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COVID-19 Rages Out of Control as Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving; Supreme Court Sides with Religious Groups on New York Restrictions; President-elect Joe Biden & Jill Biden Pen Op-Ed with Thanksgiving Message; Trump Retweets GOP Congressman Urging Him to Pardon Himself. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired November 26, 2020 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: People are going to die because they are choosing to go home for Thanksgiving. And that's insane to me.
[05:59:13]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: For the second day in a row, the U.S. death toll has topped 2,000.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know we can and we will beat this virus. America is not going to lose this war.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: We're finally hearing a consistent message from our incoming leadership about what we need to do to stay safe.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Biden issuing a call for unity after a divisive election at a time when President Trump continues to cast doubt about the election and its results.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via phone): This election was rigged, and we can't let that happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how he could believe that unless he's completely and utterly delusional.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, November 26, 6 a.m. here in New York. Welcome to a special edition of NEW DAY.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. John Berman is off this morning. Erica Hill joins me. Great to have you here.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to be here. Happy Thanksgiving.
CAMEROTA: Happy Thanksgiving to you.
So this year, Thanksgiving looks different, of course. Millions of Americans will be giving thanks while grappling with the reality of a pandemic.
Nearly 90,000 Americans will spend this holiday in the hospital, sick with coronavirus. More than 262,000 Americans have died, which means so many families will have the pain of an empty seat at their table today. A staggering 2,297 deaths were reported just yesterday.
The CDC projects another 60,000 lives will be lost in the next three weeks.
On this Thanksgiving morning, it is also important to note, an estimated 50 million Americans do not have enough food to eat.
We also have some breaking news. The U.S. Supreme Court issuing a ruling that could have major implications on restrictions as the pandemic worsens, so we'll bring you all of those details in a moment.
HILL: President Trump is urging Americans to gather today, urging them to gather in homes and in houses of worship. His message not only a direct contradiction of the CDC's holiday guidance, but it is also a sharp contrast to President-elect Joe Biden, who's urging Americans to come together to fight the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I know the country has grown weary of the fight. But we need to remember, we're at war with a virus, not with one another. Not with each other. This is the moment where we need to steel our spines, redouble our efforts, and recommit ourselves to the fight. Let's remember, we're all in this together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The president-elect echoing that message in a new op-ed that just posted on CNN.com.
Meantime, President Trump continuing his call for the election to be overturned and is now signaling he may pardon himself after pardoning Michael Flynn.
Let's begin our coverage this morning with CNN's Rosa Flores, who is live at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with our top story.
Rosa, good morning.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, good morning.
You know, medical experts warned us about this, and now, here we are. COVID-19 cases in the United States on the rise, with more than 181,000 cases reported yesterday and hospitalizations nearing 90,000.
And the daily death toll continues to rise, with more than 2,200 cases [SIC] reported just yesterday. Deaths, excuse me. And now, medical experts are saying that this -- that this
Thanksgiving surge could only be followed by a Christmas surge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): Thanksgiving is a holiday typically spent together, but as the coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reach record levels across the United States, health experts are urging Americans to stay apart this year, to help prevent the spread of the disease.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We all know how difficult that is, because this is such a beautiful traditional holiday, but by making that sacrifice, you're going to be -- prevent people from getting infected.
FLORES: Millions taking to the skies, anyway, ignoring warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And those decisions are expected to spark a massive spike in new infections.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: People have to stop swapping air. It's just that simple. And if we don't, we're going to see many, many of our friends, colleagues and loved ones ending up in a hospital, and unfortunately, some of some of them not making it.
FLORES: Nearly 90,000 people are now hospitalized with the coronavirus. And on Wednesday, over 2,100 people died from the disease for the second day in a row, the highest since May. One health expert fearing the death toll will keep increasing.
REINER: I expect that the daily death rate will double in the next ten days. So we'll be seeing close to 4,000 deaths a day.
FLORES: With new coronavirus cases rising in at least 39 states this morning, a last-chance plea from some political leaders, asking residents to make smart decisions.
MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TEXAS: Unless they are family members who have been with you or are with you every single day, we're asking people not to congregate in large numbers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Strict adherence to these protocols will be more critical than ever in the coming days.
FLORES: But after emphasizing avoiding travel to Denver residents --
MAYOR MICHAEL B. HANCOCK (D), DENVER, COLORADO: I'm asking, I'm urging, I'm pleading with everyone, please stay home.
FLORES: -- Mayor Michael Hancock now asking for forgiveness for flying out of state to celebrate Thanksgiving with family members.
And for many, food insecurity is their reality this holiday season, with long lines at food banks stretched thin, helping those struggling from the economic fallout of the pandemic. KELLIE O'CONNELL, CEO, LAKEVIEW PANTRY: We're seeing thousands of
people, many of whom have never had to go to a food pantry before.
FLORES: In a year with so much loss, President-elect Joe Biden giving this message to the nation.
BIDEN: Every decision we make can save lives. None of these steps we're asking people to take are political statements. Every one of them is based on science.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[06:05:07]
FLORES: Now, process this with me for just a moment. Because the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeds 262,000 right now.
And now we're learning that the latest model from the University of Washington projects that that number could grow to 471,000.
Now, that is just one of the reasons why medical experts are asking people this Thanksgiving that they wear masks, that they social distance, and that they not gather in large groups.
Now, Erica, we know that a vaccine is coming. As a matter of fact, the hospital that you see behind me is one of the first hospitals around the country that's going to get that vaccine. But you and I know that a vaccine is not going to fix this overnight -- Erica.
HILL: And also so important to remember each one of those numbers is a person with loved ones mourning them. Rosa, thank you.
Turning now to our breaking news, the U.S. Supreme Court siding with religious groups in a dispute over coronavirus restrictions in New York, limiting attendance at religious services due to the pandemic. CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us now with the breaking details.
Polo, good morning.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Erica.
That decision coming in late last night. The Supreme Court, and it basically barred the state of New York from enforcing strict attendance limits at houses of worship due to COVID. As you recall, Governor Andrew Cuomo first imposed these restrictions in early October, and since then here in New York, the Catholic diocese of Brooklyn and also several synagogues have been launching a legal fight against the state of New York.
Important to point out here that there won't be any immediate impact as the churches and the synagogues that took this all the way to the Supreme Court, they're not currently actually subject to restrictions. That's because they were recently lifted due to what the state describes as an improvement in COVID stats in those parts of Queens and in Brooklyn. But as we very well know, things can change very quickly as the number
of COVID infections rise. And that is really what a lot of this case has been about.
The houses of worship here have argued that the restrictions violated their religious freedoms under the First Amendment. They also felt that they were unfairly facing stricter limitations than essential businesses.
Chief Justice Roberts was in the dissent and noted that the religious groups could have potentially returned to court if those restrictions would have been put back in place. And in his opinion, the chief justice writing, "It may well be that such restrictions violate the free exercise clause, but it is not necessary, however, for us to rule on that -- on that serious and difficult question at this time."
We should point out that this ruling also highlights the impact of newly-sworn Justice Amy Coney Barrett. He sided with her conservative colleagues in this dispute.
So that really is what -- what this means for at the local level here, Alisyn. It's going to be interesting to see exactly what this decision will mean for, potentially, other religious groups across the country that are trying to fill their pews, that are potentially launching legal fights against their cities and states, as well.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely. We'll find out some of that impact right now. Thank you very much, Polo.
So joining us is CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. He's a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
So Elie, what do you -- how do you see the significance of this decision?
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This is really big deal, Alisyn. Because it's the first time a court, certainly the Supreme Court, has come in and struck down regulations imposed, aiming to limit the spread of COVID by local authorities.
Essentially, what the Supreme Court says here is this is an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment right to free exercise. They say, you cannot treat churches and synagogues different from other comparable organizations.
But one of the big headlines here is the changing composition of the court has immediately yielded very different results. Just a few months ago, back in July, the Supreme Court had a very similar case that originated out of California and Nevada and ruled 5-4 upholding the restrictions.
Now, the big difference, of course, is Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed and been replaced by Amy Coney Barrett. She has flipped and, with her, has gone the entire decision of the court. Now they come out 5-4 the other way, and at least temporarily, say Governor Cuomo's executive order that limits religion -- the capacity of these religious organizations, that gets struck down. So that's a big difference.
CAMEROTA: And so what does this mean, as Polo ended his piece on, in terms of the ramifications across the country. Will we start seeing larger religious gatherings?
HONIG: Oh, you can bet that you'll start seeing more and more lawsuits, more and more challenges to local regulations.
One thing the Supreme Court does note is that every state, every municipality has its own restrictions, its own regulations. Each one needs to be taken on its own.
But, yes, I mean, look, plenty of lawmakers, of policy makers have issued -- have voiced objections to restrictive measures that say -- you know, that put limits on churches, synagogues, mosques, that kind of thing.
And what the Supreme Court is doing here is they're signaling, we're very much open to this. We may even be sympathetic to you to this matter. So I would look for more lawsuits along these lines.
[06:10:06]
One of the interesting things here is what is a religious institution comparable to? Justice Gorsuch said, Well, why is it any different than a bike shop or a liquor shop?
And I think the response to that is very different things happen in those places, right? I mean, people tend to be packed in more -- more closely, even with reinstructions on capacity, in religious services than in a bike shop or liquor shop. I mean, I don't know about you guys. I don't tend to sing in liquor stores or bike shops.
CAMEROTA: Well --
HONIG: So there are big differences, and the assent points those out.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, some people do see a bar as their religious communal experience. And so do you think this has ramifications for restaurants and bars? Can the owners of those businesses use this argument?
HONIG: That's going to be difficult, Alisyn, because the key factor here is the religious nature of these organizations. The Supreme Court really bases its ruling on the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. It's going to be harder for a bar or a restaurant or some -- some business like that to go in and say, Well, you ruled for the churches and synagogues. Now you need to rule for us.
But I will say this. An important thing the Supreme Court is signaling here is, we are willing to overrule local policymakers. There's a little bit of a role reversal here, because typically, conservatives say, Leave it to the policy makers. They know their towns; they know their cities. They have access to the scientific data.
And typically, liberals say, Well, we as a court are more likely to jump in and overrule it.
Both of those were flipped here. And so putting aside the religious piece of this, the signal the court is sending is, We are willing, we are able to come in, second-guess and maybe even overrule state and local restrictions on COVID measures.
CAMEROTA: That is really interesting, Elie. Thank you very much for explaining all of that -- all of it to us. And we should mention, we are waiting to get a response from the New York governor's office this morning.
HONIG: Thanks, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: OK, Elie, talk to you soon. Thank you.
HONIG: All right. See you later.
CAMEROTA: So the United States again reporting its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic in more than six months. Our next guest warns that in three weeks, the numbers will be apocalyptic, as if they're not already. So what can we do today to stop that from happening?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:16:26]
CAMEROTA: Developing this morning, the coronavirus death toll continues to grow. A staggering 2,297 American deaths reported overnight. Nearly 90,000 Americans will spend this holiday in the hospital, terribly sick with coronavirus.
And on this Thanksgiving day, health officials warn that family get- togethers will make the situation worse.
Joining us now is Dr. Peter Hotez. He's the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine at Houston. And co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.
Happy Thanksgiving, Dr. Hotez.
HOTEZ: Thank you. Good to see you.
CAMEROTA: You know, I always look for the silver lining. And I -- I think, sometimes, do engage in some magical thinking, as a result of that.
Is there any way that this next month doesn't turn into the apocalypse? Is it possible that, like, the virus burns itself out, that somehow so many people are sick, and it just kind of starts to dissipate?
HOTEZ: Doesn't look like it, Alisyn, unfortunately. We're just seeing this continued massive surge in the middle part of the country.
You know, we've been talking the last couple of weeks about the upper Midwest and the prairie states and then in the southwest, New Mexico, Texas. Now we're seeing this confluence of those areas. Everything in between. So Kansas, Oklahoma is awful. And now Indiana and Illinois and even into Pennsylvania.
So what we're seeing is the entire mid-section of the country, screaming high levels. And unfortunately, now, 2,000 deaths per day is going to be the new normal. We'll probably head to 3,000 deaths per day.
Sometimes, some of the new projections now indicate 400,000 to 500,000 Americans will lose their lives by the time we hit a week or so after the inauguration. That's 150,000 to 200,000 more than already -- than people who have already perished.
So you know, here's what we need to do right now. We have to really look at what's contributing to this massive rise in deaths. And clearly, it's surges on intensive care units and hospitals across the midsection of the country.
You know, without any guidance or leadership from the White House right now, and people still believing the disinformation from Scott -- Scott Atlas and the White House coronavirus task force, what I think we have to realize is that we have no real federal government in place to help right now.
And so every mayor, every county judge, every governor now has to wake up each morning and ask themselves, What can I do to stop surges on ICUs and hospitals in my jurisdiction? And that's our only hope, that local leadership takes ownership of this and really tries to limit those surges. Otherwise, we'll be at another 200,000 Americans will lose their lives a week or so after the inauguration.
I'm sorry to give such dire news. And the frustrating part, of course, is that vaccines are on their way. No one has to lose their life right now, and especially since we have vaccines on the other side.
HILL: I mean, look, we all need the dose of reality, right? You've been saying for months now, the lack of a national plan, the impact of that lack of a national plan.
We are seeing more traditionally red -- red state leaders speak out. I mean, I'm really heartened every time I hear Governor Jim Justice ask the folks in his state to wear masks. Here's his latest example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-WV): If you're inconvenienced, if you don't believe in it, please wear it. I mean, please wear it. What's the downside?
I don't want to be South Dakota.
[06:20:06]
And to say it doesn't work, are you kidding me? Of course it works. And look, we're not wanting to take anybody's rights. My good Lord, I get it wholeheartedly. We don't want to do that in any way. But you've got to help me. You've got to help me right now. Please, please help me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: I mean, Jim Justice has honestly been pleading now for months, you know, holding up a mask at his press conference saying, This is the only bullet we've got in the gun at this point.
But at this point, when we have so many people who have lost their lives, when you have these dire predictions, Dr. Hotez, I mean, what's left to get through to people?
HOTEZ: Yes, I mean, what we need to do is take that tape, have it memorized by every local leader in the middle part of the country, and keep saying it every day and hope that some people actually start to believe it. That's our only hope at this point.
We've got to limit those surges. And we need those local leaders to really step up. So this -- this is absolutely vital.
And you know, there's no reason why anybody has to lose their life between -- over the next couple of months. Every single death that we're hearing about is entirely preventable.
And -- and again, it's not in perpetuity. In the past when we've had this conversation, it's -- I didn't have much to offer other than to say, please do this. And then -- and then something good will come along.
Now we have a bracket on that right-hand side. We know that vaccines are coming. It's a matter of keeping your mother, your father, you know, your brother, your sister alive between now and then. And they'll live a normal life. And if we could just get those messages out, if we just had some national leadership to help us, that would make a difference, as well.
CAMEROTA: Dr. Peter Hotez, thank you very much. We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, and we're very thankful for you.
HOTEZ: Thank you. All the best to you and everything you guys have done.
CAMEROTA: Thank you.
President-elect Biden and the future first lady reaching out to the American people about our shared sacrifice on this Thanksgiving day. The highlights of their brand-new op-ed for CNN.com. We'll bring you those, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:26:29]
HILL: New this morning, President-elect Joe Biden and the future first lady penning an op-ed for CNN.com, with their Thanksgiving day message to the American people. Biden echoing his call to unite in the fight against coronavirus.
CNN's Arlette Saenz is live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with more for us this morning.
Arlette, good morning.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and happy Thanksgiving, Erica.
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, the future first lady, Jill Biden, wrote an op-ed for CNN where they kept the coronavirus front and center.
Biden and his wife, Jill, acknowledged the hardship and sacrifice that so many people are making on this Thanksgiving holiday. I want to read to you a little bit of what they had to say.
"Like millions of Americans, we are temporarily letting go of the traditions that we can't do safely. It is not a small sacrifice. These moments with our loved ones, time that's lost, can't be returned." They say, "Yet, we know it's the price of protecting each other and one we don't pay alone. Isolated in our own dining rooms and kitchens, scattered from coast-to-coast, we are healing together."
This really builds on the message that we heard from Biden yesterday, when he delivered his Thanksgiving address, talking about the loss that people are facing this holiday season and also making a call for unity, saying that there needs to be collective action taken to fight this pandemic.
Take a listen to a bit more of his Thanksgiving address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I know we can and we will beat this virus. America is not going to lose this war. We'll get our lives back. Life is going to return to normal, I promise you. This will happen. This will not last forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: And that message presenting a stark contrast with President Trump, who has not acknowledged the rise in coronavirus cases across the country and continues to cast doubt about the election.
Now, on this Thanksgiving holiday, Biden is here with his family in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He talked about how they are foregoing their traditionally large Biden family Thanksgiving. They traditionally travel up to Nantucket to celebrate.
But this year it will just be Biden, his wife Jill, his daughter, Ashley, and son-in-law, Howard, celebrating a much smaller Thanksgiving for the Biden family, just like so many Americans across the country -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Arlette, thank you very much for all of that reporting. So following Michael Flynn's pardon, President Trump hinting more
could be on the way, even for himself. The outgoing president retweeting this message from Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, urging President Trump to pardon himself.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live at the White House with more.
Why would we be surprised if this were to happen, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly something that we have heard discussed. We know that this is a possibility, that the president may be considering pardoning himself.
And now he seems to be signaling to the world that it is, indeed, a possibility in retweeting this tweet by Congressman Matt Gaetz.
But one thing for sure, is that the Michael Flynn pardon certainly will not be the last pardon of President Trump's presidency. In fact, it seems to signal the beginning of these end-of-presidency pardons that you see from some presidents.
But especially here, it seems to be intended to undo much of the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
But even as the president is engaging in these end-of-presidency pardons, he hasn't stopped attacking the integrity of the 2020 election, insisting that he still wants to overturn the results of that election so that he can stay in office, despite what millions of voters decided more than three weeks ago now.
