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Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Has Coronavirus; Donald Trump Airs Grievance And Lies In Georgia; California Goes Into Lockdown; Slowed U.S. Job Market In November; Lisa Ling Investigates The Massage Parlor Industry In The U.S. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 06, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for staying with me. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Our breaking news on CNN, another member of President Trump's inner circle has reportedly contracted the coronavirus.

President Trump tweeting his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has tested positive for the virus. And this news comes just days after Giuliani was spotted walking maskless through the halls of the Georgia state capitol. And you see him here taking pictures with people, shaking hands. He's been seen hugging people as well during this visit.

I want to go right to the White House and CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, this sounds like a nightmare for contact tracing. How much was Giuliani out in public the last few days?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, just in the last week, we know that Rudy Giuliani has been in at least three states, plus returning to Washington, D.C. after his travels.

Just three days ago he was in the Georgia state capitol in Atlanta, Georgia where you can see in between -- during a break between hearings at the Georgia state capitol during his attempts to overturn the results of the presidential election in that state, you can see mayor Giuliani walking around without a mask, hugging people, shaking hands, taking photos in close contact with other people.

And so obviously, this is a continuation of what we have seen from Mayor Giuliani over the last several weeks as he has appeared repeatedly at these hearings not wearing a mask in indoor spaces where most people were also not wearing a mask.

And so obviously, when you engage in this kind of behavior and you're not following CDC guidelines, your odds of contracting the virus are going to be higher. When you engage in reckless behavior, as Mayor Giuliani clearly did.

And beyond Mayor Giuliani, you obviously have to think about all of the people who he was in contact with, who he may potentially have infected unwittingly because of how this virus works. You can be asymptomatic and you can still transmitting the virus.

And obviously that is a lesson that Mayor Giuliani and so many other people, unfortunately, in the president's orbit they clearly haven't learned that yet. We know that there has been a really high rate of people around the president, close to the president who have contracted this virus.

Some of those people are folks who have taken those precautions but too many others, unfortunately, Ana, are folks who have not followed the coronavirus guidelines and who have rejected the basic public health guidelines that millions of Americans across this country now know is part of their daily lives including the simple act of wearing a mask.

CABRERA: And we don't know how Giuliani is doing. Does anybody even know where he is right now, if he's at home or at a hospital?

DIAMOND: Well, we know that he returned to Washington, D.C. after he was in Georgia. And this morning, in fact, he appeared on a Fox News program with Maria Bartoromo and he did not appear to be experiencing any serious symptoms during that interview, at least.

He was speaking extemporaneously for several minutes, clearly. It appears that he was likely in his hotel room. We know that's where he's been doing a lot of his TV hits, and we don't have any indication as of now that Giuliani was at the White House recently.

But as you said before, Ana, clearly this is going to be a contact tracing nightmare. And a big question is whether Jenna Ellis, the president's other attorney in his attempt to overthrow the results of the election, whether or not she will quarantine.

Certainly, if she was following CDC guidelines, she would, but we know that that's not a guarantee in the president's orbit.

CABRERA: Okay, lots more to learn here. Thank you very much Jeremy Diamond. I asked a CNN doctor about that video of Rudy Giuliani at Georgia state capitol on Thursday. Listen to what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN: We know that the two days before someone develops symptoms, before they test positive, are the time when they are most infectious. So Giuliani has not just exposed himself and caught COVID, but he has potentially exposed hundreds and hundreds of Trump supporters to the virus during his most infectious phase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: His most infectious time. And you're seeing what he was doing during that time. With us now is CNN Senior Political Analyst John Avlon and CNN Political Commentator and host of "Firing Line" on PBS, Margaret Hoover, who served as a member of George W. Bush's White House staff and a veteran of two GOP presidential campaigns. Good to have both of you with us. As always, John, just your reaction first to yet another Trump official apparently being diagnosed with coronavirus.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Well, look, I mean, you know, team Trump has been a hot zone. The White House seems to be going for a form of herd immunity. It is troubling to see Rudy walking around at the Georgia state capitol at a time when he might have been maximally infectious because the radius of damage could be great.

You know, I think as you know and many folks know, I worked for Rudy for many years. I was his chief speechwriter in city hall during 9/11, worked on his presidential campaign where Margaret and I met.

[17:05:03]

So, obviously, I care about him as a person, and everyone should wish anyone who gets COVID well. But he has been behaving recklessly and I'm concerned that there's going to be a radius of damage as a result of his actions.

CABRERA: Margaret, before you chime in, I do want to ask John a quick follow-up because you know Rudy personally.

AVLON: Yes.

CABRERA: He's 76 years old so that makes him at higher risk just given his age. But do you know if he has other health issues that would make him at even greater risk?

AVLON: I mean, you know, he had a well-publicized bout with prostate cancer. He is heavier than his fighting weight shall we say and he has been a very heavy cigar smoker in recent years. You know, that said, I'm sure he'll get the best treatment but he's not a great physical specimen when it comes to some underlying conditions that could be complicating.

CABRERA: That is concerning, obviously. Margaret, the president, the First Lady, Barron Trump, they all had COVID. Chris Christie, another Trump ally, spent days in the hospital. Herman Cain even died, and yet just last night, you have the president holding a maskless rally in Georgia yet again.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, Ana, with the news of Rudy and with all these high-level White House officials who have gotten coronavirus, we have made such great advancements in terms of therapeutics and how to treat coronavirus. Those individuals are the ones that if they get it, like Rudy Giuliani, will have access to absolutely the best care.

It is other Americans, the ones who they infect, needlessly infect and without any consideration for their care, that are going to be in overcrowded hospitals within a week to 10 days, completely overcrowded hospitals in many, many cities across the country, and will not have the kind of care, attention, and access to those kind of therapeutics, and that is what is so heart breaking about this. CABRERA: So, so, heartbreaking. John, Giuliani was the lead attorney,

that's why he was at the Georgia capitol. He's helping the president push these baseless claims of election fraud, and of course, the Electoral College is going to meet on December 14th. So, what does this mean for those efforts?

AVLON: Well, first of all, let's stop saying baseless claims. Let's just call them lies. They're conspiracy theories. And, you know, one of the signs of our times is both what Rudy has been pushing with the president, unfortunately, is a mass disinformation campaign designed to denigrate our democracy.

But the other great challenge we're facing is COVID, and now it is affecting Rudy personally, is another, it's a pandemic that doesn't care about politics. But the reason the U.S. has taken it in the teeth is because of disinformation efforts that people believe.

These two things are intertwined. And, you know, do I think it will help Trump's "legal claims" that Rudy is going to be on the sidelines? Well, I'm not sure how they can get much worse. But you still have a couple of congressmen -- two congressmen, believing Trump won, which is just a fantasy, fiction --

CABRERA: Do you think they actually believe it?

AVLON: Those two, sure. But, you know, look, I think you've got the cult caucus, you got coward caucus, which is over 200 members of Republican members of Congress in the Senate and the House who are afraid to say -- tell "The Washington Post" what they think.

And then you've got around 27, 28 members of the Senate and the House who are Republicans who are actually patriots, who are putting country over party and acknowledge the reality of math and elections as we've done in every election in our history but this one.

This is not a tough call, but it is because of disinformation efforts being pushed by people and that folks are buying it. It is their lies and their conspiracy theories and there are nothing more.

CABRERA: Speaking of lies, Margaret, the president was telling all sorts of lies during his rally in Georgia last night. And today, Georgia's lieutenant governor, a Republican, said that rhetoric just isn't helpful when they're trying to get people to turn out for the upcoming runoff elections in that state. (Inaudible)

HOOVER: It's a real -- you know, it's a real thing, Ana. You know, I've been on the phone with some Republican operatives this week. And, you know, we had heard that bit of sound of Romney McDaniel saying, no, no, no, the election wasn't really a fraud. I mean, it's not so much a fraud that you can't not vote.

But truly, actually, I mean, that is a real risk. Apparently, this is a real fear of Republican operatives on the phone, operatives on the line down to Georgia and those who are on the ground in Georgia are hearing this. That people are saying, well look, if this election was a fraud, why do I need to vote? And that actually does risk putting Georgia in the tossup category in

an election that Republicans would generally win. And let's not be, you know, Pollyannaish about this. Republicans tend to win special elections in red states in the south.

CABRERA: Our colleague, Jake Tapper, this morning brought this up and it is worth playing this from the 2016 campaign.

[17:09:59]

You remember President Trump would read the lyrics of an anti- immigrant song titled "The Snake" about a woman who takes in a frozen snake, and after the snake is healthy again and bites and it kills her, and he read these lyrics, in fact, just last month at a rally in North Carolina. Let me play it for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Shut up, silly woman, said the reptile with a grin. You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Guys, did Republicans not know who this man was when they took him in?

HOOVER: Actually --

AVLON: Everything is projection, first of all, 100 percent.

HOOVER: Look, I think there's a couple of different things happening. One, there were Republicans who knew full well what he was, but they thought they could use him.

They thought that he would serve their purposes and they could get their judges, their tax cuts, the policies that they wanted with a man who was a snake, who they knew in terms of moral character was not up to their standards. And there are some who just believed him and then there were some who thought they could evade the snake.

AVLON: Yes, but they're going to be on the hook for history. You know, we're after the election. There's no saying you don't know who he is, you don't know the damage he's doing our democracy. The eyes of history are on them.

And they're failing that test to a tune of 89 percent of their party's elected representatives in Washington. They are disinforming, they are degrading our democracy. They are going to reap the whirlwind because of this because they did know and they should know and here we are. And you can't say that you're the party of patriots when the president that your party supports is actively attacking our democracy, full stop.

CABRERA: All right. And we will end it there. Thank you, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover. Always good to have you with us. HOOVER: Thanks, Ana. That was the whirlwind.

CABRERA: That was a mic drop at the end there.

All right, the president is refusing to accept reality. Mr. Trump is described as depressed right now, delusional, muttering like a mad King George and contemplating pardons. What can we expect in his final weeks?

Up next, we'll talk to two women who know him well, who could say, like family, the president's niece, Mary Trump. She is joining us right after this. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

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CABRERA: The president used a trip to Georgia last night to spin an alternate reality where he was cheated out of an election that he clearly and legitimately lost.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We're all victims. Everybody here, all these thousands of people here tonight, they're all victims, every one of you.

If I lost, I'd be a very gracious loser. If I lost, I would say I lost and I'd go to Florida and I'd take it easy and I'd go around and I'd say, I did a good job. But you can't ever accept when they steal and rig and rob.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Apart from the president's detachment from facts and reality last night, there have been numerous reports about his state of mind since his election loss. This from "The New York Times." "Moody and by accounts of his advisers, sometimes depressed. The president barely shows up to work."

And from "The Washington Post," "Trump was, in the telling of one close adviser, like Mad King George, muttering, I won, I won, I won." Joining us now is President Trump's niece, Mary Trump. She is also a clinical psychologist and the author of the upcoming book "The Reckoning" releasing in July of next year.

And also with us is Barbara Res who once served as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization and she is the author of the new book "Tower of Lies: What My 18 Years of Working with Donald Trump Reveals About Him." And I appreciate both of you for being with us.

I don't think I have to tell you ladies how the president feels about you. Mary, your uncle has dismissed you as a seldom seen niece and a mess, and Barbara, the Trump campaign called you a disgruntled employee. But I think you bring perspective and insights into this man. So Mary, I want to talk to you first I want to talk to you as a

psychologist. When you heard the lies your uncle was spouting last night, do you think he genuinely believes what he's saying or is this just a desperate attempt to save face?

MARY TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S NIECE: It's actually both in some measure. First of all, in my family, certainly according to my grandfather, the absolute worst thing you could be was a loser. So, Donald has avoided acknowledging his entire life that he's actually never legitimately won anything.

However, he doesn't care about the process. He cares about getting a win in his column. There's literally nothing he can do to get out of the situation he is in except to spin it in such a way that he is, once again, the aggrieved person who's had something stolen from him.

So, in some ways, it's desperation because he knows what he's facing when he no longer has the protection of the Oval Office. On the other hand, it's indeed a way of gaslighting himself into believing that he won because the alternative is absolutely unthinkable for him.

CABRERA: If it is a family thing to think losing is the worst thing possible, does that trickle down to his children? Is there anyone in the family who is willing to tell him it's time to move on?

M. TRUMP: First of all, I doubt there is because I don't think they're the bravest people on the planet and they also have a lot at stake here, too. Let's not forget that. They're probably just as desperate to have him hang onto power as he is in some measure. But beyond that, even if you were willing, he's not going to listen to any body anymore.

CABRERA: Barbara, yesterday we learned that the president called the governor of Georgia to try to get him to overturn the election results in that state. Does that kind of pressure campaign bring to mind any memories of how Trump used to do business with people?

BARBARA RES, FORMER EXECUTIVE VP, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Well, you know, he always have the leverage. He always have the ability to, you know, trade something that people wanted and that's why he was able to be somewhat successful in what he did.

[17:20:01]

Would he go to the nth degree, would he reach out to somebody? Absolutely. Even the most ridiculous thought. Well, maybe this guy will do this for me. And of course, he didn't do it himself back in those days.

He sent an emissary like Giuliani to go make a fool of themselves, with the hopes that maybe, maybe, you know, a one-millionth chance they could be successful, but he wouldn't a stone unturned, absolutely not.

CABRERA: So, if he's doing it himself now, what does that tell you?

RES: What?

CABRERA: If he's doing it himself now when in the past he's used other people to do his bidding. If he's doing it now, what does that tell you?

RES: He ran out of people, you know, that's exactly what it means. He's got nobody that will do his bidding on that level for him except a guy like Giuliani. And of course, lawyers are paid.

CABRERA: I see you shaking your head, Mary.

M. TRUMP: Yes, I absolutely agree with that. And the other thing too, it's not only is there probably nobody left, but, you know, it would take somebody of some authority in some position of power for the governor of a state to listen to, right?

I mean, Brian Kemp isn't going to listen to Rudolph Giuliani, I'm guessing. But much more importantly, we have to be really clear about what's happening.

Although Donald is repeating the patterns of the past as Barbara just pointing out, he's also committing sedition against his own country. And that, to me, is by far the much more important issue here.

CABRERA: You told the Associated Press this week, Mary, you believe that your uncle is cruel and traitorous and that he belongs in prison after he leaves the White House. Now, a spokesman from the Trump campaign said you're just trying to sell books, but there is a question right now, a big question about whether President Trump will try to pardon himself, his children and some of his closest allies, like Giuliani. What do you expect?

M. TRUMP: Again, as Barbara said, he will leave no stone unturned. He will try anything, including a self-pardon, which as we know is not settled question, whether that is constitutional or not. But no matter what, we need to understand that in terms of his COVID response alone, this is -- he's engaged in criminal activity.

In that case, criminally negligent homicide or worse. And who knows what's going on behind the scenes, while the rest of us are, you know, focusing on his attempts to overturn a legitimate election or commit sedition with the governor of Georgia. It's quite a dangerous period of time we're living through.

CABRERA: Barbara, you know, "The New York Times" broke the news earlier this year that the president will have to deal with $421 million of debt that will largely come due in the next four years and that there's an ongoing audit by the IRS that could cost him $100 million.

I spoke to a former assistant special prosecutor during Watergate who said those tax issues are going to be big trouble for Trump. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK AKERMAN, FORMER ASSISTANT SPECIAL WATERGATE PROSECUTOR: Keep in

mind, one of the major areas where the Trump family is really open to possible prosecution has to do with their taxes. And one of the major investigations that's been going on has been with the Manhattan D.A.'s office. And there is no way Trump can do anything to stop that. He has zero power to grant a pardon that would any way nullify that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Barbara, how did Trump get out of financial troubles in the past?

RES: Oh, I don't know that he has. I mean, actually, he's been stretching this out with the so-called order for many, many years. And so who knows what's going to happen with that. And I think he was stretching it out for a longer time also, you know, even more because of his lawyers and his accountants.

But, you know, he had big financial problems in the late 1980s and early '90s. And the way he got out of it was simply that, you know, the banks thought he was too big to fail, and so they let him get away with things that a person who had a mortgage, to say, would never, ever do.

The bank let him go ahead and keep a lot of his property and be the active developer on a very big project on the west side because they thought that it would be worth more with him getting approvals on it than it would be with just, you know, selling it at a fire sale.

You know, he's always been very lucky in his life. You know, we used to say among our crew that, you know, he had a deal with the devil. And even in that, he was lucky in that as they felt that they needed to keep him afloat because, believe me, they did not want to. And those banks, oh boy, they left him like a -- they ran like rats from a sinking ship once this was over.

CABRERA: That's so interesting. And you talk about how they thought he, just his name brought value. I wonder, you know, we don't know what his brand is going to be now after the presidency, Mary.

[17:25:01]

But as we look ahead to January, do you think there's anything that would get your uncle to sit there on Capitol Hill to watch Joe Biden get sworn in as president?

M. TRUMP: I don't think there's anything on the planet that would get him to -- one, that would be a concession. Two, it would be an acknowledgement that the incoming administration is legitimate and Donald wants to avoid that at all costs.

And three, it would be missing an opportunity to take the spotlight away from President Biden and to himself. I think it's much more likely that he counterprogram the inauguration somehow by holding yet another rally of grievance and COVID transmission.

CABRERA: What's the best way to, I guess, counter that? How do you break that kind of a barrier, Mary?

M. TRUMP: I got to be honest with you. I think a lot of this is up to the media. As soon as Joe Biden is sworn in, he is the president of the United States. Donald's relevance needs to plummet precipitously and he needs not to be covered anymore.

He's not -- no longer part of the conversation at that point because all he has to contribute is, as I said, grievance, stirring up division among us when the thing we most need is unity. And that's something that President Biden and Vice President Harris can do for us. Donald cannot because he's not interested.

CABRERA: Barbara, there was a quote that caught my eyes in "The New York Times" from a Shakespearean scholar from Harvard who said this. "This is a classic Act V behavior. The forces are being picked off and the tyrant is holed up in his castle and he's growing increasingly anxious. We're nearing the end of the play here and that's where catastrophe always comes." How do you see this ending, Barbara?

RES: I say, a catastrophe comes except for Donald. You know, as much as -- it's almost impossible to think how he's going to weasel his way out of it. I think he will. To be honest with you, if there were legitimate charges leveled against him or hanging over his head the minute he becomes a citizen, I think he may leave the country. I think he may leave the country before the end of his presidency.

CABRERA: Mary, how do you think it will end?

M. TRUMP: Well, that's a fascinating perspective. I do also think that's a possibility. I don't know if it's the most likely thing, but again, we don't know how the next 45 days are going to play out. If the walls really do start closing in on him, you know, right before the inauguration will be his last best opportunity to get away unscathed. So, it's going to be fascinating but also pretty terrifying.

CABRERA: Yes. Mary Trump, author of the upcoming book, "The Reckoning" and Barbara Res, author of "Tower of Lies." Thank you both for being here.

RES: Thank you.

CABRERA: Coming up, roughly 33 million Californians will be under stay-at-home orders starting tonight as the state reports its highest number of new daily cases ever. More than 30,000 just today. One business owner who says she's doing everything to keep her customers safe tells CNN this latest lockdown will be a devastating blow. We'll take you to California next.

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[17:30:00]

CABRERA: We're just days away from the start of the most monumental vaccination campaign in American history. An FDA advisory committee will meet this week to discuss approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer.

Now, health officials estimate some 20 million Americans could be vaccinated before the month is out. And that help can't come soon enough. More Americans are suffering or dying from the disease than ever before. The country saw a staggering 1 million new cases reported in just the first five days of December.

And California is among the hardest hit. The state reporting a record 30,000 new cases today alone. The rising numbers come as more than 33 million Californians face strict stay-at-home orders that kick in at midnight. And these restrictions are designed to stem the surge of new cases, but some bar and restaurant owners in that state claim they're being unfairly targeted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: They have not given us money and they have shut us down. We cannot survive. My staff cannot survive. Mayor Garcetti and Gavin Newsom is responsible for every single person that doesn't have unemployment, does not have a job and all the businesses that are going under. And we need your help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Paul Vercammen joins us now from Sherman Oaks, California. You had an emotional interview there with that restaurant owner and some of her employees. Paul, what more are you hearing?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Angela Marsden (ph) and so many restaurant owners and employees throughout California just want the rules and regulations changed for outdoor dining. You see behind me, Angela's restaurant is no longer open for outdoor dining. In fact, it was shut down by L.A. County, we should clarify, just a few days ago. But she calls the politicians' inaction unjustifiable and heartless.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANGELA MARSDEN, OWNER, PINEAPPLE HILL SALOON AND GRILL: I'm at a loss. I'm devastated. I'm trying to -- I feel like they're living in la la land. I feel like what they're wanting us to do is just not very realistic and the science isn't backing the outdoor dining. And I just -- I'm at a loss of words, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:34:59]

VERCAMMEN: And we spoke with another restaurant owner who had to lay off 200 employees at her restaurant. She's a member of a key advisory board. And of course, she wants Congress to do something to help her restaurants and her employees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINE STYNE, BOARD MEMBER, INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT COALITION: This is a mass extinction event for restaurants throughout the country. And we employ 11 million people in the United States and we support 10 million other jobs in other industries including farming and fishing and ranching and food distribution, janitorial services, on and on and on.

We are a huge supporter of other industries. And the loss of the restaurant industry will be the most devastating to the United States' economy, I guarantee you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERCAMMEN: So here in California, again, you heard the emphasis at across the nation, it's not just that restaurants directly employ people, it's the ripple effect is tremendous. And so many others are collecting a check relating to their doing business with restaurants, such as vendors. Back to you, Ana.

CABRERA: And you hope that lawmakers are listening to what they're hearing as they need so much help and a stimulus could make a big difference for some of these folks. Thank you, Paul Vercammen.

There are two senate races, both in Georgia that could decide the course of Joe Biden's presidency. And up next, we'll take you live to Georgia ahead of tonight's debate there that will be watched nationwide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back. I want to take you to Georgia now, the site of a high-stakes Senate debate tonight. And this race could help determine the balance of power in the senate. CNN's Ryan Nobles joins us from Atlanta.

And Ryan, normally, a Senate debate wouldn't be nationally televised but, you know, all of our viewers will be able to watch tonight's match-up between Kelly Loeffler and Reverend Raphael Warnock right here live on CNN because this one has enormous implications.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're right, Ana. Even if you don't live in Georgia, the results of these two senate runoffs here in this state is going to impact everybody in the United States because it's going to determine the balance of power in Washington.

And for Republicans in particular, there is so much at stake because they need to win at least one of these races if they hope to hold at least one bastion of power in Washington. This will allow them to keep control of the United States Senate.

And tonight, we're going to see two of these candidates running in one of these runoff races. Kelly Loeffler who is the incumbent senator running against Raphael Warnock, who is the challenger from the Democratic side.

And what's interesting about this race in particular is that most people expected this to get to the runoff stage. The way they run elections here in Georgia is that they have a number of candidates during the general election.

And you don't win on election night unless you get over the 50 percent threshold. Because there were so many candidates in that race, they expected to get to this stage. So we didn't really start to see kind of the verbal sparring between Loeffler and Warnock until after the election when it became clear that they would be the two candidates running in the runoff.

So it would be interesting to see what happens between those two tonight. But we should also point out that there is another race, one happening between the incumbent, David Perdue, his challenger on the Democratic side, Jon Ossoff.

Now, they were invited to a debate tonight as well but David Perdue turned down that opportunity. So instead, Georgia public broadcasting and the Atlanta Press Club, which are running this debate tonight, they gave Ossoff the opportunity to participate in that debate and he was up against an empty lectern.

He took questions for half an hour tonight from journalists in the Atlanta area and Perdue was not there to respond and Ossoff was very critical of Perdue's decision to not to participate in the debate tonight. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON OSSOFF, U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: And so, if I might, my message for the people of our state at this moment of crisis is your senator feels entitled to your vote. Your senator is refusing to answer questions and debate his opponent because he believes he shouldn't have to. He believes this Senate seat belongs to him. The Senate seat belongs to the people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES: And I should point out that Ossoff is now still continuing to take questions from reporters even after that half-hour of time where he took questions on the debate stage facing off against an empty lectern. Obviously, two different strategies here, Ana.

David Perdue also turned down the opportunity to debate Ossoff right before the general election, and that was after a debate where there were quite a few viral moments that the Ossoff campaign took advantage of. But there's no doubt, big stakes here tonight in Georgia and we're going to see it play out in real time, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN, Ana.

CABRERA: That image of that empty lectern in the split screen, that was something. I've got to wonder if Senator Perdue has any regrets about not showing up. Ryan Nobles, appreciate the reporting.

It is a runoff election that could decide who controls the Senate. Senator Kelly Loeffler and Reverend Raphael Warnock debating each other live on CNN. It is debate night in Georgia tonight 0at 7:00 Eastern. Don't go anywhere.

Coming up for us, Lisa Ling is going to preview a powerful new episode of her show "This is Life." But first, here is Christine Romans with your "Before the Bell" report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST: Hi, Ana. The gulf between Wall Street and Main Street is getting wider. The U.S. economy added back another 245,000 jobs in November but that was far short of estimates and it was the smallest gain in six months of this job market recovery.

The unemployment rate did tick down to 6.7 percent. But that was largely because 400,000 people dropped out of the labor force. Women and baby boomers have been leaving the job market in droves since the pandemic began and that could scar the recovery for years to come.

At the same time, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ, well, they hit record highs last week. And the Dow logged its best month since 1987 in November. Analysts predict stocks will keep rising this month, driven by vaccine optimism and hopes for stimulus.

There are also seasonal factors at play. December has been the third best month of the year for the S&P 500 since 1945. It has risen for 73 percent of the time for an average gain of 1.5 percent. But don't expect a huge Santa Claus rally this year.

[17:45:00]

CFRA Research says because the market shot up so much in November, December's advance is likely to be more subdued. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

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CABRERA: In a year of hardships and difficult times, some people are getting trapped in a desperate world.

[17:49:55]

On a brand-new episode of "This is Life" Lisa Ling looks at the elicit massage parlor industry from the police struggling to curtail trafficking to the circumstances that lead women into this lucrative yet exploitative trade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA LING, CNN HOST (voice-over): We send in our male producer an hour later. This time they buzz the door, no questions asked.

UNKNOWN: Hi.

LING (voice-over): A young woman calls our producer cute then beckons to follow her. She takes him to a room lit neon pink. Gives him a hug, then asks him to undress.

UNKNOWN: Undress?

LING (voice-over): At that point it's time to go.

UNKNOWN: Only cash?

UNKNOWNL: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Oh.

LING (voice-over): Pink lights, skimpy dresses, and only men welcomed inside. Not illegal, but it is conspicuous and a sign that commercial sex may be taking place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: And joining us now, the host of "This is Life" Lisa Ling. Good to see you, Lisa. The massage parlor industry has become a $2.5 billion business in this country. How are women getting ensnared into the system?

LING (on camera): Well, Ana, thanks for having me on the show. Yes, most of the women who end up working in these elicit massage parlors, they are immigrant women who don't speak any English. They may have tried to find work doing something else, but they have found that they are able to make more money working in these massage parlors and performing other services along the way.

And, you know, I want to make clear that there are many of these massage parlors all over the country and by no means are all of them ones that, you know, solicit these kinds of services. But you would be surprised by how many of them do.

You may -- many of you who are watching may have heard that Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, was ensnared in a roundup in Florida in a massage parlor, but criminal charges against him were dropped. But the masseuses have had to pay up upwards of about $30,000 and are going to have to deal with several months of probation as well.

CABRERA: So are the women who are involved in this, are they looked at as victims as authorities are trying to crack down on these businesses?

LING: Well, I mean, as the case in Florida indicates, very often the women are the ones who get arrested and have to pay the exorbitant fines. The men very often get off scot-free.

We did profile a police department in McLennan, Texas where Waco is that is trying to employ a different kind of approach, one that allows these women to receive services so they can get themselves back on their feet because they believe that these women have, you know, they have found themselves in these predicaments because of desperation and should not be treated as criminals.

CABRERA: You take on another very important topic that impacts so many families in this country. Look at families who were torn apart by heroin addiction and it seems like, you know, so often children are the hardest hit in these situations when a parent is struggling. What kind of impact does it have on young children?

LING: You are so right, Ana. And for this episode, we look at the state of Ohio. And that state is one that has had a problem with opioids and heroin for more than a decade and what kind of impact does it have on the kids?

I mean, it is hugely traumatic at all levels of childhood and, you know, when you are talking about babies, there are babies who are born who have to be weaned off the drug. And as you get older, many kids deal with isolation, growing up without a parent or both parents.

I met a girl who at 11 years old would have to wander out in the middle of the night in freezing cold temperatures in Ohio looking for her mom. And so most of these kids are dealing with trauma and they've seen things no child should ever have to see.

CABRERA: Wow. It sounds heavy but it sounds like important information and storytelling. Lisa Ling, you know, I'm such a fan of the journalistic work you do. Thank you for joining us.

LING: Thanks for having me on.

CABRERA: Be sure to tune in. Two new episodes of "This is Life with Lisa Ling" air back to back tonight starting at 9:00 eastern only on CNN. And that does it for me today. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thank you for spending part of your weekend with me. Wolf Blitzer is up next with a special edition of "The Situation Room" ahead of tonight's Senate debate out of Georgia. Have a good night.

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[17:59:59]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.