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Police Use-Of-Force Instructor: Chauvin's Knee On Floyd's Neck Not An Authorized Restraint; Biden Moves Up Vaccine Deadline, All Adults Eligible By April 19; California To Fully Reopen June 15 Amid Falling COVID Case Rates; Interview With Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO); Russian Opposition Leader Navalny On Hunger Strike In Russian Prison Despite Declining Health; Rep. Gaetz Fundraises Off Sex Trafficking Probe, Tells Supporters "They Are Coming For Me". Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 06, 2021 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And while hockey won't save the world's climate, at least the organizers hope it will cause some to take action to try and preserve the natural playing fields of a game that so many love so much.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN on Lake Baikal.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following important new developments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial as the prosecution builds its case that the former Minneapolis police officer violated department policy when he put his knee on George Floyd's neck. The key witness during today's testimony, a use- of-force instructor told the court that officers are trained to use the least amount of force necessary and that Chauvin's restraint was not, repeat, not an authorized tactic.

Also new tonight, an ambitious new timeline from President Biden to make all American adults, everyone, over the age of 16 eligible for the COVID vaccine by April 19, nearly two weeks earlier than his previous deadline. This, as California announces new plans to fully reopen by June 15 as cases in that state continue to fall and where residents are getting the vaccine.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with the Derek Chauvin murder trial. CNN's Omar Jimenez is just outside the courtroom in Minneapolis.

Omar, the prosecution has been very carefully building the case that Chauvin violated policy when he restrained George Floyd by putting his knee on his neck. OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have, Wolf. And for starters, George Ford's brother, Rodney, who's in the courtroom today said it's like watching a movie. There are so many ideas of what is going to happen. And that's really the process we're in the middle of right now. Today's testimony was law enforcement and law enforcement only, the vast majority of them coming from the Minneapolis Police Department.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is proportional force?

LT. JOHNNY MERCIL, MINNEAPOLIS DEPARTMENT USE-OF-FORCE INSTRUCTOR: While you want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your objectives.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): More than 20 witnesses have been called in the trial for Derek Chauvin, many of them officers.

OFFICER NICOLE MACKENZIE, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT MEDICAL SUPPORT COORDINATOR: If you don't have a pulse on a person, you'll immediately start CPR. Just because they're speaking doesn't mean they're breathing adequately.

JIMENEZ: But we too have testimony has largely focused on training. Police Lieutenant Johnny Mercil is a use-of-force instructor with the training division at the Minneapolis Police Department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, is this an MPD trained neck restraint?

MERCIL: No, sir.

JIMENEZ: Mercil admitted though there are scenarios where a knee on the neck does happen in times of aggressive resistance. But,

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For example, the subject was under control and handcuffed, would this be authorized?

MERCIL: I would say no.

JIMENEZ: The defense for Derek Chauvin pushing the lieutenant to their central argument for George Floyd died largely from drugs and his medical history. Asking about drugs and adrenaline, which the lieutenant said can speed up the process of going unconscious from the neck restraint.

MERCIL: The higher your blood rate here your respiration and heart rate is generally the faster a neck restraint affects somebody.

ERIC NELSON, DEFFENSE ATTORNEY: And how long based on your training and experiences typically take to render a person unconscious using a neck restraint?

MERCIL: My experience is under 10 seconds.

NELSON: Under 10 seconds? MERCIL: Yes.

JIMENEZ: The lieutenant is among multiple senior level officers at the Minneapolis Police Department to testify in recent days, and the second to testify Tuesday on topics ranging from use of force to crisis intervention.

Sergeant Ker Yang is the coordinator for crisis intervention training at the Minneapolis Police Department.

SGT. KER YANG, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: When we talk about fast evolving situations, I know that they're -- they do exist, they do happen. But a lot of the time we converse of that is that a lot of the time we have the time to slow things down and reevaluate, reassess, and we go through this model.

JIMENEZ: The court, Tuesday, also focused on Chauvin's exact knee placement, which the defense argued was more on Floyd's back at points.

NELSON: Does this appear to be a prone hope that some -- an officer may apply with his knee?

MERCIL: Yes.

JIMENEZ: While prosecutors argued the exact placement matters less than what they argue it lead to, especially since Floyd was already under control.

STEVE SCHLEICHER, PROSECUTOR: You talked about the prone position in and of itself being something that can lead to positional asphyxia. Is that right?

MERCIL: Yes, sir.

SCHLEICHER: Would that risk be increased by the addition of bodyweight?

MERCIL: Yes, sir.

JIMENEZ: And later in the day, the defense returned to one of their central arguments that a loud crowd was a distraction for Chauvin.

[17:05:00]

NELSON: Does it make it more difficult to assess a patient?

MACKENZIE: It does.

NELSON: Does it make it more likely that you may miss signs that a patient is experiencing something?

MACKENZIE: Yes.

NELSON: And so, the distraction can actually harm the potential care of this -- of the patient? MACKENZIE: Yes.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

JIMENEZ: And the defense actually wants to call that officer Nicole Mackenzie back as one of their witnesses likely to drill down on the influence of a crowd and more.

The final witness called today was a sergeant from the Los Angeles Police Department who was testifying as a use-of-force expert. Things ended pretty abruptly in the middle of his testimony after a sidebar discussion. So, that's where we're going to pick things back up tomorrow morning when court gets back in session.

But now that we've seen the current Minneapolis police chief testify, which he did yesterday, one of the more high-profile witnesses to watch in the future is going to be when the Hennepin County Medical Examiner takes a stand too. Of course, testify on that central question here, what was George Floyd's actual cause of death? Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, that'll be pretty critically important I suspect when that expert testifies.

Omar, stay with us. I want to bring into our conversation, also with us our Legal Analyst Elliot Williams, and Criminal Defense Attorney Mark O'Mara.

Elliot, how successful do you think the prosecution has actually been, at least so far in proving that Chauvin violated policy by keeping his knee on Floyd's neck, for what almost 10 minutes?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Wolf, I wouldn't say they've proven it, but they've certainly established it to sort of use the legal distinction there. They've made the case quite clearly. And frankly, it's hard to know what else they could put on, in short, starting with the police chief, but also expert testimony.

You know, people usually can't testify as to their own opinions in criminal trials, that's why you have experts and people who -- they spent 25 minutes establishing what this individual's credentials were. And he said, based on my education, training, and experience, this was excessive force. And so, it's going to be hard to overcome that.

That's when I think this was probably the most successful day for the defense. Nicole Mackenzie, the medical coordinator did give some openings. And as Omar had said, the defense is going to call her back. And so, that could be a bright point for the defense. But again, it was another quite strong day for the prosecution.

BLITZER: Well, Mark, so do you think the prosecution at least inadvertently gave the defense a bit of a window of opportunity today because a few of the witnesses did, as you heard, they did agree with some of the defense's line of questioning?

MARK O'MARA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I do think that they may have opened some doors that they should not have opened. You have to be very careful over prosecuting a case. We saw in the case, the Anthony (ph) case, that there was so much put in that they started losing the jury.

And in a case like this, they do have to establish the violation of policies, and they did that. But my concern is that they're almost overdoing it. And don't forget, a good criminal defense attorney is going to find reasonable doubt in a conflict in the evidence as well as a lack of evidence.

So, if there is a conflict in the evidence, if they've got different people, different cops saying different things about knee on the back, knee on the shoulder, how long you can do it, body weight versus knee and choking out, if the more you give the defense, the more they're going to be able to argue the differentials between the two.

So, I think the state has to be very careful to move on get past this. No question he violated principles. But now let's move on to the issue that's really critical, and that is, did Chauvin's actions cause or contribute to the death of George Floyd? And that's their focus point.

BLITZER: Yes, the cause of death, that would be very, very important.

Elliot, multiple officials now from the Minneapolis Police Department have testified that Chauvin acted inappropriately. Do we expect the defense to call as many witnesses to testify that Chauvin actually acted appropriately?

WILLIAMS: So, look, the legal standard from the Supreme Court case that came up today, Graham versus Connor, is about objective reasonableness. And reasonableness is itself a fuzzy term, the Supreme Court doesn't lay out precisely what the standards are, sort of the severity of their crime or, you know, or the action, the extent to which the individual is resisting the nature of the threat he's posed. And those are all subjective terms.

And I think the defense is likely to put on, you know, maybe not an equal number of witnesses, I think we've seen 21 or 22 witnesses thus far from the prosecution, but they will certainly poke holes in the prosecution's case.

And like Mark had said, you can either, number one, point to the absence of evidence, but also number two, just pick out the evidence that has already been presented. And all they have to do is get in one jurors head and that would be sufficient to lead to an acquittal here.

BLITZER: Yes, to have a hung jury, as they say.

You know, Omar, you've been in Minneapolis now for a while, have many members of the police department over there in Minneapolis actually spoken out in support of Derek Chauvin since George Floyd's death?

[17:10:06]

JIMENEZ: We really haven't seen that on any organized scale at this point. In fact, a lot of what we've seen come from the police department is trying to distance themselves from the actions of Derek Chauvin. Of course, that was solidified by the Minneapolis police chief when he testified yesterday. But that's been a consistent theme really since May until now.

If you remember, last week, when we heard from a police lieutenant at the police department, he was among a group of 14 separate officers within the police department that condemned Chauvin's behavior back in June.

So, it does seem that every few months or so or at least over the course of this time, people within the department, at least the leadership, seem to be cognizant of how closely members of the community are watching what is happening here and trying to maintain their character and their values they believe that they hold these officers and not necessarily make it dependent on what Derek Chauvin has done and the case surrounding him.

BLITZER: You know, Mark, the Medical Response coordinator who actually taught Derek Chauvin's CPR, said he was trained to immediately start CPR when someone becomes unresponsive. How important was that for the jurors to hear that testimony?

O'MARA: I think it's extraordinarily important for a couple of reasons. Again, this is sort of like a three-dimensional chess game that you're playing in a trial, because you're trying to address a number of issues. And what the prosecution is addressing there is to counter the argument that Chauvin was doing what he had to do under the event existing circumstances that he had to keep Floyd under control.

But then when that is taken care of, the failure to give that type of aid, if you think about it really shows the spirit of Chauvin, right? It sort of shows that he must not have cared because he not only violated the force rule, but the other rule, the humanitarian rule of please care for a person who you know is in pain or injured, and he failed that.

So, I think it's very important for the prosecution, because they've got to paint Chauvin not as somebody who messed up on his training, but actually had that, what we call mens rea, that criminal intent and guilt to sustain a conviction.

BLITZER: You know, Elliot, Chauvin's defense today argued that even when a suspect isn't resisting, the situation could change at any moment. But how does that argument line up with what the jurors actually saw on that video?

WILLIAMS: That's the thing. If I were arguing the case, what I would say in closing argument right here is, use your common sense, don't leave it out the door. Regardless of what the defense is arguing, look at what you saw on that video and you can, you know, there were these confusing graphs that were shown today, your matrix of threat and so on, just put it into terms as to what you understand. You saw a knee on a neck, and then you saw a man die after that.

And it's quite straightforward when you simplify it into those terms. And the defense is, frankly, doing an excellent job at trying to complicate that, and muddy that. But as a matter of common sense, it's just going to be -- I think the prosecution has a clearer line to make an argument just to speak to what the jurors know they saw and are very lucky that the prosecution has in the form of those cellphone videos.

BLITZER: Quickly, Mark, did that medical coordinator who testified today seem to debunk the idea that if someone can talk, they can also breathe?

O'MARA: Correct. I thought that was very well done by the prosecution again, because the thought was -- the argument was by the cops, you're not -- you can breathe, you're not hurt that bad, because you can complain. That's both inhumane to say, and also now counted by some direct evidence.

Anyone who had known people who were crying out in pain and trying to survive knows that your last breath maybe a cry for help, and that doesn't mean you're doing well.

BLITZER: All right, guys, thank you very, very much. We're going to continue to stay on top of this trial, as I say they've wrapped up their testimony for the day.

Coming up, President Biden says every adult in the United States will be eligible for a COVID vaccine by April 19. But it's not clear when most Americans who want a shot will actually be able to get one. And we'll also update you on Major League Baseball's decision to move the all-star game out of Georgia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:18:25]

BLITZER: A short time ago over at the White House, President Biden announced he's moving up the date with all U.S. adults, everyone over the age of 16 will now become eligible for coronavirus vaccines. Let's go to our White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly.

Phil, so tell us more what exactly is the President suggesting?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Biden making clear he wants to speed things up when it comes to the vaccine rollout as 10s of millions of doses come online each week. But he's also urging patients as this process continues to play out in urging caution with new variants spreading nationwide.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This matter, people seem to get the shot. That helps get other people can get the shot.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Tonight, President Joe Biden moving up the vaccine eligibility deadline in the race against new pandemic spread.

BIDEN: By no later than April 19, in every part of this country, every adult over the age of 18 or older will be eligible to be vaccinated. No more confusing rules. No more confusing restrictions.

MATTINGLY: The move to April 19 from May 1 underscoring the sheer scale of vaccine supply now rushing across the country. Biden touring a vaccine site across the river in Virginia, touting the U.S. becoming the first country to administer more than 150 million shots, with more than 165 million total as of Monday night.

BIDEN: Yesterday we crossed 150 million shots in 75 days, the first 75 days of my administration on our way to hitting our goal of 200 million shots by the 100th day in office.

[17:20:02]

MATTINGLY: But also the palpable concern among White House officials in the race against the variance with cases up for a fourth straight week.

BIDEN: They are more virulent, and they are -- some are more dangerous, but the vaccines work on all of them. So, the idea is don't think that means you shouldn't get a vaccine, that increases the need to get one quickly because that's how we're going to beat this.

MATTINGLY: All as the White House ramps up the push on its $2.25 trillion jobs and spending package with an outreach blitz by cabinet and top administration officials.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They've been hard at work throughout the congressional recess, making calls to Democratic chairs and Republican ranking members of the relevant committees.

MATTINGLY: But even at this early stage, GOP support seems increasingly unlikely.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) MINORITY LEADER: They would have to be completely recrafted in a way that was not going to engage in undoing the talk to encourage, haven't credibly paid for without running up even more than that.

MATTINGLY: Something senior Democratic aides tells CNN they're keenly aware of. Making a procedural door opened up on Monday night all the more important. Democrats saying the Senate parliamentarian has given the green light to moving an additional major bill through the arcane budget process that allows passage with a simple majority vote.

Even as a senior Democratic aide acknowledged it was, "A good first step," but with significant details still to be determined. The White House for now, leaving the legislative steps up to congressional leaders.

PSAKI: We will leave the mechanisms and the determination of the mechanisms to leaders in Congress. But right now, less than a week after he announced the American jobs plan, our focus is on engaging with Democrats and Republicans, with staff, with committee staff, inviting members to the White House next week.

(END VIDEO TAPE) MATTINGLY: And Wolf, the administration moving up the eligibility deadline will certainly streamline the process countering (ph) why. There was also the President himself imploring a certain group of individuals to get vaccinated now, that is individuals 65 and over, the most vulnerable population.

The administration officials say almost 75 percent of those individuals have gotten at least one shot. However, given the fact so many more people will be signing up soon, and so many more people will be eligible soon, the President imploring that group to get vaccinated now recognizing the vaccines are going to go fast faster than ever before in the weeks ahead, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, it's so critically important. All right, Phil, thank you very much.

Let's discuss with Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN Medical Analyst, the emergency room physician and former Baltimore City Health Commissioner.

Dr. Wen, when will all adults -- will all adults, I should say, be -- who will be eligible for the vaccine by April 19, will that be enough to address what is really alarming right now, a very sad, this disproportion rise in cases among younger people?

DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Well, Wolf, I do think that President Biden's announcement today about opening up eligibility sooner is really important because speed at this point is the name of the game. We know that vaccinations don't only protect the individual, it also substantially reduces the likelihood of people spreading the infection. So, the more quickly we can get shots in arms, the better.

And the last thing that we would want is for there to be a supply demand mismatch. If there are lots of vaccines that are ready to be distributed, but the eligibility group is not open, that would be a big problem. So, I think opening it up goes -- is a big step in the right direction.

I am worried about the increasing proportion of younger people who are getting ill. Some of that is to be expected because older individuals are vaccinated and so they're more well protected. But I think that, again, underscores the importance of speed here. We really need to be getting as many shots in arms as possible, and making sure that there is equity. So, getting people to the vaccines as much as we can.

BLITZER: Yes. We're hearing all these very disturbing reports about people in their 30s and 40s all of a sudden getting very, very sick and winding up in the hospital.

California, as you know Dr. Wen, is set to fully reopen on June 15. Given that the dangerous coronavirus variant now did detected, the U.K., that variant is spreading throughout all 50 states. Will California be able to safely reopen, what, in just 10 weeks?

WEN: Well, June is still some time away. The pace of vaccinations will rapidly pick up and we will get to a pretty good level when it comes to level of immunity and level of protection including in California at that point. I do think that the announcement by Governor Newsome, he did also mention that mask mandates are going to still be in place, which is a lot better than what's happening in many other parts of the country.

I think we need to recognize businesses need to be open, schools need to be open, and we need to get back to normal, but masks and vaccines are our pathway back to normalcy.

[17:25:00]

BLITZER: What do you make of this discussion about vaccine passports, Dr. Wen? Could prove the vaccination be helpful? Is this an overreach? Where do you -- where do you stand on this?

WEN: Well, here's what I do think is an overreach, Wolf. I think it's an overreach when governors like the governor of Texas and Florida say that businesses are forbidden from implementing their own measures. I mean, plenty of consumers may feel more comfortable if everyone around them also are vaccinated, because that protects them.

And they may feel better, they may feel safer if everybody around them is vaccinated. So, why is it OK for the government to be saying to businesses, you can't do this, you can't help your consumers feel safer, that to me is government overreach.

And I think we really need to define where are the limits of government here. The same individuals who don't want to constrict individual freedom should not be constricting businesses freedom, and restricting those -- the ability of businesses to protect their customers.

BLITZER: Dr. Wen, as usual, thanks so much for joining us.

Up next, I'll speak with the Colorado Governor, Jared Polis, about Major League Baseball's decision to move the Auster game from Georgia to Colorado, to Denver.

And later, Congressman Matt Gaetz, pushing back against allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, but few of his Republican colleagues are actually publicly supporting his fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:50]

BLITZER: Just days after pulling the all-star game out of Georgia in protest of the state's restrictive new voting law, Major League Baseball now says Denver, Denver, Colorado will be the new host of the midsummer classic. Here's what President Biden had to say about that decision just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is reassuring to see that for-profit operations and businesses are speaking up about how these new Jim Crow laws are just antithetical to who we are. There's another side to it too. The other side to it, too, is when they in fact move out of Georgia, the people who need the help the most, the people who are making hourly wages, sometimes get hurt the most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, let's discuss we're joined by Colorado's Governor Jared Polis. Governor Polis, thank you so much for joining us. What message does this decision, first of all, to move the all-star game from Atlanta to Denver, what message does that send?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): It says get ready for an epic home run derby at a mile above sea level. It's going to be an awesome game July 13th in Denver home run derby, July 12th. We couldn't be more excited, Wolf. It's going to be about $190 million of economic activity, a great chance to showcase Coors Field in Colorado to a national audience. We're incredibly excited.

BLITZER: But you also heard the President just say, yes, he supports whatever decisions these companies are making like Major League Baseball, for example. But that it is often the workers who make hourly wages, who again, end up getting hurt, for example, all those workers in Atlanta, who are now going to suffer as a result of the decision to move the game from Atlanta to Denver. So what's the solution that protects both the American voter and middle class American workers?

POLIS: Well, Colorado has, you know, first rate voter integrity laws. Universal mail ballot goes out three weeks before the election. We have the second highest voter turnout in the entire nation. We're very proud of that. But, you know, the all-star game is about the fans. It's about the athletes. It's about having fun.

And Denver is a great place to do it. We have terrific weather in July. We're excited to showcase our state before our national audience. And you know what, we're hoping other states learn about successfully run elections too. We do a great job at elections in Colorado also.

BLITZER: But you understand the problem by moving it out of Atlanta, all those workers are going to be suffering hundreds, at least tens of millions of dollars in wages are going to go away. Stacey Abrams in Georgia makes that point. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, then the mayor of Atlanta makes that point. You just heard the President make that point. But I assume that that's something that Major League Baseball and other major businesses have to think about.

POLIS: This is not a zero sum game. We're excited about the jobs the all-star game is going to create in our area, right, so jobs in the service industry is going to be a big weekend, hospitality industry. So you know, there's going to be a net gain of jobs in Colorado, a chance to showcase. In Colorado, it's been in the running, we've been working on preparations for an all bid for an all-star game and '24, '23, a couple years out. We're ready to go.

You know, in my conversations with the commissioner, I told him we're scrappy. We're ready to move quickly. I love working closely with the mayor of Denver, we're able to make the case. But look, here in Colorado means jobs for low income workers who's been -- who've been hit hardest by the pandemic and frankly, among many other things to be excited about. I think that's something we can all celebrate.

BLITZER: I want to give you a chance to respond to those Republicans who are pushing back on Major League Baseball's decision claiming your state, Colorado's voting laws, they claim are in fact more restrictive than Georgia's new law. What do you say to that argument?

POLIS: Well, it's absolutely false. And I know CNN has debunked that with your fact-checker and many others. We have among the best voting laws by nonpartisan institutes that rate the effectiveness, the integrity of the voting system. It's why we have, as I indicated the second highest voter turnout. But the all-star game first and foremost is about baseball.

And I think at some point, we need to let the politics fall by the wayside here and focus on a great game showcasing the best pitchers and batters from the American National League, all coming to Denver July 12th and July 13th. And as Governor, I am a huge baseball fan, Wolf. I couldn't be more excited.

[17:35:26]

BLITZER: Yes, I'm a huge baseball fan myself. Daniel Dale, our CNN fact-checker, you're right, he did say it was an absurd comparison. The Georgia's new I.D. requirements are much stricter than what you guys have in Colorado. But I want you to listen to what Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had to say about all of this, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Republicans buy stock and fly on planes and drink Coca-Cola, too. So what I'm saying is, I think this is quite stupid to jump in the middle of a highly controversial issue, particularly when they got their facts wrong.

I'm not talking about political contributions. Most of them contribute to both sides. They have political action committees, that's fine, it's legal, it's appropriate, I support that. I'm talking about taking a position on a highly incendiary issue like this. And punishing a community or a state, because you don't like a particular law they passed, I just think it's stupid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So let me get your reaction. He says it's stupid. Warns there will be consequences. Do you think it's appropriate for these major American corporations to take a stand on issues like this?

POLIS: You know what, Wolf, I think we ought to have fun and enjoy the game. I think Mitch McConnell is being a bit of "The Grinch" there, trying to take the fun from the all-star season. Denver is a great place to host the all-star game. We're in the middle of the country. We have a great stadium. We're ready to do it. We have the capacity.

You know, look, there's a lot of thought that goes into these decisions for Major League Baseball. I'm just thrilled that based on the case that, you know, we, the Rockies organization, the city of Denver, our state was able to make to them. They determined that Denver is the best place to host it. We're ready. Come on out and have some fun.

BLITZER: I'm ready to go to some of the Washington Nationals baseball games as well. Governor Polis thanks so much for joining us enjoy the game.

POLIS: Thank you. Take care.

BLITZER: Thank you. Just a head, we're going to go live to Moscow for an update on Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny who's continuing his hunger strike in prison despite a serious illness.

And later Republicans up on Capitol Hill, they are keeping their distance from Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz as he fights a federal sex trafficking investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:41:55]

BLITZER: Tonight, there are growing concerns about the health of the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny. Let's get an update from our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance. He's joining us live from Moscow right now. Matthew, Navalny, I understand is continuing his hunger strike in prison. What are you learning?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's continuing that tonight. He's lost a lot of weight. But he's also his health is also getting much worse. The latest we've heard from him is that he's got a high temperature.

He's coughing hard, not a good sign, of course, in the time of pandemic of COVID. But he's also saying that there's lots of people in his prison colony that have got tuberculosis, TB. And so he's very concerned about that as well.

You add that on top of the other health concerns Alexey Navalny has been reporting. His bad back, his lack of sensitivity in his -- in both of his legs, possibly caused by neurological damage as a result of that dreadful nerve agent poisoning that he suffered in August last year. And you start to build up a really sort of negative worrying picture about the health and the deteriorating health of Russia's most prominent opposition figure.

Now, those in power, those enemies of Alexey Navalny in Russia, they're pushing back hard on this idea that he's kind of like deteriorating dramatically. There's been video released on Russian state television, showing him walking around his prison dormitory, drinking a cup of tea, chatting to a prison guard that was released just a couple of days after he complained about being incapacitated with his bad back and his weak legs.

There's been pictures of him sleeping in his bed, being quietly videotaped at night by a prison employee that follows allegations that he'd been making, that he's woken up every hour, and that his sleep deprivation is tantamount to torture. And that's having a negative impact, he says, on his health as well. And so, there's all sorts of things that are playing out now here. With the one side, Navalny side, saying he needs medical attention.

There was a protest outside his penal colony today, with doctors gathering out there, demanding access to him. And on the other side, the authorities saying that actually, he's getting all the medical attention he needs, and he's just being treated like any other prisoner would be, Wolf.

BLITZER: You know, Matthew, I understand you were briefly detained at that pro- Navalny protest earlier this morning, along with some protesters, other journalists, can you tell us what happened?

CHANCE: Yes, I mean, look, I mean, the authorities, they allowed this protest to go on right outside the penal colony for several hours. But then they lost patience. They just move through the crowds of journalists and protesters, and Navalny supporters who had gathered there and just started putting people into the police bus, the police boss and taking them away.

One of them was Anastasia Vasilyeva. She's the head of the Doctors Union. She's basically Navalny's doctor who was sort of spearheading this Doctor's protest this evening. I was picked up along with my camera and Jeff Keel (ph) put into the bus along with a couple of other journalists who then taken to the police station, had our documents checked.

In about three hours later, we were set free and allowed to continue with our work. But, you know, it certainly was a sign of just how impatient the authorities can become when it comes to protesting the treatment of Alexey Navalny or covering it.

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BLITZER: Yes, very important. Matthew Chance, thank you very, very much.

We're also following new negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, as the Biden administration is trying to salvage the agreement signed during the Obama administration. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is joining us right now. He's joining us live from the site of these negotiations that have just begun in Vienna. Fred, so where do the talk stand at the end of day one? These are critical moments.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are critical moments. And one of the things that's actually quite good is that both sides are saying or all sides are saying that talks were actually quite constructive so far. But they are very difficult, Wolf, because they're indirect talks. The Iranians and the U.S. aren't talking directly to each other. Its

other countries that are still part of the nuclear agreement, that are actually acting as intermediaries. And what the Iranians are saying is they want full sanctions relief if the U.S. is going to go back to the Iran nuclear agreement, but the U.S. for its part saying it's not going to make any unilateral moves to entice the Iranians either. Let's listen in to what the State Department had to say.

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NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: I think what we can essentially rule out are the maximalist demands that the United States do everything first, and only in turn, would Iran then act. I don't think anyone is under the impression that that would be a viable proposal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: And, Wolf, what the negotiators are doing now is they've compartmentalized these negotiations, essentially into two major working groups, one deals with sanctions and one deals with nuclear issues. So one side is going to talk to the Iranians, the other side's going to talk to the U.S. and then there -- at the end, they're going to try and marry these positions up to try and get the U.S. back into the nuclear agreement and Iran back into full compliance.

But Wolf, all sides are staying. It's still a very, very long way to go.

BLITZER: Well, see what happens as I said, very important talks underway right now. Fred Pleitgen in Vienna, thank you.

Coming up, Congressman Matt Gaetz is now fundraising off the federal sex trafficking probe against him but he has few defenders on Capitol Hill.

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BLITZER: Congressman Matt Gaetz is using the federal sex trafficking probe against himself to fundraise for his campaign telling supporters in an e-mail and I'm quoting him now, they're coming for me. But he appears to have few defenders among his colleagues up on Capitol Hill.

Let's go to our chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, the Congressman says he's not resigning. What are his fellow lawmakers saying about the nature of these allegations?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not saying much. Congress has been on recess for the last couple of weeks. They are also on recess this week. And so most House Republicans have said very little, including the House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who did say that these were serious allegations and he did plan to speak with Congressman Gaetz. But beyond that, there's been very little public response from top Republicans who have stayed quiet, but they're also not offering really any defense of Matt case either. Only Jim Jordan, the top Republican House Judiciary Committee of which Gaetz serves has said that he stands with Matt Gaetz as well as Marjorie Taylor Greene, the controversial Georgia freshmen, Republican. She also has said that she supports him.

But other than that, his defenders have been few and far between. And this comes, Wolf, as he has maintaining a defined posture pushing back on the allegations that have been reported, this investigation that is ongoing and appearing in public for the first time on Friday at a rally now called Women for America First. And he's appearing with other -- with Trump supporters.

He of course, has positioned himself as one of the former president's staunchest defenders, and at this called Women for Trump event, it is actually occurring at Trump property as well. So he is fundraising off this. He's maintaining a defiant posture to support though, another question among his fellow Republicans.

BLITZER: Potentially, Manu, what could these allegations mean for Gaetz's committee assignments which include, as you know, the Judiciary Committee?

RAJU: He could potentially lose them but only if he is indicted. I'm told from Republican sources, it is unlikely that he would be removed ahead of time. House Republican Conference rules require that any member who has been indicted on federal charges automatically lose the committee assignments that happened in the last Congress with two Republican congressmen who face federal charges.

If that were to happen to Matt Gaetz, he would almost certainly he would definitely lose his House Judiciary Committee post. And then of course, he would face a lot of pressure among Republicans to resign. But at the moment, it's uncertain and unlikely, Wolf, that any action would be taken ahead of time, despite these serious allegations. It's unlikely that his Republican leaders will try to push him out or push off his committee assignments until charges are filed, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, because the Judiciary Committee oversees the Justice Department which is investigating. All right, Manu, thank you very, very much.

[17:54:39]

Coming up, important new developments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, prosecutors bringing more expert witnesses to testify that show Chauvin violated department policy when he placed his knee on George Floyd's neck for almost 10 minutes.

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BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're following the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. And new testimony today that wrapped up just a little while ago. Prosecutors building their case that Chauvin violated policy when he kept his knee on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, police officials and an expert echoing testimony by the Minneapolis police chief that Chauvin did not follow the -- his training during Floyd's ultimately fatal arrest.

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