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Spotlight on Georgia Senate Races as GOP Fights to Keep Control; Former Sen. Barbara Boxer, Adviser, USC Center for the Political Future, Discusses Battle for Control of Senate; A Healthy 28-Year-Old Michigan Doctor Infected With Coronavirus Makes Plea; California Breaks Record for New Daily COVID-19 Cases; California Issues Overnight Curfew Starting Tonight. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 21, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: Top of the hour now. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill in New York in for Ana Cabrera.

Thanksgiving now just days away, and like look everything else in 2020, we know this holiday will be like nothing we have lived through before. The CDC now begging Americans not to travel, not to gather in groups outside of your own household and to skip, frankly, many of the traditions that define this holiday for so many Americans. But we know it's all for the right reasons because we want to be here, we want the people we love to be here when we can gather together with them again, of course, to do that we have to stop this raging virus from sweeping (ph) like wildfire through entire families.

This weekend, the pandemic is on a deadly tear again, nearly every state reporting a rapid surge in new cases. And with that, we are also seeing the death toll rise sharply. More than 10,000 COVID deaths reported in the United States in just the past week. Right now, nationwide, more people are in the hospital with coronavirus than at any time since the pandemic began.

Leadership from the White House, even as the pandemic gets worse, is not there. President Trump, you see him here, one of his golf courses again today. He could have participated in a G20 conference session, which was focused on the global pandemic. The president however chose not to. But he did choose to send multiple baseless tweets today about voter fraud in the election that he lost to Joe Biden.

The president's one passing reference to the coronavirus today on Twitter was about his son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also now infected.

While, the country's case numbers are growing more and more bleak, as the president digs in, refusing to help facilitate a transition of power, let's go now to CNN White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond and CNN Political Correspondent Arlette Saenz.

So, Jeremy, President Trump showing no signs of conceding but he still seems squarely focused on the election.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no doubt. The president briefly participated this morning in a summit of the G20 leaders, and what will be his final summit of G20 leaders as president.

But after that, as the G20 announced that they were having this pandemic side meeting with leaders from all around the globe, many of those G20 leaders, president of France, the chancellor of Germany, President Trump was on the golf course. That very same hour that they were hosting that meeting, President Trump was at his golf club in Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., and where you can see in these images, the president teeing off there as these leaders were talking about the pandemic.

The president instead not only golfing but also tweeting these baseless claims of voter fraud, talking voter fraud in Michigan, voter fraud in the state of Georgia. Both of those states have recently essentially dealt blows to the president's efforts to overturn the democratic results of this election, the state of Georgia yesterday certifying the results of that election putting Joe Biden, the president-elect, as the winner of that state by more than 12,000 votes. In the state of Michigan, the state board of canvassers are prepared and are expected to certify the results of that state's election, Joe Biden head by more than 150,000 on Monday.

So the president making these baseless claims even as his legal avenues have dwindled in the courts and his avenues of political pressure in these states are also quickly vanishing.

HILL: Jeremy, it is remarkable to see.

Meantime, Arlette, President-elect Biden, we know, still trying to move around these roadblocks the president has thrown in his path. What's the latest on how he is managing that and trying to get around some of it?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, what you are seeing President-elect Joe Biden and his team do is trying to project this sense that they are able to move forward with their planning and their work despite these roadblocks that the Trump administration continues to put up. We saw Joe Biden holding events every single day this week focusing on things like COVID-19 and national security, all as he is trying to show that he is on the job as president-elect.

And, yesterday, one of Biden's senior advisers talked about how this entire situation isn't a game of who is allowed to talk to whom but there are real impacts to the fact that the administration is not cooperating with Biden at this time. And they keep pointing to COVID- 19 and the distribution of a vaccine as being one of those key areas that is currently complicated by the fact that they cannot talk with administration officials.

Now, what you are seeing the Biden team do is mounting this public pressure campaign as they're trying to make their case why ascertain needs to happen and why this official transition process needs to move forward.

[15:05:01]

But you are also seeing Joe Biden expedite his own timeline when it comes to announcing his cabinet picks. First, it was thought Biden would not announce his first cabinet nominees until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

But now, we are expecting that to come before the holiday early this coming week. Biden himself has already indicated that he's made this decision when it comes to the treasury secretary. One person considered to be the top contender for that job is Federal Reserve's Lael Brainard. And there is also a chance that Biden could announce his secretary of state as soon as this week as he is trying to show that he is moving forward and putting together that team that lead his administration in these opening days.

HILL: Arlette Saenz and Jeremy Diamond, thank you both.

Well, as President Trump refuses to allow for a smooth transition, here is a reminder of what happened during his own transition four years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power. And we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: And in his own words there, which White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany seems to may have missed as she tried to tried to rewrite history in an attempt to justify President Trump's actions, or, rather, inaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Something that I would note is just we talked a lot about transfer of power and the election and it's worth remembering that this president was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining me now, President Trump's former White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci. Good to see you this afternoon.

So, I mean, listen, at this point, there's all this talk about will the president concede, when is he going to concede. Should we just give up on that?

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, yes, I think you have to give up on that. He's not going to concede. I mean, I think the only thing that he would concede if they gave him a non-prosecutorial agreement that would have to cover the state, the city of New York and any crimes for him and his family prior to January 20th of 2021, then you might get a non-concession out of him and perhaps some cooperation.

But the notion of him conceding I don't think is going to happen, Erica, ever because I think he's manifesting -- that's part of his whole conspiracy cabal and that's how he's going to try to keep these supporters and acolytes tied to him. He's got a very large group of people believing these falsehoods and lies. And I think that's his game plan.

HILL (voice over): Well, there's also -- I mean, talk about the game plan and what he would need, right, to get him to concede, which is ridiculous on a number of levels just because it's not the way it works, as we know. But I was really struck in that vein by what Geraldo Rivera said of Fox News said. And I just want to play that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: I had an idea, you know, with the world so divided and everybody is telling him that he's got to give up and time to leave and time to transition and all the rest of it, why not name the vaccine the Trump. Like have you gotten your Trump yet? It would be a nice gesture to him, and years from now, it would become just a kind of a generic name. Have you got your Trump yet? Yes, I got my Trump. I'm fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It's -- I mean, honestly, it left me somewhat dumbfounded. You're a father. I've got a couple of kids. I am far from a parent expert. But parenting 101 is pretty much when you toddler is pitching a fit, you don't placate them by giving them something they want, right? It is not the way it's done. So why or when, I should say, are Republicans going to stop placating this president?

SCARAMUCCI: Well, I have to confess that my kids are pretty good negotiators, but we'll leave that aside for the conversation. But, listen, I mean, it is ridiculous. I think what Geraldo is doing, unfortunately, many people are doing, is they're trying to find the Rubik's Cube combination to appease President Trump. That's not going to happen.

I think the thing that's shocking to everybody though is the Republicans and the willing acolytes around him. And I think they have decided that it's only two months and let's sit tight because we are not really sure what those 73 million people are going to do after he leaves.

And I think the sadness for the Republican Party is that they've sort of made this bed of nails. And when you're in a bed of nails, as the philosopher, Seneca, said, it's one nail after the another and extremely painful everywhere you move and everywhere turn. So when they name the vaccine after the president, they appease a toddler, it doesn't really matter, it is a black hole with the president. You're never going to get what you want out of him, which is the reason 80 million-plus people voted him out of office, Erica.

[15:10:04]

HILL: It is remarkable when you put it in those terms. But as we look at the 73 million people who did vote for Donald Trump, who wanted four more years of what they already had, these are voters who really turn out. And, listen, Donald Trump can bring people to the polls, both his supporters and those who want him out, like few we have seen in U.S. history. That is going to be really important in Georgia.

He is continuing though to double down. He's very unhappy with the results in Georgia, as we know. He is not happy with Governor Kemp, and yet there's a very important election. Vice President Pence was there campaigning. They want those two senate seats. If Donald Trump is not on board, could this really hurt Republicans in Georgia?

SCARAMUCCI: Well, yes, it could hurt them. I think what they're playing for, there will be a much lower turnout because there's not a presidential Election Day vote. And so I think that's what the Republicans are organized around. But everybody around the president knows the following fact. If it is not about him, he has no interest.

And so this election coming up is really not about him. It's about the future of the Republican Party and it's about the potentiality of a divided government. So they may get there without him but I see him doing lackluster things at best. He will be on the golf course rather than campaigning aggressively for those two Senate seats. So that's a fact. And they know that. And, again, this is the dilemma that they've put themselves in.

And this is the main reason why once he leaves the stage, January 21st will actually be the end of Trumpism. Those 73 million people are going to find other people to vote for. Policies are going to be put in place to appease those 73 million people. And people are going to look back on the era of Trump and say, geez, why was I so angry, why did I let that take over me? A return to normalcy will be better for them, better for their families, their livelihoods, et cetera, and this will just be a sordid episode in American history.

HILL: I think we all hope that. But I think, realistically too, we know that January 21st is not flipping a light switch and then all of a sudden everybody is going to feel better. People have different needs. It's a large country.

I do want to get your take on this. It's so important, as you point out, if it's not about the president, he is not interested. Exhibit A, coronavirus, exhibit B, the fallout from the coronavirus on an economic level. I mean, the amount of need and pain in this country is growing exponentially by the day. Take one look at the lines we've seen around the country for food distribution. And this is not just about a Thanksgiving holiday meal, this is about every single day. Looking at that, I mean, do you think this is an area where we can finally see the government come together to put aside politics and to finally put the needs of the American people first?

SCARAMUCCI: Well, I mean, I'm praying for that. I'm praying that when these certifications ends first or second week of December that we can get some kind of bipartisan commitment on additional very necessary stimulus. And so I hope that happens, Erica.

But I just want to go back to what you're saying. Trumpism, I'm not saying this with the hope, I'm saying this with an understanding that it's going to end. He's got criminal investigations he's going to be faced with. And as that starts to put heat on him, I really do think he dematerializes in a way, way faster than conventional wisdom is suggesting.

HILL: We will be watching it. And I feel pretty confident putting my money on the fact that we'll be talking to you about it too as we watch all of these happen.

SCARAMUCCI: I hope so. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

HILL: And to you too. I appreciate it. Anthony Scaramucci, good to have you with us, as always. Thank you.

Up next, hear why Dr. Birx now says this latest surge in the coronavirus pandemic could be far from over. You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: That's all if you turn on the television, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. A plane goes down, 500 people dead, they don't talk about it. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID.

By the way, on November 4th, you won't hear about it anymore. It's true. COVID. COVID. Please, don't go and vote, COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That was President Trump just four weeks ago falsely claiming that you wouldn't be hearing about COVID-19 following the election. Mr. President, though, you were wrong again because this was never about you. This is why we are still talking about it, it's because the virus is getting worse, because records are being shattered on a daily basis.

New daily coronavirus cases in the United States hitting an all-time record on Friday, more than 195,000. COVID hospitalizations also hitting another all-time record yesterday, more than 82,000 people currently hospitalized for coronavirus in this country, deaths also increasing. Again, 1,800 reported yesterday. The coronavirus pandemic is not just a health crisis. It is also an economic crisis. Take a look at these lines of people. This is a food distribution in Arlington, Texas. Those cars are people in need. This was just yesterday. So many Americans struggling to feed their families right now and scenes like this one are playing out all across the country. So, no, Mr. President, this was never about you. It is about Americans. It's about your fellow citizens who are hurting and dying. And they are looking to you to lead them through this crisis.

The White House task force finally broke its four-month silence this week. Here is what its coordinator, Dr. Birx, told our Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the current surge in this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: When you look at what's happening now, the rate of rise is dramatically different and the number of states and the number of counties in the United States that have what we consider a red zone because of their characteristics is now well over half of the country.

[15:20:10]

So this is faster, it's broader, and what worries me, it could be longer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen joining us now. She's also a former Baltimore state health commissioner.

So, Dr. Wen, as you heard Dr. Birx there, the outbreak is moving faster, it's broader, I'm just curious your reaction to that reality, which you could likely tell us about yourself and what is coming your way.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, we are setting new records every day, Erica, and that we're breaking them tomorrow. And what I'm so concerned about is that our hospitals are at capacity or overcapacity in many places already. Rural hospitals have nowhere to send their patients. They are transferring their patients to urban hospitals that are getting overwhelmed with their own patients and all these transfers too.

And we have to recognize that the hospitalization numbers that we see today reflect the infections that occurred two to three weeks ago while we were at 80,000, 100,000 new cases. Now, we're at more than double that. So what is it going do look like in two to three week's time?

I'm so concerned about Thanksgiving coming too, because we have seen with every holiday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, even Halloween, that there was a surge that followed that holiday and so concerned that we're starting off at this really high baseline level of infection and people are going to get together indoors, let down their guard and we're going to see just unbelievable numbers of infections and deaths in the days to come.

HILL: There has been so little leadership from the top here and we have heard from you and from your colleagues for months now about we should and shouldn't be doing. We know what the tools are. I know you're repeating them ad nauseam.

When you finally see though this week the CDC come out and say, do not travel for Thanksgiving, when you see the White House coronavirus task force come out for the first time in four months, when you see Dr. Birx sit down with Sanjay, it looks like, right, we are trying to correct the messaging perhaps at the top. Do you think it's enough?

WEN: No, I don't. I mean, I wish that the messaging had come out before. People have already made their travel plans by the time the CDC said, don't get together with your family over Thanksgiving unless you are doing so outdoors, unless you are quarantining in advance. I mean, these are important messages. But I hope that people will be listening to it right now.

And so here is the message I want everyone to hear. This is a time for us to hunker down. I know this is so hard because we have already gone through so much. We have given up so much. People are also scared. And in times of fear, we want to be together with our loved ones. But we have two vaccines on the horizon that will probably maybe be available to everyone by late spring. We can get through this winter. This is a time for us to make sure that we do not get together indoors with people unless they are in our immediate household or else there may not be another Thanksgiving next year.

HILL: As we look at this earlier this week, Dr. Thomas Reid said that the biggest failure in this pandemic was a failure to have effective communication and messaging.

I know we can't afford for that to happen with the vaccine. Do you think the right message is getting out now about the vaccine both in terms of its efficacy, its safety but also distribution and helping prepare people, right, get their mindset in the right place for the road ahead for the next few months?

WEN: I think we're working on this messaging and that message has to be that the vaccine that's going to be approved hopefully some point soon is safe and effective. We have to make sure that there are no shortcuts taken in the scientific process. And then, ultimately, it's going to be up for those of us in the medical community also to tell our patients that it's safe and effective. And we know that in order for a vaccine to actually save lives, it must be trusted and it must be given. It is not the vaccine that saves lives, it's the vaccination.

And so I hope that the incoming Biden administration will do everything they can to help with the messaging as well as to make sure that the warp speed for development translates into warp speed for distribution.

HILL: Dr. Wen, thank you, I appreciate it, as always.

WEN: Thank you, Erica.

HILL: Coming up, all eyes on Georgia as the balance of power in the Senate runs through two runoffs in that state. It, of course, just went blue for Biden. But could it happen again for two Democratic challengers looking to unseat two Republicans?

You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

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[15:25:00]

HILL: With President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Georgia officially certified, all eyes now on the state's dual Senate runoffs, which could change the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You are hearing correctly, this Georgia crowd is calling for a second Trump term despite defeat. Vice President Mike Pence on his first return to the campaign trail pledged, it is not over.

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We're going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted. We're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out. And whatever the outcome, we will never stop fighting the make America great again.

LAH: That's despite the hand count led by a Republican secretary of state in Georgia.

[15:30:03]

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R), GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don't lie.

LAH: A fact the vice president is ignoring, while he dances a political two-step.

President Trump still insists he won. Meanwhile, Pence is calling for Georgia Republicans to vote in the January 5th Senate runoff to fight a Joe Biden presidency.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Republican Senate majority could be the last line of defense.

LAH: Supporters who showed up to see the vice president have no problem following this logic.

(on camera): Do you believe the election results?

PENNY CLOPTON, VETERAN & TRUMP SUPPORTER: No. LAH (voice-over): Penny Clopton, who came to see Pence, carried a "stop the steal" sign. She says all of this makes her want to vote in January even more.

(on camera): And how different is the energy from November to January?

CLOPTON: It's still here. It hasn't gone anywhere.

LAH: What do you believe will happen on January 5th?

JODIE DYE, CHEROKEE COUNTY VOTER: I believe that people will come out and vote for Republicans, so that we can -- I guess so that it will be a fair fight when things come to the Senate.

CROWD: Let's vote blue! Let's vote blue!

(CHEERING)

LAH (voice-over): The Democratic challengers for the two Senate seats, Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, attacked the GOP fight with reality.

REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: They don't like the results. It wasn't supposed to turn out that way. Explain that to me.

(CHEERING)

LAH: The challenge for the Democrats will be turnout. Something even the most die-hard Democratic Georgians understand.

TINA MARIE HEAD, GEORGIA VOTER: I think that the people that voted in the general election will not come out for the runoff.

AMANDA GAINER, GEORGIA VOTER: We've been red for so many years, you know? I'm just a little concerned about that.

LAH (on camera): Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp certified the state's vote but in doing so offered a mash-up of illogical statements, towing the Trump line, sowing doubt on the vote, and saying, yes, he would certify the vote just because he had to.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Canton, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Joining me now to discuss the battle for control of the Senate is Barbara Boxer, who represented the state of California in both the House and the Senate for more than three decades. She's now an adviser at USC's Center for the Political Future.

Senator Boxer, good to see you this afternoon.

The fact that the Biden/Harris ticket was able to flip Georgia blue - as we just heard from one voter talking to Kyung Lah who said she was concerned of people turning out for this special election.

How do you keep the momentum and engagement going through January?

BARBARA BOXER, (D), ADVISER, USC'S CENTER FOR THE POLITICAL FUTURE & FORMER SENATOR FOR CALIFORNIA: I think, as a Democrat myself, everything is on the line in terms of whether life is going to be better for our people.

I'm stunned to see the lines, the cars lined up, middle-class people who never asked for a thing hungry. People sick. People afraid.

Now we see this virus raging in our country more than any other country. So we need change.

And Georgia brought about that change. They really helped. And this is the first time since 1992 Georgia went blue.

So I think Democrats have a lot at stake.

But I want to say this. As Tip O'Neill taught me in the House -- a great speaker -- he said, "All politics is local."

So it's really on our candidates to speak to the situation for the people of Georgia, not the people anywhere else, not any foreign policy issue.

Of course, you will know all that. But you need to speak to the people. It is not about our candidates. It is about the people.

If they do that right, I think we have a chance, a real good chance.

HILL: Some of the voices, though, speaking, matter. We saw Vice President Pence make his way down this week.

There's been talk about whether Donald Trump will make his way to the state of Georgia and the impact that could have.

This, after the president went after Republican Governor Brian Kemp on Twitter, unhappy with the election certified there.

But important to note Donald Trump is obviously not on the ballot. This is not a presidential election and can bring voters out, those that support him and those that don't.

Who do you think could benefit more, if Donald Trump did go to Georgia?

BOXER: First of all, let him come to Georgia. Let him go anywhere he wants. He's going bye-bye. You know, let's get real here.

So if a losing candidate, who lost Georgia for the Republicans for the first time in all those years, since 1992, wants to go campaign, that's fine. He has every right to do it. And I'm sure a lot of people would be excited about it.

But again, I think your question behind your question I hear that it could motivate other people on the other side. So let it all happen.

[15:35:00]

Look, I'm the kind of person -- I ran 24 times. I lost one time. So you really have to understand, turnout is critical. And let everybody turn out. I think if everybody turns out. that will be good.

We don't know what Trump will do. You can't control that. It's not important.

What's important is we get the vote out because people are hurting in Georgia. They're hurting across the board.

They need a stimulus package. They need good jobs, clean energy jobs. All the things Joe Biden said, relief from the huge education loans. And that's what this is about.

It's not about cult of personality. It's not about that. It is about the condition of the people, really.

HILL: You served with Joe Biden in the Senate. And he has long relied on, in a number of cases, very successfully, his relationships, his ability to work across the aisle to get things done.

But the reality is the landscape of 2021, come January, looks a lot different than it did even at the tail end of his time as vice president.

When you look at that, do you think there's enough there for him to work with, even if Democrats aren't able to take the Senate seats in Georgia?

BOXER: Even if we do or don't, Joe will reach across the aisle. I've known him since the '80s. I supported him when he ran for president in the '80s. That's how far back we go. We served together for so many years.

He's going to reach across the aisle because that's who he is. And he's going to try to find the sweet spot of legislation.

Again, people represent their states. Cities are hurting. Counties are hutting. States are hurting. Red, blue, everybody has been impacted by this disastrous pandemic.

So I think -- you know, Joe met the moment. He is who we need right now. And if he doesn't get the hand of friendship, he'll do what he can by executive order.

But he's going to try mightily. And even people who don't agree with Joe all the time say he's one of the finest, kindest people they've ever known in or out of politics.

And that will come in handy right now. We need that. We need that healing.

HILL: Senator Barbara Boxer, great to have you with us this afternoon. Thank you.

BOXER: Thank you so much.

HILL: A quick programming note. The new CNN film, "PRESIDENT IN WAITING," takes a very personal look at the role of the vice president. That comes your way Saturday, December 5th, 9:00 p.m.

Up next, the story of an E.R. doctor in Michigan who went from treating COVID patients to becoming one himself.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[15:41:49]

HILL: A sobering reminder from an emergency room doctor who says coronavirus may not go easy on you just because you're young and healthy. How does he know? He's both. And also became a patient himself.

CNN's Sara Sidner has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Erica, the words from this young, E.R. doctor here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, are really stunning.

Because he himself thought that, for sure, because of his good health and his age and the fact that he exercises all the time, that he would not end up in the hospital if he got coronavirus.

And in the end, he did. He has a warning for every American.

(voice-over): The simple act of walking is a struggle for Grand Rapids Emergency Room Doctor David Burkard.

(on camera): When do you starting feeling yourself, going, like, oh, boy?

DR. DAVID BURKARD, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: Oh, right away.

SIDNER: Really?

BURKARD: Yes.

SIDNER (voice-over): Dr. Burkard is just 28-years-old with no underlying medical conditions. He's run a marathon and normally runs five days a week. But coronavirus stopped him in his tracks.

BURKARD: Day six, I got out of bed, I went to make a sandwich, move around my apartment a little bit, and I just couldn't catch my breath.

It was like, no matter what I did, like tried different positions, tried sitting, and it was just like this heaviness of like, man, I cannot breathe.

SIDNER: Suddenly, he was the patient.

BUCKARD: I think the hard thing is having seen it and having been the person that talks to the patient with COVID and says, you know what, it's time to call your wife. We -- we're going to have to put a breathing tube down and it's time for you to say good-bye.

SIDNER: There he was lying in the same unit wondering if he'd be able to catch his breath.

BUCKARD: The loneliness of going up to the COVID floor and knowing that you can't have visitors, I'm literally at my place of work where I have a lots of friends and colleagues and incredible people and not a single one of them can come and say hi. Like that's -- it's isolating.

SIDNER: He's no longer shedding the virus and anxiously waiting to return to the E.R., as Michigan's positivity rate hits nearly 12 percent.

(on camera): How bad are things now compared to March when all this first kicked off here?

BURKARD: We have over 300 patients admitted to the hospital right now across Spectrum Health, which is markedly higher than we were ever before.

SIDNER (voice-over): He also wants to send a message to people who still doubt the novel coronavirus is real.

BUCKARD: I've had a lot of people say that this is -- that I am a hoax. I had someone report me to Facebook for being a fake profile. It's like --

SIDNER (on camera): Someone called you -- you a hoax?

BUCKARD: Yes.

SIDNER: A doctor --

BUCKARD: Yes.

SIDNER: -- who's had coronavirus?

BUCKARD: Yes.

SIDNER: That's simply telling you a story.

BUCKARD: That's simply just trying to breath.

Instead of just like saying means things from behind a keyboard, just like imagine what it's like to have that conversation with someone, that you're putting a breathing tube down their throat and they might be able to say I love you to their loved one again. And that's what we're doing every day, constantly. Like you can

prevent that conversation possibly by putting on a mask or you could prevent that conversation by skipping Thanksgiving dinner. Like we've got to do our part.

SIDNER: Dr. Buckard says he, indeed, believes, like many others, that there's just too much we still do not know about this novel coronavirus. And he's imploring everyone to please do the right thing. You can help save a life -- Erica?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:45:01]

HILL: Sara Sidner, such an important story. Thank you.

Up next, California today shattering its single-day record for new coronavirus cases. We are going to take you live to California, next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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HILL: Today, California is reporting record new coronavirus case numbers again. The state reporting its highest single-day jump, more than 15,000 new cases.

[15:50:07]

I want to get straight to CNN's Paul Vercammen, joining us live from Los Angeles.

Paul, these are numbers that California hasn't seen since the highs of the summer. We know it's not just about those cases rises.

The need in your state and in so many others is growing. Families where you are lining up today at food banks, some of them for hours, some who have never needed them before.

What more can you tell us?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN: Well, on a multitude of fronts, you can look at it this way, Erica, it's a U-turn for the worst.

Let's start with those COVID cases. As you pointed out, well over 15,000.

That's a record here in California. The positivity rate, somehow out of nowhere, seemingly, leapt up to over 6 percent over the last 7 days.

We've got about 5,000 people in the hospital here in the state. That number often lags behind the new cases. So we have to carefully watch and see what happens with that.

Now, linked together, this pandemic, the economy, and people desperately needing food.

So ahead of Thanksgiving, you should look at the pictures on several fronts, from up above, from behind.

People lining up on foot in this neighborhood in Koreatown in Los Angeles. This is the second-poorest assembly district in all of California.

And all of these people were relieved to get themselves a box of food. And they had enough turkeys for a couple hundred people.

They processed a thousand people here. They just whipped through all of this, these volunteers. Some of them doing just back-straining work.

And to give you a sense of the level of anxiety, I'm going to bring in Carlos Smorkeen (ph). He's an activist and one of the volunteers here, and he has a pulse on this community.

And I don't think, since the pandemic began, that you have ever heard so many people express to you that they are filled with despair.

CARLOS SMORKEEN (ph), ACTIVIST & FOOD BANK VOLUNTEER: The level of worry that people have right now has grown to levels that I have never seen before.

People are so desperate, they spend the night here trying to get a grocery, you know, a box of groceries. So they are desperate. They're hurting.

VERCAMMEN: And what would you tell somebody right now, short-term, I don't have any money, I don't have any money coming in? Because let's say we talked to a woman who was a maid and she went from six or five days a week to three.

How do you tell them to get through this?

SMORKEEN (ph): Well, first of all, one thing that we have to do is make sure that we understand that all of us are in this thing together. We must, you know, bring the community together. We'll help each other out.

And that's exactly what we're doing here at Urban Partners Los Angeles.

We also have to encourage our local officials to get involved and feel the pain of the people.

And I think that we are seeing that as, well, local officials, you know, have been getting involved.

VERCAMMEN: Great.

Thank you so much, Carlos.

Well, there you have it from Carlos. He's on these streets every day. And he talks to these people, including the people that were in this line.

And as I said, he has never seen such a sense of just downright anxiety over what's to come in the future.

Back to you now, Erica.

HILL: That's the hardest part, right? That's the unknown. What people are living through is so difficult. But to not know when the end is coming really adds to that.

There's also in the state of California this overnight curfew, which goes into effect tonight, 10:00 p.m. And really, it's, what, something like 94 percent of the state's population will be impacted by that curfew.

What more do we know about it? I mean, cases really just surging across the state.

VERCAMMEN: Right, only the most rural counties won't have this curfew.

And this was meant to address the issue, especially with young people being out after the hours of 10:00 into the morning in restaurants and bars.

So, on one hand, you'll hear people here talking about it. They're glad to hear this curfew is in effect.

But again, it's an economic factor. Just think about how many people make their living as a server, as a bartender in a restaurant, in a bar and, all of a sudden, they're seeing their hours cut again. So this is one of those double-edged swords.

We go into this soon. And many restaurants, bars and the like just hanging on by a thread. We've already lost so many in Southern California and throughout the state.

Back to you, Erica.

HILL: You're right.

Paul Vercammen, I appreciate it as always. Thank you.

This year, "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" will be a special celebration of the heroic efforts of the many men, women, and children from around the globe who have really gone above and beyond.

Here's one of this year's most inspiring moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: When the call rang out for masks, gloves, face shields, and protective suits to keep our frontline workers safe, Americans responded with great generosity.

Many simply turned in what little they had. But the workers at Braskem America did something extraordinary. They moved in and quarantined in two of their manufacturing plants for nearly an entire month.

[15:55:03]

What they made every day was the material needed to make life-saving protective gear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where can we resource to actually help during this crisis? And we found very quickly that our role in this is keeping that plant running safely and securely.

COOPER: For four weeks, no one left. They ate, slept, worked and played together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's the team. The boys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COOPER: When they needed a morale boost, family and friends formed a massive parade to say hello and send their love.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome, awesome. Thank you.

(HONKING)

COOPER: And when the month ended, they produced 40 million pounds of product, enough to make 1.5 billion surgical masks.

They walked out together, a sign of determination and resolve to save lives in desperate times.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: And if you were wondering, yes, they got overtime and much- needed time off with their families because of their heroic act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Log onto CNNheroes.com right now. You can vote for this moment or any of our most inspiring moments.

And once you vote, you can also upload your own videos telling us why these moments moved you. You just might see yourself on "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE."

Please tune in, Sunday, December 13th, 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. Trust me, you will not regret it.

We'll be right back.

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