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New Day Saturday

U.S. Shatters Daily Record With 184,000-Plus New Cases Reported Friday; President-Elect Biden Meeting With Transition Team This Weekend; Judges Rule Against Trump Campaign In Six Pennsylvania Cases Over Absentee Ballots; Trump Speaks Publicly For The First Time Since Defeat, Doesn't Concede But Says "I Guess Time Will Tell"; Pfizer And Moderna Set To Seek Emergency Use Authorization For COVID Vaccine Within Weeks. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired November 14, 2020 - 07:00   ET

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


[07:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This ratio will be, I guess time will tell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only things that time will tell is how long it takes us to turn around the misanthropic mismanagement of this pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The current administration has not been cooperating with the transition team by sharing information, sharing plans. And this, is essentially a national security threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not just stupid and petty, it is dangerous internally and externally, for the United States. That is not America first.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe Biden will be the next President United States, Kamala Harris will be the next Vice President.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY Weekend with Victor Blackwell, Christi Paul.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to all of you out in San Francisco. Look at that forum. You know, people are still on the roads there. We are so grateful to have your company as always. And I want to start with this news about the coronavirus pandemic. I mean, yesterday the U.S. recorded, think about this number, more than 184,000 cases that is the most ever recorded in a single day.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And there are more people in hospitals yesterday more than 68,000 people were being treated for the virus. President Trump says his administration will not enforce a lockdown to slow the spread. PAUL: And as of this morning, we're fewer than 10 weeks out from Inauguration Day. The formal transition to a Biden ministration, as you know, has not started. The President still has not admitted that he lost

BLACKWELL: A former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, he is criticizing the Trump administration. He calls the delay a national security and health crisis. Jason Carroll is following the Biden transition in Delaware. Sarah Westwood is at the White House for us.

PAUL: Good morning, everybody. Sarah want to start with you. President Trump addressed this pandemic. I yesterday was the first time in eight days that we'd heard from him in that way at a podium live, but there was still no acknowledgement that he's lost this election. What is the takeaway from what we saw from him?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christy. There's still no concession in sight for this president. We're now a week, a week has passed since the network's projected that Joe Biden would secure enough electoral votes to win this race. And the President is still essentially treading water here. He's waiting for litigation to play out in some states that has no chance of changing the outcome of this election at this point.

He's continuing though, to peddle baseless claims of voter fraud on his social media platforms. And we really haven't seen him other than those glimpses through social media since the races really called for Biden last weekend. So, him calling that rose garden, what he was originally built as a press conference, although we didn't take questions. Event yesterday was a big deal, because it was the first time that we saw the president, and we did see him acknowledge at least the possibility that there could be a different administration come January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: This administration will not be going to a lockdown, hopefully the, the -- whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration will be. I guess, time will tell, but I can tell you, this administration will not go to a lockdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Now, CNN has reported that the President was feeling dejected this week at times as he pondered a future in which he is no longer the president or has told CNN also that the President sort of waffling between this desire to keep fighting, and also a recognition that he's likely to be denied a second term. Those legal battles continue in key states that the campaign is saying they're not ready to give up the fight, Victor Christi.

BLACKWELL: We should remind people those lockdowns ordered by mayors and governors. That's how it happened the first time and that's what will happen if it happens again. But let me move here to what we heard from the former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, his criticism for his former boss. Explained what he said. WESTWOOD: Yes, Victor, we heard a sharp warning from the President's Former Chief of Staff John Kelly about delaying the transition any further. In normal circumstances, the transition between one administration to the next would be well underway at this point with less than 70 days until the inauguration, but that's not been happening.

Trump administration agencies have been slow walking that process, and I want to read you Kelly's statement: "The delay in transitioning is an increasing national security and health crisis. It costs the current administration nothing to start to brief Mr. Biden, Miss Harris, the new Chief of Staff and all identified cabinet members and senior staff as they are identified over the days and weeks ahead." And then he goes on to say, "That said, the downside to not doing so could be catastrophic to our people, regardless of who they voted for."

Now, many officials here in Washington have been citing the finding of the 911 Commission nearly 20 years ago, that the truncated transition time in the year 2,000 could have affected preparedness for that attack. So, there have been some dire warnings from Republicans, from officials about preventing the Biden team from having access to a smooth transition.

Senator James Lankford, for example, said that Biden should be receiving and have access to the presidential daily briefing the intelligence that Trump does. So, time will tell us. More Republicans will start speaking up about that as time passes, Victor and Christi.

[07:05:23]

BLACKWELL: Sarah Westwood at the White House. Thank you so much. Let's get the other side of this now. Jason's up next. Jason, President- elect Biden, we understand he's working with his transition team, but do we have an understanding of how this hold off on allowing the actual transition to begin is impeding that work?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a good question, Victor. I mean, look, the Biden transition team is moving forward. I mean, they have no other choice. Example of that is over the weekend, President-elect Biden will be meeting with his transition team, they're going to be discussing Cabinet picks.

They have, already have an idea in mind of who they want for all of the positions, especially those key positions, meaning defense, Treasury, as well as health. We're told that the President-elect is taking a very deliberate approach to how he's going about choosing his cabinet members.

There's very little room for error here, given the fact that you've got -- the fact that these Cabinet picks are going to come under intense scrutiny from Republican senators on a press call on Friday. The team Biden was asked about how they're doing with this transition, given the fact that you've got so many robots being thrown up by the Trump administration. You've already heard that President-elect Biden not receiving

intelligence briefings, you've got the General Services Administration, not signing off on that paperwork, so they're not getting access to funds and resources. And given all that, Team Biden was asked how they're doing in terms of this, this standoff between themselves and the GSA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, BIDEN SENIOR TRANSITION ADVISER: We're not interested in having a food fight with the GSA administrator or anyone really. We just want to get access to intelligence information, to threat assessments to the ongoing work on COVID so that we can prepare to government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, what's happening here is that team Biden is moving forward, but they're also getting creative in terms of how they're moving forward with their transition efforts. One of the examples of that has to do with what they've been doing is they've been speaking to former members of the Defense Department. For example, basically, those who served under former Defense Secretary James Mattis to try to get a better handle of how things have been operating in that department over the past few years.

So, transition efforts moving forward, but getting creative in some ways in terms of trying to get around those roadblocks that are continuously being thrown up by the Trump administration. Victor, Christi.

PAUL: Jason, thank you so much. Jason Carroll there for us and Delaware. So, an accused dead voter in Georgia, is actually alive despite the Trump campaigns claims that she did vote legally. Media outlets, also, we need to point out falsely reported that Mrs. Blaylock's deceased husband had voted in the 2020 election, when in fact, she is registered under his name as Mrs. James E. Blaylock, Jr. Here's Agnes Blaylock on who she cast her vote for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who did you vote for? You don't have to share that.

AGNES BAYLOCK, VOTER: I voted for the Democrats. For Biden. I guess I voted against it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, Newton County officials confirmed that she also signed using her married name when she voted. So, on Friday, yesterday, two judges in Pennsylvania tossed out half a dozen lawsuits from the Trump campaign over absentee ballots.

And officials in the President's own department of homeland security, they say the election was the most secure in American history. So, let's talk about the lawsuits and the security with CNN Election Law Analyst Jonathan Diaz. Jonathan, good morning to you.

JONATHAN DIAZ, CNN ELECTION LAW ANALYST: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: Certainly. So, let's start here with these cases in Pennsylvania. The judges throughout six of these, they were -- the goal was to disqualify almost 9,000 absentee ballots because names or dates or addresses were not on the outside of these mailing envelopes. The judge says that the law did not require them.

Can we first start here with the scope of the cases we're seeing from the Trump campaign and the GOP because while they're promising their supporters that the that they will win and if these states will be overturned many of these lawsuits, the scope is so narrow that they would not overcome the advantage that Joe Biden, President-elect, has. So, reconcile what we're hearing rhetorically from the president and what these lawsuits are actually seeking.

DIAZ: Yes, I mean, that's right. Even if you set aside the fact that these lawsuits are being brought with, you know, almost no evidence and really are built on very flimsy legal theories, even if they had succeeded and I think now over 15 of the, from the Trump campaign and allied groups have been dismissed by various judges.

Even if they had succeeded, like you said, if they affect such a small number of votes, that they're not going to change the outcome in any of these pivotal states. And at this point, you know, President Trump would need multiple state outcomes to be reversed in order to reach 270 electoral votes. And that's just not going to happen. Based on any of the lawsuits that we've seen so far.

[07:10:39]

BLACKWELL: There was another lawsuit thrown out in Michigan, yesterday that the campaign is posted some of the affidavits from these Republican poll watchers on their Web site, and this, is from one of them.

One of the persons wrote the ballot numbers did not match the envelope ballot number, I would challenge they would not record it or allow me to make an incident report, they would put a piece of tape over the ballot number attached to a ballot and write the number on envelope then would count it what's the burden of proof for these allegations for these to amount to anything significant?

DIAZ: I mean, the challengers that are complaining that they didn't get to watch that particular part of the process, or that something happened, that they're not sure about, these allegations are really falling apart, under even the slightest scrutiny from judges that are hearing these cases.

You have these witnesses that are saying that they saw something wrong. You know, once they're asked a couple of questions about it, they actually just say, well, they're not sure. And that's because, you know, they're not part of that ballot verification process. And meanwhile, on the other side, the state and election officials

from these counties are very methodically going through and showing, you know, at each step of the process, here's how this ballot was verified. Here's the information we're required to look at under law. And here's why this ballot was counted.

And so, you know, you're not seeing these challengers, whether they are from the Trump campaign or other, you know, allied Republican groups, put forth any kind of evidence to show that there is fraud, that ballots are being counted that aren't supposed to.

You know, what they're pointing out are features of the election administration process that they think are suspect or that they're just not familiar with, but really, you know, there's nothing, there's no sign of misconduct or anything inappropriate happening on it, certainly not on a wide enough scale that would affect the outcome of the election.

BLACKWELL: So, it will not affect the outcome of the election. You know, our D.C. team has heard from their sources at the White House, that we shouldn't expect to hear anything from the President about the election until after Georgia certifies, which is on the 20th, a week from yesterday. Have you seen or heard anything from the team or from their filings that would even justify delaying certification?

DIAZ: Not from the President's team, you know, Georgia is conducting a hand recount of the presidential race, because of course it is. But even Georgia's Republican Secretary of State has said that he expects that recount to simply confirm the results of the election in Georgia. You know, depending on how long that recount takes.

It's my understanding that Georgia election officials have the ability to delay that certification by a short amount of time. And the federal deadline is not until December. So, they can do that. But even if it gets pushed back by a day or two, so that they can complete their recount. It's no one expects the outcome of that race to change in Georgia.

BLACKWELL: So, we talked about some of the minutiae, and that has its place. I want to ask a broader question now and I need former President Obama to set it up. Let's play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I'm more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this are humoring him in this fashion. It is one more step in D legitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally.

JONATHAN TURLEY, LAW PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: it's a rather odd comment that confirming the validity of the votes is de- legitimizing democracy. You would think that the way to uphold democracy is to assure that, well, democracy happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: What's your view on this?

DIAZ: I mean, I think that President Obama makes a good point in that, you know, there's already a huge disconnect between what the President's attorneys are saying in court about the validity of their evidence and the strength of their claims. And what the President and his allies are saying rhetorically in public, there is not a realistic chance that the outcome of this election is going to be changed.

It is not really in question and there's no evidence has any kind of widespread issues with the way that this election was conducted? But you have, you know, 70 million people who voted for President Trump, many of whom you'll take him at his word, and take the things that he says and the things that he tweets very seriously.

[07:15:16]

And so, when you have the president and his allies, making wildly unsubstantiated claims about massive fraud, and teens being hacked, and the election being rigged, that does a lot of damage to the American people's confidence in the integrity of our election system, and in the functioning of our democracy.

And, you know, an undermining the faith in that system can be really damaging to the Democratic process long term, especially when these cases are, you know, almost entirely unsupported and largely frivolous. I think the President, his counselors and lawyers have to ask themselves, you know, what is the purpose of continuing to bring these frivolous challenges other than to undermine democracy?

BLACKWELL: And those questions will have to be answered soon. Listen, we've got what 67 days until the inauguration, and for people who did not recognize the face or listening on Sirius XM on radio, that was Jonathan Turley, Constitutional Law Professor who was right after President Trump calling this validating the vote instead of delegitimizing democracy, Jonathan D. As always good to have your insight sir. Thanks so much. Enjoy the morning.

DIAZ: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Christi. . PAUL: So, we're taking a look for you if a difficult logistical challenge that states are facing as they prepare to distribute this coronavirus vaccine. That's ahead. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:49]

PAUL: 20 minutes after the hour right now and the number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations is skyrocketing this morning. There were more than 68,000 current hospitalizations reported just yesterday. 19 states have reported record high hospitalization rates. And new CDC data shows that black and Latino people are hospitalized about four times higher than any other racial group. BLACKWELL: Is on potential coronavirus vaccines, two of them in fact. So, this week states are really anxious to prepare for distribution but they're uncertain about how to proceed.

PAUL: Yes, and there are reasons for that. CNN's Sara Murray takes a look at the significant challenges that are ahead here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With the U.S. on the cusp of a coronavirus vaccine, states are still in the dark about how many doses they make get yet another hurdle in this scramble to nail down distribution plans.

CLAIRE HANNAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: ASSOCIATION OF IMMUNIZATION MANAGERS: States have heard different reports about how many doses they'll get. Pfizer is saying they'll have, you know, several million ready to go. We're not quite sure exactly how many it will be.

MURRAY: With Pfizer's vaccine showing promising results in clinical trials and Morderna on the verge of announcing its own efficacy data, experts say, a vaccine could be available to some Americans beginning in December.

HANNAN: It will be targeted to priority populations, mostly health care workers and then essential workers, and those over 65.

MURRAY: But the alphabet soup of government agencies overseeing the vaccine effort CDC, DOD, HHS has states struggling to plan for what's to come. Adding to the unease, memories of severe shortages and personal protective gear early in the pandemic, which left states clamoring for more supplies and undermined confidence between states and the federal government. Once again, states tell CNN, they're looking for more clarity and transparency.

In Missouri, General Gustave Perna, one of the leads of Operation Warp Speed, told a top health official he knew how many doses the state would likely get but wasn't willing to share the number yet. In California, officials say they're planning for multiple scenarios. And in Minnesota, officials say they need more federal funds to carry out a vaccination program.

The government hasn't publicly revealed its allocation formula, but HHS official Paul Mango says they will take into account priority groups in each state when doling out doses.

PAUL MANGO, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY, HHS: We know how many folks are residents in nursing homes, for instance. We can get through the Bureau of Labor Statistics and otherwise information on the number of frontline health care workers. We can get the number of folks who again the Department of Agriculture and others the number of folks working in meatpacking plant.

MURRAY: Once states learn how many doses they'll get; they'll decide where to direct them. Pfizer's vaccine comes with an added challenge: it must be kept around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which could limit where it will be made available.

ALEX AZAR, HHS SECRETARY: The Pfizer vaccine does require extra cold storage. It also will come in large quantities so it will be best attuned early on to mass vaccination programs, for instance of healthcare workers at hospitals, or our skilled nursing facilities.

MURRAY: Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: The next hour, we will speak with a former FDA Commissioner on what to expect with the vaccine approval process, the rollout public skepticism, Margaret Hamburg will be with us ahead.

[07:24:07]

PAUL: Well, for a moment there, it seemed close but there was no concession. President Trump still refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden is President-elect. How a stalled transition is threatening the response to the coronavirus pandemic and national security right now and what's next for these two?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So, today, President-elect Biden is meeting with his transition team. This, as the White House is, is refusing at this point to cooperate with the transition. We know CNN called the election for Biden a week ago. The final two states Georgia and North Carolina, they were called yesterday.

BLACKWELL: So far, the President has refused to acknowledge all the truth, the results. Instead, his lawyers have filed dozens of lawsuits based on debunked allegations of voter fraud. But yesterday, the president appeared close to admitting what is real. Speaking from the Rose Garden, President Trump said: "Time will tell what a future administration will do about the coronavirus pandemic."

PAUL: Margaret Talev politics and White House Editor for Axios and a CNN Political Analyst with us now. Good morning to you, Margaret. So, that's what the President said yesterday. He was so close people thought is he going to admit this or not? He did not. Here is the response to that from Governor Cuomo who was on with Wolf yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): That's his delusion. That is just his, his dislocation from reality. And it's shameful what he has done. This transition was probably one of the most important transitions ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:29:56]

PAUL: So, is there any indication, Margaret, that, that Republicans as a whole are solid with this, or are there cracks in the foundation of the Republican Party? Do people -- do people question this or do they really believe he'll be in a second term? MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: So, Christi, look, here's what's happening, is that inside Washington and inside the White House, there's a very clear understanding of what has happened.

You're beginning to see senators, although, very carefully and still trying to shield themselves from a lot of blowback from President Trump. You see Republicans beginning to nudge him towards accepting reality and allowing the transition to happen both in terms of national security purposes and in terms of vaccine continuity purposes, right? Coronavirus planning purposes.

And you see it within the White House, the president's team has been pushing legal challenges, they're all falling apart, we saw a spade of these cases fall through yesterday.

But, I think, the distinction I would make is that, out in the general public there's still a significant share of President Trump's base that are firmly with him, and that don't understand why news organizations keep talking about the fact that the race is over, think that there is some, you know, conspiracy with the Democratic Party, and that is the audience that the president is playing to right now.

We know that the president is making plans for one of a number of things, perhaps, a 2024 run, or at least, setting up the infrastructure that would allow for a 2024 run, so that he can raise money, discussions, about starting a Trump digital media service that would compete with his favorite what had been, until recently, his favorite network throughout his administration. So, you don't take steps like that unless you understand you're on your way out of office.

But I get e-mails from supporters of the president just in the general public, who are either angry or just confused and don't understand why people keep saying the election is over. And I think that is one of the concerns in terms of the credibility of the election and having the American public as a whole understand the reality of what has happened.

And the fact that there really -- there is no fraud and the election is over, and the president and his team know that it's over.

PAUL: Well, and the reality also that we're 10 weeks away from inauguration day. And as we've been talking about, the president is not giving vital information that President-elect Biden needs.

We know President-elect Biden is meeting with his transition team. They're going over potential Cabinet picks and whatnot this morning, but he's not getting these Intel briefs, he -- he's not getting the most up-to-date information on COVID.

So, when he goes to begin his term officially on January 20th, what might be holding him back from doing everything he needs to do on day one?

TALEV: Well, there are just a couple of areas where this is really important. One is just to get the staffing and the structure in place to move pretty quickly. And the other is to understand the kind of base level of information that exists now, both in the kind of intelligence theater, what are the current threats to national security, and on the coronavirus preparedness front.

And this transition matters less in the early days, then, it matters the closer you get to the election. So, that's part of why you've seen both President-elect Biden and his team kind of try to downplay the chaos theory and the talk about it, because they know like they're still standing up their teams, they're still deciding who they want their Cabinet to be.

It's not as crucial the week after the election as it is three weeks after the election, four weeks after the election. But you get to a point in December where this does hobble your ability to set up shop and start making those kind of decisions.

It's not like you like -- it's not like your first day of work where you show up on the first day, and you're like, maybe I should sign up for my 401(k) like -- there's a whole thing that happens in those two months between the election and inauguration day.

So, there's some precedent for this still, Bush v. Gore was still being worked out at this point. It's not like the Biden administration's not going to be able to start on day one if, you know, the transition didn't happen until now.

But as time goes on, this gets more and more important. And the immediate concern, again, is both in terms of being able to pick up the baton on the coronavirus and on national security.

And that's why you're seeing the Biden team go through as many appropriate back channels as they can to talk to former Trump administration officials to, at least, try to understand how these offices work, what the setup is, how the flow of information works, what the structure is?

But the classified stuff, you know, that's going to matter more and more in the coming days.

PAUL: Yes, you wonder what the threshold is, where you're really feeling that hindrance, and you know, how transparent some of the Trump administration will be, and how soon that will happen.

Margaret Talev, always appreciate you being here. Thank you, ma'am.

TALEV: Thanks, Christi.

PAUL: Of course.

[07:34:58]

BLACKWELL: Did you hear what the president said yesterday about New York and this vaccine? Well, New York's attorney general now is threatening to sue the president if he tries to prevent the state from receiving this new COVID vaccine.

We'll have more on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:39:46]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: As soon as April, the vaccine will be available to the entire general population, with the exception of places like New York State, where for political reasons, the governor decided to say, and, you know, I don't think it's good politically, I think it's very bad from a health standpoint.

But he wants to take his time on the vaccine, he doesn't trust where the vaccine's coming from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And New York's attorney general now is taking that as a threat. She says that she is ready to sue the president if the vaccine is not delivered on time.

PAUL: And cases are spiking again in that state. The mayor is warning he's going to shut down schools if they reach the COVID-19 positivity threshold, and he could shut them down as early as Monday, two days from now.

CNN correspondent Polo Sandoval has the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More than 244,000 people have now died from the virus in the U.S. Friday reporting, more than 184,000 new cases. President Trump held a briefing late Friday in the White House Rose Garden to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine.

TRUMP: My administration reached an agreement with Pfizer to provide $1.95 billion to support the mass manufacturing and distribution of 100 million doses, with the option to purchase a total of 600 million doses shortly thereafter. Our investment will make it possible for the vaccine to be provided by Pfizer free of charge.

SANDOVAL: The president said, the COVID vaccine will be available to the general population as soon as April.

TRUMP: We will work to secure an emergency use authorization, which should be coming down extremely soon. And my administration will then coordinate the distribution of the vaccine, and it will be approved, I think, again, it will be approved very, very quickly, we hope.

SANDOVAL: "Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine," the company said. Eventual coronavirus vaccines will be distributed across the states and territories based on population, a top Operation Warp Speed official said on Friday. Since Monday, the U.S. added more than half a million new COVID-19 cases since hitting 10 million at the start of the week. At this rate, the numbers should pass 11 million in the next four days, the fastest addition of another million cases Johns Hopkins status shows, the U.S. currently has more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before.

According to COVID tracking projects, seven-day average for current hospitalizations is up 20 percent from last week.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We can turn this around. It is not futile.

SANDOVAL: Wearing a mask could help protect you, not just those around you from coronavirus transmission. That's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that was released this week. The statement was an update to previous guidance, suggesting that the main benefit of mask squaring was to help prevent infected people from spreading the virus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And finally, quick backstory on why the president says that he would not deliver any COVID vaccine to the state of New York when it even becomes available, you recall back in September, the governor of New York, actually formed an independent task force that is meant to thoroughly vet any vaccine that's approved by the Food and Drug Administration, making sure that it is, in fact, ready for the public here.

And that's something, Victor, and Christi, the president simply does not like here, as you just mentioned a little while ago, not only with that threat, not only are New York State officials threatening legal action but also even the governor saying that, that is simply a retaliatory tool being used by the president of the United States.

BLACKWELL: And we'll see if he's even in office when that is relevant.

SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval for us there in New York. Thanks so much.

PAUL: So, every Saturday, we're highlighting cities across the U.S. who have resources to aid those of you who need them right now. So, grab your phone or a pen and a piece of paper to write down this information. We want to make sure you have it for yourself or someone you know.

Let's go to Michigan first. COVID-19 testing is taking place at the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center. That's in Detroit. Testing's open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The number on your screen is the one to call there and you can schedule an appointment.

In Minnesota, there's a new saliva testing site open in St. Paul. Free tests are being offered at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium That's part of the Saint Paul River Centre complex. It's available seven days a week. Yes, even today and tomorrow. Noon to seven on weekdays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 on weekends.

And in Mississippi, free drive-thru testing is available at the West Street Farmers Market in Jackson. Now, it's by appointment only, it's Monday through Saturday, from 8:30 in the morning to 3:00 p.m. You can make an appointment and complete the online screening form at the site on your screen there.

We do recommend always to calling each location before you go, just to confirm their service hours and the requirements that you need. But we hope that, that helps you get the information and resources that you need.

[07:44:45]

BLACKWELL: Always, always good information.

Conservative media, in some cases, right-wing media, they're encouraging the president's election denial on T.V., online.

Stelter is up next. Brian Stelter, joining us to talk about the social media echo chambers and the real damage that, that could do.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Forty-nine minutes past the hour. President Trump is pushing these claims from his Twitter account, suggesting that millions of votes were deleted, that the election was stolen, and he's offering absolutely no evidence to support it.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Now, there are several right-wing groups that are going to rally in Washington, D.C. today in support of the president as he refuses to concede the election. CNN's Brian Stelter is with us now.

Stelter, good morning to you. Republican leaders going along with this right now.

(CROSSTALK)

[07:49:57]

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: The president's denial of the election results. What are the consequences of the media outlets promoting -- and really exposing their viewers to these lies? Because that's what they are.

STELTER: The consequences -- yes, there are widening divide in America, because if you believe the president did somehow win the election, there are web sites that are eager to tell you that's true. There are social media feeds eager to tell you that's the case even though there is no evidence.

Look at the president's own Twitter feed, which is now the number one source of disinformation in the United States. He has claim after claim about voter fraud that does not add up. But, in some ways, his Twitter feed is like a gateway drug leading you to right-wing web sites, other destinations, Fox News shows, Newsmax shows, that portray that narrative.

So, in this country, we've had 9/11 trutherism, we've had climate change denialism, and now we have election denialism. I think the consequences of these last 11 days will be with us for years to come because it's the birth of a new conspiracy theory that's not going to go away, unfortunately.

PAUL: Well, and how people consume news online in this social media echo chambers that they have? I mean, it changes the way and has changed the way that people view the country, obviously, and the distrust that they see in the media.

Is there any indication to you that, that could decrease, post a Trump administration presidency?

STELTER: I actually think among the Trump base. Not all Trump voters, but among Trump loyalists, the biggest fans, the people that attend his rallies. I think trust in the media is actually getting worse, it's decreasing. And there are new outlets that are taking advantage to that.

For example, a channel called Newsmax, which a month ago was only getting 50,000 or 100,000 viewers is now sometimes reaching a million viewers, post-election, because it's portraying itself as being further to the right of Fox News.

There's a headline from Newsmax overnight talking about the danger of these voting machines. There is no evidence for these crazy conspiracy theories, but there is an audience that wants to buy into it, outlets like Newsmax are playing into that. And so, they're actually causing more and more distrust of the mainstream media.

Important to keep in mind, however, most Americans do trust the old -- you know, traditional sources of news: local newscasts, the CNNs of the world. However, there is this alienated part of America that I think is actually more alienated as a result of the election. And again, that's partly why these conspiracy theories are gaining.

BLACKWELL: Brian Stelter, thanks so much. We'll see if the president gets in front of this crowd today, suggesting he might actually go out and say hello to the people rallying in Washington today. We'll see if he does that. Thanks so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Brian.

Up next -- oh, look at the dogs there. How friendly -- pet friendly is the White House? Well, the Biden are about ready to see that. Jeanne Moos is up next with some light relief for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:31]

PAUL: Now, listen, the White House isn't just getting new human occupants in January. Oh, no, we all -- well, no, we don't all, but many of us have pets and we wouldn't want to leave them behind.

I can't talk, Victor, into a dog. I've been trying for years.

BLACKWELL: I don't even have a plant. Jeanne Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By licking his opponent, Joe Biden is bringing another kind of licking back to the White House. Meet Champ and Major, German shepherds who have already been deployed in web ads.

TRUMP: How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn? Would that be --

MOOS: Champ and Major for DOTUS, dogs of the United States. Champ was a gift to his wife after Joe Biden won the vice presidency. Major was fostered and adopted by the Bidens in 2018.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS: Biden celebrated National Cat Day in the most obvious way, by posting this picture of himself with a dog.

MOOS: The first dog adopted from a shelter to occupy the White House. Major and Champ already have their own Twitter accounts, where they're receiving well-wishes from the owners of pets like Steve and Samson, after Justin Theroux tried to hook up his shelter dog with Major, single and looking for a running mate. Champ has already appeared.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a (INAUDIBLE), watch this, hey Champ, you want to play golf?

MOOS: On 60 minutes, the pair have been showcased in a holiday ad. Now, they'll join the ranks of feuding sox and buddy. Barney the biter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, are you all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got bit by Barney.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then there's Beau.

MOOS: Who's walking who at the White House? President Trump like to talk about dogs.

TRUMP: And the guy choked like a dog.

MOOS: But his first wife, Ivana, wrote, "Donald was not a dog fan." Yes, well, the feeling seemed mutual.

When this Brooklyn dog named George encountered a punching bag Trump during the post-election stroll.

President Trump may not be a dog fanatic, but he gets their attention. Remember how he speaks to reporters?

TRUMP: Sit down.

MOOS: Jimmy Kimmel wondered if dogs would obey.

TRUMP: Excuse me. Sit down; you weren't called. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.

MOOS: Three out of four sat. But when it comes to stay, these two will be staying at the White House. And a guy not known for beating his own chest will be thumping theirs. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)