Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

German's Coronavirus Situation Remains "Very Tense"; Director Of European CDC Speaks To CNN; Jordan: The High Cost Of Its Initial Response To COVID-19; U.S. Investigates Biden's Son's Business Dealings In China; Trump Recognizes Moroccan Sovereignty Over Western Sahara; Trump Escalates Baseless Voter Fraud Fight. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired December 10, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the U.S. recorded its highest daily death toll from COVID-19, Pfizer could be given the go ahead for emergency use of its

vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 3,000 people died, and it is going to get worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ICUs in many places are filling and fast.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If the United States Food and Drug Administration say that a

vaccine is safe and effective, I will take that vaccine.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, the most frightening name I can think of is again because I have to say America suffering its deadliest day

from COVID-19 again and again and again and again and again.

America's Coronavirus pandemic a full-on calamity that will be remembered for generations to come now reaching a point where it is rewriting history

quite literally with each passing day. On Wednesday more than 3,100 people lost their lives to this pandemic.

It is the most in a single day since the start of the pandemic. It is hard to get this across. It is quite frankly numbing so let me put it into

historical perspective for you. It is the third deadliest single day event in American history topped only by an epic natural disaster and a civil war

battle.

Look closely at this chart, of the ten deadliest single day events of all time in the U.S., six of them are from COVID-19 and all of those occurring

just within the past eight days. It does seem almost unimaginable, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I can really imagine it. It is just so desperately unfair. I want to remind you of what I told you last hour and show you what happened

on those other fateful days. In 1900, an estimated 8,000 people died when a hurricane tore through Galveston, Texas.

In 1862, more than 3,600 soldiers died in the civil war battle of Antietam the bloodiest one-day battle on American soil. Well, a harsh reality today

of the current rate of COVID-19 deaths in America, it will only take four days to surpass the combined total of both.

Look, hope is on the horizon and this hour a Food and Drug Administration panel is considering an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer BioNTech

Coronavirus vaccine and if it gets a go ahead the government says around 20 million Americans could get the jab in the next few weeks.

Well, the panel looking at the vaccine has said the manufacturing process is adequate enough to get the authorization and even when if it does OK it

more testing though of course will continue. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci any meaningful impact will not be seen well into next year if, if enough

people are vaccinated. The experts agree we are not out of the woods yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER U.S. HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: There are some really significant light at the end of the tunnel but the short term,

meaning five, six, seven months is heightened vigilance. We have got to take what we have learned in the last eight months and really put it into

practice, so we don't continue to have this unthinkable death toll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was developed in Germany where the Head of the country's Infectious Disease Agency says that infection

rates are rising and that that is worrying. Also worrying hackers have targeted Europe's Medical Regulator specifically documents related to

Pfizer BioNTech's vaccine.

[11:05:00]

ANDERSON: We kick off the show with Fred Pleitgen from BioNTech's headquarters in Minsk in Germany. And Fred, just how confident is those

that you've spoken to at BioNTech that the U.S. authorization will come through today?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Becky. Well, they're obviously watching those panels very closely and they are

obviously very excited, very eager but also quite confident as well.

I was able to speak to the CEO of BioNTech a couple of days ago and Ugur Sahin told me he believes that the trial data that they have been getting

so for is so good that after these expert discussions take place that they could get that emergency use authorization fairly quirkily.

Also said some of the interactions over the past couple of weeks that they have been having with the Food and Drug Administration also indicate that

at least there aren't any major concerns so far about the efficacy and also of course about this safety of the vaccine as well.

In total the BioNTech CEO has been telling me over the past couple of weeks that developing this vaccine essentially went a lot smoother than BioNTech

ever would have imagined. Remember that at the beginning they were aiming for something around 50 percent efficacy of that vaccine.

They got around 95 percent that's a lot better data than they ever would have that they would get. And then also to have that vaccine be effective

according to their trial data so far across all age groups, that's also something that was very important to them, as well.

And if you look at the past couple of days it's been pretty big past couple of days for this company, for BioNTech. They got that emergency use

approval in the United Kingdom, yesterday in Canada in Bahrain of course today in Saudi Arabia as well.

So, so far they have been on a streak for them of course the approval from the FDA would be something that would be extremely important for them and

then would also set in motion what you were just talking about that very complicated, very massive logistical chain as well of getting those jabs of

that Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to Americans as fast as possible, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, and the speed of this is more remarkable considering that this vaccine was developed, of course, at a time when so little was known

about COVID-19. We continue to learn, and it is what you hear from ICU doctors and others in the medical field.

We are still learning about COVID-19 as we go. Thank you. The UK began rolling that vaccine out this week and has already vaccinated thousands so

let's take a look at how the rest of the European Continent is planning on getting those jabs in people's arms?

There is no one better to talk to than Dr. Andrea Ammon, the Director of European Center for Disease Control and Prevention joining me from

Stockholm. It's an absolute pleasure to have you on. Thank you for making us the time.

I want to get to the vaccines in a moment first though you are based in Sweden which famously opted not to lock down. ICU beds in Stockholm now at

99 percent capacity, the government wanting to introduce a temporary pandemic law that would give it powers to potentially force closures of

certain public spaces. Do you agree this is now necessary?

DR. ANDREA AMMON, DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN CENTER FOR DISEASE PREVENTION & CONTROL: Hello. Now in the EU - the member states are really responsible

for taking these measures, and so I will not comment on a single country's measures.

But the situation that we have in the EU is really so that we have now a decline over the last 15 days in most of the countries which still leaves

us at the very high level much higher than we started in summer from. So from our point of view although everything is now going in the right

direction there is no indication that we can relax measures.

ANDERSON: I do understand that you are speaking on behalf of the European CDC, but you are in Sweden. I just wonder, do you agree with Sweden's

original decision not to lockdown?

DR. AMMON: We do not comment on member states' measures because they are responsible, and they are also accountable for what measures they take and

what results they have.

ANDERSON: All right. I understand. Let's talk about the vaccines because this is so important. The UK, Canada already authorizing emergency use of

the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, speaking about the UK's authorization, EU lawmaker Peter Liese said and I quote him here, I consider this decision to

be problematic and recommend that EU member states do not repeat the process in the same way.

A few weeks of thorough examination by the European Medicines Agency is better than the hasty emergency marketing authorization of a vaccine. Was

the UK's decision hasty?

[11:10:00]

ANDERSON: Do you agree with him?

DR. AMMON: Again, I'm really sorry. The authorization of vaccination, of vaccines in the EU is really done by our colleagues in the medicines

agency. And they are right now at the - looking at two different vaccines, and before this authorization is there, of course EU countries again can

opt for emergency authorization.

ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's talk about that. When can we expect EU states to give emergency authorization? Are they going to work together on

this? Is there going to be emergency authorization at the same time or will this be sort of an individual drip feed of news for individual country

citizens?

DR. AMMON: My current state of - status of information is that countries are looking at our colleagues of the - from the medical agency to give

their opinion on these two vaccines and then the authorization, the conditional market authorization, will be issued by the European

Commission.

ANDERSON: All right. You are the Director of the European CDC. What can you tell us about what is going on in Europe? Give me the kind of bottom line

here as you see it.

DR. AMMON: Yes. The bottom line is that what we have been doing in the past weeks is working with the European countries on the phase when these

vaccines are authorized, conditionally or not.

So that the vaccine can actually be rolled out and countries are prepared so we have been working with the countries in looking and who - at

prioritization, at logistic issues and tackling the vaccine hesitancy and these kind of aspects in order to make sure that once the authorization is

there that the vaccine can be rolled out smoothly to those who need it most.

ANDERSON: OK. So let's talk about countries, let's talk about demographics, let's talk about countries and let's talk about vaccine hesitancy. Which

countries are you working with? Who is likely to roll out a vaccine first and to whom in their populations?

DR. AMMON: So we have published beginning of this month an overview, a first overview of where countries are with their plans so most of the

countries prioritize the elderly, health care workers and people with underlying conditions to get the vaccinations first.

ANDERSON: What about vaccine hesitancy? How concerned are you? What are you learning about those who simply may not want to take this vaccine? Because,

you know, if we don't vaccinate everybody this thing goes on, right?

DR. AMMON: The point is that we know from surveys that there are two aspects that are most concerning for those who have doubts and that is the

safety and that is the effectiveness. And so, we are working with our colleagues in the medicines agency to put systems in place that the safety

of the vaccines are monitored from the moment they are rolled out and we are responsible for looking into making sure that we monitor that these

vaccines have actually an affect.

ANDERSON: Where are you most concerned about vaccine hesitancy in Europe?

DR. AMMON: There are sort of different results from the countries. There is a certain amount of skepticism in all the countries so I think no country

can really now say, well, we have no issue here. These two issue aspects that I mentioned before, the safety and the effectiveness have to be

highlighted in the communication plans that countries are now developing.

[11:15:00]

ANDERSON: Are you as concerned about vaccine hesitancy as you are about the logistics of sort of manufacture and distribution across Europe?

DR. AMMON: I think all the aspects that I mentioned are, of course, important to make this vaccine programs a success. But in the end, it is

important that the people trust that these vaccines are safe and actually have an effect and protect them.

So that I think is an integral part of the work that needs to be done and the monitoring that needs to be done throughout the rollout of the

vaccines.

ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us the Director of the European CDC speaking to CNN. Well,

ahead on "Connect the World," Lebanon's Caretaker Prime Minister facing charges of negligence in the Beirut port explosion. Details from Ben

Wedeman who heard and felt that explosion rip through city.

Plus, President Trump likes the look of an audacious some might say far- fetched legal gamble at the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election. We'll be connecting with the Former Ohio Governor John Kasich just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: There are important new developments from Beirut this hour in the investigation of the August port explosion a Lebanese judge charging the

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former cabinet members with negligence.

Well, on August 4th, almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded killing more than 200 people and injuring 6,500 others all this coming in a country

already reeling from political and economic turmoil. Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman was there in our Beirut Bureau when this blast

rips through the city shaking the ground and shattered the windows.

He joins me now live and Ben look critics will say in a country clearly so desperate for justice, this looks like straw man stitch up to pause the

blame to someone rather than as might address the fundamental infrastructure of corruption in Lebanon, otherwise known some will say as

the state itself towards improving the country, your thoughts?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly this is something of a surprise to actually accuse the Prime Minister, the

Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab of negligence. He and three other former ministers is quite a surprising move.

[11:20:00]

WEDEMAN: Until now about 30 officials from the Beirut Port have been detained as part of this investigation by the Judge Fadi Sawan who was

appointed to conduct this investigation. What isn't clear is why he's focusing on the Caretaker Prime Minister who resigned shortly afterwards

and was only in that position for about seven months before the blast took place.

There were three prime ministers who were in office since that first ship arrived in the Beirut Port in 2013. We understand that there were ten

instances between 2013 and the blast on the 4th of August, eight minutes past 6:00 pm, ten times officials did raise the alarm about the danger

posed by these 2750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, including to the President Michel Aoun just a few weeks before the blast.

But it appears there was a lot of buck passing and no action taken to prevent this horrendous blast that killed at least 200 people and left

thousands injured and large parts of this city damaged. Becky?

ANDERSON: Ben, if it is unclear what evidence the judge has to level these charges, how is Hassan Diab himself responding to these allegations?

WEDEMAN: Well, his office has put out a statement saying that his conscience is clear, that his hands are clean and he also added or rather a

statement that we received from his office saying that the judge Fadi Sawan violated the constitution in leveling these accusations.

But not via rather bypassing parliament which appoints the prime minister, but we understand that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week the

Caretaker Prime Minister and these three former ministers will be questioned by the judge.

The question is are these four men being merely used as a scapegoat in this case because most Lebanese you speak to will tell you that the

responsibility goes very broadly to the failures of the Lebanese state writ large.

In fact, yesterday evening, Becky, we were at the Beirut Bar Association where lawyers there have been working day in and day out since the 4th of

August coming up with about 1,230 individual cases to be filed against those who eventually are found guilty for the negligence that led to the

4th August Beirut Port blast. Becky?

ANDERSON: Remarkable. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut for us, thanks. Well, as we have been saying the ramifications of that blast come against the backdrop

of COVID-19 and the impact is of course is being felt alarmingly in other Arab nations.

To Jordan seeing a staggering rise in new cases even reporting a jump of more than 3,000 in a single day bear in mind the population only estimated

to be around 10 million. There had been a feeling in Jordan that perhaps it had turned a corner on COVID-19 after the first wave.

These lockdown sirens almost announcing a sense of control over the virus but were they just drowning out bigger underlining issues, well, Jomana

Karadsheh has more on what went wrong and what it means now?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Air raid sirens that assured in curfews, the military deployed to the streets and an emergency law giving

the government sweeping powers, it was one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and it seemed to pay off.

Jordan emerged from the first wave of the Coronavirus almost unscathed as its neighbors struggled to deal with devastating outbreaks. But there was

no escaping COVID-19. Jordan has been hit hard by a second wave.

Daily cases and deaths reaching unprecedented levels turning the country of some 10 million into the highest infection and death rates per capita in

the Arab World. The government mostly blamed the reemergence of the virus on its land borders which remained open to commercial traffic.

But some in the Kingdom say it was premature declarations of victory over the virus that led people and the authorities to let their guard down too

soon.

[11:25:00]

The virus is no longer transmitted from one Jordanian that then Health Minister said in June. We can say it shriveled up and died. With thousands

of new cases reported every day, the government is now rushing to increase hospital capacity also setting up military field hospitals ready to deal

with an overflow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAIL HAYAJNEH, SECRETARY GENERAL, HEALTH MINISTRY: The health sector is holding on as we increase the number of beds. God willing things will not

get worse, but we are preparing for the worst.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The government has so far ruled out an extended lockdown. It is not something the fragile economy can afford. Almost

everywhere you look there are businesses hurting.

HASSAN ABU SHAQRA, RESTAURANT OWNER: I have six facilities completely shut down and I have put them up for sale because of COVID and government

decisions. COVID has paralyzed us. We are worried what coming after this. It is like we are in the ICU and we could lose life sun port any minute

now.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The cash-strapped government has promised aid packages to some of the impacted sectors, but many small business owners

say they've been left to shoulder the burden all alone since March Mona Bitar been running a business from the living room.

MONA BITAR, GYM OWNER, LIFT JO: We made that decision early on to just stop the financial bleeding and migrate and move ourselves into an online

platform so that we can salvage some of our business and continue working so that we can pay off like bank loans that we have running. One comforting

factor is that this is happening globally. It is not just in Jordan.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): But it hasn't been easy. With fewer online clients, Bitar says the business has taken a huge financial hit.

BITAR: I imagine there's going to be more and more businesses closing their doors in 2021. There might be a light at the end of the tunnel with a

vaccine, but I don't know how much of that light small business owners can truly see right now?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And the story in Jordan. Still ahead, the political plot thickening in the post-election drama in the United States. Now it involves

President-Elect Joe Biden's son and his business dealings with China.

And a social network accused of being anything but when it comes to competition. The start of what could be a truly epic legal battle for

Facebook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, some breaking news for you, President Donald Trump tweeting that Israel and Morocco just agreeing to normalize ties.

[11:30:00]

ANDERSON: Mr. Trump calling it a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East and North Africa this makes Morocco the fourth Arab country in

less than two months to normalize relations with Israel under his administration.

Well at the same time the president also announcing he signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan Sovereignty over the Western Sahara where

it's in conflict with a breakaway group. We have been reporting on that story in the past couple of weeks.

We'll get you more as we get it. I'll add - there by the way and North Africa. Well, we want to take you back to the U.S. where President-Elect

Joe Biden is not only preparing to take on year two of the Coronavirus pandemic in the background, he is dealing with the knowledge that his son

is under investigation.

Hunter Biden says he is being informed by the U.S. Attorneys' office that his taxes are under scrutiny by federal investigators, they've been looking

at multiple aspects of his finances. Sources say Biden's business dealings in China are a major part of the probe and so far, there's been no

suggestion that the president-elect himself did anything wrong.

This is certain to provide political ammunition to his opponents. Evan Perez broke that story for us and he joins us now from Washington. What do

we know about this investigation so far?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky we know that it goes back all the way to 2018 at least. We know that IRS criminal

investigators as well as the FBI have been scrutinizing Hunter Biden's business dealings principally overseas and in particular those business

dealings in China.

There was a period after Vice President Biden left office where Hunter Biden was trying to get started on a deal with a company called CEFC China

Energy and a businessman by the name of - it appears that that is the focus of this investigation.

In particular, this very curious episode where Hunter Biden by his own account says that he went to a meeting in Miami with the man and other

associates and at the end of that meeting he goes back to his hotel room and receives a 2.8 carat diamond as a gift from him.

The providence of that and where what happened to it is still a bit of a mystery? Hunter Biden says he doesn't know what happened to it. We know

that the IRS investigators are particularly interested in whether or not that violated any kind of gift rules as well as whether any of Hunter

Biden's income was properly reported for a number of years?

So, what the implication here is that Hunter Biden's possibly violated tax and money laundering laws according to the sources we have talked to. As

you mentioned Becky this is obviously a very - it is going to be a thorny problem for the incoming president upon taking office. He has got to have

an investigation looming over his son. He has promised that he won't interfere with anything that happens here at the Justice Department. We'll

see what happens.

ANDERSON: Even Perez is on the story more as we get it. Well, Facebook is in the biggest legal battle of its existence after dozens of U.S. states

and the Federal Trade Commission announce that they are suing the social network.

Now the company's accused of using its dominance to harm consumer choice in its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC wants it broken up,

Facebook vowing to fight back accusing the government of having no regard for its customers.

Well, this internal memo from the CEO read and I quote, our acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp have dramatically improved their services and helped

them reach many more people. We compete hard and we compete fairly.

Well, rocket test in the U.S. ended up in a fireball but it is still considered a success. On Wednesday SpaceX conducted a test flight of its

unmanned experimental rocket starship, the idea is that it would someday hold satellites to space and fly humans to mars.

Well, the rocket came down as planned until it crashed while trying to land. Starship still reached a higher altitude than during previous tests

and Elon Musk who started the company predicted in advance the rocket had 1 in 3 chances of landing back safely. We will be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. Through this week we have been bringing you snapshots of life in the extraordinary world of the Arctic. These films all

part of CNN's commitment to our planet and our ongoing "Call to Earth" series, looking for the best ways to protect our world yours and mine.

Now I want to take you back there for our final report this week with Glaciologist and Rolex Awards Laureate Joseph Cook and how he studies how

microscopic life forms are melting Greenland's ice sheets raising global sea levels. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON COOK, GLACIOLOGIST: The ice itself is just kind of a blank canvas where people have previously thought that it was lifeless and fairly static

but when you look under a microscope the green - in particularly in other grasses too revealed themselves to be a frozen rainforest of bio diversity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Glaciologist Joseph Cook studies microscopic life forms that thrive in some of the coldest places on earth.

His pioneer in research shows him these tiny organisms are contributing to sea level rise.

COOK: When these microbes grow on the surface of glasses and ice sheets, they change the color. If you go out on a hot day wearing a black T-shirt

you get warmer than if you go out on a hot day wearing a white T-shirt the same thing happens on the ice. These - let the black T-shirt for their

glaciers causing to warm up in the sun and melt faster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Another threat to the ice these melt holes are formed by a substance called Cryoconite a combination of microbes

and dust particles that speed up the melting process.

COOK: These - not a new phenomenon. With climate change there's a larger area for these to cover because snow retreats further and faster each

summer so a larger area of the ice can be darkened and that means more ice is melted and contributing to sea level rise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Thousands of miles away on the South Coast of England, Cook's hometown is at risk of sea level rise.

COOK: On a nice sunny day the Arctic seems just so distant and so separated. But we're here connected to the poles by the ocean. When those

giant ice sheets and the glasses in the Arctic and Antarctic melt, they contribute water to sea level rise, and we experience that here.

Projecting out in the future for places like this we foresee higher sea levels, which means more rapid erosion of cliff lines which puts the land

above the cliff lines at risk. It's a global problem and it doesn't just affect people on the coasts because firstly the base level is higher and

that pushes water back up all of our waterways so people on river flood plains are also at risk.

[11:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Cook says new technology like drones and satellites combined with cloud computing have revolutionized his research

allowing him to track the growth of algae on a continental scale and predict how it will shape our oceans for years to come?

COOK: We've now established that these algae are darkening the ice and causing it to melt faster so we need to be able to develop robust methods

for mapping these algae and their impact. So, we can say over the next ten years or over the next 100 years this is how much the ice sheet is going to

melt.

I think the situation is becoming urgent. Certainly, we are seeing an accelerated rate of ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctic. If we want to

make good decisions about how to manage our land and our economy into the future, we have to have good projections of sea level rise.

Being on the surface of green ice sheet you are aware of both its enormity but also its vulnerability to our actions and so you realize their

important and your actions matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, climatologists are warning of a ticking time bomb for our planet. Billions of tons of carbon locked away in eco systems that are

being destroyed. If we protect them, they can help tackle climate change. If we lose them the impact on this planet, our planet could be devastating.

We have all kinds of information and resources at cnn.com/climate and will continue to showcase inspirational stories like that one you just saw as

part of our initiative and I have said this before, and I will say it again. Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with #calltoearth.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, let me get you more on this breaking news this hour. President Donald Trump tweeting that Israel and Morocco have just agreed to

normalize ties. Oren Lieberman with us from Jerusalem, Oren, what do we know about this point?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know all that much: there's not yet been an Israeli response which is a little bit surprising

because normally when President Donald Trump makes these sort of announcements there's quite a bit of coordination between the White House

and those involved in it for example in the past Israel and UAE, Israel and Bahrain, Israel and Sudan.

This time we have been waiting ever since that tweet from President Donald Trump and haven't yet seen a response. I suspect one is coming and probably

quite soon and will certainly keep you updated when we have it. I have my phone here and I am checking for it, but it hasn't come yet.

Is the announcement that much of a surprise? Certainly, some part of this is a surprise because of how late it is and how little time left Trump has

in the White House? But we've known for quite some time of course that Israel and Morocco have had under the table relations and sometimes those

relations aren't all that under the table.

And the White House had this prize for the Moroccans recognizing Moroccan sovereignty and occupied Western Sahara that it seems was a gift that was

too good to pass up for Moroccans and the Moroccan King and that in the end it look like outweighed the need, the need for the Moroccan royalty and

Morocco's leaders to stand by the Palestinian cause.

The White House offered them a gift, that is American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in occupied Western Sahara, and they took it here. It

is worth noting again in speaking about Israel and Moroccan relations, Israelis can travel to Morocco on an Israeli passport.

[11:45:00]

LIEBERMANN: There aren't direct flights if I'm not mistaken so they have to fly through somewhere else but Israelis on an Israeli passport can go to

Morocco. So the relations there at least on the personal level aren't bad maybe they're not great but they're not bad and the relationship between

the leaders has certainly existed, as well.

Morocco is viewed as a state that would need some progress on the Palestinian cause to fully normalize relations but it seems that the gift

of the White House gift of recognizing Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara was simply too much to pass up for the Moroccans and they took

advantage of it at this point still waiting on an Israeli response as I check my phone once again.

ANDERSON: Yes. The gift that just keeps giving it seems to Benjamin Netanyahu though he hasn't landed the biggest prize at this point and that

would of course be Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. Are we any closer to that happening at in point?

LIEBERMANN: That's an excellent question. I think analysts here don't think it will happen under a Trump Administration. At this point the Saudis are

in the position to make that normalization move first and seeing how the Biden Administration handles the conflict itself.

But also apart from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict it will gain the Saudis and the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman essentially political

points in Washington if they wait to do that under the Biden Administration and decide to play that a little more slowly and a little more looking

towards the next four years instead of the last four years.

Now it's been clear over the past few weeks and past few months with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visits here, with Jared Kushner's visits

here that the Americans and the White House are still pushing the Saudis.

You are absolutely right in saying that would be a massive, massive accomplishment that would sort of be the biggest prize in the region. At

this point though it doesn't look like it's happening, but I think there's little doubt that the Trump Administration is still pushing.

ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem. Well, that's a look at the American President's influence as it were abroad, but I want to take you

back to his country now. It's my job to be down the middle, right? That's what I do, it is my job to give you the facts and you do with them what you

will.

That's what we do here but this image is horrendous. It is stomach churning to see so much loss of life. It is right that America's incredible

scientific genius has given us a vaccine far faster than we might otherwise have had it and it is right that it did so under the leadership of Donald

Trump.

"Operation Warp Speed" is fair and square a success story of his administration. But it is also right that the death toll there while Donald

Trump does nothing but spout electoral nonsense is the same as Nero effectively fiddling while Rome burns. It is an absolute disgrace.

A dereliction of duty that most times we hear from the president he is still going on about baseless claims of voter fraud in an election. And it

continues, soon he is expected to host the Attorney General from Texas and other states who are joining with him to try to overthrow the results of

that vote at the Supreme Court the destination of that, exactly nowhere.

Former Ohio Governor and CNN Senior Commentator John Kasich says the Republicans who are allowing this behavior from the current president are

bankrupt and he joins me now. I have just been while we were in the advertising break just discussing with one of my colleagues in the states

that's in my ear discussing with me.

She has got Fox on as we put this show out just to see what the competition is up to as it were. It's all about Hunter Biden, it's all about these

election fraud and inverted comments, nothing about the story of the day which is the dereliction of duty in the effort to try and do something to

damp down these horrendous COVID-19 numbers.

The third deadliest day in America's history yesterday, I mean, I have just described how you describe some of your former colleagues in the Republican

Party. Just give us a sense of how you are feeling right now, John?

JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR COMMENTATOR: Well, Becky, I have calmed down since last night and I just kind of looking at this thing. I guess sideways. It

is hard for me to understand. There is no case here.

The Attorney General of the United States said there was no fraud. They are - they have got a flimsy excuse of a case, but you know Becky the

interesting thing in our country is that you have an ability to address your grievances in a court system. And of course, the highest court of the

land is the Supreme Court. I don't believe they'll hear this.

[11:50:00]

KASICH: I can't predict what the court will do but I would be stunned if they were to move forward to somehow hear this case. But that's the

American system and I just can't believe that these, these attorneys generals would sign on to something that really has no validity.

I was talking to one of the guys that represented me who was my legal counsel and said, what if somebody had asked you for me to sign - a brief

on something like this? He said, I would never have never asked you because it's patently absurd so what I would say is it's the system we have the

court is important.

It is an institution that still has great credibility and what they're trying to do isn't going to get anywhere but it's pretty shocking, Becky,

that they're pursuing this. And not having a higher priority than this. I don't think this is going anywhere, though.

ANDERSON: What is going on in the Republican Party in the United States of America at present? As Donald Trump raises money that he can quite frankly

as I understand it spend on himself but suggests he will spend this money in fighting these cases, but effectively could go off and spend it himself

once he leaves the White House, why is it that people are still supporting what he does?

KASICH: Well, I mean, I think that these people that have signed on, first of all, let's try to separate the leaders the elected leaders of the party

from the party faithful. You by the way have seen a number of Republicans who have left the party.

I remain a Republican, but I have to tell you that the party has left me. I didn't leave the party. I mean, I used to believe and still do believe in

free trade and fair trade but free trade. I believe in controlling the debt which they don't seem to pay much intention to.

I'm concerned about the environment. I'm concerned about immigration. They should have ideas on all of that plus health care, but they don't have any.

And it is all a cultural play right now against things like defund the police or whatever.

So, the leaders of the party are - what they're doing is trying to appeal I think to the Trump base and to be in a position, you know, somebody said

what does it mean to be an AG? Well, almost Governor. They may have political aspirations to try to become Governor and they figure that being

aligned with Trump now is the best political thing for them to do.

My only problem with it Becky is you know when you're in you're in and when you're out you look back on what you did when you were in and if all you

were either a Democrat or a Republican your number one concern was loyalty to your party.

What a pathetic look-back you will have. What would your resume be? Well, I was a great Republican or a great Democrat. Who gives that who? You know,

life goes on. I just don't know how - what they're thinking? I don't know how they could have wrapped themselves in this, Becky? But it's kind of

where we are, and this will pass, and Biden will be president and we'll move on.

ANDERSON: The Electoral College will meet and vote on Monday to officially elect Joe Biden as President. Do you think that that is likely in any way

to change Donald Trump's behavior and do you expect that to put a stop to Republicans trying to overturn these election results?

KASICH: I doubt it. I doubt it. I doubt anything is going to change quickly. What we have to keep is an eye on is us you and us. We stop

talking about him I'd rather stop talking about him and start talking about what we are going to have with Joe Biden?

But the more we talk about him the more attention he gets and the more power he has to get more attention and it is like, you know, chasing your

tail here. So, I think over time when he is going to be down in Florida at his place, is the media going to be camped out in great numbers outside of

his place?

Probably not but possibly because too much of the media today is about - and social media is about eyeballs. And I think you, person of integrity,

me I call them the way I see him down the middle as much as I can.

I think we have to move on, and I think we have to change the subject because there's not much subject to talk about here, sort of like this

ridiculous suit that they're trying to put forward.

ANDERSON: Well, let's move on. I want to just put something to you which is important for the region that we are broadcasting from that being the

Middle East and Gulf Region news in the last few minutes, Donald Trump announcing that Israel and Morocco are normalizing ties.

The normalization of relations with Israel by number of Arab states mostly Arab states has been to many people's minds one of the victories as it were

for Donald Trump, particularly in his foreign policy.

[11:55:00]

ANDERSON: Your prediction of what happens next? And under a Joe Biden Administration, just your sense, John, of what we should expect in this

region, particularly for the major sort of movers as it were in this region and you can call that as you will but talk about Tehran and Riyadh, for

example?

KASICH: I tend to think that the Biden Administration will be tougher on Saudi Arabia than the Trump Administration has been. We got do see where

that takes us? But you know as I mentioned to you the other day when we were on together that Saudi Arabia wants a break in the hostilities that

they currently have vis-a-vis Iran.

And Iran of course wants a break vis-a-vis because they got to get their economies together. They're really doing poorly so that's an interesting

dynamic. At the same time, we ought to applaud the fact that a number of these countries are creating the formal relationships with Israel but at

the end they are going to have to figure out what a two-state solution represents?

That's where I think we're going to end up. But it is interesting to watch many of the Arab countries kind of go their own way making the Palestinian

issue further down on the list of priorities. We have just got to see how this continues. But to give the Trump people credit for moving the ball on

this in terms of these improved relations.

ANDERSON: Yes, you do call it down the middle, John and that is why it's important to have you on. We really, really do appreciate your time as

always.

KASICH: Thank you Becky. It's always great to be with you. Thank you.

ANDERSON: Thank you. Thank you, appreciate it. Well, look after yourselves wherever you are watching in the world do stay well. It is a very good

night from Abu Dhabi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END