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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

FDA to Move Quickly on Emergency Authorization of Second Vaccine; V.P. Mike Pence to Get COVID Shot This Morning; Biden Addresses U.S. Virus Deaths, Defends Son Hunter; Congressional Leaders Struggle to Finalize Deal On Relief Bill; Chargers Edge Raiders in Overtime Thriller. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 18, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:25]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States, and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, December 18th. Happy Friday.

One week to go until Christmas and a second COVID vaccine is now days or perhaps hours from clearance for distribution to millions of Americans.

FDA officials say they will move ahead quickly with emergency authorization for the new vaccine from Moderna after the agency's vaccine advisory panel recommended it unanimously.

Overnight, another crushing number of deaths reported in the U.S. Nearly 3,300 more American families are grieving.

CNN's Alexandra Field has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Moderna's vaccine could be days away from reaching Americans. An FDA advisory panel is recommending authorization of what would be the nation's second COVID vaccine. The panel heard accounts from scientists, doctors, and people who survived COVID.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of long term effects. I developed severe atrial arrhythmia. When they subsided, I developed severe hypertension, which I'm still battling.

FIELD: It comes just a day after one of the darkest in our history, the pandemic at its all time worst.

DANIEL TREVINO, SIBLINGS DIED FROM COVID-19: One minute they're okay, you're talking to them, you know, face time, then all of a sudden, you have to face time then again and they talked to you, and they're hooked up to six different machines with tubes going down their bodies and, that's the last image you're going to have of your loved one.

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We're just not seeing people doing the implementation necessary to stem the tide of this virus right now.

FIELD: A new CDC forecast adds tens of thousands more deaths to predictions for the next few weeks. As many as 391,000 by January 9th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, these patients when they are dying, they are alone.

FIELD: Nevada and five other states hitting a record high for deaths reported in a single day. The White House COVID task force says the fall surge is merging with the post Thanksgiving surge to create a winter surge with the most rapid increase in cases yet. Tennessee now among the states with the fastest spread of the virus.

GOV. BILL LEE (R), TENNESSEE: One thing that this vaccine will not solve, one thing it will not cure, is selfishness or indifference to what's happening to our neighbors around us.

FIELD: The rollout of Pfizer's vaccine, the first to hit the market, continues across the country. A shipping error forced New Mexico to throw out 75 doses that shipped at the wrong temperature. But pharmacists also say they're finding some vials of the Pfizer vaccines have extra doses.

A bit of a boost as certain states learn they're getting less for now than what they expected. Iowa says it's working with federal partners to figure out why they're receiving as much as 30 percent less than what they planned for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (on camera): States will be learning on a weekly basis about how large the next week's shipments will be, which means that they will have to plan and perhaps adjust their plans in some cases. We're also now learning that if the Moderna vaccine gets its emergency use authorization, it could start sending out shipments of the vaccine almost right away. That means the federal government would plan to send out about 7.9 million doses of vaccine next week. 5.9 million for Moderna, and another 2 million from Pfizer.

In New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.

JARRETT: Alexandra, thank you so much.

Well, later this morning at 8:00 Eastern Time, the Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen will get their vaccinations live on camera. That will make the vice president the highest ranking member of the U.S. government to get inoculated so far.

President Trump meanwhile still declining the shot.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Laura.

President Trump has been basically absent all week. This is part of this larger pattern that we have seen since he lost the election. Of course back in November, six weeks ago, where the president has, instead of his usual demeanor, it's straight from the public eye, refused to answer reporters' questions on a regular basis, like he spent the last four years doing, and this comes of course as this vaccine rollout is happening, something the president was tweeting about yesterday, saying that they are getting great reviews from the vaccine rollout.

And as he normally does, he's viewing this through the lens of the coverage, how are other people are seeing it is how the president is seeing it. But what he is not doing is what officials wish he would, partake more in this public education, to get people, including his own supporters to take the vaccine.

And instead, we're seeing that role fall to the vice president, Mike Pence, of course, who is the head of the coronavirus task force.

[05:05:05]

And he in just a few hours is going to actually get the vaccine on camera, alongside the second lady, Karen Pence, and the Surgeon General Jerome Adams at the White House.

And so, you are seeing that message come from some people in the administration. But there are people who believe it should be the president leading this effort. But as someone who, you know, was largely downplayed the pandemic all of these months, lately has not mentioned these skyrocketing hospitalization rates or death rates. It doesn't come as a surprise to some people, though the president is not taking a larger roll role in this.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Kaitlan.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, too, will be vaccinated in public. Timing and logistics for her shot are still being worked out.

President-elect Biden is likely to be vaccinated on TV early next week. There's been talk about Harris and Biden possibly getting their shots together.

JARRETT: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will both be receiving the coronavirus vaccine in days. The two leaders made the announcement separately. Both say they have been directed by the office of the attending physician on Capitol Hill to get their shots.

Pelosi says she has confidence in the vaccine. McConnell says he will take it to meet government continuity requirements.

ROMANS: So, this week alone, so far, more than 15,000 Americans have died due to coronavirus. I mean, just think of that number. Just this week, 15,000 Americans.

President-elect Biden spoke about the scale of the loss last night with "The Late Show's" Stephen Colbert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Think of all the people this Christmas who are going to sit at a table with an empty chair across the table, a son, a daughter, a mom, a dad, somebody. And as you know, I'm not being solicitous, as you know, that people want to know, people have been through it, and can I make it? Can I make it? And what you and I talked about is that I think empathy is a critically important thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president-elect also talked about his son Hunter who announced last week that federal prosecutors are investigating his taxes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": You know that the people who want to make hay in Washington are going to try to use your adult son as a cudgel against you, how do you feel about that and what do you have to say to those people?

BIDEN: Well, look, I have -- we have great confidence in our son. I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It's used to get to me. I think it's kind of foul play, but look, it is what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Meanwhile, Biden continues to round out his cabinet.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine, and Laura, one week before Christmas, and President-elect Biden is still trying to make good on that goal of filling all or most of his cabinet before the holidays. Now he's getting closer but still has several key positions. But on Saturday here in Wilmington, he's going to roll out his climate team, including two members we learned about on Thursday. That is Interior Secretary nominee, New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Native American to serve in a U.S. president's cabinet.

Also naming the EPA administrator, Michael Regan. He is from North Carolina, heads the environmental agency there. So, with those two positions, as well as the energy secretary. That,

of course, is former Michigan Governor Granholm, and the White House climate coordinator, former EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, those are going to be announce here in Wilmington on Saturday.

But that still leads heading into next week big questions about key spots like attorney general. We are told that Mr. Biden is still working through this. Two of the leading contenders, Judge Merrick Garland, of course, was President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, blocked by the Senate, as well as outgoing Alabama Senator Doug Jones.

We are still expecting an announcement for attorney general next week as well as possibly the CIA director, and other nominees, but clearly now going into this weekend and into the holiday, still come work in filling that cabinet -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much for that.

Well, Biden's pick of Congressman Haaland may create challenges for the Democratic lawmakers since it will leave them with a slim majority of three votes in the House. Democratic incumbents lost races across the country and failed to unseat a single House Republican in November. And now that Biden has picked three House Democrats to serve in his administration, House Majority Leader Hoyer admits he's worried about the tight majority, but he denied reports that he personally discouraged the transition team from picking Haaland.

A senior member of Joe Biden's incoming Whiter House team has tested positive for COVID-19. Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond is said to be the director of the Office of Public Engagement and White House senior advisor.

[05:10:04]

He took a COVID test after developing symptoms, which he told CNN's Don Lemon are mild.

He plans to quarantine for 14 days. Richmond recently appeared with Biden at a campaign event for a Georgia Senate runoff. A transition spokeswoman says their interactions were brief, and both were wearing masks and that Biden has since tested negative.

JARRETT: The wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has tested positive for coronavirus. Azar said he tested negative and will continue to work while his wife Jennifer is experiencing mild symptoms and is isolating at home. He's apparently not quarantining even though the CDC guidance recommends it in his situation. Azar has made appearances with several administration officials in recent days, including Vice President Mike Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

ROMANS: Just about 10 minutes past the hour.

With Americans struggling to put food on the table, Congress is struggling on how to agree how to help them.

More on where stimulus talks are or are not right now, that's next.

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[05:15:06]

JARRETT: Congressional leaders are struggling to find common ground on a coronavirus relief bill. Still, talks could drag on through the weekend, and that could trigger a brief government shut down.

Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Laura.

Now, Republican and Democrat leaders believe they can reach a deal that can pass Congress within days after months of bickering and stalemate, after so many people are hurting in this economy. It's still a question of when that will come out and still also a question of what ultimately will be in the package because the two sides have been squabbling over a handful of issues that are preventing this deal from being reached and also they are drafting the legislative language of a massive bill, could be around $900 billion of relief.

We'll see ultimately what they ultimately agree to here, but as of last night, there were a lot of discussions ongoing, still about how to structure stimulus checks, for instance. Right now, it's capped at about $600 per individual. There's discussion about how to limit even further. Republicans want to limit that further. There's been push back on the Democratic side.

There's also been some push back of a Republican effort to restrict the Federal Reserve, can move forward with its emergency lending programs. Democrats don't believe that's the way to go. They argue that would constrain the incoming Biden administration.

Republicans also are concerns about a Democratic effort to provide more money for FEMA that would go to states and localities. Republicans are opposed to providing more money for state and local governments to use as part of their -- to help with some of the expenses that they have incurred over the last several months here.

But what we do understand is the deal will, assuming it gets passed, help people who are bound to see their unemployment benefits expire. Millions of Americans are at risk of seeing those dry up in days. But this deal would include an enhanced unemployment benefit of $300 per week for individuals, in addition to the $600 direct payment.

Also, $330 billion is allocated in the proposal for small business loans. There's also money for schools, education providers, for vaccine distribution. There's a debate about exactly how to deal with an eviction moratorium set to expire, how long and whether to expand that. We do expect the proposal to also include rental assistance for people who are struggling to pay their rent.

But a lot of these details still need to be sorted out. There's a question whether it could pass Congress by the end of the week. There's an expectation still in the next week.

But still, so many people are waiting. The question is how much longer they will have to wait. Will it spill for another several days? At the moment, it appears that's the case. Once the fine print comes out, people will study it, members will vote, and that's when this eventually will become law, assuming it does.

But the legislative process often has snags. At the moment, they have a few -- guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Manu, thanks for that.

Snag at the time when millions of American families are lining up for food pantries. We have never lived through a modern time like this.

All right. The number of U.S. agencies and private companies affective by a massive cyberattack widening this morning, an ongoing cyber attack here folks. U.S. authorities suspect Russian hackers are behind this breach. Sources tell CNN the State Department was among the agencies affected.

Microsoft has also identified more than 40 of its customers who were targeted by this hack. President Trump hasn't said a word publicly about this attack, while President-elect Biden is vowing retaliation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: They'll be held accountable.

COLBERT: Can you give us an appetizer of what that accountability might be?

BIDEN: Individuals as well as entities will be fined, they have -- there's financial repercussions for what they did. I believe they accessed a lot (ph), and we have to invest a lot more money in cyber.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The cyber security infrastructure security agency is working to determine the scale and scope of this attack. It acknowledged Thursday there are signs the hackers used techniques that have not yet been discovered -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Still ahead, a rookie quarterback steals the spotlight in a dramatic overtime thriller. We have your "Bleacher Report" next.

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[05:23:53] ROMANS: All right, they saved the best Thursday night football game of the season for last. An overtime thriller between the Chargers and Raiders.

Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Christine.

Yeah, this is a game the Raiders absolutely had to have if they wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive. You ever get ready for work and put something on accidentally, and it's not the right thing, and then you didn't realize it until later. Well, that's what happened to Raiders coach Jon Gruden last night.

Check out his hat. It says Oakland Raiders. They're of course the Las Vegas Raiders now. He changed it by the second quarter.

Derek Carr injured his groin earlier in this one, had to leave the game. So, Marcus Mariota making the season and Raiders debut. The former Heisman Trophy winner diving into the end zone here in the 4th quarter to tie the game. We go to overtime.

Check out the throw here from rookie, Justin Herbert, incredible, he continues to be so impressive. Then Herbert dives into the end zone for game winning touchdown and the Chargers get the win, 30-27.

All right. College football, the Sun Belt Conference cancelling Saturday's championship game between undefeated 12th ranked Coastal Carolina, and 19th ranked Louisiana because of a positive COVID-19 test within the Coastal Carolina program.

[05:25:08]

Due to contract tracing the entire position group wouldn't have been allowed to play. Both teams going to be named co-conference champions, even though Coastal Carolina beat Louisiana earlier this season.

In the meantime, UCLA is the latest team to opt out of a bowl game this season, the players made the decision so they could spend time with their families after having to essentially be on lockdown at campus since returning in June. UCLA's last game of the season will be tomorrow against Stanford at the Rose Bowl.

The Florida Gators basketball team meanwhile postponing its remaining three nonconference games as their star player Keyontae Johnson recovers after collapsing in the middle of a game last weekend. The school says the 21-year-old junior is showing encouraging signs of progress as they undergo more tests and evaluations in a Gainesville hospital. But the Gators now is scheduled to play on December 13 against Vanderbilt.

All right. Finally, Tiger Woods and his 11-year-old son Charlie set to compete together this weekend in Florida. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. Social media buzzing about how much Charlie's swing looks exactly like his dad's, perfectly in sync as they were warming up.

The event features major championship winners playing with family members, and Tiger loving every minute of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 15-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: Well, the whole idea is the bonding that we have, and I spent so much time with my dad on the whole back 9 and just having those moments, and this is an opportunity for us to come together and to share great moments like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So cool to see Tiger out there with his son Charlie, Laura. And, you know, you got so much pressure on the young guy --

JARRETT: Right.

SCHOLES: -- trying to compete knowing your dad is the greatest of all time, but apparently, Charlie was out there talking his game. Justin Thomas says, you know, he got a little mouth on him. He was talking, walking the walk, playing pretty well.

JARRETT: That's good. Even at 11, he's got a pretty nice swing there, right?

SCHOLES: Yeah.

JARRETT: All right. Have a great weekend. Appreciate it, Andy.

SCHOLES: You too, Laura.

JARRETT: Ahead, a new interview with Stephen Colbert, President-elect Biden is talking about the toll of the coronavirus pandemic, talking about the grief. You're going to hear from him, next.

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