Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

French President Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive For COVID; FDA Panel Meets Today To Consider Moderna Vaccine; Winter Snowstorm Blankets Several Northeast States. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired December 17, 2020 - 05:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:32:39]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It is 32 minutes past the hour this Thursday morning.

And breaking news this morning. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has tested positive for coronavirus after showing symptoms.

CNN's Melissa Bell is live in Paris, and what can you tell us?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was the first symptoms that alerted him. He's now tested positive -- it's been confirmed. And the way French rules work is that the French president is now going to have to isolate for the next seven days.

It's also pretty easy to see who those contact cases are going to be that authorities are going to be alerting to the fact that they might have to isolate, themselves. People he's been in contact with over the course of the last few days.

We know already, that the French prime minister has announced he will isolate. We know that the French president met with his entire cabinet yesterday -- that is, all of the ministers. We know also that over these last few days he had lunches with both the Portuguese and Spanish prime ministers. Also, that he met with European leaders and the secretary-general of the OECD on Monday.

So that is a lot of very powerful people that are going to have to check whether they, too, have been contaminated and whether they, too, are positive for the time being.

The next seven days, Emmanuel Macron will be staying inside Elysee Palace.

ROMANS: Inside the Elysee Palace, OK. So you'll keep us posted if anything changes there. And, of course, we wish him a speedy recovery. Thank you so much for that. Melissa Bell for us -- Laura.

JARRETT: Here in the U.S., we could see a second coronavirus vaccine authorized for emergency use in just a matter of hours. The FDA's vaccine advisory panel meets today to discuss and perhaps recommend clearance for Moderna's COVID vaccine, which is very similar to Pfizer's.

The need grows more desperate by the day. Overnight, a record 3,656 people were reported dead of the virus in the U.S. Hospitalizations and new cases also continue to just soar.

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the latest on the Moderna vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Christine and Laura, people are learning more about FDA advisory committee meetings than I think they ever thought they would. This is the second one is as many weeks, this time looking at the Moderna vaccine. Last week was the Pfizer vaccine, which got a pretty quick authorization after that FDA advisory committee meeting and people are expecting the same here.

[05:35:02]

We've looked at the data -- the data that was now released from the FDA -- a summary report. The committee meeting is going to be looking at all the raw data. They get really granular, even looking at individual patient records and ultimately making a recommendation.

Let me tell you a couple of things about the Moderna vaccine.

First of all, it's two doses, just like the Pfizer vaccine, separated by 28 days -- so one week extra. Remember, the Pfizer vaccine is separated by three weeks, Modern by four weeks. And then after an additional two weeks, that's when you're thought to have the immunity when it comes to the Moderna vaccine.

So again, one dose; four weeks later, another dose. Two weeks after that is when you have the immunity. So a total of six weeks.

And really high efficacy, close to 95 percent, to be used in people 18 and older. Remember -- we can put up the screen showing both Pfizer and Moderna. You see the differences there. Pfizer was for people 16 and older; Moderna, 18 and older.

The other big difference, really, is the cold storage -- just how could you have to store these vaccines. Moderna doesn't have to be quite as cold and can actually be accommodated in more regular traditional freezers, which may make distribution a bit easier, especially to places that don't have the infrastructure for that cold storage.

The meeting today -- you know, typically, it's all day long. The advisory committee looking at all things. Looking at the data trying to figure out who should be taking this vaccine, should it be authorized, and for whom. And also, to what extent are there groups of people who should not be taking the vaccine.

You remember last time there was a question about whether it should only be 18-year-olds with the Pfizer vaccine. What about pregnant women? What about those with preexisting allergies. These are likely questions that are going to come up again.

So if you put it all together it's possible, Christine and Laura, that we could have another authorized vaccine even tomorrow, after this advisory committee meeting. It could happen on Friday.

Two hundred million doses of the Moderna vaccine have been purchased by the United States government in addition to the 100 million from Pfizer, so that's 300 million doses total. That would be enough for 150 million people.

One other thing. The CDC also going to be meeting, talking about who is in line if you will. Who, what, and where these vaccines will go. We know healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents were first in line.

But what about next? Essential workers -- what exactly does that mean? What about people over a certain age with preexisting conditions? When are they going to get the vaccine?

We're going to start getting increasing clarity on the recommendations from the CDC on that. All states are sort of making their own decisions but these are going to be important recommendations to hear.

A busy day lined up today. As details come in to us, we'll certainly bring them to you -- Christine and Laura.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Sanjay. Thanks for that.

A blast of winter weather in the northeast right now. It's made for dangerous driving conditions.

A dash camera caught this crash in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. First responders, you could see, scrambling out of the way. And another crash on Interstate 80 in Clinton County. Two people were killed when 30 to 60 cars collided.

New York City bearing the most of this storm.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is live with a look. And I know there's a bridge in New York City that had a big pileup as well. What's happening there? What do you see?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christine, good morning.

Yes, you could see I'm kind of wincing here because we're getting strong wind gusts that are really biting because they're mixed with both the snow and the ice. So that's really what's the big power here in New York City.

But, of course, the snow is still falling and we've seen a lot of it overnight. You can see over here as I put my foot into this sort of mound just kind of how significant this snowfall has been. It's probably about six to eight inches. But again, it's still falling, so we might get to that 12-14 inches that was expected in New York City.

Still, it's caused so much sort of travel issues. We've seen more than 1,000 flights canceled across this country. We've seen travel brought to a halt at the Port Authority, which is a major bus terminal here in New York City. Other buses are canceling their service. People really just advised to stay home, certainly as the roads still need to be cleared.

Of course, if there's any silver lining to this Christine, with the pandemic, it's that people -- a lot of people can actually work at home and working remotely, so will stay home. Kids, especially here in New York City, are going to be remote learning today.

ROMANS: Sure.

GINGRAS: So a lot of snow. It's still coming down. If you wake up this morning and you've been snow-starved these last couple of winters, this is some good news for you -- Christine.

ROMANS: Yes. Stay out of the car. Stay home and build a snowman while everyone can stay safe.

GINGRAS: Yes.

ROMANS: Thank you so much, Brynn. Nice to see you -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joins us live with the latest storm forecast. Chad, what should folks expect who are not working from home and heading in this morning?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well certainly, across Pennsylvania and Upstate New York travel is impossible. I mean, some spots now reporting 30 inches of snow on the ground.

[05:40:00]

And this really isn't snowman snow, unfortunately. Maybe it's snow angel snow but it's not going to pack very well. Very, very dry air. It's very cold where it was snowing. And so this is just light, fluffy stuff.

Still getting crushed across parts of Binghamton (INAUDIBLE) all the way toward Schenectady, picking up very heavy snow. It's still snowing in New York City probably for another hour or two, so maybe one to two more inches of snow.

But that snow -- the heaviest stuff is going to be moving to the north. And eventually by about 4:00 or 5:00 completely gone, even for New England and for Maine.

So finally, some snow flurries ending somewhere around 8:00 for Boston -- still piling up. There could be a new foot -- another foot on top of what you have in Boston.

The areas here up toward Manchester and the like in Gloucester could pick up the most just a little bit farther north, up into Downeast, Maine. At least a foot going on and still 50 million people in warnings this morning -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right, Chad. Thank you so much for staying on top of this, as usual.

ROMANS: All right, it's complicated. That's how sources describe President-elect Biden's search for an attorney general.

Former Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Alabama Sen. Doug Jones are considered the frontrunners. Garland is seen as a political independent. Jones has more of a civil rights background and a personal relationship with Biden.

Here's MJ Lee with the rest of the president-elect's cabinet moves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hey, there, Christine and Laura.

President-elect Joe Biden making a historic nomination to his future cabinet choosing former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary. He is somebody who would make history, if he is confirmed, by being the first LGBTQ member of the cabinet.

Now, Biden, speaking yesterday in Wilmington, Delaware, saying that this isn't just about Pete Buttigieg but the totality of the government that he is putting together. That he feels good about the fact that there are many appointments that have broken these first- ever barriers, and saying that he is delivering on his promise to make sure that his cabinet is the most diverse. Take a listen.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT: By the end of this process, this cabinet will be the most representative of any cabinet in American history. We'll have more people of color than any cabinet ever. We'll have more women than any cabinet ever. We'll have a cabinet of barrier breakers, a cabinet of firsts.

LEE (on camera): Now, we also have an update on the timing of when Joe Biden will receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Sources telling CNN that this could come as early as next week. They are just figuring out how to do this in a public setting.

And another reason that next week could be a big week for the Biden transition team is that they are trying to fill out the rest of his cabinet before the Christmas holidays. We are still waiting to find out important appointments, like attorney general and CIA director.

Christine and Laura, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: MJ, thank you for that.

Federal investigators are struggling to understand the scope of a massive data breach targeting the U.S. government. The hack has been linked to Russia and affected several U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security.

Now, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the Biden transition team have all been briefed. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal says that the briefing left him deeply alarmed and that the American people deserve to know what's going on.

So far, President Trump has not acknowledged the hack.

ROMANS: All right.

Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg reflects on his bid to make history. His journey in his own words, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:47:43]

JARRETT: In New York City, hospitals are now in crisis mode, and seniors in Florida getting their first doses of the vaccine.

CNN has reporters across the country with the latest developments on the virus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GINGRAS (on camera): I'm Brynn Gingras in New York City.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says it's up to New Yorkers to prevent another shutdown. The positivity rate in this state is low if you compare it to other parts of the country but it is going up. And the governor says he has not ruled out the option of having a pause like we saw in the spring from happening again if it's needed next year.

As far as hospitals are concerned -- well, the state is now shifting to crisis hospital management mode, and that's to help share the burden among hospitals for any influx of COVID-19 patients. This is particularly important for New York City, where the mayor says there is increasing pressure on the hospital system there.

And if we talk about vaccines -- well, the governor says 4,000 vaccinations have been administered in hospitals across the state. And if the Moderna vaccine gets approval, this state could start seeing its supply of that vaccination as early as next week.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Rosa Flores in Pompano Beach, Florida where some of the first vaccines were administered to senior citizens in the state of Florida Wednesday. This is Vera Leip. She is 88 years old.

According to Gov. Ron DeSantis, more than 21,000 doses of the vaccine were slated to be administered by strike teams at long-term care facilities in Broward and Pinellas counties. Governor DeSantis also says that they're expecting doses of the Moderna vaccine this weekend. That is assuming that it's approved for emergency use by the FDA.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, thanks to all of our reporters for those.

And to Iowa now, where Tyson Foods has fired seven managers at its largest pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa. Tyson had been investigating those managers for a betting pool, betting on how many workers would become infected with coronavirus.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed this summer was amended last month to include new allegations that those managers -- they were taking measures to protect themselves but they told interpreters for the workers that COVID wasn't spreading in the plant. The lawsuit also alleged the plant managers urged those workers to stay on the job even if they were feeling sick or exhibiting symptoms.

[05:50:07]

JARRETT: Well, a Republican mayor in Kansas is stepping down because of threats that she received after publicly supporting a mask mandate. Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw submitted her resignation effectively immediately Tuesday, saying quote "I do not feel safe in this position anymore."

She says that she received threats telling her to burn in hell and get murdered after she was quoted in an article supporting the mandate, which the City Commission approved four to one. Warshaw says she has no regrets about supporting that mandate.

ROMANS: Interior Sec. David Bernhardt is the latest member of the Trump administration to test positive for coronavirus. A spokesman tells CNN he is currently asymptomatic and will keep working while in quarantine.

Bernhardt missed a cabinet meeting with President Trump on Wednesday.

JARRETT: Chris Christie says he has no regrets -- he has regrets about not wearing a mask at the White House. The former New Jersey governor is appearing in a new national T.V. ad to let people know that his poor judgment could have cost him his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: This message isn't for everyone, it's for all those people who refuse to wear a mask. You know, lying in isolation in ICU for seven days, I thought about how wrong I was to remove my mask at the White House. Today, I think about how wrong it is to let mask-wearing divide us, especially as we --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: The new ad will appear on T.V. over the next two weeks on Fox, Newsmax, and SiriusXM Radio.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this snowy morning in the northeast. First, checking markets around the world, mostly higher here. You can see Asian shares closed up. London is down, but Paris and Frankfurt leaning higher.

On Wall Street, futures at this hour are also moving higher. The Dow solidly above 30,000. You know, U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday, even after the Fed promised to keep emergency measures in place.

The Dow fell a little bit. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose. The Nasdaq, that's a record high there.

The central bank said, though, they will keep interest rates near zero through the year 2023 and keep up stimulus until it sees substantial improvement in the job market.

Wall Street also watching lawmakers as they work to pass that badly needed relief package.

The Fed chief, Jerome Powell, predicts the economy should recover by the second half of next year. After a challenging few months, he says things will improve as more Americans get the vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: The second half of next year should -- the economy should be performing strongly. We should be -- you know, we should be getting people back to work, we should -- businesses should be reopening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Until then, Powell said there are two crucial things that will help this economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POWELL: Keep appropriate social distances and to wear masks in public will help get the economy back to full strength.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Powell added that a full recovery is impossible until Americans feel confident enough to reengage in normal activities.

So, big question. Can your boss require you to get a coronavirus vaccine? Seventy-two percent of current and recent CEOs of major companies are open to vaccine mandates. That's according to a poll taken by the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

Legal experts say companies can require that employees be vaccinated. For example, hospitals are allowed to make workers get flu vaccines. But there may need to be exemptions for medical or religious reasons.

JARRETT: We want to leave you this morning with Pete Buttigieg, who President-elect Biden introduced as his new nominee for transportation secretary. If confirmed, the former mayor and presidential candidate would become the first out LGBTQ cabinet secretary ever.

At yesterday's event, Buttigieg talked a bit about his journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY NOMINEE: I can remember watching the news, 17 years old, in Indiana, and seeing a story about an appointee of President Clinton named to be an ambassador -- attacked and denied a vote in the Senate because he was gay. Ultimately, able to serve only by a recess appointment.

At the time, I had no aspirations of being appointed by a president to anything. At that age, I was hoping to be an airline pilot. And I was a long way from coming out, even to myself.

But still, I watched that story and I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong. But just as important, I saw how those limits could be challenged.

So, two decades later, I can't help but think of a 17-year-old somewhere who might be watching us right now -- somebody who wonders whether and where they belong in the world or even in their own family -- and I'm thinking about the message that today's announcement is sending to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: What a moment there.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: He also talked about proposing to his husband at O'Hare International Airport. And being from Chicago, Christine, I've got to tell you I think that's about the best thing that has come out of O'Hare airport after all the delays I know you, in the Midwest, have also experienced.

ROMANS: I don't know. Wrigley would have been better to me, but yes, O'Hare.

[05:55:03]

Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Thursday, December 17th, 6:00 here in New York.

And breaking news -- records shattered overnight. Three thousand six hundred fifty-six new deaths reported from coronavirus. That number's just almost impossible to get your arms around. It has never been higher. And this morning, there is every reason to believe it will grow even more.

Hospitalizations hit a new peak overnight. More than 247,000 new cases reported.