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Russia: No Unexpected Adverse Events in Vaccine Trials; France to Start Easing Lockdowns This Weekend; Millions Traveling for Thanksgiving Despite CDC Warnings; Republican Voters Want Georgia Candidates to Back Trump's Claims; Former Proud Boy Explains Group's Appeal and Goals. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 25, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, and welcome, I'm Paula Newton. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour. Joe Biden hopes to show the days of "America First" are over by revealing an experienced and diverse foreign policy team.
Another coronavirus record is broken in the United States with warnings about the impact holiday travel and what it will do to the pandemic.
And they call themselves the Proud Boys. We speak to the former member of the far-right group, labeled an extremist group by the FBI.
President Elect Joe Biden declares "America is back," as he rolls out his first cabinet selections now in a sharp turn from president Trump's "America first" mantra.
Biden says his team reflects his commitment to lead the world rather than retreat from it.
Also the White House has approved presidential daily briefings for Biden, a major step in the formal transition process.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): A changing of the guard tonight yet familiar faces of the Washington establishment, as President Elect Biden introduces the first wave of nominees to his cabinet.
BIDEN: Ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again sit at the head of the table. Ready to confronts our adversaries and not reject our allies. Ready to stand up for our values. ZELENY: Three weeks after election day and 17 days after declaring
victory, a roadblock finally lifted for Biden's peaceful transition of power.
He made no mention of President Trump but in the biographies of his nominees and through their own words Biden and his team sent an unmistakable message that the chief goal of his administration is to return the country to a pre-Trump era.
TONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATUS NOMINEE: America at its best still has a greater ability than any other country on earth to bring others together to meet the challenges of our time.
ZELENY: For secretary of state, Biden nominated long-term advisor, Tony Blinken, who told an emotional story of his stepfather's holocaust survival.
BLINKEN: He ran to the tank, the hatch opened. An African American GI looked down at him. He got down on his knees and said the only three words that he knew in English that his mother taught him before the war, "God bless America."
That's who we are. That's what America represents to the world.
ZELENY: For homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, an immigrant and 20-year veteran of government service.
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY NOMINEE: The department of homeland security has a noble mission, to help keep us safe and to advance our proud history as a country of welcome.
ZELENY: As director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, the first woman to lead the intelligence community.
AVRIL HAINES, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE NOMINEE: You've selected us not to serve you but to serve on behalf of the American people. To help advance our security, our prosperity, our values.
ZELENY: As special climate envoy, John Kerry, in a new cabinet level post.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. CLIMATE ENVOY NOMINEE: To end this crisis, the whole world must come together.
ZELENY: As U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas- Greenfield.
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO The UNITED NATIONS NOMINEE: In my 35 years in the foreign service across four continents, I put a Cajun spin on it, I called it gumbo diplomacy.
ZELENY: And as national security adviser, longtime aide, Jake Sullivan.
JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: You have also tasked us with reimagining our national security for the unprecedented combination of crises we face at home and abroad.
ZELENY: Tonight, across the government, so-called landing teams from the Biden transition are getting their first look inside agencies.
There are sighs and signs of relief. Particularly with the looming fight against a deadly pandemic.
One CDC official telling CNN --
"This is what we've been waiting for, is for them to send their landing team here and set up shop."
ZELENY: Now President Elect Biden said he would receive his presidential daily briefing as early as Wednesday. He said he will be receiving this regularly.
[01:05:00]
Now the White House we know did sign off on that. So we really are seeing this transition really kick into motion here.
The Biden transition team has met with every one of the Trump agencies. Now clearly, the question here, how cooperative will they be going forward?
So all this coming on a day when President Trump clearly still not conceding.
As for the Biden side, they don't seem to care.
ZELENY (On Camera): Jeff Zeleny, CNN. Wilmington, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: For more I'm joined by Alice Stewart. She's a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist. Really good to see you.
We've had a lot of news out of this Biden transition, finally. And we kind of see where he's going with his administration.
What's so interesting is what he said about his cabinet picks so far. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: This is not a third Obama term, because there's -- we face a totally different world than we faced in the Obama Biden Administration.
The president -- president Trump has changed the landscape, it's become America first, it's been America alone. We found ourselves in a position where our alliances are being frayed.
NEWTON: Alice, do you buy that? The fact that he's saying that, despite the familiar faces that no, he is going to forge a different path ahead? ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I do. And we might see
familiar faces and similar faces but we're in very different times.
I do push back a little bit on his notion of President Trump's philosophy that America first was America alone.
And it was critical -- and Secretary Pompeo has done a good job of explaining that when America is strong and America is prosperous and America is vital and America's secure, we're a force for good. And we're able to be better for the rest of the international community.
The good thing that I am encouraged with the new Biden team is that they are people with experience. They also have very good ties to the international community.
One of the things that I hear when I'm speaking with folks in the international world is they want more of a stronger focus with regard to climate change and global warming.
And having John Kerry there as a climate tzar, I think will go a long way to satisfying some of the concerns that our allies and people across the world have.
So that is a good first step to address an issue that really hasn't been quite such a focus on a national security team here in the states.
NEWTON: You know Marco Rubio, Senator Marco Rubio, on Twitter saying, yes, OK, this is going to all go over well, they're polite, they have the right degrees. But he was very clear in pushing back and saying look, we need more than this right now. What do you think of his comments?
STEWART: There's certainly going to be criticism. I think it's important to note the successes that the Trump Administration had with regard to foreign policy.
Certainly recently with the Abraham Accords and bringing about some stability in the Middle East and the focus that we had on Communist China and the threat they had to American jobs and around the world, and also working to de-escalate the situation that we have in North Korea.
So there are some successes. And there's going to be people in the current administration and Republicans that are concerned about some of the focus that -- the grounds that the current administration has made, whether or not it will be lost.
And I think it's important to give them time, to get them situated, get them in place and get to work.
NEWTON: In terms of the cabinet picks coming forward, Joe Biden was very clear he's still thinking of putting one or two Republicans in there and yet then you have senator Bernie Sanders pushing back on that.
How important do you think it will be for President Biden to have at least one Republican in cabinet?
STEWART: I think it's important for a couple of reasons. He campaigned on unity, he campaigned on bringing this country together not just in terms of what we're seeing domestically but certainly internationally.
He has done a good job of having diversity on his team that he's brought on board with regard to gender and race and backgrounds but it's also important to have diversity of ideology.
And some of that can also be seen in his own party. Obviously, the progressives, those further on the left in the democratic party would like to have a voice, the moderates obviously will have their place.
It would be extremely helpful if he did have some Republican voices in the room, at the table, and certainly part of his administration.
NEWTON: Yes. And obviously, given the fact that of 75 million people of us that voted for Donald Trump, the vast majority of those people do not believe that Biden was even elected legitimately. A lot of work to get done there.
Alice, thanks so much. A happy end to the week and Thanksgiving if I don't see you. It was really good to talk to you.
STEWART: Thank you. You too, Paula.
[01:10:00]
NEWTON: And just a further reality check on the voting.
Despite all the talk about close margins and re-counts, President Elect Joe Biden has broken another record. He's the first candidate ever to surpass 80 million in the popular vote. He leads Donald Trump, as you see there, by more than six million votes.
For the first time in six months, the U.S. has reported more than 2,000 new deaths from COVID-19 in a single day.
The country's overall death toll is nearing 260,000 while the number of hospital admissions now stands at 88,000. A new national record.
And as CNN's Lucy Kafanov reports, the surge in cases is only expected to intensify in the weeks ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): The coronavirus outbreak is accelerating across the nation. More than 169,000 new cases reported yesterday, the highest Monday on record.
Thirty states seeing a surge in new cases this week and an uncontrolled spread of the virus across New Mexico, up 104 percent compared to last week.
COVID-19 so rampant across America that one model projects the U.S. will reach a staggering 20 million cases by January 20th.
Hospitals buckling under the surge.
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: You may not be able to go in and get your heart attack treated. I've heard hospitals not being able to provide care for pregnant women because they're filled with COVID beds. So that's the reality.
KAFANOV: From coast to coast, 14 consecutive days of record-breaking hospitalizations.
In Minnesota, the "Star Tribune" publishing this dire headline -- "No beds anywhere."
DR. SHIRLEE XIE, HOSPITALIST, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE: I took care of a woman who after over a month in the ICU was recovering from COVID. And that should be a win.
But we were trying to call her family every day to give them an update, and we couldn't get a hold of anyone. And then one day we found out it was because her husband had died of COVID and her daughter had died of COVID. All while she was in the hospital.
And so how do you tell somebody that? How do you tell somebody that their family has died?
KAFANOV: Experts warn that Thanksgiving holiday could turn into a disaster.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Going home to your home community for a wonderful, traditional Thanksgiving holiday, might actually unfortunately be a source of and even amplification of the surge.
KAFANOV: As the cases keep surging, some states forced to implement new restrictions.
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): We have been overwhelmed with a record number of cases with hospitalizations going up, with numbers of individuals in the ICU increasing every day.
KAFANOV: National public schools returning to all virtual classrooms after Thanksgiving.
DR. NICHOLAS CHRISTAKIS, YALE UNIVERSITY: There should be no community in this nation where the bars are open but the elementary schools are closed.
KAFANOV: Meanwhile, the U.S. today announcing a first batch of 6.4 million doses of new vaccine could be distributed soon after December 10th.
ALEX AZAR, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: We believe we can distribute vaccine to all 64 jurisdictions within 24 hours of FDA authorization. Then we hope administration can begin as soon as the product arrives. One of the private sector partners we've unlisted, CVS Health, has
said that they expect to be vaccinating residents of nursing homes, one of the top priority groups, within 48 hours after FDA authorization.
KAFANOV (On Camera): The coronavirus task force on Tuesday sounding the alarm about the spread of the pandemic, calling for the significant behavior change of all Americans.
This as the CDC director announced the majority of the coronavirus spread in the U.S. is coming from small household gatherings and people who aren't exhibiting symptoms. A stark warning ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Lucy Kafanov. CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is an internal medicine and viral specialist. He joins me now live from Los Angeles.
And Doctor, I just have to pause to really point to the doctor in Lucy's piece there who was really overcome with grief.
So many of us are worried about health care professionals, like you and the nurses and the orderlies and the first responders and the toll this is all taking on them.
How afraid are you that at the end of the day, it's not for lack of medicine or beds or ventilators, but that we will not have the human capacity to take care of the sick around the world?
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALIST: I think that that is very reasonable concern.
Medical professionals are a resources like beds in hospitals, like band aids. And we will get exhausted.
The good thing about my fellow physicians and nurses is that, seriously, we are raised to be tough and we will continue persevering. But one can only do so much.
[01:15:00]
And what's becoming frustrating is that it appears a small percentage but a very important percentage of the population is not taking this seriously enough and is driving this surge that we're seeing throughout the country.
It's frustrating, it's maddening. And it's dangerous.
NEWTON: Yes. And at a certain point, as a health care professional, there's only so many days you can go on preaching --
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely.
NEWTON: -- what must be obvious. OK. I want to talk about two confusing issues, things that are confusing me.
So Lucy mentioned in her piece again, right, asymptomatic spread, we've heard so much about it, the CDC now saying look, as much as 60 percent might be that way. And then the other issue is the spread between -- in households, those intimate settings that we're all used to.
What do you want people to know about those two things?
Because, like I said, there's been a lot of confusion and that is with Thanksgiving coming up, Passover coming up, Christmas, New Year's, all those holidays going on in the next few weeks.
RODRIGUEZ: Well, first of all, I think that some people are just going to visit family to prove that they are different than everyone else.
And we're being too soft in what we are telling the public, we're making recommendations, I think we should make absolute statements saying you go visit your family and people out there will die because of that.
A very large percentage, anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of the people that go to visit their family are going to have COVID that are not going to have any symptoms.
They may have symptoms five days later, they may never have symptoms but they will spread it. And they will spread it to people that are more susceptible to getting and dying from this disease.
It isn't an "if," it is going to happen.
And we get this unfortunate sense of comfort that we are dealing with family and family is safe. Sometimes, dealing with people we know is even more dangerous because they feel almost obligated to attend, whether it's a Thanksgiving meal or a service.
And they may be reluctant to really say or to believe that the symptoms they're having are significant. So sometimes the people that we know because of their love for us will not tell us their symptoms.
So it is those intimate settings where we spread the most disease. Because we let our guards down because we believe that the people we know are safe. And they're not, they're just people who may be spreading the disease.
NEWTON: Yes. And it's so sad to think about. As I said, when we go through all of the holidays that are going to be going on throughout the world in the next eight to ten weeks just before we might have that all-important vaccine.
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you for the time, Paula.
NEWTON: Now President Trump tries to take credit for the Dhow's latest milestone. But the analysts say not so fast.
Plus the holidays in France are looking to be a little happier thanks to a new decision about COVID restrictions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00]
President Trump is planning to join his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, at a Republican hearing in Pennsylvania on allegations of vote fraud.
The state has already certified its election result giving the win to Joe Biden.
Now the president has had nothing on his calendar -- and I mean nothing -- and he's been largely out of sight since he lost the election.
But on Tuesday, the president reappeared. Jim Acosta has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hereby grant you a full pardon.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT [(Voice Over): Pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey at the White House, president Trump sounded like he'd rather be back on the campaign trail fighting to win an election he's already lost. As he described COVID-19 as the China virus.
TRUMP: During this Thanksgiving, we extend our eternal gratitude to the doctors, nurses, health care workers and scientists who have waged the battle against the China virus.
The president also turned his carving knife on former defense secretary, James Mattis, who is recommending that the incoming Biden Administration abandon Mr. Trump's America first foreign policy approach.
TRUMP: America first. Shouldn't go away from that. America first. We shouldn't go away from that. America first.
ACOSTA: As he has since his defeat three weeks ago, the president didn't take any questions.
Earlier in the day, the president made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room that lasted approximately 64 seconds to take credit for the Dow crossing the 30,000 milestone.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, and I just want to congratulate everybody.
The stock market Dow Jones industrial average just hit 30, 000, which is the highest in history. That's a sacred number, 30,000. Nobody thought they'd ever see it. ACOSTA: Once again, Mr. Trump declined to take questions.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
ACOSTA: But hold on. Wall street analysts say the market news is due in part to the federal government's move to begin the transition process and President Elect Joe Biden's selection of Janet Yellen to run the treasury department.
Before the election, the president predicted a market crash if Biden won.
TRUMP: They said the stock market --
KRISTEN WELKER, MODERATOR, NBC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: (Inaudible) we're not going to --
TRUMP: -- will boom if I'm elected.
WELKER: -- have time to talk about it.
TRUMP: if he's elected, the stock market will crash.
CROWD: (Applause)
TRUMP: You will have a depression -- who has 401-K's in this group, anybody?
CROWD: (Applause)
TRUMP: If he got in, wave bye-bye to your 401-K. Because it's going down the tubes.
ACOSTA: CNN has learned that a group of top Trump attorneys and advisors spent hours on Monday persuading the president to yield to the transition process.
A source close to the White House says one big factor was the growing outcry from Republicans after the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani's disastrous news conference last week.
The source described the performance as a -- blank show BESMEAR." Adding -- "Things have changed significantly since last Thursday."
After the president tweeted his approval to the general services administration's move to free up transition resources, another White House adviser said -- "There you go, it's over."
Another sign of progress, a letter from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to staffers stating -- "As you may have seen, the GSA administrator has made an ascertainment to allow for the start of a presidential transition.
I want to remind all employees of existing procedures and guidance that we must adhere to throughout this administration." But Meadows cautioned -- "Unless specifically authorized, personnel
are not permitted to speak directly with a member of the Biden transition team or the federal transition coordinator."
Health & Human Services secretary, Alex Azar, a key figure in the nation's pandemic response, said he'll be working to help the Biden team.
AZAR: We are immediately getting them all of the pre-prepared transition briefing materials.
ACOSTA (On Camera): And there are signs the transition has already begun as officials at the Pentagon and State Department as well as other departments of the federal government are already in touch with the Biden transition team.
And Dr. Anthony Fauci from the president's coronavirus task force says he too is talking to aides to the president elect.
Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Some of the world markets are seeing a boost after the Dow's record rise.
Stocks in Asia started in positive territory Wednesday, though as you can see there, they've given a bit back and trading is now mixed.
And U.S. futures have slipped in overnight trading pointing to a flat open on Wall Street. That's really just a breather, considering what they have done in recent days.
CNN's emerging markets editor, John Defterios is and Abu Dhabi with more on this.
Obviously, 30K, 30,000, major breakthrough for the market. In moving up that 10,000 points from 20,000 to 30, 000, how fast was that in a historical perspective?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Oh, very fast, Paula. It's always interesting, this focus on the Dow industrials because it's only 30 stocks. But it's a good barometer as an index on the health of the U.S. market and the U.S. economy.
And to answer your point, to get from 10- to 20,000 it took nearly 18 years and we had global financial crisis and the tech bubble burst in that process. That's why it took so long.
But this one was less than four years. Some credit has to go to Donald Trump for cutting corporate taxes which fueled the profits.
[01:25:00]
And he deregulated a lot of industry, probably not to the benefit of the environment, but it did help Wall Street in terms of the returns. And it's extraordinary, this rise to 30,000 coming in the craziest of
years. Because in March, we plummeted anywhere from 30 to 60 percent depending on the stock holding that we're talking about here.
And this leg up now that we see with Joe Biden coming into office and Janet Yellen as the U.S. treasury secretary nominee, Jay Powell staying at the Federal Reserve is kind of the political uncertainty is removed and then they're focused on the vaccine distribution over the next six to nine months.
And remember, the markets are a lead indicator to that.
But an important priority for the three of those has to be getting a stimulus package, according to those who follow not only U.S. companies but the global economy.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM RYAN, U.S. CHAIRMAN, PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS: The overwhelming Companies that we're serving and we talk to needs the economy needs boost of stimulus. And that is primarily to make sure the consumer stays strong and resilient which is really the big concern.
Particularly when you think about our hard hit small businesses have been which is a huge employment engine of our country.
DEFTERIOS: And small business, Paula, represents, what, 80 percent of the jobs in America with companies that are 50 or less. And we can't forget, we have at least 7 million people still on long-term unemployment benefits because they can't get back into the economy. So this is a rally based on expectations.
But many people are still suffering, and we'll see the jobless claims later in the day in the United States.
NEWTON: Yes. And you always remind us, right, John, that's there's a huge difference between, of course, Wall Street and Main Street.
And going back to that issue of the Dow, not the only game in town. Is this a broad based rally? And key here, is it reaching the global markets?
DEFTERIOS: Yes. It is reaching global markets. But let's take a look at those U.S. markets and why it is broad based.
The S&P 500 is right near a record. So this is the broadest index in terms of capital invested. And then the Russell 2000 which represents small and medium-sized companies hit a record along with the Dow industrials on Tuesday. So that's a good indicator.
Broad-based also because it's rolling into commodities. So if you take a look at oil prices here, this is the highest level in March -- since March. And it's amazing, Paula, because in April we went negative in terms of
WTI, now we're at $45 a barrel and change here. And we see oil stocks rallying as a group nearly 40 percent in the month of November -- you heard me correctly.
And to your point that you're raising, and it's a good one here. Tokyo's at a 29-year high, the MSCI world index hit a record today as well. And European stocks are up 60 percent from their lows in March. It's a worldwide phenomenon.
NEWTON: Yes. And we'll keep our fingers crossed that it'll go through to 2021 because the expectations are quite high.
John Defterios for us in Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much.
Now ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Despite warnings from health experts, millions of Americans are still traveling for the holidays.
We'll have tips for reducing your risk of infection if you're flying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula newton.
[01:30:33]
Now Russia has released some very positive data on his coronavirus vaccine. At a time when COVID cases are soaring in the country. Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance reports from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russia's coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, is over 95 percent effective, according to the latest interim data released by its Kremlin-backed developers, an update on its third-phase human trials.
That said that that high level of efficacy was observed 42 days after the first dose of the vaccine had been administered. After 28 days, efficacy was put at 91.4 percent. Obviously, both those results have to be independently verified.
In the meantime, no unexpected adverse effects were reported amongst the trial's participants, according to that interim data. Russia says it's pricing the vaccine at less than $10 a dose for international markets, making it one of the cheaper vaccine options that may soon become available worldwide.
Sputnik V is, of course, controversial, because it was the first vaccine back in August to be approved for public use in any country, even before human trials had ended. Thousands already, frontline healthcare workers and teachers in Russia have been vaccinated with it, along with several high-profile political figures here.
The Kremlin, though, says the Russian president himself, Vladimir Putin, has not yet taken the vaccine. The president would not be able to use an uncertified vaccine, a spokesman told reporters earlier today. That, he said, would be impossible.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: France will start lifting COVID-19 restrictions this weekend as part of a gradual reopening plan. Now, President Emmanuel Macron says the worst of the second wave of the pandemic does appear to be over, but he says care must be taken to try and avoid a third wave and yet another lockdown.
Paris correspondent Melissa Bell has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in France, there will be a staged lifting of the partial lockdown that's been in place since October 30. The French president spoke to the nation on French television tonight, saying that, whilst the second wave had been bad, its figures could have been much worse. And that had been avoided, he said, as a result of the restrictions, although he noted that 50,000 people have now died as a result of the epidemic here in France.
What Emmanuel Macron had to say is that from Saturday there will be a lifting of some restrictions, with some nonessential businesses that had been closed allowed to open. But essentially, France will remain under partial lockdown until December 15.
Then, if the figures allow, if the COVID-19 figures remain at the levels that authorities hope they will be, people will once again be allowed to travel, once again be able to move around, although a curfew will then come into effect.
Then, there will be a third stage in the lifting of the restrictions in January, when some of those other businesses, for instances, restaurants and bars, will be allowed to open again.
So something that is very gradual, something that will take time and an effort, really, of authorities to try and avoid the areas of the first wave, when restrictions were lifted too quickly. What Emmanuel Macron explained tonight was that the aim was to avoid a third wave here in France.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The U.K. is also loosening COVID restrictions for the holidays. The government says it will let members of up to three households form a so-called "Christmas bubble."
Now, they will be able to get together, inside, outside and in places of worship, from December 23 to December 28. Now, that covers all four nations of the United Kingdom, and there will be no travel restrictions over that time period. Health experts in the United States have been urging Americans not to
travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But despite the warning, millions are flocking to airports nationwide.
For those choosing to travel, CNN's Brian Todd shares some tips to help reduce the risk of infection.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The CDC has recommended that Americans don't do this, cautioning them not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
But on Friday, and again on Sunday, more than a million people each day passed through security at America's airports, breaking an air travel record in the U.S. during the pandemic.
And the busiest travel days for this holiday haven't even come yet.
DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: This is not the time to be flying, when there are coronavirus hotspots, essentially, in every part of the country; when there is explosive spread.
TODD: Many passengers seem to know the risks and are still flying.
[01:35:03]
YASMINE DEHGHANI, AIRLINE PASSENGER: Honestly, I'm pretty scared of going back home, because of corona. I'm trying to take a lot of precautions, but it's still really terrifying.
CAROLINE OSLER, AIRLINE PASSENGER: At some point it's just -- it's too hard to stay away from family, especially for the holidays.
TODD: If you feel you have to fly, experts are offering some important advice.
DR. LARRY BRILLIANT, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: If I had to travel, I'd be wearing gloves, a face mask, and a shield, and I wouldn't be eating on the plane, and I would do my very best not to have to go to the lavatory.
TODD: Other advice from the experts we spoke to: keep your mask and face shield on the entire flight. Try to find a seat by a window, so you're not close to people walking the aisles. Don't sit in rows that have the middle seats filled. Don't touch your face during the flight.
Bring your own hand sanitizer and wipes. Wipe down the tray tables, the armrest, your entire seating area.
And one expert has some advice about a dangerous period of your flight that many of us may have not thought of.
WEN: One of the most dangerous times is during the boarding process, when everyone is crowded together and when there isn't fresh air being pumped in. And so try to minimize that time standing in the jetway, standing while boarding, as much as you can.
TODD: But again, the CDC is saying not to travel, and experts are worried about Americans' behavior over Thanksgiving and what comes next.
WEN: Almost certainly, people are now going to be seeing loved ones. They're going to be staying in someone's home. They might be having dinner together. And remember that people are coming from all over the country where there are coronavirus hotspots everywhere.
BRILLIANT: I'm afraid that two or three weeks after Thanksgiving, and then again after Christmas, we're going to be seeing spike upon spike. This is a very difficult time for all of us.
TODD (on camera): And the experts we spoke to say planes and airports are not your only high-risk areas. Be careful when using ground transportation, they say. Shuttles, trains, taxis and Ubers. And if you have to take a taxi or an Uber to or from the airport, make sure you open the windows.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: His stepfather survived the Holocaust, and now after decades of diplomacy, Tony Blinken is set to become the new U.S. secretary of state. We'll meet him, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: An Ethiopian human rights commission says hundreds of people were killed during an ethnically-charged massacre earlier this month. The investigation claims a local youth group, with the help of local officials and police, killed at least 600 civilians in the Tigray region.
Tensions have been rising between the federal and regional government for weeks now. CNN has been unable to verify the claims, due to a communications blackout.
Now as finding in Tigray escalates, more and more Ethiopians are being forced to flee their homes according to the U.N.'s refugee agency. Tens of thousands of people have fled already, and it's feared that number will spike.
[01:40:06]
Often with just a moment's notice, they must leave behind their belongings and head for neighboring Sudan.
Now, their journey doesn't end upon crossing the border. Many then take a very long bus ride to refugee camps inside Sudan, which are struggling already to accommodate all these displaced people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I took my five children and ran, but I don't know where one of my children is. I don't know where she went.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were shooting at us. There are a lot of wounded people. They are a lot of people here suffering from malaria, which cannot be -- where they cannot afford any medication. So the world must expose and must understand our problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We never expected to be refugees. We never expected. I can tell you for sure, 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Joe Biden's focus on foreign policy in his first round of cabinet picks is meant to, of course, send a clear message to U.S. allies the days of Donald Trump's "America first" policy are over. And that starts with Biden's choice for top diplomat.
CNN's Kylie Atwood has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President-elect Joe Biden's pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has been part of Biden's brain trust for almost 20 years.
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: Mr. President-elect, working for you, having you as a mentor and friend, has been the greatest privilege of my professional life.
ATWOOD: Blinken worked with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During the Obama administration, he was in the room for major foreign policy decisions. He served as the deputy national security adviser and the deputy secretary of state.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: He starts off with the kind of relationships around the world that many of his predecessors have had to build over the years. I know; I've seen him in action.
ATWOOD: Blinken, who grew up in Paris and New York, has a world view informed by his family history. His stepfather survived the Holocaust, after four years in concentration camps, rescued at the end of the war by a U.S. soldier.
BLINKEN: He ran to the tank. The hatch opened. An African-American G.I. looked down at him. He got down on his knees and said the only three words that he knew in English, that his mother taught him before the war: "God bless America."
That's who we are. That's what America represents to the world.
ATWOOD: Blinken is a proponent of international cooperation, a key quality as the Biden ministration sets out to revive alliances. Critics say those relationships were ignored and ransacked over the last four years by the Trump administration.
BLINKEN: If we renew our democracy at home, if we revitalize our alliances with democracies in the first instance around the world, that creates a foundation for us to act, I believe, more effectively in dealing with lots of challenges.
ATWOOD: Often critical of outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the face of President Trump 's efforts to smear members of the diplomatic corps.
BLINKEN: He can either stand up for the men and women of the State Department, foreign service officers, civil servants, or frankly, he should leave.
ATWOOD: The news of his selection welcomed by American diplomats and by former President Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's outstanding. Smart, gracious, a skilled diplomat, well-regarded around the world.
ATWOOD: "If confirmed, this is a mission I will take on with my full heart," Blinken road on Twitter."
The 58-year-old father of two toddlers and guitar player who even has music on Spotify, has a playful side, at one point going on "Sesame Street" to discuss the intense challenges faced by refugees.
BLINKEN: One of the issues we're going to talk about is something really important. Refugees.
GROVER, MUPPET: Deputy Secretary Tony Blinken from the State Department.
ATWOOD: The Trump administration put historic limits on the number of refugees coming into the U.S., limits Biden has pledged to raise dramatically and Blinken would be tasked with implementing.
Blinken, who supported U.S. military action in Syria and Libya, has said the Biden team will maintain a commitment to Israeli security. But --
BLINKEN: In terms of the amount of time, and focus, and energy, and resources, we need to be thinking about how we allocate them to best match our interests.
ATWOOD: Handling China is one of the biggest challenges facing Biden's foreign policy team.
BIDEN: What I'd make China do is play by the international rules.
ATWOOD: Blinken and Biden call China a competitor, and they also say the U.S. needs to work with China when interests overlap. The world is waiting to find out how Blinken will make that work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:45:04]
NEWTON: CNN's Kylie Atwood there reporting from Washington.
Now the U.S. presidential election may be over, but in the state of Georgia, the Senate race is, just still heating up right now. Several candidates are vying for two open seats in a runoff that will determine -- key here -- the congressional balance of power.
As Ryan Nobles reports, both races have been heavily influenced by President Trump and his conspiracy theories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The political stakes in Georgia's Senate runoffs couldn't be higher.
SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA): This isn't about my seat. This is so much bigger than me.
NOBLES: But three weeks since election day, some Republicans have yet to shift their focus to the contests coming in January.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing to help Donald Trump?
NOBLES: One Trump supporter even interrupting David Perdue at a campaign stop, demanding the incumbent senator and Kelly Loeffler, the other Republican senator running, do more to help President Trump's effort to overturn the results of the election.
DAVID WEST, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I think they should be more vocal.
NOBLES: Republican vote David West believes President Trump's unfounded claim that the presidential election was stolen. He wants Perdue and Loeffler to focus their efforts not on their own reelection, but instead Trump's fanciful fraud allegations.
WEST: They should be using every news outlet that will give them a voice, every social media that will give them a voice, that this whole election is a farce.
NOBLES: Pressure from voters like West has forced Perdue and Loeffler to continue to fuel Trump's narrative, even at the expense of fellow GOP leaders in Georgia who have repeatedly defended the integrity of the election.
PERDUE: We call for the resignation of our secretary of state is what we did. We're calling for lawsuits right now. We're doing a lot, because right now we want him -- every valid, every legal vote to be counted for Donald Trump.
NOBLES: But every legal vote has been counted and is in the process of being counted for the third time. Today, Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who's been the target of attacks by Trump supporters, defended the administration of the election.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): Over the last several weeks, unfortunately, we've seen a lot of misinformation, and more recently, quite honestly, baseless attacks. They're absolutely absurd, and accusations made against myself and my family.
NOBLES: While the president's supporters remain passionate, it's still unclear how big of a role he'll play in the runoff. So far, the president has been quiet about the runoff election. But his son, Donald Trump Jr., made it clear in a tweet, the GOP majority needs to be protected.
A Trump visit to Georgia remains a possibility, but the campaigns are not counting on it. They believe even a tweet from the president would be enough to calm his supporters' fears.
Meanwhile, Georgia's lieutenant governor is pleading with his fellow Republicans to look forward, while warning the party is at a crossroads.
LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN (R-GA): I also think for the Republican Party, this is a, you know -- a starting point, or at least points us in the direction of starting to talk about what, you know, potentially, GOP 2.0 looks like.
NOBLES (on camera): Now to be clear, that Trump supporter we spoke to said that he intends to vote for Kelly Loeffler and for David Perdue in the January 5 runoff, but he is just concerned that they're not doing enough to help President Trump.
It demonstrates this difficult position the Republican candidates find themselves in. Yes, they'd like to focus on their race, but they can't forget about President Trump,
Ryan Nobles, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now some sad news. French rugby legend Christophe Dominici has died at the age of 48, according to his former club. Dominici played for France 67 times -- Pardon me, France 67, seven times, pardon me. And is best remembered for scoring a remarkable try in the 1999 World Cup which helped his team advance to the finals.
The rugby star played in three World Cups overall, and won four Six Nations titles, including two grand slams.
Now the cause of his death is still being investigated.
Up next, the group that got a nod from President Trump at a presidential debate is the same one the FBI calls extremist. We talk to a former member of the Proud Boys about the group's opinions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:50:55]
NEWTON: And you might have already guessed this, but yes, it's true. Usually, even during times of crisis, the rich still get richer. Tech entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now the world's second
richest person, narrowly beating out Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. Tesla's market value soared above $500 billion for the first time Tuesday. And when it did, Elon Musk's net worth jumped, as well, to an estimated $136 billion. That's according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Now, the Proud Boys is a far-right group founded ahead of the 2016 U.S. election. Two years later, the FBI classified it as an extremist group.
Now, you may remember President Trump calling on the Proud Boys to quote, "stand by" during a debate with Joe Biden. Now one former member is offering some insight into who joins the Proud Boys and the group's ideology.
Elle Reeve reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSSELL SCHULTZ, FORMER PROUD BOY MEMBER: They're afraid to say what's on their mind, for fear of getting into a fight. But if they have that guy or that group behind them, they're more bold in saying what they think, because they think someone has their back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Antifa.
SCHULTZ: The Proud Boys are the vehicle that attracts those people and accepts them in.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russell Schultz spent about a year and a half as a Proud Boy near Portland. He didn't hold a title, but he was at a lot of political protests and had a big presence online.
He says he quit, but the Proud Boys say he was kicked out in May 2019.
Russell's a witness to what it's like inside the far-right group and why some men would want to join it.
SCHULTZ: It's too much like a -- a nationwide criminal gang, is where they're heading towards, and I didn't want any part of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
This is where the Proud Boys, and only Proud Boys. We need more political activists on the right side. More, not less.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REEVE: Russell grew up around Portland. He's Jewish and told us he voted for Obama twice before voting for Trump twice.
SCHULTZ: Donald Trump is bullheaded. He's determined, and he takes a lot of criticism, but he keeps fighting on. I like his political policies. I got involved doing the activism stuff because of Trump supporters getting attacked. And I wanted to stand up to that and say that's not what we do in America.
REEVE (on camera): But you're just not a Trump supporter. You got involved with the Proud Boys. How did that happen?
SCHULTZ: We were holding a free speech rally in Portland, and all of a sudden, the fights are breaking out all over the place. And here come marching across the field these guys in black and yellow striped polos. And to me, it just looked like something from a "Braveheart" movie or something. It was kind of cool.
And then they asked me to join. And I thought about it for a minute, and I was like, Yes, OK. It would be fun. Wear a goofy little shirt and look like we're a bowling team.
REEVE (voice-over): The Proud Boys were founded in 2016 and are known more in for street fights than for their vague ideology. They celebrated when President Trump mentioned them in a presidential debate.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I tell you what. I'll tell you what. Somebody's got to do something about Antifa and the left.
REEVE (on camera): Do you think the Proud Boys felt encouraged by President Trump? Like that he had their back?
SCHULTZ: Yes. Yes, because everybody wants to feel special.
REEVE (voice-over): Unlike many far-right groups that emerged around the same time, the Proud Boys don't say they're trying to defend the white race. They say they're defending western civilization, and that if you think that's code for white people, you're the racist.
SCHULTZ: I don't perceive them as racists. There might be some that might be misogynists, but most of that would be their defense of rejection. But a lot of it, I just -- I see people showing up because they want to have drinking partners. They want to join a gang so they can go fight Antifa and hurt people that they don't like and feel justified in doing it.
REEVE: Chairman Enrique Tarrio told CNN currently, there is no criminal activity happening in the Proud Boys.
Russell left the group, but he hasn't left the mindset. His antipathy towards Antifa still motivates his actions, and he still shows up at some rallies. And while he criticizes the Proud Boys, he defends most of what he did while with the group, including violent threats, as either a joke or justified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: I'm going to shoot you in your head or your chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:55:03] REEVE: Antifa posts information about far-right activists online, they say to raise the social cost of being a fascist. In 2018, Rose City Antifa posted Russell's address and workplace and reposted his videos where he talked about violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: At the last rally, I nearly ran you over with a car, and I don't feel bad about it one bit. You're lucky I didn't kill you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REEVE (on camera): Rose City Antifa posted this.
SCHULTZ: I don't understand that one. I'm glad they posted that one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
-- shoot you in your head or your chest.
You are not going to survive. I will survive and take my chances in court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REEVE: OK. These do seem like violent threats, Russell.
SCHULTZ: They are violent threats, and it's for a good reason, too.
REEVE: Why? What happened?
SCHULTZ: We were going to have a religious march, a pro-Jesus march. It was around Christmas time.
REEVE: Yes.
SCHULTZ: And Antifa was saying they were going to come over and start throwing urine and feces on us. And so that was my way of saying, OK, if they do that, that's a threat. I don't know if there's AIDS tainted in. And I made that threat so they wouldn't come up, and they didn't come over.
REEVE (voice-over): Rose City Antifa told CNN they did not threaten to throw poop at the Jesus march and do not know how to lace poop with HIV.
At the Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C., after Trump lost the election, Proud Boys got into fights with anti-Trump counter protesters. Videos of the violence circulated on social media.
(on camera): Look at that guy. This is a big old fat dude.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
REEVE: Hitting a woman.
SCHULTZ: From behind. She didn't even see it coming.
REEVE: How is that, like, proud masculinity right there? That's as low as it gets.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
REEVE; It's just crazy to me that we've come to this point, and do you feel like you're part of it, that brought us to this point with their --
SCHULTZ: That brought us to it?
REEVE: Yes.
SCHULTZ: Well, I definitely had -- honestly, I had a role in it. I never advocated for the violence to come out of it, though.
REEVE: But well, do you see why people make the argument then, that, like, it was never really a joke. That the joke is just a cover for what you actually do.
SCHULTZ: I don't think it was ever meant to be a street gang, not at first. It just kind of morphed into that. You probably wouldn't even know who Proud Boys are if -- if there hadn't been Antifa attacking patriots or Trump supporters at rallies. And maybe that would be better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: -- really -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on a punching bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REEVE: Do you think after Trump leaves office, the Proud Boys will fade away?
SCHULTZ: No.
REEVE: Why not?
SCHULTZ: Because they found that other part we're talking about, where they felt like they were part of a group. And you've got these guys that normally, they'd be at this bar by themselves. They have no friends. They can't talk to a girl, because for whatever reason, they just don't have the self-confidence.
But when they join the group, now they have that self-confidence. Here, I'm with these guys. And it gets them attention.
REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, Vancouver, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And I want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. The news continues right here on CNN, right after a break.
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