Anderson Cooper 360

Approximately 165,000 Texans remain without power and more than 14.9 million have been impacted by a water crisis as the state braces for another deep freeze. While Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has been dealing with the fallout over his quick trip to Cancun, Mexico, two of his Democratic opponents, Beto O’Rourke and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been raising money and offering resources to Texans who are struggling after the winter storm. Amanda Carpenter is the former Communications Director for Cruz. She tells Anderson Cooper she thinks the Senator has “lost sight of what it means to represent Texans.” Plus, President Joe Biden toured a Pfizer vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan and said “I believe we’ll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year” but warns “things can change.” The White House announced that bad weather has created a backlog of about six million Covid-19 vaccine doses. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hosted the President while he was in Michigan and tells AC360 she thinks the vaccine roll out will catch up and make up for lost time.

Airdate: February 19, 2021

Guests:

Amanda Carpenter

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

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

Airdate: February 18, 2021

Guests:

Rep. Joaquin Castro

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

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

Airdate: February 17, 2021

Guests:

Beto O’Rourke

Dr. Anthony Fauci

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The North Carolina GOP censured Sen. Richard Burr after he voted to convict former President Trump. 16 other Republicans are facing similar backlash. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans for a “9/11-type commission” to investigate the Capitol attack. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders joins AC360 to discuss the clear divide in the GOP and his thoughts on the commission. Plus, the CDC recently released new guidelines for reopening schools including five key mitigation strategies: wearing masks, physical distancing, handwashing, maintaining clean facilities and contact tracing. CNN has learned that about 89% of children under 18 live in a county considered a “red zone” with high levels of Covid-19 transmission. Dr. Paul Offit is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He joins Anderson Cooper to react to the new CDC guidelines and whether or not he thinks the country is “turning the corner.”

Airdate: February 15, 2021

Guests:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont

Dr. Paul Offit

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As the Capitol was under attack on January 6th, then-Pres. Trump told House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy the rioters cared more about the election results than he did. In the expletive-laced phone call, McCarthy insisted the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged him to tell them to stop. The Republican members of Congress who were briefed on the call say the exchange shows the former President had no intention of calling off the rioters. Noah Feldman is a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to discuss how these new details could affect the impeachment trial. Plus, one of Trump’s attorneys claims “there was no insurrection.” CNN’s resident fact-checker Daniel Dale talks with Anderson Cooper about some of the false claims from the Trump legal team.  

Airdate: February 12, 2021

Guests:

Noah Feldman

Daniel Dale  

As the Capitol was under attack on January 6th, then-President Trump told House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy the rioters cared more about the election results than he did. In the expletive-laced phone call, McCarthy insisted the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged him to tell them to stop. The Republican members of Congress who were briefed on the call say the exchange shows the former President had no intention of calling off the rioters. Noah Feldman is a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution during Trump’s first impeachment trial. He joins AC360 to discuss how these new details could affect the impeachment trial. Plus, one of Trump’s attorneys claims “there was no insurrection.” CNN’s resident fact-checker Daniel Dale talks with Anderson Cooper about some of the false claims from the Trump legal team.  

Airdate: February 12, 2021

Guests:

Noah Feldman

Daniel Dale

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Former Pres. Trump’s legal team met with Republican Senators, who are also jurors in the impeachment trial, to discuss “strategy.” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is also a juror in the trial. He joins AC360 to react to his colleagues meeting with Trump’s lawyers. Plus, a source tells CNN that Trump’s attorneys are looking to shorten their Senate presentation to as little as three hours in order to make it “short, tight and direct.” The former President’s legal team is expected to argue there is no “direct” link between the insurrectionists and Trump. George Conway is a conservative lawyer and has been a staunch critic of the former President. He tells Anderson Cooper that Trump knows the effect of his words and that he had a duty to protect the country on January 6th but did the exact opposite.

Airdate: February 11, 2021

Guests:

Sen. Chris Murphy

George Conway

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