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Congress May be Close to $900 Billion Stimulus Deal; Interview with Loretto Hospital President and CEO George Miller; Trump Administration Has Turned Attention to Pardons. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 16, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It's the top of the hour, I am Brianna Keilar.

And right now, the country is anticipating two crucial forms of relief from the coronavirus pandemic: vaccines and a stimulus deal. And this relief, of course, cannot come soon enough: Americans are suffering.

More than 3,000 Americans were reported dead yesterday, the third deadliest day since the pandemic began, and more than 112,000 are hospitalized, yet another haunting record, all nearly a week from the Christmas holiday. The U.S. is on track to add 1 million new cases in less than seven days.

Those numbers, adding urgency to the race to authorize a second coronavirus vaccine. An FDA committee is meeting tomorrow, and they will be considering drug giant Moderna's vaccine candidate. White House Coronavirus Testing Czar Admiral Brett Giroir says once authorized, this could add tens of millions of doses to the U.S. distribution.

We're going to bring you vaccine news in a moment. First, though, let's turn to Capitol Hill because that is where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's confident that a deal will be reached on the rescue package before Congress leaves for the holidays. McConnell is telling fellow Republicans to prepare for weekend votes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: We made major headway toward hammering out a targeted pandemic relief package that would be able to pass both chambers with bipartisan majorities. We committed to continuing these urgent discussions until we have an agreement, and we agreed we will not leave town until we've made law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's talk about this now with CNN business editor-at-large Richard Quest. And, you know, Richard, what do we know about what is going to be in this package? RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It is the art of what is

possible, not what is desirable or wanted by either side. So the package that's coming together is a pretty slimmed down version, still a large number, $900 billion, but at the end of the day, Brianna, it's what you can get them to agree upon.

So stimulus checks to Americans look like that's going to be part of the deal. It won't be $1,200 like the first round back in the spring; this will be more modest, somewhere between three and six or 700 dollars per person depending on your tax status.

Then you've got money that will be made available for vaccine distribution. There's almost no doubt about those cash and that funds, that's considered to be a number-one priority.

You start getting more controversial when you move across to jobless benefits. Now, here, the Republicans have balked at a large number, but it seems likely $300 a week extension on jobless benefits. Remember, at the worst of the earlier pandemic, it was $600 a week. But that simply wouldn't fly now.

Very important, an eviction moratorium will be extended. If not, at the end of this year, Brianna, up to 20 million people could be thrown out of their homes. That is considered to be bipartisan, that is considered to be crucial.

And then you've got things like deferment of loans, the education secretary says that that's going to be -- but the two things, let's go to the two things, Brianna, that really have been sticking points.

State and local aid: The Republicans won't give ground on that, so they'll cobble together something so that money can be given through other sources. And Democrats won't give much ground on lawsuit protections, so that's going to be put off to another day.

As I say, a lot of detail there. This is complex, this is really complex stuff. But what you're seeing today is the art of what's possible, not what either party wanted.

KEILAR: You know, it's a -- you look at the price tag, Richard, it's a big deal, $900 billion. But then the question is, is $900 billion really enough here? Is it enough to get Americans --

QUEST: No.

KEILAR: -- through the next few months to the other side of vaccinations?

QUEST: No, that's not a hard question to answer. Joe Biden will be back once he's president to ask for more. Remember, the Democrats wanted two or three trillion. The Democrats, Joe Biden will be back.

And that's one of the reasons Mitch McConnell admitted he knows there's another round to come in January, possibly in March. He's not giving away the store at this point as he sees it, he's keeping in reserve because he knows that President Biden will require a great deal more. This is nowhere near enough.

[14:05:09]

Brianna, we're focused on the vaccine, we've got to get to the point where the country is predominantly vaccinated. That is at least six months away. We're still talking about social distancing, masks, and stimulus.

KEILAR: And so you mentioned state and local governments, and obviously aid to them was a sticking point there. You talked about it being cobbled together, probably not enough, probably not what Democrats wanted to see. So, you know, what's the impact of that shortfall going to be?

QUEST: States and the metropolitan authorities, transit authorities, any form of local or regional authority is going to be short of cash that can only be made up by states. They'll (ph) have to borrow if they can, otherwise cut services. Expect a massive cut in services of one description or another at the state and local level unless the federal government puts its hand in its pocket. The Republicans in Congress, in the Senate won't do that yet.

KEILAR: Wow, and that's the stuff people will start noticing, as you know, Richard Quest --

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Oh yes, oh yes. Wait until your train isn't running, your streets aren't cleaned, the local community center is closed.

KEILAR: Yes, no, people notice those things first, I think. Richard, thank you so much for walking us through all of that --

QUEST: Thank you.

KEILAR: -- and we'll be waiting to see if this really does come through this time.

There are some more historic coronavirus vaccinations that are under way right now. My next guest, moments away from getting the Pfizer vaccine. The hospital that he leads was selected to receive some of the first vaccine doses, and it serves a predominantly black neighborhood and is one of the hardest hit in Chicago, according to officials there in that city.

I want to bring in George Miller, he's the president and CEO of the Loretto Hospital. And, George, you are all set, here we go.

GEORGE MILLER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE LORETTO HOSPITAL: Yes, I am. All right.

KEILAR: And, George, tell us a little bit about this experience.

MILLER: Well, it's a wonderful experience. We're very excited to be the first in the city of Chicago to receive it yesterday, with the mayor here, and I am also very honored to be alongside Dr. Anosh Ahmed, our chief operating officer and administering of the COVID vaccination on my side is our chief pharmacist (INAUDIBLE) and for Dr. Anosh Ahmed, our chief nursing officer -- excuse me, Ms. Deatra Howard.

KEILAR: All right, so I think you've already got the Band-Aid on, this is --

MILLER: Yes.

KEILAR: -- you know, one and done -- well, two and done, I guess, is what it's going to be because you're going to need another dose, which is going to be key to having immunity there. Tell us a little bit about why it's so important that your employees and that your city see the CEO of this hospital getting this vaccine.

MILLER: Well, thank you for that question. There's two very important issues. Unfortunately, African-Americans who make up 13, 14 percent of the U.S. population have received double the amount of the virus disproportionately, and deaths across America make up double the amount of our population. So the only solution, we believe, is a vaccination.

We're very thankful that it is now here, we were told that historically (ph) we'd be the first hospital in Chicago to receive it. But our team members, who are true heroes, take care of very sick patients, both our physicians and our team members here take care of the population that is poor, disenfranchised and we want to make sure that they have the ability to get that vaccination so they can take care of the (INAUDIBLE) population in this community.

KEILAR: There has been a real concern about some distrust of the coronavirus vaccine especially among African-Americans. I wonder, as we have seen more people getting vaccinated and there have been people stepping up like you, trying to say, look, this has gone through the correct process, this is going to keep us safe.

Are you hearing anything different from people who may have been skeptical about getting the vaccine?

MILLER: No, we've heard some of those concerns. And what we did today as an example, we had a town hall meeting with all of our team members, let them ask questions of Dr. Nikki Juvvadi, personal care, Dr. Anosh Ahmed, to bring forward their questions or concerns and explain the science behind how this vaccination was developed.

And the key note here I want to make is, according to Dr. Fauci, that one of the premier scientists at NIH was an African-American woman, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, who helped develop this vaccination, and we're very proud.

[14:10:04]

There is legitimate distrust because of Tuskegee or the T-cells issue with Henrietta Lacks that have happened in the past, but this is a new day. And one of the reasons I wanted to take it as a demonstration, we feel very comfortable that the vaccination will help solve the problems.

We need 100 million Americans to have this vaccination so we can have herd immunity. And we were very honored to be the first hospital to get the vaccination yesterday, and all of our team members are willing and able, though (ph) our positions, to take the vaccination. We want to demonstrate very clearly it's the right thing to do.

KEILAR: Well, George, we really appreciate you and your staff sharing this moment with us, it has been a long time coming. We hope that this is something that brings you hope as you have been struggling through this very difficult time on the frontlines. George Miller at the Loretto Hospital.

Thank you to all of you, really appreciate it.

MILLER: Thank you, thank you.

KEILAR: So for the last week, more than 100,000 people have been in the hospital every day fighting COVID. That is the highest seven-day average that we have seen ever.

And now, we are learning there's actually a surplus of a therapy that could keep people out of COVID wards. It's called the monoclonal antibody treatment. You may recognize it, it may sound familiar, and that's because it's the same therapeutic that President Trump received when he was infected with the coronavirus.

HHS says that only five to 20 percent of the available supply is being used, and we have CNN's Jacqueline Howard to explain why people are not getting the monoclonal antibody treatment when it seems to be available.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Brianna, here's what's happening. Monoclonal antibody treatments seem to work best early on in the course of a COVID-19 illness, typically within 10 days of the onset of symptoms. So even though there is a surplus of these monoclonal antibodies right now, by the time some people show up at the hospital, sick with COVID-19, it might be too late for them to get the benefits of these treatments.

This is something that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has warned about, especially when it comes to people who are at high risk of severe COVID-19. Azar says if you're over age 65 or have underlying medical conditions and you test positive for COVID-19, ask about these treatments, the Lilly or Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment. And, Brianna, they're administered as IV infusions. Back to you.

KEILAR: Jacqueline, thank you so much.

Donald Trump has not stopped tweeting about how he still thinks he won the election. So why isn't he doing the job of president while he still has it? We're going to roll the record.

Plus, new reporting on a list that includes Trump's closest business associates and some high-profile criminals, see who is lining up to take advantage of Trump's pardoning power.

[14:13:01]

And Russia's top diplomat responds to CNN's investigation into the poisoning of Alexey Navalny.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: One of the most curious things about President Trump insisting that he did not lose the presidential election is that he has so spectacularly quit on the very job he's so desperate to keep.

Today's cabinet meeting is his first since May. Even before the election, he showed little interest in the work of a president. But in the 42 days since the election, he has gone 20 of those days without a public event even listed on his schedule. He's only had 13 appearances that were open to the press, only two of which he took questions from reporters at -- and he used to do that multiple times a week.

He's had just one on-camera interview, which of course was on Planet Fox; twenty-seven official White House business events have been listed on the schedule, more than half of which were behind closed doors. He has spent nine days on one of his golf courses; he has had zero intelligence briefings listed on his schedule since October 2nd.

The other receipts that he has checked out of his day job? He hasn't had or said a single word about the suspected Russian attack on the U.S. government, which is being called one of the most sophisticated attacks in recent years. This is an attack on the U.S. by Russia, and yet he's silent.

He obviously couldn't care less about his duty to lead a peaceful transition. Instead, he stalled it for weeks and is still absurdly claiming that he won the election. He's been on a staffing purge, though, installing his own deep state inside places like the Pentagon, and he's making controversial military decisions on the fates of U.S. troops.

He's thrown out more air than "Nick at Nite," he's sending out late- night tweets about everything from Fox to whatever his daily conspiracy theory is.

By all accounts, he is completely checked out on trying to broker this deal over a second stimulus for millions and millions of suffering Americans.

Perhaps worst of all, though, is that America's COVID death rate is exploding, the nation just topping more than 300,000 deaths. We are losing thousands of Americans every day to this virus, and he rarely says a word. This monumental loss, and he rarely says a word. Hospitalizations hitting record after record, each day: he rarely says a word about their suffering.

The only thing that he likes to talk about when it comes to one of the deadliest crises in American history, is making sure that he gets credit for the vaccines. Short-timer syndrome? It's a real thing, but not if you want to keep

your job or come back to it at a later date. Even for this president, who has spent much of his term with his thumbs on twitter instead of his eye on the ball. He's now got one foot in the Oval Office, about to join the other on the golf course.

[14:20:01]

One presidential perk that President Trump does seem to be interested in, though, is pardons. And CNN's Pamela Brown is joining me now to talk about this.

Pamela, you have been following this for months. We know that the president is exploring possible pardons for family members, even himself. But now you've learned about a spreadsheet of potential pardons? Tell us about this.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there has been just a huge pardon push in this final stretch of Trump's administration.

And I'm told by one source familiar with this push that it has turned crazy, that there is so much activity with people, hundreds of people, reaching out to the White House directly -- senior White House officials such as the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, Mark Meadows, the chief of staff -- that a spreadsheet has been created that's been circulating among a very small group of people to keep track of all of these pardon requests that are really inundating the White House right now.

Again, these are requests coming from people who have shown loyalty to the president over the last four years, and they're hoping to cash in on that loyalty either for themselves, for a friend, a family member or for a client that they're lobbying on behalf of. Lawyers have been reaching out on behalf of their clients as well.

And I'm told that, well, it has been sort of a free-for-all in reaching out, but inside the White House there have been tons of meetings, there -- White House Counsel lawyers have been going on, looking at the different cases. And then the president has actually reviewed some of these pardon cases.

We know he did a high-profile one recently with Michael Flynn, his former senior National Security adviser, but we do expect more before he leaves office. And he has been really into this. As we know, Brianna, since he became president, he's been really into his pardon power. He's been eagerly looking at these cases and talking to aides and allies about who they think he should pardon in these final weeks.

And what's so interesting about this, too, it comes at a time when of course the president is essentially in denial that he lost the election even though this last-minute flurry, this big pardon push is really a tacit reminder that his term is almost up -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And usually, Pamela, there's a process involving the DOJ that someone would go through in requesting a pardon. That's not what's happening here. Why are people going directly to the White House instead of those more official channels?

BROWN: So I've been asking about that, but basically President Trump since the very beginning has circumvented DOJ in the pardons he's made. He has essentially left them out of the process for the most part.

And so people on the outside who are looking for pardons, angling for pardons have figured that the best way to go about this is to go the informal route by reaching out directly via e-mail or phone calls to these senior White House officials, and they're just trying desperately to make sure that they're seeing their e-mails or that their messages are getting across to them as they make this final push with only a few weeks left for Trump in office -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And the president also floated the possibility of just not leaving on January 20th. Tell us about this and what aides have said about it.

BROWN: So several sources have said that the president really has been believing his own disinformation that he has been spreading, in that he still believes he won this election, it was stolen from him, even though that is completely unfounded. And he has even told aides that he doesn't want to leave the White House on Inauguration Day, he has thrown that out there.

Now, that has certainly concerned some aides and allies, though they don't think he's actually going to follow through on that, they do think he's going to leave the White House. As one source put it, he's just throwing a temper tantrum.

But he is certainly being egged on by some people around him such as those on his legal team, Jenna Ellis and Rudy Giuliani, even as the courts -- judges -- have not found a single case of election fraud -- Brianna -- and even as, of course, the Electoral College certified the vote, Mitch McConnell the, Senate majority leader, of course congratulated Joe Biden yesterday, something that the president clearly didn't like and lashed out at him on Twitter last night -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, he is losing allies or enablers, whoever you would put it, folks who have pacified him even up until this point. Pamela, great reporting, thank you so much to you and your team for bringing that to us, Pamela Brown.

Tom Cruise is reportedly not happy with some on his "Mission: Impossible" crew. We have some new details about the expletive-laden tongue-lashing that he gave for some of them not following COVID protocol on set.

[14:24:22]

And with a new vaccine option about to receive emergency use authorization, will Americans get to choose which shot they get?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: Twenty-four hours after throwing a highly contentious holiday party at the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. Now, Pompeo has tested negative.

CNN learned that Pompeo was a no-show at Tuesday's indoor soiree, as were hundreds of invited guests. He cancelled his scheduled speech for unknown reasons, and Kylie Atwood, our CNN national security correspondent, has more on this.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's week has been upended here at the State Department after we learned that this morning, from a State Department spokesperson, that he is quarantining after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Now, just yesterday, he was scheduled to host a holiday reception here at the department for families of U.S. diplomats who serve in places where they can't bring their families along. He did not attend that reception.

[14:30:07]