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First Americans Could Get Pfizer's COVID Vaccine within Days; Supreme Court Could Soon Rule on Unprecedented Election Lawsuit. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired December 11, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS: And thank you for spending time with us today.

Don't go anywhere, a very busy news day. Brooke Baldwin picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN RIGHT NOW: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN on this Friday afternoon. Thank you for being with me.

Let's get to it. With more than 15 million COVID cases and counting, it may not be too much longer before Americans can begin to get vaccinated. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the FDA has notified Pfizer that they do plan to proceed toward authorizing their emergency vaccine use.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: In the next couple of days probably as we work to negotiate with Pfizer, the information doctors need to prescribe it appropriately, we should be seeing the authorization of this first vaccine and, as you just said, we will work with Pfizer to get it shipped out. And so we could be seeing people getting vaccinated Monday, Tuesday of next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Which is exciting. But before those prioritized groups can get their shots, not only the FDA but the CDC also has to sign off on this vaccine. A CDC panel is meeting today with a vote expected Sunday. Nevertheless, massive preparations are under way just to get first doses out as soon as possible, but not soon enough, because this week was the deadliest week in America since the very start of this pandemic. More than 2700 Americans died yesterday.

The number of people sick in the hospital again breaking its own record, now at more than 107,000 hospitalized. According to HHS, at least 200 hospitals across the country are reporting that they're at full capacity. And just try to wrap your head around this. More than 90 percent of ICU beds are being used in a third of hospitals nationwide.

The director of the CDC issuing this grim prediction for the coming days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we're going to have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11 or we had in Pearl Harbor.

And the reality is vaccine approval this week is not going to really impact that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Obviously hear just the sense of defeat in his voice, understandably so when you think of the perspective.

Starting us off, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with me. And, Elizabeth, to this vaccine, the FDA advisory board voted 17-4 to grant emergency authorization for the Pfizer vaccine. What's next?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, next is a series of votes over the weekend. This will indeed be a momentous weekend. The FDA has to weigh in here. The CDC has to weigh in. Let's look at what exactly needs to happen.

First, the Food and Drug Administration, that's the FDA there, needs to issue an emergency use authorization, that's the EUA there. That is expected to happen tomorrow but could possibly happen today or tonight. Then after that, a CDC advisory committee meets to vote on whether they recommend use of the vaccine, and if so, for whom. And then CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has to sign off on those recommendations.

Once Dr. Redfield puts his signature on that paper, then needles can go into arms, as we just heard earlier in our show, Brooke. Dr. Hahn, the head of the FDA, says needles could go into arms Monday or Tuesday next week. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Who gets that first and are there some groups who should not be on the receiving end of this thing?

COHEN: Right. Very strict rules about who gets it first, so let's take a look. So, the CDC has already said that the first two groups should get it, it should be health care workers and nursing home residents. After that, in the months that follow, other elderly people should get it, then essential workers, like police officers, firefighters, and then people also with underlying medical conditions, and later is everybody else, if you don't fall into one of those groups. And by later, we're being told the spring is when low risk folks get it, maybe even this summer. Brooke?

Oh, Brooke, also you asked me, sorry, I forgot.

BALDWIN: Yes, yes, who shouldn't get it?

COHEN: Who shouldn't be getting it. Yes, there is a group. So, let's go over that as well.

So, there are some people who maybe shouldn't get this vaccine, and that's because it hasn't been studied in people like them. So, the vaccine has not been extensively studied in children under the age of 16. So it is unclear if it is safe for them. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding not studied in them, people with compromised immune systems, people who, in the past, have had severe reactions, like allergic reactions to vaccines, also not studied in them. So it is possible that the FDA or the CDC could say, you know what, guys, you wait a bit, let's vaccinate other people, we need to do more studies before you and these groups get the vaccine.

BALDWIN: Elizabeth, thank you very much.

Let's now see how those -- the frontline are getting ready for this much anticipated shot in the arm. With me now, Adrienne Broaddus, she is live at a hospital in Chicago. And, Adrienne, how is the hospital notifying staffers as to who gets this vaccine?

[13:05:03]

And is it a message, is it a text, an email? Tell us everything.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, staff here at Rush University Medical Center will be notified by email. If they choose to take the vaccine, it will happen here.

The hospital has transformed this portion of the lobby into its vaccine clinic. Behind me, you'll see a sign that says, vaccine preparation area. And take a look. Over in the corner, there is a refrigerator. It's set at 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius. It will store vials of vaccine. Those health care workers who are considered most at risk will receive.

Now, this is what they call a vaccine bay. There are ten stations. And at each station, you will find one of these. Take a look. It's an EpiPen. These will be on hand at every bay in case there is an adverse reaction. And something else that's unique, this area is set up just a few steps away from the emergency department.

We have been talking with health care workers throughout the morning and into the afternoon and there is a widespread eagerness for health care employees to receive the vaccine. Listen to what one of them told me earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIK MCINTOSH, NURSE PRACTITIONER, RUSH UNIVESRITY MEDICAL CENTER: I hope that people have the hope that I do in this vaccine and then when it becomes available to them that they will go and take it.

For this vaccine to work and for us to be able to get a hold of this virus and stop the virus in its tracks, it's going to take us as a nation to come together and entrust in what the medical community and scientific community is telling us and to take these vaccines

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: So many we heard from today said seeing the vaccine clinic is a sign of hope. They're hoping this is the next step to ending the painful chapter of the pandemic, but it is important that we are clear health care workers here at Rush University Medical Center will receive that vaccine first. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Bring on the vaccine bays. Adrienne, thank you, at Rush there in Chicago.

I want to broaden the conversation with E.R. Dr. Megan Ranney of Brown University, who is also a CNN Medical Analyst. So, Dr. Ranney, nice to see you.

And let's get to your exciting news first, which is you will be on the receiving end of this vaccination next week. Tell me when and tell me what's your hospital's plan.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. So just before I came on today, I got the email from my hospital that it is time for those of us on the frontlines to start scheduling our vaccines. I am scheduled for next Thursday morning at 9:00 A.M. to get my first of the Pfizer vaccine shots. I'll, of course, have to have it followed 21 days later by a second shot. I am in some ways lucky.

I am an E.R. doctor. I am at the front of the line for getting the vaccine, but there isn't enough for every worker in the hospital right now. And so even within our hospital, we are tiering who gets it first. But we are just so excited.

I worked last night in the E.R., Brooke, and it was all we could talk about, is that the vaccine is coming and that we see that there is hope on the horizon, not today, not tomorrow, but it is coming.

BALDWIN: I believe you and I am enthused by your hope.

Dr. Ranney, let's talk side effects. I was reading, and there was an opinion piece in one of the papers this week about a vaccine trial participant, an M.D. himself, told Dr. Leana Wen that he developed chills and headache, and that he was so fatigued and fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon, woke up the next morning just totally drenched sweat. And the quote from him was, these symptoms are no joke.

There is already a healthy dose of skepticism from the general public on this vaccine. Are you ready for these side effects, number one, and, two, are these side effects normal?

RANNEY: Yes. So I think it's important to be honest that there will be side effects from this vaccine. Most of us, thank goodness, have still not been exposed to COVID-19. It is a horrible disease. And for us to get immune and to be protected from it, for that immune system to take effect, there are going to be reactions. Your body is going to be building up those antibodies that can protect you very quickly. We should expect that we're going to a little pain in our arm after we get the shot, that some of us are going to get fevers and fatigue, but those are not common. They're reporting that the severe pain, the severe fatigue are being seen in only around 5 percent of vaccine recipients, but we should plan on taking the next day off just in case.

I'll tell you though, Brooke, that is worth it compared to getting severe COVID-19. One of the scariest things about this disease is that we still can't predict who is going to get it badly. It could be someone like me, it could be someone like you even if we have no pre- existing conditions. So I will take those minor side effects any day over getting the actual infection.

BALDWIN: I had it. I had COVID in April. I certainly was lucky that I didn't end up in the hospital. My lungs were okay, thank goodness.

[13:10:01]

But I had it pretty bad. I was out for three weeks. And when I hear about these side effects, let me tell you, it is worth it. And I can't wait to roll up my sleeve next April, whenever the rest of us get it. And as if we don't need more incentive to get the vaccine, this is what Dr. Fauci said just today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If 75 or more percent of the population decides they want to get vaccinated, I would hope by the time we get to the end of the second quarter into the summer that we will have enough people vaccinated that by the time we get to fall, in the third quarter of the year, that we will have that veil of protective herd immunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Next fall. What I'm hearing from Dr. Fauci, next fall, herd immunity may be starting back to normalcy. Would you agree with his estimate?

RANNEY: I would, and I think that's a really important caution. So, as excited as I am about the vaccine, as much as I am confident that this is the magic bullet we have been waiting for, not hydroxychloroquine, not bleach, but the vaccine is the magic that we have been waiting for, there's still a lot of time until we get it into enough people's arms for us to have that herd immunity that we need in order to protect all of us, the people that can get the vaccine and the people that can't from infection. It is going to be months and months until the majority of the population has access to the vaccine, much less until it gets in arms.

And, again, we know that the Trump administration passed on buying extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine. There are manufacturing difficulties, there are logistics difficulties. So are a looking at a long path until we can stop these basic public health measures. And one last quick point there is that those measures do matter. Even if you do get vaccinated, you do still need to keep wearing your mask. You do need to keep following those basic public health rules to keep those around you safe for the short term. If we can follow those as a country, we can make the difference between another 50,000 or 100,000 dying in nine months or another 200,000, 300,000 or 400,000 people dying between now and when we reach herd immunity.

BALDWIN: Thank you for saying that.

My last quick question is just -- we learned about this major setback for the vaccine candidate under GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. And then they're saying its release will be delayed until late 2021 after results show the quote is insufficient immune response in elderly folks. How much does that concern you or is it more of an encouraging sign of transparency?

RANNEY: So, I would say it is the latter, Brooke. Of course, I am disappointed that there won't be more vaccines coming on the market more quickly, but I'm much more encouraged that it proves the point that the science is working, that we are not rushing these vaccines through process willy-nilly, that we are keeping our eyes out for side effects and for lack of effectiveness.

So the vaccines that are getting approved, the Pfizer and Moderna ones, you can trust that they have been approved based on a good process. So I find it is actually a good sign that they're being honest about the shortcomings of their vaccine.

BALDWIN: Dr. Ranney, good luck, rolling up your sleeve 9:00 A.M. next Thursday. We'll be thinking about you. Thank you.

RANNEY: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Any moment now, the Supreme Court could rule on the long shot effort from indicted Texas attorney general, also the president and a number of other Republicans to overturn this election. We will have those latest details ahead.

Also, millions of Americans are about to lose critical benefits at the worst possible time and Congress is still struggling to reach a deal to help.

Also, the U.S. Postal Service is revealing heartbreaking letters from its Operation Santa program to showing how kids are struggling to cope with this pandemic.

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

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[13:15:00]

BALDWIN: We are back this Friday. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being here.

Listen, any moment now, the U.S. Supreme Court could issue its ruling on President Trump's Texas election lawsuit that is trying to overturn millions of votes in key swing states that President-elect Joe Biden won. I'm talking Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin.

The attorneys general, meanwhile, representing these battleground states, they are not having it, calling the lawsuit, here is a couple of quotes for you, a seditious abuse of the judicial process, without factual foundation, generalized grievance, extraordinary intrusion.

And as these A.G.s issue rebukes, look at all these names on the screen. More than 100 Republican lawmakers are going all in, they are backing this lawsuit anyway.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue is following all of this for us. So, Ariane, good to see you. What do you expect to hear from the justices?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Brooke, this is such an unusual lawsuit. This is not like the others we've seen, and there have been plenty, right? Because, here, you have one state supported by the president telling four other states, look, I don't like the way you ran your election. And the Supreme Court often hears disputes between states and they can come directly to the justices, but those are usually like a water dispute or a boundary dispute. It's not one state saying look, I think millions of votes should be invalidated.

So how would the Supreme Court look at this? If they see this through a political lens, and as you pointed out, there are a lot of political actors in play now, they are not going to believe that this is the kind of lawsuit that they should accept, they should take. They won't see it as a real legal dispute having to do with just two states.

And that's what Attorney General Paxton is arguing here. He is saying, look, these states took advantage of COVID, they passed a lot of these election rules, and it was done illegally.

[13:20:01]

And as you said, the battleground states came back and said, look, one, you don't have a right to bring this lawsuit, and, two, there is no evidence of massive fraud. And a lot of these issues have already been through the courts. And all the while, Brooke, you have got President Trump who has taken to Twitter again, he calls this particular lawsuit the big one.

So we'll see what the Supreme Court does. They met behind closed doors over the telephone today for their conference and they could rule at any minute.

BALDWIN: We are on, as we would say, SCOTUS stand by, right along with you, Ariane. We'll pop you back on T.V. the second you hear anything. Thank you very, very much.

CNN got its hands on the legal brief that President Trump's team actually filed at the Supreme Court, and it is littered with falsehoods.

Let's bring in our CNN resident fact checker, Daniel Dale. And, Daniel, good to see you. You had your work cut out for you on this one. Hit me.

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: I did. Brooke, I don't usually have to fact check court briefs. They may make dubious legal arguments but they don't usually makeup a bunch of facts. This Trump brief does that. It's filled with total nonsense. It's kind of like a lawyer took Trump's Twitter feed and polished it up into legal language. So let me go through some of the claims in this brief.

Number one, the brief notes that Trump won both Florida and Ohio, true, sure. And then it says, no candidate in history, Republican or Democrat, has ever lost the election after winning both states. That's just wrong. Richard Nixon won Florida and Ohio in 1960 but lost the election to Kennedy. Also, even if that claim was right, who cares? That would be an interesting fact, not evidence of fraud in 2020.

Number two, Brooke, the brief claims that in Wisconsin, all of the largest cities used unsecured absentee ballot drop boxes. No, again, that's totally wrong. They were not unsecured. They were bolted to the ground. They were built with durable materials. They were designed to be tamper-proof. And many of them, including in big cities, Milwaukee and Green Bay, were monitored 24 hours a day with video surveillance.

Number three, the brief also generally claims that leaving ballot boxes in parking lots invites fraud. Well, talk to election experts around the country, they'll tell you there was no evidence of any significant fraud involving these drop boxes in parking lots, outside Wisconsin as well. They are secured in various ways, bolted, videotaped, tamper-proof, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and drop boxes have been used for years.

Number four, the brief invokes a statement secretary of state Mike Pompeo made about the election in Belarus. Pompeo said the prohibition of local independent observers at polling stations is one reason the Belarus election wasn't free and fair. Well, yes, that was a bad election. But that statement doesn't have any relevance to this United States election. There is no evidence independent observers here were banned, Trump, claim after claim, about Republican poll watchers being banned, has been debunked.

Number five --

BALDWIN: Do you need to take a breath? Do you need to take a sip of water? Are you good?

DALE (voice over): Okay, I breathe. Okay, we've got a few more.

BALDWIN (voice over): Okay.

DALE (voice over): Number five, the brief alleged that Pennsylvania's secretary of state was in -- it's a direct violation of state law by issuing guidance, telling counties not to try to match signatures from absentee voters to signatures on file. Look, the Supreme Court, not me, is the boss of what's legal and not. But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled 7-0 nothing in state law requires the signature matching, and a Trump appointed federal judge ruled exactly the same thing.

Number six, the brief alleged that Michigan secretary of state broke the law by sending absentee ballot application to all registered voters. Again, I am not in charge of deciding what's legal and not, but there's really no apparent basis for this claim. Absentee application forms are available online, anyone in Michigan, a non- profit, a campaign, Joe Schmo, can print them off and mail them to people. And Trump was actually asked in May what he thinks is illegal about what Michigan did, he wouldn't offer a specific answer.

And, finally, Brooke, I promise I am almost done, number seven --

BALDWIN: Okay, I'm with you.

DALE: Thank you. Thank you. The brief pointedly notes that Trump won 18 of 19 so-called bellwether counties identified by The Wall Street Journal, places that voted for the presidential winner in every election from 1980 through 2016. Well, the verdict from this one is true. But, again, who cares? As demographics change, as politics change, preferences change, bellwether counties can cease to be bellwethers for all sorts of entirely boring reasons.

So this data point is an interesting for pundits to talk about but it doesn't say anything about whether this election was free and fair. And, Brooke, as we know, this election was indeed free and fair.

BALDWIN: Do you want to say that again, Daniel?

DALE: I don't. I'm done.

BALDWIN: Seriously though, we had to go through -- I mean, this is, again, a legal brief. And like you said off the top, you don't often have to just check legal briefs. I appreciate you going through all of that and it's important for everyone to hear. Daniel Dale, thank you. Thank you very much.

We will hear soon from President-elect Joe Biden who is introducing a number of picks for his cabinet. We have those details ahead.

Plus, Congress struggling to tackle two massive problems at the same time as millions of Americans suffer.

[13:26:03]

Is there any hope for a deal by end of the year?

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[13:30:00]

BALDWIN: Next hour, President-elect Joe Biden is set to introduce more of his cabinet nominees.