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology and, they absorb 40% faster. the gush happens fast. that's why always absorbs faster. tonight the white house firing back to governor greg abbott. governor abbott saying the white house is releasing covid infected people into his state. he is lifting comasking, callin it neanderthal thinking. >> some people have been put on buses taking covid to other states in the united states. that is neanderthal type approach to dealing with the covid situation. >> okay. neanderthal back and forth here. abbott offered no proof -- it's a pretty strong accusation there. the white house saying abbott's claim is, quote, not factual. out front now dr. peter hotez, baylor college of medicine in houston. so, doctor, what do you make of governor abbott's claim that the white house is the one to be mad at because they are, he says, releasing covid-positive immigrants in texas and sending them on buses to other states? >> yeah, i think, erin, the role of immigrants in this is small, at most. it's extremely modest. as far as i know, the united kingdom is not coming from our southern border. this is the problem. the problem is the b.1.1.7. variant that's now accelerating and there is pretty good evidence that b.1.1.7. variant is more transmissible than what we've seen before and the u.k. government has put up pretty compelling evidence, not peer reviewed, but compelling evidence on their website that it's more lethal. and now this is starting to accelerate in florida. we've got up to 10% or more of the virus isolates in florida, b.1.1.7. and the health department saying it is going up in houston, waste water as well. so it's here in texas. and we've got to take steps and get ready for it. and unfortunately, we don't have enough vaccine supply to vaccinate ahead of the variant fully. so i think it's -- i'm really concerned about relaxing masks and other social distancing issues at this time. >> well, right. and obviously depending on the variant, some of the variants, you're talking about b.1.1.7. many of them are transmissible. many of them are, it seems, going to be more deadly. and some of them are also going to lower vaccine efficacy, right? so you have a trifecta of things. but on the b.1.1.7. specifically, you said there is evidence now that it is widespread in the houston waste water which we know has been a way they have been able to identify where coronavirus is. given that, given that the governor is relaxing restrictions including the mask mandate, how bad do you think it could get in texas at this point? >> well, i mean, again, this is a national problem. it's not only in texas or only in florida, but it's clearly accelerating in texas and florida. we know that. and it could be the beginning of a fourth wave. we've already seen, we heard from rashel walensky two days ago the numbers are not declining as fast and they're clearly plateauing. my worry that's a harbinger for it to start shooting back up to that fourth wave. the point is we have good vaccines coming and they're going to be here in abundance starting in june, so that by the summer we can fully vaccinate the american people. that's really exciting. also evidence now the vaccines actually halt or slow asymptomatic transmission from studies coming out of israel. so potentially we can vaccinate our way out of this, but we have a very tough spring ahead of us. this is not the time to be relaxing restrictions. >> here's the thing about that, though. this is important for people to understand. this used to be seen through somewhat of a political lens. but now it isn't, right. vaccines are coming out. people are tired of restrictions. we're not seeing florida and texas. connecticut is pulling back sharply in the next few weeks, blue states and red states. dr. fauci said there be any pull back in restrictions until the daily rate falls to 10,000 or considerably less. we're currently at 60 to 70,000 and it's plateaued. we're not anywhere close to where he says we should pull back, but we're seeing a big pull back. put those two things together and tell me how worried you are about that. >> well, erin, remember last summer when we had 60 to 70,000 new cases we were all horrified, right? and so even though we're coming down it's still plateaued at incredibly high level. this is still a screaming high level of transmission. this is not a time to pull back. i'm really worried about this u.k. variant. if it's anything like what we saw in england, remember, it just appeared in september is. by december it overwhelmed the country and we saw the horrible effects. i don't want to reproduce that here in the united states. i don't want to see big spring breaks also going into florida where you have 10% of the isolates of that b.1.1.7. variant. this is a time to be cautious. we don't want to lose lives before we can vaccinate the american people. >> dr. hotez, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> so what will governor abbott's order in texas mean for small businesses across the state, right, where he says don't worry about the masks any more? ed lavandera is out front tonight in san antonio. >> reporter: as mike wynn whips up lunch in his san antonio restaurant, he can't help thinking what will happen next week when the mask mandate is lifted. >> it will put the burden on the business. >> reporter: governor abbott is forcing businesses to become mask wearing police and face frustrations of defiant customers. >> instead of be a real leader and uniting us and helping us get past it, he's creating division. >> reporter: the last year has already been brutal for nguyen. we met him last may when he told us covid ravaged his business. he closed to go under cancer treatment. he reopened and is struggling to keep the business going. >> it's just like we're on edge. people are at an all-time high. >> this must end. >> reporter: without consulting most of the his medical advisers, republican governor greg abbott said because of lower positivity rates and the vaccine rollout it's time to fully reopen the texas economy and lift the mask mandate. while the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 is dropping, the state still has one of the highest hospitalization rates in the country. >> texans have mastered the daily habits to avoid getting covid. >> reporter: missy herring says in her south texas embroidery and print shop, the mask mandate was always ignored. she's celebrating the governor's announcement. >> i was tickled to death. >> reporter: do you think mask wearing has kept the pandemic from getting worse? >> no. everybody that i know who's been sick, they wore their mask faithfully. faithfully. i've never worn the mask. i don't have people come in my store wearing the mask. i'm not sick. >> reporter: but the governor's controversial decision has sparked a tidal wave of local leaders sending out pleas for texans to keep wearing their masks. scenes like this is what many officials and business owners fear. there is one other fear haunting mike nguyen. the recent unprovoked attacks on asian americans. >> go back to china, or you and your kung flu. i'm nervous. my anxiety has been at an all-time high. i'm trying to hope for the best. >> reporter: erin, despite the criticism of the governor, there are still a great deal of support for this move by the governor. some of the big chains here in texas say they will still require customers to wear masks. other big ones are saying it's the customer's choice. it's that inconsistency that has many people nervous how all of this is going to unfold starting next wednesday. erin? >> ed, thank you. and next, one of new york governor cuomo's accusers is coming forward with her story. >> governor cuomo said that he had never propositioned anybody. do you believe that he was propositioning you? >> yes. >> for what? >> sex. >> and the putin opposition leader who was poisoned being transferred to a brutal russian prison. 50 to 60 people crammed into a cell and worse. alexey navalny is next. nly pay r what i need. 'cause i do things a little differently. hey, i'll take one, please! wait, this isn't a hot-dog stand? no, can't you see the sign? wet. teddy. bears. get ya' wet teddy bears! one-hundred percent wet, guaranteed! or the next one is on me! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ seeing blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. new parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum seal tight. new parodontax active gum repair toothpaste. ♪ for every idea out there, that gets the love it should ♪ ♪ there are 5 more that don't succeed ♪ ♪ and so are lost for good ♪ ♪ and some of them are pretty flawed ♪ ♪ and some of them are slightly odd ♪ ♪ but many are small businesses that simply lack the tool ♪ ♪ to find excited people who will stop and say 'that's cool'♪ ♪ and these two, they like this idea ♪ ♪ and those three like that one.♪ ♪ and that's 'cause personalized ads ♪ ♪ find good ideas for everyone ♪ t-mobile is the leader in 5g. we also believe in putting people first by treating them right. so we're upping the benefits without upping the price. introducing magenta max. now with unlimited premium data that can't slow down based on how much smartphone data you use. plus get netflix on us, and taxes and fees included! you won't find this with the other guys. in fact, you'll pay more and get less. right now, pay zero costs to switch! and bring your phone -- we'll pay it off! only at t-mobile. covid has made clear that having health insurance is more important than ever. at covered california, every plan is comprehensive, covering everything from preventive care to mental health. and it's the only place that offers financial help for health insurance. enrollment is open due to covid-19. if you or someone you know isn't covered, now is the time to sign up. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll now at coveredca.com. break being news. one of new york governor's accusers gives an interview. she details the questions the governor asked her last june including asking history about a sexual assault survivor. >> and then he explains at that point that he is looking for a girlfriend. he is lonely. he's tired. >> you just finished dictation and the governor is telling you he's lonely and looking for a relationship. >> yes. he asked if i had trouble enjoying being with someone because of my trauma. >> this seems highly inappropriate. >> yes. the governor asked me if i was sensitive to intimacy. >> in his office? >> yes. during the workday. >> you had been quoted as saying that he also asked you about if you had ever been with an older man. >> yes. he asked me if age difference mattered. he also explained that he was fine with anyone over 22. >> and how old are you? >> 25. >> what were you thinking as he's asking you these questions? >> i thought, he's trying to sleep with me. the governor is trying to sleep with me. >> and? >> i'm deeply uncomfortable and i have to get out of this room as soon as possible. >> how did you respond to those questions? >> i responded honestly. and when i was even thinking of coming forward, i think that was where i held the most shame in that like i really was uncomfortable. >> governor cuomo has responded to bennett's claims saying he didn't know at the time that he was making anyone feel uncomfort alliso uncomfortable. you broke bennett's story. you interviewed her. but, you know, when we're hearing her voice out loud and she's saying that the governor was asking her these kinds of questions, they are deeply inappropriate in any setting. he knew she was a victim of sexual assault. it's awful to even hear about it and certainly to hear it in her voice. how powerful is this? >> i thought it was remarkably compelling and remarkably convincing. you know, i had spoken to charlotte over the phone several times last week when i was composing that story which, of course, is her story, not my story. and found her very compelling and convincing. to see her face, the obvious emotion that is still percolating and rippling through her, i found it very, very, very emotional and i think some of the statements she made tonight kind of crystallized some of the allegations that she's been leveling against the governor, including the idea that, you know, she was very clear as to what was going on, but it just didn't work out the way that he wanted. that's an approximate quote, but i think that really goes to the heart of what she is alleging the governor said. >> i have to say you watched this and she's talking about the fact she felt shamed because she answered those questions honestly. that should choke anyone up. it's awful. and she then responded to his statement about her allegations, right, when he said i'm sorry -- this is shocking. i'm sorry anyone was uncomfortable. how could you think you're asking somebody who survived sexual assault whether they still felt intimacy, how could that make them uncomfortable? that's just b.s. here's his exchange with her. >> governor cuomo said in a statement that what he said, quote, had been misinterpreted. did you misinterpret him? >> no, i understood him loud and clear. it just didn't go the way he planned. >> so, governor cuomo, then, tried to turn the page with the statement yesterday. but when you hear her explaining what he said, how the conversations went, the questions that he was asking, that he now actually is trying to say he didn't think anyone would feel uncomfortable, this is now clear this isn't going away, isn't it? >> well, i think this makes it much more difficult for the governor to, as you said, turn the page. i think that he hoped yesterday's apology would essentially allow him to move on, to get back to the business of the state. he said very clearly i'm not going to resign, et cetera. but this sort of statement televised to a national audience where a lot of people may not be reading "the new york times" or even watching cnn, god forbid, that those people are going to be seeing that, seeing this young woman's face, seeing what she's saying and hopefully hearing it. >> hopefully so. all right. well, jesse, thank you very much for your time. jesse broke the news on two of the accusers for the new york governor. thank you so much. next, i'm going to talk to a former top russian official. he helped pay for the opposition leader alexey navalny's expenses when he was poisoned. tonight he tells me why he fears for his own safety. and we're going to take you to an arizona county tonight where nearly half of the adult population has gotten at least the first dose of the vaccine. what's their secret? for as little as $25 a month. but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ it's a new dawn... ♪ if you've been taking copd sitting down, it's time to make a stand. start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. alright, i brought in ensure max protein... a...to give you theut oprotein you needy. with less of the sugar you don't (grunting noise) i'll take that. yeeeeeah! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar drink, play, and win big in the powered by protein challenge! seeing blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. new parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum seal tight. new parodontax active gum repair toothpaste. tonight top putin in opposition leader alexey navalny in a holding cell awaiting transfer to a notoriously brutal prison work camp for the next 2 1/2 years. in that prison, former inmates say 50 to 60 people are crammed in a single dorm. inmates are forbid enfrom talking and forced to stand on their feet from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 16 hours a day. it comes one day after the biden administration hit seven russians, including two top putin deputies and the head of the equivalent of the russian c.i.a. and fbi the fsb with sanctions for the poisoning of navalny. a key ally of navalny helped pay for his treatment after the poison assassination attempt and he's also the former deputy chairman of russia's central bank. i very much appreciate your taking the time to talk to me tonight. we know navalny is ready to be transferred to this penal colony with notoriously brutal conditions. how certain are you putin will not rest until navalny is silenced? >> erin, very glad to be here. i think that putin's primary goal is to make navalny silent. and this that you rightly mentioned is brutal in its internal regiment. it is prohibited for the people there even talk to one another. so they should be silent not only with outside wall. they have no phone. they have no -- they cannot receive letters. they cannot answer letters. but even they are not allowed to talk one to another. let us prefer what putin wants. he wants navalny to disappear from the public appearance. he wants navalny not to be heard in russia and in the world. >> i also want to ask you about what he did when he was released from the hospital. he spent about five months in a remote part of the german black forest. i know at first, right? he could barely walk. he had to work with a trainer to even be able to get his physical abilities back. he recovered. he also continued his efforts to expose putin and the poisoning. he then did something incredible. he decided to return to russia. writing "russia is my country, moscow is my city, i miss them." and this is after he put out this video that has gone completely viral in russia, right? where he exposed what he says is putin's alleged multibillion-dollar palace, right? built with corruption and money laundering. he did all of that from there, and then he went back and he was arrested immediately on landing. how brave do you think that was? or was it a mistake? >> as politician he wants to be with his supporters, and he cannot hide himself. so being in his shoes, i would say that there may be not a lot of politicians would be ready to do this but he wants to be leader, he wants to be number one. >> so i want to be blunt. many people who oppose putin have died brutal deaths. they've been poisoned, shot in cold blood on the street. in navalny's case what has happened since his poisoning is deeply chilling. one of the top doctors who saved his life, you know, when navalny's plane was diverted, that doctor died suddenly just last month. now, you're based in the united states, i know, sergey. you're in ukraine tonight. you spend plenty of time there. do you have any fear that by speaking out, by doing what you did as a friend and paying for navalny's medical care that putin could come after you? >> erin, if i would say that i'm not afraid, if i'm not scared, it would be a lie because that was one of the reasons i left russia in 2014, because i was announced as an enemy of the country, an enemy of the kremlin. and of course i'm scared a little bit but i cannot hide myself. i cannot hide myself for the rest of my life to be silent. it's not what i wanted to do. it's not what i devoted my life, my previous life, because i made serious efforts and i participated in transformation of the country after -- that is, integration of the soviet union. and this precisely may explain the decision of alexey navalny. if he stays in russia, if he stays abroad, that means he cross all his previous activity and he's nobody. yes, you may be scared and every person may be scared of something, may be frightened of something, but you have to do what you have. >> former president trump, as you know, repeatedly praised putin as president. right? again and again and again. here are just a few examples. >> i have the great honor to be with president putin. >> president putin was a total gentleman. >> we had no called from russia for years. and all of a sudden we have this great friendship. and by the way, getting along with russia's a great thing. getting along with putdin and russia's a great thing. >> biden of course not only speaks differently, sergey, but his policy toward putin is now completely different. right? doing these sanctions, for example, for navalny's poisoning. do you think that this worries putin at all? >> yes. of course the change of the politics by washington is very dangerous for putin. he understands very well maybe the most important is not what president biden has signed, that seven persons, lieutenants of putin were under sanctions and the 14 companies, but the most important that president biden from the very beginning he restored the alliance with europe. so today what is most important, sanctions are synchronized between the european union and the united states. and that is the most damaging, that is the most frightening for putin. >> sergey, thank you very much. i appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you, erin. >> and next, what will life be like when just about any adult can get vaccinated? well, we're going to take you to one county in this country that already knows the answer to that. pronamel boosts enamel's natural absorption of calcium and phosphate - helping keep teeth strong, white and protected from sensitivity. new pronamel mineral boost this is a color laser printer. and this is the color toner cartridge. they're so expensive, people just print in black and white so they don't have to keep buyin' them. walk with me. that's enough! the epson ecotank cartridge-free printer. big ink tanks. lots of ink. and you can save a ridiculous amount on replacement ink. print in color, all you want, without busting your budget. but you might be bustin' a move. ♪ the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. what happens to your body language when your underarms are cared for? ♪ ♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree. it's moving day. and while her friends are doing the heavy lifting, jess is busy moving her xfinity internet and tv services. it only takes about a minute. wait, a minute? but what have you been doing for the last two hours? ...delegating? oh, good one. move your xfinity services without breaking a sweat. xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today. tonight a county outside of phoenix could give us a glimpse of our collective future. nearly half of gilla county's adults have already gotten the first covid vaccine shot. no restrictions. anyone over 18 can get one. and it seems to actually have worked a lot better than other places. kyung's out front. >> reporter: gila county, arizona, population 54,000. just 90 minutes east of phoenix. is a glimpse into america's vaccine future. >> that's it. >> boom. >> reporter: kevin kane, age 24, a new father. >> easy peasy. >> reporter: like everyone 18 and older in gila county can get the moderna vaccine. >> feels great, you know. feels like i can actually move on with my life when this thing's over. >> reporter: it's been tough worrying about covid-19 while working as a pizza chef. his boss is john wong. >> without the vaccine, you know, i noticed we were down 30%, 40% on the business. >> reporter: today 37% of eligible residents here have been vaccinated with their first dose. a number climbing by the day. >> my second shot was last friday. >> reporter: do you notice that people look different and feel different? >> they're dining out more. knowing there's a vaccine out there. there is a lot of hope. >> gila county health department. >> reporter: how did they do it? >> we set up the pandemic exactly like what we would do during our fire season. >> reporter: this is that incident command, run to handle a disaster. >> my background is not in health. it's in emergency management. before that it was in law enforcement. >> reporter: so you're a former cop? >> i am. >> reporter: rapidly communicating with the entire county just as they would during an emergency to relay news about mass vaccination sites. >> today we have only two positive cases. where about a month ago we were up to 60 a day. it's a load off our shoulders. it's a tremendous amount of stress just going away all at once. and it feels good. >> this is our vaccine freezer. and these are our two vaccine refrigerators. >> you can take care of ten people with this vial? >> yes. so right now we have 20 doses in this box. >> reporter: 20 lives. >> 20. >> reporter: the county says having enough vaccine supply and getting doses into arms is easier when your population is as small as gila county. but progress isn't without problems. >> we are seeing a hesitancy, especially with the younger population. >> reporter: is that one of the biggest challenges going forward, is hesitancy? >> i really do believe it is. >> reporter: but gila county forges on. >> is this your first one? >> it is indeed. >> reporter: reaching so many that paul miller, who works in the county but lives in tucson, can get the vaccine and picture hugging his parents again. >> we haven't seen them in a year. and i've got a 2-year-old at home and they haven't seen their granddaughter in the year. so it's one step closer to going and seeing them. >> reporter: so vaccines go to the states and it is the states that distribute to the counties. so how quickly it goes out really does depend on where you live and if you live in a large and complex county it is going to take longer, erin. and that's why here at cobre valley medical center they scheduled a full day of second round shots. >> that's amazing. all right, kyung, thank you so much. and thanks so much to all of you. hopefully that's a hopeful note. anderson starts now. good evening. we begin tonight with breaking news. cnn has learned that the investigation into january's attack on the capitol has uncovered signs of a contact between lawmakers and january 6th insurrectionists. now, the precise nature of that contact is not fully known at this point. the investigation is ongoing. the mere possibility of contacts only compounds what was already such deep trauma for the institution for the people who were there, those who plekt them an