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U.S. Reports 1 Million New Cases in Just Five Days; CNN Reports, Trump Campaign Legal Efforts May Be Coming to an End; Source Says, Barr Considers Stepping Down before Trump Leaves Office. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired December 07, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:02]

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: Thanks for spending your time with us today. I hope to see you back here this time tomorrow. Don't go anywhere, a busy news day. Brooke Baldwin picks up our coverage right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN RIGHT NOW: John, thank you. Hi there, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me, watching CNN this earlier on a Monday. Good to be with you.

We begin with rapid escalation of COVID cases in this country. And just for context at the beginning of the pandemic, it took the U.S. almost 100 days just to reach that 1 million mark of infections. But now, America just reported another million cases in just five days.

As new hot spots are erupting all across the country, so are new restrictions. 33 million people in California are under the new stay at home order. That is roughly 85 percent of the state's population. Dr. Anthony Fauci says that while the first round of lockdown was to prevent infections, this round will be about saving hospitals and health care systems from just being totally overrun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I have been in discussion with the health authorities in the state of California who called me and asked, you know, they said, we feel we need to do this, what do you think? And I said you know you really don't have any choice. When you have the challenge to the health care system, you've got to do something like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN (voice over): We do know that the FDA will meet on Thursday to consider emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, but the CDC and Operation Warp Speed have just told state leaders that even if that vaccine is given the green light, the supply will likely fall short and that, initially, there won't be enough shots to fully vaccinate those groups designated as first priority.

All of this is happening as President Trump's Personal Attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is hospitalized with COVID. He spent weeks out and about on the road, meeting with a lot of people, all while fighting the election results on the president's behalf. Here he was at the Georgia state capitol on Thursday, not wearing a mask. He is just the latest person in the president inner circle to get coronavirus.

We'll get more on his fallout from his diagnosis a little later this hour. But, first, let's just get more on the tens of millions of Californians who are under this new stay-at-home order as of today. CNN's Stephanie Elam is live in Los Angeles. And, Stephanie, what are the rules this go around?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. It's pretty much like what we saw before but a little bit different, Brooke, to make it pretty blunt. What we're looking at now is basically two regions of California that have now fallen into this new barometer, where their ICU beds, the capacity that's available, is below 15 percent.

And those two regions would be San Joaquin Valley, where you see a lot of our agricultural businesses, where they are, and then also Southern California, which would include where I am right now. Those ICU bed capacities, well, almost -- approaching almost like 95 percent in both of those places.

So because of that, as of about midnight last night, we are seeing now that the stay-at-home order is in place, which means that you can't get your haircut, can't go to the barbershop, no salons, you can't go to a museum. All of these things are going to be for at least three weeks.

It may end up being longer than that because, and let me give you numbers, California reported yesterday one-day tally of more than 30,000 people testing positive for the virus. Hospitalizations are now above 10,000.

Governor Gavin Newsom is actually holding a press conference right now, which I was listening to. And he said that 72 percent -- there's been a 72 percent rise in hospitalizations over the last 14 days, so that shows you how quickly this is ramping up here in Los Angeles County.

The superintendent of the Los Angeles school district just announcing this morning that they're moving everything back to online, no more in-school lessons right now because they're saying that the spread of the virus is so rampant that they feel it is important to suspend this for the rest of the fall semester. It just gives you an idea of where these numbers are.

Here in L.A. County, more than 10,000 tested positive for the virus based on data that came out from the county yesterday, and also hospitalizations are approaching 3,000. All of these numbers are going in the wrong direction, and this is exactly why the stay-at-home orders are coming into place. It sounds like that there may be a couple more regions that may be falling into this stay-at-home order very soon. That's what it sounds like the governor was talking about before I got off to talk to you. So we will have some more updates on that. But, obviously, we are watching this hospitalization number rise very fast, dramatically.

Think about that 30,000 number, that is people that have tested positive. And some of them are going to end up in a hospital in a couple of weeks.

BALDWIN: It is stunning. We are going to talk to the head of the California Hospital Associate in just a few seconds. Steph, thank you so much. We'll let you listen to Gavin Newsom again.

But before we do that, to a major step toward the, quote/unquote, light at the end of the tunnel here.

[13:05:02]

That is what health officials have been calling it, a coronavirus vaccine. On Thursday, the FDA will meet to decide whether to grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. If that happens, it will finally open up the way for distribution.

We are now learning from a CNN analysis that there won't be enough doses for those first in line for vaccination.

CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard is with me with the details. And, Jackie, all right, so we won't have enough vaccines. That's obviously a huge, huge issue. What do the numbers show?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes. Well, here is what the CNN analysis found. So, the analysis looked at vaccine data for 27 states. It looked at how many doses those states received in the first initial shipments. And, Brooke, the analysis found that none of the states will have enough vaccine to vaccinate all health care workers in their states.

So, to follow-up on California, California is an example. California is a state in this analysis. And if you look at California, California has to vaccinate 2.4 million health care workers. But Governor Gavin Newsom said last week that the state is only receiving 327,000 doses of the vaccine from Pfizer to start with. So this tells us states have to rely on some additional shipments to really get all health care workers vaccinated.

And to put it in perspective, here is how many health care workers there are across the country. If you look nationwide, numbers tell us there are about 21 million health care workers and about 3 million long-term facility residents. We know those are the two groups that will get vaccinated first.

So, if you look at the numbers, we're going to need enough vaccine to vaccinate about 24 million people just in this first phase, in the first phase of vaccinating these high priority groups. And, of course, Brooke, before any vaccinations happen, like you said, we first need to authorize a vaccine. So, all eyes are on this Thursday December 10th meeting and advisory committee to the FDA will meet to look at data on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, will decide on whether that they should issue an emergency use authorization.

And Operation Warp Speed's chief scientific adviser, Moncef Slaoui, had some thoughts on this. Here is what he had to say. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: So, overall, I really hope they do it quickly and that the vaccine will be available to our population starting later this week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: All eyes on this meeting. Once an authorization happens, then we'll have to look at shipments. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. Thank you also for hitting on those numbers specifically in California, because back to that crisis, for the last five days in a row, it has reported a record number of new cases a day. Sunday alone, more than 30,000 new infections, and this is more cases in one day than Australia has seen in the entire pandemic, just for a little perspective.

With me now, Carmela Coyle, she is the President and CEO of the California Hospital Association. So, Carmela, thank you so much for being on with me. Welcome.

CARMELA COYLE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: All right. So, I just did some quick math. If according to our correspondent there in California, 2.4 million health care workers need vaccinations, and Pfizer sends just a little over 300,000. What do you do? How do you get the rest of those shots to help the health care workers not get sick?

COYLE: Right. We along with everyone else are buckling up for the long haul here. The story of the pandemic is a story of shortages. And whether that's shortages of critical care nurses, shortages of testing supplies, shortages of personal protective equipment, and at least for the moment, shortages of vaccines, there will be enough to begin with those frontline nurses and other workers in direct and indirect contact with patients, but it will be some time. We think perhaps late into next year before we really see widespread vaccination of the general public.

BALDWIN: At what point do you fear hospitals, just given shortages of A, B and C above, what point do you fear hospitals will have to turn patients away?

COYLE: Our objective is never turn a patient away. And our objective is to care for everyone who is in need. But it is going to be tough and it is going to be tight. California is a big state, 40 million people. We have got over 400 hospitals. Some of them are already deep into this surge mode. As you heard especially in the southern part of the state, San Diego, Imperial County, the Los Angeles Region and the San Joaquin Valley, these are places already where they are exceeding their ICU capacity.

I think one of the most important things to remember though is when we talk about ICU capacity. It is not just about beds and mattresses and pillows. The limiting factor, the most important factor here in caring for people who have the COVID-19 disease are the nurses, the staff.

[13:10:07]

That's what's short and that's what's different this time around than it was during our summer surge.

BALDWIN: Early on, Carmela, we were talking about California, I mean, early on in the year, sort of near the beginning of the pandemic. And California has had some of the toughest restrictions this whole nation has implemented. Why do you think the surge is happening in your state?

COYLE: We did a great job in California early and we really held to those key prevention measures, masks and physical distancing. We can track this surge literally to the Halloween weekend. And people beginning to come together. It is fatigue. It is isolation fatigue.

And I think the most important reminder is we can't drop our guard. While we are tracking ICU beds, and that's important, we want to maintain capacity we had to treat not just COVID patients but heart attacks and stroke patients and cancer patients and more, but the most important thing we can do right now is to stop the spread of the virus and the infection in the first place. And that's why we want to try to see what we can do now to bend the curve.

That 30,000 figure, the number of Californians who turned positive in just a single day is three times higher than anything we saw during our summer surge. So, we need everyone to wait a little longer, a little more, so that we can, at the end of the day, help our nurses and doctors do what they do best.

BALDWIN: I know. And I appreciate you saying that. It is extraordinary to just pinpoint it to Halloween, and we've yet to see the peak because of the Thanksgiving numbers and then we're about to be in the rest of the holidays in December, which is what doctors and nurses are fearing.

I am curious, as you know, you're talking about stopping the spread as part of this California mandate. I know some outdoor dining will be restricted. And when I read about small business owners saying, it is a sock in the gut for them and their bottom line, and do you think outdoor dining is causing the problem? Is that part of the issue with the higher numbers and the spread?

COYLE: You know, the state experts really think that it is the indoor activity, the indoor mixing and mingling. We had families, people coming together. You're right, the Thanksgiving impact is not in these numbers yet. And so it is really that indoor piece of all of this that people fear the most.

But this is nothing short of alarming in terms of numbers that we are seeing and we've just got to do everything we possibly can to mitigate that continued exponential rise in the number COVID positive cases. 12 percent of people who are COVID positive will end up in the hospital and we just have got to make certain that we can make the best use.

Remember that those nurses and those doctors have been doing this for almost a year now. They're exhausted. They need our support. They need our help. The best thing we can do, right, keep those masks on, stay at home and stay safe.

BALDWIN: Do it for the doctors and nurses and loved ones. Carmela Coyle, thank you for all that and just the healthy reminder we all need each and every day. I appreciate you.

COYLE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Speaking of COVID, Rudy Giuliani is the newest addition to the growing list of Trump friends, associates to get COVID, and he was just caught on video (INAUDIBLE) handing supporters without a mask on. What is going on?

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden revealing key members of his health team. We have those new details today, just ahead.

And just in, multiple sources telling CNN that the Trump campaign's many legal efforts over the election may finally be coming to an end.

You're watching CNN. I am Brooke Baldwin. We'll be right back.

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[13:15:00]

BALDWIN: We are back to watching CNN this Monday. I am Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being here.

Multiple sources are telling CNN that President Trump's legal efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election may be coming to an end. This news comes as the man who is leading that fight, the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is now in the hospital getting treated after testing positive for coronavirus.

Just in the last couple weeks, we have seen Giuliani crisscrossing the country, shaking hands, appearing in state capitols, hotel ballrooms, indoor news conferences, all while not wearing a mask. The former New York City mayor is the latest person in the president's inner circle to get the virus. The president, First Lady Melania Trump, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany are among those who have had it already.

And White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins is with me now. And, Kaitlan, we'll talk about Giuliani in a moment, but, first, tell me more about your reporting on the president's legal efforts ending.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has to do with a combination of factors, but most notably the fact that they are rapidly approaching a lot of deadlines and court rulings that likely are not going in their favor if you've seen what's been happening over the last few weeks since the election. And, of course, there is the certification of the results coming up next week, the Electoral College votes.

And so the president was just asked about this in the Oval Office and, really, where he sees this going from here. And this is what he told reporters, Brooke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Rigged election. You look at the different states, the election was totally rigged. It is a disgrace to our country. It's like a third world country, these ballots pouring in from everywhere, using machinery that nobody knows ownership, nobody knows anything about. They have glitches, as they call them, glitches, glitches who aren't glitches.

[13:20:02]

They got caught sending out thousands of votes, all against me, by the way.

This is like from a third world nation. And I think the case has been made, and now we find out what we can do about it. But you'll see a lot of big things happening over the next couple of days. And, very importantly, we are here for a different reason. We are here to present our highest award, our highest achievement, really, something --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: So, you see there, Brooke, the president says a lot of baseless things, but he also said, I think the case has been made, though, of course, it really has not if you look at the record when it comes to the cases that have been brought by the president or his Republican allies, they have lost or withdrawn 40 cases so far. They've only won one and they've lost or withdrawn about 40 of those. So, obviously, it has not.

But what we are hearing is that between the fact that hose deadlines are fast approaching, that the president's top attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is in the hospital, and that they've suffered a string of court losses, our sourcing and what we are seeing from people is, basically, they think that their efforts to overturn the results or at least delay the certification of the results in several states is coming to an end. They don't expect it to really have much leeway after this. They've stopped having as many meetings or strategy calls on this. So it does have the sense that it is coming to an end.

And just a note on Rudy Giuliani, the president did say he had spoken with his attorney this morning. He said he told him he does not have a fever, that he was feeling well. But, of course, as you noted, this comes after Rudy Giuliani has spent a lot of time on the road, he has been flouting health guidelines, not wearing a mask in a lot of places as he's been crisscrossing the country, trying to make the case or at least help the president make it.

BALDWIN: No matter your politics, we wish Mayor Giuliani well. COVID is nothing to mess around with. Kaitlan, thank you very much for the update on all of that.

Speaking of cases ending and us getting ready for the next president, tomorrow, President-elect Joe Biden will hold an event to introduce the health team that will help lead the administration's pandemic response. Just this morning, we learned the president-elect's choice for the head of Department of Health and Human Services is California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is in Delaware, where Biden is spending his day. And so, Jeff, just talk to me a little bit more about this health team, and who else will be on it.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, we are getting a deeper look at the health care team just seven weeks before the Biden administration takes over and, really, coronavirus and the fight against that is front and center in all of their efforts.

Let's do take a look at members of the health team. As you said, Xavier Becerra, he is the California attorney general, longtime member of Congress as well. And he has really led the fight against the Affordable Care Act, defending the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court and elsewhere. So he is going to be leading the Health and Human Services department, at least he will be nominated for that.

The other top members are Dr. Vivek Murthy. He is going to be nominated to be the surgeon general. Of course, he served that post for three years during the Obama administration. He is a top adviser to the president-elect and he has been.

And a newer leader of the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, is Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Of course, she comes from Mass General. She has been on CNN and elsewhere a lot during this COVID crisis. She's a leader in that field.

And, of course, Dr. Anthony Fauci, he will be the president's chief medical adviser, of course, focusing on COVID-19, as well as a couple other members there.

So, Brooke, what we're really seeing here is the health team taking shape. But they do know the challenges against them.

So, why Xavier Becerra? This is certainly something that just came in the last couple days. There were a variety of other people leading the way. But members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were pushing for him or others to be named. So, he, of course, is not a medical expert but he has some management experience. And President-elect Biden said he did it because he wants to put people with integrity in charge of the health department. So we will see all these members of the health team here at Wilmington tomorrow, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Great. We'll look for it. Jeff, thank you very much for all of that.

ZELENY: Sure.

BALDWIN: Back in Washington, the president's attorney general, Bill Barr, has apparently had enough. A source tells CNN that Barr is now considering quitting in these waning weeks, even before Trump leaves office, after Trump reportedly erupted at Barr for saying that there was no widespread voter fraud. We have got those new details, next.

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[13:25:00]

BALDWIN: Will he quit or will he be fired? That is the question surrounding Attorney General Bill Barr right now. Sources tell CNN that Barr is considering stepping down before January 20th, that's when Joe Biden officially takes the oath of office. There could also be talk that he could be fired because in an interview with the Associated Press last week. He said the Department of Justice didn't see any evidence of widespread voter fraud, like the president continues to claim.

So, let's go to Chris Cillizza. He's our CNN Politics Reporter and Editor-at-Large. And, Chris, first of all, good to see you, my friend.

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Good to see you.

BALDWIN: Last week, President Trump was asked if he still had confidence in Bill Barr, he did not say yes. They had apparently that tense exchange earlier last week at the White House. What do you make of Barr considering quitting?

CILLIZZA: Okay.

[13:30:00]

So, I think you'll follow this one, Brooke. The way I think about it is this way.