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FDA Recommended Authorizing Pfizer Vaccine; U.S. Hit Record High Death Toll from COVID-19; U.S. Prepares for Vaccine Distribution Ahead of Authorization; European Countries Saw Increase in Coronavirus Infections; Trump's Last Effort to Overturn Election Results; Biden Taps Former Obama Officials to Fill in Key Roles; Congress Struggles with Stimulus Package; America's Restaurants Fight to Survive; Pandemic's Economic Toll on Millions of Americans as they Go Hungry, Jobless; Jordan Faces Fierce Second Wave; Many Ski Resorts Close Due COVID-19; U.K. Prime Minister Warns of No Deal with E.U. after Brexit. Nurses Feeling Overwhelmed, Depressed; CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 11, 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]
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Welcome to "CNN Newsroom." Coming up on the program.
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ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We are in the timeframe now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days we're going to have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11.
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HOLMES (voice over): A grim outlook there from the director of the CDC even as the U.S. takes a big step towards finally getting a COVID vaccine.
Also, democracy in danger. More than 100 House Republicans backing a last ditch legal push to overturn millions of votes.
And contingency plans, the clock ticking down to a no deal Brexit amid a sense of stalemate. We'll have a live report from London.
Appreciate your company everyone. The wheels have now been set in motion that if all goes well will lead to the first emergency use of a COVID vaccine in the U.S., possibly as early as Monday.
It's now up to the Food and Drug Administration whether to accept its own advisory board's 17 to 4 vote recommending the authorization of Pfizer's vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have the final say that's likely to happen on Sunday. America's top infectious disease doctor says it was the FDA advisory panel's decision on Thursday that finally got the ball rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: The reason I think this is so important is that we want to make sure that we impress the American public that decisions that involve their health and safety are made outside of the realm of politics, outside of the realm of self aggrandizement, and are made in essence by independent groups. So, it was a very important step this evening.
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HOLMES (voice over): Now, the arrival of an effective vaccine is the best possible development at the worst possible time. There are a record 107,000 COVID patients nationwide in hospitals and more keep coming in every day.
The dark red on this graphic there shows you where the virus is flaring up fastest. And the whole map looks pretty red, doesn't it? It's also where hospitals are running out of beds and frontline workers running on fumes. The overall U.S. death toll now edging towards 300,000.
(on camera): Now, I want to take you back to that moment on Thursday when Pfizer's COVID vaccine candidate cleared its first major regulatory hurdle.
Here's CNN's Nick Watt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(UNKNOWN): Victor Kalman (ph) voted yes.
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): History was just made in little boxes.
(UNKNOWN): And that concludes the vote. So, we do have a favorable vote.
WATT: The FDA Advisory Committee just voted to recommend a green light for Pfizer's vaccine.
(UNKNOWN): I think that safety is very pretty well demonstrated and balance that against over 2,000 deaths a day or 2,500 deaths a day, I am uncomfortable.
STEPHEN HAHN, COMMISSIONER, U.S. FOOD AND DRUGS ADMINISTRATION: Our plan is to take their recommendations into account for decision-making and make a decision shortly thereafter. Again, it really depends upon the complexity of the issues discussed, but we intend to act quickly.
WATT: Needles and syringes already on the move. Nearly 3 million vaccine doses ready to be deployed within hours to states. But --
CARLOS DEL RIO, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I'm really, really just fearing what's going to happen over the next several weeks. Hospitals are overwhelmed. People are tired. And quite frankly, people are dying.
WATT: Yesterday in America, 3,124 people were reported killed by COVID-19, the highest daily toll of the pandemic, more lives lost than 9/11. Get used to it.
The CDC forecasts another 70,000 or so Americans could die from now through New Year's Day. That's an average of over 3,000 people every day. ICU use, one in three hospitals were over 90 percent full last week.
Reno, Nevada, this wasn't a hospital. It was the parking garage, now filled with beds and patient.
ROSALIA MARTINEZ, COVID-19 PATIENT: He coughs at nighttime. I can hear him. And if I yell, he can hear me. He knows that I'm still alive.
[03:05:00]
WATT: The worst days, months could still be to come. So, Bill Nye, the science guys on TikTok explaining why masks really do work.
BILL NYE, TIKTOK, THE SCIENCE GUY: Viruses don't travel by themselves. They're travel in droplets of spit and snot and the fibers are entangled.
WATT: And those who know best are grinching Christmas.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, MEMBER, BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY GROUP: No Christmas parties. There is not a safe Christmas party in this country right now. I don't think we're going to see really a sizeable amount of vaccine for the America public well until March and April.
WATT: Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): Now, as soon as the U.S. government signs off on the vaccine and a martyr of trucks will fan out across the country to deliver nearly 3 million initial doses.
CNN's Peter Muntean with those details.
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PETER MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The FDA says trucks carrying the vaccine could begin leaving here within 24 hours off that final FDA emergency use authorization.
What's so interesting here is we know this spot, Pfizer's Kalamazoo, Michigan plant, is critical to the vaccine distribution network. It is Pfizer's larges facility, a sprawling facility, 1,300 acres.
We know that vaccine arrived here late last month, but Operation Warp Speed, the federal government, says a vaccine will be leaving here, going directly to 600 individual locations. Those are places like hospitals, pharmacies, CVS, Walgreens.
We know that UPS FedEx will be carrying incased in dry ice. UPS is responsible for delivery on the eastern half of the country.
We also know that temperature is so critical for the transportation here that the Pfizer vaccine needs to be negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit during transportation. And UPS tells us each of its packages will come equipped with a thermal monitor able to broadcast the temperature of the package back to UPS quarters.
We're also hearing from the FAA that its air traffic controllers will now give flights carrying the vaccine top priority.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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HOLMES (on camera): Dr. Peter Drobac is an infectious disease and global health expert at the University of Oxford in England. Doctor, good to see you.
So, the vaccine is about to roll out. And it's interesting, more than half now, 53 percent of Americans, have said they would like to get the first generation when it's available, according to recent polls.
Data said it is going up. But putting a lid on the virus needs more like 75 to 80 percent of of people, doesn't it? What happens if that number isn't reached?
PETER DROBAC, INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND GLOBAL DISEASE EXPERT: Well, thank you for having. That's right. Now, we have to remember that we don't know -- yet know for sure whether the vaccine prevents me from infecting others. We assume it does, but the data don't show that yet.
But presuming that's the case, we estimate we need at least 70 percent of a population to be vaccinated to give you that population level protection. We're going to have immunity from either natural infection or vaccination.
So, if we're at 53 percent that would suggest that at least 17 percent and probably a bit more of the population would need to be persuaded to ultimately get vaccinated if we want to have that in effect.
HOLMES: Yes. What do you say to people who might think, well, you know, the vaccines are rolling out. This thing is about over. I mean the vaccine isn't a light switch, isn't it? It's more of a dimmer.
DROBAC: That's right. And it's frankly going to be on the slow dimmer. We know that we're not going to be a supply of vaccine. That's going to be really at scale until closer to the spring. It's going to be really months before vaccinations are going to be widespread enough that they're going to begin to turn the tide.
And as we just heard, we're experiencing a 9/11 level casualty event every single day in America. This is an emergency. The vaccine cannot help us today. The only thing that can help us today is being smarter about our decisions, masking, distancing, and frankly, having more prescriptions on various kinds of indoor gatherings.
HOLMES: Yeah. Vaccine, obviously, it's terrific news given what the world is going through at the moment. But there will be -- as we know, the priority groups and most vaccines need two doses, how long might that be before we're able to be effectively vaccinated?
DROBAC: Well, it's going to depend on a number of factors. Obviously, we're talking about the largest vaccination campaigns in our lifetimes, not just in the U.S. but, of course, around the world.
So, there is a massive manufacturing burden. We've already seen a couple of shortfalls, you know, coming there. And then, obviously, the logistics of distribution and administering the vaccine, realistically, I think it will be at least 6 months, but probably more likely a year before even in a place like the U.S. where a majority of the population would have access to vaccination.
HOLMES: Yeah. You know, I'm curious on your take on, you know, the more your take on the more rapid tests as imperfect as they are. You know, other countries have them pretty much on demand.
[03:10:00]
You know, they're not as accurate. Perhaps there are false positives. But the quick results and easy access could be effective in getting people to isolate. They're cheap. They're easy to make. Why aren't they more in use in the U.S. as they are elsewhere?
DROBAC: Some of it has to do I think with regulatory issues. And some of it has to do with overcoming, I think, a perception on a test being less accurate as therefore being less useful.
One of the most confounding things about COVID-19, what's made it so befuddling, it's that so much of that transmission is happening in people without symptoms. So, I can be feeling perfectly well, walking around, infecting others without knowing it. And so, if we wait until people have system symptoms to set test, we're going to miss a ton of transmission. We'll never get on top of this.
So rapid test, even if it's only 80 percent -- going to catch 80 percent of the cases, if everybody is getting tested frequently as a routine part of their business, that's going to really help us. Eighty percent is a lot better than 0 percent to do that.
So, you know, I think it actually in the short term, mass access to frequent rapid testing could make a bigger difference in helping us to control this pandemic even the vaccinations.
HOLMES: Yeah. A lot of people would agree with that. You mentioned earlier we don't really know the chances of a vaccinated person perhaps passing the virus on, whether they could be carriers. Unless I'm wrong, it doesn't stop somebody from actually getting the virus. You might be vaccinated. It protects you from getting badly sick, doesn't it? DROBAC: That's right. The trials were designed to detect a positive case with somebody who had a symptomatic infection. So, they were infected and they got symptoms. And we know is that these vaccines are extraordinarily effective at preventing symptomatic infection.
Now, the trials were not designed to determine whether somebody might have asymptomatic infection largely. There is one exception. Some of the data from the Oxford AstraZeneca trial did show some effect in reducing asymptomatic infection. So, that's good news.
But I have to say is it would be unusual for a vaccine to prevent symptomatic infection but not asymptomatic infection. So there's an absence of data right now. My suspicion is that we will see that this is the case.
HOLMES: Yeah. Fascinating. And we are on a learning curve. We'll learn a lot more in the months ahead. Dr. Peter Drobac in Oxford, England, appreciate it. Good to see you as always. Thank you.
DROBAC: Thank you.
HOLMES (on camera): All right. Let's take a look now at coronavirus across Europe. Even though some countries show signs that their numbers are leveling off, Germany has been struggling with ever increasing cases since October.
The capital, Berlin, is said to implement, quote, "significant restrictions," in the days ahead of Christmas, hoping to stem the spread. The German chancellor also calling for a full lockdown after Christmas.
The Swedish government considering a temporary pandemic law that would allow them to close some public spaces. Now, this coming after Stockholm reported 99 percent of its ICU beds are full, a very worrying number.
And France's prime minister says it is a delaying the easing of coronavirus restrictions. Theaters, museums and cinemas were due to reopen on December 15th. They all now have to stay closed for three more weeks as new case numbers remain high.
All right let's get more on all of this. Let's turn to Salma Abdelaziz who is Guy's Hospital in London. And where you are, you know, officials warned about a worrying rise of cases. Is the vaccine rollout, perhaps, causing people to, I don't know, relax a little too early?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: That's a very good question. Michael, and it's very important what you laid out there, Germany, Sweden, France, all of these European countries still very much in the throws of the second wave of the pandemic, but at the same time balancing this optimism with people getting vaccinated literally just behind me here.
But what's important to remember, let's just take the U.K. as an example because it's the starkest one, right? You have people being inoculated at the same time that you have rising coronavirus infection rates.
And what's happening here is that those who are getting the vaccine are a very limited group of the population, those over 80 who can get into the hospitals, healthcare staff, as well as nursing home staff. But for the larger population, for people like myself, life has not changed, Michael.
And that's exactly why the health secretary yesterday pointed to what he called this worrying rise in coronavirus cases. And he said, look, you can't blow it now. It's important to follow the rules and restrictions. We have to stay vigilant.
So, the government is having to balance pushing people again to follow these rules. In this case, the rise in coronavirus infection rates has been contributed mainly to people between the age of 11 and 18.
So, the government's plan is to roll out mass testing for school children. They'll have mobile testing sites in coordination with schools and parents. And in seven of the most effective neighborhoods here in the capital, the plan is to begin testing those children.
[03:15:00]
But this is just one of the very many steps that are being taken around Europe as they face a very tough week in terms of infection rates.
Again, look at Germany. They have their deadliest day yet, this week; Sweden looking at the law potentially in March. So, really the long view there. A lot of planning around, yes, getting these vaccination out, but at the same time remaining vigilant, Michael, to keep infection rates down.
HOLMES: Fascinating stuff. Salma, thanks so much. Salma Abdelazis in London. Thanks. Good to see you.
All right. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, a desperate president joining a last ditch effort. Coming up, President Trump and his loyalists sign up to a Supreme Court challenge seeking to overturn the election. Why one Republican senator says it looks more like a PR stunt than a lawsuit?
Meanwhile President-elect Joe Biden foraging ahead with building his administration, bringing back top officials from the Obama White House. We'll show you the newest additions and the full roster so far. We'll be right back.
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MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: President Donald Trump deserves his day in court, the Supreme Court. And all I can say is God bless Texas.
(CROWD CHEERING)
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HOLMES (on camera): Well, the U.S. vice president, Mike Pence, there firmly backing a latch ditch election lawsuit going to the Supreme Court. Texas attorney general leading that charge, seeking to throw out the ballots of millions of voters in four key states that, of course, Joe Biden won.
And while some Republicans are supporting it, others are breaking ranks. Here is CNN White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In another attempt to discredit Joe Biden's win, President Trump is now asking how the country can be run by an illegitimate president, while he clings to another farfetched lawsuit as his efforts to override the election grow more desperate by the minute.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: All I ask for is people with wisdom and with character, that's all, because if people are (inaudible) important people if they don't voice them (inaudible) we're going to win this election.
COLLINS: That was Trump's message for a Hanukkah party as he is now eagerly backing a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attempting to stop the certification of votes in four swing states that Trump lost.
Legal experts said they doubt the high court will take it up, but Trump tweeted, the Supreme Court has a chance to save our country from the greatest election abuse in the history of the United States. Trump held a conveniently timed, but according to the White House, previously scheduled, lunch with the Republican attorneys general, including Ken Paxton, who is currently being investigated by the FBI over allegations he abused his office to benefit a political donor.
GOP Senator Ben Sasse implied Paxton's efforts to do Trump's bidding had more to do with his legal troubles, telling the Washington Examiner, quote, "it looks like a fellow begging for a pardon, following a PR stunt rather than a lawsuit."
[03:20:09]
CNN learned that he personally called Senator Ted Cruz and asked him to argue the case if it goes before the Supreme Court.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): And I told them, I'd be happy to, and I believe the Supreme Court should choose to take the case. I think they should hear the appeal.
COLLINS: But not all Texas Republicans are on board. Senator John Cornyn said, I frankly struggle to understand the legal theory of it, better than Congresswoman Kay Granger called it a distraction, and Congressman Chip Roy saying, I cannot support an effort that will almost certainly fail. Other Republicans appear ready to move on as well. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said he will consider Biden's win official after electors meet and certify the results on Monday.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Yeah. I think he is the presumptive president elect. But we just can't -- I won't at the same time dismiss that there are filings that deserve to go through the justice system like anyone else in America.
COLLINS (on camera): And recently, we told you about an effort that was directed by President Trump to get House Republicans to join him in this effort to support this Texas lawsuit even though legal experts have said, has very little standing to go before the Supreme Court.
But now, we have learned that over 100 House Republicans have signed their names on the record, seeking to try to overturn the results of the election, joining this Texas lawsuit, that people have said doesn't have a lot of muster but it can be viewed as a loyalty test for President Trump.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice over): CNN political analyst, Toluse Olorunnipa joins me now from Washington, D.C. He is also a White House reporter for the Washington Post. Good to see you, Toluse.
(on camera): Let's start with this bizarre Hail Mary lawsuit in the absence of evidence of fraud. Leave the case aside itself for the moment, but what does Republican support for it or silence about it say and what dangers does the president's path represent to the electoral system?
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There is growing Republican support for this lawsuit even though it appears to be baseless and really without merit. But the president has been putting pressure on Republicans across the spectrum to support this lawsuit.
He's really amped this lawsuit up as the sort of holy grail of this legal effort saying that this is where his fight -- where he wants his fight to be. And a result, because he has so much sway over the party, because he attacks members of his own party if they cross the line or if they decide to take a position that is different from his.
There are several Republicans falling in line. And it shows how much they are willing to even sacrifice the democracy of the country in order to show allegiance to the president because they want --
HOLMES: Yeah.
OLORUNNIPA: -- to preserve their own political fortune. So, it's clear that the president has a lot of strength in the party even though what he is doing is dangerous, and is not in line -- and is not in keeping with the democratic values of the country. HOLMES: Yeah. Critics talk about a personality call and what -- I'm trying to imagine if Democrats did this in 2016 with the same lack of evidence. Why are Republicans enabling this course of action by the president and the damage it is doing? I mean, is it, as you say, just the fear of his wrath that anyone opposed to him as an enemy or could it be they are true believers and what they're trying to do?
OLORUNNIPA: Behind the scenes, the vast majority of these Republicans realize that what they are doing is not in keeping with the facts on the ground. They know that the president lost his reelection. They know there was not massive fraud. But they want to, essentially, try to placate him by allowing him to move forward with these legal processes.
They know that they need to also speak to his voters because polling shows that the vast majority of Republican voters believe what the president is saying. And if these Republican lawmakers decided to take a different position, they're going to be on the out with their voters. It's going to be hard for them to get reelected. The president is going to exact revenge on these Republicans.
So, this is really self-preservation and sort of a lack of political courage, where they are willing to take a stand for what is right. They're doing what's politically expedient by supporting the president's baseless claims, and that seems to be where the party is going at this moment.
If you want to have any standing within the Republican Party right now, you need to sign up for these conspiracy theories. You need to be on board with these baseless ideas of voter fraud, even though there's no evidence to back it up. And you have to put your name on the line and sign up for these lawsuits that are meritless and baseless. That's really where the Republican Party is right now.
HOLMES: And it really is -- you got to wonder what damage is being done to the process long term.
I wanted to ask you about COVID relief and the congressional logjam. I know -- it's funny. You know, I saw that Taylor Swift has released two albums since the last relief bill for struggling Americans. That kind of puts the timeframe in perspective.
The delay in helping millions of people, many literally going hungry, just seems outrageous. Who is it hurting, politically? We know it is hurting on the street.
[03:25:03]
OLORUNNIPA: Yeah. It's really hurting the idea of Washington a place where things get done. It's pretty clear in the minds of the American public that Washington has not been able to provide the kind of relief that is needed by millions of Americans. And it is really hurting both parties.
Republicans and Democrats have constituents that are struggling, that are suffering amid this pandemic. And with a record number of cases we are seeing, and the economy slowing down, President Trump is really nowhere to be found in these negotiations. We've already seen him, see his political fortunes dwindle because of the lack of progress and the amount of gridlock that has happened under his watch. So, he has already lost.
And there are a number of Republicans and Democrats that find themselves in the political crosshairs at this moment because the American people want there to be cooperation, and right now, there does not seem to be any of that.
HOLMES: Absolutely. We only got a minute left, but I wanted to squeeze this in because a lot of people, friends of mine overseas, asked me this. It seems extraordinary to outsiders at one man, in this case, Mitch McConnell, can pretty much decide what gets voted on. Is that a portent of what is possible or likely if there is Republican Senate majority after February?
OLORUNNIPA: Yes. If Republicans can maintain control of the Senate, they will be able to block much a President-elect Joe Biden's agenda. They will be able to stop him from passing the kinds of legislation that he wants to pass because if Mitch McConnell does not green light it, if he does not support it, then it won't go through.
He has the immense amount to power right now, and that's where there's a huge fight for these two runoffs in Georgia to determine control of the Senate. Because if Mitch McConnell maintains control, it will be very hard for Joe Biden to get anything done legislatively in the Congress with the Republican Senate in control.
HOLMES: It's amazing that you need one man controls what gets voted on. Toluse Olorunnipa, thank you so much. It's always good to get you on.
OLORUNNIPA: Thank you.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden's latest picks for top roles in his administration continue the trend of leaning heavily on former Obama officials.
He has now tapped Denis McDonough for veteran's affairs, and named Susan Rice to lead his White House Domestic Policy Council. McDonough served as Obama's chief of staff, while Susan Rice was Obama's national security adviser.
Biden also nominating Tom Vilsack for agriculture secretary, a position he held in the Obama administration. There are at least one dozen former Obama officials Biden has tapped to return.
Millions of Americans are facing eviction and hunger this holiday season. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom" -- unemployment in the United States as talks to reach another stimulus deal stall.
Also, still to come, a Middle Eastern nation facing a catastrophic second wave of COVID-19. How Jordan may have been lulled into a false sense of security before the new surge hit. We will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): And welcome back to CNN Newsroom everyone, I'm Michael Holmes, I appreciate you sticking around. Now the U.S. Congress, struggling to get a stimulus bill passed before benefits for millions of people expire at the end of this month. But many Americans are struggling just to get by, while the politicians bicker.
The Labor Department reported yesterday that some 853,000 people filed for first time jobless benefits last week. And that is after being adjusted for seasonal hiring. It is the third increase in the last four weeks. And as federal economic aid dries up, it is forcing many to depend on food banks to survive. Senator Bernie Sanders, spoke to CNN on Thursday and said, Congress has to do something before the holiday recess.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Nobody wants to see the government shutdown, but I think it would be outrageous, and simply unacceptable, for members of Congress to go home to their families when tens of millions of working class families, in this country are facing economic desperation. They do not have the food, literally to feed their kids. They are worried about being evicted. They can't afford health care. They have no income. We have got to address that. And I intend to do everything I can to make sure that we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on camera): Now, many of the struggling people in the U.S., whom Sanders just described, work in restaurants.
CNN's Brian Todd, looks at their fight to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A chef, and manager, of several restaurants in Minnesota, puts it bluntly. He is out of work, for the second time this year, and he and his colleagues he says are running on fumes. J.D. Fratzke chokes up when he talks about people who were his paying customers, now coming to his restaurants to pick up any groceries they can.
J.D. FRATZKE, MINNESOTA RESTAURANT MANAGER: That will hopefully provide the same kind of safety and comfort we had hope our restaurants would be able to offer this year.
TODD: Baltimore's mayor, trying to fend off a devastating COVID spike in the city, has just ordered restaurants and bars to close all indoor and outdoor dining. Only carry out and delivery are available. A co- owner of Jimmy's Famous Seafood, doesn't know how long he can hang on.
JOHN MINADAKIS, CO-OWNER, JIMMY'S FAMOUS SEAFOOD, BALTIMORE: It's just devastating. You know, a lot of city restaurant and bars had been hanging on by a thread, and this effectively just pulls the plug on all of them. We have to find new and creative ways for them to subsidize our income somehow. Because, I told them, you know, the government won't take care of you but we will.
TODD: The government isn't taking care of them. Democrats, and Republicans in Congress, still unable to agree to a second coronavirus stimulus bill to help Americans who have lost so much. This, as the labor department reports that another 853,000 Americans filed for first time unemployment benefits last week.
JOSEPH LLOBRERA, CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES: We are stunned, infuriated that Congress really hasn't acted to renew relief. Now is the time for Congress to act boldly, not maybe nickel and dime to the American public.
TODD: One restaurant analyst believes there could be 50,000 to 60,000 permanent restaurant closures in America, due to the pandemic. And without a stimulus bill --
PETER SALEH, RESTAURANT ANALYST, BTIG: I think the longer it goes on, the more carnage we are going to have in the space. You are seeing the sales already start to backtrack. There is really no reason to believe that sales trends will improve in December, or even January given the cold weather.
TODD: And the food insecurity crisis in America remains dire. More than 50 million Americans, may not have enough to eat by the end of this year, in part because of the pandemic. That is according to feeding America, the largest hunger relief group, in the U.S.
In an area of the Bronx, New York, that has one of the highest rates of food insecurity among children in the country, Regina Status received a delivery from a food pantry, just in time to feed her and her two children for Thanksgiving. Then, she spoke to CNN.
REGINA STATUS, NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT: Just survive it. That's all I can say, you just have to survive it.
TODD (on camera): And the projections keep getting more dire. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tells us, they estimate that between 7 and 11 million children in America are in households where they don't have enough to eat. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES(on camera): And CNN's Eleni Giokos, joins me now to discuss what is an increasingly dire situation. To what extent are these latest jobless claims numbers pointing to the U.S. economy weakening fundamentally? And how consequential is the rapid rise in claims?
[03:35:05]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN MONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: That's really an important question, Michael, because if you look at what we saw last week, this is the highest number of initial claims since August, end August. This is the biggest rise, since March. This is directly correlated to the record numbers on coronavirus cases in certain parts of the United States.
And, of course, economists are warning that localized shutdowns results in a deterioration in the labor market and it is reflected in the latest figures. Now, the big question is, are we going to see a deterioration in initial claims in the next weeks and over the season? And remember, there is always a lot happening during the Christmas season. And this is why this trend is an important one.
If you look at the embedded figures on the continued claims number, there was also an increase. It went up from 5.5 million to 5.8. If you look even deeper into the figures, the people that were eligible for state benefits have exhausted those avenues. Many then, people went into the pandemic emergency unemployment, a compensation's planned that also exhausted those avenues, because you can only be eligible for 13 weeks.
So, this leaves a lot of people sitting with no options, no benefits, and, of course, when you look at the overriding stimulus plan that of course, we've been discussing for many months now, those plans and those benefits expire at the end of July. We are sitting on the cusp of potentially a vaccine roll outs in the United States.
But until then, there is a huge gap in assisting the vulnerable communities. We are talking about food insecurity in the United States. And it is pretty harrowing to look at the scars of the pandemic, and how that is going to spill over into the economy going into next year.
HOLMES: Yes, you know, I mean, it is head banging how divorce from reality politicians are. We've been talking about this stimulus plan for months. I mean, Democrats say the latest House proposal is a nonstarter. But what they're worried about are these protections, legal protections, for companies. What are the consequences of a further delay? I mean, these people's lives being impacted by dithering by politicians.
GIOKOS: Absolutely. I mean, we're looking at the Christmas season. We are looking at the holiday period, where families get together. We are looking at New Year celebrations, and we are looking at restaurants, and retail, saying they have to shut down. They don't know if they can be able to take another big economic blow.
And legislative days, the federal spending, are not coming to an end. The sudden post deadlines we've seen over the last few months that have been breached constantly. Now, there's no choice. It's crunch time. And if they don't make a decision by next week, Friday, we are looking at further delay into the New Year.
So, the two sticking points, and you are rightly to point out liability protection for businesses, and aid for states and cities, that's what we are hearing is happening behind closed doors. And of course, there's a fight between Republicans and what Democrats want. We look at overall (inaudible) sitting at over $900 billion, but it's the way that is going to be spent here. And again, we are seeing hits being hits, can they make a decision? Is
there a path to an agreement? Michael, I do not know. I mean, from what we've seen over the last few months, it is very worrying.
HOLMES: Yes. You wonder where the politicians will play -- pay for this disinteresting people's lives. Eleni Giokos, in Johannesburg, important stuff, thank you so much.
Now, Jordan battling a second wave of coronavirus that took many there by surprise. Strict, early measures, help suppress the initial outbreak. But now, the Middle Eastern nation is fighting the highest per capita infection and death rates in the Arab world. And that is leaving many Jordanians to wanted deeply declared victory too soon.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh takes us there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Air raid sirens that ushered in curfews. The military, deployed to the streets. And, an emergency law, giving the government sweeping powers. It was one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and it seem to pay off. Jordan emerged from the first wave of the coronavirus, almost unscathed as its neighbor's struggle to deal with devastating outbreaks.
But, there was no escaping COVID-19. Jordan has been hit hard by a second wave. Daily cases, and deaths, reaching unprecedented levels. Turning the country of some 10 million into the highest infection and death rates per capita in the Arab world. The government, mostly, blamed the reemergence of the virus on its land borders which remained open to commercial traffic. But some in the kingdom say, it was premature declarations of victory over the virus and that people, and authorities, to let their guard down too soon.
[03:40:00]
The virus is no longer being transmitted from one Jordanian to another, that then health minister said in June. We can say, it shriveled up and died.
With thousands of new cases reported, every day, the government is now rushing to increase hospital capacity. Also setting up military field hospitals, ready to deal with an overflow.
WAIL HAYAJNEH, SECRETARY GENERAL FOR EPIDEMIOLOGY, JORDANIAN HEALTH MINISTRY (through translator): The health sector still holding on, as we are increasing the number of beds. God willing things will not get worse, but we are preparing for the worst.
KARADSHEH: The government has so far ruled out an extended lockdown. It's not something the fragile economy can afford. Almost everywhere you look, there are businesses hurting.
HASSAN ABU SHAQRA, RESTAURANT OWNER (through translator): I have six facilities completely shut down. And I put them up for sale because of COVID, and government decisions. COVID has paralyzed us. We are worried about what comes after this. It's like we're in the ICU, and we could lose life support at any minute now.
KARADSHEH: The cash strapped government has promise a packages to some of the impacted sectors. But many small business owners say they have been left to shoulder the burden, all alone.
Since March, Mona Bitar has been running her business from her living room.
MONA BITAR, GYM OWNER: So we made that decision early on to just stop the financial bleeding and migrate and move ourselves, into an online platform so that we can salvage some of our business, and continue working. So that we can pay off like bank loans that we have running. One comforting factor is that this is happening globally. It is not just in Jordan.
KARADSHEH: But, it hasn't been easy. With fewer online clients, Bitar says the business has taken a huge financial hit.
BITAR: I imagine, there's going to be more and more businesses closing their doors at you know, in 2021. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine, but, I do not know how much of that light, small business owners can truly see right now.
KARADSHEH: Jordan now says infection rates are starting to fall. But, its battle with COVID-19 is far from over leaving behind economic scars for years to come. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): Now many of Europe's top ski resorts are (inaudible) because of the pandemic. Ski hills in France, Germany, Italy and Austria, have been ordered to close over Christmas. Causing them enormous financial hardship, which, of course in turn is impacting local communities and other businesses. One notable exception, Switzerland, which is getting its slopes open with certain COVID precautions.
CNN's Melissa Bell, with more now from Paris. Yes, it is such an important industry in parts of Europe, and not just the ski operators themselves, it is entire villages and towns.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, Michael. And I think that's really an important point. There is of course the industry itself. But then the trickledown effect to so many communities around the Alps. And to give you an idea of how difficult that decision was to make. It really took a lot of pressure between the four E.U. countries that are closest to the Alps to come up with this coordination plan to keep their ski lifts closed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice over): Some come to the spectacular views and the fresh air. But many come for the sport. Each year, the European ski industry, brings in 34 billion euros in revenue. Half the world's total, according to an industry expert. But, not this year. Ski lifts will be a standstill this Christmas in many of Europe's top skiing destinations, because of COVID-19 restrictions.
And that means, trouble beyond the ski industry. Entire villages, like Megeve in the French Alps, are up in arms.
MAYOR CATHERINE JULLIEN-BRECHES, MEGEVE, FRANCE (through translator): The ski lifts here in Megeve will lose 8 million euros in turnover. And we know that in one year we spent on this, I mean 7 euros spent in the village, so that gives you an idea of the extent of the economic damage for villagers.
BELL: But by early December, after much debate and mutual pressure, France, Germany, Austria and Italy, decided not to open their ski lifts. A decision met with incomprehension by those whose livelihoods depend on them.
MICHEL CUGIER, DIRECTOR, MEGEVE SKI LIFTS (through translator): It is an outdoor activity, and I think, in terms of big crowds, we are not confronted with the same crowds you see in the metro, in a big city.
BELL: But just 60 miles away, across the border here in Switzerland, the ski lifts are open. With resorts like (inaudible) putting in place special restrictions like masks, the need to be worn on the lift and social distancing put in place as well, in order to make sure that people can ski as safely as possible.
Laurent Vaucher who runs the Verbier Ski Lifts says that much has been learned since the Austrian ski resort (inaudible) was identified health officials as a major cluster, during the first European COVID wave.
LAURENT VAUCHER, DIRECTOR, VERBIER SKI LIFTS: We are praying, we do not have any measure in place, we didn't have any mask. We didn't have any the social distance. So, now, that the game is different. We are pretty much sure that we can do the good work in order to keep the ski result to safe.
[03:45:12]
BELL: Measures are being taken on the slopes and in the village. Switzerland's infection rates are rising and local leaders say, they want to leave nothing to chance.
SIMON WIGET, DIRECTOR, VERBIER TOURISM: It's not only to save the Christmas holiday, but it's to save the winter. It is to save as well, the reputation. Because we know that everybody is watching at us and if we make a mistake and afterwards, due to the mistake we have a corona cluster. We will be appointed as a bad organizations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (on camera): Now, the temptation to head to the Swiss slopes was what authorities were worried about in those countries that have close their ski lifts, the conditions, Michael, I have to say up there this winter are exceptional. There's fantastic snow, fantastic sunshine, and what country that had to put in place, E.U. countries, a special travel restrictions to prevent their citizens flocking to resorts like Verbier.
And of course, what we've also heard from Switzerland this week, Michael, is that infection rates there are on the rise. They have to put in place extra measures to try and bring them down. For now though, the resorts are set to open.
HOLMES: All right. A lot of people impacted. Thanks to you Melissa, Melissa Bell there in Paris.
And we will take another quick break here on the program, when we come back. Britain, bracing for no deal, after a warning from Prime Minister Boris Johnson. We will be live in London with what comes next, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And so what I told the cabinet, this evening, is to get on and make those preparations? We are not stopping. The talks will continue to negotiate, but looking at where we are, I do think it is vital that everybody now gets ready for that Australian option.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on camera): Words of warning there from the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Asking the U.K. to prepare for the so-called Australian option, after Brexit. Something better known as, no deal Brexit. Where most trading between the U.K., and the European Union would then be conducted under basic world trade organization rules. They say it's not what they are planning at the outset of all of this.
The U.K. and the E.U. have until Sunday to hammer out a post Brexit deal. If it does not come together, perhaps a glimpse of the future is right there in Dover, long lines of trucks, winding their way around, in part, due to stockpiling ahead of whatever is going to happen.
Our Anna Stewart joins us now from London. So, it might not be a deal with Europe after all of this time, all of these negotiations. Is this a genuine warning from the P.M. that, that's what is looming? Or, do you think, it's perhaps a little bit of the Brexit brinkmanship negotiating?
ANNA STEWART, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): Well, certainly there's always a bit of saber lathering in these negotiations. We've seen plenty over the 4.5 years. That is how long this has taken, Michael. 4.5 years of negotiations over Brexit.
[03:50:11]
Some point to the fact that Boris Johnson release that video message, just before E.U. leaders were due to sit down for dinner in Brussels. However, it does feel like a very stark message. The mood in Westminster is, I have to say, much darker than it has been for many, many weeks. This morning, a no deal Brexit is actually looking almost fairly likely, and that businesses and people have to prepare for it.
In that video message, one of the things the Prime Minister said was perhaps the biggest issue is the idea of equivalents. That the U.K., if the E.U. got their way, would have to follow the E.U.'s rules and regulations and keep updating them in line with that. He said that would keep the U.K. lock in the E.U.'s regulatory orbit.
Now, both sides are still talking, but they said they will decide on Sunday. This is a self-imposed deadline. They will decide on Sunday whether it is worth carrying on this discussions whether really is time to just prepare for a no-deal Brexit. Michael?
HOLMES: Wow. And yes, as you say, years, literally, they've used to sort this out. So, then, how did both sides prepare for the no deal.
STEWART: So Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister said it's time to make preparations. He instructed his cabinet to do that. I'm not sure what that means in real terms, but for people, and for businesses, well, actually, we've been on the brink of a no deal Brexit multiple times, over the last 4.5 years. With also it's a deadlines that got messed, or push back, and so forth.
Now, for businesses, part of that particularly of those in manufacturing that means stockpiling certain parts. So you can continue manufacturing. If there are huge delays at the border with customs, with tariffs. Now, as you saw from those pictures in Dover, we already have huge cues, huge holdups at the ports at the moment. A combination of just that, businesses stockpiling, as well as the effects of the pandemic.
On the E.U. side of things, they actually released a contingency plan if it's a no deal Brexit that would like to continue having planes fly between the U.K. and the E.U. They need to put that in legislations if it's to happen. If they want to continue road transport all for six months. They did suggest that the U.K. and the E.U. should share fishing waters for a year.
Now, that will not go down well at all with Brexiteers. Of course it is one of the biggest issues that they have been holding up all of these talks. And the U.K. would have to agree to this. Though, yes, it's time for contingency planning. But sill both side would have to agree on that, Michael.
HOLMES: Crazy. Anna Stewart, in London, I appreciate it. Good to see you, Anna. Thank you.
And I will be right back after the break, stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES (on camera): Now there is no question that medical personnel have been working tirelessly during this pandemic. An American Nurses Association survey more than 10,000 nurses indicates more than half say they have felt overwhelmed. One in three says they've experienced depression. Now, I asked Tessa Johnson, the president of North Dakota Nurses Association, about the emotional pressures nurses are facing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TESSA JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, NORTH DAKOTA NURSES ASSOCIATION: I think it is a very important topic to discuss within our health care community. I feel that nurses are struggling right now. I know that everybody has worked a lot of hours, days, on and since this started in March.
[03:55:00]
And we were getting to that point that, there is not much left to give. And that nurses in general are just humans who give, give, and give, even if there cup had nothing left to give. And I really fear for the mental health of nurses right now. Because I think we are stuffing a lot of things down and we are not addressing the issues, our mental health issues that are approaching.
I know that at the beginning of this pandemic, everywhere you turned, it was thank you health care heroes. And that was great, but here we still, are, nine months later. And nobody really knows the reality until you walk in our shoes, and you see the things that we see. You make decisions that we make, you make compromises, you give your all, putting everything else aside. And unless you walk in those shoes, you simply do not know the reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on camera): I will have much more of that interview with Nurse Johnson coming up in the next hour. So do stick around for that. It's a powerful message that she has.
Now for many this time of year, it's about giving back. And the 14th annual CNN Heroes all-star tribute salutes the people who put others first during this turbulent year. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice over): It's been a year of challenges and change, but it's also been a year of hope. This year's CNN heroes is a celebration of everyday people doing extraordinary acts. Doing two of the biggest stories of 2020. Join Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, and celebrity guests.
UNKNOWN: Tonight is about hope, it's about decency, and it's about compassion.
UNKNOWN: In a salute to the people who keep our spirits lifted.
UNKNOWN: We need to see the world differently.
UNKNOWN: Anyone can have an impact, no matter their age.
UNKNOWN: Plus, the viewer's choice for this year's most inspiring moment. And a special musical performance by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winners, Cynthia Erivo. CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute, Sunday at 8:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on camera): Again, CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute, live, Sunday December 13th, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday, 5:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi. 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong. Special night of inspiration, you won't want to miss it.
And thank you for spending part of your day with me, watching CNN Newsroom, I'm Michael Holmes. I will have another hour of CNN Newsroom after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
