"THE 11TH HOUR" WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN.
DAY 27 OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, AND WITH THE
IMPEACHMENT DRAMA NOW OVER, THE
PRESIDENT HAS TRULY ENTERED THE
POST-TRUMP ERA.
THE WHITE HOUSE AND DEMOCRATS IN
CONGRESS BEGINNING A FULL COURT
PRESS TO MAKE BIDEN’S AGENDA A
REALITY.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS BEING
HIS ALMOST $2 TRILLION COVID
RELIEF PLAN WHICH HE’LL BE
PITCHING IN ERNEST AND IN PERSON
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THIS
WEEK.
BIDEN HITS THE ROAD TOMORROW,
HEADS TO WISCONSIN, A STATE HE
FLIPPED BY ABOUT 20,000 HEAVILY
LITIGATED VOTES.
HE’LL BE IN MICHIGAN ON
THURSDAY.
TODAY HE RELEASED HIS MESSAGE ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> TODAY WE ARE LIVING THROUGH
ANOTHER LONG DARK WINTER IN OUR
NATION’S HISTORY, COMBATTING A
DEADLY VIRUS, JOBLESSNESS,
HUNGER, RACIAL INJUSTICE,
VIOLENT EXTREMISM, HOPELESSNESS
AND DESPAIR.
BUT I KNOW WE’LL GET THROUGH
THIS.
I KNOW BETTER DAYS ARE AHEAD.
I KNOW IT BECAUSE I KNOW THE
STORY OF THE HISTORY OF THE
JOURNEY OF THIS NATION.
>> BIDEN’S RELIEF PLAN MAY END
UP BEING A DEMOCRATS-ONLY BILL.
OF COURSE, THEY CONTROL BOTH
CHAMBERS.
THEY COULD PASS IT WITH A SIMPLE
MAJORITY IF NECESSARY.
NBC NEWS REPORTS BIDEN IS ALSO
GETTING AN IMMIGRATION REFORM
BILL READY, LOOKING FOR
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TO HELP
PUSH THAT THROUGH AS WELL.
KEY ELEMENTS WILL INCLUDE A
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP FOR THOSE
UNDOCUMENTED.
EXPANDING REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT,
MORE TECHNOLOGY TO PATROL THE
SOUTHERN BORDER IN LIEU OF A
WALL.
"WALL STREET JOURNAL" REPORTS
EVEN THOUGH BIDEN AND THE
DEMOCRATS ARE IN FULL-COURT
PRESS MODE, REPUBLICANS HAVE THE
FREEDOM TO RAMP UP THEIR
OPPOSITION.
QUOTE
QUOTE, BY THE END MORNING AFTER
THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, IT WAS
CLEAR THAT ONE CAUSE WILL BE TO
RALLY IN OPPOSITION TO
MR. BIDEN’S AGENDA.
WHILE TRUMP’S SECOND IMPEACHMENT
MAY BE HISTORY, THE FALLOUT, AFTERSHOCKS FROM THE TRIAL, AND
THE RIOT THAT SET IT IN MOTIONAL
ALL INTENSIFYING.
NANCY PELOSI MOVING FOR A
9/11-STYLE INDEPENDENT
COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE
INSURRECTION.
FUND THE CAPITOL AND THE
LAWMAKERS INSIDE IT.
ONE OF THE 43 REPUBLICAN
SENATORS WHO ACQUITTED TRUMP
GAVE THIS EXTRAORDINARY
INTERPRETATION OF THE EVENTS OF
1/6 DURING A RADIO INTERVIEW
JUST THIS MORNING.
>> THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
THIS DIDN’T SEEM LIKE AN ARMED
INSURRECTION TO ME.
IF THAT WAS A PLANNED ARM
INSURRECTION, MAN YOU HAD REALLY
A BUNCH OF IDIOTS.
I’M SITTING BACK IN MY OFFICE
WATCHING VIDEO OF THE ARMED
INSURRECTIONISTS STAYING WITHIN
THE LINES INSIDE THE CAPITOL.
I’M SEEING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE
MILLING ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, IT WASN’T TILL I
REALLY SAW THE VIDEO IN THE
TRIAL THAT YOU REALLY SAW, YOU
KNOW, WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND HOW
OFFICERS GOT, GOT INJURED.
>> UNBELIEVABLE EXPLANATION FROM
RON JOHNSON, WHICH WE’VE HAD
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL
RUSSIAN, OF COURSE.
IF YOU WERE WATCHING ON
SATURDAY, YOU SAW MITCH
McCONNELL CONVICT TRUMP IN HIS
SPEECH MOMENTS AFTER ACQUITTING
HIM.
THE GUY WHO HELD OFF THE TRIAL
UNTIL TRUMP LEFT THE PRESIDENCY
SAID THEY JUST COULDN’T CONVICT
TRUMP BECAUSE HE HAD LEFT THE
PRESIDENCY.
TONIGHT McCONNELL HAS A NEW
OP-ED IN "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL" APPARENTLY WRITTEN BY
GASLIGHT, RESPONDING THAT COME
COMPLAINTS OF HIS SCHEDULING
PREVENTED HIM FROM REMOVING
TRUMP FROM OFFICE BEFORE JANUARY
20th.
QUOTE, CONSIDER THE CLAIM I
COULD HAVE STEERED AROUND THE
JURISDICTIONAL ISSUE BY
RECALLING THE SENATE BETWEEN
JANUARY 14 AND 20, WHILE
MR. TRUMP WAS STILL IN OFFICE.
THE SALIENT DATE IS NOT THE
TRIAL’S START, BUT THE END WHEN
THE PENALTY OF REMOVAL FROM
OFFICE MUST BE POSSIBLE.
NO REMOTELY FAIR OR REGULAR
SENATE PROCESS COULD HAVE
STARTED AND FINISHED IN LESS
THAN ONE WEEK, SAID McCONNELL,
AFTER THE WEEK LONG TRIAL.
THE SENATE FELL TEN VOTES SHORT
OF THE 67 NEEDED TO CONVICT
TRUMP OF INCITING INSURRECTION.
AN ABC NEWS IPSOS POLL SHOWED
58% OF OUR FELLOW VOTERS SAY
TRUMP SHOULD HAVE BEEN
CONVICTED.
TRUMP HAS MADE NO ON-CAMERA
COMMENTS SINCE THE ACQUITTAL.
IN HIS STATEMENT HE ISSUED
SATURDAY NIGHT, HE SIGNALLED
HE’S NOT DONE WITH POLITICS.
HE WAS BACK ON THE GOLF COURSE
IN WEST PALM BEACH TODAY.
LOCAL TRUMPERS THREW HIM A MINI
EGO BOOST TODAY.
HER TIME, AND HERE’S THE
QUESTION.
NOW BIDEN COMES TO THIS.
YOU COULD REALLY RESTART THE
COUNT WE USE AT THE TOP OF THE
BROADCAST AS WE SAID AND START
HIS PRESIDENCY TODAY, NOT VIEWED
THROUGH THE TRUMP PRISM.
HAS TOXICITY INCREASED BY DENT
OF THE IMPEACHMENT WE JUST
WITNESSED ON THE HILL THAT IS
GOING TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT WHAT
BIDEN ASKS FOR AND WANTS, HE
SAYS TO GET OUR COUNTRY HEALTHY
AGAIN?
>> BRIAN, IT VERY WELL MAY, IN
PART, BECAUSE OF WHAT THE
CONGRESS WENT THROUGH LAST WEEK
WAS THE MOST PARTISAN AND
POLITICAL OF EXERCISES.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A TRIAL BASED
ON THE FACTS OF WHAT HAPPENED ON
JANUARY 6, IT WAS SEEN BY BOTH
SIDES THROUGH A PARTISAN LENS,
AND THAT COULD VERY WELL CORRUPT
ANY HOPE THAT BIDEN MAY HAVE OF
SOME SORT OF BIPARTISAN UNITY
HERE AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS
PRESIDENCY.
AND LET’S KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A
NATION CONVULSED BY CRISES.
YOU KNOW, YOU’VE GOT THE
ECONOMIC CRISIS, THE HEALTH
CRISIS, THE CLIMATE CRISIS.
I COULD GO ON AND ON AND BIDEN
HAS A VERY AMBITIOUS AGENDA FOR
THAT.
HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET
REALLY ANYTHING THROUGH
LEGISLATIVELY IN THIS FIRST
MONTH, AND THEY’RE EAGER TO GET
GOING.
THAT’S WHY HE’S HITTING THE ROAD
TUESDAY, AGAIN ON THURSDAY.
AND THEN HE’S BEGINNING SOME
FOREIGN POLICY OUTREACH.
HE’S GOING TO BE ADDRESSING THE
MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE,
COLLECTION OF AMERICA’S WESTERN
ALLIES, EUROPEAN ALLIES WHO ARE