Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Wisconsin's Recount Confirms Democrat's Victory; President Trump Still Spouts False Claims; Biden to Formally Name Key Members of Economic Team; At Least 110 People were Killed in an Attack on Nigeria Villagers; Saudi Women's Rights Defender Sent to Terrorism Court; World's Loneliest Elephant Gets New Home Thanks to Cher; Women Power Joins Biden Team; Travelers Flock on Thanksgiving; Top Priorities in U.S. Will Be Vaccinated Soon; Japan's COVID-19 Cases Increasing; Nuclear Mastermind Killed in Iran. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 30, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the team that will accompany Joe Biden into the White House takes shape. How it's making history, and the other key appointments we are expecting.

America's top health officials warn dark days are coming as the country braces for a coronavirus surge.

And mourning mixes with range in Iran amid the funeral for its top nuclear scientist.

Good to have you with us.

Joe Biden will receive his first presidential briefing today as his cabinet and inner circle come further into focus. His economic team is set to be the latest amount announcement in the hours ahead.

CNN's M.J. Lee has the details on that. And why Biden made a weekend visit to the doctor.

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: President-elect Joe Biden paying a visit to the doctor's office on Sunday. The transition office announcing on Sunday that on Saturday he had an incident where he was playing with is dog Major, flipped with his ankle so he visited an orthopedic and the doctors read out after that visit said that the X- ray showed that he had a sprain in his right foot.

The Biden transition team also making a slew of announcements on Sunday as well including some key women who will be serving in his White House communications team. Some names worth mentioning include Kate Bedingfield who is being named the White House communications director, Jen Psaki who will be standing behind the podium as press secretary.

We also have Symone Sanders who will be the chief spokesperson for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. And also, Karine Jean-Pierre who is being named the principal deputy press secretary.

Now looking ahead to what else to expect on Monday on the Biden transition team is expected to formally announce some key members of Biden's future economic team, including Janet Yellen who is expected to be named his treasury secretary. He would be the first -- she would be the first woman to serve in that role if she is confirmed.

Two other names worth mentioning, Neera Tanden who is currently the head of the Center for American Progress. She is going to be named Biden's head of the Office of Management of Budget. And we also have Cecilia Rouse who will be named ahead of council of economic advisers.

Of course, it's worth noting that this is a group of women who will have their work cut out for them, because they will be spearheading the economic recovery effort in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

M.J. Lee, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

CHURCH (on camera): Meantime, top health officials are calling on Americans to get tested for the coronavirus after millions of people traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday despite warnings not to.

It is a situation that is urgent and here is why. Right now, more Americans are hospitalized with the virus than at any other point in the pandemic. The number is now at more than 93,000. That's according to the COVID tracking project.

And data tracked by Johns Hopkins University show over 138,000 new cases and over 800 deaths reported on Sunday. Health experts are warning that cases will spike in the next two weeks just ahead of Christmas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 as we go for the next couple of weeks into December, that we might see a surge super imposed upon. That surge that we are already in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): CNN's Natasha Chen has more from the world's busiest airport on what is typically the busiest travel day of the year.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I talked to some people arriving home to Atlanta after traveling for the holidays and their experiences varied depending on which airports they came from around the country.

Sunday was the busiest travel day of the entire Thanksgiving week at the Atlanta airport, that officials here estimated 190,000 people coming through on Sunday, that's still about a third of the travelers they saw this time last year.

[03:05:06]

I talked to someone who was traveling for the very first time since the pandemic began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE SAKAE, TRAVELER: I was a little nervous. Because it's the first time going out of state. The Charleston was really, really empty this morning in the airport. Atlanta is always busy. So, you know, it was just different for us to just have this (Inaudible) it was very crowded. But the airport itself, everything is really nice and safe. And we're keeping our distances, so I feel like it's safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN (on camera): People did describe how tough it was to make the decision with their family on whether to travel for the holidays. Those who did travel told me that they do plan on getting tested after they get home. In one case someone said they would self-quarantine for 14 days.

The TSA says they screamed more than a million passengers on at least the separate days during the Thanksgiving week starting for the Friday before the holiday. That's a sharp increase in passenger traffic, because that record was only hit one other time since the pandemic began.

Back to you.

CHURCH: Thanks for that report. Well, as the U.S. Struggles to contain the pandemic, restrictions vary state by state. And even between cities. In California cases of hospitalizations keep ticking higher.

Tough new restrictions come into play in Los Angeles County today, banning most gatherings and placing new limits on businesses, but in New York some measures will soon be lifted. Mayor Bill de Blasio says many public schools can reopen to begin in-person learning in early December.

Doctor Jorge Rodriguez joins me now. Thank you, doctor for being with us and for all that you do.

JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRUS SPECIALIST: My pleasure. Thank you.

CHURCH: So, let's start with the positive news. Too safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are waiting approval poise to offer relief in the midst of this pandemic. And on Tuesday, the CDC will hold an emergency meeting to vote on who should get the vaccine first. So, who do you think should be lined up initially to take these vaccines once they're approved?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think, you know, it's almost like being on an airplane. If you're the adult you need to put your mask on first. So, we need to provide that vaccine for people who are on the front lines. Physicians and emergency rooms, nurses, radiology technicians, people that are in grocery stores that we don't realize really our first line people in this country. Policemen, firemen.

I think those people need to get it first, along with the people that are at highest risk, meaning people over a certain age, people that have secondary medical conditions that put them at risk. Once we inoculate, vaccinate those people, and I think we could go into the general population. But we need to prevent those people from getting sick first.

CHURCH: Right. Absolutely. I understand that. And doctor, when this vaccine will be available to the public? And of course, we don't really have a firm timeline on that. How do you make sure the second dose is available and ready to go when people turned up three weeks or four weeks after the first dose and how do you convince people that they can trust these vaccines, because the polls show that that is a little bit of a rocky area.

RODRIGUEZ: It is. Well, let me answer the first part of the question. I'm assuming that when they give someone a vaccine, that they have already safeguarded and have allotted their second dose. So, I don't think that would give anybody a first dose, I would hope not, without assuring that they are going to have that second dose ready, because otherwise it's for naught. It won't do any good. So, I am trusting that the first dose will come with a reserved second dose.

And how do you get people to trust vaccines? You know, that's a good one. And all we can do is continue to tell the truth here. When you hear how many people are dying per day in this country, how many millions of people have been affected throughout the world. Hopefully that will be enough of an impetus for people to take it.

But what I really would like people to know is that there is very little chance, very little chance for us to go back to a normal way of living without a vaccination. Not just a vaccine, because a vaccine is no good unless it becomes a vaccination.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. And of course, the efficacy of these two COVID-19 vaccines, so much higher than the flu shot which has only been able to get about what, 45 percent of American --

RODRIGUEZ: Correct.

CHURCH: -- adults to take it. So hopefully that will change. But on average, one American life is lost every minute to COVID-19.

[03:09:57]

But we just saw millions of Americans traveled for Thanksgiving and now Christmas is just around the corner, how concerned are you about the consequences of these super spreader holidays and the behavior of some people during this risky time?

RODRIGUEZ: I am very concerned. I go, I oscillate between just being mad and really bitter about it, and being terribly worried. I don't know why people just don't understand the facts, which are without a doubt -- if you go to the health.org web site, covid19.health, I think, .org, it will show you all the charts that have been right on the money.

If we don't right now, today, everybody start wearing masks, there will be approximately 3 to 4,000 people dying in this country every day. Double what is occurring today, which is double what was occurring a month ago, which was double was occurring the month before that. And it is just increasing.

So, you know, we can't grab everybody and shake them to realize this. And appealing to people's humanity doesn't seem to be working either, so I'm at a loss. I'm at a loss. I just hope that people realize that this is not a joke, you know. This is not a drill and it just keep getting worse.

CHURCH: Yes, I am at an absolute loss as well. I just cannot get my head around it. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thank you so much --

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

CHURCH: -- and again thank you for everything you do.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, Japan is reporting a sharp increase in new coronavirus cases. The health ministry reported more than 2,000 on Sunday. A day earlier, Japan reported more than 2,600 new cases. That's its highest single day increase since the pandemic began.

CNN's Paula Hancock joins us now. Good to see you, Paula. So, what is behind the spike in cases, given that Japanese people are very receptive to wearing masks?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, there's a number of things that experts are pointing to that could be behind these rises, not just in Japan but also in other countries that have done well up until this point. South Korea, Hong Kong, for example.

So, what we are seeing in Japan is that as these numbers are growing quite significantly, that the government is trying to step in and bringing some more restrictions, but quite a few of them are just suggestions at this point rather than mandating restrictions.

But things like restaurants that serve alcohol. Things like karaoke bars. They are now going to be closed, or at least they are appealing to those places to close earlier so they can try and curtail the amount of time that people are spending at them.

And of course, people are spending a lot more time inside. This is something we were expecting in the northern hemisphere. It's something that has come to fruition. The fact that as it gets colder people are staying inside and we are seeing these numbers rise. Now we did see a record number of patients with severe symptoms in intensive care for the previous 24 hours in Japan at 462. That's the highest number since the pandemic began. So that certainly a concern for officials.

Now a similar situation here in South Korea. We have seen numbers above 500 for three consecutive days. They dipped to just over 400 for Sunday, but we do know that there is less testing that happens on a weekend.

And here in South Korea one of the issues that officials say they have is that these clusters are very numerous. They are not looking at just a few big clusters. They can contact trace which makes it much more difficult. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Paula Hancocks bringing us the latest there. I appreciate that.

Well, the funeral for a top nuclear scientist is underway in Iran. Just ahead, I will talk to a security analyst about how and when Iran is likely to respond to his killing.

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Funeral services are being held for a chief Iranian nuclear scientist killed in a brazen assassination. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed just outside of Tehran on Friday. His body was taken to a major Shia shrine over the weekend and then move to the capital. He was considered one of the masterminds of Iran's controversial nuclear programs.

For more on this, let's turn to CNN's Fred Pleitgen. Fred has reported from Iran frequently in recent years. He joins us now live from Berlin. Good to see you, Fred.

So, President Rouhani has vowed to respond at the right time, his words there. What might he mean by that, and what considerations would he be weighing up right now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think there is a lot of considerations right now, Rosemary, that the Iranians are weighing out. First of all, of course there is a lot of anger within Iran's power structure, but also quite frankly, within the general population at the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh who of course was a revered scientist in Iran.

And essentially, right now, there is sort of two, I would say schools of thought, but two different directions going on when and how Iran are supposed to or should respond. First of all, you have the Iranian hard-liners, first and foremost, sort of in the orbit of Iran's supreme leader, but also some of the security services as well, especially the elite revolutionary guard corps who were saying Iran needs to respond fairly swiftly, and also, in a very harsh way. Because they believe, otherwise, this could be an invitation to others

to possibly also conduct operations within Iran to try and weaken the Islamic republic itself. Of course, the Iranians are saying that a lot points to they say, Israel being involved in all this. They certainly believe that Israel would be in cahoots with the United States, and some of their allies in the Middle East.

And so, there are some who are calling for a swift and harsh response. But then you have those, as you mentioned, around President Rouhani who are the more moderates in Iran, who are saying look, Iran really needs to take their time.

[03:19:56]

They believe that Israel and the United States are trying to bait Iran into irrational moves, especially in the sort last days of the Trump administration because the Iranians believe, or many in Iran believe, and certainly, many in the U.S. believe as well that there could be better times ahead before Iran dealing with the Biden administration than dealing with the Trump administration.

So, the moderates are saying, don't go too fast, really think about what you want to do, but there are also some who are calling for a harsher and faster response as well, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Fred Pleitgen joining us there. I appreciate it.

All right. Well, for more on how Iran could respond to Fakhrizadeh's killing, let's turn now to Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, she is a senior research fellow in Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute. Thank you so much for being with us.

ANISEH BASSIRI TABRIZI, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES, RUSI: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, Iran's president vows revenge, but what are the limited options available when considering a response to this assassination and how much of this will be about saving face?

TABRIZI: I think it's a great question. I think my sense is that Iran is, really, unlikely to respond in proportion and manner for the time being. This is a man or both of capability, but also of strategic calculation. We have seen the attempts of Iran to avenge previous assassinations of nuclear scientists being foiled. And we also know that these things require a time to be planned and carry out.

So, I don't think it's really feasible to see something like that happening in the short term. And I think the response to the killing of Soleimani and Muhandis earlier in the year is an indication of that. Iran probably, could carry out a face-saving response a similarity to what we have seen in Iraq, but a more proportionate retaliation is unlikely to take place in a short run.

And this is obviously, also, a matter of calculation. You can see that from the statements coming out of Iran from various officials, that the main message is response would come in due time. And I think the second message is really that Iran feels that this was a trap and wants to avoid being drawn into a direct confrontation at the time. In which at least some in Iran have the hope that a change in the U.S. policy towards Iran is about to happen.

CHURCH: Right. So, who do you think was behind this assassination? And what was the intent? How relevant was the timing of this?

TABRIZI: Well, I think all fingers within Iran point in the Israeli direction, and I think there are similarities at least from the reports, conflicting reports that we are seeing with previous assassinations as well. I think it would be consistent with the Israeli rhetoric and concerns when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program that such an assassination took place, especially right now.

There is obviously a concern of a change in the U.S. administration will change hat calculation and the policy from the U.S. site towards Iran, drawing closer to negotiations and potential for getting back to the nuclear deal, the so-called JCPOA. I think there might have been a calculation there. Both to try to take out a figure that has long been considered as key to the Iranian program before the new administration comes in, but also to potentially spoil the chances of negotiation or render them much more tricky when Biden joins.

CHURCH: Yes. Because this assassination does limit the options available to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, doesn't it, when he takes office in January 20th. How should he deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions going forward?

TABRIZI: Look, I think the Biden administration has been already very clear on what are the goals and strategies early on when it comes to Iran. I think the first step from their side will be to try to get back into the JCPOA not because it's the legacy of the Obama administration, or it's something that was agreed in the past, but because really, that seem to be the only manner in which at least temporarily the Iranian nuclear ambitions could be kept.

So, I think this stands as the, you know, the consideration from the Biden administration up until today. And from the Iranian side, yes, it's true that this assassination makes things much more challenging. I think especially from a perception of threats of vulnerability that Iran has and makes its calculations, you know, much more tricky.

But I think there is, really still a sense of that engagement is possible. That the two sides should come together and that for de- escalation in the region to reduce the only way is really for dialogue to reprise.

[03:25:05]

CHURCH: Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, thank you so much for your analysis, I appreciate it.

TABRIZI: My pleasure. Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week in a bid to solve an ongoing rift between the two countries. That is according to a senior administration official.

Kushner will meet with both the Saudi crown prince and emir of Qatar. It's not the first time the U.S. has tried to strike a deal between the two companies which cut diplomatic ties three years ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump, remains fixated on the election results as he continues repeating his false claims of a, quote, "rigged election." We will have the latest from the White House.

Plus, November is coming to a close with record numbers for Wall Street, and a lot of that is being driven by Joe Biden. And look at his impact on the markets. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The Biden transition is in full swing. President-elect Joe Biden will get his first presidential daily briefing on Monday. He is also building as promised during the campaign a government as diverse as America. He has announced an all-female senior White House communications team.

And CNN has also learned he is set to name key members of his economic team on Monday including the long-expected announcement of Janet Yellen as treasury secretary and two other women in top roles to help him navigate the country's economic recovery.

Meanwhile, Biden's victory over President Donald Trump in Wisconsin was reaffirmed after a recount was completed in one of the state's largest counties.

[03:30:00]

But that didn't stop Mr. Trump from ranting about nonexistent election fraud on Fox News. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): This is total fraud. 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 ballgame. And they cheated. Joe Biden did not get 80 million votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): He did get 80 million votes. It was not rigged. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following that story and has details of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a stunning 45 minutes of lies, delusion, and disbelief from the president of the United States on Sunday as he phoned in to a Fox News program for something that really didn't resemble any interview but more of a conversation with the host of the show, Maria Bartiromo, even encouraging the president as he made these false claims and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

The president is continuing to make these baseless claims even in the face of the mounting evidence against his case. Thirty plus lawsuits brought forward by the president's campaign and their allies have been dismissed or withdrawn by those legal teams in state and federal courts in key battleground states across the country.

One of the latest blows to the president's attempts to claim voter fraud coming in a series of federal cases in the state of Pennsylvania with one particularly stronger view from a Trump-appointed judge, Stephanos Bibas.

He wrote this, 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.

And so that goes to push back against all of the claims of thrown out ballots that the president was making, election observers not being allowed in the room, all of that debunked by these legal cases.

The president also continue to make this conspiracy theory, shared this conspiracy theory about voting systems, the leading or switching votes that were intended for him to president-elect Joe Biden.

That was somewhere that even Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican Party, she even wasn't willing to go that far this weekend as she campaign in Georgia. Listen.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Machines are switching the votes, and we got there in crazy numbers, and they should have won, but then still --

RONNA MCDANIEL, CHAIRWOMAN OF REPUBLICAN PARTY: Yeah, we have to -- we didn't see that in the audit, so we got to just -- that evidence I haven't seen, so we will wait and see on that.

DIAMOND (voice-over): And the president's efforts to call this election rigged also running into roadblocks as it relates to recounts and audits in key states like the audit in the state of Georgia that confirmed the results of that victory for Joe Biden, where the two recounts in two key counties in the state of Wisconsin, paid for by Donald Trump's campaign, $3 million recounts, that sends more votes, minimal number to Joe Biden, confirming the results of Joe Biden's victory over there.

Now, the president on Sunday did make clear this. Even as he said earlier this week that he would leave the White House on January 20th if the Electoral College does indeed confirm Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, he also said that he is not going to abandon this notion that this election was rigged.

As false and as baseless as it may be, the president is saying that even six months from now, he will still maintain that this election was stolen from him.

(On camera): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): Jessica Levinson joins me now. She is a professor at Loyola Law School and the host of the podcast "Passing Judgment." Good to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Thanks for having me back.

CHURCH: So, in his first TV interview since his election loss, Donald Trump went on a rant Sunday morning on Fox News, completely unchallenged by the interview.

He again falsely claimed the election was rigged, even going so far as to accuse his own Justice Department and the FBI of being involved. He has no evidence to prove any of this and yet so many republicans believe him.

How dangerous are all these baseless claims and what impact could they potentially have on this democracy and Joe Biden's future leadership?

LEVINSON: Yeah. So, I mean, I think the short answer is not that dangerous right now, in the sense that our guardrails are holding in America, so the judiciary has held.

Donald Trump has won one fairly insignificant case. He has lost 39 cases, varying in degrees from not that big to really big. So the judiciary has stood as a guardrail. They have rejected President Trump's baseless claims.

Now, in terms of how much damage this will do, we have to see if Trump is an aberration or if he is a pattern. We have to see what happens to the Trump voters. How many of them will stay with him no matter what? We have to see what President Trump does when he is former President Trump. How much he tries to keep the spotlight?

[03:35:00]

CHURCH: Yeah. We will keep an eye on that, of course. And while Fox News failed to challenge the president, a Trump-appointed federal judge wasn't afraid to do so, saying in his response to Trump's Pennsylvania lawsuit, calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. And he added that we have neither here. The campaign's claims have no merit.

So Jessica, Trump knows the courts reject his false claims outright, and he is now using Fox News to spread his conspiracy theories. Why would the Republican Party go along with this, especially given it could backfire in the two runoff elections in Georgia on January 5th, and it looks like that is happening right now?

LEVINSON: Absolutely. And I think that is why we see this division in Georgia with the secretary of state and the governor saying essentially, don't worry that much about the election. Actually, it was OK. Look at what President Trump's own administration said. This was the safest election that we have ever held.

And we see this division between Republicans in Georgia who have to convince voters that they should come back and vote in the runoff and trust the system.

And then the Republicans will stay with President Trump no matter what. I think that second group is dwindling, in part because of what you said and the question, which is a Trump-appointed judge had a toward a force opinion where he said in no uncertain terms, this is baseless. He wrote an opinion where there is nothing to be appealed to the Supreme Court. There is no legal question or issue.

CHURCH: Yeah, it speaks volumes, doesn't it? And meantime, president- elect Joe Biden made and announced an all-female senior White House communications team. He is set to announce his top economic team in the hours ahead. How significant is that in terms of his polar opposite administration and waiting?

LEVINSON: Well, I think that is exactly what it is. I think that president-elect Biden is really going to try to swing the pendulum back and say I'm going to ride the ship. We are going back to the status quo but then also push it a little further into a place where he wants it to be.

Where we look at senior communications staff and it is not news that they're all women, where we look at the vice president of the United States, it's normal that there is a woman and a woman of color who is in a position of power. It is normal that you walk into any room where the levers of power of government are being pulled. You should see women there.

So I think that that will continue to be part of what he's doing. But notice he is picking people based on expertise and experience. He did this with his COVID relief team. He's doing this with the communications team, with the national security team. This is a list with resumes, you know, longer than you have paper to print on.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, many thanks for your analysis. We appreciate it.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And investors will be closely watching president-elect Joe Biden when he formally names key members of his economic team later today.

CNN's John Defterios joins me now. Good to see you, John. So, markets reacted very well to early indications that Janet Yellen would be named as U.S. treasury secretary. So when Biden makes that official along with the rest of his economic team in the hours ahead, how will global markets likely respond?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN ANCHOR AND EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: I think it just takes it to another level, if you will, Rosemary, the official stamp of approval from Joe Biden. They will need, of course, Senate clearance, but I don't see any indications that there will be any resistance. So this is very positive for not only U.S. investors but global investors.

I think, in fact, the global community has done a fantastic job of shutting out the noise, if it is a Twitter storm over the weekend or again on Fox Business News, suggesting that there is fraud. They just don't buy it and they're kind of moving on, if you will.

And let's look at the picks. The number one that you are talking about there also with our analysts from the United States is Janet Yellen as treasury secretary, Joe Biden picking her as the first woman to be in that post, very widely seen as working well with Jerome Powell, who is the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen served as both vice chair and chair of that institution in the past.

And also here that every decision should be sensible one to avoid a double dip recession, and that is the view not only in the United States but far beyond Wall Street.

Let's take a look at the tally of the surge in November. The S&P 500 up 11 percent, the United States at a record. And then we have the global index from the MSCI 13 percent. And look at European markets, both Paris and Milan, surging, trying to catch up with the games we've seen in the United States.

We have kind of a data point, if you will, with China, with the vaccine distribution. So different political setup, military setup, security setup, but we see the orders have surged to a three-year high of 6.6 percent.

[03:39:57]

DEFTERIOS: That won't be the same playbook, if you will, for the United States and Europe, but there is a thought that this time, next year, we should have heard immunity because of the vaccines. And if that is the case, the markets right now are leading to cater of what is to come. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. John Defterios, many thanks for that analysis. Appreciate it.

More than 100 people are dead after a gruesome attack on Nigerian villages. Just ahead, as the victims are laid to rest, we will find out which terror group is suspected in this attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The head of the U.N. Refugee Agency is calling for millions in aid to help refugees who have fled to Sudan to escape fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Thousands of people may have been killed in the conflict, according to the U.N., and tens of thousands have left for Sudan since fighting began in early November.

Ethiopia's government says federal forces took control of Tigray's regional capital on Saturday, but on Sunday, rebels claimed to have shot down a military plane and retaken a town. A communications blackout makes all claims difficult to verify. We are tracking news of a horrific attack in northeastern Nigeria, and a warning, some of what you are about to see is disturbing. A U.N. official says at least 110 civilians were killed on Saturday when a farming community was attacked near the capital of Borno State. Funerals for many of the victims were held on Sunday. Boko Haram militants are suspected in the attack. Authorities are searching for dozens of people who are still missing.

For more, let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon. She joins us from Istanbul. So, Arwa, the details are horrifying. What more are you learning about this brutal attack?

[03:45:00]

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely hair-raising, Rosemary, and quite gutting when you think about everything that these communities have been through in Borno State when it comes to the violence that has been rocked upon them by Boko Haram, the insecurity, the economic challenges that they all face

What we do know from eye witnesses is that these attackers arrived on motorcycles. They killed some people on the spot. Others were taken away and according to some accounts, beheaded. Others still remain missing. Now, these remote communities are trying to come to grips with what it is that they went through and also how are they going to protect themselves from the sort of a thing in the future.

Now, of course, the Nigerian government has been locked in an ongoing battle with Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations for years now. But recently, they have sort of been altering their strategy in the sense that the military has been concentrating a lot more on populated areas, on the cities, which means that these rural communities have largely been left to their own devices.

Now, there are civilian vigilante groups that do try to provide some measure of protection, but they are very poorly equipped and very poorly trained, especially when it comes to an enemy like Boko Haram.

And so villages tend to try to cut their own deals with Boko Haram to provide them with food or whatever it is that they may need in return for not being attacked. This seems like a deal gone sour and very devastatingly ending for many, as well.

But Rosemary, this really is a moment of reckoning for the government. It is going to have to answer to this, as well as having to answer, of course, for the population in other parts of the country, as well, with the demonstrations that have been happening in Abuja and all sorts of malcontent with the authorities that exist throughout the entire country at this stage.

CHURCH: Yeah, exactly right. Arwa Damon, joining us live, many thanks for bringing us the details on that. Appreciate it.

European human rights ambassador say they are deeply concerned about a group of female activists detained in Saudi Arabia. They are calling on the kingdom to release them. One of the women, who has already spent more than two years in jail, will now be tried by a by terrorism court. Her apparent crime? Demanding the right to drive.

Nic Robertson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Saudi Arabia's most well-known female prisoner, Loujain al-Hathloul, has gone from jailed rights activists to alleged national security threat. Her sister is horrified. She alleges Loujain has been tortured in prison.

LINA HATHLOUL, LOUJAIN'S SISTER: My parents said that she was very weak, that he body was shaking, and that her voice, as well. But even with that, she was still very focused, and they wanted to (INAUDIBLE) her whole defense, her and other activists from being electrocuted. (INAUDIBLE) beaten, deprived of sleep (INAUDIBLE).

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Saudi authorities have repeatedly denied allegations of torture and sexual abuse in their jails.

Hathloul campaigned for women to drive. Then just weeks before Saudi's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman known as MBS, gave the go ahead for the long-awaited reform, she was arrested. Human rights groups called on world leaders to use last week's virtual G20 summit in Riyadh to pressure MBS to allow her release.

Instead, days after the event wrapped, Hathloul appeared before a judge, only to learn her case was being referred to a notorious court.

ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I believe the charges have to do with receiving money from hostile governments in order to pass it on to dissidents and hostile groups.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): So far, the Saudi government hasn't published its evidence. Saudi courts, where evidence would be presented, are notoriously difficult to access. International pressure for her release is not working. It is unclear if president-elect Joe Biden, who was promised to take a tough line on Saudi, can make a difference.

AL-JUBEIR: We are not subject to pressure. These individuals who arrested under our laws and our courts have jurisdiction and they decide. We don't allow people to put pressure on us in order to do things that are against our interest.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It is unclear, too, when Hathloul's next court appearance will be, although the venue is set Saudi Arabia Specialized Criminal Court, which, according to human rights group, Amnesty International, is intrinsically unfair.

[03:50:08]

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): "CNN Newsroom" continues after this short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): The world's loneliest elephant is on his way to a better place largely thanks to an iconic U.S. pop star.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

CHURCH: Now, if you couldn't tell, that was the singer, Cher, serenading Kaavan, the elephant. Kaavan has been living in grim conditions at a zoo in Pakistan and has been totally alone since his partner died in 2012. But now, Kaavan is heading to a new life at an elephant sanctuary.

So let's get more from Selina Wang. She joins us live from Tokyo. Good to see you, Selina. So a very sad story with, thankfully, a happy ending.

[03:55:00]

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, that's right, this is such a long-awaited moment. Cher and activists around the world have been campaigning for years to have Kaavan, the world's loneliest elephant, move to a better home. That is now finally happening.

The spokesperson for Four Paws, an international welfare group that spearheaded the relocation, just told me that Kaavan has landed in Cambodia. He is going to be taken to a sanctuary. He landed from a jumbo jet from Pakistan. A veterinarian on board said that the flight went smoothly, that Kaavan even slept during the flight.

Now, Kaavan had been Pakistan's only Asian elephant. He had spent 35 years. This is a 36-year-old bull elephant and most of those years, in this tiny enclosure in chains in Islamabad Zoo. In 2012, he then left --he then lost his female elephant partner.

Now, elephants are social animals. So this was a major loss. It was as if these past eight years, Kaavan was living in solitary confinement, which then led to behavioural issues. Veterinarians had also diagnosed him as having physical, psychological challenges, as well as being overweight and malnourished.

In Cambodia, however, the good news is he's going to be with other elephants and living in a sanctuary in a huge jungle enclosure. Rosemary?

CHURCH: It is wonderful news. We love happy endings. Selina Wang, thank you so much for bringing us that.

And thank you for staying with us this hour. I am Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)