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New Stay-At-Home Orders In California; California Restaurant Owner Blasts New Shutdowns in Viral Video; WH Vaccine Chief: I Expect FDA Panel To Recommend Pfizer Vaccine; Health Care Workers Overwhelmed As COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Surge; Loeffler-Warnock Debate; American Airlines Resuming Boeing 737 MAX Flights This Month; U.N. Official Warns 2021 Is Literally Going To Be Catastrophic. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 06, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:23]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

In just hours, the majority of the state of California will be under a new stay-at-home order, one that is set to last through Christmas.

As the COVID-19 case numbers continue to grow and hospital capacity dwindles, nearly 33 million Californians are facing new restrictions kicking in tonight at midnight. This as the number of coronavirus cases become so numbing, it's hard to truly comprehend understand how devastating this virus has become in this country.

More than 1 million new cases in the last five days, over 100,000 Americans in a hospital bed, and more than 2,200 deaths reported just yesterday. That's equivalent to one death every 38 seconds. Let that sink in just for a moment.

Well, today right here on CNN, the leader of Operation Warp Speed warned a new vaccine can't dig us out of this current hole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: There is light at the end of the tunnel but we will not all have the vaccine in our arms before May or June, so we need to be very cautious and vigilant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But as scientists and health experts raise the alarm, we're getting barely a whimper from the White House. President Trump scarcely mentioning the pandemic at a packed crowd in Georgia last night, instead continuing to falsely claim that he will win the presidential race that he lost to Joe Biden.

He also barely touched on the reason for his visit, the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff races. Later on today, two of the opposing candidates, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Reverend Raphael Warnock, will square off in a debate that you can see right here on CNN.

All right. Let's first turn to California right now and those new stay-at-home orders which will mean no going to parks, hair salons, bars or breweries -- orders designed to stem the surge of new cases which is rapidly pushing hospital ICUs to capacity.

CNN's Paul Vercammen is in Sherman Oaks in that area outside of Los Angeles. So Paul, just how strict are these new stay-at-home orders and what are people thinking and feeling about them?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're extremely strict, they affect some 27 million people, in the southern California region and the San Joaquin region and also some Bay Area counties are joining in.

Let's go over these orders and the closures that they are going to result in. They already had some outdoor dining ban throughout the state but we're going to see the closure of hair salons, nail salons and the like. We're going to see businesses restricted. Masks are mandated. These closures will also result in museums shutting down, aquariums and the like.

And so let's come back out here live and I'll show you behind me this empty restaurant outdoor space. This is the Pineapple Hill Saloon in Sherman Oaks. The owner here has called what has happened to her, and by the way, this order in this county went into effect two weeks ago, she is calling it unjustifiable. She's also calling it out of touch and heartless.

What happened is they shut her down. And she has now gone viral. Her name is Angela Marsden. She's talked about what happened here which was this was shut down but next door there was a movie shoot going on, and there was a food services area where they were able to eat.

Let's listen to her plight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MARSDEN, RESTAURANT OWNER: They have not given us money and they have shut us down. We cannot survive, my staff cannot survive. Look at this. Tell me, that this is dangerous, but right next to me, as a slap in my face, that's safe. This is safe?

50 feet away? This is dangerous. Mayor Garcetti and Gavin Newsom is responsible for every single person that doesn't have unemployment, that does not have a job, and all the businesses that are going under.

We need your help. We need somebody to do something about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:04:53]

VERCAMMEN: So she did single out Mayor Garcetti. And it's such a patchwork of regulations in California. We should note that this was a county rule that shut this down and that the film industry has been deemed by some to be an essential business with very serious testing. Nevertheless, as you can understand, Angela has just suffered greatly from all of this. She estimates what's heart wrenching for her that she spent some $60,000 to $80,000 during the pandemic to put in the Plexiglas shields, to add in dispensers everywhere, and then to set this outside in this parking lot behind her restaurant.

And so it is gone and the most gut-wrenching thing of all is telling the employees that either their shifts are cut or they don't have a job. What we're hearing on the ground in California, we've been hearing it for months and months and months, Fredricka -- we talked about this on air -- is they feel that restaurant owners and restaurant workers are being treated like a subspecies of employees in America.

Like for some reason they don't count. And they're pressing Congress against to enact some sort of relief bill for restaurant owners and workers.

Back to you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Vercammen, lots of pain clearly being expressed.

And then we do have this statement coming from the Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, saying my heart -- and this is in direct response to the restaurateur. "My heart goes out to Miss Marsden and the workers at the Pineapple Hill Saloon who have to comply with state and county public health restrictions that closed outdoor dining. No one likes these restrictions but I do support them as our hospital ICU beds fill to capacity and cases have increased by 500 percent. We must stop this virus before it kills thousands of more Angelenos."

That statement coming from the Los Angeles mayor in direct response to the woman you saw.

All right. These grim surges are being met with some hope. The leader of Operation Warp Speed says the coronavirus vaccine may be available by the end of the week. The White House vaccine chief saying he expects the FDA to issue emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine after a key meeting scheduled for Thursday.

CNN White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joining me from Washington. So Jeremy, what more are you learning?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui said that as the FDA's vaccine advisory committee meets on Thursday, he expects that committee and the FDA to grant an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer vaccine fairly quickly, he said.

So quickly in fact, that as this committee meets on Thursday, Dr. Slaoui expects that vaccines could begin to go into arms by the end of this week.

But nonetheless, what we are expecting now before the end of the year is about 35 to 40 million vaccines to be ready to be distributed across the country to those top priority groups.

That is short though of the hundreds of millions that Dr. Slaoui said he hoped they could achieve at the end of the year when he took on this position last summer.

Listen to Dr. Slaoui talking about some of the challenges that they face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SLAOUI: So actually, the goal was barely achievable. I describe it as it's credible, but incredibly challenging to achieve it. The hardest piece in it frankly, was to identify the vaccine, do the phase three trials and scale up and do the manufacturing.

On the manufacturing side, it turned out to be somewhat more complicated and more difficult than we planned. We probably are six or eight weeks later than an ideal scenario where we would have had 100 million doses by the end of this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And so you hear there Dr. Slaoui saying that he believes they are six to eight weeks behind where they would like to have been at this point. But nonetheless stressing that this is not just simple mathematics. It's not simple manufacturing of industrial products but this is biological products and so there have been some glitches and there are some problems that can come in to this, but nonetheless, some vaccines Dr. Slaoui says he hopes could go into arms by the end of this week.

WHITFIELD: That's hugely hopeful.

All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much at the White House.

So medical teams on the frontlines are giving it their all to help save lives but it's getting even more agonizing. Listen to one doctor who spoke to CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that sometimes when -- this is (INAUDIBLE) like that -- you become numb to what those numbers mean. But for us, you know, the people that are taking care of these patients, every single number is somebody that we have to look at and say, I'm sorry there's nothing more I can do for you. And there's another family we have to call to tell them that their loved ones are going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:10:00]

WHITFIELD: Joining me right now, former disease detective for the CDC, and author of the upcoming book, "Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them" Dr. Seema Yasmin. Doctor, good to see you. DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good to see you too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So in listening to the one doctor there, I mean, it sounds as though -- and we are watching so many on the frontlines medical teams who feel like they're at wits' end, you know. And they're trying their best, but they are worried sick, you know. And they're trying to keep it together, taking care of patients but then there's that moment like we saw right there where everything that's been pent up is coming out. How worried, how concerned are you about whether it be burnout, breakdown, you know, you name it.

DR. YASMIN: I think so many healthcare workers -- doctors, nurses, techs, janitors -- all of the people that make hospitals and clinics a safer place are at breaking point. You know, you talk about being worried sick, but we're also falling sick, Fredricka.

About a quarter of a million U.S. healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19, over the last 10 months and close to a thousand have died from this very disease they are trying to protect the public from.

It's a very unsustainable situation. We're in December, and even after months of calling for the right amount of PPE, I'm still talking to so many colleagues across the country who were reusing PPE that's only meant to be used once.

And what we're up against now isn't just what's happening in the clinic but it's in our private lives, too, where there are doctors I have spoken with, who are receiving death threats from people who are convinced that COVID is a hoax.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God.

DR. YASMIN: And then on top of all of that, what's happening now is doctors and nurses starting fundraising campaigns to try and raise the money to get iPads into their hospital so that every one of their patients who's dying from COVID-19 can at least say good-bye to their loved ones through an iPad.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that is horrifying. I mean and clearly because we're hearing the experiences from so many nurses and doctors who are to be that conduit, you know, in the absence of family members who could be embracing their loved ones in their last moments. And they're feeling that need and at the same time, worrying about the next patient, you know, and so on down the line and their demeanor, it's just unbelievably heartbreaking.

So now, let's talk about California, which has this new stay-at-home order that's about to go into place in just a matter of hours, affecting -- impacting 33 million people who will be asked to stay home. Don't go to salons. Don't go to parks. Don't, you know, go to bars, et cetera.

Do you agree that this is a measure that has to happen at this juncture with the numbers that continue to escalate the way they are? And, you know --

DR. YASMIN: I mean that's --

(CROSSTALK)

DR. YASMIN: Right. That's the thing and so that's the reality of it, Fredricka is that we're in this third wave where when you look at the graph, the upward lines are so steep that you're just kind of scratching your head and thinking what will the peak be? Like when do we approach that.

Because right now we're seeing this week-on-week increases. And the number of new infections, the number of deaths. And also we have 101,000 Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 right now, the highest number at any point of this pandemic and really no end in sight.

And so these are the strictest restrictions we've seen or heard of in California. I'm up here in northern California where I'm talking to you from. We're seeing counties even preemptively bring in these restrictions saying well, we're not at that 85 percent ICU bed capacity that the governor is talking about, but we're on our way there, so why wait for it to get really, really bad when it's already a terrible situation.

I think certainly there are people that are critiquing certain part of these restrictions, the closure of the playgrounds and parks, the closures of outdoor dining.

I think it's really tough for authorities right now to kind of legislate their way out of this pandemic but what they are trying to do I think is to send a very stark message especially to those people and unfortunately there are many who are not taking this seriously, who are still having gatherings at home and who are still contributing to the spread of this infection.

WHITFIELD: And still not wearing masks or taking these other precautions, wash your hands, social distancing restrictions like you mentioned.

All right. Dr. Seema Yasmin, thank you so much. Be safe.

DR. YASMIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, it is debate night in Georgia. U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic nominee Reverend Raphael Warnock are about to face off before the runoff elections.

What do they need to accomplish tonight? And what impact will President Trump's rhetoric while in Georgia have on this race?

[14:14:57]

WHITFIELD: Plus Senator Mark Warner predicts we could have a stimulus deal as early as tomorrow. The latest on the negotiations and how a relief package will help struggling Americans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. All eyes will be on Georgia tonight as two U.S. Senate candidates will square off in a debate right here on CNN. It's one of two races that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

This showdown comes as there are new worries among a growing number of Republican leaders that President Trump's relentless attacks on the election in Georgia, the outcome may cause GOP voters to skip next month's Senate runoff election.

Ryan Nobles joins me right now. So Ryan, this is the first time that we will get to see a head-to-head debate between Loeffler and Warnock. How is the stage set?

[11:19:53]

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are right about that, Fred. And both Republicans and Democrats are eager for this showdown for a couple of reasons.

[14:19:59]

NOBLES: First, they really want to shift the focus of this campaign from President Trump and his unfounded claims about the election to the race itself. That's both Republicans and Democrats. They want to draw a distinction between these two candidates Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler.

And you're right. This is going to be a unique forum for both these candidates because during the general election, they did not meet in a face to face debate because there were so many candidates in the race because of the way that Georgia runs elections.

So these were the two candidates that made it to this runoff stage so this will be the first time that they will meet head to head.

And I can tell you that Republicans want this to take place because they believe that Raphael Warnock's past has not been fully vetted by a lot of Georgia voters. They're preparing for Kelly Loeffler to bring up some controversial statements that he made from the pulpit of his church and kind of broadcast that out to as many people as possible during this debate.

But at the same time Democrats are ready for Warnock to go on the attack about Kelly Loeffler's short time in Washington, and also curious and opportunistic stock trades that happened right around the same time that the COVID pandemic set in.

They believe that that shows that she was caring more about her stock portfolio, than she was the citizens of Georgia.

Fred, this of course, is a race with nationwide implications. It will be broadcast carries across CNN which means nationwide but also a lot of eyes here in Georgia will be paying attention as well. As you mentioned, this will determine who will control the United States Senate, Fred. WHITFIELD: Right. And it was also the expectation that the president

of the United States, when he was visiting Valdosta, Georgia last night that that would be his primary focus, trying to encourage people, you know, particularly Republicans to get out the vote, vote for Kelly Loeffler and the incumbent Perdue.

Are Republicans feeling satisfied with the way in which the president handled that?

NOBLES: I think it's an uneven, you know, interpretation of how things went for President Trump last night. You know, rank and file Republicans -- those involved in the campaigns certainly wish that he had spent a lot more time talking about the senate race, as opposed to his own personal fortunes and trying to, you know, relitigate this election that already took place.

But they do say that he talked enough about the senate race. And he was very specific in his plea to Republican voters that they need to get to vote. That they'll be able to pick apart those pieces of the speech and get that out to the people that need to see it to make sure that they get out and vote.

But there's no doubt, Fred, that this continues to overshadow this race. You know, when Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue were brought out on stage last night with President Trump, as they were going off the stage, the crowd erupted in a cheer of fight for Trump. Fight for Trump.

It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense with -- as to what that has to do with this runoff election, but that is what is in the mind of these most passionate Trump supporters.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about all of this is Charles Bethea, a staff writer for "The New Yorker". Charles, good to see you.

CHARLES BETHEA, STAFF WRITER, "THE NEW YORKER": Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: So what might be among the most important things that Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler need to accomplish in this evening's debate?

BETHEA: Well, I think what we're going to see is Warnock portray Loeffler as sort of as what she is, which is very, very wealthy. But also that she's out of touch with the needs and concerns of everyday Georgians. That she's spent more time focused on her stock portfolio than on responses to the pandemic that would help everyday Georgians.

His message is very health care-oriented. And I think we're going to see Loeffler in turn, as we just heard, try to connect Warnock to, you know, a lot of his statements from the past that have been very much cherry picked, and I think taken out of context. Also, you know, connecting him with somebody like Fidel Castro, who briefly appeared at a church where he was a youth pastor many years ago. I think we're going to see those moments be sort of embellished and used to tar him.

WHITFIELD: So you've been covering this race for months now. So what is going to be most influence in your view? Is it when the candidates are out there stumping, you know, talking about their positions? Whether it's Warnock, you know, talking about closed business and tackling, you know, COVID. Or are they focusing and listening to these $320 million, you know, television ads that have zeroed in on a lot of mud slinging, and as you say, taking things out of context?

BETHEA: I mean I think that it's really going to come down to Trump's coattails and whether they're able to hang on, you know, and continue to echo and parrot some of the things that he's been saying. I'm speaking, of course, of Loeffler and Perdue.

If they want to win, they really have to have Trump amplify the message that is so important to get out the vote, which we saw him do only very briefly last night.

[14:24:56]

BETHEA: You know, I'd say he spent 90 percent of last night in Valdosta, I was there, talking about his own grievances and his own misfortunes, as he'd have us see them.

And I don't know that that's very helpful to Perdue and Loeffler, but they're hoping that the few moments he spent talking about the runoffs even though he did get the date wrong for when the runoff election is -- he actually aid June 5th, not January 5th and he called it a congressional runoff, not a senate runoff -- they're hoping that somehow the viewer and listeners last night were able to sort of sift through the thicket of information, misinformation et cetera and pull out the relevant bits.

WHITFIELD: So you mentioned David Perdue. Let's talk about that he other senate race as an incumbent, but then he is not going to debate. This is the second time he's skipped a debate against his opponent this time, you know, Jon Ossoff.

Why does he think that skipping a debate before secures his reelection?

BETHEA: I think his calculation is his name is already well known. He served two terms in the senate. He's related to Sonny Perdue, the former governor of Georgia and Trump's secretary of agriculture, and that there's more to lose than gain by taking part in a debate because he, as many viewers know and saw, there was a viral moment from the last time they debated about a month ago where Jon Ossoff really took David Perdue to task for mishandling the pandemic and spending more time, you know, working on his stock portfolio than the concerns of everyday Georgians.

So I think Perdue is just playing it really safe and thinking that he has more potential voters on his side than Ossoff does, and that he can only really dampen enthusiasm by showing up. WHITFIELD: All right. Lots on the line for both races, and, of course,

lots of anticipation for this evening's debate.

Charles Bethea, thank you so much, appreciate it.

BETHEA: Yes. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And this reminder. You can watch the Loeffler/Warnock debate right here on CNN tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Up next, an inside look at a hunger crisis from a woman who knows about the problem all too well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were times when my mom would like cook one can of beans and it was like split up. Like you can tell we were like struggling but she never like, talked about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now she is on the front lines to help other. And she joins me live to talk about the new problems facing too many families right now.

[14:27:29]

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[14:30:00]

WHITFIELD: The Boeing 737 MAX is taking back to the skies after more than a year-and-a-half on the ground. CNN was aboard its first public test flight this week. Here is Pete Muntean.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Two fatal crashes put in under the microscope of investigators, regulators and Congress. Now, for the first time in 20 months, the Boeing 737 MAX has been cleared to fly, and CNN was among the first on board before it officially returns to service.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: good morning.

MUNTEAN: Captain Peter Gamble piloted this invite-only American Airlines flight. American will restart MAX flights later this month.

PETER GAMBLE, AMERICAN AIRLINES 737 MAX CAPTAIN: And it needed to happen. And it's at a point now where the pilots are the ones that are going to project that confidence back to the passengers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the change.

MUNTEAN: The FAA is requiring Airlines to add Boeing patches to (INAUDIBLE) flight control software, that pilots get new training in a MAX simulator and each individual airplane be inspected before flying again.

We're here at 33,000 feet and there are about 90 people on board this flight, all members of the media and American Airlines employees. American will start carrying paying passengers on MAX jets starting December 29th, but there are still concerns that the plane ready and not safe.

MICHAEL STUMO, FATHER OF 737 MAX VICTIM SAMYA STUMO: It's a problem plane.

MUNTEAN: Michael Stumo's daughter, Samya, was killed in the second MAX crash in Ethiopia in 2019. He insists new fixes do not go far enough.

STUMO: Consumers should avoid this plane. And if they see when they book a flight that they would be flying on a Boeing 737 MAX 8, they should change their flight.

MUNTEAN: Airlines say the MAX will replace older, less efficient jets. Southwest and United plan to resume flights in the coming months, but American says its 24 MAXes are ready now. American's COO, David Seymour says passengers will know when they book that they will be on a MAX or they can rebook for free.

DAVID SEYMOUR, COO, AMERICAN AIRLINES: It's not rushed. Everything we do in America is all surrounded by safety. We're not going to do anything that's unsafe. All of our actions, all of our decisions are based on that.

MUNTEAN (on camera): At first, American will operate its MAXes on only one route a today, a roundtrip between New York, La Guardia and Miami, but that is only the start. Even in spite of reduced flights because of the pandemic, American says the MAX will become a backbone of its fleet. It has 76 more of these planes on order. And we now know that American plans to ramp up MAX flights in 2021.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the hunger crisis is growing in America, as coronavirus cases spike nationwide. So how are organizations keeping up with the demand?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

WHITFIELD: One in nine Americans is struggling to get food on the table right now, according to Feeding America. Global leaders are warning that next year will be catastrophic for world hunger, in addition to the worsening health crisis. A United Nations official raising the alarm saying 2021 could be the worst humanitarian crisis year in the organization's history. Experts here in the U.S. say some 50 million Americans face food insecurity because of the coronavirus pandemic. Our next guest faced insecurity as -- food insecurity as a child and has made it her life's work to serve the same community she grew up in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAINA RODRIGUEZ, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PART OF THE SOLUTION: There were times when my mom would like cook one can of beans and it was like split up. Like you can tell we were struggling, but she never like talked about it.

We were very fortunate that somebody had told my mom about the soup kitchen located on Webster Venue, and that's how I was introduced to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And joining me right now is Taina Rodriguez, the Associate Director of Food and Dignity Programs for the non-profit agency Part of the Solution Pots in New York. Taina, good to see you.

RODRIGUEZ: Hi, good to see you. I love to be here tonight.

WHITFIELD: I'm so glad you're with us, because I would think that you could not have imagined that you would have experienced what you did as a child, and then be committed to helping your neighbors again.

[14:40:14]

And particularly now during a pandemic where the numbers are just through the roof in terms of how many people are in desperate need. What has that experience been like for you?

RODRIGUEZ: For me, very troublesome, because I set out a long time ago that I wanted to be part of the solution, a part of changing things. And next thing you know, here comes something that threw us for a dive that created a way bigger need than we've ever seen before. Poverty and food insecurity has been here years, for decades, and we've been trying to fight it.

And yet, now, because of the pandemic, it has put so many more people, people who were stable, people who didn't worry about it, people who have never been in need are now in that predicament, which is so hard to watch and see.

WHITFIELD: So, sadly, this is very familiar to you. I mean, you had your own experiences that we just saw you describe with your mother and your family. But when you see the need today and when you see the makeup of the people who are in need, describe for me the similarities or perhaps differences if, in anyway, kind of conjures up -- stirs up those memories again of what you and your family went through.

RODRIGUEZ: Well, absolutely. During this pandemic, it has really been hard, one, to see the mothers, when all the children got send home. Well, the first question was will I rely on school meals, all the children that are going from a certain type of stability. I remember my own story. I didn't understand what was going on. And how do you ask for help, and if you ask a teacher, when you will have the consequences that something is going to happen in your household.

So to see it to a higher power now, of course, I struggled and it reminds me of my own struggle of what all of these children are thinking. Why should they be hungry? Why should they be hungry? Why are these parents being put through this? There are language barriers, there are education barriers, parents being forced to try to educate and help their children, yet they don't even know technology, and let alone, how am I going to feed my children?

We have so many disabled mothers who are like coming out and, yes, school meals are available but they would have to go to the school, which means they can make it there, they have little ones, how do you expose them in a way there's a resource that is exposing them to the very thing that we're trying to prevent the spread. So, all of that, there's a lot of like mixed emotions just to see so many people in dire need, so many people that want to do something about it but feel helpless. I don't know what to do. How can I do it?

WHITFIELD: And here you are helping tremendously. But then listening to that list of obstacles that so many families are facing, are there moments where you feel like while you are helping, you wish you had -- you could convey better answers to some of these family members?

RODRIGUEZ: Oh, absolutely. Despite the little bit that we can do, because, essentially, although we're able to provide so many services and so much aid, there is still so much that is still to be needed for these families in order for them to be stable and not worry about it, especially with the rules around the housing. Can you just imagine the numbers that we're seeing that are -- is the gap and people being hungry, that could be the very number of people being displaced from their homes not by choice but by the pandemic. So that, within itself, is a big issue that we're going to get ready to face that endangers a lot of people.

WHITFIELD: Sadly, yes. Taina Rodriguez, thank you so much. Thanks for so much that you are doing to help fill the gap as best you can and really be a lifeline for so many families. Thank you so much.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's bring in Congressman Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat from New York. He is also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Congressman, good to see you.

REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-NY): Thank you, Fredricka. Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: So, listening to Taina's experience there and what her non- profit organization is doing, and the growing worries of so many families, especially as they're looking at not being able to, you know, make rent again this month and possibly being kicked out of their apartments and homes by the end of the month without some sort of immediate money, what goes through your mind?

[14:45:07]

ESPAILLAT: Well, thank God for the Tainas of the world, because without them, it would be real trouble. And a lot of it has to do with the $600 unemployment benefit that we originally got through the CARES Act was shut down and the reluctance of the Senate and the White House to extend it is being fought (ph).

But I see the lines, the food lines change their composition, more seniors, families and there are longer lines. I hear from the grocery store owners, from the bodega owners and the supermarket owners that their sales are down because people don't have money in their pocket. So we have to make sure that we bring back the $600.

Now, the discussion is around $300, which I think is not enough. It's something but it's not enough. And so -- and with regards to rent, Fredricka, people are just so worried that at some point, the land lords are going to show up and ask for that rent. While the moratorium (ph) is good, I think rental assistance is far better. We need that money for people to pay their rent. It's good for tenants and it's even good for land lords.

WHITFIELD: So you touched on a lot there, because Taina is right there in your district and you talk about -- you are seeing the lines, the composition of the lines have changed, the people in those lines, the number of people in those lines. And they're worried about food.

They're worried about, yes, their rent, not having it. And in this latest package that some of your fellow lawmakers have a lot of hope for this week, there isn't anyone help for that rental assistance. And like you said, it would be a portion of what people may have experienced with unemployment assistance.

So, how are people, particularly in your district, to remain hopeful? And how hopeful are you that there are some answers in this package for your constituents?

ESPAILLAT: Well, I've been fighting for $100 billion for rental assistance. That's what we included originally in the HEROES Act. And whereas this new negotiated proposal extends the rental moratorium so people won't get evicted in the near future. That doesn't mean that the land lords are not going to ask for their money.

So we've got to go back to the negotiating table and have rental assistance. And if we can't get it right now, we're going to have the moratorium. And as soon as we can with the new administration, we must have a robust rental assistance provision in future negotiations that will put people at ease and prevent massive evictions.

People are really worried. They don't know where they're going to get the money to pay four, five, six months of worth. And so this is critical for America. We must have a rental assistance program. Some way, if we can have it now, and this will put us through, let's say, February. In February, we must come up with, I say, more than $100 million to address this issue. WHITFIELD: So, while some remain or want to be hopeful about whatever package that Congress and the Senate can come up with, there is also some hope being placed on these vaccines. And we're hearing from the makers that they could be available as early as this week in some circles. What are your thoughts and concerns about the hopefulness of these vaccines.

ESPAILLAT: My concerns are, basically, Fredricka, that this has been a longstanding tradition, unfortunately, a bad history, a bad chapter, several bad chapters of history where there was Tuskegee or the experiments that were done in Puerto Rico or other bad chapters in history that cast doubt on vaccine distribution.

So we must have a very ethical program that will guarantee that rich people don't come in and muscle in and get the vaccine before a nurse that we need in the frontlines, or a senior with diabetes or high blood pressure or asthma, which is -- that population which is very vulnerable. We must protect first.

So there must be a protocol that will guarantee that the neediest get it first. And then, of course, there's the distribution part of it. This is massive. And we're going to need dollars for the states to be able to distribute this in a very effective and quick way across America. So, right now, I don't see that kind of money being appropriated for that purpose.

And I'm concerned that this program could really collapse and not be --

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll have to leave it there. Unfortunately, we got frozen up there, but I think we got the grasp of his point.

[14:50:01]

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: With the new NBA season tipoff in just a few weeks, players are facing a new set of rules. CNN's Coy Wire has more. Coy?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the league making health and safety guidelines for the upcoming season even stricter. According to multiple reports, players and staff are banned from going to bars, clubs and attending large gatherings. During road trips, teams are only going to be permitted to leave hotels for dining. And that's only if they'll eat outdoors or in private rooms at restaurants.

[14:55:00]

Potential punishments range from warnings to fines and suspensions. Pre-season games are set to tipoff at the end of next week.

To the NFL now, it is week 13 of a season like any we have ever seen, no fans at stadiums, teams playing without quarterbacks, cases spiking across the league. But the NFL's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills, tells our Wolf Blitzer just last night that he is confident the regular season will finish on time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ALLEN SILLS, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, NFL: And I think our NFL facilities are actually the safest places in their communities. The reason I have that confidence is, again, we have very detailed protocols in place. We're testing our players, coaches and staff every day, and we have a very innovative and detailed contact tracing program that far exceeds what's in place in other elements of society.

So we all share concerns and we're all monitoring these situations, but I do believe our facilities are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So far, the NFL has not missed a single game all season, but it almost happened last week. The Baltimore Ravens revealing they had at least four unique strains of COVID-19 in their facility during the major outbreak that involved nearly two dozen players. One, they said, highly contagious, the team admitted not everyone was following protocol, Fred, the team president saying, the protocol is only as effective as our weakest link.

The Ravens still had 10 players on the reserve COVID-19 list at the start of the day, including reigning league MVP, LaMar Jackson. Fred, their next game is scheduled for Tuesday, taking on the Cowboys.

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