trump loyalists who believe donald trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen. >> this is one of those defining moments. it really is. people are going to be judged. where were they before and where were they after the vote? history's going to judge it. it's that consequential. >> 19 states have passed 34 laws that limit voting hours, ballot drop boxes, or take some power from local elections officials. there are other constraints as well. the brennan center for justice says it's tracking at least a dons state laws being proposed this year. and some georgia voting rights groups are skipping the president's speech. they're demanding action, not just more talk. >> so, cnn's jeff zelensy is in atlanta with the president. stacey abrams will not be there for president biden's speech. so, how's he reacting to that? >> reporter: alisyn, that certainly has gotten a bit of attention. of course, stacey abrams was the face of the need for voting reform. she registered so many voters here in georgia, and her narrow loss in 2018, but it certainly led to president biden carrying the state of georgia in 2020, but she is actually thanking and welcoming a president biden in a tweet, but she's not going to be here, citing a scheduling conflict. president biden, as he left the white house, had this to say about stacey abrams. >> i spoke with stacey this morning. we have a great relationship. we got our scheduling mixed up. i talked with her at length this morning. we're all on the same page. and everything's fine. >> reporter: so, he said everything's fine there. yes, there is certainly some dissent from some local georgia democratic groups. the dissent, of course, is very common in the history of the civil rights movement, but we should point out that president biden flew here on air force one. vice president harris flew here separately. both planes were filled with members of the georgia democratic delegation, other senators as well. there are certainly many civil rights leaders expected to be on hand when this speech begins, and we are getting a sense of what president biden is going to say during this landmark speech with the white house is giving a major push on voting rights. he'll say this. he'll say, the next few days, when these bills come to a vote will mark a turning point in this nation. will we choose democracy over autocracy, light over shadow, justice over injustice? i know where i stand. i will not yield. i will not flinch. i will defend your right to vote and our democracy against all enemies, foreign and domestic. and so, the question is where will the institution of the united states senate stand? and that is the central question here as senate majority leader chuck schumer says he's going to be bringing up some of these bills for consideration this week. the question is the filibuster. we're told that president biden is going to give his most forceful argument yet to have a carveout in this filibuster to allow this voting right legislation to go forward without the needed 60 votes. joe manchin, though, said this morning that he simply is not in favor of that. so, we have a sense of how this is going to end, but the question is, will there be some type of compromise on some lesser legislation here to protect voting rights? and really to implement some national reform here to push back against all those actions of the state, including here in georgia. that's why this speech here from the president and vice president is so important, at least not white house. >> we'll obviously be watching. jeff zeleny, thank you very much for previewing all that. joining me now is jerry gonzalez, the ceo of galeo, the georgia association of latino elected officials. his group is boycotting the president's speech. great to see you. you say that there's no time for speeches. this moment is too dire and you don't have time to go to the president's speech, but why not present a united front? the president thinks it's dire too. >> well, it is dire, but we need him to be spending time in washington, d.c., to make sure that if anybody knows the u.s. senate, it's joe biden. he knows how to get things done in the senate. he needs to be working the senators to make sure that we do get a vote. we need -- we do need to eliminate the filibuster for voting rights, and we're urging the president to come out strongly in favor of that and to use his power as the president of persuasion and his relationships within the senate to ensure that all senators, including senator manchin and senator sinema are on board with -- >> but jerry, don't you think president biden has been doing that? he has been talking to senator manchin. senator manchin is dug in. he doesn't want to lose the filibuster. what more do you want president biden to do? >> we want president biden to be in d.c. having those conversations with them instead of spending time here in atlanta. bottom line is he can be effective in washington, d.c. in georgia, we know how dire the situation is with voter suppression tactics or legislation being introduced in the georgia general assembly just yesterday. so things are dire. we need the president to lead and act in washington, d.c., and get the job done in the u.s. senate. we get the job done in georgia, and he needs to get the job done in d.c. >> isn't it possible that what he is doing is taking the bully pulpit outside of washington, d.c., because things are so intractable in the senate, and he's taking the bully pulpit to the people to try to raise awareness about how dire this situation is? what's wrong with that? >> i think it's important to draw attention to the dire situation. there's west virginia. there's also arizona. senator manchin and senator sinema are not on board with this proposal, so bottom line is, the president needs to work with senator manchin and senator sinema to get them on board and use everything that he can with the power of the presidency and make sure that his knowledge and influence in the senate to make sure it happens. it is a dire situation, and we want the president to lead, not just talk about action. >> listen, just today, senator manchin just told us the filibuster is what makes the senate hopefully work when it's supposed to work, and he does not -- filibuster does not make it work. he doesn't want to change it, filibuster -- the filibuster. he's said it time and again. and so, are you saying that unless president biden gets joe manchin and kyrsten sinema on board, that voting rights are doomed? >> no, i think that the president can lead in washington, d.c., and make sure that we can have the carveout. if they carved out the filibuster for the debt ceiling limit, they can carve out the filibuster for voting rights. voting rights are what make this democracy happen. our democracy is under attack, and we must make sure we do everything in our power to do that, and that includes changing the filibuster to make it happen. >> yes, but again, senator manchin is the problem, not president biden. he appears -- agrees with you. has your group reached out to senator manchin or tried to reach out to any of the republicans who could get on board with this? >> president biden should go to west virginia or should go to arizona to make sure that senator manchin and senator sinema are on board with this. he needs to work in washington, d.c., to lead in the senate, the senate that he knows very well, to make sure that we can get a positive vote and move voting rights protections forward. >> i hear you. i hear you, and i hear what you think would be more effective than going to georgia, but again, do you think that showing this chasm in the democratic party between you and the president and the vice president who are in your state today, do you think that's helpful? >> georgia showed up for president biden. georgia showed up for senators warnock and ossoff. we did the work to make sure -- to make that happen in georgia. now it's time for the president and the vice president to work in d.c. to make it happen in the u.s. senate. we elected them to get things done. they promised they would get this done. now it's time for them to be held accountable to that, and actually get the work done in washington, d.c. they need to go back to the senate and make sure that it happens. >> jerry gonzalez, thank you very much. we appreciate getting your perspective today. we'll see what happens with the president's visit. >> thank you so much. joining us now, cnn political commentator allison ashley, former national coalitions director for president biden's campaign. radio host for metro news talkline in west virginia, and gloria borger, cnn chief political analyst. gloria, let's start with you. we heard what jerry gonzalez says, we don't need any more speeches, we need action in washington. the president called this a defining moment. he had a defining moment speech six months ago at the constitution center in philadelphia. why is the president delivering this now, considering there's not been much progress on getting legislation passed in the six months since? >> look, if all had gone according to plan, from the white house point of view, they would have passed the american rescue plan, which they did. they would have passed their infrastructure bill, which they did, and then they would have passed build back better, which day didn't, and then they would have gone to voting rights. so what they've clearly decided to do since build back better is really on the back burner, they've said, okay, now is the time we have to do it. and you understand this as well as i do or anybody who's looked at politics. they understand that the window is closing. there's a good shot that they're not going to have unified control of the congress next time around after 2022. so, the window is closing, and they got to -- they believe they have to do something. and even if -- even if they might lose this vote or not get everything they want, they still believe at the white house they have a shot of getting some of what they want, which won't be perfect, but they understand that this is their opportunity, and you can argue with them that they should have done this sooner, that they should have done it before they spent all that political capital on build back better, but this is the situation they're in, and so they're giving the speech they've got to give. >> i mean, ashley, you could argue that infrastructure doesn't matter if we lose democracy. that's one argument that people are making and that president biden should have had a different priority set to begin with, but here we are, and do you understand the argument that we just heard from jerry gonzalez, that time's over for speeches? time's up for speeches and some other action now needs to be taken? >> i do understand the groups that are not attending the speech today. historically, in movements, in particular the civil right movement, there are strategies and tactics that everyone has to play. i remember when i was in the white house and then at a civil rights organization, everyone has a role in this ecosystem of democracy, and so the groups that are not attending, they are shining a light and putting the urgency, yes, it is great that the speech is happening today, but it would have been great if it had happened not just six months ago but every single day as infrastructure and build back better was a part of the messaging from the white house. these groups were hoping that voting rights was in that messaging as well, and it just wasn't. and so, today, their action is really shining a light on the urgency and that their demand that a speech is not going to be sufficient. they want the bill to pass. and they want commitment from the president and the vice president. they want them to call on the elimination of the filibuster or that carveout, which they don't feel like has happened yet. >> you have been covering senator manchin since he was in the state legislature back in the '80s and '90s. the strategy that the democrats are taking here with trying to get him on board to join in to at least a carveout or reform of the filibuster, does this work, this set of a deadline and then the pressure of the week or two before that to try to get him to change? >> i don't think it does. for a couple reasons. one is, just -- you just have to listen to what manchin says. earlier today, i think he said, you all quoted on cnn, he said, i'm not going to break the rules to change the rules. manchin's predecessor, robert c. bird, was the conscience of the senate, a great defender of the senate, and i think manchin's kind of channeling his robert c. bird as a conscience of the senate and believing that if you have a carveout for this, then you have a carveout for something else, it just adds to the divide in this country and does not unify the country. it sounds corny, but it's true when manchin says he wants bipartisanship. if you want to change the rules, then do it the way you're supposed to do it. have two-thirds of those voting to change the rules and do it that way and get back to the regular order of business in the senate. when manchin says that, he's not just blowing smoke. i think that's what he really believes. >> i mean, gloria, of course, the flipside is that republicans, when they regain control, won't necessarily respect manchin's tradition on that and on the filibuster. but what about what we just heard, the suggestion that we just heard from jerry gonzalez there, which is, why isn't president biden going to west virginia and making this speech if this is about the bully pulpit, going to arizona and making this speech and trying to drum up pressure on manchin and sinema? >> well, i think he should have done that. i think he tried to do it on build back better, and put all his eggs in that basket. and i think, looking back, they may have some regret about that. i think this is hugely important. i think the president is probably going to come out today and say he supports some kind of a carveout, so you can get this passed. but what he's facing is not only opposition from republicans but don't forget there are some democrats now who are raising their hands and saying, wait a minute, i'm not so sure i support a carveout for this. senator kelly of arizona, for example. perhaps senator tester of montana. we don't know. and then we have sinema and then we have manchin. so, if he loses that unified democratic support, then what happens? and it only, i believe, you know, with people refusing to go to biden's speech, i understand the purpose in that and the symbolism in that, but the democrats need to be united if they're going to get anything done, and it makes it a little harder for the president. when stacey abrams, who is so important in this fight -- when stacey abrams has a conflict and suddenly cannot appear. >> yeah, ashley, let me ask you about this. you mentioned some of the grassroots organizations, but people across the country, they don't know those leaders as well as they know a stacey abrams who has a national platform. the significance of her absence today, they say that they were on the wrong page for scheduling, what does that mean, that she is not there, specifically? >> well, i think if soon to be governor abrams says she has a scheduling conflict, i believe her. i do think, though, it is -- it sends a symbol that we have to act and that she does not feel like this speech is going to be the deciding factor, though, that will get the legislation over the finish line. i think the speech that the president gave six months ago was phenomenal, and the speech that he gave at remembering january 6th and the violence that took place there was phenomenal. i think what stacey abrams and the groups all want is action. we know in washington, d.c., speeches don't get legislation to move. it's conversations behind the scenes, and i will say that, yes, i agree with gloria, that democrats need to be unified. but often, when a conversation about unity comes, it's the grassroots. it's the activists. it's the people of color who are pushed to be the unifier. joe manchin is not unified with the democrats right now. kyrsten sinema is not unified with the democrats right now. they are the ones that the pressure needs to be on and other democrats who don't want to support a carveout for the filibuster, they're not unified with the democrats. they are the problem, not the activists not going to the speech today. >> allison, gloria, hoppy, thank you all. coronavirus hospitalizations hit a new record today. the acting fda commissioner says most people are going to get covid. and the focus needs to be on how to keep the country functioning while that happens. and dr. fauci vividly describes the danger that senator rand paul's attacks are posing to fauci's family. that's ahead. st 26 pounds and i feel incredible. with the new personalpoints program, i answered questions about my goals and the foods i love. i like that the ww personalpoints plan is built just for me. don't pay until spring! join today at ww.com hurry! offer ends january 17th! you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire - family. - family. - family. - family is everything. - [girl 1] family is with us through all of life's great moments. - bye, bye! - [girl 2] family is who we count on, inner greatest time of need because they're always by your side when we need them the most. - and for the past 100 years, shriners hospitals for children has become family to over 1.5 million kids. - [girl 2] in tough times, and good times... - good girl! - [girl 2] they are there when we need the most. - but it's only possible because of people like you. - people who give every month. - because of that, you're our family too. - you're there when we need you most. - but if you haven't joined the shriner's hospital family yet, now is your chance. - [girl 3] all you have to do, is call the number on your screen or go online to loveshriners.org right now, with your monthly gift. and you'll help thousands of kids just like us, get the care and support we need every day. - when you call or go online today with your monthly gift of just $19, just 63 cents a day, we'll send you this adorable "love to the rescue" blanket as our gift to you. it'll be a reminder of how you're standing by our side, just like family. - thank you. - thank you for being a part of our family. - thank you for being a part of my family. - your monthly gift today, can change my life forever. - [girl 3] you can join the thousands of caring family members who give each month by calling this special number on your screen right now. - it's so good to know that we have a family like you, who cares enough to stand by our side. - thank you. - thank you. - thank you. - [girl 3] please, call or go online right now to loveshriners.org with your monthly gift. - [boy 1] you'll make a difference in our lives, every day. with less moderate-to-severe eczema, why hide your skin if you can help heal your skin from within? dupixent helps keep you one step ahead of eczema with clearer skin and less itch. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. moments ago, the fda administrator just said something we have not heard quite so clearly before. that most people will get covid. >> i think it's hard to process what's actually happening right now, which is most people are going to get covid. all right? what we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function, transportation, you know, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens. >> and as coronavirus hospitalizations have reached a record high with more than 145,000 people now hospitalized with the virus, lucy kavanov has more. >> reporter: more americans are now in hospitals sick with covid than ever before, about twice as many as two weeks ago, p surpassing last winter's peak, underscoring the threat posed by the highly contagious omicron variant, especially for the unvaccinated. >> despite a potential decrease in severity, the substantial number of absolute cases is resulting in hospitalization increases across all age groups, including children age 0 to 4. >> reporter: hospital staff, struggling to cope. >> we have so many physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, other practicing health individuals and healthcare who are getting to the end of their rope as far as being able to care for patients. the high mental health risk of being almost like in a war zone. >> reporter: deaths are also spiking, up 33% from last week. the u.s. now averaging more than 1,600 new deaths each day. new cases averaging over about three quarters of a million a day. this as the cdc reportedly weighs updating its mask guidance to encourage people to wear n95 or k n95 masks which provide better filtration to help curb omicron's spread, according to "the washington post." >> omicron is likely not to be the last curveball this virus throws at us, but we have the tools to prevent further spread of this virus. this means for everyone 5 and older, please get vaccinated. for those 12 and older, get your booster shot. >> reporter: despite logging some 66,000 positive covid cases, los angeles students and staff are back in classrooms today. chicago also following suit. >> schools should be the first places to open and the last places to close. we had a delta surge in the fall and 99% of our schools were safely opened. we have vaccines that are available for every child over the age of 5. >> reporter: meanwhile, one sliver of good news. the u.s. officials or some u.s. officials told senate lawmakers today that the first of 500 million covid-19 tests, the biden administration plans to send directly to americans, will go out later this month. the rest will be shipped over the next 60 days. the white house, though, still working on a website where americans can sign up. this as experts warn the latest omicron surge could peak later this month but that the next few weeks are critical. vaccinations, boosters, still key to turning the corner on this pandemic. victor, alisyn, back to you. >> lucy kafanov, thank you so much. during the senate committee hearing this morning, dr. anthony fauci called out republican senator rand paul again over the dangers of covid misinformation. >> so, your desire to take down people -- >> you're absolutely incorrect as usual, senator. you are incorrect, almost everything you say. >> no, you deny, but the emails tell the truth of this. >> no. you keep coming back to personal attacks on me that have absolutely no relevance to reality. >> do you think anybody has had more influence over our response to this than you have? do you think -- >> madam chair, can i -- >> do you think it's a great success, what's happened so far? >> what happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue is that all of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there, and i have life -- threats upon my life, harassment of my family, and my children, with obscene phone calls because people are lying about me. now, i guess you could say, well, that's the way it goes, i can take the hit. well, it makes a difference because as some of you may know, just about three or four weeks ago, on december 21st, a person was arrested who was on their way from sacramento to washington, d.c., at a speed stop in iowa, and they asked the police -- the police asked him where he was going, and he was going to washington, d.c., to kill dr. fauci. and they found, in his car, an ar-15 and multiple magazines of ammunition. because he thinks that maybe i'm killing people. so, i ask myself, why would senator want to do this? so, go to rand paul's website, and you see "fire dr. fauci" with a little box that says, contribute here. you can do $5, $10, $20, $100, so you are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain. >> epidemiologist dr. sayed joins us now. thank you so much for being here. i don't think most people did know the kinds of threats that dr. fauci and his family are facing on a daily or weekly basis, and of course, we have seen before all too tragically that heated and hateful political speech does lead to real-world violence or at least can. is senator rand paul just trying to raise money? or are his complaints about dr. fauci, though they're quite personal, are they legitimate? is he trying to make some point about covid's origins that haven't been addressed? >> i think what rand paul is trying to do here is, in effect, the medical equivalent of mccarthyism, takes an obscure email, quotes it out of context to sow some conspiracy theory so he can gain power or raise money. it is so cynical. and the thing that makes your blood boil about it all is the fact that rand paul is actually a trained physician. he understands the science. so you have to imagine the kind of cynicism that he has going on in his mind when he tries to blame someone who's on the right side of trying to save lives in this pandemic. for the pandemic itself. it is really, truly disgusting, and it epitomizes this moment of our political polarization where everything is fair game. nothing is off limits. and you see the consequences in dr. fauci's voice. i mean, this is a man saying, please stop bothering my family over the work that i'm trying to do to save our lives. >> let's turn to what we heard, i think, for a lot of people the first time from the acting fda commissioner, dr. woodcock that says that most people are going to get covid. continue to wear the mask and social distance and quarantine when necessary, but most people are going to get it. how do we receive that now that it's impacting society in such a large way but it's unavoidable for, as she says, most americans? >> well, i didn't think dr. woodcock's comments were particularly helpful. a, i haven't seen the evidence that she seems to be citing here. i haven't seen evidence that most people are going to get it. that's an empirical statement which has to have evidence behind it. and second, the thing that she said about it is that we have to keep our systems functioning in that context, but the way to keep systems functioning is to make sure that even if you believe that everyone is going to get covid, that it doesn't happen all at the same time, which means that people have to do things to protect themselves and one another, whether that is making sure that they are wearing their masks, getting vaccinated, using rapid tests, but if you tell people that they're just going to get it anyway, then you've killed the incentive that people have to protect themselves, to slow the spread and make sure they don't get it. i mean, it implies a certain lack of agency that the existence of our federal bureaucracy should suggest we have. and so it's really frustrating to hear off the cuff like that. >> the way i heard it was that, okay, maybe most of us will get infected, but our goal is, and i think has always been, to stay out of the hospital. and that's what the obviously vaccines and all these other mitigation techniques should help us do. but it's interesting, dr. abdul el-sayed, to hear you say that you haven't seen the science that supports that. thank you very much. your perspective is really helpful as always. more than a year after the january 6th insurrection, the department of justice announces it's creating a new domestic terrorism unit as extremist threats continue. and the capitol police chief says staffing is the biggest hurdle to reopen the capitol to the public. they're still down hundreds of officers. more on that ahead. and here's a look at some other events we're watching today. what does it feel like to sell your car to carvana? it feels amazing. when you get a great offer in seconds... (all cheering) it feels too good to be true. it's kicking back and relaxing as we pick up your car. and when you get paid on the spot, it feels like scoring big. you know the feeling. you just never imagined you could get it from selling your car. well, with carvana, you can. experience the new way to sell a car. ♪ for skin that never holds you back. don't settle for silver. #1 for diabetic dry skin #1 for psoriasis symptom relief and #1 for eczema symptom relief. gold bond. champion your skin. as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ narrator: on a faraway beach, the generation called "our greatest" saved the world from tyranny. in an office we know as "oval," a new-generation president faced down an imminent threat of nuclear war. on a bridge in selma, alabama, the preacher of his time marched us straight to passing voting rights for every american. at a gate in west berlin, a late-generation american president demanded an enemy superpower tear down a wall and liberate a continent. american generations answering the call of their time with american ideals. freedom. liberty. justice. for today's generation of leaders, the call has come again to protect our freedom to vote, to fortify our democracy by passing the freedom to vote act and the john lewis voting rights act because america - john lewis: we are not going back, we are going forward. some of my best memories growing up, were cooking with mom. she always said, “food is love.” so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ i want to make the most of every meal we have together. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the 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. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. breaking news. cnn has just learned the january 6th committee wants to talk to rudy giuliani. >> not surprising but tell us about this timing, ryan. >> reporter: yeah, i think what's surprising, alisyn, is that the committee has not taken this step as of yet. rudy giuliani, of course, one of the key public figures that was peddling the big lie after the 2020 election and then leading up to january 6th. he also served as the personal attorney for the former president, donald trump, so i asked the committee chairman, bennie thompson, just a few minutes ago, if they do indeed want to talk to rudy giuliani and asked why they hadn't subpoenaed him yet and what thompson told me was that he agreed that giuliani was an integral part of everything that happened after the election and leading up to january 6th and he described him as being on a long list of people that they want to talk to and that at some point, they will reach out to him and attempt to get him to come before the committee. now, the big open question here is, the form and fashion in which they seek that cooperation. the committee's done this in a variety of different ways. sometimes they send a letter asking for voluntary cooperation. they've done that with sean hannity, for instance, and a few members of congress. other times, they just go straight to the subpoena route and issue that subpoena that would legally force someone to hand over documents and then meet for a deposition. at this point, thompson says they are just reviewing the process and talking through the process before making a final decision as to how they are going to reach out to giuliani, but the key point here, victor and alisyn, is that they are interested in talking to giuliani. they view him as an integral part of their investigation. it now just seems as a matter of when and how they go through that process. >> ryan, the question is, then, how successful, regardless of how they reach out, whether it's a request or a subpoena, will they be in getting rudy giuliani to sit down? we've seen kind of a common denominator among those closest to the president. >> reporter: yeah, that's absolutely right, victor, and that may be part of the reason it's taken them so long to take this step, because of course, giuliani is in that class of loyal trump defenders, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to protect the former president, so you would have to assume that he would stand in the way of any type of cooperation with the select committee. there also becomes the issue of his relationship as counsel for the former president, donald trump, and we've seen some of these ancillary figures attempt to evoke attorney-client privilege in their relationship with donald trump as a way to stand in the -- in front of the committee's requests, even when their relationship as an attorney is pretty distant from donald trump directly. or specifically. so, you can imagine the fact that, you know, he had this title as personal attorney to donald trump during this time frame, that he may try and throw up that as a roadblock of attorney-client privilege. regardless, the committee is going to try and find a way to get him to talk. victor, i do think it is an important point to make that they have not had a ton of success with those that are very close and loyal to donald trump and there's no doubt that giuliani is in that category. >> ryan, also, we're learning that the department of justice is announcing that it's going to form this new unit to combat domestic terrorism. so, how will it do that? >> reporter: yeah, what's interesting about this, and this was part of hearings that took place here on capitol hill, is that they are worried about not just domestic terrorism across the country but they're also worried about the internal threats that could, you know, be a problem here at the capitol, and that goes with not only staffers and people that work for members of congress but also capitol police officers. in the capitol police chief tom manger said during this hearing part of what they're going to do to try to root this problem out is begin at the hiring process and this is a bit of what he said earlier today. i guess -- >> i don't think we have that. >> i think it all begins with the hiring process, and you've got to make sure that the background investigations that we do, the polygraph tests that we give, the deep dive into an individual's social media, the social media is also tremendously important to really determine, is this person suitable to be a police officer? and then, so, that's where it starts. >> reporter: so, you could see where the focus here is, not just from the capitol police department, these internal threats, but also the department of justice looking into domestic terrorism more broadly. you can see the different ways these federal government agencies are combatting what they see as an outgrowth of what happened here on january 6 ft. victor and alice snn >> ryan nobles, thank you very much. let's go now to atlanta, georgia, where president biden and vice president harris are about to lay a wreath at the tomb of reverend dr. martin luther king jr. and coretta scott king. >> we see the president and vice president walking with martin luther king iii and we see bernice king as well, alongside the vice president. we, of course, expect the president to lay a wreath here. he'll have some remarks on voting rights a little later this afternoon. we'll, of course, keep an eye on what happens here and bring you any significant remarks that the president makes. so, we will take a quick break. y'all heard it here. if you wanna be fresh, you gotta refresh, like subway®. like the new baja steak & jack tender, thicker-cut steak and. wait sooo you're not coming out of retirement? i'm just here because subway has so much new, they bought time in this press conference to talk about it. ♪ (peaceful music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (battle sounds from phone) ♪ ♪ (battle sounds stop) ♪ ♪ (dragon roar from phone) ♪ ♪ >> vo: my car is my after-work decompression zone. ♪ music ♪ >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology and service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ welcome to the next level. this is the all-new lexus nx. with intuitive tech... (car sfx: beep beep) (car sfx: watch for traffic) ...and our most advanced safety system—ever. ♪ (burke) this is why you want farmers claim forgiveness... [echoing] claim forgiveness-ness, your home premium won't go up just because of this. (woman) wow, that's something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. [echoing] get a quote today. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ president biden and vice president harris are paying their respects with a wreath-laying at the tomb of the late reverend dr. martin luther king and coretta scott king in atlanta. these are pictures from just a few moments ago. now, more than a half century after the civil rights icon led nationwide demonstrations and protests that ushered in the landmark 1965 voting rights act and soon the president will make a speech pushing for voting rights legislation. the president is aiming to turn up to heat on congress and urge lawmakers to act. let's bring in now tammy baldwin, democratic senator from wisconsin. she joins us now. senator builaldwin, thank you s much for your time. >> it's a pleasure to join you. >> can we just, at the top, establish that you believe this is urgent, that you think that the senate has to act on voting rights? these conversations usually get into reiterating the urgency without getting to the what, the how and all of that. can we do that? >> absolutely. so, i'll start with that. this is incredibly urgent. last week, we solemnly recognized the anniversary of donald trump's insurrection where his mob tried to overturn the results of an election, to discount the voters' desires, and to steal the election. and then his big lie has now incited states across this country to pass laws that will curtail people's access to the ballot box. and we've seen a spate of harassment, intimidation and threats aimed against election officials in almost all states. this is dire. it's urgent. and one more thing to add in. gerrymandering is sadly taking place across this country. and so we need to act and we need to act with dispatch. >> understood. you believe this is urgent. let's get now to why this vote is happening right now. senator manchin has said that he doesn't support changing the filibuster with just democratic votes, so why is there going to be a vote in the next couple of days if you don't have the votes to pass anything? >> well, first of all, we need to recognize the urgency and in many ways, i don't want to say it will be too late, but we will have lost the opportunity to save people's right to be heard in elections if we don't act quickly. but i also think that it's important that we set a deadline, and how appropriate it is to set that deadline for our observation of martin luther king day, on monday. it really does bring together the fight, the herculean fight in which many lost their lives in order to secure the right to vote against -- >> but senator, you don't have the votes. >> -- policies that made it very, very difficult and the voting rights act passed, and recognizing both the heroes of that day but also in the john lewis voting rights act to -- >> understood, senator. senator -- >> -- look at somebody who was a champion until his last breath -- >> i get that. >> -- to make sure that everybody no matter where you live has a right to cast their ballot and have it counted. >> senator baldwin, my question is, i understand, you have established the urgency. why is this vote happening now? the urgency was established six months ago when president biden delivered the speech at the constitution center. there's been no progress since then. you still don't have the votes. why is this happening at this moment, and do you think that there's any possibility that a week from now, two weeks from now, that you'll be any further along on the road to passing some voting rights protections? well, of course i remain hopeful, and i think as we've made this argument, our colleagues have further understood the urgency. >> senator manchin further understood the urgency, senator. >> i know in my conversations talking about the urgent situation in wisconsin where not only are there endeavors to pass new laws, thankfully our governor is vetoing those, there is incredible harassment and threats being launched against the election officials in our state in an effort to undermine faith in the ballot box and in our democracy. i think we have by demonstrating and talking to our colleagues about what's going on in each of our states that, we've really upped this sense of urgency, and what i will say is that every democrat is on both bills and, in fact, in the john lewis act, we have one republican. i think it is time for them to figure out -- well, first of all, it's time for mitch mcconnell to stop obstructing it. the freedom to vote act has 50 cosponsors, and the john lewis voting rights act has, i think, 51 usponsors, if i recall correctly. senator murkowski joined us when that was introduced, so there's obvious unanimity in our party to move this forward. what we need to do is get rid of our obstruction which is the filibuster, which is mitch mcconnell saying that despite this overwhelming support from the majority party, that he will not let it move forward and i think that my remaining colleagues who have expressed their skepticism about eliminating the filibuster, which i would do because i think this is so urgent, that in the moment, they will decide to cast their vote to change the rules in a manner that we can pass this by a simple majority vote. >> let me describe what's happening right now. we've got senator raphael warnock who until his time there -- until joining the senate was the lead pastor, the senior pastor at ebenezer baptist church, president biden, vice president harris walking in. couldn't exactly hear what the president said there. i'm sure one of our reporters will report that for us. senator, thank you so much, you remain hopeful. one of the votes you need, senator manchin says he's not on board for changing the filibuster, thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> okay. victor, doctors are celebrating a major medical breakthrough. a man received a genetically modified pig heart transplant. this could be a game changer for transplant patients. we have more ahead. touch, pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand, helps keep baby's skin drier and healthier. so every touch will protect like the first. pampers at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner with access to financial advice, tools and a personalized plan that helps you build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. with ww, i lost 30 lbs and i feel incredible! i love the new program because the app does all the work for you. it's never too late to start. don't pay until spring! join today at ww.com hurry! offer ends january 17th! new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. the pandemic made teaching and learning really hard. but instead of working to help students safely return to the classroom, the san francisco school board focused on renaming schools and playing politics. and they've even saddled our district with a $125 million deficit. our children can't wait for new leadership. here's our chance for a fresh start. on february 15th, please recall school board members collins, lópez and moliga before our kids fall even further behind. new year, new start. and now comcast business b is making it easyl to get going with the ready. set. save. sale. get started with fast and reliable internet and voice for $64.99 a month with a 2-year price guarantee. it's easy... with flexible installation and backing from an expert team, 24/7. and for even more value, ask how to get up to a $500 prepaid card. get a great deal for your business with the ready. set. save. sale today. comcast business. powering possibilities. announcer: tired of pain radiating down your leg and lower back? get relief finally, with magnilife® leg and back pain relief. and get living. available at your local retailer. doctors say a man in maryland is doing well after a breakthrough heart transplant. on friday, doctors transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into the man who had terminal heart disease. >> this could help solve the shortage of donor organs in the u.s. let's bring in cnn medical correspondent, elizabeth cohn. this is a medical breakthrough with major implications so what could this mean for the future? >> alisyn, if this works, if this man lives and lives a healthy life for any period of time, really, or for more than just a few days or weeks or months, this could be a game changer. if it doesn't work, it might not end up meaning very much. so everyone agrees here, his doctor, he agrees, this was not anyone's first choice. no one wanted to do a pig heart plant. he didn't qualify for a human heart or for an artificial heart pump, so he said this was his only choice, this was all he could do. it was this or death. that's david bennett, a 57-year-old man from maryland. now the video of the surgery that we're showing, it is a little graphic, and so this might not be for people who are squeamish, but david bennett, again, 57-year-old man from maryland said this was his only choice. let's take a listen to one of his surgeons. >> we have never done this in a human, and i'd like to think that we have given him a better option than what continuing his therapy would have been. but whether it's a day, week, month, year, i don't know. >> now, there are of course ethical considerations here. you might say, well, why are there ethical issues, he was going to die, this was a big option. i don't mean to be a big downer, if he lives and he lives with a terrible quality of life and he really suffers, he and other people might question, was this really the right thing to do given that there weren't any clinical trials, there were no tests given that this was so new, was this really the right thing to do. alisyn, victor. >> interesting to look at it from all of those angles. i guess we shall see. elizabeth cohn, thank you for that. back to georgia right now, president biden is at ebenezer baptist church. he is meeting with senator raphael warnock. this is all ahead of his critical speech on voting rights, so we are live in atlanta, next. why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. thanks to realtor.com's home alerts we were able to see the newest homes on the market, super fast. so we could finally buy our first "big boi house." big boi house. big boi kitchen! big boi waterfall shower! big boi crawl space. big boi sold sign, big boi logo. realtor.com to each their home. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so puffs plus lotion rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion, puffs bring soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue. a must in your medicine cabinet! less sick days! cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! this i