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Trump Plans To Issue Executive Action On Vaccine; California One Of Seven States Breaking Hospitalization Records; Trump To Sign Executive Order Prioritizing Americans For Vaccine; CNN: Biden Picks Retired General Lloyd Austin For Defense Secretary; U.K. Begins Giving First Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired December 08, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Hello everybody, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I am John King in Washington. Thank you so much for sharing this day with us. A global first today offers worldwide hope in the middle of the COVID pandemic's worst stretch.

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old woman in Coventry, England, you see her right there, the first person to receive Pfizer's Coronavirus vaccine, following clinical authorization in the UK. The shot is the start of an every nation's sprint now to eradicate the virus. But for Keenan listen, just another day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGERET KEENAN, FIRST PERSON IN WORLD TO RECEIVE PFIZER COVID VACCINE: It was fine. I wasn't nervous at all. If I can do it, well so can you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That one poke in the arm right there marks the potential inflection point now in the global fight against this horrible pandemic. The United States will soon pass another horrific milestone, 15 million cases. Monday, more than 192,000 new infections, 1400 new deaths, 200,000 cases per day on average is a new American record and new American shame.

President-Elect Biden today introduces his health care team, that's next hour. Its members favor giant changes from the Trump Administration pandemic response and include a history making choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The president- elect also looking to make history with his pick for Defense Secretary and there is a little democratic grumbling today about that choice.

A new analysis from the FDA says Pfizer's vaccine does just as advertised, it's 95 percent effective against the virus after two doses. And researchers confirm that AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate is 70 percent effective both results of course are encouraging news.

Now, part of the Biden Administration challenge is getting and distributing enough vaccines for every American and there are giant questions about how long that will take? President Trump today planning to sign an America first executive order with the stated goal of getting a Coronavirus vaccine to Americans before other nations. Now how that will work, whether it will work at all, is murky?

White House officials are providing us very few details. This morning, asked if he knows what the president is trying to do here, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the White House vaccine effort shrugged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: Frankly I don't know. And frankly I am staying out of this, I can't comment that. I don't tell--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you're the Chief Science Adviser for Operation Warp Speed.

SLAOUI: Our work is rolling. We have plans, we feel that we can deliver the vaccines as needed. So I don't know exactly what this order is about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The wait for a vaccine crushes up against the here and now, the horrific numbers of the here and now. Let's take a look at the latest number before we continue the conversation. And here is just another depressing map here. 36 states, red and orange, 36 states heading in the wrong direction.

What does that mean, more new COVID infections reported now compared to last week. And you see the deep red states, in those states it is 50 percent more new infections at least. 50 percent or more new infections this week compared to last, you see Arizona and California among those.

Remember they were big part of the summer surge. Now the fall winter surge as well. If you want just look at yesterday, these are just depressing numbers when you think about this. More than 192,000 new cases yesterday. The United States now averaging about 200,000 new cases a day. 1400 deaths reported from Coronavirus in the United States of America yesterday.

102,000 plus people hospitalized across the 50 states. 102,000 plus hospitalized because of COVID-19. The total cases again are breaking records all the time, and none of these are records that any of us want to talk about. 15 million cases, we are on the verge of that, you see the numbers on your screen there. 14.975 right now likely to pass 15 million could be within the hour or certainly within the day.

This is what is driving this. The darker these you see and find your state if you're here in the United States, finding your state on this map. The darker the color, the higher the positivity rate. 36 percent in Pennsylvania, 34 percent in Alabama, 39 in Iowa, 43 percent Kansas, 49 percent South Dakota, 29 percent California at 10 percent, California at 10 percent. The public health experts say get it to 5 and push it down. You see so

many states, so many states, the majority well above 5 percent, some above 30 percent, some above 40 percent California putting new restrictions in place this week, because the Governor has seen this before.

Remember where California was driving in the summer surge. Well, now it's cases well above that. The new confirmed cases you see there. This is hospitalizations in California, during the very dangerous and deadly summer surge. Now you see hospitalizations in California passing that as well.

So the Governor says yes, he hopes the vaccine is coming and coming soon, but it's a giant state, and a lot of people. He has new restrictions in place, hospitalizations are up, and the Governor says, he understands parents are also now worried about their children and schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) CALIFORNIA: As a parent, when you have background rates that are exploding, when you see ICUs and you see hospital rates that are putting tremendous strain and pressure that it's not inappropriate for these parents and these professionals to express some concern and anxiety about the safety of their children.

[12:05:00]

NEWSOM: I want to see them back into the classroom but it must be done safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Joining us now to discuss the challenge in California, and how that impacts the entire nation is, California's Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly. Doctor, it's great to see you. Again, I appreciate your time, especially given the urgency. So you hear the governor there talking about the anxiety. There's anxiety across your state, there's anxiety across the country.

Help me understand the context of the moment. The Governor says, there's hope on the horizon, the vaccine is coming. But you're in the middle of a crisis right now that has lead to some severe new restrictions, essentially putting almost a lockdown back in place. Where are you?

DR. MARK GHALY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Well John, thanks for having me. And absolutely the Governor is right; we're experiencing a surge like we've never seen. We've seen surges before, but not like this. And so, we are pulling out the tool we know has worked in the past and that is asking people at great sacrifice, we know, to stay at home as much as possible.

And the new regional stay at home order that the Governor put into place now effecting two large regions in California is exactly that, asking our public to make yet another sacrifice, to continue to save lives in California and keep our health system safe and able to do the work that we expect of it.

KING: And so, what you get inevitably is, people are going through this and your case essentially for a third time, you have the initial onset back in March and April, then you have the summer surge which hit California hard, now you have where you are now. And people get confused, some people are tired, some people just frankly don't trust government officials sadly.

I want to read you this from the L.A. Times from yesterday, this is Dr. Monica Gandhi speaking to the L.A. Times. It's not because the public is irresponsible, it's because they're losing trust in public health officials who put out arbitrary restrictions.

We are failing our public health messaging. Do you think that you're failing in public health messaging? Is it that times change, weeks change or situation changes from day to day and week to week? What is the challenge here?

DR. GHALY: Well, I think all of America is seeing how this is evolved, not only has the disease and transmission evolved, but I think our approaches and our ability to hear messages have changed. And for California, part of the reason why we went with what we know works is the stay-at-home concept is an order that people can really relate to and understand.

It's one of the hardest of those directions and recommendations, but it is something that is clearer than some of the different approaches where we're looking at sector to sector, and giving out guidance that some call arbitrary, some feel overwhelmed and frustrated by. So really, the tool today is Californians stay home as much as you can, transmission is too high. We've done it once, we can do it again.

KING: Dr. Mark Ghaly, I appreciate your important insights, especially you're so busy. We will keep in touch as California and the rest of us go through yet again a spike in these cases. Sir, good luck in the days ahead. And let's move on to President Trump's focus today, another vaccine summit today.

And what you might call his final "America first message." I put that in quotes because White House officials tell us the president will sign an executive order that he says will give Americans first dibs at a Coronavirus vaccine, but White House officials are very hesitant to explain if or how such an order would actually work?

Let's get straight to the White House and CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, is this about protecting Americans or is it what it sounds like which are politics?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's raising a lot of questions and we're not getting a lot of answers on this, John. And of course one of those questions is, does this have anything to do with what we're seeing play out with Pfizer right now, which is where Pfizer is saying that they did approach the administration earlier this summer.

They offered to sell them more doses of their Coronavirus vaccine, because of course they only secured 100 million doses through their agreements that they were making with these companies before they knew if these vaccines would work.

And so, they were moving through with this, Pfizer says, they offered it, that the White House denied that offer that they were going to stick with the 100 million doses. And so, of course now it's raising questions on when Pfizer will be able to deliver more doses to the American people moving forward.

Now, the White House is denying that they rejected any offer. They said negotiations are happening right now. But it's raising questions on this executive order, since this executive order is supposed to be about making sure Americans get the Coronavirus vaccines first, then focusing on distributing it throughout the world and the international community.

And that raises the question, John, can the United States stop a company from distributing its vaccine elsewhere if it already made those commitments with those companies. And that is something that the White House is not shedding a lot of light on. So we are still waiting to see what the answers to that are going to be.

We know there is going to be this vaccine summit here at the White House today where of course the White House is even bluntly admitted in part this is on congratulating the president on his efforts with Operation Warp Speed and the broader efforts of the administration.

[12:10:00]

COLLINS: And so, this comes I want to point out as we are now learning that the Trump Attorney, Jenna Ellis, of course you've seen Chris crossing the country with Rudy Giuliani has informed people that she has tested positive for Coronavirus. Of course that comes after we just found out on Sunday that Rudy Giuliani himself, John, was hospitalized with Coronavirus.

And the president said yesterday that he was doing well. But one thing that this raises a question about with Jenna Ellis is that, we were told she was at a Christmas party here at the White House with senior staff on Friday and she was not wearing a mask.

And of course, it's unclear if she was contagious then. We don't know a lot of details surrounding her diagnosis. But this is someone else you've often seen flouting these health guidelines that is now tested positive in the president's inner circle.

KING: Dozens, dozens of members of the president's inner circle. The fact that she would be at a holiday reception, the fact that those are being held without at least - yes. We've been down this road before, and we continue to see the ramifications of reckless behavior, sorry, that's what it is, the ramifications of reckless behavior.

Kaitlan, so many questions here. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our Chief Medical Correspondent, just set down with the FDA Administrator, who you reported, we are talking about this last week was called into some meetings with the White House Chief of Staff apparently because the president was frustrated, things that the FDA including vaccine rollouts were not happening as quickly as the president would like. Listen here to what Steven Hahn told Sanjay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What you say was a vigorous discussion. Were you pressured?

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISSIONER: So, you know, the same I think is being sort of pressured by you, although you're not pressuring me Sanjay with asking questions about why it takes us so long. I think it's a natural question. I don't mind being asked that, so no, I don't think it's any different than this. It is my job, it's our job to explain that, and that's what happened. So it was nothing more than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Does that match our reporting there was nothing more than that or is that his smart team player perspective?

COLLINS: I think Stephen Hahn attended that meeting, that's his view of it. That is certainly not what we were hearing from White House officials ahead of those meetings. We should remember, there were two meetings two days in a row between Mark Meadows and between Stephen Hahn.

And the FDA was worried enough about that first meeting, and how that was going to go. They were putting out preemptive statements to outlets talking about the decision making process when it comes to this, basically saying, it's not Steven Hahn's decision alone, it's up to career scientists as well.

So saying he didn't feel pressured by that, the White House and the president have bluntly admitted that they have put pressure on the FDA to move quickly on this.

KING: And he has stood up to it most of the time at least publicly. Remarkable to see, Kaitlan Collins, appreciate the live reporting, Dr. Gupta, appreciate the household too getting us that conversation with Dr. Hahn.

Up next for us, President-Elect Biden is now filling out his senior team, looking to balance his promise of diversity with a preference for familiar faces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

KING: A very important rollout for President-Elect Biden next hour. A public introduction of the health team that will lead his administration's response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The team is headed by the California Attorney General and Former Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra; he is Biden's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services. You see other members of the team there. There's constant pressure on

team Biden from democratic constituency groups. Later today, Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris are meeting with Black Civil Rights leaders. Biden is making history by tapping Latinos to head HHS and Homeland Security.

And we know going into today's meeting, he plans to make history again, by naming the first African-American Defense Secretary, Retired Army Four-Star General, Lloyd Austin. You see him there, is the president-elect's choice to lead the pentagon.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us now from Wilmington, Delaware. And Jeff, we're seeing in all of these picks, and I think General Austin is a textbook example of it, where Joe Biden, diversity matters to him, plus he promised a cabinet that looks like America. And he is trying to make history at every move and yet he also has a comfort zone that he wants to keep as well.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John, he absolutely does. You can really look through the names of most of these cabinet nominees and they likely appeared in Joe Biden's rolodex prior to all of this. He really is surrounding himself at least so far in the cabinet with people who he is known over the years, people who he is comfortable with.

And General Austin certainly fits that bill. But it is the barrier breaking nature of this historic nature of this that really I am told drew the president-elect to make this choice. I'm told it will become official likely later today. We may see the two of them together here this week.

But it is the idea of breaking this glass ceiling inside the Pentagon. Of course it is made via U.S. military, the army in particular, made up of minorities. African-Americans certainly, having African-American man as the Defense Secretary, it is something that Joe Biden said he wants and this is his choice.

But John, the issue here is now some Senate Democrats are going to really have to decide if they want to grant him that waiver. We've been talking about this all day. But the waiver is, the Pentagon Chief is supposed to be a civilian position. That's how the structure is set up by law in this country, civilian control of the military.

He is only been out of the army for four years. So he would have to get that waiver. And our colleague Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill is hearing some questions and a blow back from Senate Democrats saying they are not sure if they'll do that. So that is something to keep an eye on. There'll be much more historic if he is confirmed, not certainly if he's just announced, John.

KING: And again, Joe Biden, he is trying to keep some constituencies happy every time. You make one group happy, somebody else is a little upset. That's the nature and the challenge of governing, especially new administration. Jeff Zeleny, I appreciate the important reporting there. The Austin pick highlights to competing pressures Jeff was just noting on President-Elect Biden t house majority leader whip, the House Majority Whip, Jim Clyburn happy at making history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Now I think it is a great appointment. I raised the issues that I raise, because this is a stark election. And I think that I wanted to see this administration do historic things and this is an historic occasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:20:00]

KING: Well as Jeff Zeleny smartly noted, because Austin retired just a few years ago, he needs congress to give him a waiver to serve in the Pentagon position. Now some Democrats also wanted the president-elect to name the first woman to lead the Pentagon. Others a wary of a former general in that role.

Democratic Congresswoman Elisa Slotkin in Michigan who previously served herself in a top pentagon job says this today. I have deep respect for General Lloyd Austin. We worked together on Iraq when he commanded the U.S. forces there, when he was Vice Chief of the Army and when he was Centcom Commander.

But choosing another recently retired general to serve in a role that is designed for civilian, just feels off that from that congresswomen. Joining us now to discuss these precious Toluse Olorunnipa, White House Reporter for "The Washington Post" and Toluse, it is fascinating.

As I was noting with Jeff, Joe Biden, he is making history. Two Latino picks, first Latino picks at HHS and at Homeland Security. This, the first black who would lead the Pentagon and yet every time he does something that he thinks should make part of the Democratic Party happy, it seems somebody else is unhappy or at least still little nervous.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, Joe Biden campaign saying, he would have the most diverse cabinet in history, he is trying to fulfill that promise. But when you do that, you have a very high bar to meet with a number of constituencies who want to be part of that, they want to have their members of their communities represented in a limited number of cabinet positions.

And it does make it difficult when you have specific groups that want their members, they're going to be pushing for their members, specifically when it comes to these high-ranking cabinet officials like the Defense Department, the Attorney General, the Treasury Secretary, a number of different officials that Joe Biden has already named, a few that are still remaining.

So he's going to be pushed pretty hard. And there's going to be some question between these different groups that are jockeying for these positions about how to allocate these various positions? How to make sure that the most qualified person is put in these positions and make sure that none of these groups are left out?

And Joe Biden is walking a tight rope, and trying to appease various groups that he's made promises to, while also trying to put together a cabinet that can fulfill his policy goals. And make sure that he runs a smooth government and has a clean break from the Trump Administration over the past four years.

KING: And we talked a lot, he has talked a lot himself, the president- elect, about trying to prove that you can still reach out and work with Republicans. We'll see, there is lot of skeptics in his own party, a lot of skeptics in this town that that role still exists, where a Democratic President can work with Republicans.

But what about the challenge here working with Democrats because a lot of Democrats were upset when President Trump picked General Mattis to be the Pentagon Chief, a lot of the Democrats were upset when they thought even General John Kelly, Chief of Staff at the White House is not a confirmable position. But they thought he was too reliant on bringing military people into the government.

Jack Reed, a West Point Grad, 82nd airborne veteran, set democratic senator from Rhode Island Armed Services Committee said this back when Mattis was confirmed, waving the law should happen no more than once in a generation. Therefore I will not support a waiver for future nominees nor will I support any effort to water down repeal the statute in the future.

So now is Jack Reed going to defy his new Democratic President and his friend Joe Biden or is he going to say, I didn't mean it.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes, he is going to have a test there about whether or not he's going to keep his word? And there are a number of Democrats that want to have that civil, military relationship maintained, even though after four years of President Trump, it was a very different approach.

So that would be a big test and I do expect some Democrats to say that's too far off a bridge for us, we want to maintain the status that we've had over the past, and not continue what happened during the first Trump Administration.

KING: Very evenly balanced Senate, no matter how the two Georgia runoffs work out. So this is an interesting, one of the many interesting challenges already for the new president-elect Toluse Olorunnipa of "The Washington Post", grateful for your reporting and insights.

We will continue the conversation. And up next for us, back to the Coronavirus and the shots watched around the world. The UK starts rolling out a COVID vaccine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00] KING: A very big day in the United Kingdom today. The first wave of patients now receiving the Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine, marking a truly historic day in the fight against this horrific pandemic. CNN's Max Foster joins us now live from Wales. Max, it is a critically important day.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. This remarkable really how the mood has been lifted here in the UK. Just speaking to people around, looking at those first images of people being vaccinated here in the UK, actually something like that becoming a reality.

The first image came through, the first person being vaccinated by the Pfizer vaccine in the world, she's 91 next week. Her name is Margaret Keenan and she's become an instant celebrity. Let's hear from her and some of the other people around the UK who in that first round of vaccinations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEENAN: I would say go for it. Go for it because it's free and it's the best thing that's ever happened at the moment so does please go for it. That's all I say.

THERASA, RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINE: I really don't think people should be afraid of the vaccine, they should go for it. There's absolutely nothing to it. It's been such an exciting day.

FOSTER: Do you feel like you are part of history?

JONATHAN HOLMAN, RECEIVED PFIZER VACCINE IN CARDIFF, WALES: Yes.

FOSTER: Are you excited by that?

HOLMAN: Yes, yes.

FOSTER: Why is that?

HOLMAN: It's new possibility.