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U.S. Pandemic Sees Deadliest Day Since May with 2,200 Plus Deaths; U.S. Now Averaging 175,000 Plus New Infections a Day; 50 Million Suffer from Hunger Amid Pandemic. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired November 26, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Boris Sanchez. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world.

It is a Thanksgiving Day unlike any other. Americans this year expressing gratitude for what they have, while many are hungry, struggling and grieving those missing from their tables. Another 2,297 people have died from coronavirus. The deadliest day Johns Hopkins has recorded since May.

Hospitalizations nationwide breaking records for the 16th day in a row as medical experts warn this Thanksgiving surge could turn into a Christmas nightmare. In fact, the CDC is projecting major devastation before Christmas Day. Its new forecast calculating as many as 321,000 total U.S. deaths by December 19th. That's another 60,000 Americans dead in less than a month.

Millions are defying CDC guidance to stay home and not travel this holiday. The TSA reporting nearly 6 million in airports so far this week. A record since the pandemic began.

For three weeks now, the country has reported 100,000 plus new infections every day. And that number, according to a new CDC model, is likely an undercount. It estimates that only 13 percent of COVID cases were recorded from February through September. That's one of every eight cases. While the U.S. officially counts 7 million cases during that time, they now believe the real number is close to 53 million.

And as coronavirus relentlessly rages on this Thanksgiving, a day that's typically devoted to family and food, millions are going hungry. The CEO of Feeding America lamenting that many visiting food banks this year were once volunteers themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT, CEO, FEEDING AMERICA: One of the things that we started noticing very quickly was that the people who are turning to us for help, we didn't recognize them. About 40 percent of the people who right now are turning to food banks for help around the country are people who never before relied upon the charitable food system. What was really shocking was how often sometimes we did recognize them because they used to be volunteers in the food bank. And they found themselves in need of our services when they used to be the ones helping their neighbors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Despite the warnings, millions have decided to take the risk of traveling during the pandemic to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Yet the one person who could have driven the point home better than anyone else, the president, directly contradicted warnings about coronavirus. At the end of his holiday proclamation, there was this line. I encourage all Americans to gather in homes and places of worship to offer a prayer of thanks to God for our many blessings.

CNN correspondent Rosa Flores is in Miami. Rosa, if anyone doubts the gravity of this crisis, they can look at the situation in hospitals in Miami-Dade County. Coincidentally my mom works at a hospital in Miami- Dade County and she says that the situation is grave now and it's likely going to get worse and the public doesn't seem to recognize it.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, you're absolutely right. And we're seeing this here in Miami and in hospitals around the country. And look, Boris, you and I know this, medical experts have been warning that this was going to happen, and it has. We are seeing that the number of cases in the United States is surging.

Just yesterday more than 101,000 cases were reported. And now hospitalizations around the country are nearing 90,000. And when it comes to the death toll, the daily death toll continues to increase. Just yesterday, nearly 2,300 Americans died.

Now some states are taking measures. For example, some of them are rolling back some of the reopening plans. That's the case in Louisiana. Others are tightening their mask rules, that's the case in North Carolina. And others are imposing curfews. That's the case in Bexar County in San Antonio, Texas.

Now, we are seeing that hospitals are getting tested. We're hearing from officials in Rhode Island and also in Washington state and right here in the state of Florida, where I am in Miami-Dade. According to data released by the county, the number of hospitalizations of COVID- 19 patients in the past two weeks has increased by 25 percent. The number of ICUs is up 43 percent. And the number of ventilators up 44 percent.

Now, Boris, you're from here and you can appreciate this. I've been talking to the city of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and also Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. They've been trying to get the attention of Governor Ron DeSantis because they say they need his help.

[11:05:09]

If you remember back in late September, Governor Ron DeSantis in one swoop reopened the state but the other thing that he did in the fine print, he crippled local authorities as to what they can do. He removed, he stripped them from the power that they had to impose more restrictions. And they point to one thing specifically. They can't fine mask violators. And Boris, that was one of the things that local authorities here had said was actually working. It was stopping the spread of this virus, now they don't have the power to do that. And they're asking the governor to step in and help them out.

SANCHEZ: Yes. It's a shame, Rosa, that politics has come before protecting lives. Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. Thanks so much. Rosa Flores from Miami.

From florida to Texas now where the state hit an all-time record high for new daily cases. Health officials reported more than 14,000 infections just yesterday as the state struggles to stop the spread. Two counties have announced curfews beginning tonight.

CNN national correspondent Ed Lavandera is there. Ed, give us some of the details on these new curfews.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these curfews are in Bexar County, the San Antonio area and El Paso County, which has been the focus of so much attention over the last few weeks that it's been a dangerous hot spot in the state. But essentially this curfew is telling people to stay at home, everything shutting down between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. through this Thanksgiving weekend until Monday morning.

County officials and city officials in San Antonio say that it was the last two holiday weekends that contributed in large part to the surges that they had seen in those areas after two holiday weekends. And they're trying to minimize that going into this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. And this comes as, overall, here in the state of Texas, Boris, the surge that we're seeing right now far surpasses what we saw in the initial surge of the coronavirus pandemic back in July and early August. More than 14,000 new cases as you mentioned, reported yesterday. Texas has now more than 1.2 million cases. It leads the country in the number of coronavirus cases. And it has the second highest death total as well in this state.

So, despite all of this, Boris, the governor here in Texas, Greg Abbott, says there are no plans to shut down the economy. Still urging people to wear masks and do the individual things that you have to do to protect yourselves. So obviously, urging people to not gather in large groups this Thanksgiving weekend. But this comes as there is a great deal of stress on the medical system in various parts of this state and these numbers continue to increase in the surge that we're seeing here headed into December. Boris?

SANCHEZ: A situation to keep an eye on and we know you'll watch it for us. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

I'm joined now by Dr. Richina Bicette. She's an emergency medicine physician and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Doctor, first off, thank you so much for spending part of your Thanksgiving with us.

I have to ask about this new CDC study that estimates that only one in eight coronavirus cases may have actually been counted so far in the United States. Meaning that we vastly undercounted cases. What do you make of the study and what concerns does that raise for you?

DR. RICHINA BICETTE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: That's definitely believable, Boris. What we know is that some of those who are affected with COVID-19 are completely asymptomatic. And if you don't have symptoms, nothing is going to prompt you to get tested.

So, we're not capturing those numbers. There are also others who have been exposed to the virus in one way or another, but they may only have mild symptoms. And if they don't know they're exposed that also wouldn't prompt them to get tested. That's why it's likely possible that we vastly undercounted a lot of the numbers that we're seeing in the United States.

SANCHEZ: So, a critic might look at that number and say, well, that would get us to herd immunity. Would it?

BICETTE: Not necessarily. So, in order for us to achieve herd immunity, typically we would think about 70 percent of the population needs to be immune to a certain disease in order for us to reach that point, 50 percent if we're being very, very conservative.

Now, in the United States, we have about 320 million Americans. So, we're looking at, at least 160 million people that either needed to be vaccinated to this disease or have been exposed to the disease to achieve herd immunity. And we're nowhere close to there.

SANCHEZ: Right. We are currently at 16 straight days of record hospitalizations. That's the single day death toll topping 2,000. Rate of new infections soaring. There's been a lot of speculation about another shutdown, another lockdown looming. At what point do you think that becomes unavoidable?

[11:10:01]

BICETTE: Boris, you know that's a complicated question with a complicated answer. Now, I do understand the precarious position that government officials are in trying to make sure that they protect the health and the safety of their constituents. But also making sure that people can maintain their livelihoods and we're not facing another economic collapse.

That being said, the only way to 100 percent prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to make sure that people are not intermingling with people that are not in their households. Neither hand washing, nor wearing masks, nor gathering in spaces but attempting to stay 6 feet apart is 100 percent effective.

I'm a physician, I'm never going to put dollars over deaths over 262,000 Americans have died. Of those that are hospitalized, right now currently in the U.S., which is topping 89,000, almost 20 percent of those patients are in the ICU. And if you're in the ICU one in three people are on a ventilator.

This disease is deadly for those who are young, for those who are old, for those who are healthy and those who have other medical problems. And if we don't get more vigilant with our restrictions in the United States we're not going to put a dent in these numbers before a vaccine becomes available.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I think you're absolutely right about that. There has been good news, though, about the progress toward a vaccine. Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca all reporting that their vaccine trials show really good efficacy, no major side events. The question then becomes how do you distribute it effectively and efficiently. I'm curious, are Americans actually going to be able to choose between these vaccines? How would that work?

BICETTE: The vaccine news that's come out in the last couple of weeks I think is the glimmer of hope that we've been waiting for. It's the light at the end of the tunnel. But I don't think that initially, people are going to really be able to choose between the three vaccines.

AstraZeneca is the company that has released their vaccine data the most recently and their numbers are not as good as Moderna and Pfizer. Across all participants it looks like the AstraZeneca vaccine is only about 70 percent effective. And also, they only finished their trials in the U.K. and have not finished their phase three trials in the United States.

Now, the Moderna vaccine although it's been said that it's 94.5 percent effective. They have not yet applied for FDA approval. They're trying to gather a little bit more safety data this month before submitting that application.

Pfizer is the company that's leading the race with a vaccine they're saying is about 95 percent effective, which is completely remarkable. They've submitted their application for emergency youth authorization and there's actually a hearing scheduled on December 10th. So, it's likely that Pfizer is going to be the first vaccine on the market that's available.

SANCHEZ: A moment that can't get here quickly enough. Doctor Richina Bicette, thank you so much for the time. We appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving.

BICETTE: Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responding to the Supreme Court ruling against his COVID restrictions on religious institutions.

Plus, as the president pardons Michael Flynn, many are plotting how to impress the president with money and donations, potentially angling to get a similar treatment.

And new CNN reporting on the test Joe Biden faces as he inherits the president's secret server with sensitive information inside of it.

This is CNN's special live coverage, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:17:45]

BORIS: Welcome back.

President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are sharing a heartfelt Thanksgiving message with the country. In a new op-ed on CNN.com they thanked the American people for their sacrifices during the pandemic.

They write quote, "Like millions of Americans, we are temporarily letting go of the traditions we can't do safely. It's not a small sacrifice. These moments with our loved ones -- time that's lost -- can't be returned. Yet, we know it's the price of protecting each other and one we don't pay alone. Isolated in our own dining rooms and kitchens, scattered coast to coast, we are healing together."

The Bidens tipping their hats to the American spirit while taking a moment to recognize those who've lost lives to the coronavirus. This message coming as the president-elect prepares to take office and as questions emerge ability about how he will handle access to sensitive information such as transcripts of presidential calls with foreign leaders.

CNN national security correspondent Vivian Salama is covering that story for us. Vivian, you have new reporting on how the Biden administration might be handling these sensitive data. Tell us what you have learned.

VIVIAN SALAMA, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Boris. Happy Thanksgiving.

SANCHEZ: Thank you.

SALAMA: So, I want to remind viewers about the secret server which came up originally in the now infamous whistleblower complaint that also included allegations that the president was saying some stuff that he shouldn't have said to the Ukrainian president last year. Obviously, that ended up prompting the House to investigate the president, ultimately impeach him.

So that secret server continued to be used at the National Security Council to store sensitive information, the Trump administration with things that this administration specifically deemed sensitive. Transcripts with leaders like Saudi Arabia, the Ukrainian president, which we just talked about, and even the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

So, a lot of these things essentially were on lockdown and that's exactly what that whistleblower complaint alleged, things were on lockdown and ultimately, people who needed to see it weren't going to see it.

And so, now, President-elect Joe Biden on January 20th, when he becomes president, he inherits that secret server. And he can ultimately do what he wants with it. But the test, Boris, is really going to be whether or not they change that. [11:20:00]

Now, the Biden team says that they really want to urge transparency and they want people -- government officials to be able to access the things they need to access. But whether or not they reverse that policy right away remains to be seen. Things have changed in the four years since a lot of these people were in office.

And so, they might take some time, according to officials I spoke with, to really assess the security situation. In the meantime, when the transition teams are talking, Trump administration officials tell me that the Biden team is on a need to know basis. They're going to cover things. They are absolutely essential to their ability to govern from day one, but things that the president discussed with some of these foreign leaders that were deemed sensitive may not be a priority. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's right. The Chief of Staff Mark Meadows making clear in a memo to staff that he does not want anybody at the White House who doesn't have approval talking to anybody on the Biden transition team makes you kind of wonder why.

All right. Vivian Salama, Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for the reporting.

In the wake of President Trump pardoning his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, those around him are asking who's next. This move from the president wiping away Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation.

Sources telling CNN the president is expected to issue a series of additional pardons over the next two months. And listen to this. "The New York Times" is reporting that pardon seekers are highlighting their donations and time spent at Trump properties as well as business connections that could help the president once he leaves office. All this in order to win him over.

Joining me now, CNN legal analyst, Asha Rangappa. She's also a former FBI special agent and a lecturer at Yale University. Thank you so much for taking part of your Thanksgiving to be with us, Asha. Safe to say that Trump will likely issue more pardons on his way out the door, especially for those connected to the Russia investigation, right?

ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think we can definitely expect to see that. Now it's not unusual, at the end of a presidential term, to see a lot of pardons what is unusual here are the sheer number of pardons that he's already issued and will likely issue to people who are connected to him, or have some kind of relationship with him in some way.

Particularly, as you mentioned with the Russia investigation, which may involve pardoning people who could have incriminating evidence on him. So, this is where we start to get into, you know, the outer limits of the pardon power. Which is generally unfettered but where there may be kind of a self-dealing aspect to some of Trump's pardons. SANCHEZ: I'm curious to get your reaction to that reporting in "The Times" that pardon seekers are trying to use their connections and donations and spending at Trump properties to try to win favor with the president. I mean, that seems highly unethical.

RANGAPPA: It is highly unethical. This is a very transactional approach to an immense and awesome power of the presidency. Normally, Boris, requests for a pardon will go through the pardon attorney. There will be, you know, a formal channel where these are looked at and approved, and pardons can be controversial.

Again, I think what's happening here is that there is an effort to element implicitly create, you know, a quid pro quo. Here's what I've done for you. Here's the money I've spent on your properties, in exchange for something that the president can offer them.

SANCHEZ: As if we haven't gotten enough no quid pro quo tweets already. Rught?

RANGAPPA: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: I've been thinking a lot about the legacy of the Trump era, and the president routinely one of the things I think historians will know him for is testing the boundaries of the presidency consistently. There's a lot of talk now that he may try to actually pardon himself. I'm not sure that's what the framers had in mind, but he retweeted a message from Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz that encouraged him to do just that.

From your perspective, how can you pardon yourself if you haven't been actually charged with anything yet, why would he need to pardon himself, and then is it legal, could he actually do it?

RANGAPPA: Well, you're asking two separate questions. You can pardon pre-charged conduct. Ford issued Nixon an unconditional pardon for offenses that hadn't been charged yet. And even going back to 1868, President Andrew Johnson pardoned soldiers who fought for the confederacy for treason before (AUDIO GAP) any of them had been charged.

So, the pre-charged conduct is likely OK. It's the self-pardoning which becomes problematic and most legal scholars agree that a president can't pardon himself apart from potentially conflicting with other parts of the Constitution, namely his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

[11:25:02]

The ability for the president to pardon himself would essentially make him above the law. He could spend his presidency committing all kinds of crimes and then pardon himself out the door.

So, this would be a really risky move for the president, in my opinion, because if he were to pardon himself, I think that it would be incumbent on a future Department of Justice to try to challenge that, because you don't want that to be the precedent. Or at least you want the Supreme Court to clarify the bounds of this. And if it were determined that a self-pardon were not valid, then the president would be exposed to potential legal liability.

So, I think this could be a risky move. He might be better off resigning and then allowing --

SANCHEZ: Mike Pence.

RANGAPPA: -- Mike Pence to pardon him. That would probably be a more airtight pardon if he's really looking for security going out the door.

SANCHEZ: Gosh. Another legacy of the Trump presidency has to be drama. Drama all the way to the end. Asha Rangappa, thank you so much for the time. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

RANGAPPA: Happy Thanksgiving.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

A Republican governor calling out one of his colleagues, as she continues to shun masks in the middle of a deadly surge.

Plus, the Supreme Court ruling against New York's COVID restrictions on religious institutions and the newest justice was the deciding vote.

Also, Disney laying off 32,000 workers as the pandemic gets worse and food bank lines get longer.

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