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Don Lemon Tonight

FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization For Pfizer's Vaccine; SCOTUS Rejects Trump's Bid To Overturn Election; Fox News Polls On Who Believes The Election Was Stolen From President Trump; White House Pressuring FDA Chief To Authorize Pfizer Vaccine; False Information About COVID-19 Vaccination Spreads; Grieving Family Calls Out Local Leaders, President Trump; CNN Heroes An All Star Tribute. Aired 11p- 12a ET

Aired December 11, 2020 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

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DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Following two major breaking news stories here tonight on CNN Tonight, the FDA issuing an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. That means we're likely just hours away from the final step before the first shots can be administered to the American people.

It comes as the virus is surging across this country. This week we have seen six straight days of record hospitalizations, and more than 2,700 people reported dead just today. Also, tonight the Supreme Court delivering another devastating blow to President Trump's attempts to overturn the election. The message was clear, it is over.

Joining me now CNN's White House correspondent John Harwood, global affairs analyst, Susan Glasser and legal analyst Elie Honig. Good evening to all three of you. It's over, it's done. Stick a fork in it. But, you know, this man does not give up. John, you first. The Supreme Court flat-out rejecting Trump's bid to overturn the election. That is a great, big loss for the president. What are you hearing tonight from the White House? Are you hearing anything, or is it crickets?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, it's like one of those mockumentaries where all the comedy is deadpan. You know, President Trump, who has been coming down to holiday parties in recent days and giving crazy rah-rah speeches suggesting he was going to win something that everyone knew he was going to lose. They announced that he would not be coming down and addressing the holiday Party tonight. So he ducked the chance to talk there.

And at the same time, they put out on Twitter a bizarre statement to camera by the president hailing the FDA's decision, and saying that the vaccine had passed the gold-plated review of the FDA and made the United States the first country with a verifiably safe vaccine. This is on the same day where the president who has been stewing over the fact that Britain has already begun administering shots to people.

Because they approve the vaccine faster and he was angry that it wasn't approve more (INAUDIBLE) in the United States, had his White House Chief of Staff call the FDA chief, Stephen Hahn and say resign by the end of the day, if you don't approve the vaccine.

Well, now the vaccine has been approved, the only outcome of that interchange was to decrease confidence in the vaccine. So that happened. Then at the same time, the president sent his clownish attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on to the Hannity show tonight to say he was disappointed in the court's ruling and said the court had an obligation to take the case.

Because these were sound allegations, he said they may or may not be true, but they needed to be tested. It is ridiculous, it's a joke, it's laughable, but unfortunately the joke is on all of us, because our democracy is being made to look ridiculous all around the world.

LEMON: We can call them the gang who couldn't sue straight. OK so listen, Elie, it's true though. The president appointed three of these justices. He thought that they were his, but they completely shut him down. I mean, that says a lot. Elie, take it. We've been talking about this forever both online and offline about the ridiculousness of this case and thank you for informing me on this and what you said actually came to pass here but go on.

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Don. We did call it. Look, this was a complete and total smack down. And it was so well deserved. I don't think I've ever seen a more ridiculous meritless lawsuit at any point in my career.

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Now, let me say this, I want to be clear about what these justices did tonight, because people are already trying to spin this. All nine justices rejected Donald Trump. They rejected the state of Texas. Seven of them, including all three that President Trump appointed said, you don't have standing. Meaning, you don't even have the legal right to come into this courthouse.

The other two, Alito and Thomas said, OK, you do have standing. We let come in. But then we'll throw you right out. So, look, as John said, this was an attack on our democracy and a salute to independent judiciary for standing strong against it.

LEMON: OK. But again, can you explain the spin? Because I think this is really important, because I saw the spin earlier. And basically, they were saying, Alito and Thomas said that this should be heard, and you know, they may have ruled for us, so what have you. And you say -- what do you say to that?

HONIG: That's halfway right. Alito and Thomas said this should be heard. But then they said it has no merit. We would let them come in here, will let them argue the case, and then we kick them right out because they've got nothing. That is what they say. That is in the words of the order. And please, people, do not let it get twisted that Alito and Thomas were somehow for Trump or Texas. That is not what they said. LEMON: All right. Susan, thank you for being on tonight. I've been

commenting on your articles lately, so, what is this ruling, Susan mean for the 126 Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who signed on to support this lawsuit. They did not have to go along on with this insanity. Yet they did Susan. Please help me explain this. Why?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Don, in some ways I feel that that is you know, potentially one on the lasting impacts of this is to reveal so clearly how much the Republican Party, even after Donald Trump's defeat, what a big percentage of it was willing to go along with this (INAUDIBLE). 64 percent of the House Republican caucus, that is 126 Republicans, the minority leader, they did not have to put their names to this. It was a choice.

I think for some of them it was probably a very cynical choice, because they knew that this lawsuit had no merit. And they knew that the Supreme Court was extremely likely to throw it out which is exactly what happened. So, they were -- they perhaps not receive any consequences. I mean, it's a Party that has behaved in many ways without any perception of accountability that they can do this and even attacked the foundations of democracy.

And I have to say, even after four years of us talking, you know, night after night about the norms that are being shattered, I was still surprise at the extent which even after a very clear defeat of the president in the election that so many Republicans would be willing to do so much to undermine democracy and to keep this sort of fantasy going. But you said is it over when it started, isn't really over, you know, it ain't over until it's over.

LEMON: Well, I wanted to ask you this. OK. So, to your point. Susan, do you think Republicans will actually admit reality when the Electoral College meets on Monday? Are they into deep right now?

GLASSER: I think some of them will. You know, you did see Senate Republicans who were very critical of their colleagues. Including Republicans from the state of Texas. (INAUDIBLE) You know, this is not right. So, there was definitely a difference of approach. You know have the implications, people like retiring Senator Lamar Alexander made clear that once the Electoral College meets on Monday, they're prepared to move on with this.

So, I think you'll see more and more Republicans breaking away from finally from Trump. You know, I think there is enormous damage that's already been done. And then you will see the sort of dead enders. Jim Jordan was asked about this the other day. He said he's planning to fight on until January 6th when the House is supposed to engage in the pro forma process, the procedural process is simply ratifying what the Electoral College has done. So, some people are dead-enders and will never give up, but more of them will. I hope they will on Monday.

LEMON: Yes, but consider the source, I mean, it's Jim Jordan. So, listen, Elie, we know this election has been over for weeks. But at this point has the president exhausted all the crazy legal tactics to try to question the result of this election? HONIG: Well, Don, in a sane world and with competent attorneys, the

answer would be yes. The Supreme Court is exactly that. It's a Supreme Court. There's no like intergalactic space court that you can go to after the Supreme Court. That is it. But Rudy Giuliani is already saying he's going to try to refile these cases in the district court. That does not work. The district courts have to follow what's in the Supreme Court. So, Rudy Giuliani, look, he has lost every case so far. He will continue to lose every case. It should be over. Let's hope it is.

LEMON: Oh boy, John, I want to put up this Fox News poll. They released a poll tonight showing 68 percent of Republicans, 68 percent, believe that the election was stolen from President Trump overall. 36 percent of the American voters say that they think that he was robbed. His lies are powerful and dangerous, John.

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HARWOOD: That is true. And you know, you were talking with Susan about the 126 members of the Republican Party who either out of complicity or out of fear went along with this crazy lawsuit that Donald Trump has filed. What this episode has showed is the extent of the moral and intellectual rot in the Republican Party. And it begins at the top with Donald Trump. It goes to the elected officials, many of whom know better. Some of them don't. But many of whom do and are going along cynically.

And sadly the tens of millions of Republican voters around the country, who in part because they have been fed a diet of misinformation and disinformation from the president, from conservative media for a very long time, have come to believe things that are profoundly untrue. And they're angry. They see the country changing. It's changing in a way where the center of gravity is moving away from them. They don't like that. They regard and label it as illegitimate.

They consider themselves the real Americans. These are predominantly white people. Remember, racial resentment was the most salient animating factor of the Trump coalition in 2016. And the country continues to change. That's not going to stop. And so there are people who have been diluted, who want to believe things that are not true, and it's a dangerous situation.

On the other hand, as we've been talking about for a few minutes, the court, the Supreme Court did hold. Despite the fact that Donald Trump appointed one third of those justices. Joe Biden won a decisive victory in the election. And we'll whether he can make any progress in returning some measure of sanity to people who have been lead in an insane direction.

LEMON: Yes. Biden information. Hey, Susan, a quick answer if you can give me one, because when you look at the polls, right? Trump got a lot less than half of the electorate. And there are a quarter of his people who do believe that he lost, right? Is it worth Biden trying to win over those people? GLASSER: Look, at some point, somebody got to figure out how to make

the country feel like it's one country again. You know, this is -- feels more and more like a cold civil war every day. This is madness. To have so many millions of people being fed, as John said, disinformation is having an effect that's poisonous, it's toxic.

And now since the election it's actually turned on the institution of democracy itself. The only thing I can say that is positive is the Supreme Court is now joining federal courts, state courts, because Trump has (INAUDIBLE) so many bad lawsuits, he's had his defeat ratified over and over and over again. So, hopefully that would give more legitimacy as time goes on. And these people will realize these are Republicans and Democrats who are seeing there is nothing to this.

LEMON: Yes, I want to see what the spin is tomorrow on all of this. When he finally comes down. He didn't come out like he's usual beat of (INAUDIBLE) and stand there at the balcony. Tonight, he was quite. Needed a nap. Thank you both. I appreciate it. I want to bring in now -- thank you all, excuse me. I appreciate it.

I want to bring in now Tim Wu, professor at Columbia University law school. And the author of the curse of big news. Good to see you. Thank you so much. And by the way, this New York Times op-ed is what really saved the republic from Trump. I urge all of you to read both of those, the op-ed and the book.

So, Tim, good evening again. You wrote an op-ed about our system, and the checks and balances, and how bad that's played a small role in stopping Trump from seizing unlimited power. Is this SCOTUS decision tonight part of that, because it seems at least in this case like a big part?

TIM WU, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Yes, I mean, that is -- I have to -- maybe he review my piece. The main point of my piece was that the, you know, the framework has put so much faith in Congress to control the president, and thought that you know, the Congress was going to be the real constraint. That was the essence of separation of powers, and you know, when you look at it four years later, what prevented us from become a dictatorship, definitely wasn't Congress. And the problem is party loyalty.

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As soon as the people in one party, the Republican Party, feel like they owe something, you know, they're not a check. So, the point of my piece, I think the original checks and balances haven't done as much as we would really have wanted to prevent Trump from, frankly, becoming a sort of president for life situation. The Supreme Court did something today. Very good. But overall, I'm going to say the separation of powers did not get an A plus on this in four years.

LEMON: Oh, wow, and I think the framers thought that we would have an overall -- at least a decent person of some sort as president of United States who would not exploit every loophole and weakness in the system. So, we probably got a lot of work to do to fortify this system. Tim, you know, this is from your op-ed, OK. And you say, what really save the republic from Mr. Trump was a different set of limits on the executive and informal and unofficial set of institutional norms upheld by federal prosecutors, military officers and state elections officials? So, it's the people? Right, not this system that checked Trump's power.

WU: That's when I think. I think when you look at this carefully, our system did not work as well as we would have liked. And you know, we live in a very cynical age. Nobody trusts anyone. I think when push came to shove, you know, Trump urged, beg, cajoled the prosecutors who he appointed to arrest Joe Biden. You know, make a public investigation into his family on some kind of crazy fraud or rigged charges. They wouldn't do it.

You know, I'm not saying they're perfect, but they wouldn't do it. You know, he tried, he offered the military. He said look, come to the White House. I'm going to invite you all. He gave them an open shot. I have to say and a lot of countries, a lot of militaries have taken that and said all right, let's rule this country together. They backed down on Mark Esper. You know, I'm saying these guys are perfect, but they didn't take it.

And finally, you know, the state election officials, Republican and Democrats, especially Republicans, came under a huge pressure. You know, basically find some election fraud. You know, you get a big cash prize, whatever, you will be rewarded, find it, they wouldn't do it.

So, I think, you know, it was close. Really close. But I think those three firewalls held and ultimately came down to people with a sense of duty, a sense of professionalism, doing the right thing, because that's what they felt they should. And you know, I'm just going to say I think sometimes Americans, we rely too much on the idea that we are going to set the system right. But sometimes, you know, we end up being saved by the people. And look, I wish this system worked better, but that's how we got saved this time.

LEMON: Tim Wu, I thank you for joining us, and thank you for your expertise and offering us some insight into what's going on. I appreciate it.

So we have more breaking news tonight, the FDA issues an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's COVID vaccine. And Americans could start getting shots in a matter of days, that as the President-Elect says this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This crisis has ripped the blinders right off of this systemic racism that exists in America. America now can see clearly. Black, Latino, Native American, nearly three times more likely to die from COVID, and more likely to get COVID to begin with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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LEMON: So here's our breaking news, the FDA issuing an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's COVID 19 vaccine. This is a major breakthrough in the pandemic. And it comes as more than 108,000 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus tonight. I want to bring in Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. So, Doctor, thank you so much for joining. This is a huge moment for our country. What happens next? When will Americans start getting shots in the arms?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Next week, our hospital already has stood up a portal for everyone who works in the hospital, medical staff, you know, house staff, nurses, custodial staff, to register for shots. And there will be a process in selecting who goes first. That's happening all over the country now. And it's starting next week. It's a magnificent moment for science. I'm really, really, really proud of it. It's unbelievable.

LEMON: Are you going to get it?

REINER: Absolutely, I will wait my turn. If my turn is next week, great, but if not, the first day I will roll up my sleeve, I'll take a picture, I'll send it to you. Yes, I will be there.

LEMON: All right, doctor, good news, thank you. A source tell CNN that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, that he needed to authorize this by tonight or resign. Do you think that had an impact on this decision?

REINER: You know it was so unnecessary. And really potentially destructive. You know, every day I see patients, I talk about the vaccine. I'm talking up the vaccine. I'm telling them that I have am confident that the FDA will not release the vaccine before its ready. That the FDA will not release a vaccine before the efficacy and the safety is clear.

And to hear that the White House is pressuring the FDA, insisting that the FDA commissioner approve the vaccine at the penalty of being fired is incredibly destructive and very harmful to the public confidence in the safety of this vaccine. And the people who are reluctant to get the vaccine are almost universally concerned that it's been rushed. So, when you're rushing the FDA. That is very destructive to public confidence, unnecessary.

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But in keeping with what we've seen from the FDA. Remember, this FDA approved hydroxychloroquine pressured by the White House. This FDA had that crazy Sunday night you way for convalescent plasma where the FDA commissioner botched the stats. So they didn't need this. This was going to come this weekend. This wasn't going to speed up delivery. That was already set. It was potentially very destructive.

LEMON: So, I want you to take a listen, this is where the president posted on his Twitter page right after the FDA news was announced. Here it is.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have given Pfizer and other companies a great deal of money hoping this would be the outcome. And it was. On behalf of the American people I would like to thank all of the brilliant scientists, technicians, doctors and workers who made this all possible.

When the China virus invaded our shores, I promised that we would produce a vaccine in record time before the end of the year. They said it could not be done. But with today's announcement we have now achieved that goal. The United States is the first nation in the world to produce a verifiably safe and effective vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, so, look, he wants credit. You can't really separate out the handling of the virus and the handling of the vaccine. You have to judge the record, the entire record as a whole. Right?

REINER: Yes, well, look, I like that this administration prioritized getting a vaccine done. And understood that in order to do this they would have to get companies to take risks. And in order to get company to take risk, they'd have to pay for that. So, congratulations Mister President. You did the right thing there.

The management of the pandemic has been abysmal. There are 232,000 new cases today, we are averaging over 200,000 new cases a day. 2,800 deaths today, we are averaging almost 2,400 deaths. Everything else about the pandemic response has been abysmal. But these vaccines are the beginning of the end, finally. I will say that, you know, the president likes to take credit for the Pfizer vaccine. Pfizer took no money from the government for this. The only thing the government did was guarantee purchase. Which is important. Don't get me wrong.

But Pfizer funded this trial and development. Also one other thing, the president think everyone except for maybe the most important participants who were the subjects in the clinical trial. The people who took the risk. The citizens of the United States who rolled up their sleeves to take the vaccine, take the risk not knowing the safety. So, I'm grateful to all the clinical trial participants all around the country who showed great bravery to do this.

LEMON: Doctor, thank you. Be safe. I will see you soon.

REINER: My pleasure. Thank you, Don.

LEMON: So, what happens when even doctors push false information? And the White House gives them a bull horn to spread it? We're on misinformation watch. That's next. But straight ahead. A family in mourning has a message for all the leaders not taking coronavirus seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: Our own president says the day after the election that the

coronavirus would disappear. Guess what Mr. President, my mom died. 15 days after your election. And it didn't disappear. It did not go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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LEMON: So, if 2020 has shown us anything, it is when there is misinformation out there on a topic, it is going to spread, it's going to spread fast, it's going to metastasize throughout our communities. And when it does, it disrupts society. So we have been seeing it with coronavirus, with the presidential election, and now we are seeing it with the coronavirus vaccines.

It is one thing to be cautious, but it's another to buy into false information, junk science, and conspiracy theories. And it is quite another to spread those ideas to other people. CNN correspondent, Elle Reeve, spoke with a pastor from Tennessee, who doesn't believe the pandemic is real, and who won't be taking the vaccine. Now here is what he says about members of his congregation, potentially taking it.

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ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you're going to tell the members of your congregation not get the vaccine?

PASTOR GREG LOCKE, GLOBAL VISION BIBLE CHURCH: Members of my congregation can do whatever they want to. But they'll watch my video and know that I'm not getting it.

REEVE: So, you expect them to model your behavior?

LOCKE: I expect them to use their bible and use their brain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The lord helps those who help themselves. Unbelievable. Joining me now for more on all of this is Dr. Richard Friedman, professor of clinical psychiatry at Well Cornell Medical College, and Matthew Seeger, professor, and dean of the college of fine, performing, and communication arts at Wayne State University. Doctor, I always -- I even go there. Is it real or while and the doctors correct me when I'm there. Can you?

RICHARD FRIEDMAN, PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY, WELL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE: It's while.

LEMON: OK, yes, I screwed it up every time, so doctors, my doctors there, I'm sorry. OK so listen, Dr. Friedman, Gallup polling released this week showing just 63 percent of Americans are willing to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. According to Gallup, that is an increase. Is it the medical community that needs to build more trust with Americans over the vaccine? How do you get more people on board here?

FRIEDMAN: Don, I think the problem is that we've had an administration, for the last four years, that is been guided by conspiracy theories and medical quackery. So, I think that if you have new political leadership, that basically is guided by science and fact, that is an important start.

Of course, you know, we have members of the medical community who had been all too willing to lend wacky theories to support such politicians. But by in large, you need leaders who will explain to Americans what basic, good, medical sciences is.

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LEMON: Matthew, I want to bring you in now, because you are a communications expert. As a communications expert, tell us what coordinated communications efforts to correct misinformation about being that vaccinations look like? Who is involved? How does this work?

MATTHEW SEEGER, PROFESSOR, DEAN, COLLEGE OF FINE, PERFORMING, AND COMMUNICATION ARTS, WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY: Traditionally, the way the system work was the CDC established the message in a very centralized manner. And then, it flowed through a series of public health partners who pick up the message, made it available to their own communities, modified the message to meet the needs of their communities. So we had a very centralized, very coordinated process of communication that went through the CDC.

CDC, of course, was recognized as a credible organization to get a lot to ensure that its information was accurate. I agree with Dr. Friedman that, you know, we had a system that has been very disruptive, and we have a variety of conflicting and competing and false narratives out there about this disease and about vaccinations now. It is very difficult to overcome all those false narratives.

LEMON: Dr. Friedman, I want to talk about an op-ed that you wrote published by The New York Times today, where you warned about doctors pushing misinformation. How much bad information do you think is coming from irresponsible doctors right now? People like former member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Scott Atlas.

FRIEDMAN: Well, it doesn't take that many physicians to do a lot of damage, but if you have physicians who have prominent positions in leadership, that's all it takes to affect an enormous number of Americans who hear an adviser to the president basically telling them things that we know to be medically, scientifically false.

As in, you don't need to wear a mask. Or, you can go out, and you don't have to worry. Or, you can get sick, and we should just go and get herd immunity. So, it's not that you need so many, you just need a few in high places that can do a lot of damage. Doctors who give misinformation to the public.

LEMON: We clearly, Matthew, clearly we live in an age of misinformation right now. Why is it so easy to spread? How much harder is it? Is it impossible to reverse?

SEEGER: No, I don't think it is impossible to reverse. We need to work aggressively to confront misinformation and junk science when we see it. We need to do so in a way that is respectful, and recognize that these attitudes exist. We do not wish to create a circumstance where we appear to be creating martyrs of individuals who offer alternative views. So, it is very important that we engage in these conversations, we engage aggressively. We have these conversations, but we sustain these conversations.

LEMON: But Matthew, I have to say, I mean, I am shocked by the number of people, many of whom I've known for a long period of time, very smart and educated people. And they will send many things off of the internet, or supposed articles, right and they ask me, did you know about this? Why aren't you guys reporting this? And is this correct? And I am floored that they actually even consider it.

SEEGER: Absolutely. There is a lot of misinformation that has been passed around, and there are a lot of wild theories. I have friends who still told me that this is just a bad flu, that this is a hoax. And when I encounter those kinds of attitudes, I ask people to explain how they came to those positions. Where they got that information. I try to engage them in a conversation.

I don't, you know, necessarily, just reject them. I don't call them idiots and you know, stop talking to them. I try to continue the conversation. I think it is really important to be sustain these conversations. It is also important that we tell stories. I think we have spent a lot of time trying to talk to the public with the statistics, the medical science, the facts. We also need good storytelling, and we need our journalists and others to be out there, to tell the story of this horrible disease.

LEMON: That is really good. Guess what, we have an important story, just like what you mentioned, that is coming up next. Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate it, you be safe, both of you, thank you for coming on again.

SEEGER: Thank you.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you very much.

LEMON: So, they are a family of lifelong Republicans, living in Ruby Red County. They will not obey their states COVID restrictions, but their mother's death really has them calling out politicians, and the president, and calling on everyone to mask up. You got to see this story, right after the break.

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[23:40:00]

LEMON: More than 295,000 Americans have already lost their lives to the coronavirus. 2,733 of those tragic deaths, where reported just today. I say it over and over again, but it didn't have to be like this. One grieving family, understanding that and they are fighting back. They are calling out their local government for refusing to enforce COVID restrictions, and pleading with their community to mask up. CNN's Lucy Kavanaugh has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: She was scared. She said, she called me Nettie, she said Nettie, am I going to die? And I said, mom, no, you are like a fighter. You defy the odds all the time, and you're not going to die.

[23:45:20]

LUCY KAVANAUGH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When her mother May Bunges was infected with COVID-19, Jeanette Strump thought she would pull through like always.

JEANETTE STRUMP, MOM DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: Good job mom.

KAVANAUGH: May survived a dual lung transplant. She loved singing and cheering on the Denver Broncos.

UNKNOWN: She used to sit, right there, in that chair.

KAVANAUGH: But now, her family is mourning. The 71-year-old matriarch, died of the coronavirus, last month.

STRUMP: My mom is maybe no more special than the other 286,000 people who have died now. But, she is just as special as every one of those people.

KAVANAUGH: Jeannette was able to be with her mother in her final moments, her dad, and sister, never got that chance.

STRUMP: It's horrible. Just sitting there and watch my mom gasp for air as she was dying. And when they took out that too, it's horrible. And we can't do anything for her. She had perfect, beautiful, new lungs. And this monster virus killed her.

KAVANAUGH: What were your last words to May?

UNKNOWN: I love you, I want you to come home. But it never happen.

KAVANAUGH: May was a longtime resident of Greely, Colorado, where she spent decades volunteering.

STRUMP: People in this community are profoundly affected by my mom's death. She meant something to the people here.

KAVANAUGH: Weld County, home to Greely is solidly in the red, both politically, and on Colorado's COVID-19 dial. Nearly 58 percent voted for President Trump in this election. But, despite a surge in coronavirus cases, Weld County commissioners, last month, announced they would not obey the state's new COVID-19 restrictions on the area.

UNKNOWN: Ultimately, this boils down to personal responsibility, through voluntary compliance. Folks, know the best way to combat COVID. KAVANAUGH: The County has no mask order, it's sheriff saying she would

not enforce one anyway.

UNKNOWN: I just want everyone to wear a mask. Please and thank you.

KAVANAUGH: The family has launched an initiative called mask up for May, to prevent others from experiencing the pain of losing a loved one. Although they say they are lifelong conservatives and Republicans, they also say, they feel let down by their County and the White House.

STRUMP: Our own president is saying, the day after the election that the coronavirus would disappear. Guess what mister president, my mom died. 15 days after your election, and it didn't disappear. It didn't go away. It's not going away. It's not a joke. My mom died, 15 days after your flipping remarks. And I am devastated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAVANAUGH: And Don, May is gone for good. It's a loss her family will have to live with for the rest of their lives. And I do not know how many more grieving families will have to share their heartbreak for our elected leaders to take this virus seriously. We reached out to Weld County, they have not responded to our request for comment on the story. But there are simple steps elected officials can take to help save lives, it just requires leadership, Don.

LEMON: You are right about leadership, I like that little boy said, just wear a mask. Lucy, leadership is right. Did the family say it disaffected how they voted this election?

KAVANAUGH: They did, they are lifelong conservatives and Republicans. They say that they voted for Joe Biden in this election in part because they feel that the Trump administration failed them, and feel the country by mismanaging, and politicizing it's response to COVID.

LEMON: Yes, listen I know that Jeanette is watching and our hearts really go out for you, and all of the family involved there. Thank you so much, Lucy. Thank you everyone for watching that story. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:50:00]

LEMON: For many, this time of year is about giving back, but the 14th annual CNN heroes all-star tribute, it's loots of people who put other first throughout this turbulent year. The star-studded show airs this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice over): It's been a year of challenges and change, but it's also been a year of hope.

This year's CNN heroes, it's a celebration of everyday people doing extraordinary acts. During two of the biggest stories of 2020. Join Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, and celebrity guests.

UNKNOWN: Tonight, is about hope, and it's about decency and it's about compassion.

UNKNOWN: In a salute to the people who keep our spirits lifted.

UNKNOWN: We need to see the world differently.

UNKNOWN: Anyone can have an impact, no matter their age.

UNKNOWN: Plus, the viewer's choice for this year's most inspiring moment and a special musical performance by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner, Cynthia Erivo. CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute, Sunday, at 8:00, on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[23:55:11]

LEMON: And it is going to be a great show. You won't want to miss it. So, gather up the family, grab your tissues and get ready to be inspired. And thank you for watching everyone, our coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)