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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Sends Congress Into Scramble Over Stimulus Relief, Defense Spending, Possible Government Shutdown; Biden: We're Doing "Due Diligence" on Final Cabinet Picks; Birthday Wishes Pour in Dr. Fauci's 80th Birthday. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired December 24, 2020 - 16:30   ET

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

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[16:33:02]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: In classic fashion, President Trump sent Congress into a new triple tizzy.

Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to give him what he wanted on stimulus relief, raise stimulus checks up to $2,000 instead of $600. That failed.

There's the defense spending bill Congress will be back next week and may override his veto, which could be a first in Trump's presidency.

And the third cliffhanger is tied to the first, that will be the stimulus aid that is still in a larger government funding legislation. So, without stimulus, we're in for a government shutdown midnight Monday if there is no deal.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

I want to bring in CNN's Phil Mattingly.

Phil, where does Congress start here?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's been a bit of a head-spinning couple of days.

Let's start with the president actually needs to receive the stimulus and funding bill. That's actually on its way to Florida to Mar-a-Lago right now. It was enrolled earlier today. The big question is what will he do with it?

The reality, Pamela, is that the answer is nobody knows. And that's not just Democrats, that's not just reporters, Republicans I've spoken to, Republican senators, their top advisers saying they don't know what the president is going to do at this point in time as it pertains to COVID relief and the potential for a government shutdown.

So where does that leave things going forward? Well, you mentioned the National Defense Authorization Act, the House will vote to override that veto on Monday. The Senate will follow suit soon thereafter.

But right now, and I think the biggest thing on everybody's mind given the economic issues so many are facing in the country, what is the president going to do with the COVID relief money? Nobody knows.

BROWN: Yeah, nobody knows, and that's the scary part given how many millions of Americans are suffering right now. And you have the Democrats who are on board with raising stimulus checks. So the deal comes down to Republicans. Are there signs they would be willing to budge?

MATTINGLY: No, there aren't. Obviously, you had the procedural efforts on the floor this morning. House Democrats trying by unanimous consent to pass an expansion of the $600 checks that are in the current package, up to $2,000.

[16:35:05]

Republicans objected. House Democrats will have a full up and down vote on the similar piece of legislation, on the same legislation on Monday. Republicans are not likely to vote for that en masse. Some may.

But Republicans on the Senate side made it clear, there are not a requisite number of votes to get that passed through the Senate.

The reality here, I think this really needs to be understood, Pamela, and you know this well, there's no alternative right now. There's no secret plan waiting in the wings if the president decides to veto this bill. It's a hope and pray moment. These are the words people have been using, that he signs this, that he changes course, that he decides to sign it, because right now, there's no alternative.

BROWN: And as you mentioned, we were talking yesterday, your sources are saying they're having a hard time getting information from the White House.

So everyone is in the dark. The president is increasingly isolated. It's anyone's guess.

All right. Phil, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Merry Christmas.

Expect a string of major announcements from President-elect Joe Biden in the coming days. He's yet to name five cabinet or cabinet level positions, and Biden himself says announcements may come before the year ends.

CNN's Jessica Dean is covering the Biden transition from Wilmington, Delaware.

So, Jessica, Biden hasn't named his choice for attorney general or CIA director. And he takes office in just 27 days. Delaying this any longer may put scrutiny on those selections.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, yeah. Pamela, it certainly gets a lot more attention from outside groups who we've already heard from. But the longer the delay goes on, the more advice they're getting from outside groups, the more people are weighing in. The more -- the chattering class is weighing in.

But Biden and his team will maintain they're taking their time because they want to do this deliberately. They want to go through the process. He said as much on Tuesday when he was asked about this, when he was talking with reporters. He said there is no clear choice, no obvious choice particularly for attorney general.

We know that there are two top contenders right now. Our reporting indicates that is Judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Alabama Senator Doug Jones. But it's not out of the question that he takes another look at deputy, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates or former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. We also know that he has said time and time again, politics is not going to play any role in his Department of Justice. He wants it operating very independently.

And then another factor going into that decision is that we're told he's keen to roll out additional Justice Department nominations as well for deputy attorney general, the civil rights division. So that is adding to this as well.

You mentioned there's four other slots to fill that includes CIA director, Commerce, Labor and SBA. So, all of these things need to be filled in the 29 days before we get to his inauguration. And then, of course, Pamela, there's the question of getting through the confirmation votes and the confirmation hearings which will take its own time as well. But we're expecting this to come to a head in early January -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Sounds like Joe Biden has his work cut out for him.

All right. Thanks so much, Jessica.

DEAN: Yeah.

BROWN: Well, someone else having a quiet Christmas at home, America's favorite infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Up next, what he's doing this year that he hasn't done in nearly 40 years.

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BROWN: Welcome back to the special edition of THE LEAD.

Turning to our health lead now, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, turns 80 today. And he got some special birthday wishes.

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JOE BIDEN & JILL BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT & INCOMING FIRST LADY (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Dr. Fauci.

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BROWN: That was President-elect Joe Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden.

And last night, members of the Bethesda Chevy Chase rescue squad surprised him with socially distant birthday wishes as he left work, as you see right here. Dr. Fauci is sticking to his own advice and told CNN he will not be doing any kind of family celebration.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I definitely feel sad. I have three daughters, ranging in age from late 20s to early 30s. This is the first holiday season of Christmas and my birthday that I have not spent with my daughters since they were born.

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BROWN: Let's bring in CNN's Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, you talked to Dr. Fauci. And you got some insight on just how strenuous this past year has been for him.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He told me that he has not taken a day off since mid-January. Now, Pamela, this is the man who helped get this country through HIV, through pandemic flu, past Ebola.

I asked him did you ever think you would be helping the country get through this in your 80s?

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FAUCI: I would have never really expected on my 80th birthday I would be knee deep in trying to contend with and address a global pandemic of historic proportions.

COHEN: Do you think you'll ever retire?

FAUCI: Well, I think I have to be realistic. I think that sooner or later, I'm going to have to do that. I don't see that right now clearly in my future. The only thing I see ahead is the challenge that we are currently facing.

COHEN: Do you work 24/7?

FAUCI: Well, not 24/7, but more like 18/7.

COHEN: At age 80, does it wear on you?

FAUCI: I don't pay attention to if it's wearing on me. I think -- sometimes I'm really exhausted but you keep going.

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[16:45:07]

COHEN: Now, Dr. Fauci said that he will keep going into 2021 as the chief medical adviser to President-elect Joe Biden -- Pamela.

BROWN: That man has stamina. It is impressive. Thank you so much, Elizabeth. And again, happy birthday to Dr. Fauci.

COHEN: Thanks.

BROWN: And right now, meantime, many of our health care heroes are on the front lines. They are working through the holidays to save lives.

Joining me is one of Michele Acito. She's executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey, one of the hardest hit hospitals during the pandemic.

Michelle, thank you for coming on. We really appreciate it.

Thank you for all you do.

This battle is so personal for you. Three of your family members ended up in your hospital including your mother-in-law, Edna, who lost her life to COVID-19. Here's a picture.

Tell us how is your family doing right now?

MICHELE ACITO, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF NURSING OFFICER AT HOLY NAME MEDICAL CENTER: Well, you know, each milestone, each holiday is difficult. But everybody sticks together and gets through it. What makes it more difficult is not being together for the holidays.

So like millions of other Americans our holiday will be virtual. For so many people in our family, and we constantly talk back and forth. But it doesn't get easier with each milestone, I can tell you that.

BROWN: So, if you would tell us what it was like for you to be working as a nurse amid the crush of the pandemic and you have loved ones who are in the hospital getting treated for COVID, then you lose your mother-in-law, you're grieving, still having to go into work, battling on the front lines.

What has all of this been like for you?

ACITO: It was a very difficult time. I'm very honored I was able to be at the hospital. We had no visitors at the time. Having the ability to be that connection between the rest of the family and be with her and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law was really an honor for me when so many people didn't have that. So many people don't realize --

BROWN: Okay. We just lost --

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ACITO: -- couldn't be here.

BROWN: We're having some technical touch and go here. I think you're back now.

I just want to talk about that a little bit more because what was that like for you emotionally to have your loved ones in one part of the hospital battling COVID and you're still having to treat other patients at the same time being a nurse on the front line. That must have been incredibly difficult.

ACITO: It was difficult. It really was something I felt I had to do and I was honored to do.

You know, I worked very long days for 47 days in a row. So I was able to be there every day with them and right up until the time of her death and the discharge of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

Yes, it was difficult. It was very stressful, but at the same time it was a very good connection to the rest of the family, which I felt was very important. Nobody else really had that. And so, as a nurse, we are both the caregiver and the family member and that was really important.

BROWN: And we're seeing right now, Michelle, hospitalizations remaining at these record levels across the United States. What is the situation right now at your hospital?

ACITO: So, right after Halloween, we saw an uptick and again after Thanksgiving. Right now, we have 54 patients and 14 of them are on ventilators. We would like to see that number lower. We're happy it's not over 100 at this point.

And we're very cautiously optimistic, you know, with the Christmas holiday that people are listening to these small gatherings, social distancing, mask wearing so that we don't see that uptick again as we did after Halloween and Thanksgiving.

BROWN: What is your -- what is your feeling right now? We're seeing that uptick right now after Thanksgiving, right? That's what we're seeing reflected in the numbers, these record deaths, hospitalizations. What is your message right now on Christmas Eve to people right now who are wanting to get together with their families to celebrate the holiday?

ACITO: My message is keep your gatherings to the people that you live with. We have next year and the year after that. We don't want to see anybody hospitalized because they thought it was okay. The biggest risk is when you take off your mask and when there's a family gatherings, there's always eating associated with that. When there's eating, then the mask comes off.

So, we really, really want people to keep the gatherings small to the people that you live with, wear your mask whenever possible and continue to socially distance. We always have next year. We have to look forward to that.

BROWN: And just very quickly, how are you holding up and your colleagues? It must be draining. ACITO: It was very draining. When we saw that lull over the summer, I

think a lot of us had some false hope that we were close to being finished with this.

[16:50:04]

And as the uptick occurred, it was a very big strain. You could see it on every nurse's face, here we go again, the code blue, the rapid response. It was difficult. We were there for each other. We understand it because we all live through it. But it is a very big strain.

BROWN: And you're still right in the middle of it. It's a marathon and you're still running that marathon.

Michele Acito, thank you. Merry Christmas. And, by the way, happy 81st birthday to your father Joe.

ACITO: Thank you very much. Thank you. That's very sweet. Thank you.

BROWN: Well, up next, the question on the minds of every child right now, where is Santa? Go grab them. We'll show you right after this quick break. Don't miss it.

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BROWN: Oh, how we need this bit of good news on this Christmas Eve 2020. If you have kids around, bring them in the room for this one. This may be their most important story of the day.

Santa Claus is coming to town. For the 65th year in a row, NORAD is using its most sophisticated aerospace technology to track ole St. Nick.

I want to bring in the top gun in charge of NORAD's mission, he's General Glenn VanHerck.

General, thank you for coming on. I know you have a busy day tracking Santa. And we appreciate you taking a moment to talk to us.

First, where is Santa now and is he on schedule?

GEN. GLEN VANHERCK, COMMANDER, NORAD & U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND: Santa is on schedule. He's currently in Europe. He's transitioning quickly through the many countries of Europe.

BROWN: All right. So this tradition started 65 years ago with a typo in a Sears ad. If you would, tell us how all of this came to be? How did that happen?

VANHERCK: Well, you're exactly correct. It was an accident in a flyer for a department store that had a wrong phone number. That phone number was to our Command Center and when the young child called that phone number, Colonel Harry Shoup picked up the phone and answered. He quickly realized that that youngster was looking for Santa Claus and the location of Santa Claus, he provided that.

That started a series of calls to the command center, which they follow through, and here, today, 65 years later, we're honored to continue the tradition.

BROWN: What an assignment this is for you. We're all wondering how the pandemic changed how your elves do business this year -- if you could explain that for us this today.

VANHERCK: We had to adjust a little bit. Normally, we have about 1,500 volunteers in our call center to take calls from children and families around the globe. But to maintain safety and the well-being of all those, we had to skinny that down a bit.

But we found other ways through great support to provide the same experience for our call-ins. So, they will either get a message or they have opportunities through our website and the applications.

BROWN: What kind of messages are coming in this year?

VANHERCK: Well, everybody wants to know where Santa Claus is and what time Santa Claus is going to be at their house. We continue to provide that. The message to our young kids watching today is Santa Claus will typically show up between 9:00 p.m. and midnight. Make sure you get your cookies and milk out before 9:00 p.m. and get to bed. Santa will be right on time.

BROWN: And, of course, he's the most important essential worker so far. He's got to be taking care with those cookies and milk.

Dr. Fauci told CNN he personally went to the North Pole and gave Santa a COVID vaccine.

How is he feeling since getting his shot? Do you anticipate him needing breaks tonight?

VANHERCK: Well, I don't interact directly with Santa Claus, but I don't expect he'll take breaks. He's been doing this for a long time. He knows how to maintain a safe environment. I expect Santa Claus to be right on time and safely execute his mission overall tonight.

BROWN: OK. And also, we got your video today of Santa's ambitious trip earlier to the International Space Station. Was that a trip first for him? A trip first for him?

VANHERCK: Yes. This is the first year that Santa has visited the International Space Station. So, after stopping to New Zealand, he made a trip up to the space station and he continued on. We're happy to announce that.

BROWN: Well, that is -- that is very good to hear. This year, families can track Santa on cell phone apps and with Amazon Alexa. You have come a long way in technology from the Santa tracker phone line.

VANHERCK: Absolutely. That was made possible by our support not only from our Department of Defense folks but commercial industry. Amazon Alexa, Verizon and many others have done an incredible job to ensure we continue this tradition and experience.

BROWN: And just quickly as we wrap up. Given your experience, how much fun or what has this been like for you? What kind of an assignment has this been like for you?

VANHERCK: Well, it's incredible. It's an incredible opportunity to represent the men, women of the United States Northern Command, and NORAD, and by national command with the Canadians. So, it's an absolutely honor to do this.

BROWN: All right. And we just see right here, we just want to note 1- 877-HI-SANTA. That is the NORAD Santa tracker call center.

All right. Sounds good. Thank you so much, General Glen VanHerck. Thank you. Merry Christmas. We really appreciate you coming on.

And that's it for the special edition of THE LEAD. You can follow me on Twitter @PamelaBrownCNN or you can tweet the show @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.

Happy holidays.