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Trump Golfs, Still Denies Loss To Biden; Trump Stonewalls Transition To Biden During Pandemic; Historic NASA And SpaceX Launch Set For Tonight; FOX News Fuels Trump's Baseless Voter Fraud Claims; Vaccine By End Of April. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 15, 2020 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Some of the large moment that defined the biggest stories of the year. And you can vote for this year's most inspiring moments, logging on to CNNheroes.com.

Thanks for being with us this afternoon. I'm Erica Hill, in for Fredricka Whitfield. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Ana Cabrera.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for being with me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

And for President Trump, it was another day on the golf course and another day of denial. The president insisting again that the results of a fair and free election are wrong, that he was cheated by what he calls the fake news media and faulty voting machines, but without any evidence. Trump tweeting he, meaning Biden, won because, and then a string of lies we won't bother to repeat. He then followed that up with this message, "I concede nothing. I have a long way to go."

We'll go live to the White House in just a moment for the latest on this ongoing -- outgoing president and the conspiracy theories that he is sticking with here. But we're also keeping an eye on this, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to blast off in just a few hours from now. If NASA's schedule and the weather holds, this rocket will blast off in just a couple of hours on another historic mission to the International Space Station.

And we are expecting the three-man and one-woman crew to walk out any minute now. Of course we'll keep you updated as lift-off time gets closer.

First, though, let's head to the White House and CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

Jeremy, some curious messages from the president on Twitter today. At one point he used some words that hinted that he's coming to terms with the election results, but then he backed off. What's going on?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Ana. We saw the president today briefly enter our reality here where Joe Biden is the president-elect and where Joe Biden has won this 2020 presidential election. And then what followed in the rest of that tweet and in a series of subsequent tweets after that was once again the conspiracy theories, the baseless claims and the lies that we have seen from the president over the last eight days since Joe Biden was projected the winner of this presidential race.

The president initially tweeting he won, talking about Joe Biden, but then claiming that it was because this election is rigged, which is of course not true. And then subsequently we saw the president a couple hours later take to Twitter after some commentary about the fact that this is the closest the president has come to conceding this election saying, quote, "I concede nothing," and saying that Joe Biden has only won in the eyes of the, quote-unquote, "fake news media."

The president, of course -- these tweets are reflective of what we've seen from the president over the last week. At times our sources have told us that the president has been beginning to acknowledge the reality of Joe Biden's victory in this 2020 election and at other times he is encouraging his allies to continue to press forward with these legal challenges. And that is indeed what we've seen.

The president putting former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in charge of these legal challenges. And they are pressing forward, despite the fact that so far nearly every single case that they have brought forward in all these key battleground states, they have either have to drop those cases or they have been dismissed -- Ana.

CABRERA: OK. Jeremy Diamond, at the White House for us, thank you.

Now as the president denies reality, the president-elect is at his home in Delaware. He continues to plan his transition.

CNN's Jessica Dean is in Delaware for us.

Jessica, has President-elect Biden or his team reacted to the president's tweet about the election results today?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Ana, during the campaign they really made a concerted effort not to get into this back and forth with every tweet that Donald Trump sent out there, but we did hear from his newly named chief of staff in an interview this morning, Ron Klain, responding to some of the tweets that were sent out this morning and saying that this is just further proof that the president, President Trump, is accepting the reality that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won this election.

And he then took a moment to talk about the need to get to the transition, Ana. I'm hearing you've got some breaking news, so I'll go back to you.

CABRERA: Let's take you to breaking news out of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. You're looking at this crew of four astronauts, three NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, gearing up to launch to the International Space Station in just a few hours. Lift-off expected at -- or blastoff, maybe I should say, expected at 7:27 Eastern Time. They'll be traveling in the Crew Dragon capsule. They'll ride into orbit atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This is a mission years in the making. And today's launch is another

historic one because it follows that historic test launch back in May. But this is the first fully operational flight. So, in the next few hours, the crew will say good-bye to their families. They're going to be getting into these specially branded Teslas for their ride over to the launch pad.

[16:05:03]

Just a fun fact for you here. When these four astronauts arrive at the ISS, there's going to be seven total astronauts there. And that means there's not enough sleeping quarters. So we're told the commander here, Mike Hopkins, he drew the short straw, per se. He will actually have to sleep in the spaceship for the duration of their six-month stay.

We're going to continue to bring you these historic moments. And you can see, as we are showing you Kennedy Space Center as they gear up to go over to the launch site. And of course, there's a very strategic number of steps that they have to take between now and then. And you can see the flags blowing there on the left. It's still about 50-50 chance that this is going to happen tonight because of the weather.

You'll recall it was initially scheduled for yesterday, but the rough winds yesterday prompted them to reschedule it for today. If for some reason today's launch doesn't go off, the next opportunity would be Wednesday, November 18th. But you see the countdown clock is still going. It's still clicking.

And at this point it's a go until they tell us otherwise. Again, four astronauts. It's Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker from the U.S., from NASA and Japan's Soichi Noguchi from Japan's space agency, that will be heading up to the International Space Station.

And this group is called Crew-1. Crew-1 because this is expected to be again the first fully operational mission that they're doing in a Dragon capsule, private, of course, capsule. And they named their spacecraft Resilience and that's in recognition of all the challenges we've all faced in 2020 from the coronavirus to the economic crisis to racial reckoning. And so it's been one heck of a year. And so their spacecraft they named Resilience.

They're going to have quite the long flight as they head up into space. It's about 72 hours, so, again, lift-off expected sometime around 7:30. Just a few minutes before 7:30. And excuse me, it's at 27 hours. I flip-flopped those numbers. 27-hour journey to the International Space Station. And as they zoom in on the door, we'll watch for them to come walking through that door. We saw them in their gear. So they're geared up.

We know that these four astronauts had to quarantine for a couple of weeks. And it was such a strict quarantine. They called it hard quarantine, so it meant they were completely isolated. Here they come. Here they come as they get closer and closer to heading into space. They're waving to us. You can see there on the left is the pilot. That's Victor Glover. He's 44 years old. He's making history as well. He will be the first to become a -- the first black astronaut, black American to become a full-time crew member on the ISS.

Of course, there have been more than a dozen black Americans who've traveled to space prior to this, but it will be the first time an African-American has become a full-time crew member on the International Space Station.

I want to bring in our correspondent, Rachel Crane, who is watching this historic moment. Talk to us about what we're seeing right now, Rachel.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. So this is the long-standing tradition of the astronauts saying good-bye to the public, and most specifically their families before they're about to make the journey to the International Space Station. Their journey will be about 27 hours. And they'll be on board for about six months. So really, this is a pretty emotional moment for them.

This is the last time they get to see their loved ones. Obviously you're seeing, they're doing it from a distance. That's the only way they've seen their families for the last little bit. As you pointed out, they've been in a strict quarantine period that, you know, is not unique actually to COVID-19. This is something that has been in place for a long time now. They've always needed to ensure that the astronauts on board the International Space Station are not exposed to any kind of viruses or pathogens that the incoming astronauts could potentially bring.

So this quarantine period isn't unique. But, you know, this, as I just pointed out, is a really momentous occasion. This is the last time that their loved ones will see them up close. So you see like lots of fists in the air, lots of thumbs up, air kisses. And then they're about to jump into those branded NASA Teslas right there, making their way over to launch pad 39-A. Of course, that's the historic launch pad that astronauts first launched to the moon.

And also just a few months ago where Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley launched on the first crewed mission of Crew Dragon back in May. I was there for that launch as well. And, Ana, I have to tell you, it was incredible to be there for that day but also there's the same kind of energy in the air here today. And the odds of that launch happening on the day that they did, in fact, launch to the International Space Station, Bob and Doug, those odds were also just at 50 percent.

So everybody here is, you know, staying very optimistic that this launch is, in fact, going to happen and that Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Soichi Noguchi and Shannon Walker will shortly, you know, in just a little over three hours now will be making their way to the International Space Station and making this historic launch -- Ana.

[16:10:16]

CABRERA: And Rachel, can you talk to us more about the history that this launch and this particular mission will envelop?

CRANE: Yes. Well, so, Ana, the mission that happened in May with Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, that was just a test mission. And, you know, the main objective there was to get Crew Dragon certified for operational missions just like this one. So this is the first time that four astronauts will be on board Crew Dragon. So there's a lot more choreography that has to go into, you know, these astronauts being in that confined space, working amongst each other.

But also this is the first of six mission that SpaceX has been commissioned by NASA to ferry these astronauts back and forth to the International Space Station. So this is just really officially the torch being handed to the commercial sector for these taxi rides, for lack of a better description, back and forth to the International Space Station so NASA can focus on those deeper space missions like getting us back to the moon and back to mars -- Ana.

CABRERA: OK. It's such an exciting day. We're going to continue to watch these images, then we'll of course check back with you as we go. Thank you so much, Rachel Crane, for us at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN. Much more straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:36]

CABRERA: President Trump appearing to admit Joe Biden won the election before turning around to say he is not conceding anything.

Joining us now is CNN Political Commentator and assistant editor for "The Washington Post," David Swerdlick, and CNN Senior Political Analyst and "USA Today" columnist, Kirsten Powers.

Thank you, both, for being with us.

David, if the president keeps this up, what do you think we're going to see on the day of Biden's inauguration? Is it going to be a split screen of him being sworn in while Trump is holding a rally down the street? Why can't he see how damaging this is to the country right now?

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, Ana, I think, anybody's guess as to what we see on noon of January 20th, we still got weeks to go, but I don't expect to see President Trump at this point gracefully concede. And I think it's anybody's guess whether or not he attends President-elect Biden's inauguration.

But I think one thing that's been overlooked in some of this is that in addition to this sort of sore loserism on display and in addition to the fact that this is chipping away at the peaceful and orderly transfer of power is that the longer the president doesn't concede what everybody else knows, it's sort of a slap in the face to the 70 percent of non-white voters, the more than half of women, the almost three-quarters of LGBT voters who voted for President-elect Biden.

And what the president is saying by saying he doesn't concede and he doesn't accept the results of a free and fair election is that -- you know, without presenting any evidence, is to essentially say, your votes don't count on that side. And that, I think, is not only a slap in the face, it is sending the message that the votes of those constituencies matter less than some others. And I think that's truly a shame and I think we really need to take a hard look at that.

CABRERA: It's been consistent, though, that's how he's governed, with really just governing to the base and not all of America.

But, Kirsten, it is, you know, right-wing political commentators and networks that are playing a big role in keeping these baseless claims about rigging the election and widespread voter fraud that are just completely untrue. Take a look at Judge Janine Pirro on FOX just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: We will pursue all legal avenues where there are irregularities, anomalies, illegalities, and corruption. And until the certification and the electors vote, that is not a lot to ask. So, don't you dare ask us to just accept it and move on. And don't you dare tell me, I'm being un-American by questioning what even a Supreme Court justice has put a hold on. And don't you dare ask us to go quietly into the night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: But if you want to see the hypocrisy over there at FOX, just look at this video "The Daily Show" produced about how the network looked at the 2018 midterms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, THEN FOX NEWS CHANNEL COMMENTATOR: Democrats are being sore losers and they refuse to acknowledge they lost the election, so what do they do? They cry malfeasance, wrongdoing, criminality, fraud.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Democrats more so than Republicans seem to have a problem conceding defeat. Either the election system broke down or some mystery votes are hiding somewhere.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: You know, a whole series of Democrats who just said wrongly, if our candidate doesn't win, they stole the election.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Ramping up election conspiracy theories, accusing Republicans of outright stealing the election. Kind of rich.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Hmm, Kirsten, what changed?

KIRSTEN POWERS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, well, the person who is the president who lost, the candidate who lost. And so, look, Judge Janine Pirro knows better than this. She knows what she is saying is not true. I don't have any doubt about that.

There is nobody who can read the newspaper, who can follow the basic news, who actually thinks that any real voter fraud took place here, certainly nothing at the level -- you know, if there were one or two instances maybe, but nothing at the level that would switch the election and they know this.

And, you know, they're just saying this because this is what the people who watch them want to hear, it's what Donald Trump wants them to say, and they're just -- you know, they're just doing his bidding.

[16:20:06]

And I just want to say also, you know, if Donald Trump doesn't concede and Donald Trump doesn't show up at the -- on Inauguration Day, I really hope there won't be split screens. I really hope that he doesn't get attention for this kind of behavior. You know, he -- if he decides to not come to the inauguration or if he does, he's not the point of the story. The point of the story is Joe Biden. Joe Biden beat him. Joe Biden is the next president of the United States.

CABRERA: And it was because of the American people who spoke, who voted. It was the American people who put Joe Biden in office in the upcoming administration.

POWERS: Yes.

CABRERA: David, former president Obama sat down with CBS. He talked about the importance of a peaceful transfer of power. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: The peaceful transfer of power, the notion that any of us who attain an elected office, whether it's dog catcher or president, are servants of the people. It's a temporary job. We're not above the rules. We're not above the law. That's the essence of our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: What kind of damage has already been done?

SWERDLICK: A lot of damage. We are all familiar with that scene. I think it was two days after the last presidential election where President Obama had President-elect Trump into the Oval Office, they talked, they addressed reporters. And the symbolism of that moment was something so critical, which the former president just said there. He was trying to show not just people on his side but everybody in the country that the election and our system and our way of government and our democracy is more important than any one person.

No question that President Obama in that moment was disappointed that Hillary Clinton lost and Donald Trump won, but what he had to show as the president was what was more important was the country, not one party or not one individual and that's getting lost right now because President Trump and because his enablers among Republicans in Congress are not sticking to what has been a foundation of how we do things in this country.

CABRERA: Kirsten, Trump, for all we know, could run again in 2024. He could be on conservative media, right-wing media every day between now and then. So I wonder if Democrats don't get control of the Senate with these, you know, runoff elections in Georgia, how might that impact Joe Biden's relationship with Republicans in Congress?

POWERS: Well, I'm sure it won't help. You know, what would help a lot is if Donald Trump, you know, exited stage right or left, whichever way he wanted to go, but that's not what he's going to do. And so I think he is going to continue to be a source of division in this country. I mean, you can't have unity unless there are two sides that want to unify.

So, Joe Biden can talk about unity and talk about the United States of America as a united place, but, you know, it's very hard to imagine that happening if this is the kind of person that the Republicans are going to choose to follow and choose to have as the leader of their party.

CABRERA: All right, Kirsten Powers and David Swerdlick, appreciate it. Thank you both.

SWERDLICK: Thanks, Ana.

POWERS: Thank you.

CABRERA: A stalled transition with too many lives at stake. Still ahead, what Dr. Anthony Fauci is saying about the transfer of power in the middle of a pandemic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:58]

CABRERA: Just one day after the U.S. recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 infections, this nation saw its second highest number of new cases yesterday. More than 166,000. It is now the 12th consecutive day of more than 100,000 new cases in this country. While the nation is clearly heading in the wrong direction, the Trump administration's refusal to formally authorize a transition means the president-elect's team is locked out from access to federal agencies and information.

My colleague Jake Tapper spoke to the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, about that this morning. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I've been through multiple transitions now having served six presidents for 36 years, and it's very clear that that transition process that we go through, that time, that period of measured in several weeks to months is really important in a smooth handing over of the information as well as -- it's almost like passing the baton in a race. You don't want to stop and then give it to somebody. You want to just

essentially keep going. And that's what transition is. So it certainly would make things more smoothly if we could do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Joining us now, Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Doctor, always good to see you. You are in Texas, the first state to cross one million coronavirus cases. What's your reaction to the incoming Biden administration having to use back channels to try to coordinate their coronavirus response plan because of the Trump administration's refusal to formally sign off on this transition?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: You know, yes, Ana, I mean, it's more than just heading in the wrong direction. We are on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe approaching potentially 400,000 Americans who could perish by the early part of next year.

Let's look at where we'll be in January when the formal transition takes place. 2,000 to 2500 Americans will be dying every day, those are the projections from the Institute for Health Metrics. What that means practically speaking is that COVID-19 could be the single leading cause of death in the United States on a daily basis.

[16:30:03]

And if there was ever a time when we need a smooth transition, I can't think of a more important time in modern American history that we need s smooth transition. The fact that this is the time it won't occur will only mean greater loss of life, so this is incredibly heartbreaking.

CABRERA: On a, I guess, lighter note, do you agree with Dr. Fauci's timeline that the U.S. could start getting back to relative normal by April or July of next year if things continue with the trajectory that we're seeing in the vaccine development?

HOTEZ: Well, there's no question life will be better. We'll have vaccines starting to be released to the American public. I think at least two vaccines. We have a vaccine we're developing as well, by the early part of next year, maybe even starting at the end of 2020. So that by April, May, we should have a significant percentage of the American population vaccinated. Probably won't be fully vaccinated, I wouldn't think, until the summer, although it's hard to say.

But no question our lives will be better. And that's a really important message for the American people to hear because things are going to get better. The point is these -- what we're asking the American people to do, in terms of aggressive social distancing and masks, it's not in perpetuity. This is the terrible time when we could lose lives.

So, we -- we're looking at 150,000 more Americans who will die between now and by the week or two after the inauguration. And that's incredibly heartbreaking as well, because, you know, you could -- if you save the life of your mother or father or brother or sister now, they'll get vaccinated in the spring and they will live a normal life span. So, this is the time now to do everything you can to protect yourself and your family.

CABRERA: And such a good point that this could be a relatively short- term sacrifice to do the right thing right now, by wearing a mask and continuing with social distancing, keeping, you know, gatherings at the minimum.

I just want you to hear what Testing Czar Admiral Giroir said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA RADDATZ, CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: Admiral, we know who is not shouting that message to the American public, and that is Donald Trump. "The Washington Post" is reporting this morning that the president has not attended a Coronavirus task force meeting in at least five months. Is that accurate?

ADM. BRETT GIROIR, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TESTING CZAR: That's true. But the vice president does chair the Coronavirus task force. The vice president -- we often have several cabinet members there and the vice president briefs the president every day, or nearly every day, on Coronavirus. So, I'm not concerned that the president doesn't attend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: As you heard, he just confirmed the president has not attended a Coronavirus task force meeting in at least five months. What does that say to you?

HOTEZ: Well, remember, there's a reason why 245,000 Americans have died in this horrible, horrible epidemic. The worst anywhere in the world. It's because we have not had a nationally coordinated federal response to COVID-19. And so, the fact that the president's not there is not a surprise. And it just -- it's a reminder of why we have this urgency to fix this, get the transition, and get a national program in place. And we can begin saving lives.

So, again, things will get better, but now's the time not to be defiant of masks. Now's the time not to be defiant about social distancing. Remember why we do this, is to prevent those big surges on intensive care units. That's when the mortality really starts to go up. That's when it starts going like this, vertically upward.

So, doing everything you can, especially now, in the -- in the -- in the heartland, in the Midwest, in North Dakota, South Dakota, to prevent those surges. Or in El Paso, Texas, where -- which is now the single worst city in the country, large city in the country, in terms of deaths. These are all preventable deaths.

We do not have to lose any of those 150,000 lives, between now and the week or two after the inauguration. And this is why I'm -- you know, I often get so emotional and so passionate about it because we can save lives right now if we just -- especially if we just had that leadership.

CABRERA: Well, let's just hope everybody is hearing your words and feels empowered to take the kind of action that's needed. Thank you so much, Dr. Peter Hotez, as always, for being with us and thank you for all you do.

HOTEZ: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: The president says he concedes nothing. So, what could the days ahead look like, as this transition standoff plays out? I'll ask a Trump biographer next.

[16:34:41]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Sixty-six days now until the inauguration of Joe Biden. And as President Trump digs in and he refuses to concede, what will it actually look like when he leaves the White House? Joining us now, Trump biographer, Mike D'Antonio. He is the author of the book, "The Truth About Trump."

Michael, so good to have you. I think we all knew that the president wouldn't go quietly if he lost, but how do you see this ending? Because, just this morning, he's tweeting that he's not conceding anything.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (via Skype): Boy, I would be surprised, actually, if he does concede in any usual way. He is not one to campaign in a usual way, to govern in a usual way. And I think if he does concede, it will be a grudging concession. And he may not ever concede. This is not a person who accepts the loser's mantel very readily. He defines himself as a winner. And so, he even, I think, does not feel any shame in resisting helping the incoming administration start up smoothly and protect the American people in the moment of transition.

[16:40:02]

D'ANTONIO: So, he may not concede. He may also not attend the inauguration. I could imagine him departing before that takes place.

CABRERA: I think something a lot of people are wondering about is whether before Trump goes, he'll try to pardon himself or his family. What do you think?

D'ANTONIO: I think that's a certainty. I don't think he needs to investigate whatever wrongdoing may have been committed by himself or the people who work for him or by members of his family. I think he's going to automatically have that impulse to offer a blanket immunity from prosecution and make sure that there's no penalty attached to service to him.

CABRERA: But wouldn't that -- D'ANTONIO: And in a way --

CABRERA: -- wouldn't that, then, be admitting that they did something wrong? That he did something wrong, perhaps?

D'ANTONIO: But, Ana, we've all been paying attention long enough now that we know that he'll spin that. He'll say, I didn't do anything wrong but I can't trust these people who are going to follow me. These Democrats are all corrupt. They're going to come after me with a hoax.

You know, look at what he said throughout the impeachment process. So, he's got his spin, you know, this kind of upside-down way of talking about things. He's only interested in appealing to those who voted for him. And they'll pretty much believe whatever he says.

CABRERA: We saw this image yesterday of pro-Trump groups, those people you're speaking of, who believe everything he's been saying about this being a rigged election. And there they are, rallying in D.C. They ran up to greet his motorcade as he went golfing. This is a president who clearly loves that kind of adoration. So, what does his life look like after he leaves office?

D'ANTONIO: Well, he's already established three different political pacs to take donations. And one of them, while indicating it was raising money to challenge the election results, is actually not doing that. So, that money is being collected for him to use at will. And these can raise millions of dollars. They can pay ample salaries to him and members of his family.

I think that he'll have a media empire of some sort. It may be a digital television platform. I think that would be worth half a billion dollars a year to him, maybe more. And I think that he'll have a political presence. Whether it will actually lead to a run for president in 2024, I doubt. I think that he's probably more interested in being -- in capturing attention than in actually capturing a new office for himself or returning to the presidency.

Ultimately, you know, he could be like the old Lyndon LaRoushe Movement on steroids with these devoted followers who are going to continue to pay attention to him and give him money. But very little relevance when it comes to elections.

CABRERA: We'll see. Michael D'Antonio, thank you so much for being with us.

D'ANTONIO: Thank you.

CABRERA: We have breaking news now into CNN. British prime minister, Boris Johnson, is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. A Downing Street spokesman says the prime minister will continue to work from 10 Downing Street, and that he is doing well. He does not have any symptoms. But, as you'll recall, Prime Minister Johnson became very sick, himself, with Coronavirus this past spring. He was hospitalized even, in intensive care for several days. That was back in April. Also breaking, the final countdown. You are looking, live, at the

Kennedy Space Center. You can see NASA SpaceX. They're getting ready to shoot for history, again. The astronauts boarding this Dragon Crew capsule, gearing up for their launch scheduled for 7:27 Eastern time. You can watch it live, if and when it happens, right here on CNN. The question right now, though, is will the weather cooperate this time? We'll have a live report from the Kennedy Space Center, next.

[16:44:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. A new Masters' champion is donning the coveted the Green Jacket today. Dustin Johnson winning his first Masters' title with the lowest overall score in tournament history. And 2019 Masters' champion, Tiger Woods, failing to defend his title. He suffered just a brutal day on the Augusta National golf course.

I want to bring in CNN's Sports Anchor Andy Scholes in Augusta, Georgia for us. Andy, how did Dustin pull off this incredible Masters' victory?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Ana, he had that big third round yesterday. And he came out today, and he looked like he had a little nerves but, eventually, was able to settle down. And he ended up just cruising to a victory here in Augusta.

I followed around D.J. for most of his round today. And, you know, like I said, looked a little shaky early on but was able to settle in. He ended up shooting a four under today. Ends the tournament at 20 under par which is a Masters' record.

And D.J.'s little brother, Austin, he caddies for him. Austin getting emotional, there, as they were finishing up their round on the 18th green. D.J.'s fiance pulling a, Paulina Gretzky, running out there to give him a big hug and a kiss to congratulate him. And, you know, D.J. grew up just about an hour from here in Columbia, South Carolina.

[16:50:00]

SCHOLES: He dreamed of this moment, winning the Masters, as a kid. And he was very emotional when speaking about finally putting on that Green Jacket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUSTIN JOHNSON, 2020 MASTERS' CHAMPION: You know, just growing up so close to here, you know, it's always been, you know, a tournament that, you know, since I've been on tour, that, you know, since I played my first Masters, it's been, you know, the tournament I wanted to win the most. As a kid, you dream of playing in the Masters and, you know, you dream about putting on a Green Jacket. I couldn't be more happy. And, you know, I think I look pretty good in green, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: Yes, and Tiger putting on the Green Jacket for D.J. had to feel pretty good. And D.J., now, has won two majors, this Masters and the 2016 U.S. Open. And, you know, he had been zero for four, when closing out majors after leading after the third round. And he said in his interview after this -- the tournament was over, it felt good to finally close one of these out and finally get a win just like that. And he -- the way that he won it, impressive. He won by five strokes. The biggest margin of victory we've seen here in Augusta since Tiger won back in 1997.

And speaking of Tiger, a rough day for him, Ana. He hit it in the water, on hole number 12, not once, not twice, but three times. Rough day. He rebounded to birdie five of his last six holes, but not the tournament he had imagined when this started.

But we're going to have another Masters, Ana, in just five months from now. This one, of course, was a little odd without the fans. Here's hoping in 2021 the fans will return here to Augusta.

CABRERA: For sure. And hopefully Dustin Johnson can just really revel in that win. It's so nice to hear somebody's hard work paying off like that. Andy Scholes, good to see you, buddy.

All right, this year's CNN heroes, an all-star tribute will be a special celebration of the heroic efforts we've seen from many women, men and children from around the globe this year who, when faced with two simultaneous crisis of COVID-19 and racial injustice, they stood up to do more to help others. It has been a challenging year, but there have been many moments of resilience, hope, joy and inspiration, moments that help keep our spirits lifted and moving forward together. We want to share those with you. And for you to tell us which ones inspired you the most. Here is one of this year's most inspiring moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The summer in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, people took to the streets to demand justice for them and to highlight the centuries of systematic racism. From coast to coast, in big cities and small towns, across the country and around the world, millions of people risked their lives in the middle of pandemic to protest. They called for justice and equality. They walked off courts and took knees in stadiums.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After a poignant moment --

COOPER: They held sit-ins, marches and vigils, communities rallied. It was a movement of all ages, race, religions and creeds.

[16:53:21]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: A grim milestone, CNN can report the U.S. has just surpassed 11 million cases of Coronavirus. More than any other nation in the world. And we have done so at a record-breaking pace. In the last six days alone, in less than a week, one million cases were added, something that previously took weeks. More than a dozen states are already warning that their hospitals are nearing or at capacity. And, as we know, hospitalizations usually lag behind new cases, so this is a very worrying sign of what we could expect in the coming weeks.

More now on a historic day in space exploration. These four astronauts are suiting up right now to blast off tonight at 7:27 Eastern, flying a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.

CNN's Rachel Crane joins us live now at the Kennedy Space Center ahead of the planned launch. We see the live images of these astronauts already getting ready. Rachel, walk us through what is happening right now and the significance of this mission.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, what you're seeing right now is astronauts Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker and JAXA Astronaut, from the Japanese space agency, Soichi Noguchi. They are now strapped into Crew Dragon. They're getting buckled into those custom seats there that they have.

Now, there's a single umbilical cord that connects their custom space suit to the seat, and that provides the coms, as well as the pressurization and air flow, to those suits that they're wearing. So, they're going to be doing a series of checks on the -- on the suits, themselves, also coms' checks.

[17:00:05]

CRANE: And, shortly thereafter, the hatch will close.