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U.S. Adds More Than 1 Million New Covid Cases In 5 Days; Trump Campaigns In Georgia Ahead Of Senate Runoff Vote; Biden Calls On Congress To Pass $900 Billion Relief Package; Millions Of Californian's Facing New Stay-At-Home Orders; Iran Surpasses 50,000 Covid-19 Deaths & 1 Million Cases; Expert Predict Challenging Months Ahead In U.S.; Trump Looks Into Granting Pardons During Last Month In Office; "Bomb Cyclone" Dumping Heavy Snow On New England; Housing Assistance Needs Grow As Covid-19 Surges. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 06, 2020 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:15]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Back on the trail, Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Georgia to the Senate runoff election, but he spent little time actually talking about the candidates.

Meanwhile, the United States has more than 1 million new coronavirus cases for the month of December and we aren't even a weekend. And as if the virus isn't enough.

New England, facing a bomb cyclone at the moment, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

Welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. And this is "CNN Newsroom".

December of course is less than a week old that the U.S. has already reported more than a million new coronavirus cases this month. And more than 14.5 million total cases since the pandemic began. The growth rate though, is climbing alarmingly. We suggest saw more than 200,000 new cases for the fourth day in a row. And hospitals are just about at full capacity around the country. More than 100,000 patients with COVID-19 are in hospital beds for the last four days straight. Medical workers across the country. They're getting sick, tired and burnt out.

The CDC tweeted out in all caps just wear the mask. It's the same message but with new urgency as many Americans continue to refuse to comply. And here's a prime example. A Trump rally in Georgia on Saturday night. There's no social distancing, and very few masks. President Trump was campaigning for two Republican senators ahead of a special runoff election next month, he didn't actually spend much time addressing the medical crisis, of course, sweeping the country, he really does these days. Instead, he spread some old lies and contradictions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: I have to say, 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. (INAUDIBLE).

If you don't get out and vote, they're going to win. Now, you know, a lot of people friends of mine, say we're not going to vote because we're angry about the presidential and they're friends of mine. There are people that are great people, they're real friends. And more than just two there are numerous people. And it's almost like a protest. But if you do that the radical left wins. OK. It was sort of an instinctive mine, you know, you're angry because so many votes was stolen, it was taken away. And you say, well, we're not going to do it. We can't do that. We have to actually do just the opposite. We can't do that. We can't do that. We have to do just the opposite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, George's run off election is about a month away exactly a month way really the outcome will determine of course which party controls the U.S. Senate. The President was stumping for Republican incumbents, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. But his methods perhaps hurt more than help.

CNN's Ryan Nobles explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): President Donald Trump came here to Georgia seemingly with a goal of helping support the two candidates running in the runoff election here to the United States Senate. But he spent far more of his time here in Georgia talking about the election that he has just lost than he did supporting those two candidates in their upcoming fight.

President Trump went through a laundry list of perceived grievances that he had about the electoral process, specifically the electoral process here in Georgia, while at the same time trying to convince his supporters that they need to come out and vote in January. Take a listen to this one excerpt of the President's speech where he talked about how he feels that this election was stolen from them.

TRUMP: They cheated and they rigged our presidential election, but we will still win it. We will still win. We'll still win. And they're going to try and rig this election too.

NOBLES: President Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes in Valdosta, Georgia, which is right along the Florida border and it was just a speech filled with lies. He talked about evidence of fraud and malfeasance in elections not just here in Georgia but in Wisconsin and in Arizona. Much of these claims have been debunked even played clips from the conservative news networks, Newsmax and OAN, well that claim to show evidence of voter fraud. Those examples have also been debunked. And he did it to the glory of this crowd. That said repeatedly throughout his speech that they wanted the two Republican Senate candidates to stop the steel. And they also asked them to fight for Trump.

[01:05:28]

That's not necessarily the message that Republicans were looking for here tonight, they wanted the President to focus on Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, those two candidates running for the Senate. But as is often the practice with President Trump, this speech was all about him in his hope of trying to overturn an election, a hope that really is not based in any kind of reality.

Ryan Nobles, CNN Valdosta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, you started as a reporter with the Atlanta based radio WABE, part of the MPR. Now she joins me now from Atlanta.

Rosa, a pleasure to have you on, you know, this place. Well, let's start. First of all, I wanted to ask you, though, about these extraordinary reports that Donald Trump tried to get the governor to get the Georgia legislature to overturn the Biden victory. It's perhaps easy to not be shocked by this president anymore, but that's pretty shocking.

ROSA SCOTT, WABE REPORTER: Well, you know, Michael, I think we're at a point right now, where anything that President Trump tries to levy probably isn't shocking to a lot of people anymore. Even today, as he was in Georgia and told the crowd, he encouraged them to yes, vote in this vote in the upcoming Senate run offs, but also he kept sticking to the message of that the election was somehow rigged, and that he actually won Georgia. It's a narrative he's been sticking with, along with some other fellow Republicans.

But again, as we all know, there has been no evidence, Michael whatsoever that Georgia's elections were somehow wrought with some type of nefarious or suspicious or just malicious or quite frankly, you know, illegal voting practices. It's just is -- it's unfound it.

HOLMES: Yes. And to that point, I mean, this past week, top Georgia election official, a Republican, actually made that emotional plea for Trump and his allies to stop their attacks against the state's leaders. Yes, there's been death threats against those overseeing a recount. And I just want to play that for people who hadn't heard of Gabriel Sterling, Let's have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIEL STERLING, GEORGIA VOTING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER: Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed. And it's not right. It all gone too far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I mean, that was fairly emotional there. I mean, but what has been described for people the impact of Trump's comments on Georgia, his attacks on Republicans running what they say has been a very fair election.

SCOTT: Well, and you know, it's a lot of people surprised, because President Trump and some other, you know, fellow Republicans are attacking other Republicans about this. And yes, we know that Georgia has a history of having some a lot of issues with their voting. And with the polling locations, we have new machines this election season. So the surprise maybe is that that President Trump and some of his supporters are actually attacking fellow Republicans who control the state in a sense and who also run oversee our elections process. It's sad to see. And it's unfortunate, because I believe so many supporters aren't able to really understand that this is just part of some messaging that the President wants to get out there without any substantial evidence, and some people can't separate, you know, fact from fiction.

HOLMES: Yes, it is extraordinary. You know, that the support that there is out there that this sort of acceptance of whatever the President says. I mean, when it comes to the runoff, or the election itself, I mean, these sorts of relations always boil down to turn out. I'm wondering what your read is on what harm or not the President's comments have done to potential Republican turnout. I mean, some voters have said they won't vote. Others, of course, say that why matter.

SCOTT: Well, obviously, if some of the supporters, the Republican supporters stay at home, that obviously doesn't bode well for the Republican Party. And I think that's why President Trump was in Georgia today. Vice President Mike Pence was here on Friday, former President Barack Obama's here, President-elect Joe Biden's been here. That tells you just how important we know these run offs are and of course, we know what's at stake, which is control of the Senate. So, telling yours your base to stay home doesn't bode well. And I think that's why the President was here in Georgia this weekend.

HOLMES: You know, it's interesting, and I think this is this happened across the nation and in Georgia as well. You know, in the election, Joe Biden won big, huge. But down ballot Republicans gained or held ground. I mean in the key Georgia race, I guess it's important the Republicans who perhaps voted for Biden for president because they didn't like Trump but voted down ballot GOP. They're really going to come to the fore here.

[01:10:17]

SCOTT: Well, a lot of analysts have suggested that that was the very reason why Donald Trump did not win Georgia, that you had some typical Republicans who normally would just vote Republican down the ballot, chose not to vote for Donald Trump in for president, but then proceeded to vote for the Republicans down the ballot. But it also did some harm to some local races, as well. But what I will tell you, though, Michael, is that, you know, Georgia has not had a U.S. -- a Democratic U.S. Senator for a very, very long time since the early 2000s, late 1990s. So that tells you what's at stake.

And also, to that some of the former senators, I mean, Johnny Isaacson, who was so respected within Congress on both sides. He has been pretty silent about this. And I think that's something else to watch out for. Because Johnny Isaacson is very well respected and he's a man that holds the constitution to his heart. He's an American, he's a veteran. So, the fact that he has not come out and really endorsed anyone and he has said, you know what, you need to earn it on your own. I think that's also that might leave for some people believe that Georgia is turning I'm not going to say Georgia is ready to turn from, you know, red to blue, but we'll say purple, a lot of people like to use it for purple. I think you need a few more election cycles before you can honestly say that Georgia has definitely become a Democratic state.

HOLMES: Very good point, because the Republican is only going to win one of the two seats to control the chamber. I got it leave it there, unfortunately, Rosa Scott, thank you so much.

SCOTT: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden urging Congress to finally reach a deal on a massive new bipartisan relief package to help the ailing economy and there could still be more stimulus spending in the beginning of next year.

CNN's Arlette Saenz with more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): President- elect Joe Biden is clear eyed about the economic situation he will face when he takes office. And Biden is pressing Congress to act now to provide relief to Americans across the country during this pandemic. Biden has embraced that roughly $900 billion bipartisan package being discussed in Congress and says that can be a big star.

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF UNITED STATES: I'm talking about the folks out there aren't looking for a handout. They just are in trouble through no fault of their own. Need to come together as a nation need the Congress to act and act now.

SAENZ (on-camera): And Biden has said that that package would simply be a downpayment that more relief would need to be provided by lawmakers come the new year and he believes that despite the division and acrimony that Republicans will want to work together to provide a bigger relief package to Americans, once he takes office.

Now, while President Trump was campaigning, holding a rally down in Georgia, Biden spent the weekend here in Wilmington, Delaware, he attended church and met with transition advisors. He has said he will travel down to Georgia at some point before that Senate run off in January. And Biden is also preparing for the week ahead where early in the week he is expected to announce more members of his administration including that health team that will help tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: We'll take a quick break here on the program. When we come back drastic charges ahead why millions of California's will be ordered to stay at home for the next three weeks.

(voice-over): Plus, Iran grapples with some ugly coronavirus numbers and blames U.S. We'll be right back.

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[01:17:59]

HOLMES: Millions of people will fall under California's new stay at home order before the end of this weekend. Officials say if they don't take tough measures now hospitals could buckle and the stress of this pandemic.

Paul Vercammen with the details from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): The number of new cases in California just alarming shocking really. Let's go right to a graphic and show you 25,000 new cases in California, more than 10,000 hospitalizations, more than 200 deaths. And all of this helping contribute to these new stricter stay-at-home orders. Which means people cannot go to wineries, to nail salons, hair salons, playgrounds and the rest and they must wear a mask.

Let's look at where this is being impacted. In Southern California and in the San Joaquin Valley, 27 million people one minute before midnight Sunday. The order goes into effect. Well, it's not being embraced throughout California. In fact, let's hear from the sheriff. A Riverside County who calls these strict regulations ridiculous.

CHAD BIANCO, RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF: While the governor's office and the state has threatened action against violators. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department will not be blackmailed, bullied or used as muscle against Riverside County residents in the enforcement of the governor's orders.

VERCAMMEN (on-camera): These stricter rules also affect other parts of California some Bay Area counties also joining in on the new regulations. And the order is being applauded here by top brass at UCLA Medical Center. They say they need something to help bend this curve somehow, someway with all these doctors and nurses facing a tsunami of new patients.

Also, UCLA playing another huge role in the fight against the pandemic. It can store 1 million vaccines in seven freezers and expects to be able to put shots in people's arms in about two weeks.

Reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Paul Vercammen. Now back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:20:02] HOLMES: Now thanks to you Paul.

Now came in now with a another coronavirus surge underway in the U.S. Hospitals of course worried about the most important resource. That is the health care workers in places where case numbers are hitting record levels. There are not enough doctors and nurses to keep up, there were simply too many patients. And too many people losing their lives. Dr. Shirlee Xie in Minneapolis explains the situation where she works.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEE XIE, HOSPITALIST, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE: I think it is just the feeling of just suffocating all the time. You know, where we're suffocating in our patients' isolation and their fear. It's suffocating in just the emotional and physical exhaustion of all of our colleagues. Is feeling hopeless, because there's often nothing we can do for people. And I think it's the constant thought of what's coming next.

I don't think that people can really comprehend how horrific this diseases unless they've been personally touched by it. I mean, people are literally suffocating inside our hospitals and they are dying alone.

I think I have had more patients die in the last eight or nine months than I have my entire career. And I don't know how to describe that to people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So hard to listen to, isn't it. The World Health Organization Meanwhile, warning that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over even with the vaccine rollout gaining momentum around the world.

Let's have a look at the global picture for you. More than 66 million cases around the world more than one and a half million people have died in this pandemic. The United States has been hit the hardest as we know with more than 14 million cases followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France. Iran is also seeing more cases and more deaths. It has tightened COVID-19 restrictions in several provinces, but some non essential businesses are beginning to open up despite the spike in fatalities.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (on-camera): The second chilling toll that Iran has passed in its coronavirus outbreak in just 48 hours, 50,000 people reported dead as of today with 321 taking them over that troubling toll of 50,000 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Just in the last 48 hours to they passed the million case mark of a million people since the outbreak began. We've tested positive as well. These numbers sadly part of the picture not its entirety because of Iran's troubles with testing. They themselves say they're in the 50, 60,000 mark they're able to do every day and clearly from the highest level here and around blame sanction. Sanction imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump of the United States under his maximum pressure campaign that Iran says limit their access to basic medical goods. That limit their ability to get hold of the medicines and equipment they need to tackle the coronavirus.

And it is clear to see in parts of the run as we saw ourselves quite how that is gripping some of the hospitals which appear to be dealing with a pretty constant flow of patients and traveling on the outskirts of Tehran as well. One graveyard we visited which seems to have a constant flow of people being interned there.

This a country that's probably one of the hardest hits in the Middle East. And that challenge of the virus in itself exacerbated by the long term impact of a punishing sanctions regime here. Iran at times finding ways around that the United States saying that it provides exemptions and medical assistance here, but clearly in the minds of Iranian officials, none of that enough and the numbers increasingly chilling with two troubling tolls in the last 48 hours.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Iran, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Nations around the world are preparing for the approval and rollout of several vaccines that have proven effective in trials. Britain set to become the first country to roll out the one from Pfizer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): It's the shot in the arm the U.K. is waiting for. Hospital workers preparing for the rollout of its first emergency use vaccine for the coronavirus. After 800,000 doses is expected to be available for 400,000 patients this week.

ANDY JONES, INTENSIVE CARE CHARGE NURSE: Nervous, excited that there's something out there that can protect us as well as our patients.

HOLMES (voice-over): But while the West looks to companies like Pfizer, Morderna and AstraZeneca for upcoming emergency use vaccines, inoculations in other parts of the world are already underway. Russia started a mass vaccination campaign on Saturday with its Sputnik V vaccine. The vaccine approved for use even though it's still in the midst of phase 3 human trials, raising serious safety concerns, which the head of our Moscow clinic dismissed.

[01:25:14]

NATALIA SHINDRYAEVA, MOSCOW CITY CLINIC: (through translation): We don't have any problems with the vaccine we have it. And its being delivered regularly just like any other vaccine. HOLMES (voice-over): The CEO of the Russian direct investment fund says more than 50 countries have already requested 1.2 billion doses of the vaccine. He says a freeze dried version is in the works so it's easier to distribute to developing countries in Africa and Asia.

Bahrain is the second country to approve emergency use of the Pfizer biointact vaccine. It's been vaccinating frontline workers using China's Sinovac vaccine since November. In addition, thousands of people in 10 countries have gotten the Sinovac shot by taking part in its ongoing clinical trials.

MOHAMMED ABDULBAQI, VOLUNTEER (through translation): We would like to offer anything we can to humanity. This is a simple thing. We hope this pandemic ends and we can return to our normal lives.

HOLMES (voice-over): China has five vaccine candidates in the final phase of clinical trials. And it says in the coming months, it will ship hundreds of millions of doses to countries around the world.

Other options also on the horizon, Chile began phase 3 trials of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, giving priority to its healthcare workers. More choices, better chances to end a pandemic that has so far killed more than one and a half million people worldwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well still to come here on "CNN Newsroom".

(voice-over): Pushed to the brink surging coronavirus numbers putting unbearable pressure on U.S. hospitals and health workers.

Plus, the U.S. president has the power to pardon people convicted of crimes. So, who could get one from President Trump before he leaves office? We'll tell you what we're hearing after the break.

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[01:30:25]

HOLMES: And welcome back to "CNN Newsroom", everyone. I'm Michael Holmes.

U.S. hospitals being pushed to the brink as new coronavirus cases, sort of record levels. Were hearing pleas and warnings from health experts as the country approaches a crisis state. There were more than 1 million new cases in the first five days of December. And you can see where the numbers stand right now. More than 14 and a half million cases, more than 281,000 deaths.

Now, people across the country are being pushed to the brink as well by fears of the virus the economic impact and the daily struggles and uncertainties.

CNN Sara Sidner with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): This week, a terrible reality, coronavirus was the single biggest leading cause of death.

SHEILA KRUGER: My business pretty much tripled.

SIDNER (voice-over): In Imperial County, California with an 18% unemployment rate. That would normally be great news. But this is a funeral home inundated with bodies.

(on-camera): How much worse can this get?

KRUGER: We're afraid. You know that when the first wave hit. Our hospitals were sending patients out of county to other hospitals because they were at capacity. That's not going to happen this time. Because nobody has room anymore.

SIDNER (voice-over): The COVID-19 summer surge overwhelmed her staff going from an average of 55 deaths to 135 in one month. Sheila Krueger frantically bought and soon filled three new refrigerated containers with the dead, they are filling up again.

KRUGER: So we can put two or three. We're backed up four and five weeks out now. And we've had married couples that die within a day of each other, parents and children die within a week of each other. It's heart wrenching.

SIDNER (voice-over): Even with all the new treatments helping bring death down, and a vaccine on the way, COVID-19 is killing one person in America every 30 seconds. In Kansas, one patient says the politicization of masks is killing people.

JACE BRUCE, COVID-19 PATIENT: I've convinced that there are going to be so many people that are going to die just because of what I'm going to call political.

SIDNER (voice-over): For months, throngs of health care workers have been working to exhaustion battling to save as many lives as they can, but seeing more death than ever before.

SHANNON TAPIA, GERIATRICIAN: I don't want to say it's been harder for us than it has for everybody else. But the truth is it has.

SIDNER (voice-over): From a doctor in Colorado where one at a 41 people are contagious according to the governor to a COVID unit nurse in Kansas where ICU beds in one part of the state are at capacity. There has been no rest bed (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two to three weeks we're going to be just swamped.

SIDNER (voice-over): One healthcare system with hospitals in 21 states is reporting a 70% increase in hospitalizations over the past three weeks. Caring for highly contagious coronavirus patients is taking its toll on everyone. In a newly released survey of 1100 healthcare workers, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout. ADOLPHE EDWARD, CEO, EL CENTRO REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: I think we're past the breaking point. So, the staff is here but the broken but they still continue to come.

SIDNER (voice-over): Dr. Adolphe Edward runs El Centro Regional Medical Center in California. This hospital has just two ICU beds left before they're at capacity. While working nonstop since the summer is deadly surge. They're facing down yet another search. This time, a second field hospital with 50 beds has been erected that medical tent mimicking a familiar scene to this Air Force veteran.

EDWARD: This brings me back or takes me back to when we were in the middle of Baghdad.

SIDNER (on-camera): Are we in a war zone?

EDWARD: We are. So we used to shy away from using the term war zone. We're in a war zone against COVID.

SIDNER (voice-over): The signs of a big battle are reappearing across the country.

On Staten Island, an emergency hospital reopened. Corona hospitalizations there have nearly tripled. In Rhode Island, a field hospital erected. Another put up by the National Guard in Massachusetts and a terribly familiar plea we heard at the beginning of the pandemic now repeated.

MARYLOU SUDDERS, MASSACHUSETTS HHS SECRETARY: If you have the skills, the ability, they can do attitude and have time to work in a hospital. We need you.

SIDNER (voice-over) Experts say what we really need to put the disease on ice the vaccine. Here in El Centro, they took part in the AstraZeneca trial and now have one of the precious super cold refrigerators that hold the delicate vaccine.

EDWARD: This refrigerator I call it my life right now. This is every night we come in to make sure everything is OK with it. That it has what it takes and that we're prepared to actually take it to the next level.

[01:35:02]

SIDNER (on-camera): Doctors, nurses and the public didn't want to have to see this again. But these surge tents that are in the parking lots of hospitals are popping up all over the country.

Sarah Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Infectious disease expert, Dr. Michael Saag, is the chair of AIDS Research at the University of Alabama. He joins me now from Birmingham, Alabama. And this is an issue, I know that that's near and dear to your heart. And before we get to the important meeting on long term effects was held. You have a unique insight you had COVID early, it really hit you. How has it impacted your view on what people go through with initial infection, but also for so many people in the months afterwards?

MICHAEL SAAG, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, UNIV. OF ALABAMA: Well, the biggest thing that I noticed as I went through it was the fear, the fear of not knowing what the next hour what's the next minute would be. And that happened to me for eight days in a row, especially at night. So, when I treat patients, when I see them, I can totally relate to what they're going through, because this is a very unpredictable disease. And we're seeing that not only during the acute infection with a lot of the patients who are suffering with what's called this long haul syndrome, where the symptoms last for months.

HOLMES: I was also reading an interview that you did and I actually I got to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that you got what could be, I think accurately described as hate mail, e-mails, phone calls from random people and so on. You know, you've also spoken about the politicization of the virus, how truth became a casualty. How did that play into not just what you went through, but play into the situation the U.S. now finds itself in?

SAAG: Well, it's a big problem that we're having. And it's not just about me personally, but the United States is pretty torn apart right now, our fabric is just going in different directions. And I liken this a lot to if we were fighting, for example, in World War II, we wouldn't be doing so well, because we're not coming together to fight this virus like we need to. And so, the politicalization, especially during our election time, people would take anything that I said and filter it through a lens of the politics. And if they felt like I was opposite to some of what the administration was saying that I was, all of a sudden, not only an evil person and spewing lies, but I was also trying to undermine the success of the President. And that made it hard for us to get our message out.

I think we're paying the consequence for that right now. Because people are not really adhering to the simple public health measures that we all know by now about wearing masks, avoiding crowds and keeping distance from one another. So, the thing is that we have to now come together, because we're having a huge spike. And that's after our Thanksgiving holiday. And that's going to continue into the Christmas season. I'm very concerned about our future.

HOLMES: Well, yes, I mean, the system is going to be bursting at the seams. Let's go back to the long hole is when it comes to that meeting you were part of on the long term. I mean, disability issue, you could really call it. Has enough been done to understand these ongoing effects? This could impact millions of people worldwide. What needs to be done?

SAAG: Well, first thing is we need to define it. We're still getting our head around exactly what this is. We know that people can have a array of symptoms, fatigue is common, very common, but confusion, foggy thinking, shortness of breath, difficulty with GI tract issues, pretty much every organ system, but it's not the same for every person. What I think is going on is that when the person gets an infection with the virus, a virus is long gone, it's taken care of, but it triggers an immune response that lingers on for months. And that's what's happening. The immune system is attacking the body.

So first, we need to define it. And then as we do we need to understand what is going wrong with the immune system. And if we can understand that, then we can start to design treatments.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. I mean, that says a lot that, you know, that that meeting that I'm referring to. Two of the four patients scheduled to speak if I'm not incorrect at that meeting, were unable to because they had to go back to the hospital. Are you worried we're seeing the tip of the iceberg? I mean, this could have enormous social and then also economic costs.

SAAG: Yes, I'm very concerned about it. And it was quite telling. This meeting was sponsored by the NIH and the United States. Its purpose was to get to those issues I just mentioned and help define this. But I was leading a patient panel where we were supposed to have four and only two showed up. And those two who weren't able to show up, had recurrent symptoms have put them back in. And that -- if that doesn't say everything I don't know what does.

[01:40:01]

What I said at that meeting was that we need to let the patient stories power, the research for us to understand what's going on and I'm hopeful that that's going to happen. But you're right, Michael, what's going to happen here is that this is going to play out over the next several months. And even hopefully, when we get the epidemic under control with a vaccine, unfortunately, we're still going to see some people suffering pretty mightily with this long COVID syndrome.

HOLMES: Yes, we still don't know so much. But it's great that people like you are looking into it. Dr. Michael Saag, good luck with your work. Thanks for what you do.

SAAG: Thanks for having me on. I enjoyed it.

HOLMES: Now, the U.S. President spent Saturday night campaigning in Georgia ahead of that special runoff election there. He spent most of the time insisting he didn't lose the election last month. But of course, he did lose. And now Mr. Trump's time in the White House is quickly coming to an end. We're learning more about how he's planning to use one of his most significant presidential powers. The power to ground patterns.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond with that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, as President Trump nears the end of his presidency, the White House has been abuzz with meetings about potential pardons. The White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, has been leading a series of meetings since Election Day about who President Trump will pardon in his final days in office. And the question here, though, isn't so much about how many people the President will pardon. He's actually used his pardon power far less than previous presidents. But it's about the nature of these pardons.

President Trump has been far more willing to go outside the norms of what these parties actually look like, using them to dole out rewards for his political allies, as he did in the case of the former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. That was a highly controversial part in that the President issued just a week and a half ago. And he's also of course, granted pardons outside the normal bounds of the Justice Department's part in office, circumventing those procedures and instead favoring appeals from high profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian.

But, in these final weeks, our sources have told us that the President is considering more controversial pardons for his political allies. And there's also a quiet lobbying campaign by some including the President's attorney Rudy Giuliani, for preemptive pardons. Pardons that would be issued on the basis of any potential crimes that may have been committed. And some names that are also coming up, or the President's children. There's a lot of discussion inside and around the White House right now about the potential for President Trump to issue some of those preemptive pardons for himself and for his family members, which would, of course, be highly, highly controversial.

Now, it's notable, of course, that the President is looking at these pardons, clearly clear eyed about the fact that he has a limited amount of time remaining in office. But of course, that hasn't stopped the president from continuing to allege that this 2020 election was rigged despite a total lack of evidence of any widespread voter fraud. And one of the reasons why is that President Trump has been able to fundraise massively off of this. Raising more than $207 million since Election Day for himself, for his campaign for the RNC, as well as for a political action committee that the President will use in the coming months after his presidency to continue to maintain influence over the Republican Party and his loyal voter base.

Jeremy Diamond's CNN, the White House.

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HOLMES: A bomb cyclone is hitting the northeastern United States, plenty of heavy rain snow as well. Millions under winter storm alerts and thousands without power. As fun doesn't it? We'll have a live update after the break.

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[01:46:56]

HOLMES (voice-over): More than 2 million people in New England are under winter storm alerts a powerful nor'easter now turning into a bomb cyclone, as some areas have seen nearly a foot of snow. Nearly 200,000 people without power in Maine conditions expected thankfully to improve later this weekend.

Let's get the latest from CNN's Derek Van Dam. Dramatic stuff, a lot of uncomfortable weekend for a lot of people. Fill us in.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really is. In fact, if this storm was just a few degrees colder at the start of the nor'easter I think we'd have a debilitating snowstorm on hand. But that's just not the case, we've had a lot of snow it is an uncomfortable weekend for many across the East Coast into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. But it could have certainly been worse with the potential for two to three feet of snow. But in many cases, we've only seen about a foot of snow because a lot of this fell as rain initially.

You talk about the word bomb cyclone. This is a qualification that we give very rarely to low pressure systems off the east coast or anywhere across the world, they have to meet this criteria of dropping 24 millibars in a 24 hour period or more. So that means that the strength of the storm really intensified over that period of a day. And you can just see that, well the wind associated with the system. We're talking about gusts over 50 to 60 miles per hour. The heavy wet snowflakes that did manage to fall from this storm accumulated quickly on the roadways making for treacherous driving conditions but it also accumulated on some of the residual fall or autumn trees that leaves that are still on the trees here across northern New England.

So, a lot of power outages. Last count there's nearly 250,000 people without electricity at the moment. You can see the winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and advisories that are starting to be expired from west to east as the system continues to move away rather quickly. In fact, we're already seeing the backside of the snowfall and in Boston, Northern New England specifically Maine and New Hampshire. You'll still see snowfall for the next six to 12 hours, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, rain and snow with wind for the next 12 hours. But then the system will quickly exit to the north and east.

A lot of rain is falling with a system initially. In fact, we had upwards of six to 10 inches of rain before the cold air ushered in behind it. And left snowfall totals like this. You can see over a foot of snow in Paxton, Massachusetts.

So yes, uncomfortable weekend. I guess that's what fireplaces are for right, Michael?

HOLMES: Exactly. Exactly. Good to see you my friend.

VAN DAM: All right, same to you.

HOLMES: Derek Van Dam there. All right, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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[01:53:20]

HOLMES: There may be hope on the horizon for millions of Americans as U.S. lawmakers appear to be reaching a compromise on a new stimulus package. But for lots of families the damage is already done. Many of them have lost their jobs. They're struggling to put food on the table.

And to CNN's Natasha Chen shows us others are dealing with the stress of eviction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 2020 has been a year of firsts for Victoria Giddens, and none have been caused for celebration. In March as the pandemic forced much of the economy closed, Giddens who had just accepted a job with a rental car company at the airport had that offer rescinded a first for 30-year-old Giddens who lives with her boyfriend and their two-year-old son.

VICTORIA GIDDENS, FACING EVICTION: We knew we had the two-year-old to take care of everything. So, I was so depressed that the (INAUDIBLE).

CHEN (voice-over): Two incomes in January became one by March. Then as she struggled to find work and stay on top of some bills, another first, an eviction notice on her door telling her she had to be out by January 6th.

GIDDENS: I'll be stressed every day. I just try not to let it show.

CHEN (voice-over): Especially not in front of her son who can sense when something's wrong. This year was also her first time ever asking for financial assistance just to pay their past due rent.

ESLENE RICHMOND-SCHOCKLEY, FOUNDER, CARING FOR OTHER: Where does this put this client if we clear up the past due rent?

CHEN (voice-over): We follow Gidens to see as Eslene Richmond-Shockley founder of the organization Caring For Others.

RICHMOND-SCHOCKLEY: During COVID-19 era, you have seen the rules change so much towards the clients. And every day is a fight.

The rules for --

[01:55:01]

CHEN (voice-over): The check for more than $4,400 came from donors she found in the last few days preventing Giddens from being thrown out of her home at least for now.

GIDDENS: I'm blessed and thankful.

CHEN (voice-over): For Shockley, who says her organization has run out of financial assistance funds. The issue strikes a raw nerve.

RICHMOND-SCHOCKLEY: And I understand what it is to sleep at a Greyhound bus station a Christmas Eve night in Washington D.C. But no one would open their doors for me. And I was a student and I have to continue helping till the day I die. CHEN (voice-over): But even helping tenants with past due rent won't solve the problem of what's ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a temporary order to halt evictions nationwide. But that expires at the end of the month. So, Georgia Legal Services Susan Reif says housing attorneys are bracing for the first Monday in January.

SUSAN REIF, GEORGIA LEGAL SERVICES: I think every legal services housing attorney in Georgia has that date circled in red, because that is the day that the courts will open and landlords can go in and begin filing dispossessory for non-payment.

CHEN (voice-over): The CDC would not answer our question about whether the order would be extended citing ongoing litigation. And anything a new administration may do won't happen until President-elect Biden takes office in late January. I asked Rif what tenant protections there are in the meantime.

REIF: I have no good answer for you or for my clients who call with those issues and it is a painful position to be in as a warrior.

CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A dire situation. Thanks for watching everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. I will have another hour of "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment.

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