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Giuliani Hospitalized With COVID After Trip To Georgia; Restaurants In California Hit By New Restrictions; South Korean Military To Contact Trace As Fourth Wave Breaks; U.K. Launches Ambitious COVID Immunization Program; U.S. FDA Meets Thursday To Decide To Green Light Vaccine; U.S. Senate Candidates Debate Ahead of Critical Runoff; Biden to Name Pick for Health and Human Services Secretary; U.K. and E.U. Officials in Final Talks for Post-Brexit Deal; Finding Christmas Comfort During a Pandemic. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 07, 2020 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

ROBYN CURNOW, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hi, I'm Robyn Curnow, you're watching CNN.

Coming up. Around the world coronavirus numbers are abysmal but there is a glimmer of hope as countries prepare for vaccines this week.

Also, a CNN Exclusive. Refugees from Ethiopia's Tigray region share their stories about being targeted.

And the final Brexit talks will soon commence in what's being called the final throw of the dice.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: From Asia to the Americas, more cities and more countries are reporting record coronavirus numbers and imposing tougher restrictions to try and contain the spread.

Now more than 67 million infections are being confirmed worldwide. Many come from countries like Russia which saw its highest number of daily cases on Sunday.

We're also seeing spikes in Seoul, South Korea where officials are expected to tighten COVID measures this week.

Here in the U.S... the infection rate remains the highest in the world and the crisis just keeps on getting worse and worse. On Sunday, another sharp rise in cases and the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

Now among those hospitalized with COVID is President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. The 76-year-old was admitted on Sunday after the president announced he had tested positive.

And in a tweet, Mr. Giuliani said -- "I'm getting great care and feeling good recovering quickly and keeping up with everything."

But before his test, Giuliani had been traveling across the country leading the president's legal effort to try and overturn the election results.

Jeremy Diamond has more on his current condition. Jeremy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the coronavirus has struck once again inside President Trump's inner circle. This time the former New York City mayor and the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, testing positive for the virus.

The president announced the news in a tweet on Sunday. Now he didn't provide many details about Giuliani's condition but a source familiar with the matter told me a few hours after the president's tweet that Mayor Giuliani was admitted to the hospital, Georgetown University hospital indeed admitted to the hospital, admitted to Georgetown University Hospital here in Washington D.C.

A sign that clearly his condition was serious enough to at least warrant hospitalization. Giuliani, of course, is 76 years old and in that higher risk category.

But over the last week what we've seen from Mayor Giuliani is him engaging in the kind of behavior that you certainly shouldn't engage in during this coronavirus pandemic, especially when you're in that high-risk category.

Giuliani was crisscrossing the country visiting three key states in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

You can see him here. On Thursday, he was in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia state capital shaking hands, hugging people, taking pictures with folks in very close quarters. All of this not wearing a mask.

This is the kind of reckless behavior , again, that not only puts Mayor Giuliani at risk but that puts other folks at risk. Now that he has tested positive, a lot of those people could potentially have been infected with the virus. So that's obviously a concern.

Now Mayor Giuliani, we don't have many updates on his condition but his son did take to Twitter on Sunday to say, quote --

"My dad, Rudy Giuliani, is resting, getting great care and feeling well. Thank you to all of the friends who have reached out concerned about his well-being."

And Giuliani is just the latest person in the president's inner circle to test positive for the virus.

We have seen dozens of people close to the president testing positive. And while you certainly can contract this virus when you're be as careful as possible, many of those around the president are folks who have disregarded those public health guidelines, rejecting the wearing of masks as an important preventative measure.

And of course, none other than the president himself has continued to disregard those public health guidelines and hasn't done anything amid this deadly surge of the pandemic to encourage Americans to take those steps.

DIAMOND (On Camera): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: And in just a few hours time, tens of millions of people in California will be placed under new coronavirus restrictions as the state battles record infection numbers and hospitalizations.

Now these new measures will close down businesses and require people to stay at home for the next few weeks as Paul Vercammen now reports. Paul.

Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In all of these stay at home orders now being enacted in California one of the rules is no more outdoor dining in the Southern California region, in the San Joaquin region and much of the Bay Area.

Now for these restaurant owners it's just been awful and worse for their employees. Right behind me, the closed down Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill in Sherman Oaks.

[01:05:00]

The owner went viral with one of her messages, I talked to her. She says one thing that is just absolutely crushing for her is telling employees that they do not have a job for the holidays.

ANGELA MARSDEN, OWNER, PINEAPPLE HILL SALOON & GRILL: It's unbearable. You try to put on a good face, you try to say don't worry, we're going to reopen, I'm going to make it happen.

But to look at my staff given their last paycheck right before Christmas -- and some of them are new or staff that have been shut down over and over and their unemployment's running out and they have kids and children -- it's the most excruciating feeling.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: There's no options. There's no options for our entire industry. And it's not because we're trying to stay on unemployment and just sit on that --

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yours is almost out, right?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mine's almost out and I have no idea -- I have no idea what I'm going to do.

VERCAMMEN: And the owner here at the Saloon & Grill telling me she's explored the possibility of take out and still trying to work it out. But the numbers just don't add up in terms of trying to make some kind of profit by staying open for take out delivery only.

VERCAMMEN (On Camera): Reporting from Sherman Oaks, I'm Paul Vercammen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Thanks, Paul, for that.

Now South Korea has more active COVID cases than at any other point in the pandemic and now authorities there are tightening restrictions.

I want to go straight to Kristie Lu Stout. Kristie joins us from Hong Kong with more details on what's happening in Seoul in particular. Hi, Kristie.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Robyn. And we've just learned that the situation there in South Korea has gotten so serious that the South Korean military has been called in to help out with contact tracing efforts. This, according to the Blue House on Monday.

Now South Korea is clamping down on coronavirus cases as cases reach a new high mark, the highest amount of new cases in about nine months.

Starting on Tuesday, the nation will be rolling out a raft of new and very strict social distancing measures as infections surge in the capital city of Seoul.

Starting on Tuesday in the Seoul metropolitan area there will be a ban on social gatherings of 50 or more people. This applies to funerals as well as there will be a ban on spectators at sporting events. Also gyms and karaoke businesses will be closed.

As for the rest of the country, we know that masks will become mandatory in all indoor facilities, clubs and bars will be closed. Restaurants will only be allowed to serve take out or provide delivery services after 9:00 pm.

Again, these measures that kick on Tuesday that will remain in place for at least three weeks.

Now at the weekend we heard from the minister of health who described this moment as a quote "dangerous situation."

PARK NEUNG-HOO, SOUTH KOREAN MINISTER OF HEALTH & WELFARE (Through Translator): We concluded this was a dangerous situation on the verge of expanding into a nationwide pandemic.

Accordingly, we decided to raise the social distancing level to 2.5 in the capital area which is a strict restriction on social activities and to raise the level to two in non-capital areas in order to prevent the spread."

STOUT: Today South Korea reported 615 new COVID-19 infections, on Sunday it reported 631 new cases. That is the highest number since March. Robyn.

CURNOW: And why has it gotten so bad, what is behind this resurgence?

STOUT: This resurgence is happening, it's being called the third wave because it's not involving just one cluster.

During the first wave of infection there was a cluster surrounding a church. During the second wave the cluster was surrounding a nightclub. This time, there are numerous clusters involved in this third wave.

And that has introduced these silent chains of transmission into the community making it really, really difficult to contain these multiple outbreaks.

There's an additional worry which is the timing. Recently we had college students or those aspiring to go to college take part in these college entrance exams.

They are now planning to travel from the site of the exams to the colleges they wish to apply to. It's peak travel season, Christmas is coming up.

That's why the government is taking action and putting these measures into place that will be in place for three weeks. Robyn.

CURNOW: And broadly, what are we looking at in Asia in terms of trends and how things are going with COVID?

STOUT: Reporting from home, yet again for you, Robyn, here in Hong Kong. There are multiple communities across Asia that have over the last few months been performing well in containing the pandemic.

And yet this virus is a beast. It just comes back, it finds the Achilles heel, it looks out for vulnerabilities. It takes root in the community through either one cluster or multiple clusters.

It's happening in South Korea, it's happening again here in Hong Kong and elsewhere. And as we go through -- here in Hong Kong it's a fourth wave, in South Korea, it's a third wave.

It's just a cautionary tale of what's to come in Western communities around the world.

Back to you.

CURNOW: OK. Thanks for that. Kristie Lu Stout there, appreciate it.

So the U.K. is about to launch the country's biggest ever vaccination program this week to fight the coronavirus.

Now the National Health Service, the NHS, will give out the first round of doses on Tuesday. Officials are hoping this could mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic in the U.K..

[01:10:00]

Cyril Vanier has more on the vaccine rollout from London. Cyril. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's tons of excitement here as the U.K.'s about to start vaccinating people against the coronavirus, arguably, the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for this pandemic.

The first jabs will take place on Tuesday in England, Scotland, and Wales. And it's going to be the biggest immunization campaign that this country has ever carried out.

Health officials expect to have up to 4 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year -- we're talking about the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine here.

And that's enough for 2 million patients. And that number, 2 million, tells you that from now on this is going to be all about logistics.

The first doses have been in country for several days, they were checked to make sure that they were kept cold enough at all times, minus 70 degrees Celsius, and then dispatched across the country. In England, 50 hospital hubs are getting them.

The very first wave of patients to get the vaccine are 80-year-olds and above who are already in those hospitals. Next up, hospitals will start bringing in the elderly and nursing home staff as well as vulnerable health workers.

And the program will continue to expand from there with local doctors beginning to administer the vaccine the following week in a limited number of practices.

Now it's going to be months before enough people are vaccinated here to really truly slow down the spread of the virus. But this week will probably go down as the turning point in the U.K.'s fight against COVID.

VANIER (On Camera): Cyril Vanier, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: And Indonesia got its first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine from China on Sunday.

More than 1 million doses were flown in aboard a charter flight. The country plans to get nearly 2 million more doses in early January.

Indonesia reported a daily record of more than 6,000 new cases on Sunday.

And then here in the U.S., the Food & Drug Administration will meet on Thursday to decide whether the Pfizer vaccine could receive emergency use authorization.

On Sunday, a top health official predicted the agency would greenlight the drug quote, "very quickly," but he warned the U.S. will still have to take precautions until it becomes widely available.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

We should be able to have immunized that full population and the health care workers that take care of them by the end of the month of December or by the middle of the month of January.

The vaccine efficacy, as we have seen it, actually starts reasonably quickly after the first dose of vaccine and then is further maintained with the second dose.

And therefore, I'm hopeful that by the end of the month in January we should already see quite a significant decrease in the mortality and severe morbidity associated in the elderly population.

There are, of course, many other people that have comorbidities that live outside of care facilities that -- it will take more time to immunize them.

By the middle of the month of March, we should have really covered most of the highly susceptible population, about 100 million people.

My opinion based on science and experience I have is that this vaccine effectiveness will be long-lasting because one of the hallmarks of our immune system is it has memory, it remembers everything we learned, it learned.

And when it sees the virus again it responds to it much, much faster than when it sees it the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, I want to bring in Dr. Anish Mahajan, he's the chief medical officer at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.

Doctor, hi. Thank you so much for joining us this hour.

So you heard our correspondent there in London talking about the vaccine roll out that's going to happen in the coming days in the U.K., hopefully soon -- sooner elsewhere. What excites you the most about all this?

DR. ANISH MAHAJAN, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I think it's a tremendous achievement. It's one of the first real big signs of hope in this pandemic.

The three vaccine companies have reported very positive results, very good efficacy. And that's historic, to create viruses so quickly with new technology.

CURNOW: It is, certainly, and there's light at the end of the tunnel for all of us who need it and also those who are sick, of course.

But the big question about these vaccines is whether or not they prevent infection or just prevent sickness. Now that's going to have a huge, huge bearing, isn't it, on whether or not those who are vaccinated should continue to social distance or wear a mask in the coming months?

[01:15:00]

MAHAJAN: Absolutely. So far, the data on these vaccines 'effectiveness has not yet been published in the scientific peer review literature for scientists everywhere to review them.

That said, the Federal -- the Food & Drug Administration, the FDA, is carefully reviewing the data right now as they go toward approval of these vaccine candidates from Pfizer and Moderna.

And so far, what we know from the data that's been released is it's more than 90 percent effective to prevent someone who takes the vaccine from getting sick from COVID.

Now, we do not yet know if taking the vaccine will prevent the person who takes it from giving the COVID virus to somebody else. We also don't know if it will work in children and those tests will be starting soon.

CURNOW: So when you look at the coming year, when do you think -- now this I know is the million dollar question that we all want to know -- when do you think we will all be vaccinated, when can people look forward to family holidays or going back to their work buildings?

What -- if you were a betting man, what does 2021 look like for you?

MAHAJAN: 2021 will be difficult.

CURNOW: OK.

MAHAJAN: This is not actually something like a magic wand. It will take months and months for the companies to create enough vaccine to vaccinate all Americans.

So in the first tranche of vaccines that are expected to be available before the end of the year, there will only be doses for about 20 million Americans and those will be for health care workers.

It will take many, many months, well into 2021, before people take the vaccine.

Now, throughout this time, we all need to continue wearing our masks, socially distancing, and doing all of the things necessary to keep each other safe. Because this is going to take a long time.

CURNOW: OK. And with that in mind, what's happening now -- we've just been reporting that Rudy Giuliani is in hospital with COVID.

How at risk is he, particularly because of his age, and also these images of him traveling across the country, trekking across the country, for Donald Trump not wearing a mask or social distancing, what do you make of that as well?

MAHAJAN: Well, Rudy Giuliani is in his seventies and we know that patients who are older generally do not do as well as younger patients who get COVID.

I've seen the video as well of Rudy Giuliani going around the country without a mask, interacting with others, hugging people, giving people high fives while not wearing a mask. This is precisely the kind of irresponsible leadership that has landed our country in the situation it's in.

We really all need to take the precautions to protect ourselves and others. It is possible that Rudy Giuliani has infected maybe hundreds of other people in his travels in this past couple of weeks.

CURNOW: Well, thank you for that update. Anish Mahajan, a doctor in Los Angeles. Really appreciate you joining us this hour. Thank you, sir.

And thank you also for all of the great work that you and your team are doing there on the ground as well.

MAHAJAN: Thank you.

CURNOW: So you are watching CNN.

Just ahead, an exclusive. Left with physical and emotional and scars, Ethiopian refugees caught in the Tigray share gripping stories of escape and survival.

Plus, Georgia's high stakes senate election is just weeks away and one of the Republican incumbents isn't giving a straight answer about whether she believes there's been election fraud. We'll hear what she says.

That's next.

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CURNOW: (...) CNN why a U.S. senate candidate in Georgia is debating an empty podium ahead of a critical runoff election. That's next.

Plus officials are set to meet again in Brussels for what's been described as the last roll of the dice for a final Brexit trade deal. But several key hurdles remain. We have that story as well.

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[01:29:58]

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of our viewers around the world. I'm Robyn Curnow here in Atlanta. You're watching CNN.

So voters in the U.S. state of Georgia holding some powerful political cards right now. In less than a month its runoff election will decide whether Republicans can keep control of the U.S. Senate.

Two Republican incumbents are facing off against Democratic challengers and Sunday was debate night, as Ryan Nobles now explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It was a very important contest in Atlanta on Sunday night. Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler, two of the candidates running in the runoff elections in Georgia in their first one-on-one debate of the election cycle.

And it played out much in the way we expected it to. Raphael Warnock attacking Loeffler for some convenient stock trade that took place shortly after she became a United States senator and at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

While Loeffler consistently and often called Warnock a radical liberal over and over again throughout the course of this debate.

But it was Loeffler who found herself in a bit of an awkward position. That's when the moderators pressed her on whether or not she agreed with President Trump's unfounded claims about the way the election was conducted.

She was asked directly whether or not she agrees with the president that it was rigged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, do you agree the election was rigged?

SENATOR KELLY LOEFFLER (R-GA): Look Greg, it's very clear that there were issues in this election. There are 250 investigations open, including an investigation into one of my opponents organizations, you know, for voter fraud.

And we have to make sure the Georgians trust this process because of what is at stake in this election. You know, the promise that Chuck Schumer made was to fundamentally change America. And I'm making sure that we don't go down the road of socialism.

NOBLES: There is no doubt that Loeffler is in a tight spot here. Trump supporters are going to be an important part of the base of the Republican vote here, desperately want her to embrace the president's claims. But there are independent voters and certainly Democrats that might be turned off by all that.

Now, of course, there are two runoffs here in Georgia, but there's only one debate. That's because in the other contests between David Perdue and Jon Ossoff, the Republican David Perdue chose not to even show up.

So as a result, the debate organizers, the Atlanta Press Club and the Georgia Public Broadcasting instead just put an empty lector up on the stage and Ossoff took questions for 30 minutes.

Ryan Nobles, CNN -- Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Patrick Healy is a CNN political commentator. He's also the politics editor of "The New York Times". And he joins me now from New York, of course.

Patrick, lovely to see you. So I want to get your take on these key moments from these very important Georgia debates.

PATRICK HEALY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. It was -- what stood up the most was Senator Kelly Loeffler really dodging a series of questions about whether President Trump had won Georgia. We know in fact that he has lost Georgia in the presidential race. The Republican governor and secretary of state have made that clear.

But the Republican senators from Georgia, Loeffler and David Perdue who's also up for election in the runoff in January, refused to acknowledge this. And you saw in the debate Kelly Loeffler sort of continuing to sidestep this as well as sidestepping other questions about whether she believes that there should be a ban on stop trading in the senate and other points. And instead really trying to unload a very negative attack on Raphael Warnock, her Democratic opponent.

What you're seeing here is basically two Republican senators who are tying themselves so closely to President Trump who lost the state already. Sort of really believing that some kind of a comeback for Republicans is possible in Georgia. That it's still a red enough state and if they stay loyal to Trump that he maybe able to help them get over the finish line.

CURNOW: Do they have -- do they have a point there? Because many -- you know, because George yes, Georgia turned blue but many people split their vote. Going for Biden because they didn't like Mr. Trump or the tone of him. But still very much voting Red Down Ballots I mean this is still a deeply conservative state. I live here.

And it's still very much, you know, deeply-rooted in conservative values. So how likely is it that these seats can be flipped?

HEALY: I think that's right, Robyn. And these are still basically Republicans' races to lose. You know, they are still in many ways the front runners in this races -- Senator Perdue, Senator Loeffler. That they are still -- basically have a lot of advantages with the Republican base in Georgia.

[01:34:44]

HEALY: That basically the last month really last month you really did see a good number of Independent voters, some Republican voters, especially in the Atlanta suburbs rejecting Trump.

But that didn't mean that they automatically became Democrats.

HEALY: So the attacks that you saw in the debate tonight, typically that Loeffler mounted against Warnock, you know, really just remind you that the Republicans are playing out of a playbook that has won them races before in a Georgia, where they are framing Democrats as outside of the mainstream and the sort of too liberal before they'll erase their taxes.

This has worked before in Georgia. So it is a playbook that is understandable why they're going to. The big question is will President Trump ultimately health or potentially hurt because the Republican candidates in Georgia and that's certainly what the Democrats are partly counting on.

CURNOW: Yes, I want to talk about that. So even with Donald Trump, he was here over the weekend, threatening that this had been an illegal and a fraudulent election, there have been a number of pretty virulent attack ads and no doubt those will continue. The comments coming out of these debates.

Turnout is so key. Do you think all of this is a turn off for voters on both sides or not?

HEALY: No, that is really what the Democrats are hoping. And it's unclear if that will actually happen. Whether there are enough Republicans who really believe that somehow the election was rigged in Georgia against President Trump and therefore somehow they can't trust the electoral process.

That is an argument that President Trump is making. But I think what you're going to more likely see is a number of Republican -- a lot of Republican voters who are going to understand that control of the United States Senate is at stake in Georgia. And that they very much want to have the senate remain under Mitch McConnell's control.

And they're not willing ultimately to, you know, to certainly back Democratic candidates. That there were enough Independents and some Republicans who are willing to reject President Trump. But not these Republicans don't want to hand over the Senate to Chuck Schumer and Democrats.

So, you know, at least right now, in terms of the race in Georgia, I think there still is a very strong commitment to these two Republican senators.

CURNOW: Ok. Thanks so much for that analysis. Good to speak to you again. Patrick Healy there, CNN political commentator, also politics editor of "The New York Times".

HEALY: Thanks, Robyn.

CURNOW: And all of these political battles come as the U.S. struggles with coronavirus. On Sunday the country saw another sharp rise in cases and reported its highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

It is still too early to identify a turning point, but the U.S. Secretary of State and Human Health Services says vaccines could be authorized for emergency use very soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX AZAR, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: I don't know of any reason why the system is in any way off track. If things are on track, the advisory committee goes well, I believe we could see FDA authorization within days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well meantime, U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to announce his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Health Services, a critical role in the administration's pandemic response, as you know.

Arlette Saenz has the details on that, Arlette.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: President-elect Joe Biden is rolling out members of his health team at the start of this week and that is expected to include his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sources tell CNN that the president-elect is expected to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead HHS. This will be a very important role as the Biden administration starts planning our their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, Becerra has served as the attorney general of California and led the legal efforts to try to protect the Affordable Care Act. He's also a Latino and, if confirmed, would be the second Latino appointed to Biden's cabinet so far, the fifth person of color appointed to the cabinet.

And that is welcome news to people, groups like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which has been lobbying for more Latino representation within the highest ranks of the administration.

Now, Biden is also expected to announce other members of his health team during this week. We have learned that Jeffrey Zients, one of the co-chairs of his transition is expected to be named as the COVID coordinator for the white house. And the president-elect is making it clear that tackling this pandemic is a top priority and that includes rolling out the members of his team.

Arlette Saenz, CNN -- Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: And the U.K. is running out of time to work out a trade deal with the European Union. Talks have been underway. We'll look at what's stalling the agreement, ahead on CNN.

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CURNOW: Welcome back.

Ireland's foreign minister says the European Union should not ratify post Brexit trade deal if the U.K. breaches international law.

Now, the warming comes as officials from the E.U. and the U.K. are set to talk in the coming hours. They're in the middle of negotiations. A trade agreement, for their new relationship but differences certainly remain on vital, vital issues.

Nic Robertson has all the details from London, Nic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Well, those talks restarting again Sunday. Britain's lead negotiator said David Frost traveling to Brussels. The talks they're being hosted by the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier. The stakes very high. They're being described -- this round of talks being described as the last roll of the dice.

Now, Ursula von der Leyen the European Commission president laid out just precisely where the differences lie. And that some ground has been made positively.

[01:44:52]

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We welcome the fact that progress has been achieved in many areas. Nevertheless significant differences remain on the three critical issues -- level playing field, governance and fisheries. Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not solved.

ROBERTSON: And that was a joint statement with Boris Johnson's office at Number 10 Downing Street.

So where do things stand right now? Well, the two leaders -- Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson have agreed to have another phone call on Monday evening. That's after the negotiators have Sunday and Monday to keep talking.

Michel Barnier has said that he will brief E.U. ambassadors early Monday morning which will he puts the focus on how much ground can be covered in the talks this Sunday.

He says that he will brief the E.U. ambassadors Monday morning. And then can discuss with their relative capitals precisely what the next moves are going to be.

I mean the fact that Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen spoke over the weekend that indicates that it's political decisions that need to be taken, that the negotiators have gone as far as they can go, that the ambassadors on Monday will go back to their capitals with the latest standing of events, indicates that it will be up to the European Union leaders to make their decisions on what they're hear back from the talks.

No characterization of how these talks are going so far but, the reality at the moment is there is, as agreed, differences over fisheries, how much access or any access that European fishermen should have into British coastal waters.

The regulations, that is, how should any agreement be governed? What are the checks and balances? What's the body that should do that?

And on the level playing field, this is implicit that if the British government, subsidizes too much some of its businesses here in the U.K., that would undercut businesses inside the European Union.

So these are big differences still to be bridged, as have the political comprises they made here. That's not yet clear. This is they say, the last roll of the dice.

Of course, we've heard that before, these talks are going to go on. And we know, the deadline -- for the end of the year. Nic Robertson, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: And as expected, Venezuela's ruling party has won the country's parliamentary election. But reportedly, with very, very low turnout.

Opposition leaders urged the public to boycott what they called a fraudulent election perpetrated by controversial President Nicolas Maduro. Some citizens, reported being intimidated, and threatened, ahead of the vote.

Juan Guaido, who's recognized by the U.S. and many other nations as the interim president said, Venezuelans have turned their backs on the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, what you have, is a fraud in our country which has been clearly rejected and not just in the photos and videos, but across the country.

The contrast to this is to go out to the streets, and to demand the right to choose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: "Great victory for the democracy, and the constitution, under his leadership the country is in an economic ruin, in part because of stifling U.S. sanctions, and the pandemic. Guaido warns the crisis there will only get worse. And still ahead here at CNN, the holiday season is usually a time of great joy, but in a year like this, well, we'll look next at some Christmas celebrations around the world to 20 peels (INAUDIBLE) per second.

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CURNOW: Overcrowding has forced the Christmas market in Nottingham, England to close just one day after opening. As you can see from this video few masks are being worn and no social distancing is certainly in play. Nottingham is under tier 3 COVID restrictions, those are the toughest that can be imposed in the U.K. Many famous Christmas markets actually across Europe have now been canceled because of the pandemic.

So, where do you find some holiday comfort during the pandemic? Pope Francis says you only need to look at the great symbols of Christmas all over the world.

So Paula Newton shows us now some of the sights and scenes of the season.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Let there be light. In a year of sickness and quarantine, the radiance of an illuminated Christmas tree, like this one in Manger Square in Bethlehem is good for the soul.

There may be fewer crowds because of the pandemic, but Pope Francis may have said it best overlooking the tree in St. Peters square.

"They are symbols of hope," he says, "especially in this difficult time."

The scenes of the season are a soothing reminder of that. St. Mark's Square in Venice is a cascade of golden light. In a modern twist on the traditional tree, the artist says my purpose is to light up this town, which needs light. Which means, new emotions.

A dazzling drive-through in Brazil, provides a thrill for the children, and a respite for adults. In a country where so many families have been shattered by the virus.

"To have an event like this, where you are safe," one visitor says, "do not get out of your car, it's really great."

A museum in Spain, tried a mix of naughty and nice with this nativity display where even the angels, or wearing masks, and social distancing.

The decorations may be different, but the message is the same. This truly is a time where we all need a little comfort and joy, and there is room for some cheer even in 2020.

Paula Newton, CNN.

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CURNOW: And if you wondered whether Santa Claus' traditional red suit is waterproof, well, here is your answer. At the mall to the national aquarium, Father Christmas took his holiday cheer underwater with snacks in hand.

He went for a swim, alongside the aquarium's fish and the lucky zebra shark. We've got some belly rubs.

And what was once the world's largest radio telescope has now plunged to an end in a spectacular collapse. Actually caught on camera. Take a look at this.

Engineers in Puerto Rico say the huge telescope fell off its platform, after all three support towers broke off. The telescope played a key role in several discoveries over nearly 60 years, like finding the first planet outside of our solar system. The dramatic collapse came just before a planned demolition. Engineers had already decided, it was too dangerous to repair.

Well, I'm Robyn Curnow, thank you very much for watching. I'll be back with more news after a short break.

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