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Economic Relief Top Priority for Biden; U.K. Approves Pfizer Vaccine; Michigan Couple Dies of Coronavirus. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 02, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:33:29]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In a new interview with columnist Thomas Friedman of "The New York Times," President-elect Biden says his top priority will be getting a generous stimulus through Congress. He echoed that message as he unveiled his economic team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT FOR THE UNITED STATES: The full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief to address these urgent needs. My transition team is already working on what I'll put forward in the next Congress to address the multiple crises we're facing. Our message to everybody struggling right now is this, help is on the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CNN's Jessica Dean live in Wilmington, Delaware.

Jessica, I have to say that the best line of the Thomas Friedman interview was when President-elect Biden joked he'd have to get William Barr, the attorney general, into witness protection since Barr made a joke -- or since Barr decided there was no widespread fraud in the election.

But be that as it may, the president-elect and the transition team clearly focused on economic relief.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he started off with a little joke there and then it quickly turned serious. They know they've got a lot of work ahead. And they've made it very clear, Biden has made it implicitly clear, that his top priority is getting a significant stimulus package through Congress.

And, of course, that relies very heavily on Congress and what they're willing to do. He acknowledged in this interview with "The New York Times" that how much he's going to be able to do is going to be reliant on both how congressional Republicans act while he's in office, and also how Mitch McConnell acts if the Republicans maintain control of the Senate. He talked a little bit about his long-standing relationship with Mitch McConnell.

[06:35:01]

Of course, they go back years a years of the time that they've spent in the Senate together. And he said they know each other, they know how to make a deal, and he said that, look, there have to be trade- offs. He said that compromise isn't about walking away from principles, but there have to be trade-offs.

So he certainly is ready, it sounds like, to make deals, to move forward, wants to get this stimulus package pushed through more than anything else. He acknowledged how many people are hurting all across the country.

It was also interesting to hear him talk about what it was like to win an election amid a pandemic, amid President Trump spreading conspiracy theories and lies. Let me read you what he said about that.

He said, I feel like I've done something good for the country by making sure Donald Trump is not going to be president for four more years. But there's been no moment of elation.

A really revealing quote there from President-elect Biden, who's going to assume office in January amid a number of crises, the pandemic, the economy but also unprecedented behavior from a sitting president.

John.

BERMAN: No doubt.

All right, Jessica Dean live from Wilmington, thank you very much.

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will join Jake Tapper for their first joint interview since their election victory. This will be fascinating. It's a CNN special event tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. only on CNN.

All right, we're waking up to breaking news this morning as well. The United Kingdom became the first country in the world to grant emergency approval for Pfizer's vaccine. What does this mean for us in the United States? We have a live report, next.

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[06:40:31]

BERMAN: Breaking news.

Just a short time ago, we learned the United Kingdom gave emergency use approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.

CNN's Max Foster live in London.

Max, obviously, this is a major development, one that will allow people to start getting these shots next week. MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so the dawn is

appearing on the horizon as the health secretary spoke this morning. We're expected to hear from the prime minister next. There's his car. He's about to set off, go to parliament to address parliament in a weekly address. But, obviously, this is very much top of the agenda. The U.K., the government claiming to be the first country to have an authorized vaccine effectively, one that's gone through all the clinical trials. And because the independent regulator in the U.K. has said it's both effective and safe, the government has said they're going to start the rollout next week.

So 800,000 doses of this vaccine coming from Pfizer's factory over in Belgium. A big test there, John, because the transport is very sensitive. This vaccine has to travel at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit in these special boxes full of dry ice. Will it work? Won't it work? The whole country, the whole world will be watching to see if that's effective. And then once it gets into the hospitals here in the U.K., there's a list of prioritization that was published this morning. So people in care homes, workers, and residents are top of that list. Some question about whether they'll be able to get to the hospitals and get this vaccination. But after them, anyone over the age of 80, and health and care workers.

So a huge logistical exercise about to unfold here in the U.K., John.

BERMAN: We are watching, needless to say, Max, very closely what's happening over there. The United States probably about a week, eight days away from being exactly where you are. Terrific news. Keep us posted on the developments.

Obviously, coronavirus has affected so many lives. So much suffering over the last year, including a Michigan couple who died of coronavirus within seconds of each other after being married for nearly 50 years. We'll speak with one of their daughters, next.

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[06:46:44]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: More than 270,000 Americans have now lost their lives to coronavirus. That unfathomable loss includes Patricia and Leslie McWaters, a Michigan couple who were married for nearly 50 years. They died within just seconds of each other last Tuesday. And one of their daughters, Joanna Sisk, is with us now.

Joanna, appreciate you taking the time to join us. I'm so sorry for your loss. And so difficult to lose both your parents really in the same minute. But you were there, as I understand it. You were holding your mom's hand. Is that right?

JOANNA SISK, LOST PARENTS TO CORONAVIRUS: I was -- yes, I was holding my mom's hand, talking to her and -- and she -- she had been breathing kind of rapidly previous to that and they were giving her something to kind of calm her a little bit. And so when I was holding her hand, she -- her -- you know, she definitely slowed with her breathing and then they came into the room and told me that I needed to go for my dad. So I didn't expect that at all. I wasn't prepared for -- for him. I was there specifically because they didn't think my mom would make it that day. So it was really -- I was completely shocked to be heading in that direction.

And so then when I was there, apparently my mom must have showed up and, you know, they just passed at the same time. And it was devastating and really difficult to handle. I was thankful that my husband just wanted to be there for me, so he was in the waiting room, so they pulled him in and -- and, I don't know, just kind of held me up, I think really more than anything.

HILL: It sounds like your parents were just, I mean, a really remarkable couple. They did everything together, from what I understand, for the last 50 years. But one of the things that really struck me as I was reading comments you'd made about them is just their kindness and their zest for life and how they loved to dance.

SISK: Yes.

You know, and it's all those things that just paint this beautiful picture of a couple that was so dedicated to their family and also to those around them. Tell us a little bit more. I mean your mom was a retired nurse. I understand she also had a black belt in Taekwondo.

SISK: Yes, she did! I don't know. She could break boards. I mean she was -- she was quite a bad, you know.

HILL: You don't mess with -- she was the boss, too, I understand.

SISK: She was. But she was also really, you know, really very kind. And, you know, I've had so many people calling me or, you know, writing me and telling me that, you know, I -- I saw your parents at, you know, the restaurant the other day, Steak's Eatery, it was, you know, a big place for them to go and, oh, she just -- I mean they would always just engage in conversation. Hug -- always hugs for everybody.

[06:50:01]

They genuinely cared about how they were doing and what was happening with them. And it wasn't just a, you know, a casual question, hey, how you doing, it was, tell me about yourself.

HILL: Yes, they genuinely cared.

When times were tough, when you were younger at Christmas, I know your dad went out of his way to make sure that you had presents under the tree, but he also wanted to make sure that you could participate in the giving, too. Can you tell us a little more about that, especially this time of year? It's a beautiful story.

SISK: Yes. So, um, he -- we -- we didn't -- in the tough times he took all of his jewelry, his high school class ring and everything, and sold it so we could have the presents. But he always slipped me a $100, or, you know, so -- just so I could -- I could feel like I was participating. And I was -- I was young and I used to be able to pick presents from, you know, one of the local stores' catalog. And he would take me in and, you know, so I could go and buy them and help me to wrap them, put them under the tree for, you know, my sister and my mom. And it was just really cool to learn from such a young age what it was -- you know, what the concept was to give instead of just be so like, you know, so excited for Santa to visit me.

HILL: Yes. I know this happened pretty quickly, as I understand it, for your parents. You wanted to make sure, though, that in the obituary it was clear that they had died of COVID-19. You wanted that message out. Why?

SISK: Absolutely wanted that message out because there are literally, you know -- people are really confused about it, I think, because there's so many mixed -- mixed situations, mixed stories, mixed signals about it. And -- and I -- and I understand people's confusion. But the bottom line is, my parents went very quickly. I mean there was not a lot of time from when they, you know, from when they got it to when they passed. And they just -- people -- it's such a simple thing to mask. It's just that easy. And it can save so many people's lives. And no one needs to ever feel this pain that our entire family, you know, is going through. And it's just -- I just really hope that if people do gather at Christmas, which, you know, we're supposed to limit, that type of a thing, and I -- I support family being together 100 percent, but mask, keep your distance. Figure out a situation that lets you put, you know, put yourselves a little bit farther apart. It is possible. I mean it is. We -- you know, had to have a family, you know, gathering for our daughter's birthday. And we -- we had it in a pole barn. I mean she was so smart. You know, and we had just as much fun being together still, but all spread out. We had -- we played cornhole in the pole barn and it was really fun.

HILL: Joanna, thank you so much for taking some time to join us today, for sharing the memories of your parents. I hope that they will bring you comfort in the days ahead. I know it's a tough time of year, especially. They seem like a really remarkable couple. Thank you.

SISK: Thank you.

HILL: We'll be right back.

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[06:58:14]

BERMAN: Light snow in the northeastern United States today after a warm -- after a winter storm, I should say, brought heavy snow to the Great Lakes overnight.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers now with the forecast.

Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John, it really came down. I know it's the snow belt and it's winter time, or at least getting close, meteorological winter, but 24 inches in Thompson Township there. Lyndhurst, that's just a suburb of Cleveland, 22 inches of snow right there over the past couple of days.

This weather is brought to you by iRobot. Wherever the holidays happen, ask for Braava. Get more at irobot.com.

So here it is. Here's the snow right now here from western New York all the way down into Pennsylvania. By later on today, this completely goes away, but you'll get your shot of snow, Vermont and New Hampshire, especially some of these ski resorts up there may get some snow. Lower elevations, maybe just kind of a rain/snow mix.

The next storm system, though, developing here in the Plains. We'll see some rain and snow. Rain heavy in Houston again for today. Don't really need more rain down there and the snow in western Oklahoma and also in the Texas panhandle. Not a lot of snow. I mean we're talking about four to five inches here out in western Oklahoma. Not Oklahoma City proper or Tulsa.

And for the Northeast, I know it has been cold, Erica, but temperatures are pretty close to normal. New York should be 48. Tomorrow, 51. That's pretty good.

HILL: I think I can work with that. I can work with that, Chad. Thank you.

MYERS: All right.

HILL: Trending this morning, Elliot Page sharing with fans that they are transgender. The 33-year-old actor who was nominated for an Oscar for the movie "Juno" sharing the news on social media and expressing his overwhelming gratitude to the people who have supported him, adding, quote, I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I can't begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.

Page is currently starring in the Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy."

[07:00:02]

And I will say, the overwhelming support that you saw on social media for Elliot Page for those statements, who also.