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Pfizer Vaccine May Be More Than 90 Percent Effective; Promising News About COVID-19 Vaccine Lifts DOW, S&P 500; World Reaction to the Future Biden Presidency; Indian Village Celebrates Biden-Harris Victory; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Sign Ceasefire; Dog Day Return to the White House; U.S. Reaching 10 Million COVID Cases; Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Gives Hope; President Trump Refuse to Concede; High- ranking Official Ousted; Not a Time to be Complacent. Aired 3-4 ET
Aired November 10, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, as coronavirus spikes in parts of the world promising news about a potential vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Please, I implore you. Wear a mask. Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden pleads with Americans as he forms a COVID-19 advisory board filled with scientists.
And he's leaving the White House in just over 70 days, but outgoing president Donald Trump is making it clear he won't go quietly. Now the U.S. attorney general is giving the green light to investigate unfounded voter fraud allegations.
Good to have you with us.
And we begin with a major breakthrough in the global fight against COVID-19. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says its experimental coronavirus vaccine appears to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing infection.
Now this according to early data from a study of 43,000 volunteers. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said so far, they haven't found no safety concerns with the drug though they still haven't determined how long protection will last and whether the drug can prevent severe infections.
Even so, researchers plan to seek regulatory approval in the coming weeks, and could have up to 50 million doses ready by years end.
CNN's Nick Watt has the details.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The delight and the end of this tunnel just gets closer. Pfizer says its potential vaccine might be more than 90 percent effective. Well beyond expectations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERT BOURLA, CEO, PFIZER: I think that likely base on the impact that would be the greatest medical advanced in the last 100 years. It's very important day for humanity.
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We may have doses that we are able to give to people by the end of November, the beginning of December. We would be giving vaccines to people very likely before the end of this year. That is good news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: But the challenges remain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): Just to put it in focus, we did 120 million COVID tests in this nation over seven months, scrambling, doing everything we can. We now have to do 330 million vaccinations. Maybe twice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Meantime, in the U.S., this virus is spreading at record rates. For the first time averaging over 100,000 new infections every day. Nearly 1,000 deaths. Rising, but not as fast, and --
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SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We're going to have a record number of hospitalizations this week. Now 56,000 people are hospitalized, 11,000 are in the ICU. These are very big numbers nationally. And it's accelerating very quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: While attention was understandably elsewhere.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: As election night in America continues --
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WATT: During what became election week in America, at least three quarters of a million caught this virus and it killed 6,571 people. The administration will now change, but one thing might stay the same. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: I have no intention of leaving. This is an important job. I've been doing it now for a very long time. I have been doing it under six presidents. It's an important job. And my goal is to serve the American public, no matter what the administration is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Meanwhile, Utah finally has a mask mandate.
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GOV. GARY HERBERT (R-UT): Masks do not negatively affect our economy. It's the easiest way to slow the spread of the virus. We cannot afford to debate this issue any longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: In Minnesota, more than 10,000 cases confirmed just over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These rates of growth are truly chilling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: In New York City, they are nervous again.
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MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY): Now unfortunately we are seeing a real growth and the positivity rate in this city, and that is dangerous. So we have one last chance to stop a second wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: If you look at nationwide spread, these last five days were the worst 5 days of the pandemic. The next five might be even worse.
[03:05:05]
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
CHURCH: Dr. Ravina Kullar is an infectious disease expert and epidemiologist. She is with us now from Los Angeles. Thank you so much for being with us. And for all that you do.
RAVINA KULLAR, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT & EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Thank you, Rosemary, for having me on.
CHURCH: So, we are seeing U.S. COVID cases surpassed 10 million with daily cases hitting record highs, but now comes this positive news about Pfizer vaccine being more than 90 percent effective. I'd be interested to get response to all of that. KULLAR: Definitely. So here in the United States as you stated we're
at around over 10 million cases, I mean we're surpassing any other country, 110,000 cases per day, which is about over one case per second. So, I think the entire world, especially the United States needs a glimmer of hope in this grim outlook that we currently have.
So, this Pfizer vaccine showing about a 90 percent efficacy is just that potential glimmer of hope that we have been looking for. And as a healthcare provider that's been involved in vaccine research for quite sometime, I can state that these results look quite promising thus far, but there are still some unanswered questions.
So, just taking a step back at looking at these results there were about 44,000 people that were entered into this trial and out of these 44,000, there were 94 cases that ended up developing the source COV2 virus. And so out of those individuals that were less than 10 percent of those that ended up receiving the vaccine. And there were over 90 percent that ended up receiving placebo.
So that's quite promising to see that most of those individuals that ended up getting COVID-19 were those that received the placebo versus the vaccine.
CHURCH: Right. So, what do you think this means in terms of when people will actually have access to the vaccine and in a meaningful way, of course?
KULLAR: I think it's going to be sometime. This is an interim analysis. So, I think they are very important questions to be answered. So, this study looked at two different doses given that 21 days apart and then analyzed seven days after and so it is a total of 20 days.
How long is someone immune from this virus? We still don't know that picture from just these interim results. We don't know whether those individuals which are elderly will respond just as well as those which are younger.
We know from previous vaccines that elderly individuals do not respond as well and those are the ones which are most vulnerable. So, there are very many unanswered questions here and we still don't know much about the safety.
Vaccines can have some very adverse events which are affiliated with it, especially with the SARS COV2 vaccine where early on in the phase one trials were shown to have individuals have fatigue, chills and many other adverse events affiliated with it.
So, it's this what's seen also with this vaccine. So, I think as a Pfizer CEO stated we should hopefully have the results by sometime at the end of this month which is very soon but what that means in terms of utilization to the general public, I think that's yet to be told.
CHURCH: Right. Of course at least there is this glimmer of hope and that's what people are looking for, isn't it? And Moderna has a vaccine very similar to Pfizer. So how soon might that become available and of course how difficult will the low temperature requirements of these vaccine speed when it comes to distribution?
KULLAR: Correct, so that's a very good question that you have and that you asked, so both of those vaccines, so the messenger RNA vaccine is, it's a very unique technology, which actually that's what had these vaccines been developed and really been available in terms of phase three trials being done so quickly is this novel technology.
And so, these vaccines have to be kept at and negative 80 degrees Celsius temperature, which can make it very difficult in terms of its distribution. So that's a very good question. I think we don't know what that means. I think that's going to be a hiccup in terms of it being available to the public, and where they can access the vaccine.
But another good point that you brought up is that they are right behind Pfizer as Moderna, we should just rely on one vaccine manufacturer.
[03:10:03]
The fact that there is Moderna right behind Pfizer, that there are several other vaccine manufacturers that are in the works, really making the development of a vaccine for SARS COV2 a priority. And I think that is a glimmer of hope that we have here in the midst of this pandemic.
CHURCH: Yes. So, hope on the horizon, but until then we do need to wear our masks. Dr. Ravina Kullar, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
KULLAR: Thank you.
CHURCH: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden signaled he would take a much more aggressive approach to fighting the pandemic when he unveiled his new coronavirus task force on Monday. In the speech, Mr. Biden urged Americans to wear masks saying it's the best way to contain the deadly outbreak.
CNN's Arlette Saenz has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Good afternoon, everyone.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: On his first workday as president-elect, Joe Biden turned his attention straight to his top priority. Tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
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BIDEN: I will spare no effort to turn this pandemic around once we are sworn in in January 20th.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SAENZ: With Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at his side, Biden
warns of the pandemic's severity after the U.S. saw a record-breaking weekend in coronavirus cases.
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BIDEN: The challenge before us right now is still immense and growing. We are still facing a very dark winter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Biden welcomed progress on a vaccine while urging Americans to embrace masks to curve the growing spread of the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Please, I implore you, wear a mask and do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbor. A mask is not a political statement but it is a good way to start pulling the country together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: The president-elect stress his response will be guided by science. Unveiling a new coronavirus task force led by a former U.S. surgeon general. Former FDA commissioner and Yale University professor. Also, on the team, Rick Bright, the whistleblower who alleged his early warnings about the pandemic went ignored by the Trump administration.
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RICK BRIGHT, FORMER DIRECTOR, HHS BIOMEDICAL ADVANCED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY: More people are going to die, because scientists are being pushed back. Scientists are not being heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: With his transition underway, Biden is planning executive orders to undo some of President Trump's policies on his first day in office including rejoining the Paris climate agreement and reinstating protections for DREAMers.
Biden's transition still faces one technical hurdle. As it waits for a Trump appointee at a government agency to sign a letter recognizing his victory and releasing funds for his operation.
In the days since his win, Biden has seen a wave of messages from world leaders. Today speaking by phone with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And congratulatory statements from the king of Saudi Arabia and Israel's prime minister. Two men seen as allies of President Trump.
While the current president has not acknowledged Biden's win, one former Republican president has. George W. Bush called Biden to extend his well wishes saying, though we have political differences I know Joe Biden to be a good man who has won his opportunity to lead and to unify our country. The president-elect already looking ahead to the next chapter.
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BIDEN: This election is over and it's time to put aside the party -- the partisanship and the rhetoric that designed to demonize one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now later today, Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the Affordable Care Act as the Supreme Court gets ready to hear oral arguments to try to strike down President Obama's signature healthcare initiative. Something Biden is working to protect.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
CHURCH: And while President-elect Joe Biden moves full steam ahead with his plans to transition into the White House, President Donald Trump is showing signs he has accepted defeat even though he hasn't officially conceded.
A Trump adviser tells CNN that Mr. Trump sees a quote, "path to losing and is already discussing running in 2024." At the same time, the president is still mounting legal challenges to the 2020 election results supported by some top Republicans.
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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: Let's not have any lectures. Now lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of real-life election. And who insinuated that this one would be illegitimate too. If they lost again. Only if they lost. So, let's have no lectures on the subject.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:14:59]
CHURCH: Attorney General William Barr is telling federal prosecutors to examine allegations of voting irregularities before states certify the results, but there is no credible evidence to support President Trump's claims of massive fraud. Republican leader from here in Georgia is making that clear.
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GEOFF DUNCAN, GEORGIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: My office has been in close communication with the secretary of state's office and the attorney general's office and made sure that if there's any sort of systemic examples of fraud or voter disenfranchisement across the voting base to let us know we've not had sort of any credible incidents raised to our level yet, and so we will continue to make sure that the opportunity to make sure every legal ballot is counted is there, but, you know, at this point we've not seen any sort of credible examples.
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CHURCH: So, let's talk more about this with CNN election law analyst, Franita Tolson. She joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.
FRANITA TOLSON, CNN ELECTION LAW ANALYST: Very happy to be here. Thank you.
CHURCH: So, Attorney General Bill Barr has told federal prosecutors to look into unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud and irregularities. When you see the Trump camp's legal fight going as they push back against Joe Biden's win here?
TOLSON: So, in many ways I think the legal fight has become a political one. So, if you look at the litigation that's been brought over the last six days a lot of it was very small issues. For example, the campaign was complaining about the fact that there are observers couldn't be close enough to oversee the vote counts.
They were complaining about how certain votes were tallied and certain ballots irregularities and so on. And so, a lot of that was dismissed in courts and the states that are currently at issue. So, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, for example.
And so, if you look at the Barr memo and the context of everything that's happening it seems to reinforce this idea that there are some type of irregularity in this election that should cast doubt on the outcome.
So, for example, the Barr memo authorizes DOJ officials to investigate election irregularities that could potentially impact the outcome of the election. Right, so anything that they view as the outcome determined of now. But the letter states that they should defer investigations that will not affect the outcome of the election. Right?
So, if you think about it that way, any investigation that takes place at this point will of course give the impression that something is amiss. Right? So, it seems like it's a part of this broader pattern coupled with a litigation to call the outcome of the election into question.
CHURCH: So, what evidence does the Trump team need to produce to prove their unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud and at what point do you say put up or shut up?
TOLSON: We've asked that point about six days ago. So, I think that's been the problem, right? The fact that a lot of these claims are unsubstantiated. So, in the litigation file in Pennsylvania in the last couple of days, and the litigation filed in Michigan, for example, they have affidavits from voters indicating that they witnessed voting irregularities.
But beyond that there's really no evidence of any systematic widespread wrongdoing, at least not significant enough to overturn the outcome of the election. Keep in mind the margins in these states are pretty large. Right? So even if we have a recount, a recount is unlikely to result in a shift of thousands of votes. It's going to shift maybe, you know, 100 votes, 200. Like a very small amount.
CHURCH: Yes.
TOLSON: So, in essence, the Trump campaign is trying to use this litigation and trying to use the Department of Justice in order to cast doubt on the outcome of this election because this litigation is unlikely to be successful on its own terms, and neither will a recount in all likelihood.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, in the meantime, the cover mint agency responsible for the transition process, the GSA won't recognize Joe Biden's victory. And it's refusing to allow the president-elect to move forward with this process. Biden's team is not ruling out legal action to force the Trump administration to affirm Biden's victory here so the process can go forward. So, what can they do legally?
TOLSON: You know, it's really hard to say. I wouldn't say that this is unprecedented. If you think back to 2000, the 2000 election was very contested. There was a 34-day period where we didn't know the president would be. And so, the Bush campaign, they were able to handle their transition but it was mostly through private donation.
Because the thing about the GSA recognizing the president-elect is the fact that it frees up funds. It allows them to get ready to take over government, it allows them to pay for background checks to all of the other sort of, you know, human resource personnel type things that presidents do during transitions.
And so, you know, it's really hard to know how this will play out in court, especially this soon. Right? So, it's possible that the administrative, the GSA is just waiting to see how all of this pans out.
[03:19:59]
And so, I'm trying to be optimistic and say that we haven't reached crisis yet. But it's entirely possible that they may have to go to court to try to force her hand.
CHURCH: Yes. She was getting a lot of calls today.
TOLSON: Yes.
CHURCH: Franita Tolson, thank you so much. I appreciate your analysis.
TOLSON: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, President Trump has kept a low profile over the last few days but is still making consequential decisions. On Monday, he fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper with that announcement coming on Twitter. Our Barbara has the latest on Esper's replacement.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Christopher Miller, a former special operations soldier and President Trump's counterterrorism chief is now the new acting secretary of defense. He arrived at the Pentagon a short time after President Trump announced that he was replacing Defense Secretary Mark Esper, firing him.
The president saying that by tweet, Esper getting that notice from a phone call from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows just a few moments before the president's tweet went out. The two of them had been on the out since June when Esper publicly, essentially came out against the president saying that he could not support any idea of putting any active duty U.S. military forces on the street when they were trying to quell protesters. He did not believe that that was necessary.
But now, Esper of course, deferring to the president's decision and saying in his resignation letter in part, I serve the country in deference to the Constitution so I accept your decision to replace me.
For his part, Miller as acting faces a lot of uncertainty about what Trump may decide to do in the days before the inauguration in January. The pandemic still front and center at the Pentagon. U.S. military personnel now redeploying to some city hospitals in Texas to help out overworked medical staff there and the president still holding open the possibility that he wants to bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas. Something that U.S. military commanders say it's simply too soon to contemplate.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
CHURCH: And Mark Esper is worried that his firing may not be the last. A senior administration official tell CNN Esper fears FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel could be next. A source close to the president says he and top aides had discussions about firing Wray prior to the election.
The president in some of his allies also said to have become frustrated with Haspel. Sources say they accused her of delaying the release of documents that they believe would have exposed deep state plots against the Trump campaign.
Coming up next, strict measures are in place across Europe as companies take drastic steps to counter a surge in COVID-19 cases. We are live in Paris next.
[03:25:00]
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CHURCH: Millions in Europe are under strict coronavirus restrictions as the region deals with a second wave. In England, a second nationwide lockdown has recently begun. And while Prime Minister Boris Johnson was keen to welcome the news on the vaccine, he cautioned the public not to become complacent. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Irrespective of whether there is a vaccine on the way or not, we must continue to do everything possible right now to bring the R down. And that's why we hope and believe that mass testing will help.
Neither mass testing nor progress on vaccines although both vital arrows in our epidemiological quiver. They are both part of the key parts of our fight against COVID. At the present time, there are no substitutes for the national restrictions, the social distancing, hand hygiene, and all the rest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, France is also dealing with a COVID-19 crisis, with more than 20,000 new cases reported on Monday alone. The country has the fourth highest case tally in the world and its health chief is warning that the seco2nd wave has yet to peak.
So, let's turn now to CNN's Melissa Bell. She joins us live from Paris. Good to see you, Melissa. So, what is the latest on this?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was that warning from Jerome Salomon -- he is the man who leads France's public health agency who is leading the fight against a second wave that has hit France and so many other European countries particularly hard, Rosemary. And it was that idea that the peak of the second wave has yet to come, and yet, the very beginning of some positive signs on the key criteria.
Take for, instance, positivity nationwide. It has fallen for the first times since August. We're now at 19.8 percent from the high on Saturday of 20.6 percent. It had risen every single day, Rosemary, since the end of August, it's the first time that we've seen a slight fall in that. That's an important indicator.
And what Jerome Salomon had to say what that in those cities, because remember, that although now we are in a second partial lockdown here in France, as we are another European cities. Before that came in there were a couple of weeks when we had these curfews in place in several French cities.
What he said last night is that in those cities where the curfews had been in place, where now this nationwide second partial lockdown has been added. In those cities we're starting to see the beginning of some hope of progress. Here in Paris it's crucial that that happens quickly, Rosemary, just as a reminder in the greater Paris region the occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients in these ICUs is now above 96 percent.
So, this is a change that had to happen and that had to happen fast. Although very much on what happens now over the next few days not just here in France, but elsewhere in Europe as those numbers really take ICUs to breaking points.
CHURCH: All right, Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris. Many thanks for the update there.
Well encouraging news about a possible coronavirus vaccine sent stocks soaring on Monday. A check on the how the markets are doing now will be straight ahead.
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[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Well, officials and health experts around the world are welcoming encouraging news about Pfizer's progress on a potential coronavirus vaccine. On Monday, the drug makers said early data shows its vaccine appears to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing an infection. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Researchers in the United States have been studying four coronavirus vaccines in large- scale clinical trials and now there's data for one of them. The company that makes this vaccine, Pfizer, says that the data shows that it's more than 90 percent effective. My colleague Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke to their CEO Dr. Albert Bourla.
ALBERT BOURLA, CEO, PFIZER: I think that likely based on impact that would be the greatest medical advancement in the last hundred years, if you think about it, right? And it is extraordinary, but it is coming at a time that the world needs it the most. Right now, only the U.S. who has 100,000 victims of COVID every day. 1,000 deaths every day. I cannot count how many people are losing their jobs every day. So it is very important day for humanity.
COHEN: Now, that is a lot of enthusiasm. So, let's look at the numbers behind that enthusiasm. Pfizer enrolled more than 43,000 people in their study. Half of those people were given the vaccine and half were given a placebo or just a shot of saline that does nothing.
Now they waited several months, 94 of those people became sick with COVID. And when they look to see what did those people get the vaccine? Or did they get the placebo, what they found is only 10 percent of them received the vaccine. The other 90 percent got the placebos. So, that means that the vaccine is 90 percent effective.
Now this data comes from Pfizer. It has been reviewed by an independent data and safety board. However, it has not gone to the FDA yet. That is not expected to happen for at least a week because Pfizer has to wait for some safety data to come in. There is no particular reason to think that there would be any red flags there, but of course it needs to be looked at.
Now, let's take a look at what happens next. First of all, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has to authorize the vaccine. That actually might turn out to be the easy part. It is very complex to distribute and administer this vaccine, and the reason for that, it has to be kept at minus 75 degrees Celsius. That is much, much colder than any vaccines, for example, that are in use in the United States.
And it looks likely that people are going to have to get these shots yearly. The reason I say shots is this vaccine is given into doses about three weeks apart. And also, the public will have to be convinced to get it, or at least many members of the public. The reason for that is that poll after poll in various countries show that many people are suspicious of this vaccine. They're afraid there might be safety issues so there is a fair amount of public education that will have to go on here. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Thanks for that report. And that promising news about the COVID-19 vaccine helped U.S. stocks surged on Wall Street. The DOW closed nearly 3 percent higher on Monday. The S&P 500 was up 1.2 percent. Just short of a new record high. But the tech heavy NASDAQ closed down 1.5 percent.
And here's a look at how U.S. futures are reacting right now. You can see the DOW up nearly .5 percent there and about a third of a percentage point for the S&P 500 futures. So let's go to John Defterios in Abu Dhabi. He joins us live. Good to see you, John.
So we now have a sense of how important a vaccine is for an economic recovery. But is Wall Street out of step with the medical challenges of distributing this vaccine and of course the timing?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, I like the way you framed that, Rosemary, because there are obviously focus on the breakthrough potential here and not the hurdles ahead in terms of distribution.
[03:35:05]
And we had this huge spike up, something I haven't seen for months in terms of a recovery and then a more subdued finish, if you will. And we still have the DOW, it does shows up nearly 3 percent. So, it's nothing to discard because those are the major companies in the United States that have been locked out of the overall recovery because of the pandemic.
Let's take a look at Asia and how it is responding. We have mainly gains across the board, Hong Kong up about 1 percent. Shanghai below the line here but clearly not a follow-through of what we saw on Wall Street. But let's take a look at the winners and losers of that Monday trade, here.
You see airlines bouncing back. Carnival cruise lines which got hit very hard during the pandemic, and then a company like Disney, so people can go back outside, go to theme parks, Disney would benefit and then the work from home or stay at home stocks, if you will, like the Netflix, Clorox, or Zoom, it had a tremendous 2020. You can see the hit they took yesterday as a result of this shift of the vaccine and the thinking. But is the framework of the winners and losers? What are investors trying to tell us? Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUINSY KROSBY, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGITS, PRUDENTIAL: The market, as you again pointed at looks ahead. Looks ahead three months maybe even four 4 months. And that is why today, you see the normal stocks, the sectors, getting a major boost. You're seeing Disney, the consummate discretionary -- consumer discretionary name getting a boost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: And also getting the boost was oil yesterday. Rosemary. There's a chairing on oil conference here in Abu Dhabi and they were like whoa, a gain of 10 percent. But again, today it was more subdued with gains around 1 percent. But again, trains, planes, and automobiles were back moving again, oil would benefit.
CHURCH: Yes. So lately. And John, while we have you, I did want to ask you this. A U.S. investors perhaps downplaying the challenge against the U.S. election results coming from Donald Trump?
DEFTERIOS: Yes, they see it as a wildcard, Rosemary. It's going to be a challenge that could last for a month, but not a road block to the Biden presidency. That was the work from Black Rock, which is huge asset manager.
There's also global challenges, the U.S.-China trade. You notice Beijing has not come out to acknowledge the Biden presidency. Joe Biden during the debates took a hardline saying that China needs to open up and it's a challenge for us going forward, so it's going to be the same cantankerous relationship. But right now, the focus is on medical breakthroughs, not political challenges and that could be a mistake.
CHURCH: Yes, interesting, we'll keep an eye on that. John Defterios joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks as always.
DEFTERIOS: Thanks.
CHURCH: Well, some world leaders have yet to congratulate Joe Biden on his election win while others, like London's mayor say they are looking forward to a Biden presidency. More reaction from around the globe, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:00]
CHURCH: Well, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoken with U.S. President-Elect Biden and the two leaders are ready to get to work. Mr. Trudeau sent out a pair of tweets Monday, highlighting challenges facing the U.S. and Canada. He says, he discussed COVID-19 and climate change with Biden, along with a host of other issues. The Prime Minister spoke earlier about the U.S. election and what lies ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER, CANADA: I want to congratulate
President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris. I am looking forward to working with them both on the common challenges and opportunities facing our countries and our world. Canada and the United States have a unique relationship. And this bond will always be the strong foundation on which we build our shared future.
I also want to take a moment to reflect on the historic milestone reached in this election. For so many people in Canada and around the world, seeing a woman, a black and South Asian American woman elected as the next Vice President of the United States, is an inspiration and a reminder that everyone's voice belongs in politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, Russia still isn't congratulating Joe Biden. The Kremlin says, it's waiting for official election results. This as President Trump and his allies push forward with legal challenges. In 2016, the Kremlin issued a message for President Trump within hours of the race being called by U.S. networks.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from London with a reaction to Biden's win from London's mayor. So Nic, what all did the mayor have to say and of course, what is the overall reaction from across Europe?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, Sadiq Khan, sort of personally felt the bitterness of President Trump's criticisms of him. It's been a personal thing and it wasn't just a one-off. It has happened a number of occasions. But what he really talked about here was how American democracy is a beacon of democracy, and what the U.S. President, whether he is talking about separating children from parents as they cross the border into the United States from Mexico, or on issues of abortion.
All these issues that the president talks about matter around the world. It sets a tone and it hasn't been a good tone, and this is something he has felt personally under President Trump, and President Trump as well sort of -- the mayor was pointing out that he is a person of the Islamic faith and that he has felt personally what the president has said about that, about people coming from Muslim majority nations to the United States, but how he sort of cast the situation now. I think is broadly felt is that there is a sense of hope coming with President-Elect Joe Biden.
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SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: That America sees is the rest of the world catches a cold and the embodiment of your country is your president. You set the tone, and you set the tone in bad times in the last four years, I'm afraid, for many of us have been bad times, but also for good times when the President-Elect talks about hope. Talks about unity. Talks about love, talks about time for healing. Talks about internationalism, tolerance, anti-racism. These things really inspire those of us in London. Not just in my country, but around the globe.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: You know, and I think there is one photograph, one moment,
mid-term that President Trump's presidency at the G7 in Canada, the summer of 2018, June 2018, where you can see Angela Merkel and in the background the French President Emmanuel Macron and just a little bit of Theresa May. You can see at the background. Three principal European leaders at that time trying to convince President Trump of something.
And what we know that happened at the end of that very important international summit was that the president stormed off early, he had arrived late, he didn't sign the joints communicate, he claimed that the Canadian Prime Minister had stabs the United States in the back over trade.
And that if you will sort of epitomizes the disruptive nature of President Trump's presidency and what we're hearing from European leaders, now be at Angela Merkel, be at the president of the European commission, Ursula von der Leyen is that sense to rebuild those ties and bridges and connections and work together again. President Trump epitomized the divisions. Everyone now, it seems, the allies wants to be rebuild and make up for all that damage.
CHURCH: Nic Robertson, joining us there live, I appreciate it.
Well, another world leader, yet to offer Joe Biden congratulations, is President Xi Jinping of China. Relations between the two countries in the last few years have been at best, up and down. Ivan Watson takes a look at what a Biden presidency means for the next four years.
[03:45:11]
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Throughout the Trump administration, U.S.-China relations have been on a rollercoaster. President Trump was elected in 2016 after campaigning against China, accusing it of manipulating it's currency on the world market.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that is what they're doing.
WATSON: During his first years in office, Trump also celebrated his close, personal ties to Chinese Leader Xi Jinping.
TRUMP: We had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen, and President Xi was enjoying it.
WATSON: But by the last months of his presidency, Trump has been openly blaming China for the deadly pandemic raging across the U.S. and the world.
TRUMP: It was China's fault, and China's going to pay a big price for what they've done to this country. China is going to pay a big price, for what they've done to the world. WATSON: The past tumultuous four years have seen trade wars, military
muscle flexing, the tit-for-tat shuddering of consulates, and an attempted U.S. ban of the Chinese social media app TikTok. Leading some Chinese officials to talk of a new cold war.
WILLY LAM, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONK KONG: In the last couple of months relationships between the world's two biggest economies has been toxic.
WATSON: Days after Joe Biden declared victory in the presidential election. Beijing is reacting to the news with caution.
WANG WENBIN, CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (through translator): We have noticed that Mr. Biden has announced his successful election. We understand that the outcome of the general election will be determine in accordance with their laws and procedures of the United States.
WATSON: Biden is no stranger to China. As a Senator and vice president, he traveled repeatedly there negotiating face to face with Xi, but as a presidential candidate, Biden adopted a hardline.
JOE BIDEN, 2020 PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I would make china do is play by the international rules. We need to be having the rest of our friends with us saying to China, these are the rules, you play by them or you are going to pay the price for not paying by them economically.
WATSON: Chinese state media is warning relations are unlikely to improve under President Biden. Acknowledging that both Democrats and Republicans share suspicion of China. But the state run global times also writes Biden is expected to appoint more professional officials to his diplomatic team, and so it will be possible for U.S.-China tensions to take a brief timeouts. China expert Willie Lam says Chinese officials are very wary of Biden multilateral approach to diplomacy.
LAM: They are also very nervous about the fact that Biden will be much more efficient and successful in putting up a united front against China by working together with America's traditional allies in Europe and Asia.
WATSON: At the very least, Biden may bring a change in tone to the simmering rivalry between these two nations. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And still to come, Kamala Harris' ancestral home in India celebrates as one of their own is set to become the U.S. Vice President. Back with that in a moment.
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[03:50:09] CHURCH: Well, Kamala Harris will celebrating onstage in Delaware on
Saturday. Thousands of miles away. Her achievement was being celebrated in a small Indian village. Firecrackers were set off and the Vice President-Elect ancestral home where her maternal grandfather was born more than a century ago. So, let's head out to New Delhi now with CNN's Vedika Sud is standing by live. Good to see you, Vedika. So you spoke with Kamala's uncle who is in New Delhi. What all did he have to say to you?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Good to be with you, Rosemary. Well I did speak to him after the big win of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, after which he said that he was expecting the results to be what they were. He said that it was a very exciting time for the family and went on to say that his niece, Vice President-Elect Harris will be one of the best vice presidents that America has seen.
They offer to be there for the oath taking ceremony which he says would in January and they were even there when she was sworn in as Senator, the idea is to be together at a historical place in a historical moment like this according to him, because that's the way the family wants to be behind Harris at this point in time.
He even spoke with the two days before the big win was announced and he says that he was extremely calm at that point in time, the tensions were high in America over the presidential race, and that's what he had to say to me when I spoke with him about the election results. Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Vedika, how is Prime Minister Modi reacting to this?
SUD: Well, he did tweet moments after the big win of Biden and Harris. He called Kamala Harris as success (inaudible), he even congratulated her on it and said this is a huge moment not only for his family, or for her family rather, but also for Indian Americans in the country. He also tweeted to Joe Biden to congratulate him on his big success and was hoping that Indian America will continue the great relationship that has been ongoing for so long.
So, Prime Minister Modi did reach out to both of them through Twitter and congratulated both Joe Biden as well as Harris on their big win, especially Kamala Harris's historic win. In fact even we've heard from people in the village, the ancestral village of Kamala Harris where they actually went to the temple in the middle of the village.
They prayed for her after hearing the big news. They actually went out and distributed sweets among the village as well. There were fireworks also that one could see. And I spoke with the manager of the temple who said that this is a big moment for the village. They were also hoping that someday, Harris does visit the village once she is in India on a visit, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, very exciting. Global story, of course, this is reached everywhere.
SUD: Absolutely.
CHURCH: Vedika Sud joining us live from New Delhi. Many thanks to you.
SUD: Thank you.
CHURCH: By the way, the new issue of Time magazine hit newsstands on Friday. And no surprise, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are featured on the cover along with the words, a Time to heal. Harris of course, is the first woman ever to be elected U.S. Vice President. The feature article details how Joe Biden won the White House.
Well, a new ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has sparked some workers protest in the Armenian capital.
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(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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CHURCH: Protesters storm parliament throwing furniture and damaging the building, local media report the president of the national assembly was beaten up. The ceasefire comes after six weeks of fighting and the capture of a key city by Azerbaijan. Armenia's Prime Minister admitted that the military situation looked bleak and he called the ceasefire an extremely difficult decision. Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed the deal, peacekeeping forces will be deployed in the region and both sides have agreed to a prisoner swap.
And before we go, when President-Elect Joe Biden moves to the White House, he will restore a time honored tradition. The first pops. Champ and major will join a long list of poaches who have enjoyed stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Here's Jeanne Moos with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By licking his opponent, Joe Biden is bringing another kind of licking back to the White House. Meet Champ and Major, German shepherds who have already been deployed in web ads.
TRUMP: How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn? Would that be --
MOOS: Champ and major for DOTUS, Dogs of the United States. Champ was a gift to his wife after Joe Biden won the vice presidency. Major was fostered and adopted by the Bidens in 2018.
[03:55:08]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biden celebrated national cat day in the most obvious way, by posting this picture of himself with a dog.
MOOS: The first dog adopted from a shelter to occupy the White House. Major and Champ already have their own twitter accounts where they are receiving well-wishes from the owners of pets like Stephen Samson, after Justin (inaudible) tried to hook up his shelter dog with Major, single and looking for a running mate. Champ has already appeared. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a top, or watch this. Hey champ, you want to
play golf?
MOOS: On 60 minutes, the pair has been showcased in a holiday ad. Now, they'll join the ranks of fuming socks and bunny. Barney the biter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then there's Beau.
MOOS: Who is walking who at the White House? President Trump like to talk about dogs.
TRUMP: And the guy choked like a dog.
MOOS: But his first wife Ivana wrote Donald was not a dog fan. Yeah, well this feeling seemed mutual. When this Brooklyn dog named George encountered a punching bag Trump during post-election stroll. President Trump may not be a dog fanatic but he gets their attention. Remember how he speaks to reporters?
TRUMP: Sit down.
MOOS: Jimmy Kimmel wondered if dogs would obey.
TRUMP: Excuse me sit down, you weren't called, sit down. Sit down.
MOOS: Three out of four Sasse, but when it comes to stay, these two will be staying at the White House. And a guy not known for beating his own chest will be thumping there's. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Very cute. Thanks for watching, I'm Rosemary Church and I will be back in just a moment.
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