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Biden Delivers Address on Economic Crisis; Pandemic Raging. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired December 04, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: They are mothers, and brothers, and fathers, and sisters, grandparents, and friends, loved ones lost to this brutal virus.

More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized. More than 217,000 new cases were reported yesterday. And although, yes, we are getting closer and closer to a massive vaccine rollout in this country, a top health research model is now projecting deaths will nearly double in the U.S. in just the next four months.

And with just 47 days left in office, President Trump is not executing any sort of plan to mitigate those terrifying numbers. But president- elect Joe Biden is going ahead with his plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask, just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days.

And I think we'll see a significant reduction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Experts agree, one telling CNN that universal mask-wearing, along with a vaccine, could save 66,000 lives.

CNN's Athena Jones has more on what public health officials are expecting in these winter weeks ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We are seeing numbers and none of us believed it was possible to see it with this pandemic right now.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's never been this bad, and it's only getting worse, a nation in the midst of a full-blown crisis, the U.S. setting records for new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths Thursday, COVID-19 becoming the leading cause of death in the U.S. this week, according to researchers at the University of Washington, whose influential model now predicts the death toll will nearly double to almost 539,000 people by April 1. That's more people than live in Atlanta, in Sacramento or in Kansas

City, Missouri. Experts warning there is more trouble ahead.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: So, I think we have not yet seen the post- Thanksgiving peak. That peak could come in the next couple of weeks, putting more pressure on already struggling hospitals and 9/11 systems.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: What lies ahead for the next few months, it's actually our worst-case scenario in terms of overwhelmed hospitals, in terms of the death count that is occurring.

JONES: Ohio's governor warning, the state's hospitals are already in crisis. California, which hit another single day high for new cases Thursday, pulling the emergency brake, with new restrictions tied to hospital capacity.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): The bottom line is, if we don't act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed. If we don't act now, we will continue to see a death rate climb, more lives lost.

JONES: With hospitals in the golden state treating a record number of COVID patients in the ICU, the new stay-at-home orders will go into effect 48 hours after our region's ICU units fall below 15 percent capacity, four out of five regions expected to reach that threshold quickly.

The lockdown on the Navajo Nation, which was set to expire in days, will now be extended for another three weeks. And a stay-at-home advisory in Delaware kicks in December 14.

Meanwhile, states are preparing to distribute thousands of doses of a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible after the FDA signs off, which could happen in the next couple of weeks. New York expects to receive 170,000 doses on December 15.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): The next chapter is going to be vaccine distribution and vaccine acceptance. This is the weapon that wins the COVID war.

JONES: But officials everywhere say distribution will be a challenge.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): They're going to fly in these vaccines and leave them here in our state. And we are going to be responsible for getting it to people. It's going to be complicated logistically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: And, of course, it's not just about getting the vaccines to the places they need to get to. It's about making sure enough people receive the vaccine.

Well, a new poll from Pew shows that now a majority of Americans, 60 percent, said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if one were available today. That's up from 51 percent in September -- Brooke. BALDWIN: But just also reiterating Fauci in your piece saying, we have

yet to see that post-Thanksgiving peak.

Athena, thank you very much.

We will talk vaccines here with my next guest, Dr. Michelle McMurry- Heath. She is president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. And she just rolled out a Web site offering up some facts and clearing up misinformation on vaccines, which is much, much needed.

So, Dr. McMurry-Heath, welcome back.

DR. MICHELLE MCMURRY-HEATH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION ORGANIZATION: Thank you. It's nice to be here.

BALDWIN: More and more states are releasing their vaccine distribution plans. And just based on what you're seeing, how confident are you in a successful rollout?

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, the good news is that a lot of governors are really rolling up their sleeves.

We have been on phones with governors across the country, rolling up their sleeves, trying to get their hands on the latest and greatest information of how to prioritize the distribution of the vaccine and what's going to be necessary to make that happen, not just at major distribution sites, but also at local and community pharmacies.

[15:05:08]

So, everyone has their eyes trained on this. And the guidance that's coming out of the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, is very helpful. So, we just really recommend that people get the facts.

And, to that end, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization just today unveiled our COVIDVaccineFacts.org Web site that has scientifically vetted information for the -- for the general public on what goes into a vaccine and how it might be appropriate for you and your families.

BALDWIN: Thank you. And, yes, we need the information. We need the education. And I like hearing governors and pharmacies, everyone's rolling up their sleeves.

But there's still a lot of distrust among the black and Latino community, who have been disproportionately affected by this virus. There is a dark history in this country of medical experimentation and an unequal access to care.

How should the medical community address that, allay fears?

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, we have to allay fears with facts.

And there has been a tragic past. That's for sure. But we don't want to create even a more tragic future. We need all minority communities to look carefully at the information about these COVID vaccines as they're coming out and talk with your local health care providers.

You will see that they have great confidence in the technology that's coming out. And the science has been vetted, not just by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but by independent scientists around the globe. We have just seen this week that England has approved one of the vaccines already. So you're going to hear a global chorus of scientists talking about how this vaccine can save lives.

And we need to make sure that we don't let history repeat itself by closing our eyes to this great potential opportunity.

BALDWIN: And just speaking of misinformation, I'm sure you have seen this, but for everyone watching and listening, Letitia Wright -- she's one of the stars of "Black Panther" -- she is facing a lot of backlash after sharing a video with some unsubstantiated claims about this COVID vaccine.

And she has since deleted her tweet. She has now said this -- quote -- "My only intention of posting the video was, it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies."

Dr. McMurry-Heath, how concerned are you, just back to your point -- and I know you have put this Web site out -- but about misinformation affecting people's trust in vaccines? And, more importantly, how do you combat it?

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, that's exactly the reason we have spent the last three months building this Web site, in conjunction with scientists, because we know having the correct information out there is so important.

Let's think about this. 2020 has been a year where the rallying cry has been black lives matter. And the tool that we have within reach, within grasp that has the biggest potential and power to save black lives, lives that are dying at twice the rate of their white counterparts from COVID, are our COVID vaccines.

And so, for those of us who care deeply about black and brown communities, it is more important than ever for us to really stand up and talk about how technology in this case may be the helping hand that we very much need.

BALDWIN: Can I just put you on the spot? Because you are such a wealth of knowledge on this. Like, what is the biggest misconception that you have been hearing?

And take a moment here on live TV to just clear it out.

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, it's interesting. We have been talking with communities across the country. We have been working with the National Association of Black Churches, the National Urban League.

And one of the things we hear repeatedly is, well, why are they coming to black communities to try to test the vaccine? And I remember when I was in medical school it was actually the privileged white populations that were the target populations for medical research, because they were thought to be uncomplicated and easy to reach.

It is usually a privilege and an opportunity to get that first access to biomedical research. And it is urging of minority physician leaders like myself that have been pushing our companies to make sure that we know for certain that these vaccines will work in minority communities.

And to that end, it's been very reassuring to see that Moderna had 35 percent minority participation in their trial, Pfizer had over 40 percent minority participation in their trial of their COVID vaccines. And I think the coming vaccine candidates will look similar.

So, we have fought hard to be represented in these trials. And we have been represented. And now we need to step up and take part in the benefit.

BALDWIN: I so appreciate that. And we will make sure we get your URL, your Web site, out everyone watching, listening. I'm @BrookeBCNN on Twitter. We will get it out and we will help you educate.

Dr. McMurry-Heath, thank you.

Any moment now, president-elect Joe Biden is set to deliver a speech on the economy. Live pictures there. We will take that as soon as we see him.

[15:10:03]

Also, ahead, the Department of Justice banning an aide to President Trump after she tried to spy on the department's work on election fraud.

And all eyes on Georgia, where President Trump is getting ready to rally for the Republican Senate's run-off candidates, but not all Republicans are thrilled about the visit. Let's talk about that.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We're back on this Friday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for being here.

Any minute now, we will be seeing president-elect Joe Biden there at that podium to address both the national health crisis and the devastating effect it is having on our nation's economy. His remarks come on the heels of this morning's monthly jobs report, which revealed that the U.S. added only 245,000 jobs in November. That is half of what experts were hoping for and signals a sharp slowdown in employment growth across the country.

[15:15:19]

CNN's MJ Lee is live in Wilmington, Delaware.

And, MJ, we will listen to the president-elect here in just a moment. But listening to the Jake Tapper interview last night, we did get a peek at his policy plans. What did you take away from that?

MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: We did, Brooke.

And covering this Biden transition. One thing that has been so striking is how pretty open Biden and his incoming team have been about the very daunting task that they have ahead of them.

Obviously, looming over everything right now is this COVID-19 pandemic. But that pandemic very much goes hand in hand with this economic recession. As you noted, this jobs report this morning painting such a grim picture of the economic outlook, and so that is why I think, when we hear Biden speak in just a few minutes here in Wilmington, he is very much expected to again call on congressional leaders to pass some kind of stimulus package.

He has already expressed support for this $900 billion compromise bill that has come out, though he has been very emphatic that that will only just be the beginning.

And when he sat down with Jake Tapper yesterday for this interview, he made a lot of news on the virus vaccinations. One interesting political piece of news that he made, I thought, was when Jake asked him, do you think that President Trump should attend your inauguration, and Biden essentially said, I think that would send an important public signal.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I think it would -- important only in one sense, not in a personal sense, important in the sense that we are able to demonstrate, at the end of this chaos that he's created, that there is peaceful transfer of power, with the competing parties standing there, shaking hands, and moving on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: And another interesting tidbit, Brooke, I thought from that interview was when Jake was asking him about plenty of Republicans still refusing to publicly acknowledge that Biden won this election.

And Biden said: Well, privately, I have actually heard from Senate Republicans. They have called me to congratulate me.

So, this says something about the potential working relationship that president-elect Biden is going to have next year. Obviously, this is going to be so important either way, regardless of what happens in these Georgia Senate races. It is going to be a very closely divided Senate.

I will also just very quickly note some things we expect next week from the transition team. They said that they are going to be making some announcements on the public health team for the Biden transition team. This is a team that is going to have a lot of tough work ahead of them, Brooke. BALDWIN: They will. And you brought up a couple of points I want to let my next guest's sort of chew on.

MJ, thank you very much.

I have got Catherine Rampell. She's joining me. She's a CNN economics commentator. And Gloria Borger is CNN's chief political analyst.

So, welcome, welcome to both of you. And, as we wait to hear from the president-elect here, Gloria, I want to begin with you on MJ's point about what the president-elect said about wanting Trump at his inauguration next month, that this is about a peaceful transfer of power, shaking hands, moving on. What did you make of that?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I thought that it was gracious. And I thought that he spoke to the world, as opposed to just this country and talked about why it was important.

I thought what was also important about what he said was, after -- as you and MJ spoke about, after he spoke with those Republicans, he didn't blame them for not announcing that he would be the president out loud to sort of poke Donald Trump. He said he understood how they felt.

And that...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Let me play that clip. I have got that teed up. Let's roll it.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: OK. OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: There have been more than several sitting Republican senators who have privately called me and congratulated me.

And I understand the situation they find themselves in. And until the election is clearly decided in the minds, when the Electoral College votes, they get put in a very tough position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, pick up on your point.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Go ahead. Go ahead.

BORGER: Yes, he understands it.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BORGER: And this is what he's known for. He's a negotiator.

BALDWIN: Working across the aisle.

BORGER: Well, but not only that. People say that he's known as a talker, he can talk. But he's a listener. And he always tries to understand what the other person is complaining about.

And, politically, that really helps you when you try and cut deals, because you know where they're coming from.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BORGER: He's got a lot of experience with that.

Catherine, to you. Another red flag today when it comes to the economy. While there was some job growth, as I mentioned a second ago, it was slower than expected.

[15:20:02]

And Biden released a statement saying that this is a grim jobs report. There is progress on a stimulus deal, no pen to paper yet.

How do today's jobs numbers stress the need for stimulus, like ASAP?

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It shows that it has been an unforgivable failure of leadership that we still do not have another relief package.

This jobs report was bad. There is no way to sugarcoat it. It's not just that the numbers came in below expectations. It's that they're way too low to fill in the huge jobs hole that was dug earlier this year, when we lost 22 million jobs.

I mean, at the current pace of job growth that we had in November, it would take more than another three years before we recovered all of those jobs that were eliminated, that were shed, destroyed at the start of this pandemic.

BALDWIN: Hang on, Catherine.

As if on cue, here he is, the president-elect.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BIDEN: Early today, the November jobs report was released.

And it was grim. It shows an economy that is stalling and remain in the midst of -- we remain in the midst of one of the worst economic and job crises in modern history.

But it doesn't have to stay that way. If we act now -- now -- I mean now -- we can begin to regain momentum and start to build back a better future. There's no time to lose.

Millions of people have lost their jobs or had their hours slashed. They have lost their health insurance, or in danger of losing their health insurance. One in every six renters is behind in rent. One in four small businesses can't keep their doors open. And there's a growing gap in black and Latino unemployment. And the gap remains much too large.

And it's deeply troubling that last month's drop in overall unemployment was driven by people who are dropping out of the job market, not because more people were being hired, dropping out of the job market altogether. They have lost hope of finding a job or they are taking full-time caregiving responsibilities, as child centers remain closed and their children learn remotely.

Over the past three months, 2.3 million more people are long-term unemployed, meaning for 23 weeks or more, by far the largest increase on record. This is a dire jobs report. It's a snapshot, I might remind you, up to mid-November, before the surge in COVID cases we predicted, many predicted, and the deaths rise that we have seen in December, as we head into a very dark winter ahead.

For example, since October, cities are down 21,000 educators, just as schools need more help in fighting against the pandemic. A couple days ago, I spoke with a school crossing guard, a server, a restaurant owner, and a stage hand, good people, honorable people, decent, hardworking Americans from across the country.

They reminded me of my dad who lost his job in Scranton and eventually moved our family to Delaware, just outside of Wilmington, a place called Claymont. He used to say -- you have heard me say it before -- "Joey, I don't expect the government to solve my problems, but I expect them to at least understand my problems."

The folks I'm talking about, the folks out there aren't looking for a handout. They just need help. They are in trouble through no fault of their own. Nothing they did caused them to have hours cut or lose their job or drop out of the market.

But they need, they need us to understand. We're in a crisis. We need to come together as a nation. We need the Congress to act and act now. If Congress and President Trump fail to act by the end of December, 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits they rely on.

Merry Christmas.

The unemployment benefit is allowing them to keep food on the table, to keep the lights on, and the heat on, pay their bills. Emergency paid leave will end. The moratorium on evictions willing expire. States will lose the vital tools they need to pay for COVID testing and public health.

Put yourself in that position, anybody listening, laying awake at night wondering, what is going to happen tomorrow? It is going to be harder for states to keep children and educators safe in schools, to try to provide assistance to keep small businesses alive.

[15:25:00] States and cities are already facing large, large budget shortfalls this year, again, through no fault of their own. They have already laid off more than a million workers. Even more teachers, firefighters, cops will lose their jobs unless the federal government steps up now.

And all of this weakens our ability to control the virus, if we don't step up now. Emergency paid leave reduces the spread of COVID, because it allows people to stay home when they're sick. States and cities need funding to direct their COVID response, which is the only way we're going to end the economic crisis as well, the only way we're going to get people back to work.

I'm not alone in saying this situation is urgent. If we don't act now, the future will be very bleak. Americans need help. And they need it now. And they need more to come early next year.

But I must tell you, I'm encouraged by the bipartisan efforts in the Senate around $900 billion package for relief. It's a bipartisan effort. Congress -- Congress, as they work out the details of this relief package, they're going to have to focus on resources for direct public health responses to COVID-19.

We need millions for funding for vaccines now, so we don't lose people and leave people waiting for additional months. We need serious funding for testing now. We need to ramp up testing, allow our schools and businesses to operate safely.

The sooner we pass the funding, the sooner we can turn the corner on COVID-19. You know, in the weeks since this election ended, there were questions about whether Democrats and Republicans could work together. I know many of you are skeptical about my view that they will and can.

Right now, they're showing they can. Congress and President Trump have to get this deal done for the American people. But any package passed in the lame-duck session is not going to be enough overall. It's critical, but it's just a start.

Congress is going to need to act again in January. Earlier today, I consulted with a number of my economic team, most of which have been announced by now. And Vice President Harris and I announced that team last week.

As we inherit the public economic health and economic crisis, we are working on a plan that we will put forward for the next Congress to move fast to control the pandemic, to revive the economy, and to build back better than before. We hope to see the same kind of spirit of bipartisan cooperation as we're seeing today.

Our plan is based on the input from a broad range of people the vice president-elect and I have been meeting with since winning this election last month, labor leaders, the leading CEOs in the country, mayors and governors of both parties, parents, educators, workers, small business owners.

There's a consensus that, as we battle COVID-19, we have to make sure that businesses and workers have the tools, the resources, and the guidance and health and safety standards to keep businesses and schools open safely. It can be done, because here's the deal.

The fight against COVID-19 won't be won by January -- in January alone. To truly end this crisis, Congress is going to need to fund more testing, as well as a more equitable and free distribution of the vaccine.

We're going to need more economic relief to bridge through 2021 until this pandemic and economic crisis are over. And then we need to build back better.

I said it before. An independent analysis by Moody's, a well-respected Wall Street firm, projects that my Build Back Better plan would create 18.6 million good-paying jobs. It's based on a simple premise, reward work in America, not wealth.

We're going to invest in infrastructure, clean energy, and manufacturing, and so much more. We will create millions of good- paying American jobs and get the job market back on the path to full employment.

This will raise incomes, reduce drug prices, advance racial equity across the economy, and restore the backbone in this country, the middle class.

Look, the bottom line, it's essential we provide immediate relief for working families and businesses now, not just help them get on the other side of this painful crisis, but to avoid a much broader economic cost due to long-term unemployment and businesses failing.