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Experts Warning A Surge In New Cases After Thanksgiving; Trump Continues To Deny Loss In Recent Fox News Interview; President-Elect Biden Sprains Ankle Playing With Dog; Joe Biden Appoints First All- Female Communication Team; Moderna And Pfizer Using Genetics Against Coronavirus; Los Angeles County To Implement New Stay-At-Home Restrictions; Police Versus Underground Bars And Parties; Pope Francis Criticizes Protests Against Coronavirus Restrictions. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 29, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Ana Cabrera. More than 13 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 since this pandemic began.

And in a sure sign of a surge, 4 million of those cases came just this month. Now, a Thanksgiving weekend full of family gatherings and travel has leaders and experts sounding the alarm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: I want to be straight with the American people. It's going to get worse over the next several weeks.

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: As we go for the next couple of weeks into December that we might see a surge super imposed upon that surge that we're already in.

(END VIDEOTAPAE)

SANCHEZ: Right now, one American is dying every minute from this disease on average. Experts say we could see the number of daily COVID deaths actually double by next weekend. But the president is still fixated on nonexistent election fraud.

He spent 45 minutes airing his delusions to millions of viewers on cable news. And Fox News may call it an interview, but it was essentially a fever dream, a rambling monologue.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): This is total fraud. And how the FBI and Department of Justice, I don't know, maybe they're involved, but how people are allowed to get away from this -- with this stuff is unbelievable. This election was rigged. This is the essence of our country. This is the whole ball game. And they cheated. Joe Biden did not get 80 million votes.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The president floating the idea that his own Department of Justice and his own FBI may be involved in stealing the election from him. That's false. But it appeared to be an unraveling from a man who is just unable to accept defeat and who will not acknowledge the reality of a pandemic that has claimed more than a quarter million lives.

It's hard to wrap your head around a number like that, to summarize and personalize the staggering loss. That number represents our family, our friends, our loved ones. It appears the president's remaining time in office is going to be spent in a state of denial as he repeats the claim that we're rounding the curve.

According to him, we've been rounding the curve for months. CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins me now. Jeremy, walk us through what we witnessed from the president on Fox today.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, what we witnessed from the president was a mixture of lying, delusion, and frankly, disbelief by the president. Disbelief that he could possibly have lost this election to President-elect Joe Biden.

And yet we know the facts show that he did. He lost it handily by the same Electoral College margin that he won the election last time around, which he described as a landslide, and by millions more votes in the popular vote.

So, the president made these claims about widespread voter fraud and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election despite the fact that you've seen a tally of cases in court that the president has been losing. And yet, there was no fact-checking from Maria Bartaromo who spoke with the president this morning. So we can do some of the fact- checking here.

One of the fact-checks comes from a federal judge, a Trump appointed federal judge who said this on Friday about the Trump campaign's attempts to overturn the election results in the state of Pennsylvania. He wrote, "Calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here. The campaign's claims have no merit.

Now, the president also sought to bring in all kinds of conspiracy theories this morning during his interview. He even talked about this idea that voting machines may have switched votes or deleted votes in his favor.

That's somewhere that even Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee who has indulged some of the president's election fantasies. She was not willing to go there this weekend. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: Machines are switching the votes and we should go there in crazy numbers, and they should have won but then they still --

RONNA MCDANIEL, CHAIR REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Yes, we have -- we didn't see that in the audit so we've got to just -- that evidence I haven't seen. We'll wait and see on that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND: And, Boris, this conspiracy teary about the Dominion voting machines has been debunked by state and local election officials as well as Chris Krebs, the top cyber security official in federal government who was fired by the president for telling the truth.

One thing is clear, Boris. The president is not going to abandon this idea. He said that he's going to devote 125 percent of his energy to continuing to contest the election despite the fact that perhaps you should spend more of that energy focused on the raging coronavirus pandemic here in the United States.

SANCHEZ: Well said. Jeremy Diamond reporting from the White House.

[17:04:59]

We to want move now to the president-elect. We've learned that Joe Biden was taken to the doctor's office today after hurting his ankle on Saturday while playing with his dog. CNN's M.J. Lee is in Wilmington, Delaware. M.J., what are we learning?

M.J. LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just learned this afternoon, Boris, that President-elect Joe Biden was taken to the doctor's office because yesterday while he was playing with his dog, Major, he slipped and twisted his ankle. This is according to his office.

So what we know so far is that he was taken to an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware and we're still awaiting word on exactly what the doctor's examination will show. Of course, you'll remember that he had spent the Thanksgiving weekend out in Rehoboth Beach. That's where we were yesterday.

And then earlier today he returned home here to Wilmington, Delaware. Interesting that we actually haven't seen him out in public, even going out for a bike ride or something like that, which is not unusual when he has a more quiet weekend.

But, again, the office did say that this was simply out of an abundance of caution, that he was being taken to see a doctor. Obviously, Boris, as you know, any time we are talking about a sitting president, now the president-elect, health issues and being transparent about that, always very important for the public to know.

The office announcing again this afternoon that Joe Biden slipped playing with his dog and has twisted his ankle so he is being examined by the doctor this afternoon.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Anybody who has a high energy, larger dog knows that there's some risk associated when you play with them that way. We certainly hope he recovers. We also just got some news when it comes to Biden's press team. What are we learning?

LEE: We did. The Biden campaign just minutes ago sent out a press release announcing an all-female senior communications team. Some interesting names and names that will be familiar to a lot of people, actually.

He is going to be naming Kate Beddingfield as his White House communications director. Obviously, we're familiar with her because she has been serving as deputy campaign manager for Joe Biden's 2020 campaign.

And then the woman who will be standing behind the podium presumably at the White House press briefings. This person is going to be Jen Psaki. She is being named press secretary. We know her of course from the Obama administration and she has also been very involved in the transition process.

I'll just add two other names here. Symone Sanders is going to be serving as chief spokesperson for the vice president and Karine Jean- Pierre is going to be named principal deputy press secretary.

So, again, just we're stressing that this is an all-female team. This is based on the list of names that we've gotten so far. Obviously, the female part is very noteworthy because Joe Biden himself has talked so much about how important he is, that he elevate women to senior roles.

He obviously made a lot of news when earlier this year he announced even before he had a pick that he was determined to choose a woman as his vice presidential running mate. So, that in addition to the fact that we're obviously seeing racial diversity here, that's something else that he has talked about a lot as well.

SANCHEZ: Yes, you can sort of see where the priorities are during the transition given where a president-elect -- who a president-elect puts in positions of power. That having been said, we've also learned some new names are on the economic team that president-elect Biden is unveiling this week.

LEE: That's right. This is going to be a busy week. Tomorrow, we are going to be seeing an announcement coming from the transition team that has to do with Biden's economic team. This team is going to be so important because they will be spearheading efforts related to the economic recovery as so many people are suffering across the country during this pandemic.

One name that we have already reported on, we always had been expecting that Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chairwoman would be named as Joe Biden's pick to be his treasury secretary. So that announcement should be coming tomorrow.

We also have Neera Tanden, the head of the Center for American Progress. She is going to be named the head of the Office of Management and Budget. And then we also have Cecilia Rouse. She is a Princeton economist and she is being chosen to be head of the Council of Economic Advisers. So, again, there is a pattern here. Three women who are being elevated to very senior roles on Biden's

economic team. This team is going to be so, so crucial. The work that they do will set the tone for so much of the beginning of Joe Biden's presidency, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And there's a long list of items to take care of on that list. M.J. Lee reporting from Delaware. Thank you so much.

[17:10:00]

Joining me now is CNN political commentator and the host of "Firing Line" on PBS, Margaret Hoover and alongside her, John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst. Thank you both so much for joining us. Margaret --

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Boris.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you Boris.

SANCHEZ: How's it going? Great to see you. Margaret, I want to start with you. First, your reaction to President-elect Biden naming this all-female communications team.

HOOVER: You know what, there's a saying that goes not just in the private sector but also in government, personnel is policy. And that's what you see here. I mean, you see Joe Biden walking the walk that he's talked. And it's encouraging. It's encouraging. It's exciting.

It's a personnel team that looks very different than the Trump White House. I think it also bodes well for the cabinet looking very different than the Trump cabinet if you look at pictures of the Trump cabinet. Of course, it's a table full of mostly white men.

So, you know, it's a new day and it's very exciting, at least, you know, for women (inaudible). Girls can look up and see that they can have some of the most important jobs in the White House and that's important.

AVLON: And that's what Republicans do.

SANCHEZ: That's right. And John, I heard you smirk there, so I'd ask for your take, but it seems like it's pretty obvious.

AVLON: I mean, I'm always delighted when my wife and I can agree. And, you know, I do think it sends a very clear signal and I think Jen Psaki is a particularly good choice for press secretary.

SANCHEZ: All right. We want to talk about this hour-long, unchecked rant from President Trump on cable news this morning. Last hour, I spoke to Josh Dawsey of "The Washington Post." He and his colleagues published this weekend a terrific story. I recommend all of our viewers take a look at it.

And there is this quote that encapsulates so much about Trump's presidency, and here it is. "Trump was in the telling of one close adviser, like "Mad King George muttering, "I won, I won, I won." However clear-eyed Trump's aides may have been about his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, many of them nonetheless indulged their boss and encouraged him to keep fighting with legal appeals. They were happy to scratch his itch, this adviser said. If he thinks he won, it's like, "Shh, we won't tell him."

Margaret, the president refusing to concede. There are these different perspectives on what it could be. It could be just outright denial and delusion. It could be a long-term strategy to drum up his supporters to donate more, a way to fund-raise. What do you make of it?

HOOVER: Look, I don't think it's a long-term strategy. We've not seen any strategy with this president other than his own id, his own narcissism, his own focus on himself. What's happening here is, look, if there was a long-term strategy, Boris, right, they were telegraphing that they weren't going to accept the results of the election before they lost, if that were to be the case, but of course it couldn't be.

But if they actually had a strategy, they would have faux manufactured evidence ahead of time. They would have thought at least three steps ahead. There's no strategy here. There is just, sadly for the country, a man who is grappling with the fact that he lost by at least 6 million, 7 million, 8 million votes.

And what is sad is that you see an entire, you know, base of Americans who are unwilling to accept the legitimacy of the safest and most secure election that we've had in our history. And that actually -- this is not about Donald Trump anymore. This is about how we repair our country and how we build and move forward. And that's the part that we should really be focusing on.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

AVLON: And that's, I think, is dangerous, Boris. I mean, you know, the quote that jumped out to me is the one you read, the Mad King George. This is Mad King George with maybe a side grift, but the fact he's still being coddled by some of his staff, so many Republicans on Capitol Hill who are playing the base for fools, who are dividing our country in deep ways. That is very dangerous to democracy. So, it's well beyond one fragile man's ego.

SANCHEZ: You teed me up for my next question because time and time again, what we've heard from officials in this administration behind the scenes, they will never say this publicly, is that often the president is just indulged by people who tell him what he wants to hear. And that sort of has this cyclical effect where he gets deeper and deeper into his obsessions.

And what we're watching from Republicans and from these advisers to the president is troubling. Republican Senator Roy Blunt today would not go as far as to call President-elect Joe Biden the president- elect, but he did say this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MI): I hope the president is there on inaugural day and continuing to work to see what we can do to have the president there and have Vice President Biden there likely sworn in on that day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: See how he couches is with likely sworn in on that day. Margaret, what do you make of this?

[17:15:01]

HOOVER: Look, this is a very sad devolution and dissembling of what has been a very great political tradition in this country and the Republican Party. And the fact that you don't see -- look, Republicans understand. The Republicans who -- everybody understands at this point that Donald Trump is not going to be sworn in on January 20th. Joe Biden is.

What you see there in between the lines is Roy Blunt still wanting and striving and trying to suggest that perhaps there could be some normalcy in a transition. You could have the ex-president hand over -- look, it's not an easy thing to lose an election, to be an incumbent president lose election hand over power.

But you know what, many, many presidents have done it before. Three in the 20th century. And that is the norm. And what they're trying to do is they're trying to encourage the president to at least meet that most basic and minimal standard at the transition of power.

SANCHEZ: But John, does it -- does it have any impact, John, if he doesn't actually go because at this point, I feel like most supporters of Joe Biden are just ready to move on. They don't really care if Donald Trump hands off the White House or not.

AVLON: No. The constitution only says that Donald Trump's term ends at noon on January 20th, whether he likes it or not. But we need to find a way to reconcile as a nation, we need to find a way to come together and that's why these rituals matter. That's why democratic norms matter.

And that's why it's pathetic to have a member of the senate leadership tiptoeing around hoping the president will dean us with his presence at a democratic peaceful transfer of power. This is nonsense. He's not a child and he should stop being treated like one.

SANCHEZ: So, we have only a limited amount of time, but I want to move to the intense senate runoff that's happening in Georgia right now. You guys saw the Republican Party chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, campaigning in Georgia this weekend. She had this exchange with a supporter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: How are we going to use money and work when it's already decided?

MCDANIEL: It's not decided. This is the key.

UNKNOWN: How do we know? MCDANIEL: It's not decided. If you lose your faith and you don't vote

and people walk away, that will decide it. So, we have to work hard, trust us, we're fighting. We're looking at every legal avenue.

UNKNOWN: Well we have to get that word out because people are losing here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: John, this sort of smells like snake oil to me.

AVLON: I mean, it's worse and smells like it, but it is what you're watching in real time, is reaping what you sow. When the top of the ticket, the head of the Republican Party is telling everybody the system is rigged and a fraud, it's going to impact turnout because his supporters are going to say, well, if it's rigged and a fraud why should I even bother to turn out?

And that of course is exactly what Republicans don't want, which is why they're trying to remain silent to coddle the president in order that maybe he'll help them win this senate race. But that's why it's such a dangerous game to play.

Call it out, elections are not rigged in this country. The outcomes do matter. Decisions are made by the people who show up and we respect the results. (Inaudible) a better job, better chance, and that was just a surreal exchange, but you're reaping what you sow.

SANCHEZ: Margaret, very quickly. Your advice to fellow Republicans, those that have sort of like talked themselves into this weird mental gymnastics contortionist corner.

HOOVER: Boris, that's -- I don't have enough time. You haven't given me enough time. Look, I mean, look, this a very -- look, as I said, this is a very sad development, this series of developments over the last four years. But John's exactly right. The reason they're tiptoeing around the president -- I keep telling you that.

AVLON: I know. I feel so --

HOOVER: The reason they're tiptoeing around the president is because they want to hold onto power in the senate. And so this is very tricky gymnastics that -- it is true.

I mean, man, wouldn't it have paid if we had just stuck to principle, and we had stuck to principle, maybe lost a few yardage on the front end, but man, we would have had something to fall back on right now. And it's very upsetting for those of us who thought the Republican Party was about a different set of ideas.

AVLON: Principle to have.

SANCHEZ: Yes. All right, you two, we got to leave it there. Margaret Hoover and John Avlon, thanks so much for spending part of your Sunday with us. We appreciate it.

AVLON: Take care, man.

HOOVER: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Take care. Next, to the pandemic. Drug makers hope an entirely new type of vaccine will help end the pandemic. Coming up, the medical breakthrough that turns our bodies into virus-fighting machines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

SANCHEZ: As the coronavirus pandemic worsens in the United States, there are several vaccine candidates with very effective early results and they could be on track to become the first vaccines ever authorized by the FDA using new technology based on our own genetic code. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains this groundbreaking approach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALBERT BOURLA, CEO OF PFIZER: This is a historic day, a historic day for science and for all of us.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Albert Bourla is CEO of Pfizer and he's talking about their vaccine for COVID-19. Two hundred forty-eight days from an idea to now, applying for the vaccine to be authorized. That's just eight months.

For context, eight years would have been considered speedy, but the truth is, the truth I'm about to tell you actually began more than two decades ago. And to really understand it, you first have to understand how most vaccines work.

Since the first vaccine for smallpox back in 1796, they've all relied on the same basic concept. Give a little piece of the virus also known as antigen to someone not enough to make them sick and their body will then be taught to make antibodies to it. Those are the proteins that neutralize the virus if it ever tried to invade again. That's what makes you immune.

[17:25:005]

But what if the body could be taught to do the whole thing, not just make antibodies but also to make the antigens as well, to essentially become its own vaccine-making machine? It's why in 2000's, Dr. Drew Weisman started focusing on this tiny strand of genetic material that our cells make all the time. It's known as mRNA.

DREW WEISSMAN, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Back then we were thinking of using it for vaccines, for therapeutic proteins, for gene editing, for lots of different applications.

GUPTA (voice-over): mRNA stands for messenger RNA. It carries the instructions for making whatever protein you want.

WEISSMAN: Once you've got the sequence, it's a one-step reaction to make RNA, and that reaction is identical for every vaccine that we make.

GUPTA (voice-over): If this sounds more like code in a computer rather than medicine from a lab, that means you're getting it. This is an entirely new way of thinking about vaccines. It's also the basic technology behind Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines.

FAUCI: Vaccines are close by. They're coming. You know, I said help is on the way.

GUPTA (voice-over): It's truly bio meets tech. The vaccine is not the virus at all. It's essentially just a genetic code for a portion of the virus. This portion, the spike protein. Why the spike protein? Because it's the key the virus uses to enter the human cell.

But if you create antibodies to the spike protein, it's then blocked. So, putting it all together, once the vaccine made up of genetic code is administered through a shot in the arm, our own cells then start making the spike protein over and over again.

Now remember, you're just making a part of the virus, so you can't get infected from this vaccine. And within days after that, the body reacts and starts churning out the antibodies. Plug and play.

WEISSMAN: With RNA, all you need is the sequence of the protein of interest. Within weeks you can have a new vaccine.

GUPTA (voice-over): It's a technology that could help lead us out of this pandemic.

FAUCI: We're going to get a heck of a lot of help from a very efficacious vaccine. Two vaccines that just two weeks ago and this past week were shown to be extremely effective, I mean, efficacious in 95 percent and 94.5 percent.

GUPTA (voice-over): If true, remarkable results for an entirely new type of vaccine and also a new way of thinking about medicines going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Sanjay Gupta for making the complex seem somewhat simple. Joining us now to discuss, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen. She is a former Baltimore health commissioner and a contributing columnist for "The Washington Post." Dr. Wen, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

On Tuesday, a committee of advisers to the CDC is holding an emergency meeting to vote on their recommendation for the first groups of people to get the coronavirus vaccines. From your perspective, what groups do you anticipate are going to be a priority?

LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, health care workers should certainly be one of those groups because if we don't have health care workers, we don't have a functional health care system. And already, one in five hospitals are reporting that they are facing a critical shortage of health professionals. So we need respiratory therapists, nurses, ICU doctors, et cetera, to

be in that first group. Beyond that, we also need nursing home residents. Forty percent of those who have died already in this pandemic are nursing home residents and staff and they're certainly among the most vulnerable.

I do want to caution people, too, though, that a vaccine is, yes, it's on the horizon and this is amazing news. However, we still have several months to go through before most Americans are able to get that vaccine. So, until then, we really need to hunker down, wear masks, practice social distancing and not gather indoors, in crowds because we need to get through this very tough winter.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Wen, would you have any hesitation or considerations, reservations about getting a COVID vaccine early on?

WEN: No, I would not. My children are all up to date on their immunizations. I get the flu vaccine every year. I see the COVID vaccine, once approved, to be the same.

What's really important now is that the FDA make the entire process for vaccine authorization and approval fully transparent so that there is no question that it's not only science not politics driving that is driving this process.

And that includes making all the data available to the public, including the biomedical community to be able to review as well.

SANCHEZ: The chairman of the CDC advisory committee on vaccines has told CNN that he wants to have those prioritized recommendations made public ahead of any decision from the FDA about emergency authorization of a COVID vaccine.

[17:30:05]

Why is it so important, doctor, to go public with this prioritized list of recipients before the FDA makes that move?

WEN: Yes. So we're all trying to do things as quickly as possible. Again, not taking any shortcuts on the scientific process, but not having any red tape when it comes to actually distribution of the vaccine. The last thing that we would want is for authorization to occur, but the plans are not yet in place for the vaccine to go out to those who need it, the shots in arms.

And so, I think something else that's really critical to recognize in this is that it is states that are making the decisions about who is going to be getting the vaccines in what order, and state and local health departments desperately need resources.

They are already doing so much. They are having to ramp up testing, contact tracing. They're doing all the public education as it is. And now you're adding these duties about vaccination on top of that. And so they really need resources to do the hard work that's ahead.

SANCHEZ: Yet, another reason for Congress potentially to step in and act. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much for your time.

WEN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Up next, it is the only city in Los Angeles County that's decided not to follow the countywide ban on in-person dining. We're going to hear next from Pasadena's top health official. Stay with CNN. We'll be back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:00]

SANCHEZ: In California where coronavirus cases are skyrocketing, a new stay-at-home starts tomorrow in Los Angeles County. That means that for three weeks all private and public gatherings of people who do not live together is prohibited.

And to nonessential businesses already reeling from the economic impact of the pandemic, will only be able to operate at 20 percent capacity. CNN's Paul Vercammen joins us now from Pasadena, California. And Paul, you just got new numbers. What do they reflect?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are alarming. Fast and furious, the news just keeps breaking here, Boris. And now, California saying its hit a record 7,400 hospitalizations. In here in L.A. County, the numbers also dire, 5,000 new cases in L.A. County. That number of deaths low. That always lags behind. And the hospitalizations in L.A. County are up over 2,000 again.

So, throughout Los Angeles County among the myriad of new restrictions, no more outdoor dining, that went into effect. But Pasadena, which is its own city, with its own health department, is keeping outdoor dining open. They're also actively, as I speak, inspecting restaurants to make sure that workers have not only a mask but a face shield.

They are shutting down some restaurants and have over the weekend. In Pasadena itself, so many huge decisions being made. The city's health director had to shut down the Rose Parade, which draws some 1 million to 1.5 million people annually.

And now she is warning everybody, not just in her city but outside it, to not have a gruesome case of COVID-19 fatigue and not follow the health guidelines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YING-YING GOH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, PASADENA: We know that this pandemic has dragged on for months. It's the holidays. People are feeling the desire to get together with friends and family and yet here we are in the middle of a surge with COVID cases climbing and hospitalizations climbing and we're really in an alarming situation. So we're asking people to take steps that they might not be inclined to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VERCAMMEN: I also asked her, as you can see behind me, people allowed to eat outside at Pine Burger, are they worried Pasadena will lure people from other cities who want to dine here and those people could bring the pandemic into this city?

She said that because of the enforcement, she's confident they can keep it at bay, but everybody is going to watch Pasadena in Los Angeles County. And as you pointed out, Boris, the new stay-at-home orders, basically stay away from people and other households go into effect tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: All right, Paul Vercammen, reporting from Pasadena, California. Thanks so much for the update, Paul.

Coming up, secret parties, raves and underground bars. How police are cracking down on people determined to party during a pandemic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

SANCHEZ: It's been eight months of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and many Americans are restless. Pandemic fatigue, even as cases and hospitalizations spike across the country, police are seeing a rise in crowded underground parties in violation of local COVID guidelines. CNN's Stephanie Elam reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a fight club called the "Rumble in the Bronx" --

UNKNOWN: These activities were illegal and sometimes deadly before COVID-19.

ELAM (voice-over): To a warehouse shooting in Los Angeles.

UNKNOWN: Turned out that it was a gathering for a large party.

ELAM (voice-over): Coast to coast, secret parties busted by cops, like this allegedly illegal bottle club with 120 people inside last weekend in New York City. Where deputies also shut down a swingers club with 80 people inside.

JOSEPH FUCITO, SHERIFF, NEW YORK CITY: The best and most pragmatic method for deputy sheriffs to save lives is to maximize enforcement at these types of dangerous gatherings.

ELAM (voice-over): In Los Angeles, two warehouse parties in recent months led to two different shootings, exposing a reality. That even in a pandemic, people are determined to party. LAPD says many of the warehouses are falsely booked as video shoots.

STACY SPELL, LOS ANGLES POLICE DEPARTMENT: And then the fact that they're in industrial areas, you know, oftentimes they don't get the same type of attention that, you know, it would get in a residential areas.

ELAM (on camera): What would LAPD tell these warehouse owners?

SPELL: We ask them to ask more questions, to be more selective, and try to better identify what the purpose of that is going to be.

ELAM (voice-over): The extent of the problem here, unknown. But on the same night of this warehouse shooting two weeks ago --

UNKNOWN: We had a big party going on.

ELAM (voice-over): There were social media posts from this gathering in downtown L.A. And this one posted just last weekend. The parties are often organized online, with no location given until hours before the event.

UNKNOWN: Hands up, don't shoot!

ELAM (voice-over): LAPD says in an era of police reform, the department must think hard about sending armed officers to a gathering where no additional crimes are reported.

SPELL: And so in those instances where a response would be more geared towards public health issues or we could direct, you know, unarmed response, you know, through -- we have partners in the fire department, there are other entities that could better respond to those kind of things.

[17:45:04]

ELAM (voice-over): A curfew in Los Angeles County may have had an impact. We found two separate warehouse parties canceled last weekend, just hours before the curfew was to take effect.

In California, raves were held outside in San Bernardino County where the local health department says it approves and monitors them. But in the cold weather of New York --

FUCITO: The sheriff's office would be concentrating on large-scale gatherings.

ELAM (voice-over): Authorities have declared the underground party is over. Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: All right, Stephanie, thanks for that.

When faith, science and the law collide. Pope Francis weighing in on the COVID restrictions, keeping people in lockdown. His views may surprise you. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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[17:50:00] SANCHEZ: This week, the Supreme Court ruled that religious freedom comes before mandated coronavirus precautions. In a 5 to 4 decision, the conservative majority on the high court ruled that New York was violating the first amendment by capping the number of worshippers at churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship to either 10 or 25 people in areas hit hard by the pandemic.

But just a day after that ruling came a coincidental op-ed from Pope Francis who made clear that he is on the side of science and supports health guidelines to stop the spread.

He noted "Some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom.

Looking to the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the less fortunate."

Joining us now to discuss, CNN religion commentator, Father Edward Beck. Father Beck, thanks so much for joining us this Sunday. First off, obviously, it's Sunday. For a lot of people it's a day or worship. What would you say to folks who believe that it is a sign of devotion to crowd into places of worship potentially violating orders to socially distance?

EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Well, I should say no one should be crowding into places of worship at all. They should be maintaining the restrictions that are in place. And so most churches, at least Catholic churches, certainly in this diocese, right. I mean, Rockefeller Center (ph) you have a 50 percent capacity allowance.

So if the church holds 500, I mean, you don't even get 250 but 200, 250 are allowed. Every other pew six feet between people. And so I think certainly you don't want to be crowding in churches. You want to maintain everything that the health guidelines are saying and you want to keep people safe and take every precaution.

SANCHEZ: Now, this op-ed from Pope Francis really was stunning. He said he had a sense of how people with COVID feel as they struggle to breathe on a ventilator because when he was a young man and he got really sick, he had to have part of his lung removed. We spoke the other day about this and you remarked on how personal the pope got. What stands out about that to you?

BECK: Well, I just think it's so interesting that usually you don't hear popes talking about their personal experience, and he talked about the nurses who cared for him, you know, highlighting the importance of front line workers and health care workers.

And he said like two of the nurses are really the ones who saved him because one of them realized he needed more antibiotic and the other realized he needed more painkillers.

And so they upped both meds not getting any approval from the doctors. And he felt like they saved his life. And so I just thought it's really interesting that he made it so personal.

But he does, as you said, go on in that op-ed, to say that it's not about personal freedoms, that you have to look at the common good and that governments aren't trying to impose restrictions just because they want to take away freedoms. They want to protect freedoms. They want to protect society and the common good.

And so, he's really very interesting in the way he approaches the argument in there. Now, that's not to say that I don't think the pope would not have agreed with the SCOTUS opinion. I think he would.

I think that it has to be fairly distributed and exercised and I think the pope would agree with that. And yet, he would say also that you have to take every precaution and that the government is trying to do so to protect lives, not to limit freedoms.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's an extremely difficult balancing act especially because, you know, these are sort of unprecedented times so. Father Beck, thank you so much for the time. Hope you're well. Thanks for joining us.

BECK: Thank you, Boris. Good seeing you.

SANCHEZ: Same. Hey, stay with CNN. We'll be right back after a quick break.

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[17:55:00]

SANCHEZ: It is the top of the hour. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Boris Sanchez in for Ana Cabrera. Tanks so much for joining us. We started with two stories related to the president-elect. First, Joe Biden getting in an accident playing with his dog, Major, needing to go seek medical assistance after twisting his ankle. It appears it was out of an abundance of caution.

The second story, a slew of announcements about his White House team. One, including numerous women in starring roles. Let's get right over to M.J. Lee. She is live in Delaware with all of the big news this evening.

[17:59:58]

First, M.J., let's talk about this incident playing with Major. What happened?