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Iowa Governor Imposes Mask Mandate After Months of Opposition; COVID Shatters Records Ahead of Holiday Season; Lindsey Graham Calls Allegation Ridiculous, Says Call Was About Toughening Voting Rules Ahead of Senate Runoffs; Pfizer Reaches Safety Milestone and Prepares to File for Emergency Use Authorization. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired November 17, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: And half of Iowans tested for COVID-19 last week, tested positive. Governor Kim Reynolds imposed restrictions just yesterday after months of criticizing them as quote, feel-good measures.

She says Iowans will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces where they cannot socially distance. She is also banning indoor gatherings of more than 15 people and she's banning outdoor gatherings of more than 30. Restaurants and bars must ensure at least 6 feet between each group or individual and groups are limited to eight people.

So let's go straight to the front lines there in Iowa with the healthcare workers, Leah Daniels is an ICU critical care nurse at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. And so Leah, first and foremost, thank you for all that you do as a nurse. We need more nurses.

LEAH DANIELS, NURSE, MERCYONE DES MOINES MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: But on these measures from your governor, certainly they are a step in the right direction, but flat out, is it enough?

DANIELS: Absolutely, they're a step in the right direction for sure. Is it enough? We will see. I don't want anyone to have to have that take the guesswork out of it, wear a mask. Anywhere you go outside, wear a mask. If you're with a group of people, wear a mask. We are in a health care crisis situation where we're not going to be able to take care of you, your loved ones, if they have COVID or don't have COVID. So wear a mask.

BALDWIN: Thanksgiving is next Thursday, Leah. There are all of these guidelines for people to follow to safely celebrate, you know, in small numbers. But I was reading your notes that you're worried the holidays will be the tipping point for your hospital. What do you mean by that?

DANIELS: We're already seeing that we're maxing our capacity, so we have three ICUs in the hospital, and then we now have two COVID ICUs on top of everything that we're doing. So we're trying to find places in the hospital to put these COVID patients. We're trying to find nurses to take care of these patients and take care of the general population that we already do care for.

We go into the holiday season, and everyone still decides to get together and gather in masses that, you know, are maybe masked or not, our numbers are still going to continue to go up. And they're going to pour into the hospital when they need help. And I am fearing that we're just not going to have a place to put them.

BALDWIN: So what would happen?

DANIELS: So, I mean, as an ICU nurse, we're going to take patients where we can put them. You know, we will find places until we no longer can. When we first started working in this pandemic, we opened up the PACU. This is where all the surgical patients go for recovery, and that would be shut down. We would probably put some more patients in there. I don't know what the plan is, but you find your places until you cannot. But then what do you do when you run out of the staff to take care of those people? I don't know. You don't get care.

BALDWIN: You don't get care. Let this be a lesson to all of us as we all want to gather with our families next Thursday, you know, we will not get care. You know, Leah, we've heard stories of nurses who are overwhelmed already, are physically unable to give patients the best quality care as a result. What's the situation at your hospital?

DANIELS: So our hospital is -- you know, we're experiencing that surge, we are. Our morale is low. Our nurses need each other more than anything right now. You know, our strength comes from our coworkers, but when we come home, I mean we are seeing things that no one else is seeing. We have never experienced this before. We have baby nurses coming into --

BALDWIN: Like what?

DANIELS: -- their new -- oh, you walk into the COVID ICU, and you walk down these very long corridors full of people. We're proning the patients. They're face down in the bed, backside up so we can get so they can get their oxygen levels up. We're constantly finding teams to help each other.

The next patient down the hall is getting put on ECMO, you know, a machine that pumps the blood out of your body to a machine to basically oxygenate you and gives it back to you. We're running all of these machines in drips and making sure that these drips don't run out, because if they do, you know, your life is in our hands.

And then we have -- you put us in an environment that's not our own home because we had to create these new spaces. We're pulling from all the different ICUs to pull these nurses in and so we're working with unfamiliar spaces and having to acclimate on top of dealing with these astronomical situations in numbers of COVID cases. It's very stressful.

BALDWIN: So last -- I can't even begin to imagine.

[15:35:00]

And so last quick question for people who are disregarding the restrictions, who are not wearing masks. What do you want to tell them?

DANIELS: I wish I could unsee what I've seen. I'm thankful that not everyone has to see it, but please listen to my words. I don't care about your political affiliation. I don't care about what your neighbor thinks about masking or what you read on the internet, it's real, it's here, it's affecting us in Iowa. And so just, you know, think about someone other than yourself and wear your mask. Try to protect us all.

BALDWIN: Leah Daniels, bless you. Thank you so much.

DANIELS: Thank you. Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, the Republican in charge of Georgia's election suggests Senator Lindsey Graham tried to meddle with the election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

BALDWIN: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is defending a call he made to the Georgia's Secretary of State about how Georgia conducts its vote. Brad Raffensperger also a Republican is overseeing the state's recount and the Presidential vote and the critical upcoming Senate runoffs. And so he told CNN he felt pressured by Senator Graham to disqualify ballots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R) GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: He asked if the ballots could be matched back to the voters and I got the sense it implied that then you could throw those out. And he really would look at the counties with the highest frequent error of signatures. Well, it's just an implication, that look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Gabriel Sterling, a staffer for Raffensperger says, he was on the call and corroborated all those claims. Sterling said a short time ago that the recount is on track to be done tomorrow. And most county's results match the initial count or have found minor discrepancies and it will affirm President-elect Joe Biden's win in Georgia.

Now, Senator Graham called the allegation he hinted at throwing out ballots, quote, ridiculous. The South Carolina Senator who has no oversight of election issue tells CNN he was well within his rights to ask about how Georgia officials conduct voting. Let's get some perspective on all of this with CNN contributor Steve

Vladeck. And so Steve, what do you make of Senator Graham getting involved in this?

STEVE VLADECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I mean, Brooke, I'm still trying to figure out exactly why it's within his prerogative to call the Georgia Secretary of State in the first place. He is not a Georgia Senator. He has as you say no oversight over how Georgia conducts its elections, and so I think, you know, it just sort of I think stretches credulity for Senator Graham to say it's completely appropriate for me to make this phone call in the first place, even if he didn't say what both Secretary of State and his assistant say he said.

So, you know, I just think there's no scenario where someone who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee should be calling state secretaries of state for any purpose, in this contest, let alone, you know, with the potential apparent goal of actually trying to convince them to throw out votes.

BALDWIN: Let me add to that. Let me introduce Lindsey Graham of 2020 to the Lindsey Graham of 2016 who said this.

Quote, like most Americans I have confidence in our democracy and election system. During this debate Mr. Trump is doing the party and the country a great disservice by continuing to suggest the outcome of this election is out of his hands and rigged against him. If he loses, it will not be because the system is rigged but because he failed as a candidate.

Also, Steve, Lindsey Graham is a sitting Senator. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. What should happen to him?

VLADECK: Well, I mean, you know, I think this is by any stretch, Brooke, this is conduct unbecoming any U.S. Senator, let alone the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

You know, there's at least a nonfrivolous argument that his phone call if he actually said what both secretary of state and his assistant say he said, violated Georgia election law about attempting to interfere in the results of an election.

At the very least, you know, this is the kind of thing that in a, you know, normal world the Senate Ethics Committee might actually take very seriously. But it just, I think, underscores the point that we're seeing over and over again, which is the folks who are making the most noises about fraud in this election sequence are the ones who seem to be on the verge of committing it.

And that's not exactly a message someone like Lindsey Graham really should be trying to send, especially with the Republican Secretary of State in a state where they're going to have another pretty important election, you know, in less than two months' time.

BALDWIN: Well, let's get to that. Those two crucial runoffs that will determine, you know, control of the U.S. Senate, are you concerned this will at all affect either of those races? VLADECK: I don't think concern is the right word to use, Brooke, but I

do think that insofar as the upcoming Georgia runoffs are a referendum on whether Democrats or Republicans should control the Senate, you know, it's hard to look at these actions by Senator Graham as anything other than an effort by Republicans to stack the deck and to suggest that the only way they can win is by throwing out some of these votes.

You know, I don't know why that's a message Georgia voters want to hear. I don't know why that would make me in any hurry to vote for Senator Perdue or Senator Loeffler in the upcoming runoffs.

But Brooke, again, the larger point here, is that for all the noise folks are making about mischief, about fraud. The actual state officials on the ground, Democrats and Republicans alike, keep coming back and saying this isn't happening, there's no evidence.

[15:45:00]

And so, you know, I think there comes a point where Senator Graham should be, you know, I think, deeply criticized for this kind of statement if he actually did try to interfere, perhaps even subjected to some kind of investigation. But we should appreciate that the folks who actually matter are staying the course and doing the right thing.

BALDWIN: Such a great point. Such a great point to end on. Steve Vladeck, great to have you on, thank you so much.

VLADECK: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I want to pivot to some encouraging breaking news now on Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. The Pfizer CEO says the vaccine trial has reached its safety milestone and the company is preparing to file for Emergency Use Authorization. We're going to get you new details on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Here's the breaking news now on Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer's CEO says the vaccine trial has reached its safety milestone and the company is preparing to file for Emergency Use Authorization. Let's get right to our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And so, Sanjay, this is a big deal, yes?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean this is the sort of news that we've been waiting for, for some time, Brooke. We don't know exactly what that data showed. I mean it sort of been the way that this has unfolded. We are getting bits and pieces about what's happening with these vaccines.

But you'll remember back on November 9th, that's when we heard, based on early interim data, we heard from the company that the vaccine was shown to be 90 percent effective against COVID. That was November 9th. Eight days later now we're hearing that the safety milestone has been met. These were the two ingredients necessary to try and apply for an Emergency Use Authorization. Now the safety milestone was basically when about half the trial participants after their second shot, two months passed, and at that point they basically looked and said do we have enough safety data now?

And it sounds like that's what Albert Bourla, who's the CEO of Pfizer -- I interviewed him last week. I think that's what he's basically referring to. So again, 90 percent effectiveness. And we just know the safety milestone has been met. Presumably since they're applying for this Emergency Use Authorization, it sounds like they think the numbers were good enough to actually warrant that, we'll have to see what the FDA says now -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Speaking of the FDA, we know that the FDA set a meeting for its vaccine advisory committee, the agency, Sanjay, could make a decision at the end of the meeting on December 10th. So what does that signal to you?

GUPTA: Yes, so and I apologize for this delay, you know, this COVID world, Brooke, so sorry about that. I think we know that they need to review this data and they need to basically make sure after the data scientists review it that it does meet these benchmarks for both effectiveness and safety.

Again, it sounds like it but we've only heard from the company so far, Brooke. So, you know, just the reporting of this is -- I just want to make sure we're always being very transparent about that. Everyone would like to see the actual data ultimately themselves.

But on December 10th, it is possible, you know, we know it could be a week or two for the FDA to sort of look at this data and make some sort of decision on that. And again, the decision would likely be we're going to go ahead and authorize this under an emergency use.

At that point, Brooke, there's other organizations that are involved sort of simultaneously but also linearly and there's an advisory committee on immunization that works hand in hand with the CDC. At that point to sort of basically figure out the distribution. Who gets it? What's the schedule of this vaccine going to be. You know, who's first in line?

We do know that at least when it comes to this Pfizer vaccine there's, you know, maybe 20, 30 million doses for the United States initially, two shots per person, divide everything by half, so 10 million or 15 million people may be vaccinated by the end of the year if this is all panning out.

And I know I keep starting this because I want to be careful. We are only hearing this from the company so far. But if it is true and it gets this Emergency Use Authorization, 10 million, 15 million people potentially by the end of the year could be vaccinated, likely to be front line health care workers, Brooke. So critical, right, front line heath care workers because of the significant toll on hospitals right now. Can't afford to get health care workers sick given the surge in the number of patients that are being cared for.

So that's likely what's to happen, middle of December, possibly even earlier an Emergency Use Authorization would be given. There would be these committees that would basically determine who is to get it at that point. They may be different states, different populations within those states and possibly, Brooke, by the end of the year, people actually in the general public outside of a clinical trial, receiving the coronavirus vaccine for the first time.

BALDWIN: Fingers crossed on that and I appreciate all your caveats on this is only -- we're just getting this from the company, this needs get the green light from the FDA. I appreciate all of that and I'm sure all of our viewers do as well. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much for all of this. And we'll stay on top of it. Of course, we will. Sanjay, thank you so much.

Our breaking news coverage continues. The Pentagon moves ahead with Trump's plan to pull troops out of Afghanistan. We have new details on that today. Stay here.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We begin with breaking news in our WORLD LEAD today. While President- elect Joe Biden met earlier today with national security officials to try to prepare to hit the ground running when he takes office on January 20th -- former national security officials we should say.

Outgoing President Trump's administration is announcing major national security decisions ones that could have lasting implications long after Mr. Trump leaves office.

This afternoon, acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller announced a reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15th, five days before President-elect Joe Biden becomes President Joe Biden.