Lets go outfront. Good evening, i am erin burnett. Outfront, Breaking News on several fronts this hour. At the white house, the president meet whiting on stimu. It is a promise from biden to work across the aisle. We expect to speak to reporters after the meeting, well bring you that as soon as it happens. There at the microphone outside the white house. On capitol hill, major deadlines loom in the Impeachment Trial of former president donald trump. Democrats filing, and trump has to give his papers by tomorrow. President trump may add new lawyers to the defense team. If he does, theyll join the Brand New Team as of last night, two attorneys known for high profile, controversial cases. David schoen and bruce castor. David said i represent all sorts of Reputed Mobster figures, alleged head of russian mafia, straels mafia, and a guy the government claimed was the biggest massive ee owes oh in the world. Castor is a prosecutor that declined to prosecute bill cosby. Cosby was eventually convicted of drugging and sexual assaulting the woman. The new legal team, every one of the five lawyers known to represent him quit this weekend in mass. They wanted to argue it is unconstitutional to convict a former president with impeachment. Trump wanted them to say the election was stolen instead. Yes, this is the Case Trump Stands by. He wants to stand by that he won by a landslide in the election. The team agree with his strategy. More than 60 courts dismissed it out of hand, the election was free and fair and a popular vote win for biden. Why is trump trying so hard to make those claims the focal point of the senate trial, charging him with inciting insurrection . Does he think that the lie would justify a mob of his supporters trampling a woman . Does it justify Police Officers being hit enbeaten with a hocke stick and crutch. Does he think Brian Sicknick working the capitol that died after hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, does he think it justifies the two Police Officers that responded and have since taken their own lives. People that died that day didnt have to die. They were all there, brought together that day because trump lied about the election and then lied and lied and lied, inspiring and justifying the attackers choice to be there. Has trump watched the video of one supporter charged by federal prosecutors, wonder in all the media he consumes if he has seen this. This video was one of the first people to breach the barricades outside the complex. The man is accused of attacking the police line, causing at least one officer to suffer a concussion. One thing that every person knows is true about the attack, and that is this, the rioters, some looking for blood, were in washington that day for one reason and that is that they listened to trumps lie. Some sent him money in response to 600 Fundraising Emails and Text Messages sent between Election Night and january 6, talking about his landslide win and the rigged and fraud and all that business. We all heard him and all heard them repeat him. Want to warn you, some language youre about to hear here is offensive. Stop the steal. Stop the steal, stop the steal. Well lose everything. Were going to fucking lose it all. Thats treason. Thats treason. We got to get nancy pelosi the hell out of there. Speaker pelosi, were coming, bitch. Mike pence, i will tell you now, i am not hearing good stories. And truck wants his lawyers to continue spreading that. Manu raju is on capitol hill. Youre learning new information about the case the democrats will make against President Trump. Reporter yeah, well see that tomorrow when briefs come out making the case why the democrats believe donald trump should be convicted in the Senate Impeachment trial, why he never be allowed to run for office ever again. The democrats plan to layout a case. Manu, i have to interrupt you to listen to Susan Collins coming out of the meeting. Some of the key aides to discuss the next steps on the covid relief package. We outlined for the president the provisions that we have proposed as part of an approximately 600 billion package. He explained in more depth areas that were not flushed out as much in the package, the 1. 9 trillion package and it was a very Good Exchange of views. I wouldnt say that we came together on a package tonight. No one expected that in a two hour meeting, but what we did agree to do is follow up and talk further at the staff level and amongst ourselves and with the president and Vice President on how we can continue to Work Together on this very important issue. All of us are concerned about struggling families, teetering Small Businesses, and overwhelmed Health Care System getting vaccines out and into peoples arms and strengthening our economy and addressing the Public Health crisis that we face. So i think it was an excellent meeting, and were very appreciative as his First Official meeting in the oval office that the president chose to spend so much time with us in a frank and very useful discussion. Finally, let me just say that we have demonstrated in the last year that we can come together on a bipartisan package dealing with the covid crisis. In fact, we have done that not just once or twice, weve done it five times. And i am hopeful that we can once again pass a sixth bipartisan covid relief package. Thank you. All right, you just saw the republicans there in the meeting. Saw Susan Collins speaking. She was the one that called the meeting. The take away from that much longer than expected meeting, but i wouldnt say we came together. Obviously they want to Work Together, that was the operative headline from Senator Collins. Manu is with me, also Phil Mattingly. Let me ask you, phil, obviously the meeting went longer than anyone anticipated, but it doesnt appear there was a break through. Which i think, the reality of where they were going into the meeting. To your point, the meeting was an hour longer than anybody expected going into the meeting. What does that mean . We have to wait and find out. One thing thats important you heard from Senator Collins, theyre going to keep talking and have more staff level discussions. We were at the point, erin, based on white house advisers and congressional officials i talked to in the last 24 to 48 hours, comes to fish or bait moment. While they didnt reach close to a deal, theres no firm agreement and still a huge, huge lift to try to bridge the two proposals. Conversations are still ongoing, notable as manu knows, democrats are getting ready to kick the process into gear this week. And obviously theyre still pretty far apart. Republicans are willing to do a package about a third of the size biden wanted. Thats where we are tonight, right, phil . Theres no change in terms of the White House Position and what republicans came into it. Erin, this is important to note. Discussions occurring or good thing, when you look at whether a deal is possible, better than no talks whatsoever. How far apart the two sides were, it is not a minor thing to come more than twothirds on the top line. Then talk about whats inside the proposals, this is whats more difficult. Biden have money for state and local aid, Republican Proposal has zero for that local aid. You can go in and out of every part of the top lines. There are significant divergences on policy. That has to be married up the next several days to make any progress. So long as the white house makes clear repeatedly as they have from the president on down that they want to act big, go big, bigger is better than smaller, theyre in a different place than the ten republican senators were. Phil mattingly, thank you very much. Manu is with me. In terms of where we are on this, how close are we to when we start to see Movement Among any republican senators in terms of amounts or anything . I think what youre going to see as the negotiations continue to talk, theyll have some discussions between the republican senators and the white house but the democrats are going to continue to move forward on their own plans to fast track legislation that could be passed on their own this month. Try to get something through the house sometime later this month, the senate, either first week of march, because unless theres significant movement, particularly on the republican side to go closer to what joe biden is asking for, 1. 9 trillion, democrats will move on their own. They believe thats where the support lies. They have narrow majority in the house. 50 50 senate. If they keep the party united, they can get it through and are confident they can, if they keep the price tag close to 1. 9 trillion. All comes in the context of maybe bipartisan, talk about Impeachment Trial for the former president , and all these deadlines are tomorrow. I know democrats have to layout the formal days, the president has to reply, the not guilty equivalent of the senate trial. So where are we and also something significant i believe youre just learning about a step mcconnell has taken to tip his hand here and this is pertaining to liz cheney. He said privately that he believes donald trump committed impeachable offenses, Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell. He also voted last week with republicans to essentially throw out the proceedings, but nevertheless, he in a new statement we obtained is offering support to one of the ten republicans that voted to impeach donald trump, liz cheney, third ranking republican in house gop leadership came under fire from trump defenders trying to ouster her from that leadership position. In a statement, mcconnell says cheney acted on her convictions and is someone who should be trusted and he said he supports her. Thats further than the House Republican leader Kevin Mccarthy has gone. Mccarthy offered support for liz cheney, but he has concerns and she has to answer for the concerns in a conference during a meeting wednesday. Here, a significant statement from Senate Republican leader amid the debate how to move on from donald trump. Thank you very much, manu. I want to go to Chief Strategist for the bush, Cheney Campaign and ben ginsburg, was council to the bush Cheney Campaigns. I know you know each other well. Matthew, let me start with you. The president is trying to get lawyers on board, and the whole question is on the teledefense. He wants them to say he won by a landslide as opposed to making it a constitutionality point. In the context manu just reported, what do you make of it with Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell making it clear he sp supports liz cheney and doing it now. I think it is a mistake of the president. As you know, you put these lawyers in a courtroom, they couldnt make the argument, making the arlgt would be lying to the court. I think it is wholly about the president not able to give up and admit he lost. He conveys himself as a great winner. Same reason by barry bonds, never admitted performance enhancing runs, cant admit he got the championship without them. Donald trump cant admit losing, having to lie and make an argument, why he lost his lawyers. It is his own personal inability to say he lost. And ben, on this front many of these senators, you had a lot of senators that were republicans that made it clear they think what trump did is impeachable, right, that they think it is terrible and wrong, yet theyve said but it is not constitutional to do it now. Theyve given trumps team that out if they want it. He has the votes to prevail if he makes that narrow argument. Do you find it incredible he is still trying to push them to say it was stolen from him . Yeah. It would be a real mistake. He has what would appear to be an obvious win or exoneration as he would call it on just the constitutional arguments. But i think he is very aware in hearing about the way the democrats are going to present their case with vivid video, interspursed with his words, the notion he perpetrated the big lie will be part of this. I think he never got his forum on january 6 in the Electoral College vote to be able to make his case and it is eating at him. He is about to make a terrible mistake for himself if he goes down the road of trying to argue Election Fraud. Matthew, republican senator jon cornyn told cnn it would be a disservice for trumps legal team to make the focus on Election Fraud itself. Heres the big test, matthew. If they do that, use that Fraud Defense in any way, will any of the 45 republicans that said look, you give us the constitutional out, well take it, will any turn and vote to convict . Well, i mean, thats the question. There are two parts of that. First part, i dont think any of the 45 change the vote, no matter what argument donald trump falls into, that his lawyers make, bad mistakes, theyre already set in stone on that. I think the question knows he is not likely to get convicted, but i dont think thats the point. If i were the democrats i would keep pursuing this, even if i knew we werent getting conviction because here is why. You cant get to reconciliation which is what the republicans want to push the side of unity, dont do the impeachment, it is going to divide the country, there are lessons around the world you have to have truth before you get to reconciliation, but bigger lesson in our country, reconstruction. We are starting at the beginning of black history month, africanamerican history month. Because we didnt handle and do accountability in truth and because Abraham Lincoln was shot, took 100 years before the vision of Abraham Lincoln was fulfilled, ultimately in 65 in the Voting Rights act and civil rights bill. Draw a Straight Line not providing accountability for reconstruction to thousands of lynchings that occurred, death of emet till, death of jimmy lee jackson, of medgar evers, death of the girls at the 16th street baptist church, death of Martin Luther king. When you dont confront a problem, this was an insurrection pushed by the president of the United States, we have a history shows this is not going to be solved unless we get to the truth. If i were the democrats, i would wholly be concerned not about the punishment but whats the truth and what actually happened. Certainly, ben, the president is showing by his actions now his desire to fight on the fraud itself, that that point of view isnt going away, him pushing it isnt going away, belief in it isnt going away, by the very way he is handling this. In that context, what do you make of Senator Mcconnell who stood up and said the president and people in power responsible for the riot said it publicly, right . Then voted to dismiss the proceedings on constitutionality, and now says he supports liz cheney and her vote to impeach. I think what he is saying is that he is preserving the right, sending a signal to members to be able to vote to convict if the evidence is overwhelming from the democrats, and as well if donald trump goes down the fraud line of the case. Remember when the seven republicans objected to results, they did it on procedural grounds, didnt do it on voter fraud grounds or that the election was fraudulent. So the theory there is not support for voter fraud for no other reason that the senators were elected there themselves, they would be saying their own election is invalid. If trump goes down the road of arguing there was voter fraud, he does risk republican senators following the setup that Mitch Mcconnell delivered tonight. Thank you both very much. I appreciate it. Ben, matthew, thank you. Next, a race against time. Cases of Covid Mutations in the United States multiply. Our next guest has a sobering view of what will happen and the role of vaccines. 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