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New Day

Answers to Coronavirus Questions; Jon Ossoff is Interviewed about his Senate Campaign; Food Insecurity Soars Amid the Pandemic. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired November 23, 2020 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a good question from Bill in Prescott, Arizona, what assurances will a patient have that the vaccine administered has been stored at or below the proper temperature at all stages between manufacture, all logistical shipping and storage steps? What will be the impact if a vaccine has been exposed to an above-limit temp?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What Pfizer's doing is that they're creating their own cold storage boxes. There's going to be these boxes that you see. They're going to hold, you know, thousands of doses of the vaccine. And that's what's going to be used to transport.

Your specific question about how do you know then, has it stayed at the right temperature. Well, within those boxes -- and, again, this is all new, so we're going to have to see how some of this plays out. But within those boxes is also going to be these sensors that tell you has the temperature been consistent, has it had any drops and make sure that the vaccines, at least from that standpoint, have not had any problems. And then you sort of correlate the vaccines within these individual boxes to those sensors.

By the way, the vaccine eventually comes out and is thawed, with the Pfizer vaccine you have a few days where it can be stable at that thawed temperature before you then administer it.

It's going to be a lot of steps. I mean, think about this, worldwide, ultimately, vaccination campaign of this magnitude, it's got to be one of the biggest, most complicated logistical challenges, you know, we have faced as a world, you know, maybe ever.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

GUPTA: Certainly in a long time.

BERMAN: All right, Sanjay, last question from Thomas. Would gargling with an antiseptic mouthwash immediately when you get home after being in a public place, for example, help in the prevention of COVID-19? The mouthwash question has been out there.

GUPTA: It's been out there. And, you know, it's funny because I - I get all sorts of questions. I actually traveled for the first time yesterday, just walking through airports, people ask all sorts of questions. And this was one that I got, in fact, as well.

Here's the way to think about it. You take the virus and you just had it out there, it -- a lot of things would kill it. Certainly that mouthwash substance would kill it. UV light would kill it. You know, there's lots of things that would kill it.

The difference is, once it gets inside your cells, the human cell starts to replicate, that's when these types of substances are not going to have the impact as much as we would like them to. So the answer is, no, using a mouthwash is not going to stop you from developing an infection in your body and possibly developing the disease. But, you know, look, I do -- I do get where these questions are coming from. We've just got to focus on the things that we know are actually going to work.

BERMAN: And it will make your breath smell better, so there's that.

GUPTA: Yes, so --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

GUPTA: Yes, there's positives. There's positives.

CAMEROTA: I mean and to have to be Dr. Sanjay Gupta at an airport, I really -- I can't even imagine the hordes of people --

GUPTA: In the middle of a pandemic. I -- I know, it's something, I'll tell you.

CAMEROTA: Oh, you're a good man, Sanjay. Thank you very much for all of the answers this morning.

GUPTA: You got it.

Thanks, guys.

BERMAN: So two Senate races heading to runoffs with the balance of power in the U.S. Senate on the line. Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff joins us next.

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[08:37:31]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON KLAIN, INCOMING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Winning those two Senate seats in Georgia is important and we're going to do everything we can to help those two candidates. Great candidates in Georgia. And I expect you'll see the president-elect travel down there before Election Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CAMEROTA: OK, so President-elect Joe Biden is expected to visit Georgia to campaign for the two Democratic Senate candidates before January's runoff elections. All eyes on Georgia as the balance of power in the Senate is at stake.

Joining us now is Democratic Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff.

Mr. Ossoff, great to see you.

JON OSSOFF (D-GA), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: OK, do you know when Joe Biden is going to come to Georgia?

OSSOFF: Not sure yet, but certainly looking forward to his visit if he can he make time amidst the transition. And with so many families here in Georgia about to celebrate Thanksgiving without extended family and with this virage (ph) just spiraling out of control across the country with the economy and the state that it's in, I think that Georgia families across the political spectrum are rooting for our incoming president-elect for his success, would welcome his visit and to hear from him, his plans in the first 100 days to tackle this virus and get our economy moving again.

CAMEROTA: And what can he do for you specifically in Georgia?

OSSOFF: Well, this is about turnout in these two crucial runoffs for control of the United States Senate. This is about energizing people to get back out to the polls and making sure that the stakes are clear. And because these two Senate runoffs will determine control of the U.S. Senate, the incoming administration's capacity to govern, to enact legislation, for example, to fully fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here in Georgia so it can take the lead on the response to this pandemic where its public health experts have been sidelined and suppressed all year, to invest in economic recovery, to get another round of stimulus checks to families, to reauthorize the small business emergency lending program, it will be great to hear from the president-elect about the action, the swift action that he intends to take to help relieve so much of the pain that's out there right now and get this virus under control.

CAMEROTA: I want to ask you, speaking of the virus, about one of the Republican candidates, Senator Kelly Loeffler's COVID exposure. From what I understand, on Friday she took a COVID test and tested positive. On Saturday, she took another COVID test and it was inconclusive. On Sunday, yesterday, she took another COVID test and it was negative.

[08:40:01]

In the meantime, over the weekend, she was campaigning with your opponent, Senator David Purdue, as well as Vice President Pence. You see them, I think, all together on their campaign bus together. Obviously, maskless.

Do you know if she has COVID?

OSSOFF: I don't know her latest status. I certainly hope for good health for her and her family.

But let me make this very clear. This is a really important point. We need to set the tone here in Georgia. And I hope folks are paying attention. It is time for Senators Purdue and Loeffler to begin requiring masks at their campaign events. Reverend Warnock and I are holding outdoor events with urged social distancing and strong mask requirements. And as a matter of public health, Senators Purdue and Loeffler need to follow suit. They need to lead by example. They need to comply with CDC public health guidelines. I am calling on them to make the commitment today that they will require masks at their political events and that they will cease crowding people into these indoor spaces where there's this high risk of COVID being spread.

There are more than 1,000 Americans are dying per day from this disease. And for everybody out there, look, on the road, about to celebrate Thanksgiving holidays, please take precautions, y'all. We're really at a dangerous point in this thing. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Wear a mask. Pay particular attention to looking at people in your family who are older, who are immune compromised. There are a lot of people dying, a lot of lives on the line. Let's all look out for each other this Thanksgiving season, this holiday season.

CAMEROTA: I mean, look, if they've been willing to take the risk thus far and have indoor crowded events be on a bus there unmasked, do you have any indication that they would follow your suggestion to now demand masks at their events?

OSSOFF: Well, there needs to be accountability for these political campaigns that are flouting CDC public health guidelines. And again I'm urging, urging not just for their own sake, for the sake of the public, to slow the spread of this virus. Senators Purdue and Loeffler need to begin requiring masks at their events and complying with CDC guidelines. It's long past time they take the step. I hope this scare they've had in the last week is a wake-up call for them.

CAMEROTA: As you know, Senator -- your opponent, Senator David Purdue, is declining another debate with you before the election in January. Their rationale, his camp, says, we've already had two debates in this election. We're going to have to take our message about what's at stake if Democrats have total control of Congress directly to the people.

So what's your response to that, and how do you get your message out since, obviously, in this pandemic, you don't want to go door to door and now you won't be having a debate?

OSSOFF: Well, let me tell you why Senator Perdue doesn't want to debate. It just came out last week, after Senator Perdue already had been exposed buying shares in manufacturers of vaccines and medical equipment in the early days of this pandemic, before the public knew what was going on, that weeks before Senator Perdue took the chairmanship of the C Power Subcommittee (ph) of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he was loading up on stock in a specialized manufacturer of submarine components. His subcommittee then directed significant public resources to the procurement of those components. And he then sold off his stock while holding the chairmanship of this powerful Armed Services Subcommittee.

The thing that is so striking about this is that even President Trump is no longer defending Senator Perdue's financial misconduct. These allegations of insider trading mean that even Republicans like the president himself are keeping their distance and it's why Senator Perdue won't come out of his hiding place and debate me in public. He has no answer for these allegations. I don't even see Trump defending him. He refuses to debate. And as I've said repeatedly, he doesn't want to debate and answer questions in public. That's fine. He just shouldn't be running for re-election in the U.S. Senate, in the midst of a crisis like this, and with him facing allegations such as these, the public deserve an open debate.

CAMEROTA: As their campaign, as the Perdue campaign points out, that on November 3rd he did get 88,000 more votes than you, and so what are you going to do differently this time?

OSSOFF: Well, first of all, it was the closest Senate race in the country. And that doesn't worry me at all because all of the energy and enthusiasm and momentum is with us here in Georgia. And what we are doing is building a coalition of goodwill that is committed to health and justice, to ending this crisis, to empowering public health experts, to rushing immediate economic relief to families and small businesses.

We recognize that to do those things, and to enact a broader agenda in the public interest, to establish health care as a human right for all Americans, to raise the minimum wage to $15, to save our environment, to invest in infrastructure and clean energy, to pass campaign finance reform and end Citizens United, we have to win the two U.S. Senate races.

[08:45:07]

And so the momentum that we're building is massive. This is the most ambitious voter registration and turnout project in American history. And if I might, while I've got the chance to address folks, let me just say again that my heart goes out to everybody who is entering this Thanksgiving week with uncertainty and concern about the state of the country, this public health situation. Please know, everybody, we will get through this together. And let's just take stock with gratitude for everybody who has helped us get us through this year, the first responders, the doctors and nurses, those who have sacrificed to help us keep this economy moving, to keep the lights on, to keep us safe. Everybody, ordinary people have -- have chipped in and risen to the moment while politicians have failed us. We should look back at Americans and be proud of our resolve and our resilience and trust that better days are ahead. We'll get through this together.

CAMEROTA: Jon Ossoff, thank you. Thanks for making the time to be on NEW DAY.

OSSOFF: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, as the coronavirus pandemic worsens, so are the needs for millions of Americans. Food lines are growing longer by the day. I mean just look at your screen here. All of these videos and photos of people waiting for hours. So we're going to talk to two leaders of food banks in America about what they're seeing, next.

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[08:50:14]

CAMEROTA: Putting food on the table is a daily struggle for many Americans as the economic impact of the pandemic worsens. Food banks across America are being stretched to the limit, with some people waiting in line for hours. Just look at your screen right now. This is what's happening as people need food. And, of course, Thanksgiving is just days away. So there's much needed economic relief from the federal government, but it is stalled because Congress has gone home for the holiday.

Joining us now are Trinity Tran. She's the executive director and board member at Urban Partners Los Angeles and Trisha Cunningham, she's the president of the North Texas Food Bank.

It's so great to have both of you here and everything that you're doing for the people in your community is so important. And so, Trinity, just explain to us what you're seeing this year and this month and how it differs from past years?

TRINITY TRAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD MEMBER, URBAN PARTNER : This has been a truly record-breaking year for our food bank, which was founded over 25 years ago. And in the past two decades, things just do not seem to be getting better.

We are now seeing people wait in line at midnight for our doors to open at 7:00 a.m. So people are waiting for hours and hours with lines that -- that snake around the block. It's reminiscent of something that you would see out of the Great Depression era.

So, at the start of the pandemic, we had to scale up our operations in terms of both securing food and volunteers to be able to meet the demand for the thousands of low income and primarily immigrant families who depend on us. And this pandemic, what we're seeing is it's really hitting hardest for the poor and the working class in this community.

CAMEROTA: Trisha, how about you? What are you seeing that's different than ever before?

TRISHA, CUNNINGHAM, PRESIDENT, NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: It's significantly higher. You know, it's higher than we've ever seen it. Last month alone we provided access to 11.3 million meals and that was 40 percent higher than last year. And that's actually on pace to double what it was when I started with the food bank three years ago. And about 40 percent of those we serve have never needed food assistance before. It's really crazy. And you saw all the pictures of all the people in line and all the cars. We had that situation and we've seen it multiple times. About a week ago we had our largest one- day distribution ever. We served about 25,000 people in just a matter of hours. And as Trinity was talking about, they waited in line overnight even just to get access to food. Hunger certainly is not hidden anymore in our community.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh, no. I mean it's just there -- just stretching for as many miles as we can see with our own eyes.

And just to stick with you for one more second, Trisha, you say that -- so 40 percent have never needed food before. What do they say to all of these volunteers when they show up in line?

CUNNINGHAM: Well, many of them have volunteered with us before. They've been supporters before. You know, our community is very fragile. Most families can't withstand a crisis of more than $400. And when you're out of work and you're out of work for months, you can't make ends meet. We had a gentleman last week at our distribution that was on Cuomo last week and he talked about having to give up his home and having to move to Dallas and go to an apartment just so that he could try to make his dollars stretch a little further. And it was his first time to ever get food in that long line of cars.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, it's so heartbreaking.

And so, Trinity, when you hand out the groceries, how -- just explain how it works. How long do they last?

TRAN: We make a concerted effort to try to source enough food for a family to be -- of four to be able to eat for a week. So that means staple foods like meat, milk, eggs, fresh produce. We get a significant portion of our food from -- we were getting a significant portion of our food from USDA relief programs. But that has been scaled back pretty significantly in just the last month.

We also source from other organizations that rescue food from farmers and distributors. You know, and that just shows that we -- we -- to be able to address food insecurity, we need relief from federal assistance programs. That's going to be very -- very important to be able to prevent families from suffering. That, you know, we -- we're dealing with 40 million people across the country who are living below the poverty line, 38 million people who have SNAP benefits that should be extended so that they don't have to continue to suffer with food insecurity.

CAMEROTA: I mean that's such an important point that it's beyond people just volunteering. It's beyond local people, you know, opening their pocketbook. It's at the level where now we need help from the federal government.

[08:55:02]

And, of course, it doesn't look like that is happening this year.

Trinity, Trisha, thank you both very much for telling us what's happening on the ground and for all you do. Obviously, we will talk to you again as this all unfolds.

Thank you very much.

And CNN's coverage continues right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: A very good Monday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Poppy Harlow.

This morning, two key states that could finally put an end to the president's efforts to overturn this election, Michigan and Pennsylvania, are on the brink of certifying Joe Biden's win. The president's pressure-filled campaign being put to the test in a big way. And the big question, will two Republicans on Michigan's four- person canvassing board vote against certifying the results.

[09:00:03]

Here is the undisputable fact this morning --

SCIUTTO: Yes.