Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Transition Turmoil, Republican Refusal, Trump Denial; Trump's Transition Delay Puts America At Risk; Trump Breaks Presidential Transition Norms; GOP Majority Backs Trump's Election Fraud Claims; Saeb Erekat, Palestine's Spokesman, Laid To Rest; COVID Hospitalizations Up Nearly 25 Percent In 7 Days; Singapore-Hong Kong "Travel Bubble" to Start November 22; China Rules Hong Kong Government Can Bypass the Courts to Unseat Local Legislators; Philippines Bracing for Yet Another Typhoon; How Right-Wing Media is Encouraging Election Denialism; Vatican Report Admits Failures in McCarrick Abuse Case; Investors Getting Refunds after China Halts Ant's IP. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 11, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again. Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world.
Good to have your company. I'm John Vause.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. Let the transition begin.
President Elect Joe Biden says the process is underway with or without a deluded Donald Trump who seems incapable of conceding defeat.
For three decades he was the face of Palestinian diplomacy who never gave up on the peace deal with Israel. But in the coming hours, Saeb Erekat will be laid to rest at a time when Palestinians need him more than ever before.
And a global pandemic fueling record online spending. Meet Singles Day, the world's biggest 24-hour online shopping event. The end result? Record-smashing sales.
One week on since the U.S. presidential election, four days since Joe Biden was declared president elect.
And while much of the U.S. and the world is moving on, it seems Donald Trump has not. Still unable to accept the fact, a very simple fact; he lost.
Come January 20th, after all of his baseless claims of electoral fraud, Trump will leave the White House. And Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
For now though, Team Trump continues blocking the transition at every turn. Advising agencies to draw up next year's budget, for example, as if nothing has ever changed. And, in case you're wondering, this is what a normal transfer of power
looks like. That's then Vice President Biden just days after the 2016 election. He was meeting with his successor, Mike Pence.
Four years later, Trump World steeped in denial and delusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump Administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And yes, that man there is the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election.
Those comments sparked fury from diplomats and Democrats who called them baseless and dangerous.
Joe Biden, meanwhile, who got more votes than any other U.S. presidential candidate in history, is now moving ahead with his transition.
A source says there's a sense of calm which he is projecting right now and it is genuine but his team could get more aggressive if things do not change in the next few weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U. S. PRESIDENT ELECT: We are already beginning the transition, we're well underway. And the ability for the Administration in any way by failure to recognize our win does not change the dynamic at all in what we're doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Lawyers for the president elect are considering their next legal steps but Biden says he does not see that as needed, at least not yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: How do you expect to work with Republicans if they won't even acknowledge you as president elect?
BIDEN: They will. They will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meantime, some key Republican lawmakers are still backing president Trump's claim of election irregularities.
CNN's Jim Acosta has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump and his GOP allies are steering the 2020 election into something out of the Dystopian world of 1984.
Ignoring last week's results and pretending somehow they won.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.
All right, we're ready. The world is watching what's taking place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo snapped at reporters who asked about the message being sent to the world, as the GOP refuses to accept reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: That's ridiculous, and you know it's ridiculous. And you asked it because it's ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: President Elect Joe Biden tried to laugh it off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: There is no evidence of any of the assertions made by the president or secretary of state Pompeo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Vice President Mike Pence met behind closed doors with GOP senators as the president sent a message of defiance from his social media bunker tweeting, "We will win."
Though Mr. Trump has yet to face reporters since last Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Are you being a sore loser?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president has done again with outright support of GOP senators --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Senator, have you congratulated Vice President Biden yet? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Nothing to congratulate him about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: -- who are backing Mr. Trump's legal odyssey in search of some kind of voter fraud case capable of upending the election's outcome.
[01:05:00]
Even as the president's campaign has yet to prove anything's amiss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MISS): The president wasn't defeated by huge numbers. In fact, he may not have been defeated at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, says there's nothing wrong with that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Until the electoral college votes, anyone who's running for office can exhaust concerns about counting in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.
It's not unusual, it should not be alarming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: A key sideshow in the transition turmoil, Georgia's Republican senators, have called on their state's secretary of state to resign after Biden's potential victory there.
But here's the deal. Those two senators are still fighting for re- election and alienating the president could upset his base of supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK SCHUMER, U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Two Republican members of this chamber have called on their own secretary of state, a fellow Republican, to resign.
For no other apparent reason than the fact that President Trump did not win their state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Despite the GOP's antics, the rest of the world appears to be moving on. Leaders from U.S. allies, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, and Turkey, congratulating Biden.
Some administration officials are refusing to go along with the president's farce.
Attorney General William Barr's call on prosecutors to investigate voter fraud prompted one senior justice department office to resign.
Saying in a statement --
"Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications... I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the election crimes branch."
The president's son, Don Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle have another hostile takeover on their minds. As GOP sources tell CNN they may have their sights on leadership roles at the Republican National Committee.
Something Don Jr. denied but it's a scenario that has some in the party cringing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Ladies and gentlemen, leaders and fighters for freedom and liberty and the American Dream, the best is yet to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Privately, Trump advisers are wincing at the idea of pursuing the president's legal challenges to last week's election results.
As one adviser told me, quote -- "Not sure why the president wants a recount, it's like he wants to lose twice."
Jim Acosta, CNN. The White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN national security analyst, Samantha Vinograd, joins me now along with Norm Eisen. He's a fellow at the Brookings Institute and served as the White House ethics tzar during the Obama administration.
Good to see you both. It's been a while.
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Hi.
VAUSE: OK.
NORMAN EISEN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Nice to see you, John.
VAUSE: You too, Norman and Sam. Thank you.
Now let's pick up on those remarks we just heard from the secretary of state.
Clearly, it could be argued he's just trying a little bit of levity, some humor, which is badly needed.
But Sam, what might be a real knee slapper to Mike Pompeo can be heard very differently around the world.
VINOGRAD: This is a stain on democracy promotion. The fact that the secretary of state, our nation's top diplomat, is directly undercutting democracy here at home makes him a hypocrite overseas.
How can Mike Pompeo or any member of his team at this moment try to call for free and fair elections in countries around the world? He's going to be laughed out of the room.
I served under a Republican president and a Democrat. I have never seen such a gross politicization of our state department.
And at this point, Mike Pompeo is serving as a political surrogate for the president rather than as a public servant of the American people.
This could do lasting damage to the credibility of the state department and frankly, a Biden Administration can't come in soon enough to try to clean up this mess.
VAUSE: Well, just as a reminder. Let's go back to 2016. President Obama welcoming Donald Trump to the White House at the beginning of that transition.
Here's part of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, THEN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My number one priority in the coming two months is to try to facilitate a transition that ensures our president elect is successful.
We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed then the country succeeds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ah, those were the days. There's actually nothing written down on law, though, as to what an outgoing president is required to do during a transition.
There's just this assumption that he won't behave like an eight-year old having a tantrum.
EISEN: Well, John, I worked on the Obama transition in 2008 and 2009 and we had the utmost of cooperation from the Bush Administration.
There are some basic legal requirements that are set forth under U.S. law.
You're right that a lot of the behavior that you expect from a president that Obama got from Bush, and eight years later, that Trump got from Obama are norms.
They're not written down in the law.
[01:10:00]
There are bare minimums, they're triggered. For example, the flow of funds to support the transition from the general services administration is triggered by the recognition that you have a president elect.
We haven't had that ascertainment yet. That's one of the games that the Trump Administration is playing.
But it's very clear voters have spoken, this transition is going to happen and there is going to be a peaceful transition of power.
VAUSE: Well, President Elect Joe Biden seems to be doing a lot more than almost anybody else to lower the temperature.
On Tuesday, he essentially said Donald Trump's action will only end up harming Donald Trump.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Well, I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly.
The only thing that -- how can I say this tactfully. I think it will not help the president's legacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Sam, that may be true. But we're also seeing in the past 24 hours, four senior pentagon officials forced out including the defense secretary.
Are the actions here of this U.S. president just sort of random acts of lashing out, to do anything he can to throw anything at the wall, to make this transition difficult?
Or is there something more -- are you concerned there may be something more here which is potentially more sinister, if you like? A bigger plan to gum up the works long-term?
VINOGRAD: There may be. But history should be a guide here. We know from 9/11, from the 9/11 Commission Report in remarks made by then Vice President Elect Dick Cheney that the delay in the transition process in the 2000 contested election, did have an impact.
That the delay in vetting personnel, nominating personnel, getting them installed was a contributing factor to the situation that led to the events leading up to 9/11.
Now with respect to Donald Trump's retribution tour, he may have some kind of sinister plan in play, vis a vis the Insurrection Act here in the United States, but let's not forget, this is having an impact right now. Cycling out four senior officials at the department of defense
introduces undue burden on the Pentagon at a time when they're supposed to be doing their day jobs and they're supposed to be working on the transition to the incoming administration.
Further, this is not an attenuated hand over period between outgoing personnel currently in the Pentagon and Trump loyalists that are replacing them, I am deeply concerned that balls could be dropped again because of this enormous pressure on the Pentagon.
And that could lead to real risks today. And, of course, further down the road when President Elect Biden assumes the presidency on January 20th.
VAUSE: And Norm, you touched on this. There is this 1963 Act, the Presidential Transition Act.
The law -- "requires the General Services Administration to provide office space and other core (ph) support services to presidents elects and vice presidents elect as well as pre-election space and support to major candidates.
The Act also requires the White House and agencies to begin transition planning (...) before a presidential election."
This all spells out what happens and when it needs to happen as far as orderly transfer of power.
Are there legal remedies there for the incoming Biden Administration, to get this process moving?
EISEN: Well, possibly there could be. Adherence to the law is hardly a hallmark of the Trump Administration over the past four years, John. And we've talked about that often on your show.
The good news is that the Biden Harris transition could see what was coming.
They've built a deep bench. They've already announced the pandemic advisers, distinguished advisers. Today they announced the transition teams, they're rolling up their sleeves starting with the president elect and vice president elect, deep government experience.
So that is some good news for the peaceful transfer of power.
And the president is having a flailing, failing attempt to disrupt things but we are going to see the reins of power transition peacefully in the United States. As we have before.
It is a shame, as Sam points out, that some of these actions are contrary to the national interest, they serve only Trump's selfish interests. And not even that, they make him look bad.
So that too is a pattern we've seen of sacrificing the national interest. It's sad.
But I think the president elect is up to meeting that challenge and having a good transition.
VAUSE: Very quickly, Sam. Donald Trump has a day job right now which he seems to not want to have anything to do with. And that's actually running the country in the midst of a pandemic.
And that doesn't seem to be getting the attention it needs.
[01:15:00]
VINOGRAD: Well, when has Donald Trump actually focused on his day job?
VAUSE:. Good point.
VINOGRAD: This president has failed to perform the most basic functions of the presidency like reading his president's daily brief, surrounding himself with experts, and actually relying on informed analysis to lead him to take policy decisions that are in the best interests of the United States.
So Donald Trump not doing his day job is nothing new.
And I really look forward to the day when we have a president who focuses on doing what's good for the American people and not what he perceives as good for him politically or personally.
VAUSE: Samantha Vinograd and Norm Eisen, two of the best. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.
VINOGRAD: Thank you.
EISEN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Right now, more Americans are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals than ever before. And the death toll is close to 240,000.
Amid that grim news, there comes reason for a little hope.
Pfizer says its vaccine could be ready sooner than first expected, rolling out within months, maybe even weeks.
Details from CNN's Nick Watt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I'm going to ask you a few questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While the virus runs rampant across the country, some very promising news out of the lab.
Pfizer's vaccine might even start rolling out within weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX AZAR, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: We have anticipated that we will have enough vaccine by the end of December to have vaccinated our most vulnerable citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And the rest of us?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I think you're going to get vaccinated within the first four months. I would say by April you'd be able to be vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And an antibody treatment from Eli Lilly just landed FDA emergency use authorization. Limited rollout begins this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID RICKS, CEO, ELI LILLY: Potentially in nursing homes, in outpatient centers or even pop-up facilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: This drug, similar to one used to treat the president, mimics the body's immune response reducing the severity of symptoms in sufferers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICKS: This will help reduce hospitalizations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And in just a week, COVID hospitalizations nationwide have climbed nearly a quarter. Now at record highs in 17 states, Idaho among them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOSHUA KERN, VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDICAL AFFAIRS, ST. LUKE'S HEALTH SYSTEM: We have gotten to the point where -- we haven't turned patients away but been required to transfer them to one of our sister hospitals in Boise, where they do still have some capacity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And in just one week, nationwide, the average daily case count has soared 42 percent. It stands at nearly 120,000. Never been higher.
In South Dakota, more than half of tests are coming back positive, 10 times where states aim to be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: You don't have a mask mandate here. But would I would say to the people of South Dakota is you really shouldn't need a mandate to do the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: In Nebraska, a brand-new partial mask mandate kicks in tomorrow.
If you're playing pool in a bar, for example, you've now got to wear one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. PETE RICKETTS (R-NEB): Folks, this is serious. September 23rd, we had about 200 people in the hospital, now we've got nearly 800 people in the hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: The governor himself now quarantining after dining outdoors with someone Sunday who tested positive Monday.
Texas, about to become the first state to pass 1 million confirmed cases.
In El Paso, one in 30 people has the virus right now. Six morgue trucks already deployed in the city, four more requested.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We've got some hard work to do before vaccines are going to make a difference over the next few months.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The E.U. is hoping to strike a deal with Pfizer for up to 300 million doses of the vaccine. The contract will likely be approved later today.
Sweden says the health care system in Stockholm is under great strain with hospitals struggling to cope with a surging number of cases.
Moscow is now tightening pandemic restrictions with an 11:00 pm curfew for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in place for the next two months.
While in France, tighter restrictions may be paying off with a slight decrease in the number of new infections on Tuesday. Health experts though warn the peak of the second wave is yet to hit.
With that, a short break.
Next up on CNN NEWSROOM. Remembering a life dedicated to a peace deal with Israel.
Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, will be laid to rest in the coming hours.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00]
VAUSE: Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, will soon be laid to rest in the West Bank with full military honors just a day after dying from multiple organ failure caused by the coronavirus.
For more than three decades, Erekat was a fixture on the on-again and off-again peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis playing a major role in every deal from Madrid to Oslo to Annapolis.
For the English speaking world, he was the face of Palestinian diplomacy. His friends and colleagues once called him Mr. CNN.
In recent years, he seemed to be the last man standing, the last one who believed a two-state solution was possible.
Doctor Mustafa Barghouti is secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative. He's with us from Ramallah in the West Bank.
Dr. Barghouti, it's been a long time. It's good to see you.
DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, SECRETARY GENERAL, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE: Nice to meet you. Thank you.
VAUSE: OK. It seems no one had more faith, more dedication, more commitment to the two-state solution than Saeb Erekat.
Now that he has passed, does that mean the two-state solution peace plan will die with him?
BARGHOUTI: Actually, it's not the death of Mr. Erekat which is very sad. It's really a sad day for all Palestinians that will cause the death of the two-state solution.
It's the risks that were -- that are on the ground and these risks I think are very clear.
Dr. Erekat believed in non-violence, which I also believe in. But he also believed in negotiations and that negotiations would lead to a two-state solution.
Unfortunately, his dream was shattered mainly by Netanyahu and the right-wing in Israel but also by the unfortunate behavior of the Trump Administration which adopted the so-called deal of the century which turned to be the ploy of the century.
And they tried to substitute real peace with false peace through what they call normalization.
I think that is the main factor that is threatening now the possibility of a two-state solution. And that's --
VAUSE: You --
BARGHOUTI: -- why they try -- yes, (inaudible).
Sorry to interrupt. I just remember Saeb -- I spoke with Saeb often and he was very close to Shimon Perez, the Israeli president and prime minister.
And he said that they would often talk. He said that -- what he would say with Perez is that as long as they are talking then no one is killing each other.
So that was why negotiations were so important, just in and of themselves, to keep talking.
And that seems to be what is lost now between the Palestinians and the Israelis; this desire just to keep going, to try and find a deal, to keep talking with one another.
BARGHOUTI: That's true. But the problem was that Mr. Netanyahu and his government shattered all possibilities of negotiations.
And at the end of the day, if we want to speak about threats to the two-state solution, it's the illegal settlements that continue to be built in occupied territories. And it's the Israel refusal of the establishment of a real Palestinian state.
In my opinion, what we wish for is a solution, what we wish for is an end of this conflict. And that can happen not by substituting peace with a continuous peace process.
Peace process cannot be a substitute to peace, and negotiations cannot alone be a substitute to a solution.
[01:25:00]
We have had 30 years of trying to negotiate so far.
And that's why I think the future depends on a decisive international decision, especially by the new American administration to tell Israel stop building settlements, stop the dreams of annexation and allow Palestinians, finally, to be free. Allow peace to (inaudible).
VAUSE: Right now, many Palestinians, they feel betrayed by old allies. The past four years have seen the most pro-Israeli White House ever.
Peace in the Middle East is not on Joe Biden's to do list anytime soon.
This seems to be the moment when the Palestinians need someone like Saeb Erekat. Is there someone out there who can fill his shoes? BARGHOUTI: Yes. There are many good Palestinians who are equipped
and skilled and capable of negotiating a good deal when there is a possibility of negotiations.
But the framework is very important here. Dr. Erekat was very kind and gentle but he was also principled. And that's why many Israelis tried to accuse him of being extremist which is not true at all.
In my opinion, the Palestinian camp that believes in non-violence and popular non-violent resistance in wanting peace, is very huge.
The question is, is there such a camp on the Israel side? And can that camp be created without serious international pressure to stop the illegal acts?
Annexation is a violation of international law, building illegal settlements is a violation of international law. And that should be stopped.
In my opinion, this is a struggle not only for two-state solution, it's a struggle for freedom, it's a struggle for human rights. It's a struggle of people who aspire --
VAUSE: Doctor --
BARGHOUTI: -- to have the same freedom that others have.
VAUSE: Dr. Barghouti, we're almost out of time. Very quickly, how will Erekat, how will Saeb Erekat be remembered by Palestinians on this day?
BARGHOUTI: For me, as a person who was a friend of him and who differed with him politically on many issues, I will always remember him as a person who accepted different opinions.
Who was tolerant, who was gentle, who was kind, and who could deal with many, many, many people without problems.
I think that particular character will be always remembered. As a man who believed in what he believed in and was very determined to achieve it.
VAUSE: Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
BARGHOUTI: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. We head live to Hong Kong and the world's first travel bubble. A new approach to air travel in the age of the coronavirus. Just a few weeks away.
Also, another powerful storm taking aim in the Philippines. We're tracking Typhoon Vamco.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:27]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone.
Two of the biggest aviation hubs in Asia are trying a new approach to revive air travel in the region.
Let's go to Hong Kong now. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout with the details.
It's called a "travel bubble". It's not exactly the most simple thing in the world. There are a lot of details yet to be worked out.
So what are we looking at here?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, this is what we're looking at. It's a very small but significant step that could potentially revive not just regional air travel, but international air travel.
New details, out today, about the so-called "travel bubble" between Hong Kong and Singapore, two major world cities that have managed to really put a lid on the coronavirus outbreak.
Now, the bubble, it would allow people to travel between these two cities without the need of a quarantine and for Hong Kong and for Singapore, it all begins on November the 22nd.
Now, under this travel bubble scheme, those who could be able to participate must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Also no travel history in the previous 14 days. And must travel on separate designated airlines, or flights.
At the beginning there will only be one flight operating a day between these two cities with a quota of 200 people on board. That will eventually be ramped up to two flights a day with 200 people on board starting December 7th.
But if the COVID-19 situation worsens, in either place, then this travel bubble scheme will be suspended. Now, this travel bubble comes at a very critical time, economically speaking for Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has been locked in this very deep recession caused by the 2019 anti government pro democracy protests, caused by the trade war, and deepened by the coronavirus pandemic.
It is currently experiencing record high unemployment levels not seen since over 16 years ago. Cathay Pacific, the flagship carrier of Hong Kong recently had to lay off 5,000 people, and close a regional airline.
We've heard from government officials here in Hong Kong, they say any hope of reviving the economy here depends on a revival of regional travel. And this travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong represents that very first step, John.
VAUSE: Travel bubble sounds like something out of a Jetsons to me but anyway. There's another which you've been following. It's involving a ruling
out of Beijing. This is pretty serious because it's affecting lawmakers there in Hong Kong. So what are details?
STOUT: They're -- absolutely -- very serious development. This is a significant moment politically speaking for Hong Kong. We have learned that four opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong have been disqualified immediately. This comes on the back of a resolution that was passed in Beijing by the top legislative body there, the National People's Congress and the committee.
Also rising (ph), the government in Hong Kong -- it's the government of Carrie Lam -- to immediately unseat these lawmakers if they're deemed to have endangered national security.
The four lawmakers are Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung. Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong is speaking momentarily. We will be monitoring that press conference.
I'll also be reaching out to pro democracy leaders for their response. A lot at stake here. The future of the legislature, the parliament here in Hong Kong, the future of governance, the future of democracy here in the territory.
And we'll continue to give you an update in the hours ahead right here on CNN, John.
VAUSE: Kristie thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there live for us, Kristie. To be sure -- two very different, stories, two very big stories. Thank you.
Well, a powerful storm is heading to the Philippines. Vamco is now a typhoon, gaining strength. Passing very close to areas already battled by a super typhoon Goni last week.
Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin joins us now. Tyler the weather guy. Take it away.
TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's it. thanks John. Yes, we're watching Vamco. Vamco is not just strengthening, it could possibly, rapidly intensify is it starts to come ashore near, I would say the Aurora area late Wednesday night on into early Thursday.
You can see right now, it's a healthy typhoon -- 140 kilometer per hour winds right now moving to the west at 26.
As I said, it should come ashore late Wednesday, early Thursday in the Aurora area. And as it does so, it could rapidly intensify into what would be equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.
From there, it weakens. It hits the South China Sea and it only re- intensifies and makes landfall come about five days from now in Vietnam.
Right now, the Philippines are under a storm signal of 3 because the winds are really going to start howling, as the system approaches. We could see wind gusts upwards of 110 kilometers per hour, possibly higher than that by early Thursday. And from there, we begin to see the conditions subside once we get into later Thursday.
[01:35:02]
MAULDIN: What are we going to see with this system though, in addition to the winds? Well, we're going to see extremely heavy rainfall. Some areas could pick up upwards of 145 millimeters of rainfall. And I really want you to pay attention to the purple areas here. Because that is where we could see the highest rainfall totals where we could see totals, upwards of 250 millimeters of rainfall.
It's not just there though, the once we get to Vietnam, and they are also going to pick up extremely heavy rainfall. So, in both areas, we're looking at the possibility for flooding, possibly some landslides in some areas as well.
And you can't rule out, the potential for some storm surge flooding as well as Vamco comes ashore in the Philippines, John.
VAUSE: Ok. Tyler, thank you. Tyler Mauldin there with the very latest. Appreciate it.
Still to come why conservative media is still pushing President Trump's false narrative that the election has been stolen from him by evil Democrats.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, over conservative media these days Donald Trump's baseless allegations of voter fraud and corruption are not just repeated but amplified. And then in a bizarre feedback was picked up and promoted by President Trump.
Brian Seltzer explains.
LOU DOBBS, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST: Many are trying to steal this election from President Trump.
BRIAN SELTZER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: This is THE 2020 form of birtherism. It's election denialism -- delegitimizing a Democratic leader.
And it's happening everywhere from Fox News to Facebook, from talk radio to Twitter. On Tuesday, eight of the 10 top performing link posts on U.S. Facebook pages were from President Trump, his evangelist supporter Franklin Graham, and right wing commentator Dan Bongino.
DAN BONGINO, FOX NEWS COMMENTATOR: The election oddities keeps adding up.
SELTZER: Unproven claims and innuendo about mass voter fraud are fueling right-wing talkers like Bongino.
BONGINO: There are way too many questions here.
SELTZER: And he is telling his fans not to give up.
BONGINO: I'm not going anywhere, you're not going anywhere.
SELTZER: Conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud are spreading widely on social media.
This genie left the bottle days ago.
SENATOR TED CRUZ (R-TX): Trump still has a path to victory.
SELTZER: Trump's friends on Fox are telling millions of viewers that Democrats are cheaters, That big cities are voter fraud factories And that Trump's lawsuits are serious.
DOBBS: You have courts defying appellate courts within the state, without any consequence. It's outrageous.
SELTZER: And this content is racking up big audiences on Facebook and on Twitter. Some of it is hard to fact check because it is short on detail, heavy on innuendo.
But these toxic claims are reaching Trump, misinforming Trump and his fanbase, and garnering retweets from the president.
Trump dead enders are digging in.
[01:40:01]
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I have not conceded anything.
SELTZER: Stoking grievances, and swearing that Trump could still be a winner.
GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: All of the weirdness, went in one direction. So I think I have proved that this election is fraudulent.
SELTZER: Brian Seltzer, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Nicole Hemmer is an associate research scholar at Columbia University and the author of "Messengers of the right". And she is with us this hour from New York.
Nicole, thank you for being with us. It's appreciated.
NICOLE HEMMER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Thank you so much for having me.
VAUSE: Ok. So up until Saturday around noon when all the networks were making the call for Biden, the hard news side of Fox, the supposedly impartial one without bias, was giving oxygen Trump's false claims about voter fraud.
Just take a look at the banners that had been on screen up until this point. You know, it is stuff like President Trump's legal team preparing lawsuits in swing states over claims of voter fraud, and a whole bunch of others there that you can see.
Well, the news side is now reporting the story in a fairly straightforward manner. You just need to wait until prime time for a big helping of crazy mixed in with conspiracy theory and disinformation like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: We don't know how many votes were stolen on Tuesday night. We don't know anything about the software that many say was rigged. We don't know. We have to find out.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: And there is no question that mass mail-in voting, it's been an unmitigated disaster. We must never again allow Democrats to foist this on our country given what we are seeing days and days later.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: They want you to believe that this week's vote and same vote counting process is totally normal and it's above board. Do you really believe that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, in terms of having an influence on the average Trump supporter, does this sort of break, if you like, between the news side of Fox and the opinion side of Fox -- does it make any difference?
HEMMER: It does for a couple of reasons. First of all that opinion side of Fox really is the signature side of Fox News programming. It's the most watched part of the news network's output. But then the other side of Fox News's programming, the news side, has been causing quite a lot of angst for conservatives and Trump supporters who really expected the network to fully back Donald Trump during this fight to overturn the election or throw out the election results.
And so you both have this dedication to those primetime shows and a real frustration with the news side.
VAUSE: And there have been two really noticeable moments when this friction between the hard news and the Fox opinion has been on display. On Monday, anchor Neil Cavuto interrupted a news conference with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Here it is
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Whoa, whoa, whoa -- I just think we have to be very clear. She is charging the other side of welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can't in good countenance continue showing you this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Facts and proof and details, wow. A few hours before that, anchor Sandra Smith had a visceral reaction to a Trump supporter who refused to accept the outcome of the election.
Here is that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because CNN says or even Fox News says he's the next president, it doesn't make him president. I think everybody --
SANDRA SMITH, FOX NEWS HOST: What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think everybody wants to know that this was done properly and legally.
SMITH: What is happening? Trace, we have called it.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think we have to look into everyone of these concerns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It must be a challenge for Fox in the weeks and days ahead. How can the real news actually sit alongside a primetime opinion lineup which is increasingly pushing this delusional narrative and which could be potentially dangerous for the country.
HEMMER: It sits alongside it very uncomfortably and you're even seeing a lot of this opinion side programming starting to leak into the news side.
And what I mean by that is guests like Ken Starr are appearing on the news side of the programming, pushing these conspiracies. So they are not necessarily coming from the anchors desk itself. So they are present there.
It's also something that's being used by other conservative outlets to bash Fox. Those clips that you just showed are being aired on talk radio. They are being mentioned in news stories on outlets like Breitbart, in order to say that look, Fox News just doesn't support Trump enough and you should be paying more attention to their outlets instead.
VAUSE: Yes, it's interesting because the president and his supporters -- this all started with Fox News, you know, the reality side of Fox News if you like, calling Arizona for Joe Biden.
and in a series of tweets, Donald Trump on Monday I think -- no, it's Tuesday I think it was -- accused Fox's opinion polls of being among the worst of many, he said.
It actually played a role in the outcome of this election. And you know, there was that criticism from conservative media over Arizona and what we just saw there. But Fox is still the loudest and most reliable go to place for
conservatives, right? They will not be knocked off their perch any time soon.
[01:44:58]
HEMMER: That's right. You will even notice now, in the President's twitter feed, he is pushing shows like Mark Levin, like Sean Hannity. He encouraged all of his Twitter followers to tune in to "Sean Hannity Tonight".
He knows that this is sort of prestige conservative media. And that's the conservative media he wants to be associated with.
So he will point to outlets like One American News or News Max, but he is really just using that to try to get Fox to fall in line. At the end of the day, Fox News is still his go-to source and still the go-to source for most of his followers.
VAUSE: Very quickly, we are out of time, but is Fox News pushing a narrative here, which is, you know, the opinion side about the election being rigged and all the various theories out there or is Donald Trump pushing it? Which one's first?
HEMMER: The chicken or the egg, right. Well, it's too hard to separate the two, in large part because people like Sean Hannity are advisers to the president.
So yes, the president is pushing it. It's being echoed on Fox News. But the arguments are also being refined on Fox and then the president picks them backup. So it's a circular kind of discussion.
VAUSE: It's a great big feedback loop, it sounds like.
Nicole, thank you. Good to see you. We appreciate you --
HEMMER: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Thanks.
A Vatican report amidst multiple failures at the top in the sex abuse case of former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. It says Pope John Paul II was warned about McCarrick, promoted him anyway. The next pope, Benedict XVI also failed to act.
CNN's Delia Gallagher has more now on the disgraced former cardinal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARICK, FORMER WASHINGTON D.C. CARDINAL: He is the one who has saved us.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was once a Prince of the Church, and a friend of presidents. Former Washington, D.C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick enjoyed a spectacular career at the heart of power in Washington, and in Rome. When the U.S. cardinals were summoned to the Vatican by John Paul II in 2002, at the beginning of the sex abuse scandal, Cardinal McCarrick was the reassuring face of that crisis, advocating zero tolerance for abusers, even as there were unrevealed allegations against him.
MCCARRICK: I can't see how anyone in the United States today would cover-up something like that.
GALLAGHER: Theodore McCarrick was created a cardinal in 2001 by John Paul II. Around that time, an American priest wrote to the Vatican to warn them of rumors that the cardinal was sexually abusing seminarians. But no action was taken for years until, according to the Vatican, under Benedict XVI, McCarrick was quietly advised not to traveler or to be seen in public, and live a discreet life of prayer and penance to avoid further rumors of his sexual misconduct with seminarians.
A recommendation which the cardinal seemed to ignore as he continued traveling and appearing in public, even at the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.
But then in June 2018, accusations that McCarrick had abused a minor were found credible by an internal church investigation in New York. Although McCarrick maintained his innocence, he resigned as cardinal, something that has rarely happened in the history of the Catholic Church.
In 2019, Pope Francis defrocked the former cardinal, officially removing him from the priesthood, after a church trial found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adults.
The pope promised a Vatican investigation into how McCarrick rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church, despite years of accusations of sexual abuse against him.
Delia Gallagher, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, China put Jack Ma and other business tycoons on notice. We will have the fall out after Beijing pulled the plug on Ant Group's historic stock market debut.
[01:48:37]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well the world's biggest online shopping event, underway in China right now. It's known a Singles Day. It's a shopping bonanza which began as an informal anti valentine's day tradition, regularly earning more than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined the U.S.
Now, last year it raked in more than $38 billion dollars. This year with China's economy bouncing back, in massive pent up demand from lockdowns, sales are on pace to break records again, by a long shot. So what would have been the world's largest IPO is now in limbo and investors are getting their money back days after the Chinese government slammed the brakes on Ant Group's highly anticipated stock market debut.
CNN's Selina Wang, earning her money following this topic (ph) for us from Tokyo. Good to see you again this hour. So what are the details?
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Great to be with you again, John.
Again, that delay on Ant Financials IPO set major shockwaves through the financial markets. That was expected to be the world's largest IPO. And experts I've spoken to say this delay, which the Shanghai Stock exchange cited was due to regulatory changes as well as a rare closed-door meeting that was held by with Jack Ma and executives it was partly due to shoring up stability in the financial sector as well as the communist party wanting to have more control over private companies, especially ones in strategic industries like finance.
Now this proposed regulations on the Ant Financial also comes amid this global trend of nervousness on governments and regulators. That the power of these technology companies and the desire of government to treat them more like companies operating in traditional industries, rather than as technology companies that can get away without the same sort of regulation.
Now, take a listen here to understand more about what exactly this means.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WANG: Beijing just reminded Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, who is really in charge. Chinese regulators halted the biggest IPO in history last week. Chinese Fintech giant Ant Group was set to raise $37 billion dollars, days before it's scheduled listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Ma and two executives were summoned to a rare meeting with regulators.
The next day, the Shanghai Stock Exchange suspended the IPO, citing the leading and regulatory changes.
DUNCAN CLARK, FOUNDER BDA CHINA: I think what we saw with this last minute intervention was the Umpire Strikes Back. You know, the regulator is nervous about the growth of the private sector players in the financial sector.
WANG: Alibaba founder, Jack Ma pounded the payment sort of this AliPay 16 years ago. It became a financial supermarket and every necessity for almost every person and business in China.
AliPay has more than one billion users. They rely on the app to make purchases, pay bills, get loads, buy insurance products, and invest in money markets.
In 2011, AliPay spun-off from Alibaba, and in 2014, it became part of Ant Group. The IPO would have valued Ant Group at more than $310 billion, that is more than a major U.S. banks like goggle Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
For years, Beijing has been worried about Ant's massive influence on China's financial landscape. While avoiding some of the regulations that traditional banks have to follow. Those concerns dovetail what She Jinpings tightening of Communist Party Control over private business.
CLARK: A reassertion of the role of the communist party and save on enterprises. It doesn't sit very well with a cash stock very fast growing private sector company entering into a strategist factor like finance.
WANG: Regulators have proposed new rules. That means Ant needs to set aside more cash for its loans and force it to act more like a traditional bank, that could slow down Ant Group's rapid growth, while lowering its massive valuation.
Authorities gave few details on why the IP was pulled but experts also point to controversial statements Ma made. He publicly criticized the Chinese regulators for stifling innovation and in China's state-owned for their pawnshop mentality.
CLARK: To be too explicit about the problems in Chinese government and regulations, isn't advisable when the government ultimately is --
The gate keeper. It's not clear if or when Ant Groups IP will be able to resume. It's a stark reminder that no company is immune to the reach of the communist party.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:54:44]
WANG: And John, those new regulations on Ant, according to some analysts, could reduce the valuation by as much as $140 billion. The fact that Beijing was willing to pull the plug on this record-breaking deal at the last-minute, just highlights the difficulties of doing business in China and how opaque the system is which is significant at a time when China is trying to attract international investors and financial institutions.
VAUSE: Selina thank you.
Selina Wang there in Tokyo.
Well, from the fast food restaurant that brought us the McRib, now comes the McPlant but so many people are now sending a clear message to McDonalds' they're not loving it.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Remember when burger chains used to ask -- where is the beef? Well lately it's been -- where is the plant? Even McDonald's announced it's sprouting a plant-based burger which they plan to call the McPlant. The name is getting grilled, "McPlant is the laziest name". "McPlant it's a pretty bad name". "But what do you expect from the people who call their fish sandwich, "filet o fish", when "Quarter Flounder" was right there for the taking.
People aren't whining about the taste of a meatless burger, McDonald's tested the concept in Canada last year, with the makers of "Beyond Meat", which gets rave reviews from YouTube chefs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's insane.
Wonderful.
MOOS: Less wonderful? McPlant. Mashable asked can you think of a better name. Suggestion ranged from the big on mask to make nut-a burger to Planty McPlantface, Damn, Hamburler must be pissed.
Actually McDonald's first meatless burger got a short lived trial run back in the sixties, the hula burger. It consisted of grilled pineapple slices with cheese on a toasted bun. Now that's a way beyond, even a beyond burger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You like them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never had my animals rare to as veggie burger, they way they react to these things.
MOOS: The McPlant will arrive in select McDonald's restaurants, somewhere in the world, sometime next year. Posted someone. "Picturing me in 2021, enjoying my Pfizer vaccination, with a quarter pound McPlant."
Give us a break from McPlant, make that McFacePlant
Jeanne Moos, CNN BARTIROMO -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching, I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM continues after break with my colleague Kin, Brunhuber, you didn't recheck some background. He's ready to go.
See you tomorrow.
[01:57:68]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
