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U.S. Economy Adds Just 245,000 Jobs in November as Jobs Engine Stalls; FDA Official Says, Pfizer, Moderna Coronavirus Vaccines Should Be Authorized Within a Week After Advisory Meetings. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired December 04, 2020 - 11:30   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Awful peak.

[11:30:00]

But one of the reasons that's a little concerning is because 400,000 people just dropped out of the labor market. We've seen 4 million people leave the labor market since February and those are predominantly women and baby boomers. You can see why, right? Education concerns, health care concerns and the economy. So there's a lot going on here that's troubling.

Also more evidence that the K-shape recovery, business and information services, transportation, warehousing, these are the kinds of jobs that being added but you're losing jobs in retail and in leisure and hospitality, you stop adding them there.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And pandemic assistance is set to expire at the end of the month. Meaning, millions of laid off workers are going to staring at a financial cliff. Does this report do anything to put any pressure on Congress to fix that?

ROMANS: This should be flashing red lights, sirens, they should have their hair on fire on Capitol Hill right now about what these numbers tells us about the condition for millions of Americans. We're in a job hole that's 9.8 million jobs and the benefits for those people to get by to pay their bills, those benefits are going to start running out. You're going to have assistance for renters that are going to be running out and moratoriums for mortgage holders. So, all these things are coming at the same time, it's a fiscal cliff, really, a financial aid cliff for Americans. Congress really does need to move.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Christine.

All right, let's get to over Capitol Hill and let's see if anybody's hair is on fire other than Manu Raju's at all times. He's joining me right now.

Because lawmakers have not acted for months, there apparently are signs that things are heating back up for a COVID relief bill. I have to tell you, Manu, I am still skeptical after such failure for so many months. MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you have reason to be skeptical. It's going to be difficult to get a deal, but there is a lot momentum behind any package right now that's much smaller in scope than what Democrats have been pushing for some time. Remember, Democrats advanced more than $3 trillion bill back in May, it passed the House, Republicans in the Senate refused to move on it.

Then, ultimately, negotiations happened between the speaker and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Those broke down time and time again. The speaker moved down to about $2.2 trillion. And right before the elections, the White House moved up to $1.8 trillion. That still was too high for republicans. The speaker didn't like what the White House was proposing. That all broke down.

Right now, they're talking about a package around the idea of $900 billion that is being discussed, and so obviously a lot less than what the speaker wanted. So, just moments ago, the speaker had defended her handling of this. She said all of her decisions led to the position that they're in right now. But I asked her why did she refuse to take half a loaf when months ago she said should would not accept half a loaf, why is she doing that now

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REPORTER: Months ago you said, I will not accept half a loaf.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Let me tell you something. Don't characterize what we did before as a mistake, as a preface to your question if you want an answer. That was not a mistake. It was a decision, and it's taken us to a place where we can do the right thing without other, shall we say, considerations in the legislation that we don't want. now, that is it.

Now --

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RAJU: So she said it was not a mistake. And she's pointing to what she called a, quote, game changer, the fact that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States, that there is going to be a focus on doing a big COVID package in the beginning of the new Congress.

So there's optimism that a smaller deal that Pelosi has resisted for some time could come together. Mitch McConnell, probably more than what he wants, could come together next week. The hope, Kate, is to tie it to a bill to keep the government open by the end of next Friday. We'll see if they're able to do that because a lot of division remains here.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And that's going to be the only way they get it done, a must pass bill, tie it to that, then smell the jet fumes and get out of town. Good to see you, Manu, thank you so much.

All right, up next, what is it like to get a coronavirus vaccine? We're going to talk to one couple who are both volunteers in a vaccine trial. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

BOLDUAN: According to a top official at the FDA, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should be authorized within a week after the agency's advisory committee meets to consider the filings. It's been a long and very clearly painful road to get to this point. More than 276,000 Americans have been killed, 14 million Americans over that have been infected.

And tens of thousands of people though have stepped up and volunteered for these critical vaccine trials, without which the country would not be on the cusp of good news finally in the fight against this virus.

So what is it like to get the coronavirus vaccine? These are the people who know. Joining me right now are two volunteers who took part in Pfizer's trials, Karen and Steve Coma. Thank you so much for coming on to speak with me.

A big question that everyone wonders is why did you want to volunteer?

KAREN COMA, PFIZER VACCINE TRIAL PARTICIPANT: Just probably public service, doing our part. And we both -- my mother, Steve's parents, have people that are in at an at-risk age or state and felt it was important for us to help expedite this.

STEVE COMA, PFIZER VACCINE TRIAL PARTICIPANT: Plus, we're both healthy and in an age group that I think they were interested in having tested. We're both late-middle age, so figured we'd be good participants.

[11:40:04]

BOLDUAN: Honestly, I mean, you don't give yourselves enough credit at all. You went above and beyond to put your health at risk. You didn't know and you put yourselves out there to do this. It truly is a wonderful, patriotic thing you did.

I mean, one thing you don't know as far as my best understanding is who got the vaccine and who got the placebo. But I'm told you have a guess because, Steve, you did suffer side effects from the vaccine. Can you describe what you felt? Because I know a lot of folks are wondering what they're going to go through potentially when they get the shot.

S. COMA: Sure. So my family thinks I just had a bad reaction to the saline but it felt a lot like a flu shot or the shingles shot, a little soreness in the arm for the first one and the second one, I had some mild for about 24 hours, felt just a tad under the weather, but nothing severe. But compared to Karen and then our daughter also was a participant, they didn't feel any symptoms. So we're guessing I got the real stuff and Karen and Stephanie may not have.

BOLDUAN: And also, I mean, I was going to mention that, that it's not just the two of you, it's your daughter as well who took part in the clinical trial, which is really just remarkable.

When you say just kind of mild symptoms, something that would -- if we were all going back into the office, if you will, something that would keep you home from work or something that you notice but you didn't really impact your day, would you say?

S. COMA: Yes. I think it gave me a great excuse to be on the couch but it would not prevent me from going to work, really, just sort of mild symptoms, a little bit of muscle ache and tiredness.

BOLDUAN: Did you guys -- as you mentioned, your daughter also took part in the trial. Did you have any concerns just kind of as a collective family unit of having so many people in the family taking part in the trial?

K. COMA: I don't think we even thought about that. It was just something we all said they need participants, why wouldn't we? And we didn't have a reason not to.

S. COMA: I think -- and we were part of the phase three portion. So, you know, obviously a lot of the science was completed in phase one and two, and the masses, as you mentioned, we were just one of thousands that participated in phase three. So, obviously, that mitigated some concerns.

BOLDUAN: Yes. This has been made all the more real for you because you told us that your mother, your mom, Karen, just tested positive for COVID yesterday. She's in a long-term care facility. How is she doing and has this changed kind of your perspective on this whole thing?

K. COMA: It just made me realize how important this is for so many, because we have so many elders in long-term care facilities and nursing facilities across the country. Yes, I got the phone call yesterday evening from her residents that she had had a positive test, but she's doing fine. She has no symptoms. She's really not even aware. She's a dementia patient in a memory care unit. They're taking great care of her. Those are the true heroes in my book.

BOLDUAN: 100 percent. You have officially joined the ranks of them for me and I know a lot of people watching. What's your message, if you could, if you thought about it, to fellow Americans who are right now hesitant to get the vaccine?

S. COMA: Overcome that hesitation and get vaccinated. Like many of us, we've been inside for many months, my parents have not been outside and have many more months to go before they'll be able to reenter their social lives, get vaccinated and break the cycle.

K. COMA: And our 26-year-old daughter said the same thing, this is the only way this will -- we'll get out of this lockdown.

BOLDUAN: Well, Karen, Steve, I always say this at the end of segments, thank you. I really, truly, mean it. Thank you so much.

S. COMA: Thanks for having us. K. COMA: You're welcome. Thanks for having us.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

Still ahead for us, CNN just spoke to every living U.S. vice president about the events that shaped their time in the White House. The advice that they now have for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, that's coming up.

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[11:45:00]

BOLDUAN: History will be made when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take office on January 20th. Biden becomes one of the few vice presidents to become commander-in-chief and Harris becomes the first female vice president.

Tomorrow, the new CNN film, President in Waiting, offers an inside look at the office of the vice president, from all the men who have held the office and their bosses. CNN's Abby Phillip has a preview.

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ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Senator Kamala Harris became Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, she delivered to the nation's several historic firsts, the first African-American, first South Asian and first female vice president-elect.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.

PHILLIP: The vice president's role varies with every administration but there is one trait most have in common, political expertise.

[11:50:00]

Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and senator for the nation's most populous state and she'll bring that breathe of experience with her to the White House.

As a member of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, Harris was at the forefront of some of the most consequential hearings of the last four years.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: She's ready to do this job on day one.

PHILLIP: And while Harris will assume office on January 20th with no formal blueprint for how to perform the job, President-elect Biden did offer something of a framework during his time serving under President Obama.

BIDEN: He asked me what I wanted, most importantly. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions. PHILLIP: Biden says, being a key trusted adviser was one of the most important factors he was looking for in his vice president.

BIDEN: I ask Kamala Harris to be the last person in the room and always tell me the truth, which she will, challenge my assumptions if she disagrees.

PHILLIP: Harris displayed her ability to challenge Biden at the Democratic Party's presidential debate, attacking his record working with segregationist senators to oppose busing decades earlier.

HARRIS: You know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.

PHILLIP: Once a political rival, Harris will now be in the White House as Biden's right hand, and in her new role, offering a lesson to the nation's children.

HARRIS: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP (on camera): And, Kate, it is not often a former vice president actually ascends to the presidency in the way that Joe Biden has, so he has some pretty clear views about what he wants his vice president to do. And he was asked by Jake Tapper in an interview yesterday about the role that Kamala Harris would play. And he said that anything that falls on his plate that he cannot take on would be given to his vice president in the same way that it was for him. And Kamala Harris herself said that we are full partners in this job.

So you see already how this relationship is starting to shape up between these two individuals, both of whom actually are doing something pretty unusual in American history, especially Kamala Harris in her history-making as first woman vice president in history.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Great to see you, Abby. Thank you.

And be sure to tune in. President in Waiting premieres tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

Coming up, the U.S. is breaking records on multiple fronts when it comes to COVID, including the most devastating, the number of deaths climbing, the number of cases and the number of people in the hospital skyrocketing. How can the country turn this around at this point? That is ahead.

But, first, this year's CNN Heroes is focusing on organizations helping to fight coronavirus and achieve racial and social justice. CNN's Anderson Cooper has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): The Center for Disaster Philanthropy provides strategies to help donors increase the impact of their contributions during global crises, like COVID-19. Chef Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen feed the needy in times of crisis, using the power of food to heal and strengthen communities.

JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: We need to be part of the solution.

COOPER: AdoptAClassroom advances equity in education by giving teachers and schools access to the resources they need.

GLENN CLOSE, CO-FOUNDER, BRING CHANGE TO MIND: I challenge every American family to no longer whisper about mental illness behind closed doors.

COOPER: Co-founded by Glenn Close, Bring Changed to Mind is working to end the stigmas surrounding mental illness, encouraging dialogue and raising awareness, understanding and empathy.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation provides life-changing experiences for children battling critical illness, restoring in them a sense of childhood and getting normalcy to their families.

The Equal Justice Initiative fights to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States by challenging racial and economic inequity and protecting basic human rights in the prison system.

Water.org has helped changed the lives of millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation in 17 countries around the world.

And, finally, IssueVoter is increasing civic engagement beyond the voting booth, helping people share their views on new bills with their elected officials with just one click.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can create the world that we want to live in through representative democracy by making all of our voices heard on the issues.

[11:55:02]

COOPER: Want to learn more? Go to cnnheroes.com and click donate to any of these year's organizations to make a direct contribution to their GoFundMe charity campaign. You'll receive an email confirming your donation which is tax deductible in the United States.

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