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Department of Health and Human Services to Launch National Vaccine Campaign; Joe Biden's Election Margin Tops 7 Million; Georgia Senate Elections Have Spent $320 Million in Advertising. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 04, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:52]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: Welcome back, I'm Brianna Keilar. And we start this hour with sobering numbers and a plan from President-elect Joe Biden who says he'll ask the American people -- all of the American people -- to mask up for his first 100 days in office. That alone could save tens of thousands of lives if people listen.

Thursday, the U.S. had a record-breaking number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. More than 217,000 new cases fueled by nine states that set their own records for new cases. Wednesday, we saw the first ever day of more than 100 hospitalizations, 100,000 hospitalizations, and a repeat of that yesterday when 2,879 people died from coronavirus.

And as we see these numbers climb, a warning from Dr. Anthony Fauci that we haven't even entered the expected post-Thanksgiving surge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We have not yet seen the post-Thanksgiving peak. That's the concerning thing because the numbers in and of themselves are alarming, and then you realize that it is likely we'll see more of a surge as we get two to three weeks past the Thanksgiving holiday.

And the thing that concerns me is that abuts right on the Christmas holiday, as people start to travel and shop and congregate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And first on CNN this afternoon, news that the Department of Health and Human Services has just launched a national ad campaign to promote the COVID vaccine. Kristen Holmes is following this for us.

So this is really interesting. What is this going to entail, Kristen? KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brianna.

And let me just note, this came after a week of talking to health care experts and people across the health industry who are wringing their hands that there was no form of a national education campaign, and we were getting so close to that first phase of distribution.

So just to be clear, this is a very small portion of what they say will be a big education campaign, but they have started streaming ads on YouTube, a small buy, about $150,000, and these ads will have snippets of a public service announcement that features Dr. Fauci talking about how safe the vaccine is as well as Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, talking about how a vaccine is created and why it is safe to use.

Now, they are telling me -- administration officials -- that they expect to have a big push as early as next week that will be ads and partly an education campaign across digital and social media, and that they want this to start, again, as early as next week so that the public can start preparing.

But the big question is this, when are they going to create part of this campaign that lets people know when they get the vaccine? And that's what we're having a little bit of trouble getting answers on. We know when health care workers are getting it, but when it comes to the public, it looks like that timeline is very lengthy and there are still concerns across the industry that people are going to show up on December 15th, when that first batch of vaccines arrives, and think that they can get the vaccine.

So I'm asking, I'm pushing on this, trying to see when they're going to start incorporating those dates, trying to inform people when they can actually get the vaccine as well -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And Kristen, I want to ask you something. I know you may not know the answer to this question at this point, but we did just hear from our (ph) race and equality writer who was talking about how suspicious the African-American community and the Hispanic American community is about the vaccine.

Do we know if there's anything that they're planning to specifically target those populations who have been particularly hard hit and yet have suspicions about the federal government when it comes to this vaccine?

HOLMES: Well, that's still going to be part of their later rollout. But I will say this, that we know that part of the reason that they're using Dr. Fauci is because of the fact that he has such a high trust rating among the American public overall, and so that is part of the reason they're using him as the face of the now-campaign.

Now in terms of if they are going to try and diversify, get that out there, that is just information we don't have yet, but something that we'll certainly be following up on and trying to get those details as we get closer and closer to that phase one distribution.

[14:05:05] KEILAR: Yes, it's so essential. That's what public health officials are saying, so we'll see if they heed that advice. Kristen, thank you so much for the great report.

And in Canada, one elected official is making a direct plea to the public to stay home for Christmas. The Manitoba premier, saying that holiday gatherings will be met with deadly consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN PALLISTER, MANITOBA PREMIER: I will do what I believe is right. And right now, we need to save lives. If you don't think that COVID's real, right now, you're an idiot. You need to understand that we're all in this together, you cannot fail to understand this. Stay apart.

So I'm the guy who has to tell you to stay apart at Christmas and in the holiday season you celebrate with your faith or without your faith, that you celebrate normally with friends and with family, that where you share memories and build memories, I'm that guy.

And I'll say that because it will keep you safe. I'm the guy who's stealing Christmas to keep you safe. Because you need to do this now, you need to do the right thing. Because next year, we'll have lots to celebrate. And we'll celebrate this year if we do the right thing this year.

You don't need to like me. I hope in years to come you might respect me for having the guts to tell you the right thing, and here's the right thing. Stay safe, protect each other, love each other, care for each other. You've got so many ways to show that, but don't get together this Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In the U.K., Scotland and Wales are going to be the first places that are making doses of the COVID-19 vaccine available, and this is actually happening soon, it's happening next week. But the speed of this operation is being met with some skepticism. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is in London with details on this -- Salma.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Brianna, the first batch of coronavirus vaccines has arrived, and it's being distributed to storage facilities across the U.K. And the very first people to get vaccinated will be medical workers. So starting early next week, 50 hospitals across the U.K. will be injecting their own staff with the vaccine as well as people over 80 with an appointment.

And all of this took place where there was an exchange of words between officials here and Dr. Fauci, who initially criticized British regulators, saying they approved the vaccine too soon. We then heard from a cabinet minister here who said, well, the U.K. was first because the U.K. is the better country -- not a very helpful remark.

Dr. Fauci did apologize and express confidence in the U.K. program, but all of this comes to show that this will be very closely scrutinized -- Brianna. KEILAR: Salma, thank you.

And the only way the vaccine will actually work to end the pandemic is of course if people take it, if they get vaccinated. And the incoming administration says it is going to work to promote confidence in the safety of the shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Are you confident that if and when the FDA does give that approval, it will be safe and effective and will you take it?

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Of course I will.

TAPPER: Do you plan to get vaccinated before Inauguration Day and will you do it in public the way that Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton have suggested they're willing to --

(CROSSTALK)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I'd be happy to do that. Once it's declared to be safe and I think Barack said once Fauci says it's clear, that's my measure. Then obviously we take it. And it's important to communicate to the American people it's safe, it's safe to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So in agreeing to take this vaccine publicly, the president- elect and others are taking a page out of the book of Elvis Presley. Because back in 1956, he took a polio vaccine backstage at the "Ed Sullivan Show" to encourage teenagers to get vaccinated.

Dr. Geeta Nayyar is a rheumatologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Florida International University. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we talked about doing it virtually, I took your advice and did that, so I hope yours was nice as well.

But talking about this, now, this phase we're moving into, the vaccine phase, does it work, Dr. G., having a celebrity or president in this case taking a vaccine in front of the public?

GEETA NAYYAR, RHEUMATOLOGIST: Well, Brianna, first, I'm glad that you didn't burst your bubble and you stayed home this Thanksgiving.

Listen, let's remember who Elvis Presley was, right? He was one of the most inspiring leaders of his time, everyone wanted to be him, everyone wanted to look like him, people still think he's alive and want to look exactly like him, right?

When Elvis Presley took the polio vaccine on the "Ed Sullivan Show," people lined up for the polio vaccine like it was the newest iPhone. They were happy to do it, they were happy to wait, and they were inspired. We need inspirational leaders to help us build trust, and every one of

us is inspired in different ways, right? Some of us by our religious leaders, some of us by our family, some of us have celebrity crushes -- Matthew McConaughey is mine -- Brianna I know you've got one too -- so let's all lean in and let's ask our celebrity partners, our community leaders to help us build that community trust.

But let's also not forget the local celebrity you should be leaning on right now, which is your local doctor. Call your doctor, set up a video visit, don't leave your home, and start that conversation about why you are perhaps debating the vaccine, debating where and when and how you can get it. Stat that conversation right now with your doc.

KEILAR: Do you think that this administration currently -- and the incoming administration -- do they need to have thought out a plan, like a P.R. strategy, for ambassadors in a way that they can enlist, who people will pay attention to?

You know, we're talking about Elvis, but we can think about folks who are popular to different age groups for instance, different sports, different athletes who would be popular. Is that something they really need to be thinking about here?

NAYYAR: It's 100 percent what we need to be thinking about, right? We've got a vaccine, we've got a vaccine in the works. We're going to figure out all the logistical distribution issues, we're going to manufacture everything we need to.

And there might be some bumps along the road, but human behavior is impossible (ph) to change. It takes time. Starting the drumbeat now, relying on trusted partners in the community -- minority communities like to hear from minorities, right? We want to make sure that everyone feels like, one, they have someone to aspire to, to look to. And we want to make sure that we are also relying on our physicians.

Our new surgeon general is going to be an excellent example, Dr. Fauci, another. But let's not forget that local physicians know their local patients, their local community. And now, with the beauty of technology, we have the opportunity to have those conversations at any time online, with or without insurance.

So it is very important. P.R. -- science needs a P.R. campaign, that is the piece that needs to be done in parallel with this vaccine.

KEILAR: Yes, and with these local, trusted doctors, as you point out. You brought that up before, I think it's such a good point, Dr. G., thank you so much for coming on again.

NAYYAR: Thanks, Brianna, thanks for having me.

KEILAR: CNN is committed to answering all of your questions about the COVID vaccine, so you can join Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta with special guest Dr. Anthony Fauci for a live town hall, tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

And this hour, Vice President Pence is set to hold a rally in Georgia, and President Trump is headed there tomorrow. But there is some concern that his visit could backfire in the critical Senate runoff races in Georgia.

Also ahead, a new lawsuit will be awaiting the president when he leaves office. This one accuses his family of a scheme to raise rents on their New York tenants.

[14:13:00]

Plus, why was the White House liaison to the Justice Department banned from the Justice Department building? We're going to tell you why.

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KEILAR: President-elect Joe Biden's margin over President Donald Trump in the popular vote has just topped 7 million, and that number is expected to grow as more states are counting votes.

Harry Enten, CNN's senior political writer and analyst, is here with us. Harry, Biden's popular vote lead has not only surpassed that of Hillary Clinton's in 2016, it's actually the second largest since 2000. So tell us who has the largest.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Yes. I mean, look, it's Barack Obama back in 2008, right? He topped over 52 percent of the vote. And this chart gives you a real understanding that since 2000 essentially, our elections have been really, really close, right? Candidates tend to trade within a narrow band, so the fact that Biden's over 51 percent of the vote is quite impressive.

The other thing I'll note on this graphic, is look where Donald Trump's two runs for president list. They're the second and third worst, lowest popular vote percentage. Only John McCain was worse than either of Trump's two performances.

And Mitt Romney, who Donald Trump likes to bash consistently, actually got a larger share of the popular vote in his one run for the presidency when he was the nominee back in 2012, than either of Trump's two performances either this year or last time around.

KEILAR: And it's another popular vote win for Democrats, which seems to be happening a lot lately.

ENTEN: Yes. I mean, here's the thing ,if you go back since 1992, the Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the eight last presidential elections. And that is really, really impressive because if you go all the way back since 1828 essentially, when the Democratic Party was founded, there has never been a streak of seven out of eight times that one party won the popular vote.

So although Democrats perhaps in the Electoral College haven't necessarily won all the time, in the popular vote, they're consistently the more popular party to an historic degree.

KEILAR: Harry, happy Friday, thanks for breaking that all down for us. ENTEN: Thank you, happy Friday as well.

KEILAR: In Georgia, the state's election recount is expected to be recertified today, but all eyes are on the critical Senate runoff races that are next month. Vice President Pence holds a rally in Savannah this hour for the Republican candidates, and tomorrow, President Trump heads there for his first post-election rally for these races that will determine the balance of power in Washington.

CNN's Abby Phillip is here with us now on this. Abby, there's some concern that because Trump has been making these baseless claims of voter fraud, it might actually discourage people from voting, it might hurt Republicans in their fight to maintain control of the Senate. How do you see his visit tomorrow impacting these races?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, I think it totally depends on what he actually says and does when he gets there because so far, he's been giving Republican voters a lot of mixed signals. He's going down to Georgia, but still talking about a rigged election. And Republicans in that state really need him to send a clear message to his supporters that they need to get out and vote, and that they need to trust the process and trust the system.

[14:20:17]

By all accounts, this -- these runoff elections are also going to see really high levels of mail-in voting as well. And if it's the case that Republican voters are not voting by mail in large numbers and then also not showing up in person because of these conspiracy theories, that's a disaster for Republicans. This is all about turnout, and they need to get their voters out. It's not about persuasion of anyone, it's just about getting the die-hards out to the ballot boxes. And that's President Trump's number one job.

KEILAR: So, Abby, the money in these races that are being injected into these races are just crazy. I mean, we're looking at $320 million combined. But does that even make a difference here?

PHILLIP: You know, it's a really good question. Because, I mean, a lot of this is ad spending on the airwaves and on television. And you know, one of the interesting things this cycle, talking to both Democrats and Republicans, is that they talk about how important it is to actually ensure that voters actually get out of their homes and go cast a ballot or return their mail-in ballot and drop it off in the mailbox, and doing that is a really time-intensive thing. It takes actual physical labor, it takes people calling and texting and knocking on doors.

And so I have a lot of questions about whether this ad spending is going to translate into anything substantive for these candidates on either side of the aisle, but I don't think that there's anything you can do to stop it from happening.

It's just that, you know, when you talk to campaigns, what they know is that in turnout elections, it's about making sure that your people actually go do what they say they're going to do, and one of the best ways to ensure that is to have your people physically having connections with them. That's a labor-intensive task, and I think that's what's facing both parties right now.

KEILAR: Former President Barack Obama is holding a rally -- but it's a virtual one -- this hour, for Georgia's Democratic Senate candidates. Tell us about how they're handling things on the Democratic side, which seems to be a little different.

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, I think that the two Senate candidates on the Democratic side are really running a joint campaign. They're trying to do things as hand-in-hand as possible, but Democrats of course are trying to be a lot more mindful about the issue of the coronavirus. They're not holding these massive campaign rallies that you're going to see from President Trump over the weekend, and that is part of the messaging as well.

In the state of Georgia, you know, they're trying to convince the voters who came out for Joe Biden and came out in November, to come back again. And many of those voters were probably dissatisfied with how the coronavirus was being handled, dissatisfied with the idea of the indifference that seems to come from the White House on this issue. So Democrats have always been trying to thread this line.

But I'll tell you that there's also an acknowledgement that a lot of the voters that they need to get out to the ballot boxes or they need to convince to cast their ballots altogether really need to be interacted with. And so trying to figure out how to do that or how to do it safely is a higher priority, I think, for Democrats than it is for the Republicans on that side.

KEILAR: Abby, great to see you, thank you so much for that report.

And a reminder that the candidates in one of these runoff races, Reverend Raphael Warnock and Senator Kelly Loeffler, will face off for a final debate on Sunday night, and you can watch it live here on CNN starting at 7:00 Eastern.

Next, the Justice Department says a White House staffer tasked to the Justice Department was trying to access sensitive information about election investigations. Now she has been banned from the building.

[14:23:52]

Plus, hear how the Trump family is responding to a new lawsuit that accused them of illegally raising rents on renters in their New York buildings.

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KEILAR: President Trump is facing a slew of court battles when he leaves office. Among them, a campaign finance case out of the Southern District of New York; also an investigation into the Trump organization. There's also two defamation lawsuits, there is a fraud lawsuit filed by his own niece, and there's a new one, it's a group of tenants in buildings once owned by the president's father that is suing as well. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the details for us. TEXT: Looming Legal Threats: SDNY- Campaign Finance Case; Manhattan

D.A. Trump organization; N.Y. A.G. Trump's assets; D.C. and M.D. A.G. Emoluments clause; E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit; Summer Zervos; defamation suit; Mary Trump's fraud lawsuit

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, the lawsuit could be a serious financial threat to Donald Trump in a personal capacity as well as his siblings, and really the whole Trump administration. And I'll explain why in just a second.

But first some quick background on this lawsuit that was filed by a group of residents who were living in rent-regulated apartments previously owned by Fred Trump Sr., the president's father. They allege they were overcharged for years of rent.

Those residents, claiming that a corporation was set up by the Trumps to act as a purchasing agent for materials and supplies that were to be used in those buildings, and prices for those materials were allegedly inflated that would allow Fred Trump an opportunity to justify increasing those rents in rent-stabilized apartments.

[14:29:48]

CNN has reached out to the Trump organization -- actually named in that lawsuit as well -- we're still waiting to hear back. And here's something to look out for. If a New York State Supreme Court judge rules this has a -- or at least considers this as a class action lawsuit, then that would potentially add thousands of residents to this civil action here.