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FDA Says OK to Pfizer and BioNTech; Trump and Biden's COVID Approach Differs; Indian Farmers Don't Agree with Amendments; Racism Attack Suspend Champions League Match; Boris Johnson Hopes to Cut a Deal on Brexit; Biden Lays Out 100-Day Plan to Tackle COVID-19 in U.S.; President Trump Holds Vaccine Event in the White House; Trump Administration Passed on Offer to Buy More Vaccine Doses from Pfizer; Trump Continues to Deny He Lost Election; U.S. Supreme Court Denies Request To Overturn Results; Iran Plans to Import 42 Million Doses Of Vaccine; Power Cut for 74,000 Customers to Minimize Fire Danger; Boeing 737 Max Cleared for Take Off; GOL Airline to Resume Flights; China Freezing Out Frozen Food Blaming for the COVID-19 Outbreak. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 09, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom. As COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases reach record numbers, U.S. President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden have two different plans when it comes to battling the pandemic.
Plus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson packs his diplomacy hat and heads to Brussels to try and secure a Brexit deal.
And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of the cold chambers here in a cargo wing of Shenzhen International Airport. Now the concern with the frozen foods has gotten so sensitive that if I were to walk just like this, I had to do two weeks of quarantine soon as I walked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): China is taking strict measures to contain imported frozen food they say could be contaminated with COVID-19. We will have a live report from Beijing.
The United States appears to be one step closer to authorizing its first coronavirus vaccine. This after an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration published a review confirming that a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech is both safe and effective. The committee is expected to meet on Thursday to discuss those
findings during which they could also decide whether to recommend the vaccine for emergency use. If all goes well a top expert says this could be the first of many vaccines to receive authorization.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: I just want to remind everybody what our strategy is and has always been. We selected six different vaccines to build the portfolio to manage the risk that some may work and some may not work. But also, to ensure that as more than one would work, that we would accumulate vaccine doses from this portfolio vaccines.
Now in the summer, if somebody came to us and said let's buy more of this vaccine or that vaccine. No one reasonably would buy more from any one of those vaccines because we didn't know which one would work and which one maybe better than the other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): And all this comes as COVID cases and hospitalizations reach new highs. The U.S. has now recorded more than 15 million infections nationwide and a record 104,000 hospitalizations.
On Tuesday, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a plan to try and bring those numbers down. He says within his first 100 days, he wants to sign a mask mandate and deliver at least 100 million vaccine shots.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That of our collective pain, we are going to find a collective purpose to control the pandemic, to save lives, and to heal as a nation.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With dire words, President-elect Joe Biden introduced his new health team, and pledged to put the fight against COVID-19 at the forefront of his presidency.
BIDEN: As a country, we have been living with this pandemic for so long. We are at risk of becoming numb.
ZELENY: He renewed his challenge for Americans to wear masks during the first 100 days of his new administration. And vowed to achieve a goal of 100 million vaccinations in those first 100 days.
BIDEN: My first hundred days won't end the COVID-19 virus. I can't promise that. We did not get into this mess quickly. We are not going to get out of it quickly.
ZELENY: Biden is seeking to fill a leadership vacuum in what he called one of the worst challenges America has ever faced. He barely mentioned the Trump administration, but the contrast was clear. Saying that he would be straight with the American people with good and bad news.
BIDEN: A vaccine may soon be available. We need to level with one another. It will take longer than we would like to distributed to all corners of the country. Depending on how it gets started off between now and the time I'm sworn in.
ZELENY: To lead the effort as secretary of Health and Human Services, Biden is tapping California Attorney General Xavier Becerra who pledge to help turn the pandemic's cruel tide.
XAVIER BECERRA, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NOMINEE: Too many Americans are sick or have lost loved ones. Too many have lost their jobs, and with that their health care and hope.
ZELENY: And Dr. Anthony Fauci, as the chief medical adviser on COVID.
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We must lead with science, and that a key piece of our ongoing work is communicating consistently with the American people.
[03:05:09]
ZELENY: Biden also appointing Dr. Vivek Murthy as surgeon general, a post he held in Obama administration.
BIDEN: When you speak, people listen.
ZELENY: And Dr. Rochelle Walensky to lead the CDC. He also tapped Jeff Zients as the new COVID-19 czar to coordinate work across the government and lead the vaccine distribution. And Dr. Marcella Nunez- Smith to lead an equity task force focusing on the disproportionate toll coronavirus has taken on communities of color.
Biden also choosing his defense secretary, tapping retired four-star army general Lloyd Austin.
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Mr. Vice President, you onerous with your presence as well.
ZELENY: If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first African- American to lead the Pentagon. It's another barrier breaking pick for Biden's cabinet but one that comes with complications.
AUSTIN: It is great to be back in the United States of America.
ZELENY: Defense secretary is a civilian post requiring a seven-year waiting period after active duty. He has only been retired for four years, so his nomination requires a congressional waiver.
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ZELENY (on camera): And that defense secretary nomination becomes official on Wednesday here in Wilmington when Mr. Biden and Harris presents General Austin to the public as their nominee for the certainly one of the biggest positions yet in the cabinet.
Also, other positions being filled in as the week moves along here, Ohio Congressman Marcia Fudge going to HUD, it's the Housing and Urban Development Department. And Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor going back to a role he had in the Obama administration as Ag secretary.
So now there's one key position left to be filled, that's attorney general, that could be coming next week.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
CHURCH: And while the U.S. prepares to greenlight its first COVID vaccine, the U.K. is pushing forward with day two of its major vaccination roll out. The country began to administer the first doses of Pfizer's vaccine on Tuesday, and in the coming days roughly 800,000 shots will be given to the most vulnerable, including health workers and people over the age of 80.
CNN's Cyril Vanier is live for us in London, he joins us now. Good morning there, Cyril.
So, the whole world watched on enthusiastically looking for tips of course. How did it go and what's the plan going? Forward
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I think by any reckoning yesterday went well. When you think of what had to be achieved to get to this point. I mean, we are less than nine months away from this country going into its first national lockdown. And people being very afraid of the new coronavirus that we didn't know very much about back at the beginning of the year.
When you take that as your starting point, and then you think less than a week ago a vaccine was approved here in the U.K. and then started being delivered and administered to the very first patients in this country. I mean, it is, it is marvelous. How much has been accomplished in less than nine months.
So, yesterday it went well. Across the U.K. in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, we saw people get the first dose of this two-dose vaccine. There were elderly people by and large, 80 and 90- year-olds. We met one of them here in central London.
This is Guy's Hospital, one of the vaccination hubs in England and we met Martin Kenyon, 91 years old, and he put a smile on all our faces. We were lucky to meet him, just after he had through sheer determination, booked his way into one of the appointments in this hospital and received the first dose of the vaccine. Listen to this, Rosemary.
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VANIER: How do you feel that you, now one of the first people in the country to have receive the first dose of this vaccine?
MARTIN KENYON, RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINE: Thrilled. VANIER: One of the first people in the world, how do you feel about it?
KENYON: I can't describe how I feel about it at all. I hope I'm not going to have the bloody bug now. I don't intend to have it because I've got granddaughters and I want to live a long time to enjoy their lives.
VANIER: Have you told them? Do they know?
KENYON: That I've been, no, I'm going to home to tell them now. No one knows. You are the first to know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: Look, Martin Kenyon has had a very bad 2020 living with a very real danger of disease or even death. He hasn't been able to hug his granddaughters in months. And this is going to change his life, Rosemary. So, he's going to get the second jab like everybody needs to do. He's going to get the second jab. It should be in about 21 days. And 7 to 10 days after that, his body should have developed immunity, near full immunity against the coronavirus.
And then he plans on spending more time with his granddaughters, Rosemary. It was just a reminder that this is going to change millions of people's lives. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. Wonderful story. And Cyril, you are the first to know, and let's just hope that all of those people they got vaccinated on day one come back in 21 days to get that second jab.
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Many thanks, as always, Cyril. I appreciate it.
So, let's bring in CNN medical analyst Dr. Jorge Rodriguez in Los Angeles. He is an internal medicine and virus specialist, and joins us now. Thank you, doctor, for being with us.
JORGE RODRIGUEZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: My pleasure, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, day one of the Pfizer rollout went very well in the United Kingdom as the world watch on very eagerly. Here in the U.S., of course the FDA is expected to get authorization for the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday and then 100 million Americans will be vaccinated by the end of February. That's according to Admiral Brett Giroir.
So how achievable is that with Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and maybe AstraZeneca eventually in the mix there?
RODRIGUEZ: I think that's very achievable. I think the one bottleneck is the American public and whether they are going to step up and take the vaccines. Yes, we know that Pfizer does not have as many vaccines as we thought they were going to be bringing up. They still have a very large number, but Moderna is right in their heels, and so are other vaccines. So, I think it is highly achievable, but like we just saw with the
U.K., there are probably going to be a lot of hiccups until, you know, that happens. But I have full confidence that we can achieve the goal of mass vaccinations in this country.
CHURCH: And doctor, I wanted to ask you this. Because Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb has revealed that the Trump administration declined an offer from the vaccine makers six months ago to purchase additional doses of the vaccine for 2021. And now Pfizer has committed those doses to other nations.
So, what did you make of President Trump's signed executive order Tuesday proclaiming Americans will get Pfizer vaccine doses first? And what impact could this have on a U.S. vaccine rollout going forward?
RODRIGUEZ: First of all, I don't think the, quote, unquote, "executive order" really has much teeth behind it. I don't think that you can force a company not to, you know, sell what it's already promised to other countries. And again, this is not just a U.S. problem. This is a world problem. And until the world is vaccinated, nobody is truly safe.
Listen, I think it is what it is, you know, to quote the president. I think other companies like Moderna are going to be stepping up. I think it was supposed to be 100 million from Pfizer, 100 million maybe from Moderna, and then perhaps Johnson & Johnson and others are going to fill up the vacuum.
And in a couple of weeks, Moderna is going to be right here with their vaccine, and probably another three or four weeks later and other companies. So, I don't think it's going to make a big difference, the fact that Pfizer does not have all that it has promised. And who could have predicted in July, a, whether the vaccine would have work, and b, how many doses we were going to need.
CHURCH: Right. So, you think Joe Biden, he vowed of course to have 100 million doses for the first hundred days of his time in office. So, you see that as a very realistic goal there?
RODRIGUEZ: I think -- I think it is a realistic goal, but I think it all has to do, obviously, with planning. And the best part of President-elect Biden's plan is the fact that it is a plan. It isn't just wishful thinking. It isn't just pie in the sky. If nothing else, there's a leader saying this is what we are going to do and this is how we're going to do it, and it's going to be implemented. So, is it achievable? Absolutely.
CHURCH: Yes. We like plans. And of course, meantime, COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are exploding across the United States and will likely get worse. The fear is that hospitals and staff will become overwhelmed. So, what needs to be done to help them in terms of states working out which healthcare professionals get the first vaccine doses made available and what the rest of the population needs to be doing before they get vaccinated?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, the first thing that needs to be done is that the healthcare workers that are truly on the frontline, meaning those that are in emergency rooms, working ICU, and that are hospital-based need to get the first vaccine. I don't think there's any question about that.
Even then, there's still going to be overworked and tired because there is minimal manpower. Even in California and other states, they're trying to recruit physicians like myself who don't have that hands-on experience in ICU to perhaps volunteer. But definitely, those are the frontline workers that need to be protected because we are going to need them for the long haul.
CHURCH: Yes. They are our super heroes. They need that recognition. They need that help. And they need that vaccine. So, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, many thanks as always.
RODRIGUEZ: Likewise.
[03:15:00]
CHURCH: Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels later today to try and sort out a Brexit trade deal stalemate. He will be meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The U.K. left the European Union at the beginning of this year. But it remains within the single market and customs union until December 31st. British and E.U. negotiators are deadlocked on three key issues. And many worry a deal won't be reached. Failure to secure a trade deal would mean immediate tariffs and other barriers that could cause big problems for the British economy.
And CNN's Anna Stewart is live for us outside of parliament in London with more on what we can expect. Good to see you, Anna. So, what is happening in Brussels today? And what can we expect to come out of this?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Thank you, Rosemary. Yes, as you said, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be leaving London heading to Brussels today for dinner with the president of the E.U. Commission.
Now, there is a lot of thorny issues to chew over at this dinner. A lot still on the table. Three really key issues. One of course is the fishing rights problem, the other E.U. competition rules. And then there is the issue of who will actually police or enforce the trade deal if one were to be reached.
What we don't expect from today is actually any kind of real agreement. Really, this is hit the top end of the political spectrum. To see whether or there is at least appetite for some compromise on either side that could allow the negotiating teams who have really hit a wall to get back to the table themselves to negotiate further.
So perhaps no big agreement today. But in terms of the timing of this dinner, it's on the eve of an E.U. summit that will take place tomorrow with the 27 E.U. leaders. Now we were expecting that to perhaps be the moment where the E.U. would sign off on a trade deal for next year between the U.K. and the E.U.
That's not going to happen. It's just days away until that deadline of December 31st. So, it certainly paves the way for potentially for more talks if this dinner goes well. More talks, and then potentially, of course, perhaps an emergency festive E.U. summit between now and the 31st of December. Rosemary?
CHURCH: We'll see what happens. Beautiful backdrop there for you, Anna. Anna Stewart joining us from London, I appreciate it.
All right. Thousands of fed up farmers are blocking roads into India's capital. We'll explain what inspired their mass protest, that's coming up.
Plus, the Champions League marred by an allege racist incident just minutes into the match. How both teams responded, that's next.
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CHURCH (on camera): India's farmers have been protesting economic reforms which they say could destroy their livelihoods. Thousands have been blocking roads leading into New Delhi, effectively stopping food supplies to the capital. They claim that the new rules will lead workers vulnerable to exploitation by corporations.
[03:20:05]
Vedika Sud joins me now live from New Delhi. Good to see you, Vedika. So, what's the latest on this?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Good to be with you, Rosemary. The leaders say that there is a proposal that the government has set across to these protesting farmers that tens of thousands of them who were camping out in highways that lead to the national capital of Delhi.
Now we're waiting to hear from the farmer delegation whether they are all right with the amendments that have been proposed by the government or they are going to still dig in their heels and not move from these highways.
Remember, Rosemary, it's been two weeks. These farmers have left their farms. They have come with family. They have walked to the highways that go into Delhi. And it's not just one point that they're at, there are multiple entrances into Delhi that they camping out at. And they have been braving the cold, it's winter season here remember. Also, the fear of COVID-19.
We know that India has the second highest confirmed cases of COVID-19 after the U.S. but they are ready to go ahead and risk their lives as far as these three contentious bills are concerned.
Let's tell you more about these three bills. These are three new agricultural bills that have been introduced by the Indian government in September. Here is why the farmers want them rebuked.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SUD (voice over): Protesters in India blocked roads squatted in railroad tracks and protested on the streets after a call for a nationwide protest by farmer unions Tuesday. Amidst the pandemic, tens of thousands of farmers from north India have made these highways leading to India's power center Delhi, their makeshift homes.
The young and old braving the cold, sleeping on roads and tractors. They want new agricultural laws introduced by the Indian government in September to be repealed. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says farmers will have more autonomy to set their own prices and sell directly to private businesses such as supermarket chains. But multiple talks with the government have failed.
Modi says that the laws which were useful in the previous century can be a burden for the next. And that's why there should be a practice of continuous reform. But farmers fear liberalizing agricultural markets could leave them at the mercy of big corporates, until recently they were protected from private players.
Sixty-five-year-old Sandeep Singh (Ph) says farmers like him will suffer huge losses because of Modi's law. He says Modi is trying to hand over their lands to corporations.
DEVINDER SHARMA, FOOD POLICY ANALYST: Just like all of us in the urban areas get a service, monthly service, fixed monthly service. I think the farmer too deserves assured income so that he can maintain his livelihood.
SUD: Farmer union say they won't budge to the government relends and rolls back on the contentious laws. Until then, highways to Delhi will say blocked and food supply to the country's capital remain largely cut off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD (on camera): Within the next few hours we should know from the farmer delegation whether they've approved of the amendments sent across by the Indian government. The question is, who will blink first at this point. Otherwise, we could see the situation on highways exiting Delhi to remain the same for the coming days, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, very problematic indeed. Vedika Sud joining us live from New Delhi, many thanks.
SUD: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, the Champions League suspended a match on Tuesday after an alleged racist incident involving one of the match officials. Just minutes into the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, an official reportedly made a racist comment towards one of Istanbul's coaches after showing him a red card.
Players from both teams protested and walked off the field in solidarity with Istanbul's assistant coach. UEFA is investigating the incident. The match is now rescheduled to resume later today with a whole new crew of officials. So, let's bring in CNN sports contributor Darren Lewis, joining me
live from London. Good morning, Darren. Good to see you.
DARREN LEWIS, CNN SPORT CONTRIBUTOR: Hello, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, what exactly happened here, what might the consequences be?
LEWIS: We don't know yet. Because FIFA is faced with an extraordinary set of circumstances with players walking off the field. But what we do know, is that this really is a seismic moment, not just for the Champions League or for other teams play but a huge moment for football.
Because we've seen in CNN's racism in football series, black footballers have been crying out for some time for help from the authorities in situations involving racism. It also made clear that they are prepared to take matters into their own hands in the face of racism from fans or from opposition players.
[03:24:59]
But as you've just said, Rosemary, what made this all the more remarkable is that it's an allegation against an official. Now let me just read you a couple of tweets that we have had over the last what, 12 hours or so.
Kylian Mbappe, the PSG striker, one of the best players in world football, he actually led the revolt and basically said to his teammates, let's show solidarity with the other players, and he tweeted say no to racism. His club, Paris Saint-Germain they tweeted all forms of racism go against the values held by Paris Saint-Germain, the club's chairman, the staff, and the players.
Now a specific allegation was made on the Twitter feed of the Istanbul Basaksehir Twitter account, that we can't yet substantiate. So, I won't show you that. But I will say this, a line in the sand has been drawn by the players last night. And that line will reverberate around the world football.
Because we've seen for far too long, Rosemary, players leaving in the hands of the officials of the game, and the game continually failing them. Now the players are saying enough. We are walking off and we feel we have been maligned or abused.
CHURCH: Yes, it is time for this to stop. Darren Lewis, many thanks joining us live from London. I appreciate it.
Well, one of the top cybersecurity firms in the U.S. has been targeted by hackers. FireEye says highly sophisticated hackers stole tools used to test customer security. In response, the company has developed hundreds of countermeasures. FireEye's CEO says that this attack was probably by a nation state with top tier offensive capabilities.
And this is part of his statements. We have found that the attacker targeted and access certain red team assessment tools that we used to test our customer security. Consistent with a nation states cyber espionage effort the attacker primarily sought information related to certain government customers.
And still to come here on CNN, President Trump continues to reject reality and make baseless claims about election fraud and Joe Biden's victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're going to have to see who the next administration is, because we won in the swing states. And there were terrible things that went on. So, we are going to have to see who the next administration is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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BIDEN: My first 100 days won't end the COVID-19 virus. I can't promise that. But -- but we did not get in this mess quickly, we are not going to get out quickly. It's going to take some time. But I'm absolutely convinced than in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden has laid out an ambitious plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. He's promising 100 million vaccine doses in the first 100 days of his administration. He also pledged to sign a mandate on face masks, and unveil a strategy to safely returned kids to school. His announcement came on the same day the U.S. topped 15 million cases overall, and reported a record 104,000-plus hospitalizations.
Meantime, President Trump is touting what he called a vaccine summit at the White House. The vaccine makers and some top health officials did not attend Tuesday's event. One administration official described the summit as nothing more than a publicity stunt for Mr. Trump. Here is CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Showering himself with praise with the development of the coronavirus vaccine, President Trump declared the government's effort a miracle in the making.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They say that it's somewhat of a miracle. And I think that is true. People that aren't necessarily big fans of Donald Trump are saying whether you like him or not, this is one of the greatest miracles in the history of modern day medicine. ACOSTA: The president signed an executive order he says will
guarantee there are enough doses to go around for every American. But an administration official told CNN, the vaccine summit was another Trump publicity stunt. One of the leaders of the governments Operation Warp Speed vaccine effort admitted he wasn't sure what the executive order would do.
MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: I do not know. I don't know.
UNKNOWN: But you're the chief science adviser for Operation Warp Speed.
SLAOUI: Our work is you know, 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.
ACOSTA: There are other looming questions about the vaccine rollout. CNN has confirmed the administration passed on a chance to purchase more than an initial 100 million doses of Pfizer version of the vaccine, that's proven to be highly effective. An administration official told CNN the government shouldn't have close the door on buying more doses. White House officials denied that.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: According to the people involved in negotiation, just simply was not true. This president contracted for doses of this vaccine for many different companies.
ACOSTA: The president appeared to suggest that Americans are moving in the direction of herd immunity. A controversial COVID approach rejected by respected health experts.
TRUMP: I hear that we are close to 15 percent. I'm hearing that and that is terrific.
ACOSTA: The vaccine shots can't come on enough in Trump world, as another ally the president has contracted the coronavirus.
UNKNOWN: Just like you, they don't want to know the truth.
ACOSTA: This time is Trump's legal team member Jenna Ellis, who is sitting next to Rudy Giuliani last week before he was hospitalized with COVID. Aides of the president fear Ellis spread the virus to other people at the White House holiday party last week. The same reception press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany defended.
MCENANY: If you can move businesses, burn down buildings, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas Party.
ACOSTA: Asked why he didn't invite members of the incoming Biden administration to today's summit at the White House. Mr. Trump insisted that he won.
TRUMP: We're going to have to see who the next administration is. Because we won in the swing states. Let's see whether or not somebody has the courage. Whether it's a legislator, or legislatures, or whether it is a justice of the Supreme Court or a number of justices of the Supreme Court.
ACOSTA: The president is still pressuring state GOP leaders to defy the will of the voters and hand them a second term. The latest Pennsylvania Republican House speaker. Pennsylvania GOP Senator, Pat Toomey slam Mr. Trump telling the Philadelphia Inquirer, it is completely unacceptable and it is not going to work. And the president should give up trying to get legislators to overturn the results of the election in their respective states. Mr. Trump's defenders are leaning on state leaders in Georgia too.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If you are not fighting for Trump now, when he needs you the most, as a Republican leader in Georgia, people are not going to fight for you when you ask them to get reelected. There is a civil war brewing in Georgia for no good reason.
ACOSTA (on camera): And the U.S. Supreme Court has dealt another blow to President Trump's attempts to overturn the election results. The high court has decided in the state of Pennsylvania that it will not allow Republicans there to block Joe Biden's win in that state. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Caroline Heldman is a political analyst and an associate professor of politics at Occidental College and she joins us now from L.A. Thank you so much for being with us.
CAROLINE HELDMAN, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (on camera): Good to be with you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, Donald Trump and his team received a crushing defeat from the U.S. Supreme Court when it dismissed their Pennsylvania case. This may be the end of Donald Trump's legal efforts to overturn a free and fair election, but could he still try to fight this on the House floor?
[03:35:06]
HELDMAN: He certainly can. So he has tried to put pressure on election officials. That did not work. He put pressure on legislatures. That has not been effective. He as you noted, has filed almost 50 lawsuits in his camp has and then they now, you know, got a really big blow with the Supreme Court dismissing the case, not ruling in the Trump camp's favor.
And beyond that there is no dissents, right. There none even -- none of his appointees spoke up. So, Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, none of the folks that he appointed in the Supreme Court who I think a lot of Trump supporters were relying on even had a dissent in this. I don't think it will stop the frivolous lawsuits, because, you know Donald Trump to date has made $170 million his camp has off of running this campaign that they have to say that the free and fair election was something else. So, I expect that they will continue to do that, and Rosemary, you
should point out, they will definitely try to stop this on the floor of the House as they are counting the electoral votes.
CHURCH: Right, of course most Republicans in Congress have shown their true colors going along with President Trump's false claims of election fraud. Only a few have actually dared to speak out. How dangerous is this for U.S. Democracy? And how much longer can these Republicans keep supporting Trump's lie?
HELDMAN: Well, I think they are very afraid of him, right. Because he uses social media as a bully pulpit. And I have some sympathy for Republicans who had put in this tight position. But as you point out, you know, this is -- I think a real threat to democracy. If you have a leader who is refusing to accept the outcome of a free and fair election. In any other country we would call that a Democratic coup.
So, I choose to call it, what it is here in the U.S. And what we have seen is while Donald Trump is raking in this money and putting out these false claims. He is also inciting a lot of violent rhetoric and violent action. So, you saw armed protesters gathered outside of the Secretary of State's house in Michigan while she is, you know, putting -- watching the Grinch and decorating a tree with her 4-year-old.
You see death threats to election officials. And at the end of the day looking at public opinion polls, 52 percent of Republicans believe that Donald Trump won this election. That is a majority. And so we are in a crisis here. The question is whether Republicans will really step up and put an end to this before January 20th. Before Joe Biden is sworn in.
CHURCH: Yeah, it is a real concern that someone will get hurt in the midst of all of this. And of course, while Donald Trump continues to ignore the pandemic and pushes false claims of a rigged election, his successor President-Elect Biden is getting on the business naming his team and vowing to offer 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office and asking all Americans to wear masks during that period.
It is, of course, a stark contrast in leadership style. Isn't it? So, how might Trumps action impact what Biden is able to achieve going forward? And how is all of this playing politically?
HELDMAN: Well, we already know that Donald Trump passed up an opportunity to get vaccinations from Pfizer. He has slowed the transition so we know that Joe Biden will not hit the ground running when it comes to a distribution plan. But Joe Biden is doing what he can without having the resources and access that he needs.
I think over the weekend it became very clear that Donald Trump does not have the distribution plan in place that he needs to have. Joe Biden has nominated Javier Becerra for Health and Human Services. And he is not a medical expert, but what he is an operation on political expert. And so he's put him in a place I think in order to get the vaccines out quickly. It is definitely night and day, right. You see Donald Trump waiting 71
days to respond to the pandemic. You see him politicizing and feminizing basic safety procedures like wearing masks. And so, in some sense it is a breath of fresh air because it is science based for Joe Biden's to say, look, 100 days, wear the masks.
Scientists have been, you know, screaming at the top of their lungs that this is the way to really stop this virus. And we are nowhere near being out of the woods, right? It's going to take six months to get this vaccine out. And so, at least we will be in science based hands starting January 20th.
CHURCH: Yes, they're certainly polar opposites. Caroline Heldman, many thanks as always. I appreciate it.
HELDMAN: Thank you.
CHURCH: Iran plans to import 42 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. That is according to state media. High-risk groups will get priority for the imported vaccines. While the rest of the public will receive a locally produced vaccine.
[03:40:06]
Iran has accused the United States of trying to block its ability to buy vaccines through the World Health Organizations COVAX program. And Iran's outbreak is the worst in the Middle East, killing nearly 51,000 people. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports from a hospital in Tehran, overwhelmed and under strain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A bleak winter outside, as it was Tehran summer and spring before it relief is scarce, over 750 had died from coronavirus in these corridors. Another, a young woman has died as we arrives. Just turning the corner, it marks the start of the ICU here, two dead is a good day. Four average, and nine bad, doctors say.
Iran's heroism in the pandemic a little fierce. As they are doing it under the maximum pressure of the Trump administration sanctions. There is proud of what they have done with this equipment as they are angry, but it's all they have.
One of the hardest hit countries in the Middle East by the coronavirus. They are suffering they say so much more acute, because of the impact of sanctions led by the United States.
Khalif, doesn't look it, but it is much better.
KHALIF FARAHANI, CORONAVIRUS PATIENT: One day I went to the (inaudible) outside, a lot of the parks -- [inaudible] they got the coronavirus. So, I am better than before, very pain in my chest, and (inaudible). It is cruel on America, cruelty.
PATON WALSH: 300 medical staff have died in Iran's on this job we're told. But like all numbers here, it is at the mercy of limited testing equipment and exhaustion. But even in that numerical chaos, 10,000 thousands officially died in November alone from COVID-19. And seem here, to be getting younger, we are told.
The most bitter day is when I had a 47-year-old mother of three here, he says. She didn't respond to treatment. When she died, that was the most terrible bitter day for me. I could not save her. It is stuck in my memory.
And if you have lost the fight, you often head south across the city, to where there is both little or plenty of space in the behest (inaudible) cemetery. Economy and scale. Every final home measured precisely even as the bodies arrive. The imam's prayers here caught in loop at mosque. Reverberating into and over each other. Day in and day out.
Each of the dozens of Imam's leading about 30 funerals a day. (Inaudible) which would normally freeze everyone here, almost lost. Nobody wanted to talk, but the stories off camera was similar, diabetes, late fifties, coronavirus. The vulnerabilities that underpin the fond memories of the departed and fuel each final tender ritual.
Care is all around, these are tombs, not homes. And even the grim process of decay handled meticulously. The outside world may never see the full picture of Iran's battle, with the same enemy we have all faced or appreciate how much more crippling a deliberate tightening of sanctions has made all of this. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, cleared for takeoff, Boeing's troubled jetliner is returning to the skies. And a Brazilian airline is aiming to be the first to put passengers right back on it.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH: A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has forced utility companies to turn off power to tens of thousands of people for safety reasons. The blaze known as the bonfire has burned more than 7,000 acres (inaudible) 3,000 hectares since it began a week ago. Extending California's fire season which typically runs from July through November.
Fire authorities have been tested this year like no other battling five of the six largest wildfires in California's history. And they're urging residents to stay vigilant as the danger is not over yet.
Well, today the Brazilian airline goal becomes the first airline to fly passengers on the 737 Max, since it was grounded worldwide nearly two years ago. The company will fly the plane to and from its hub in Sau Paulo. So far, Brazil and the U.S. are the only two countries to have cleared the commercial airliner to fly passengers?
And CNN's John Defterios joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you John. So, it is an effort by Boeing to turn the page on two fatal plane disasters with Lion Air and Ethiopian Air. What do you make of the Brazilian carrier being the first to take to the skies with this 737 Max?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR (on camera): Yes, in fact, I was surprised that it was the Brazilian carrier Gol, decided to roll back on that gate first because it was the FAA in the United States, as you noted in your lead in there, that it was the one that was responsible for clearing the aircraft made in the United States.
We're still waiting for European regulators and Canadian regulators to do the same. The goal is all in on the 737 Max and I think they wanted to send that signal because it has seven, but it is adding 95 more. And actually being more aggressive than the U.S. carriers which are being quite (inaudible) in getting this aircraft back in the skies.
American Airlines will do so December 29th only from Miami to New York. United Airlines said sometimes in the first quarter of next year, Rosemary, and Southwest, the low cost carrier is doing so in the spring of 2021. There's also a reputational issue and an approach by Gol here, which is interesting.
They are saying that if the passengers are not comfortable flying the 737 Max. They are willing to change the tickets with no charge, and let them fly other equipment. But this is probably the same approach that the other carriers around the world will have to take as they try to restore confidence in that aircraft.
CHURCH: Yeah, I mean that is going to take some time. And John, what are the order books look like for this aircraft in light of the COVID- 19 pandemic, and of course the impact on travel?
DEFTERIOS: Yes, what we have -- we had major low cost carriers in Europe even though it's not been cleared there yet. Ryanair is taking on 75 planes of the 737 Max, taking their total to 2/10. That is a very strong signal at this time. But overall, Rosemary, this is interesting, there's been 565 cancellations since the start of the pandemic. So, what we have here is a drop in demand because of COVID- 19.
Questions over of course, security and safety of the aircraft coming back on line, and hence the decision by airlines who are short on capital right now, to reinvest in planes. The U.S. Department of Transportation by the way to finish this off was suggesting that year on year travel in October still down 62 percent in the United States. And I can tell you here in the Middle East and Asia it is a similar tale.
CHURCH: Wow, that is considerable, isn't? John Defterios, joining us live from Abu Dhabi, many thanks.
[03:50:05]
Well, China now says imported frozen food is a source of COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: The crew members behind me are in full PPE from head to toe.
We have been told strictly not to go within a certain distance of them. And we have also been told not to touch any of the cargo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): CNN's David Culver is in Beijing, he joins us live next with more on China's controversial claim. Back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Well, China has been trying for months to eliminate COVID-19 after largely containing its initial outbreak. But small sporadic clusters have continued to resurface. Officials there claim imports of frozen food are partly to blame. And they are cracking down on them. The theory contradicts guidance from international health authorities, including the World health Organization.
And David Culver, joins me now from Beijing with more on all of this. Good to see you David. So, what more were you able to find out about China's controversial claim that COVID-19 is being brought into the country by frozen foods.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Rosemary, good to see you as well. It is a bit controversial. And it's one that has been surfacing here over the past few months. And it is continuing even as we are on the air right now. In fact, there is a cluster outbreak that is playing out in (inaudible), kind about sudden cases. It may not sound like a lot, but folks here in China, a place that is mostly contained the spread, well that is concerning.
And we are seeing state media once again consider the possibility that this is link to imported frozen food in the packaging that is around it. It is made for some -- interesting changes that we witnessed firsthand as this country and really the rest of the world begins to look into the origins of this virus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER (voice over): Health officials in China blaming imported cases of COVID-19 for recent cluster outbreaks. They warned that it has been carried in not only by some human travelers, but also and perhaps more alarming, on goods imported from other countries. CNN saw firsthand, it has sparked immediate changes in the handling of international cargo that now entered China.
You'll notice the crew members behind me are in full PPE from head to toe. We have been told strictly not to go within a certain distance of them. And we've also been told not to touch any of the cargo. The reason is, there's growing concern here in China that the imports from other countries might be carrying the virus. Particularly, frozen food. And so those who are handling that cargo as it is coming in or going out, now have to undergo these new measures.
While both the World Health Organization and the U.S. CDC insist there is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 from food or food packaging, Chinese media is airing images of the strict precautions now being taken. Food transport trucks spray down with disinfectant. Frozen seafood like shrimp and salmon. Along with the surfaces of all types of packaging all frequently tested for COVID-19.
This is one of the cold chambers here in the cargo wing of Shenzhen International Airport. Now, the concern with the frozen food has gotten so sensitive, that if I were to walk in just like this I would have to do two weeks of quarantine as soon as I walked out. Full body suits now required for those working in these facilities.
[03:55:00]
China's ministry of transport warning that before and after transporting the cold chain products, one should disinfect the used transportation means and body parts that may have touch the containers. Chinese health officials believe recent confirmed coronavirus cases might have been caused by contaminated imported goods. Last month two Shanghai airport cargo handlers tested positive for COVID-19.
In September, to dock workers in Qingdao handling imported frozen seafood also contracted the virus. And back in June, a massive Beijing market shutdown. State media reported more than 300 people tested positive. Some have suggested that cluster outbreak might have been linked to imported salmon.
Health experts say COVID-19 is tough enough to last for a long period on surfaces, but they warn --
SRIDHAR SIDDHARTH, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: this is not the most common way by which COVID-19 spreads. In most situations COVID-19 spreads from person to person. Directly by particles in which the virus (inaudible) through the air.
CULVER: Still Chinese state media are using the imported case fears, to repeatedly put into question the actual origins of the virus. Stressing that Wuhan is the place the disease was first identified, but probably not the place where the virus originated from. Sowing seeds of doubt ahead of a WHO field team upcoming trip to China. They will investigate the origins of COVID-19 as China works to keep new cases of the virus from seeping in through its borders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER (on camera): And as I mentioned there, the timing of this, Rosemary, cannot be overlooked. We are just a few weeks away from what we expect to be that WHO field team visit as they are likely to come here to China. Travel to Wuhan where, of course the outbreak was first detected. But they are doing it at the same time that this narrative is continuing to grow.
And Chinese officials, they say they are looking at the science, they are going to defer to that throughout this process. However no doubt there will be growing pressure as they are looking at this possibility that these cases that are currently playing out and perhaps even the ones that originated in Wuhan came from outside of China. An external threat, if you will.
CHURCH: As you say, the timing is significance, isn't it? David Culver, joining us live from Beijing, many thanks as always.
And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church, I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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