jeff zeleny in portage, michigan. we'll continue to monter the trip. >>> next, i will speak with a family of a south dakota man struck and killed by a car while walking on the side of the highway. the state's attorney general was behind the wheel. details ahead why he's only details ahead why he's only charged with misdemeanors. cer. or it isn't. it's either testing an array of advanced safety systems. or it isn't. it's either the peace of mind of a standard unlimited mileage warranty. or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through march 1st. shop online or drop by your local dealer today. hey, you! nice smartphone. you should switch it to tracfone wireless to get more control over your wireless plan. they give you unlimited carryover data — you pay for your data, you keep your data. really? yeah, you just swap your sim card (whistles) you can also keep your phone, keep your number, keep your network,

sanjay gupta is with us and jeff zeleny as well. sanjay, this proof positive that the biden team understands that the most important job is for them to accelerate the vaccine rollout, not only distribution but getting shots into arms. jeff zients saying they will start a rollout program of 1 million doses next week at pharmacies around the country. 1 million doses a modest amount to get started but the idea they have gone into a new phase that they will start next week with doses going to community pharmacies around the country. how much of a difference might that make? >> i think the idea will make a big difference. to your point, the number itself is very hodmodest. there's a couple things that we learned or have been reminded of over the last couple of months now, last several weeks at least. pharmacies is where people often go. this is what people are familiar with, especially local neighborhood pharmacies. we saw evidence of just how well that has worked in west virginia, for example. we also know pharmacies can have incredible

jeff zeleny has more on that visit. >> president biden making a visit to the pfizer factory in portage, michigan, where the coronavirus vaccine is being produced. and clearly there have been issued with vaccination supply. so the president taking a firsthand look while he walked through the factory getting the pfizer acknowledgement to ramp up production. that is about two months ahead of schedule from the original plan. now, there is no question, winter weather in the united states has slowed the distribution of this vaccine considerably. the president said there could be other bumps in the road, as well. different variants of the strain, of course, are making this even more challenging. but he did say by the end of july, he does expect some 300 million americans should be receiving vaccines. but also making the case that vaccines are safe. there is a worry inside the administration that people who are eligible for the vaccine are afraid to get it because of the safety concerns. he made clear the vaccine is safe. also, he pushed republicans to support his $1.9 trillion covid relief sp

cnn's jeff zeleny there. jeff, what specific issues, what specific problems does the president need to address today? >> well, president biden, brooke, is going to talk about the need for increased production of this vaccine supply. of course, there have been issues with the storms across the country slowing down the distribution of this, but there are also issues with the production. one of the reasons that he signed the defense production act to speed up some of the mechanisms behind the scenes here of getting the vaccinations out quickly so we were told he's going to talk about the need to speed this up somewhat as well as he's making his case for that covid economic relief bill as well here in michigan. his plan is $1.9 trillion. a lot of that money has to do, you know, producing and distributing the -- the vaccine as well as economic relief, of course, so he's going to be just drawing attention here on the need to focus on this -- this vaccine, but, brooke, also interestingly we saw just a few moments ag

jeff zeleny, i know you talk to people inside the administration here. how is he approaching that evening? >> before i get to that, i'll echo everything that dana said, brooke. can't wait where you go from here. some island time in your future, i hope. >> you and me. >> look, this is president biden's chance to really get that megaphone back. he's been sharing it essentially for the last three weeks, for the first virtual month of his presidency with the impeachment trial so this is a chance this week for president biden to seize that bully pulpit and explain his plan. americans want to hear what he's going to do in terms of vaccine supply, getting the covid relief bill passed. this is one thing a president can do. he's lived his life in the u.s. senate and as vice president but now he's president of the united states. that commands, you know, aed by stall unlike any other. >> yeah. >> so he's taking his plan to the country to sell that. you know, he's definitely going to use his empathy tonight as well because that's where his strengths are. the challen

jeff zeleny, thank you. >>> let's go to more on all of this. chief correspondent dana bash and chief national correspondent john king. let's begin with the fracture within the republican party as we see it right now. we just heard a top republican senator describe this as a choice between conservative basic principles and conspiracy theories. that might sound simple, but this is a pretty polarizing rift, isn't it? >> it is, and a defining moment now for the republican party. this is a ditch they dug themselves, all of them. no matter which side you're on right now, because of the conduct during the four years of the trump administration. older guard versus newer members like marjorie taylor greene or matt gaetz. some of this is house versus senate. senator mcconnell has a different view than many house republicans do. most of this is the establishment versus the green light that the former president donald trump gave to these people as he invited them into his coalition and the party. mitch mcconnell would not stand up to president trump's cons

cnn's jeff zeleny has been speaking to some of them. he is live in milwaukee with more. so what do they say, jeff? >> reporter: hey, good morning, alisyn. president biden will be coming to see voters face to face for the first time since taking office and on their minds are economic relief, vaccine supply, schools, those are central issues to them. but as we talk to voters, something else came up again and again -- that's the president's plan to unify the country. that's from voters who supported him and those who didn't. >> yeah, i'm giving him a shot. >> reporter: she didn't vote for joe biden, but she's pulling for his success. >> i think he's just a very nice man. i think he's very good, one of the last politicians i think that can go across the aisle and meet with people. and i think that's something that's a big plus. >> reporter: when we first met her in the heat of the campaign last fall, she was torn. >> i get it why people don't like trump, but at the same time, he has done a few things that i thought were important. >> reporter: but said she ultimately decided

and then jeff zeleny, it's obviously president biden's first chance to speak to the american people since the impeachment trial of his predecessor. this really does come at a key moment. he has a spotlight in a different way than he's had it over the last few weeks. >> john, no doubt about it. look, after the impeachment trial is over, it's more than that. this really is the beginning of the second month of his presidency but in many respects it's the first month of him having the spotlight to himself. and as the impeachment trial was going on last week, the white house wise doing a lot of work, having republican governors in, democratic governors in, mayors in talking about this relief bill. and there is no doubt about that the public supports this economic relief. do remember at the end of last year, the end of the trump presidency, there was support for giving $2,000 payments to americans who were hurting in need. this bill comes with a $1400 added on top of the $600 from last year. so there is support for that. the question is are republicans going to swallow this whole $1.9 trillion

we want to start now with jeff zeleny who's outfront live on capitol hill. jeff, how did senators react to trump's legal defense? >> reporter: erin, senators were unsparing in their criticism and that was just from republicans. senator john cornyn of texas said they rambled on and on. one republican senator said the president's lawyers were disorganized. another described them as awful. another said it was a rocky start. so that all came as they were praising house impeachment managers for presenting a strong and compelling cogent case. with part one of the impeachment trial now over, it is constitutional to impeach a former president. the tough part for democrats begins tomorrow. >> this cannot be the future of america. we cannot have presidents inciting and mobilizing mob violence against our government and our institutions. >> reporter: searing arguments steeped in history on the opening day of the senate impeachment trial of former president donald trump. tonight senate jurors asking a single question, whether it's constitutional to put a former presiden

jeff zeleny is outfront live on capitol hill. jeff, this is really stunning, right? we knew that mccarthy had talked to trump and pleaded with trump, and trump hadn't done anything. but these are the details. pleaded with him, and trump says, they care more than you, taking the side of the rioters and opting to do nothing. >> reporter: erin, the reason why this is important, because it speaks to the mind-set of the president in those critical hours of the afternoon of january 6th when this capitol was under siege, under attack. the house minority leader, kevin mccarthy, of course a very close friend of the president, was on the phone with him, being yelled at by the white house. so that made clear the president was very much aware of exactly what was going on here on capitol hill, and that has been at the heart of the entire argument, the entire set of questions. did the president know what his vice president, what danger he was potentially in? it was this series of several questions in the senate trial this afternoon. but it is this new reporting from jamie gangel a

cnn's jeff zeleny is traveling with president biden in michigan. the u.s. is approaching any day now the 500,000 covid death. president biden under a lot of pressure to ramp up vaccinations. what is he saying today? >> reporter: he absolutely is under pressure and he knows that he own this is challenge and problem. it is why he wanted to come here to the pfizer plant behind me in portage, michigan, to see firsthand and make the case that, a., vaccines are safe. we have not heard this message in a while, because there has not been -- there is a shortage of vaccinations, but as they ramp up supply, there is a worry inside the white house and across the administration that the people who need the vaccines may not be taking them. so he said i urge americans that are eligible to believe that these vaccines are safe. but then, jake, he quickly shifted to trying to urge republicans to support his $1.9 trillion covid economic relief bill. and he said, in the most political terms yet since he became president, look, the polls show that the majority of americans supp

cnn's jeff zeleny shows us what's weighing on their minds. >> i'm giving him a shot. >> reporter: caroline didn't vote for joe biden but she's pulling for his success. >> i think he's a very nice man. i think he's very good. one of the politicians i think can go across the aisle and that's something that's a big plus. >> when we first met her in the heat of the campaign last fall she was torn. >> i get it why people don't like trump but at the same time he has done a few things that i thought were important. >> reporter: but said she ultimately decided trump would do a better job fixing the economy. >> i voted for trump. >> reporter: in the end biden won wisconsin by less than a point and cedarburg by only 19 votes. most signs of the election are long gone, it's a new season and many voters hearsay a fresh start from the acrimony of the trump era. >> the tone down of the rhetoric, not having to be glued to the tv or media has been very refreshing. >> you're welcome, hon. >> reporter: natasha is a small business owner who supported biden but senses more calm. >> you can tell there's morriss

. >> i want to bring in jeff zeleny. he joins us as well. jeff, it's interesting. this is the president's first road trip out to talk to people. we had politicians like barack obama, joe biden is among them showing sympathy out on the campaign trail and also connecting with voters. almost every answer was a personal aside before answering to voters in the crowd. >> don, it was. and that is classic joe biden. i just stepped out of the room just as the town hall was ending. and really to a person, to an individual questioner, he drew a connection. he told an old story about something his mother said or how, you know -- a lot of us have heard these before. but this is the first time this president, he is doing this. so, he is relatable in every measure of the word. yes, he rambles from time to time. but he's absolutely relatable. and i think that is something that americans like to see from their president. but, don, it was that moment that kaitlan was just referring to with the second grader that he offered reassurance. he said, don't be scared, honey. he said, you w

but, b, he's speaking to people include jeff zeleny's reporting from wisconsin yesterday was fabulous. and are willing to give joe biden time to shine and time to do what he promised to do. >> and so one of the things we did see, and count me as one of the people early on in the democratic primary as sceptic that this was biden's time. but he proved that, to your point, that people were looking for something different. people in the middle of a pandemic were looking for somebody, maybe a little grandfatherly at time, the one thing we did see throughout the primaries and we saw again last night in the town hall from biden was empathy. >> if you're willing, i'll stay around after this is over, and maybe we can talk a few minutes and see if i can get you some help. if there's any angels in heaven, they're all nurses, male and female, you're wonderful. thank you for what you do. but don't be scared, honey. don't be scared. you're going to be fine. and we're going to make sure mommy is fine, too. >> you're right. you touched on this a bit earlier. that stuff resonates with real people. we

. >> thank you very much, jeff zeleny. >> the vast, vast majority of scholars all agree that it is constitutional. out front now lawrence tribe, consultant tried on impeachment and jamie raskin has been frequent contact with you up to and including today. let me start with asking you about the interview with david schoen with "the new york times" holding trump accountable for the impact of his words, chilling the rights of any passionate speakers. it's a first amendment defense. will it hold up? >>. >> i don't think so. it's a very serious point, but it's wrong. i don't know anybody who is a stronger first amendment advocate than i am, but i fully recognize that there is a difference between the right of an ordinary citizen to express herself passionately and the right of someone to run for president, take the oath as president and then stand by the presidential seal in front of the white house and urge an angry mob to burn it down. to go to the capitol and basically take it over. that is not freedom of speech. justice scalia was a strong defender of free speech and he once said you can't ride wi

all right, thank you very must've, jeff zeleny. >> let's go to floria borger, the white house secretary jen psaki also said, i quote her, certainly the president of the united states owns the response to the americans, likievr jeff said. she continued to say it's important for people to know what we inherited when the president came into profit. already, they got a bipartisan group of governors complaining about communications from the biden administration on vaccines. can they continue successfully to blame what they have inherited much longer. >> reporter: well, welcome to incumbency. they can to a certain degree. we know this. there wasn't much of a federal distribution plan for vaccines when the biden administration came into office. we know that they have upped the number of vaccines that will be available by about 200 million. they've upped the number of total daily inoculations to about 1.6 million. but people want to get vaccinated. they want to get vaccinated sooner. and now this is a problem that they have and they own and they have to explain to the american people why it is

jeff zeleny, cnn, the white house. >>> and as jeff just mentioned, the impeachment trial of former president trump is set to get under way on tuesday. we don't know how long it may last. president biden says he think the trial needs to take place but in an interview he declined to say if he would vote to convict if he was still net u.s. senate. take a listen. >> let's turn to the impeachment trial. if you were still a senator, would you vote to convict him? >> look, i ran like hell to defeat him because i thought he was unfit to be president. i watched what everyone else watched. what happened when that crew invaded the united states congress. but i'm not in the senate now. i'll let the senate make that decision. >> trump has refused to testify at the trial in his own defense, but democrats who will prosecute the case believe there is plenty of evidence already of his alleged role in inciting a mob to attack the capitol on january 6. >>> head of the u.s. and americas program at chatham house in london, lizy, lovely to see you. so president biden is defending his stimulus plan. how much is ri

as jeff zeleny reports, obama's chief economic adviser larry summers perhaps the most unwelcomed detractor on the size of this legislation. >> it's time to act. we can reduce suffering in this country. >> reporter: president joe biden saying bluntly today the american pain is too deep to go small and too urgent for a drawn-out washington debate. >> i believe the american people are looking right now to their government for help to do our job, to not let them down. so i'm going to act. i'm going to act fast. >> reporter: the president making clear he's plunging ahead with his american rescue plan, saying if democrats have to pass the bill alone, so be it. he invited republican help but said their proposals did not meet the magnitude of the economic need. >> what republicans have proposed is either to do nothing or not enough. >> thanks for coming down. >> reporter: whirlwind week that started with republicans in the oval office on monday. and ended with democratic leaders there today. charting a path forward to pass the covid relief plan through a budget process that only needs a simple maj

manu raju and jeff zeleny both on capitol hill for us. that's where they've been non-stop. jeff, you just had a chance to speak with one of the former president's lawyers. what did he say? >> wolf, we spoke with michael van der veen, the lawyer making most of the closing arguments today. and of course putting this in perspective how quickly this has all gone, it was two weeks ago this evening when the president parted ways with his first legal team. and there's been a mad scramble to find new lawyers and to get them up to speed. so he has been on this case less than two weeks. one question hanging over all that, is he being paid for services or not? we know the former president has long history of not necessarily paying his bills. that's been a question, what is the arrangement of payment? i asked him if he was being paid. he said i am being paid. but he would not elaborate beyond that. in terms of the actual matter of the case, he said the former president felt vindicated he felt vindicated but asking about the seven republican senators who voted to convict along with all

and, you know, we heard from jamie and from jeff zeleny, manu and others reporting on the people who are angry at liz cheney, and the fact that she's defending herself and obviously feels very good. she has been working the phones, talking to every member of the conference, and she feels confident that she could get a show of support and that that would help her with a vote. but what we're not hearing about is the anger that does exist against marjorie taylor greene, and the fact that that is the big issue before and that is really dividing the republican conference right now. and mccarthy, the republican leader, just put out a lengthy statement saying that he feels good about a conversation he had with her, and that she recognizes that she can't act like this now that she's a member of congress and she said different things before she was there. and then he went after democrats, because democrats who are in control of the house, are going to move to remove her in a big vote tomorrow. so let me just put this in english. what the house republican leader right now is suggesting is that

and our friend, jeff zeleny yesterday said something that really stuck with me, is that kevin mccarthy now owns marjorie taylor greene. kevin mccarthy has now bought into this completely. and if she does anything -- i mean, if one more post comes out from her post november 3rd -- not only that it wasn't a lie about disavowing qanon and all this stuff, but that's on him. he's got this completely now. and i'm not sure i would want to be the one holding the debt for marjorie taylor greene. >> yeah, well, good morning, john. i think, you know, for the republican leader, for kevin mccarthy, this has just been such a quick reversal of fortunes in the number of weeks. we were writing only a few weeks ago how he was trying to, you know, put the republican coalition back in order to win and become house speaker in the next midterms. and now you see, you know, what underlies all of this is this huge leadership contest pressure on him from two sides. steve scalise on one side, liz cheney on the other side. and what's the other song? it's not donna summer, "stuck in the middle with you." this is t

jeff zeleny is watching this closely. he's up on capitol hill. so the working assumption is, yes, they've approved witnesses, but then they're going to have to vote separately on who the witnesses should be. >> reporter: exactly and that was some of the confusion on the floor among some senators who were voting on this. but it is clear that they have voted for the idea. they've opened the door, if you will, to the idea of witnesses. now they must have a simple majority vote on every witness. so there will be another vote, if this proceeds as we're going forward. and we should say there is no playbook for this. there is no rule of order here. we're going to have to watch this unfold. if they do go ahead with witnesses, if the house impeachment managers want to depose the congresswoman, jamie herrera beautler, there will be another simple majority vote for that. and on and on. so for every witness who would be suggested or called by either side, there would be a vote of the senate. so this is something that we're in uncharted waters here. senator r

let's get to jeff zeleny at the white house. and jeff, president biden strong words as he tries to walk a fine line on trump's impeachment trial. i find it fascinating he did not want to directly say how he would vote. >> erin, he has really always shied away from saying that. we've known for weeks he has not had the appetite for this impeachment trial. the fact of it matter is former president trump is going to essentially take all the oxygen not out of washington next week but also out of the legislative process which president biden is trying to work through to get his covid bill passed. so we know president biden is not thrilled about this, but he didn't have a choice. had he spoken out against it, there would have been, you know, massive turmoil inside the democratic party. house democrats were sitting in the capitol on january 6th. they experienced all this. they wanted to do something. they wanted to punish the former president. so president biden has watched all this quite frankly at a bystander. he's very comfortable to

but first, jeff zeleny on what they saw today. >> reporter: the rioters on the hunt for mike pence. >> hang mike pence! >> hang mike pence! >> and for the first time today images revealed the secret service detail rushing him out, barely escaping the mob. >> you can see vice president pence and his family quickly moved down the stairs. the vice president turns around briefly as he's headed down. you can hear the mob calling for the death of the vice president of the united states. >> reporter: on the other side of the capitol, the target was speaker nancy pelosi. >> nancy, oh, nancy! where are you, nancy? >> the capitol police deemed the threat so dangerous that they evacuated her entirely from the capitol complex. rushing her to a secure, off-site location. we know from the rioters themselves, if they had found speaker pelosi, they would have killed her. >> reporter: this never before seen video from both inside and outside the capitol lay out in the greatest detail yet the timeline of january 6th. officer eugene goodman, saving senator mitt romney, instructing him to turn around. to

cnn's jeff zeleny is live for us in milwaukee, wisconsin, ahead of this town hall. it's a critical night for the new president. his first trip out of town to try to sell in the heartland the biggest initiative of his young presidency. >> john, it absolutely is critical. president biden is going to be coming face-to-face with those voters. the whole state, a key battleground, but now a proving ground to see if he can sell his message. there is support out there among people who voted for the president and people who did not, for getting that economic relief. getting that vaccination supply up, and running. there has been a period of grace that you give any new president. of course, there was a distraction with the impeachment, but now, this is president biden's time to sell this plan, as he begins the second month of his presidency. we have been talking to voters, again, voters who did and did not support the president, but this is a tension under way, trying to win over the detractors but keep the supporters on board. >> get the virus under control. get the economy

back with me cnn's jeff zeleny, "washington post's" seung min kim. jeff, she's a close friend of the chief of staff ron klain. she was one of the early appointees' nominees announced by president biden biden. the votes are simply not there this hour. you have the president and his chief of staff trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat. the question is how long will they continue the search before they say not going to happen? >> and in this case that rabbit is senator lisa murkowski of alaska. she said there are times she's not indicated how she's voting, but there's also a question about democratic support. senator kyrsten sinema, democrat of arizona, has also not said how she'll vote. the reality is a couple things are going on here. one, the white house does not want to in the middle of all of these contentious confirmation hearings this week show defeat. they're trying to delay this process as long as possible. and they do believe that there is a legitimate argument that there is a double standard, a sexist double standard here that is coming up t

more from jeff zeleny that's been at the capitol all day. you were watching the reaction of republican senators to what they were hearing and seeing. we weren't able to see it because maybe you can explain why, wasn't our doing, the negotiations decided by the sen senate. >> reporter: right, the rules of the senate were not changed for this. senators are not seen in this proceeding. think of it as a criminal trial where cameras are not allowed. a sketch artist is drawing sketches of the senators and a hand full of reporters are able to sit in and watch the senators. we saw a variety of remepublica senators not paying attention but when the sound was playing from the police radio, which really is a new sound track to this, people were paying attention to a person, senators were listening and paying attention. now it on open question if it changed any minds. we've been speaking with senators after, you know, the breaks and coming out and to a person they're shaken by it, lisa murkowski of alaska is likely to vote to convict said she's troubled

also jeff zeleny. great to see both of you guys. dana, congressman adam kinzinger was just on with john. he said he did not hear her apologize last night. kevin mccarthy wants us to trust him that she apologized. but when she's had a chance in public on radio shows, on social media, to apologize, to step away, recant anything that she said, she has loudly and proudly refused to do that. and, again, congressman kinzinger said he didn't hear her apologize last night. >> right. and he explained very clearly the reason why, which is never mind the fact that she might actually believe the things that she said, but more importantly now that she's a member of congress, that's how she's raising money and it helps boost her and bolster her power which is incredibly enhanced now after the meeting last night. one of the things that -- two things that kevin mccarthy said last night that are very telling to me. number one, on this note, he said it would be helpful for her to come out and say what she said in the conference in public. he didn't s

zeleny reporting, that she actually spoke to everyone in that conference. she did not apologize for casting her impeachment vote but did ask that they continue to keep her in that position. we'll have to see how that all plays out. we have resolution on the republican side from one of those controversies, jake, still learning to find out what happens in the second. >> appreciate it. congresswoman cheney, of course, is one of the ten house republicans that voted to impeach former president trump. kyung lah visited another republican in florida who also voted to impeach. >> it's the bottom line on news radio 610, kona. >> reporter: in the heart of washington's fourth congressional district. >> we're going to open up the phones. >> reporter: conservative stronghold. >> we're strongly behind president trump. >> reporter: continues to react. >> the votes from representative newhouse on impeachment. >> we need to vote him out. a democrat in sheep's clothing. >> reporter: still angry at their representative, dan newhouse, who voted to impeach donald trump. >> ther

jeff zeleny joins us now from capitol hill. and you have new reporting on how the democrats say they're going to conclude the case against the former president today. >> reporter: we are getting more of a sense of what the house impeachment managers are planninger to do. we're told they're going to zero in on the fact that president trump showed no remorse on that day and in the days following. so we certainly heard a sense of that yesterday. just a minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour accounting of what has happening here on capitol hill. and what the president was doing back at the white house. i'm told we are going to hear even more of that, shining a light on his direct role in certainly inciting and leading up to this attack on january 6th, but in the hours of what was planning to do, what he was doing on that day. so we're not expecting necessarily any dramatic video like we saw yesterday that really had the senate chamber in rapt attention through the day here. >> jeff, i'm sorry to interrupt you. house speaker nancy pelosi is

>> jeff zeleny is with us. walk us through what we're about to see. we know the senate will come to order. they really have choreographed specifically what they need to do as we see the senate majority, now minority, leader mitch mcconnell walking. >> this is recorded minute by minute. you do see minority leader mitch mcconnell, one of the big differences from the last impeachment trial, the minority leader. he's walking from his office onto the floor of the senate. it's about a 30-second walk or so, very quick walk, but those are the very hallways where this scene of the crime happened. so that is something to keep in mind. but we are also going to see the other senators arriving. one other thing to point out, though, wolf, yes, it is the second impeachment trial, but there are some new jurors, if you will, some new senators, if you will. ten new senators who have arrived in the senate since the first impeachment trial. six democrats, four republicans by my count, so this is also something new here. these members of the senate and jurors are going to

let's go to jeff zeleny on capitol hill. you have insight on what senators were doing during these arguments. >> reporter: jake, they were thinking about the questions they are about to ask in the next session here. we know most republicans are not going to ask simply anything at all. they're going to move on very quickly here. >> i'm sorry to interrupt. we're going to go back to the senate chamber. >> the senate has provided up to four hours during which senators may submit questions in writing directed either to the managers on the part of the house of representatives or counsel for the former president. majority leader? >> president, i ask unanimous consent that the answers within the four-hour question period be limited to five minutes each. and if the questions are directed to both tparties that times be equally divided. furthermore, that questions alternate sides for posing questions for as long as the time they have for posing questions. >> without objection, so ordered. >> mr. president i have a question for the desk

jeff zeleny is in milwaukee. do we know what the president's message will be tonight? >> well, jim, good morning. no question president biden, as he wraps up the first month of his presidency, suddenly has the spotlight all to himself. and he is going to be talking, selling to the american people his $1.9 trillion covid economic relief package. so we do know that he's been working behind the scenes on this. this is the first opportunity to take this message directly face-to-face with voters. he'll be taking questions from democrats, republicans and independents here in wisconsin. last year it was battleground wisconsin. this year it's governing wisconsin. so this is the chance for him to make his argument here. but so many challenges facing this administration. vaccines first and foremost. the administration has rolled out its plan to have some 300 million americans vaccinated by the end of july. that is still very much an open question as this administration is taking ownership of this problem. but the administration also is struggle with its message on schools. there

. >> jeff zeleny is getting more reaction, watching what's going on. six republicans joined 50 democrats saying that the trial which will resume tomorrow at noon constitutional. >> the sixth republican, if you will, senator bill cassidy, republican of louisiana, the only republican to change his vote from that test vote just at the end of january. and he explained that he was very disappointed with the president's legal team. he had this to say about how he viewed the arguments. >> if you listen to it, it speaks for itself. it was disorganized, random. if i'm an impartial juror trying to make a decision based on the facts as presented on this issue, then the house managers did a much better job. >> senator, what about the video of the mob attack on the capitol? >> that is not the issue at hand. the issue at hand is is it constitutional to impeach a president who has left office. and the house managers made a compelling, cogent case. and the president's team did n not. >> how did it affect your decision? >> it speaks for itself. that's drama enough. tha

and as we take this break, let's check in with our team, jeff zeleny covers the biden administration for us. you're on capitol hill. >> reporter: jake, we. we've been watching these proceedings with pool reporters rotating in there, looking at

. >> and joining us now with their reporting and their insights, cnn's jeff zeleny and laura barron-lopez of "politico." jeff, we are about to hit this 500,000 milestone. the white house press secretary jen psaki did say they are trying to mark this moment. it is coming at a time we are making some progress. if you look at the pace of vaccinations we are doing more than 1.5, 17 r1.5, 1.6 million vaccinations a day. that's a little bit of a dip because of the storms this week but voters are looking to see how the biden administration is handling all of this. i know that you were on the road this week and you talked to some voters who are giving him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. take a listen. >> right now to get the virus under control, get the economy back on track so people can go back to work, back to the office, back to school. if he can do that, you know, he will get things back to where they were before, before this pandemic, and if he does that i will be very happy. >> so caroline quinlan has pretty high expectations but the biden administration seems to be taking a stra

jeff zeleny is live in milwaukee ahead of the president's visit. what are you hearing from folks there ahead of the president? >> reporter: well, kate, from people who voted for president biden and those who did not vote for president biden, we're hearing common themes of they're giving him some time to get his programs in order, they're patient but want progress on covid-19 relief. they want to see the vaccinations roll out more smoothly. they want to talk about economic relief. we visited the town of cedarberg where joe biden won the town by 19 votes. only 19 votes. and we talked to a small business owner about what her hopes were for the biden administration. >> my biggest hope is to see the stalemate that has happened in washington and in our politics be broken. i just, for me as a person who is more of a moderate, i just don't get why we can't have a civil discussion about things and still go and have drinks together. >> reporter: so, this is something that is going to be tested over the next month. is president biden going to be able to win o

jeff zeleny is outfront. >> yeah i'm giving it another shot. >> caroline quinn lynn didn't vote for joe biden but is pulling for his success. >> i think he is a very nice man. i think he is very good. one of the last politicians i think can go across the aisle and meet with people. that's something it's a big plus. >> when we first met quinn lan in the heat of the kban last fall she was torn. >> i get it why people don't like trump. but at the same time he has done a few things i thought were important. >> but said she ultimately decided trump would do a better job fixing the economy. >> i voted for trump. >> in the end biden won wisconsin by less than 1 point and the city of cedar burg by only 19 votes. turning the reliable milwaukee suburb blue the first time in a quarter of century. with most signs of the election gone it's a new season and many voters say a fresh start from the acrimony from the trump era. >> just the tone down of the rhetoric, not having to be glued to the tv or social media to find out the latest is going on has been very refreshing. >> you're welcome, hon. >> nat

jeff zeleny, thank you very much. let's dig deeper into all of this. our correspondents and analysts are with us. john king, now that we've all heard the totality of the house impeachment manager's case, did they do what they needed to do? >> i think the praise from so many republicans, wolf, answers in the affirmative. yes. that does not mean they changed the minds. as you noted, 44 republicans voted this shouldn't happen. that they don't believe it's a constitutional trial. now, they're not supposed to make their next vote based on that. they're supposed to vote on the facts now that it has been granted jurisdiction. this is a political exercise as much as it is trial. however, what did the democrats do? a compelling, dramatic, fact-filled and emotion-filled two days of presentation. a mix of videos of former president trump's tweets going back years to show this is how he operates. this is what he does. he knows his followers follow his words. they made a very compelling case. and, again, you see that in the praise. number one, that the republicans

let's go to jeff zeleny speaking with people in wisconsin in the lead up to tonight's town hall. listen too what they told him. >> yes, i'm giving him a shot. >> reporter: carolyn didn't vote for joe biden but pulling for his success. >> think he's a very nice man and very good, one of the last politicians that could go across the aisle and meet with people and i think that is a big plus. >> reporter: when we first met quinlan in the heat. campaign, she was torn. >> he has done a few things that i thought were important. >> reporter: but said she ultimately decided trump would do a better job fixing the economy. >> i voted for trump. >> reporter: in the end biden won wisconsin by less than one point and the city of ciderberg by only 19 votes turning the suburb of milwaukee blue for the first time in a quarter century. with most signs long gone, it is a new season and many feel it is a fresh start from the trump era. >> not having to be glued to the tv or social media to find out what the latest is going on has been very refreshing. >> reporter: natasha is a small business owner w

jeff zeleny, abby philip and john king and dana bash joins me now. just got that long statement from the former president, attacking mitch mcconnell. as i said, very personal terms, saying mcconnell will never do what is right for our country. that's a direct quote. what's your reaction? >> my reaction is, here is your proof positive, there are some republicans who thought he would stay on the sideline, be a team player. the former president still thinks he runs the republican party and here is the proof that if you criticize him, as mcconnell did on the senate floor after the impeachment trial, will he come after you. a, does donald trump back it up? does he have the discipline? will he hit the road in 2022? and will he and mitch mcconnell have a fight? mitch mcconnell went through this a few years back over tea party nominees. this ups the stakes to go after a former president who, we know, has lost power in washington. his legacy is indelablindeliabl stained. will trump go quietly or try to pick and get involved in every fight? today he tells us h