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16th Straight Day Record, 90,000 In Hospital With COVID; Biden: Our War Is With The Virus, Not Each Other; Trump Calls Into Hearing, Denies Election Results; Holiday Season: COVID Super spreader All The Way Through Christmas; Flynn Given Presidential Pardon By Trump; Maradona Fans Across The World Unite In Tribute. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 26, 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, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, I'm Paula Newton and this is CNN NEWSROOM live from studio seven at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour.
A study in contrasts. U.S. President Elect Joe Biden calls for Americans to come together as President Trump wrongly insists that he won the election and all of the swing states.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, BIDEN HARRIS TRANSITION COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD: But we have to understand, we're in a very dangerous. People have to stop swapping air. It's just that simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: A new COVID warning. A Thanksgiving surge could lead to an even deadlier Christmas surge.
Also, the world is remembering a football legend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: (Clapping and chanting)
NEWTON: You can hear the grief from Argentina to Italy and beyond. A look at the impact Diego Maradona had on "the beautiful game" and his fans.
As the U.S. heads into its Thanksgiving holiday, the messages from the outgoing president and the incoming successor are starkly different.
While President Elect Joe Biden spoke of unity and fighting the pandemic, President Donald Trump invited Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania to the White House after they held a so-called hearing on the baseless allegations of election fraud.
The president called into the event, again falsely claiming he won the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (Voice over, captioned): This was an election that we won easily. We won it by a lot. This election was rigged and we can't let that happen.
We can't let it happen for our country and this election has to be turned around.
Because we won Pennsylvania by a lot and we won all of these swing states by a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And then this. President Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Wednesday. Michael Flynn had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, with fewer than two months left in office, President Trump on Wednesday moving to pardon his former national security adviser, the retired general Michael Flynn.
Flynn only served as the president's national security adviser for a few weeks at the beginning of Trump's presidency but he was fired because he lied to the vice president about his contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 transition.
Those were the same contacts that are at issue that ultimately resulted in Flynn pleading guilty, to lying to federal investigators in 2017.
The president taking to Twitter saying it is his great honor to announce that General Flynn has been granted a full pardon.
The president then writing -- "Congratulations to General Flynn and his wonderful family. I know you will have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving."
This is not only a controversial pardon but what proceeded the pardon was also controversial.
The justice department actually moved after Flynn had pleaded guilty before his sentencing to argue that Flynn should not be sentenced, instead trying to drop the case altogether.
The president now resolving that legal limbo with this very controversial pardon. Now the president spent the rest of the day on Wednesday focused on
the one thing that has dominated his thinking for the last three weeks. And that is trying to overturn the results of the election or at a minimum try to delegitimatize Joe Biden's victory in 2020.
The president canceled a trip to visit with Republican Pennsylvania state lawmakers on Wednesday but he did appear via speakerphone calling into the phone of one of his attorneys where he went on a 10- minute rant spreading conspiracy theories and lies about the 2020 election.
The president repeatedly saying that he wanted to overturn the results of an election that he lost.
A pretty startling statement to hear any democratic leader say particularly when the evidence is so clear against any notion of widespread voter fraud according to all local and state election officials.
DIAMOND (On Camera): Meanwhile, the president did not focus on the pandemic, he was silent on that front.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: As that was going on, incoming president Joe Biden was calling on Americans to stay safe this Thanksgiving even though it means making sacrifices.
CNN's Arlette Saenz reports.
[01:05:00]
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, President Elect Joe Biden offered a somber message for a country gripped by COVID-19.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know the country has grown weary of the fight. But we need to remember, we're at war with a virus, not with one another.
The address presented a stark contrast to President Trump who has not acknowledged the rise in coronavirus cases and continues to cast doubt about the election.
BIDEN: Let's be thankful for democracy itself. In America, we have full and fair and free elections and then we honor the results. The people of this nation and the laws of the land won't stand for anything else.
SAENZ: After weeks of delay, Biden's transition team is receiving its first briefings from the Trump Administration on the virus, hoping to get information on Operation Warp Speed and plans for distributing a vaccine. DR. CELINE GOUNDER, BIDEN COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: This is
sort of like UPS delivery, there's a lot of logistics involved. So there's a lot of just fine detail we need to drill down on.
SAENZ: Biden's incoming White House chief of staff is also in touch with the nation's top infectious disease experts.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I've been in contact with Ron Klain, nothing substantive in the sense of plans but just touching base with me.
Telling me that we're going to be talking about this very soon now that the transition is just an process.
SAENZ: Before the holiday, the president elect started filling out his cabinet turning to Obama era officials to lead his national security and foreign policy teams.
But Biden insists he is charting his own course.
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.
SAENZ: With more cabinet decisions in the coming weeks, Biden says he's open to naming a Republican to his team even if they voted for President Trump.
BIDEN: I want this country to be united. The purpose of our administration is once again, uniting. We can't keep this virulent political dialog going, it has to end.
SAENZ: In his Thanksgiving message, Biden expressed solidarity with those who had lost loved ones to coronavirus sharing his own experience with loss.
BIDEN: I remember that first Thanksgiving, the empty chair, the silence. It takes your breath away.
I'll be thinking and praying for each and every one of you at this Thanksgiving -- at your Thanksgiving table because we've been there.
SAENZ: And with the altered holiday season approaching, Biden urged Americans to come together to fight the virus.
BIDEN: I know we can and we will beat this virus, America's not going to lose this war. We'll get our lives back, life is going to return to normal, I promise you.
SAENZ: And the president elect shared his own family's plans for Thanksgiving. They are foregoing that typically large Biden family Thanksgiving gathering. And instead, it will be Biden, his wife Jill, daughter Ashley and their son-in-law, Howard, sharing this Thanksgiving holiday. A much smaller gathering.
Something he has in common with many Americans across this country.
SAENZ (On Camera): Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Michael Genovese is the president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. He joins me this hour from Los Angeles.
Michael, really good to see you.
We start with the pardon here. Michael Flynn, not surprising to many. This was really the first one out of the gate, it will be the first of many.
What do you think about the other pardons that are still to come here, especially those involving Trump himself or maybe members of his family?
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST & PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Well, you're right, this is probably the first of many. Some of the names that are being bandied about; Paul Manafort, Kushner's father, Rudy Giuliani who's got some legal problems.
And then there's, of course, kind of the Trump family where some things are pro-active and anticipating a potential legal problem. Could be Ivanka, Jared, others.
And then there's the self pardon. The question of whether a pardon can be issued by a president for himself when he's not been yet accused of a crime. And it's unclear, we aren't certain about that.
The president has wide pardoning powers. The only things he can't do is pardon people in impeachment cases or his pardons are only applicable to federal law and federal cases.
And the Supreme Court's been pretty clear about this. The president has very wide discretion on pardons other than those two exceptions.
But a self pardon violates two central principles of American jurisprudence. One, you cannot be a judge in your case -- that's been something that we've just adhered to for over 200 years.
[01:10:00]
The other is that no person can be above the law. And a self pardon would place the president above the law.
And there was one president -- precedent for this. And that was in the Watergate era.
The acting deputy attorney general, Mary Lawton, wrote a memo which is legally binding on the justice department. And that memo says that a president cannot self pardon.
NEWTON: Right.
GENOVESE: And so, the answer your question is absolutely and unequivocally we don't know.
NEWTON: And to the supreme court we go. It is interesting to see how that super majority in the supreme court now will come into play, we don't even know how. Especially as we wait to see the final pardons in the next few days.
I want to turn now to, of course, Joe Biden, president elect. His address today, so presidential, although he isn't formally the president yet.
I noted that conciliatory tone though. And that is different from the scrappy Biden that we saw on the debate stage. What do you think it says about how he will govern going forward? Especially when it comes to getting along with the GOP?
GENOVESE: Well, it's a Biden that has gone past the conflict of a campaign and is now preparing to govern and so he's acting very presidential.
Now Joe Biden's not known for his soaring rhetoric. But this is, I think, the best speech he gave all year including all of the campaign speeches.
It was sober, reassuring. It was realistic but quite hopeful. It was presidential -- the opposite of what Donald Trump did today.
He gave thanks at Thanksgiving but he also talked about being a wartime president fighting a virus and he said -- he'd used the line before, the enemy is the virus not one another.
Well, hallelujah for saying that. It's about time we start to believe that. We're all in this together, the COVID crisis affects Democrats and Republicans.
But he went beyond that. He quoted scripture about loving your neighbor and you love yourself. He spoke of loss which he's spoken of before but it was deep, it was real, it was almost Kennedyesque.
I think this was Joe Biden at his very best. And he did a lot to put Donald Trump in the rearview mirror for all of us.
NEWTON: That is such a great point, Michael. Because I think that a lot of people are seeing here, look, we need to move beyond what happened, no matter how you voted.
And part of that, as you say, is putting the current president in the rearview mirror, at least when that time comes on inauguration day.
Michael, thanks so much. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
GENOVESE: And to you, thank you so much.
NEWTON: Now a new projection from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention suggests America's death toll from COVID-19 could reach up to 321,000 by December 19th.
That's almost 60,000 new fatalities in just more than three weeks.
Now the country is currently seeing it's worst wave of the pandemic with several states reporting record infections and hospitalizations.
And with millions of Americans traveling for the holidays experts warn the uphill trend will continue for weeks to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSTERHOLM: We have to understand we're in a very dangerous place. People have to stop swapping air, it's just that simple.
And if we don't, we're going to see many, many of our friends, colleagues and loved ones ending up in a hospital. And unfortunately some of them not making it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now elsewhere, Germany is also struggling to contain its outbreak.
Chancellor Angela Merkel now says the country will extend its partial lockdown to try and flatten the curve. This means people will still have to avoid travel and limit public gatherings until at least December 20th.
But here in the U.S., a completely different story as many Americans continue to flout those safety guidelines.
CNN's Athena Jones has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): With Thanksgiving just a day away, experts fear another huge spike in coronavirus infections at a time when the numbers are already surging.
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's potentially the mother of all super spreader events.
JONES: Tuesday marked the deadliest day since early May . More than 2,100 lives lost to the virus.
A doctor in St. Louis recording this video to drive home the point.
DR. KEN REMY, PEDIATRIC And ADULT CRITICAL CARE PHYSICIAN: I hope that the last moments of your life don't look like this.
I promise you this is what your mother or your father or your children when they get COVID disease will see at the end of their life.
SAENZ: Nearly 90,000 people set to spend the holiday in a hospital bed as the U.S. sets a record for hospitalizations for the 15th straight day. And nearly 5 million people have boarded planes since the CDC warned
last week against traveling.
Experts warn Thanksgiving dinners could supercharge the virus's spread leading to skyrocketing cases and hospitalizations three weeks from now.
[01:15:00]
FAUCI: The final message is to do what really we've been saying now for some time. To the extent possible, keep the gatherings, the indoor gatherings, as small as you possibly can.
SAENZ: Some states already on the verge of buckling under the pressure.
GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): One out of 41 Coloradans are contagious right now. That is significantly up from the prior week. It is the most -- highest percentage of contagious Coloradans that we've ever had.
JONES: Colorado officials fear on its current trajectory the state will more than double its death toll by the end of the year.
California reported nearly 17,000 new cases Tuesday, its highest single day total ever.
Hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the last two weeks in Los Angeles County where officials reported the highest number of COVID- related deaths in more than two months. And warned it's likely to get worse.
DR. MARK GHALY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Statewide, I don't believe we've ever seen as many hospital admissions increased like we did just in the past 24 hours. And I hope, but don't expect, that it will be the highest we ever have.
JONES: A ban on outdoor dining goes into effect in the county tonight and the health department is urging residents to leave home only for essential needs.
As doctors across the country urge people to start taking proper precautions, like mask wearing, or reap the consequences.
DR. JOSEPH VARON, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, UNITED MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER: If we don't do things right, America is going to see the darkest days in modern American medical history.
JONES (On Camera): And Denver's mayor has become the latest state official to raise eyebrows for not practicing what he's preaching when it comes to taking precautions.
Mayor Michael Hancock's office confirming he flew to Mississippi to join his family for Thanksgiving not long after sending a tweet discouraging travel.
Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Tributes and tears are flowing all over the world for football superstar, Diego Maradona.
Now he died of heart failure Wednesday less than a month after turning 60.
A genius on the pitch and a god to his fans, Maradona was revered for bringing Argentina World Cup glory in 1986.
And in Naples, Italy where he helped lead his club to two national titles, Maradona was also well known for his wild behaviors, substance abuse and subsequent health problems. He had recently undergone successful surgery for a blood clot in his brain.
Now in the coming hours, Maradona will lie in honor for public viewing at Argentina's presidential palace.
Huge crowds, as you see there, are already gathering outside. And we will, of course, have a closer look at his legacy with a live report from Buenos Aires -- you see there. And that will be a little later in the show.
Also coming up. COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. reach an all-time high pushing healthcare workers to their limit. So what can be done to ease the pressure? A medical expert weighs in.
And later this hour, a message of congratulations for Joe Biden from Beijing. Finally.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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NEWTON: So for the 16th straight day, the U.S. has set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. Nearly 90,000 people are being treated for the virus in hospitals.
And the number of deaths are also rising. On Wednesday, officials confirmed another 2,000 fatalities nationwide, only the second time since May that that daily death toll has passed that mark.
CNN's medical analyst, Dr. Lena Wen joins me now from Baltimore.
And really, the news has been quite sobering. And when I say that, I just mean about the last few hours.
The COVID Tracking Project saying that look, this is the seventh highest day for deaths in the United States, we're talking about the 16th consecutive day where hospitalizations are at a high. What is your fear right now? DR. LENA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: My fear is that we are going to
have a surge upon a surge upon a surge. That we have an impending calamity that's coming our way.
In fact, we see it coming, we know that -- it's like there's a train coming towards us and we know that it's going to be killing thousands of people every single day.
We were already on this path of exponential spread in many parts of the U.S. and we also know that with every major holiday that we get a surge on top of that.
And with this Thanksgiving, now that it's colder outside and so many people are experiencing, understandably, pandemic fatigue, I just really worry about people getting together in these high-risk settings. Without wearing masks, close together for prolonged periods of time.
NEWTON: It is confusing for people, Doctor, and I'll tell you why. Everyone says that even at your holiday dinner table, that you are taking a risk.
And yet, we have had even some epidemiologists question whether or not those intimate settings in your house is a risk. Is -- or I should say, are the data definitive on this?
WEN: Look, there is so much community spread right now that it's very difficult for us to even pinpoint where it is that people are getting infected.
Here's what we do know. We know that these dinners and game nights and get togethers with people are very high risk because of how intimate they are, because of how close proximity people are sitting.
If people are eating and drinking, they're not wearing their masks and it's just human nature that we let down our guard with people that we know and we trust.
The CDC found that almost 60 percent of all the spread is by people who are asymptomatic, who don't have any symptoms, and that could well be our loved ones.
And so I think there is a magical thinking that we might have around our loved ones, that we love them, we trust them therefore, they can't have coronavirus. But it is in these settings where coronavirus is transmitted the most.
NEWTON: Yes. An important warning there. And I have to tell you, Doctor, I've been speaking, of course, to frontline workers for so many months now. And yet I feel for as much as we've tested all of you, the worst is yet to come.
What do you have to tell people about the nurses, the orderlies, the doctors, those people who are on the front lines. And how much more they can take? Considering this is Thanksgiving, we've got Hanukkah, we've got Christmas, we've got New Year still coming up. WEN: Health care workers are exhausted. They've been working with
not much break, really running at sprint speed but they're running a marathon. And there is physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion and burn out. That's very real.
And I think what's really hard for us is also seeing very sick patients at the hospitals and then we go out and we see people living their lives as if there isn't a pandemic around us.
And we know that these individuals could well become our patients in a few weeks' time or their loved ones and certainly their community members.
Our hospitals are on the brink of becoming totally overwhelmed. And if that happens, that is not only patients with coronavirus who are going to be hurt, it's all these other patients who may be in car accidents, who may be having heart attacks, who may need care for their cancer.
And I'm so worried about a total collapse in our health care system.
That could very well happen if our hospitals become overloaded and we don't have health care workers to be able to care for patients. We can buy more ventilators but we can't make new doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists.
NEWTON: Yes. And a reminder, this is record-breaking in terms of hospitalizations; 90,000 right now and counting still in the United States. Literally, counting this hour right now as people present.
A final note which hopefully will have some optimism in it. Certainly, the Trump Administration even is saying that there could be jabs in arms within a matter of weeks and the vaccine.
Is there a point at which we can at least vaccinate the most vulnerable populations so that we don't get to this point?
[01:25:00]
We can really kind of hold off the virus to a certain point where people who are getting -- people who need hospitalization will instead be getting a vaccine?
WEN: Yes. I think the spring and summer look so promising. There's a chance we could actually vaccinate most Americans by late spring or early summer with the most optimistic of our projections.
But the key then is for us to get through this very, very difficult winter. The vaccine news is fantastic but it's not going to help us right now.
What's going to help us is wearing masks in all public spaces, not gathering indoors at all except with members of our immediate family. And just being very, very careful.
This is a time for us to hunker down because otherwise we're going to face the deadliest winter that we have seen in modern history.
NEWTON: Yes. And such a good reason not to give into that fatigue as we all want to right now.
Doctor, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and thanks so much.
WEN: Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
NEWTON: To Europe now. And France is known for its culinary scene and, of course, right now a lot of jobs are at stake.
So with a nationwide lockdown in place, the second one this year, keeping restaurants close through the holidays, the question now is can the country's restaurants actually survive?
CNN's Melissa Bell is in Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paris may be locked down but you will see the doors of some of its restaurants open.
Take "Le Baritan," a bistro in the east of the city loved by the late Anthony Bourdain.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN, AMERICAN CHEF: Superb, imaginative food and fantastic wine.
BELL: These days you can't drink and eat here as Bourdain did, restaurants have been closed by the second partial lockdown this year.
But this time around, Raquel Carena, is back in her kitchen.
RAQUEL CARENA, CHEF, LE BARATIN (Through Translator): This time, we decided to do take away to try and be close to the people of the neighborhood. Also, to avoid sitting around doing nothing.
BELL: Raquel says that the first lockdown saw her turnover fold by 60 percent. The lunchtime takeaway she's put in place this time should help a little.
But that's not the only reason she's looking forward to the end of this lockdown.
CARENA (Through Translator): When we cook, we have to look at the people. And that's changed now.
When I used to see my customers, I asked them to tell me the truth. It's a bit dry, they would say, so I made something else. We've lost that luxury now.
BELL: Still, Raquel is one of the lucky ones. Unions yes that two out of every three establishments in France's hotel and restaurant sector could be forced out of business by the pandemic. According to France's health minister, restaurants will not be opening
in December. Which means that Raquel's carefully crafted dishes will be continue to be served in cardboard boxes and paper bags for a while longer.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The world has lost one of the greatest players in the history of the beautiful game.
You are looking at live pictures there right now in Buenos Aires.
And when we come back, how Diego Maradona is being remembered. We will be back in the Argentinian capital where fans have been gathering to honor him all day and night.
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[01:30:47]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
Diego Maradona is being remembered as one of the rare athletes to truly transcends the world of sports. He became a household name with admirers that include political figures and even fellow Argentine Pope Francis.
Now the Pope paid tribute to Maradona Wednesday. The Vatican posting a statement saying Francis looks back on their encounters with affection and remembers him in his prayers.
We go to Buenos Aires now though where Maradona will soon lie in honor at the presidential palace.
Journalist Diego Laje is standing by live for us. And I can only imagine the depth of emotion, and quite frankly, I am assuming shock as well there in the capital?
DIEGO LAJE, JOURNALIST: Absolutely, Paula. Absolutely. Emotion and shock -- that would sum it up. And the activity here on the main square, Plaza de Mayo, running from the presidential palace has shifted in the last few minutes of fans who were singing, chanting, celebrating his life and achievements have moved into a line that is expected to be extremely long. Thousands of people are expected. And through one of the main entrances of this building, Casa Rosada behind me, we could see at least one of his 1986 World Cup teammates who left the place. His teammates apparently have been there.
And CNN Mexico just reported and confirmed that his casket is in this building lying already in honor. And waiting for the opening in the morning when fans will be allowed to see him one last time.
What you see right now is firstly, the people who are kind of stragglers right now. It's 3:30 am local time. And this lane that has already been built next to me is the lane that will be used for leaving, for exiting, the area where the casket will be visible to fans from Buenos Aires and maybe from beyond, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, already setting up really for a heartfelt and in fact, very formal days of mourning there in Argentina.
Diego, thanks so much for bringing that us.
Of course, Don Riddell is here to talk about Maradona's life and legacy. I know this doesn't surprise you at all to see what's going on in the streets of Buenos Aires right now.
I mean so much has been written and said and analyze already while he was alive. He will loom large in this sport, won't he.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Oh, for sure. I mean football fans love having the conversation and the debate about who is the greatest of all time. Pele and Maradona for so long were the two names. Latterly, another Argentine, you know, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the conversation.
But I mean Maradona was absolutely revered, of course in Argentina and you're going to see that playing out in the next couple of days when you see just how many people come, I'm sure to view him lying at the presidential palace.
But also for example, in Naples where he spent seven years of his career. Completely transformed the fortunes of that club in southern Italy. Helped them through a couple of (INAUDIBLE) titles.
I mean he's idolize there still. There are murals of Maradona all over the streets there. You could go into an Italian restaurant anywhere in the world. And if the owner or the chef is from Naples, there's a very good chance there's going to be a picture of Maradona on the wall. And that's three decades since he last played.
To give you a sense of some of the reaction that we're seeing from the world of sports I'm going to show you a couple of tributes that are being paid.
[01:34:49]
RIDDELL: Gary Lineker, for example who is one of England's top strikers, played in the same era, played against Maradona in the World Cup quarterfinal in 1986. He wrote "By some distance, the best player of my generation, arguably the greatest of all time. After a blest but troubled life, hopefully he'll find some comfort in the hands of God."
And Pele, the Brazilian legend said, "What sad news. I've lost a great friend, the world a legend. There is still much to be said but for now may God give strength to his family members. One day, I hope we will play football in heaven."
One Of the games that he's going to be talked about a lot, is there's already been talk about so much over the last 20 or 30 years, is that is that world cup quarterfinal in 1986 when Maradona single-handedly help beat England.
The first goal, this very controversial hand of God. He's (INAUDIBLE), he's sneaky, he shouldn't have used his hands, he fisted it into the back of the net but the referee didn't see it. And it stood.
Maradona described it as the hand of God. That was one side of his character and his personality. But just four minutes later he went and scored what has been described as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup.
He just slalomed past a multitude of England players to put the ball into the back of the net. Of course in the final he then lifted the trophy for Argentina. But this is a game that everybody remembers.
And this is the game that really sums him up. Because he was a flawed genius for sure. He had his demons. He had his addictions with alcohol and drugs that he had to deal with alcohol and drugs throughout much of his life.
But of course his legacy is going to be of this phenomenal football player. And that is what people are going to be celebrating.
NEWTON: Yes, you just showed it to us, right, that incredible talent on the pitch there that everyone will remember.
Don, now you have a lot more for us in the next few days on this. Really appreciate it.
Now, still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM China's president is finally acknowledging Joe Biden's victory. We're live in Beijing with the details.
[01:36:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: More than two weeks after Joe Biden claimed victory in the U.S. Presidential election, he finally got a message of congratulations from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
CNN's Steven Jiang is following all of this from Beijing right now. Quite a delay there. And there seems to be a lot of complications. Of course not just to how this happened, but it certainly seems to foreshadow a lot more complications in the relationship.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That's right, Paula. the delay was very much noticed throughout the world. But probably not entirely surprising from the perspective of the Beijing leadership. They simply did not see any upside of congratulating Joe Biden before Mr. Trump was ready to concede.
Now because Mr. Trump still has, you know, almost two months left in the office. That could allow him to launch a lot of hardline China policy measures.
But Mr. Trump, of course, now has finally allowed this formal transition process to begin, which explains the timing of Mr. Xi's message.
[01:39:54]
JIANG: That message is filled with a lot of the cliche buzzwords, you often hear from Beijing. Healthy and stable relationship, non confrontation, non conflict -- almost like a copy and paste job from Mr. Xi's 2016 message to Mr. Trump.
But if the expectation here is to have a reset in this relationship which has really reached its lowest point in decades, they may be in for disappointment according to many analysts because Mr. Biden has said himself he wants to get tough on China, as China has become a rare bipartisan consensus in Washington right now.
But his approach may be very different from Mr. Trump's, which is very much going it alone. Mr. Biden is expected to return to the more traditional approach of a multilateral approach really rallying traditional U.S. allies and partners around the world to form a more united front to confront Beijing.
So in the long run this may be making life more difficult for the Chinese leadership, Paula. But at least in the short term they're probably relieved, or even a little pleased they don't have to find out new U.S. policy measures of China policies on Twitter anymore, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, perhaps it's a tad more predictable. Steven Jiang for us in Beijing, appreciate it.
Now, hundreds of civilians have already been killed and there're growing fears the violence will escalate in Ethiopia. This as the deadline for Tigrayan forces to surrender has now passed.
Now the conflict between the federal and local government in the Tigray Region has been intensifying for weeks.
And investigation from the state-appointed Human Rights Commission says at least 600 people were killed during an ethnically charged massacre earlier this month. Meantime tens of thousands of refugees have fled into neighboring Sudan.
Cameron Hudson joins us now to help explain what's happening in Ethiopia. He's a senior fellow with the Atlanta Council's Africa Center. You know, to put it mildly this is incredibly complicated but now incredibly tense as well. What is at stake with this ethnic strife right now?
CAMERON HUDSON, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTA COUNCIL'S AFRICA CENTER: Well, I mean clearly, it's the unity of the Ethiopian state right now. And frankly, it's the Horn of Africa region. The stability that Ethiopia has provided.
Ethiopia is made up of 10 ethnic regions. You have perhaps the most combative of those ethnic regions which is right now fighting against the federal government for a greater say in the political space in the country. We've seen 40,000 refugees flee across the border into neighboring Sudan, which is itself going through a very tense transition right now. But with the promise of potentially millions more refugees.
And so, Ethiopia has been a net exporter of stability. It's a single largest provider of African peacekeepers on the continent. It has been a mediator to other tense standoffs, civil wars and political transitions.
And so the fact that Ethiopia now is sort of on its knees coming to this ethnic conflict really I think sends shockwaves and shivers throughout the horn of Africa region. Many other countries could be affected if we see a natural implosion of the Ethiopian state.
NEWTON: Yes. and I'm glad you brought that up because Ethiopia, as you say, has been a steady platform for at least two decades now, if not more.
Getting to that one point that you said though. Ethiopia is on its knees. Is it though? We have a very controversial prime minister. And even though he happened to have won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in trying to make peace with Eritrea, this is a man right now who seems determined to really settle this on his own terms. How dangerous is that?
HUDSON: Well, it's incredibly dangerous. Because I think, you know, we've been talking about this as a civil war. But I think a lot of people have an impression of African civil wars as a well-armed force on one side and a sort of ragtag rebellion on the other.
We have to think about this as two almost conventional armies facing off right now. The Tigrayans made up the bulk of the Ethiopian army. The bulk of the fighting force that fought the war for independence and the war against Eritrea back in the 90s.
And so this is a very well-armed, battle-hardened group squaring off against an Ethiopian government which as you said, is very powerful and wants to see this concluded now. They don't want this to kind of drag out any further. They don't want to have to deal with the political repercussions of seeing this ethnic minority group regain a place at the political table through force because they're afraid that that could foment instability in Ethiopia's other ethnic regions.
NEWTON: Right. And to bring this full circle here, Cameron we have, of course, President Elect Joe Biden announcing what many people believe will be a robust foreign policy team.
You know, Jake Sullivan who is about to come on to that team, he's the national security advisor, has been tweeting about this, and basically says that both sides need to engage.
What is the Biden administration's -- the incoming Biden administration's opportunity here to really prove that America is back?
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HUDSON: Well, they're really going to be tested, I think from the outset because we cannot afford to let Ethiopia fail.
It really is one of the African countries that is too big to fail. And so, you're going to see them I think, coming in. They've obviously already issued several tweets, both Tony Blinken and Jake Sullivan in the past few days. Calling for mediation, calling for dialog, calling for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
I think what you'll see is them allowing the African Union to lead. The African Union is sending a high level delegation of envoys to try to calm the situation down. I think you'll also see the Biden administration coming in trying to rally Europeans around this as well.
We've seen Europeans basically making the same calls for talks and reconciliation and mediation. So I think what you'll see from the Biden administration is more leadership than we have seen thus far.
Many people have put a lot of the responsibility on our lack of leverage in Ethiopia right now squarely at the Trump administration's (INAUDIBLE). they were antagonistic over the Nile water dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt. And we right now have suspended development assistance to Ethiopia. Trying to put pressure on them to relent in these negotiations with our allies -- Trump's allies, President Sisi of Egypt. And so we've lost a lot of the leverage and credibility that we might have had to try to bring this situation to a peaceful close early on.
And I think you're going to see the Biden administration come in with kind of a new hand that they've been dealt. And they're going to be able to play it I think, very effectively.
NEWTON: Yes. And as we said on the top, right, a lot at stake here. You laid it out quite well. We will continue to see what happens in the coming days especially with the Prime Minister saying that there is an ultimatum there at hand.
Cameron Hudson, thanks so much.
HUDSON: Thank you.
NEWTON: And speaking about that ultimatum, the Ethiopian military is said now to be beginning what they describe as their final phase of their offensive in Tigray region. That is according to the country's prime minister.
We are now seeing a pandemic price tag for the airline industry and the cost is even worse than expected. Can the airlines stay afloat until a vaccine is widely available? We'll discuss after the break.
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NEWTON: $157 billion dollars. That's how much money the airline industry is expected to lose this year and next because of the pandemic. That staggering figure coming from the International Air Transport Association. CNN's John Defterios is in Abu Dhabi with the details. And John, I have to say at first, you see $157 billion, it doesn't even seem like that much given all the numbers being touted around during this pandemic. But they are terrible numbers really. And worse than predicted.
I mean how quickly could a vaccine here help these airlines recover? Is it all attached to that timeline right now?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I think that's exactly what's taking place here, Paula. They see with no doubt that the vaccines are the silver bullet for the industry. And they keep on talking about equitable distribution here. Because you have to first hit those who want to travel globally. But to get it into the emerging market so the pandemic doesn't spread.
It's interesting when we kind of get numb to the billions of dollars that we're talking about here. It's a carrier lost a half a billion dollars before, we would say that was a lot of money. But this is the collective number.
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DEFTERIOS: And let's break it down year by year, right. We're looking at loss of $118 billion dollars for 2020, something never seen in the industry before. And still a loss of $38 billion for 2021.
I guess if you're looking for a silver lining, Paula, it is the fact that they can be cash flow positive by this time next year. Depending on the distribution of the vaccines.
And we have to recall what the industry has gone through in terms of explosive growth. You know, I covered the emerging markets -- China, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America. Last year, let's take a look at the passenger numbers -- 4.5 billion, that was a record in 2019. And look where we're dropping to, 1.8 billion passengers this year. And then adding a billion during 2021.
That 1.8 takes us back to the data of 2003. That's how far we are dropping here. And it's interesting to see that the various sectors of the travel industry and tourism have different timelines back to normality.
The International Air Transport Association, better known as IATA, saying they can be back to 4.5 billion passengers by 2024. With the caveat depending on how well the vaccines get distributed around the world.
NEWTON: Yes. This is not going to be an easy or short recovery, for sure. I mean you just mentioned it -- 2003 passenger numbers. Crazy.
So what are the carriers doing though in the meantime here to try and survive? And what are those debt levels looking like?
DEFTERIOS: You know, because of the role of the transport industry, and particularly the airline industry in the world economy, the governments have stepped up and provided $173 billion of cash injections to the industry and loans.
The latter is a challenge because IATA is suggesting if you inject more money, you can't add to the debt load, because they'll never be able to service it in the future. So what we're looking at here is they have about 8.5 months of cash flow or they'll go bankrupt.
We'd have many airlines go under. And this is that timeline we talked about, six to nine months to get in the vaccines back on the market.
So very delicate window. So that means you'll probably need more bailouts particularly in the United States and the European Union depending again on when travel starts to pick up again.
And then you hear different CEOs like Alan Joyce of Qantas saying that vaccines will be the gold standard if you want to travel internationally. That's the level we're getting here.
And then I'm in Abu Dhabi, but next door in Dubai we've had Dubai Airport's Paul Griffiths, the CEO, Tim Clark of Emirates were very hard to set up air corridors so they have one with London Heathrow and Dubai International Airport. And this is to set up a common standard for testing and quarantine at least to give the normality of traveling back and forth to these cities. These are some of the measures that people are trying to take, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. You've really laid it out there. I mean, the challenge ahead and that's John -- I know you'll continue to follow it. Appreciate seeing you this morning live form Abu Dhabi.
DEFTERIOS: Thanks.
NEWTON: Now as the pandemic worsens in the United States, it exacerbating another crisis, food insecurity. Millions of Americans will go hungry this year. And the struggle to provide is being felt now more than ever as families nationwide are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The journey to get food through the cold and COVID-19 has been long and hard for Regina Statis.
REGINA STATIS: I've got to it one day at a time and as long as you have for today, you save for tomorrow. When tomorrow gets here, something is going to happen.
YURKEVICH: And it did. Just in time.
STATIS: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No problem.
YURKEYVICH: Days before Thanksgiving, Agatha House foundation, a local food pantry in the Bronx, New York made a special Thanksgiving delivery. Filled with everything she needs for her and her two teenage daughters.
STAIS: It's just a relief that I don't have to purchase all of that.
YURKEYVICH: Over 50 million Americans like Regina won't have enough to eat in 2020 in part because of the pandemic. Feeding America, the largest hunger relief group in the U.S., projects that eight billion meals will be needed in the next year to feed food insecure Americans.
CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOL, FEEDING AMERICA: 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 general food system.
YURKEYVICH: Regina is out of a job, her car was totaled months ago and she's not receiving unemployment. She now relies on a once a week delivery from the food pantry.
Day-to-day is your pantry stocked? Or what does it look like day-to- day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just surviving. That's all I can say, we just have to survive it.
YURKEYVICH: The 15th Congressional District here in the Bronx has the highest food insecurity rate among children in the country. at Agatha house, they're hoping to take the stigma out of needed a little extra help.
[01:54:54]
JEANETTE JOSEPH-GREENAWAY, FOUNDER, AGATHA HOUSE FOUNDATION: We have to look and try to imagine ourselves in the position -- what we would want for ourselves. Not just to give them a cardboard box, but to make them feel loved. Special.
YURKEYVICH: This small operation says it has seen a 100 percent increase in need.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even with a little that they get, hopefully there's someone in their building, or one of their neighbors, that they can invite for a plate of food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Going to give Miss Mamie some stuff.
YURKEYVICH: Despite her struggles to put food on the table --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome, Miss Mamie IS sharing what she has with her neighbor and remains grateful for this Thanksgiving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even with a little and get to Agatha House. Or we would just have the regular, trickling every day. Just to say that it was a live, they eat it. That's a blessing in themselves.
YURKEYVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN -- Bronx New York.
NEWTON: Meghan the Duchess of Sussex reveals that she was pregnant with her 2nd child in July, but suffered a miscarriage. She shares her experience in an opinion piece for "The New York Times".
Our royal correspondent Max Foster is following the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: In a deeply personal piece the duchess of Sussex describes being in hospital with Prince Harry and asking him if he's ok. It's all she could think to ask him.
In the piece she described why. She says, we've learned that when people ask how any of us are doing, and when they really listen to the answer with an open heart and mind, the load of grief often becomes lighter for all of us. And being invited to share our pain together, we take the first step towards healing.
In the context of miscarriage, the duchess says this is often a taboo subject. It's seen as shameful and too many people are mourning on their own.
So she's writing this article to make that conversation. Asking people are they ok when they may have suffered from a miscarriage.
But she also broadens out for a much bigger, 2020 debate. She talks about Black's Lives Matter. She talks about pandemic. She talks about campaigns of misinformation which have left people feeling solitary and often lonely.
And in the run up to Thanksgiving in the United States, she urges people to ask people if they're ok. Not just as a nice person, but to help that person begin their healing process. Max foster, CNN, (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: I want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton, the news continues right here on CNN.
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