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CDC Vaccine Advisers Vote To Recommend Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine In The U.S.; Trump Raised Prospect Of Firing A.G. Barr In Meeting Friday; Trump Continues To Fight Election Lost After Supreme Court Rejects Trump's And Texas' Bid To Overturn Election; 126 GOP Lawmakers Signed Onto Texas' Lawsuit To Overturn Election; U.S.-Iran Tensions Rise On Nuclear & Cyber Fronts; Chinese Spying Operation Targeted Congress Members. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 12, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:01]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: The CDC's vaccine advisers voted just hours ago to recommend the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and older. So this is the second to last step in getting this vaccine distributed and into the arms of Americans. And when the CDC director accepts this vote, which is expected within hours, it's all systems go following the emergency use authorization for this vaccine by the FDA.

So let's put this moment into perspective. No vaccine has ever been developed this quickly. And the timing is crucial as the U.S. is now in the midst of the worst phase of the pandemic to date. Yesterday, more than 108,000 people were in hospitals, another 3,300 American lives lost, and the U.S. just passed 16 million confirmed COVID cases. This is the fastest the U.S. has added another 1 million cases. It has been just four days since this nation passed 15 million confirmed cases.

Yes, this is a worldwide pandemic, but the degree to which this has devastated the United States is hard to fathom. It is unmatchable. For perspective, here, compare Canada and the U.S. on the same continent of North America. More people died from COVID in the U.S. just in the last week than have died in Canada through this entire pandemic. In fact, more people died just yesterday here in the U.S. than in Japan and South Korea combined. And that's their total death toll combined. Remember, the U.S. and South Korea reported their first cases on the same day.

But back to the sign of hope right now because the vaccine distribution process is gearing up, as we speak. We are following all the latest developments for you.

CNN Correspondent Adrienne Broaddus is standing by at a Chicago hospital, where they are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first vaccines there, and they are getting ready for them.

And CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Montean is outside Pfizer manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and they're going to be having, you know, those trucks rolling here very shortly. Explain the timeline for us and what we've learned, Pete. PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, we're getting new insight into why the vaccine is not on the move right this moment. Pfizer says trucks carrying the vaccine will begin leaving here starting tomorrow morning. We know this spot is so critical to the vaccine distribution network.

This is Pfizer's largest facility and Operation Warp Speed says the vaccine will be leaving here bound for 600 individual locations. Those places like hospitals, pharmacies, CVS and Walgreens. But we're also learning from Operation Warp Speed that many of those places will not see the vaccine until Monday. The bulk of the shipments arriving on Tuesday.

It is FedEx and UPS responsible for carrying those shipments. And FedEx says there is a reason why the vaccine is not on the move right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SMITH, REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAS AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, FEDEX: We could deliver it within 24 hours, but the decision was made by the team that because there are hundreds of administration sites that are going to be receiving these, they thought it best that we wait until Monday to deliver them to ensure they're all open and ready to receive.

So a weekday, a normal business day seemed like the optimal time to send out those first shipments, rather than try to get them delivered on a Sunday, when some of these administrative sites might be short staffed or not open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Now, this is not just a ground game, Ana, also a massive air operation. The FAA is directing airports to get ready for vaccine shipments, even if they are not already expecting them. The FAA tells airports to get ready for delivery trucks, to step up security. You know this could be the beginning of the end for this pandemic, but this is just the start of a massive movement here in Michigan. Ana?

CABRERA: Okay, Pete, stand by. Adrienne, let me bring you in because you have a look inside how Rush University Medical Center in Chicago is preparing to receive the vaccine. Can you show us what the process is going to look like there?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Ana. If you take a look now, you'll notice these vaccine stations are empty, but that won't be the case for long. There are ten vaccine stations here, and each one will be equipped with an EpiPen. That's in case someone has an allergic reaction.

Earlier in the day, staff here in Rush learned the vaccine is sensitive to light. So because of that, they're already making changes. You'll notice this crew behind me is tinting the windows of the lobby here at Rush. The lobby is what they transformed into the vaccine clinic for those employees who are most at risk for contracting the virus to receive the vaccine.

I spoke with the hospital's chief medical officer, Paul Casey. He said his staff is cautiously optimistic. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CASEY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: This is really a sign of hope of the times to come. It's the beginning of the end of the pandemic, I think, to be able to get this out to our healthcare providers and really give them the protection they deserve while they're taking care of our patients with COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:05:05]

BROADDUS: And, initially, the hospital will vaccinate about 200 healthcare employees. They are part of what's called tier one. Those are, again, the most at risk employees. There are 2,000 employees in that first tier. On average, there are about 10,000 people who work here. The hospital is expected to get 2,000 doses initially. Ana?

CABRERA: It's all very interesting and a lot of anticipation. Adrienne Broaddus, Pete Muntean, my thanks to both of you for your reporting.

Let me bring in Dr. Megan Ranney, she is a CNN Medical Analyst, she's an emergency department physician at Brown University.

Dr. Ranney, a very strong statement from the CDC advisory committee just a short time ago. Somebody on that committee who voted in favor of this Pfizer vaccine and the emergency use authorization said this. I'm really hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Do you share that doctor's optimism?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I sure do. You know, throughout this pandemic, we've heard a lot of claims of magical cures, whether it was hydroxychloroquine or bleach or just this virus was going to magically disappear. Well, the vaccine is the real deal. So many diseases have been conquered in modern medicine thanks to vaccines. Very few of us alive remember polio or smallpox. Very few of us know someone who's had diphtheria or measles, and that's thanks to vaccines.

Now, the vaccine won't cure COVID, but it will prevent it. And the statistics on this vaccine are so much better, Ana, than any of us could have hoped for. That 95 percent efficacy in the clinical trials is just stellar. And, of course, now the trouble is going to be going that last mile and getting the vaccine in enough arms that we can actually protect Americans.

CABRERA: You, as a healthcare provider and right there in the trenches, you're scheduled to receive this vaccine in the first round, in fact, in just days now. I spoke to our Dr. Sanjay Gupta a little while ago. He says when it's his turn, he'll take the vaccine too. He recommends it for his own parents who will be in one of the earlier groups. What is your confidence level? Do you have any reservations at all about being one of the first people to get it?

RANNEY: I have really zero reservations about being one of the first people. As soon as I got that email in my inbox telling me that I was eligible, I signed right up. I am scheduled to get it next Thursday.

There will certainly be some side effects. We know that people get this vaccine, get sore arms, they get a little bit of muscle aches, after the second vaccine, many people, not all, but many do get low- grade fevers. That's your body developing an immune response to a virus that it's never seen before. And I'm willing to take those minor side effects to avoid having COVID, which I've seen at this point in thousands of people. It is a horrible disease. I will take a little low-grade fever over having COVID.

And the process for developing this vaccine has been so excellent, Ana. They followed every scientific process. They've had multiple independent advisory boards. I'm quite confident in getting it next Thursday.

CABRERA: And based on everything we have learned about this vaccine, are there any groups that shouldn't get this vaccine?

RANNEY: That's a great question. So I will say that this has not been tested in children, so that's why it hasn't been recommended for kids under the age of 16. It's also not been tested in people who are immune-suppressed or taking immunosuppressant medications with the exception of HIV. We're waiting for an analysis of folks with HIV who did get the vaccine.

Now, that doesn't mean people who are immune-suppressed shouldn't get it but we just don't know how well it will work or whether it will have different side effects.

The last group, of course, is people who have a history of anaphylaxis, so, lip swelling, not able to breathe, low blood pressure in response to certain medications or foods. It's not that they can't get it but they need to make sure they have an EpiPen available if they do get vaccinated.

CABRERA: This Pfizer vaccine requires two shots, one now and one, you know, in about three weeks. What happens if somebody doesn't receive that second dose in the right timeframe?

RANNEY: So, we don't fully know what happens if someone doesn't receive the second dose in the right timeframe, and that is one of the things that concerns many of us in public health. As you know, the federal government has not invested in that last mile. States are asking for somewhere between $6 to $12 billion to be able to set up the infrastructure to track people, to make sure they get that second dose and they haven't gotten that money yet. So the last mile for the average American is still being developed.

But the good news, even if you miss that second dose, current statistics or current data suggest that you'll be about 80 percent protected from the virus, which is certainly better than anyone has now.

CABRERA: It was really interesting to listen in to the FDA advisory committee when they were, you know, going through some of the data.

[17:00:00]

And we discovered that even one dose of the vaccine had an impact. It gave, you know, about 50 percent immunity to somebody. Obviously, the full protection comes after that second dose, in which the immunity is around 94.5 percent or the efficacy is around 94.5 percent, which is obviously much better.

But from a public health perspective, would you ever consider or think it would be beneficial to give more people just one, dose given the supply-demand issues, versus getting, you know, fewer people two doses in, which they, you know, have the ultimate level of protection?

RANNEY: That's a really interesting question and I hope that we don't get to the point that we have to answer that. We have the capacity to have enough vaccine between the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccine, which we expect to have approved soon.

We have the capacity to have enough of them to be able to vaccinate everyone. Again, of course, we passed on purchasing some extra Pfizer vaccines, which is a real bummer. That's 100 million doses we could have used. But in theory, we should be able to vaccinate every American according to the correct protocol.

I would hesitate to say just get one dose, because not only does it have lower efficacy in the short-term, we don't know how long that immunogenicity lasts. There's a reason that we have kids get vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella more than once. There's a reason you have to get a tetanus vaccine every ten years, and that two-dose regimen is what we know works. I would really hesitate to change from that unless we had some sort of a crisis where suddenly all the manufacturing plants shut down or something like that.

CABRERA: OK. That's such good information. Thank you, Dr. Megan Ranney. Good to see you, as always. Thanks for all you do. I know it's got to be exhausting.

Now, the COVID-19 vaccine that the CDC vaccine advisers voted to recommend in the U.S. is the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. Now, CNN's exclusive interview with the CEO of that company coming up next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Ana Cabrera. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

CABRERA: The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine receiving emergency use authorization from the FDA and vaccine shipments are now slated to begin leaving Pfizer's facility in Michigan tomorrow morning. This Pfizer vaccine was developed in conjunction with the company's German partner, BioNTech, and CNN's Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen got an exclusive interview with the German firm's CEO. Fred, tell us about it.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ana. Of course, the folks here at BioNTech in Mainz, in Germany, are absolutely thrilled to have gotten that emergency use authorization in the United States. The CEO told me that the moment he first heard about the coronavirus in January of this year, he immediately started working towards making a vaccine. And now he says, having achieved this emergency use authorization, it's a huge deal for this company.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UGUR SAHIN, CEO, BIONTECH: This is a most important milestone. The authorization of our vaccine in the United States was one of the most important milestones from the very beginning.

PLEITGEN: When do you think it is going to start having an impact on the trajectory also of the virus in the United States?

SAHIN: It could happen beginning March, middle of March, end of March, to see the first effects. And I hope that with the spring season, we will have, by nature, a lower rate of infections. And the combination of both might help us to have a more -- a better summer than the situation is now.

PLEITGEN: What steps are being taken to really upgrade and really speed up production as fast as possible?

SAHIN: We anticipated that the need, the worldwide need for our vaccine is much higher than we initially estimated, and now, of course, understanding that more doses might be required. We started a few weeks ago to evaluate if we can produce more doses and this, of course, means that we need to understand the constraints, for example, the availability of raw materials, the availability of machines, of production rooms, and of fill and finish capacity and this is exactly happening.

And I anticipate that end of January, we will be able to clearly state if we can produce more doses and if yes, how many more doses.

PLEITGEN: What do you think our future is going to be with this virus?

SAHIN: I expect that the virus will stay with us. I expect that we will require re-immunizations. This will become some sort of -- I would not say seasonal but maybe every two years, vaccination will be required to ensure that people do not get re-infections or infections. And I could even anticipate that this could become a vaccine, which is already applied in childhood.

PLEITGEN: Can you provide Americans with hope that we're turning the page and we're getting to pushing the pandemic back?

SAHIN: I am optimistic. Of course, we are now in an extremely difficult situation, not only in the United States but also in Europe. The infection numbers are high, and every day, many people are dying, and -- but we now know we have a solution for the problem. And we have to work hard to make our vaccine and to make other vaccines available as soon as possible.

PLEITGEN: It's a real service to humanity, isn't it?

SAHIN: It is indeed a service for humanity, and it is in the center of our hearts and that we are able to help people. And it is our goal and our vision to make our vaccine available worldwide to any region on the planet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And you know, one of the things that we keep talking about with this vaccine, one of the shortcomings that it seems to have, is the fact that it needs to be both stored and transported at around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit but that's also something that BioNTech is now working to address.

[17:20:05]

In fact, the CEO told me that he's working on a possible new formulation of the vaccine that could allow it to be shipped at refrigerated temperatures, possibly even at room temperatures. And he says they might be able to achieve that as early as the second half of next year, Ana.

CABRERA: Fred Pleitgen, thanks for that interview.

Now, in the waning weeks of Trump's presidency, CNN is now learning he is discussing firing a member of his cabinet. We'll tell you who, next.

Stay with us. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

CABRERA: President Trump fresh off a bruising defeat to the Supreme Court by the Supreme Court is vowing to press on with his fight to overturn the election he definitively lost. And according to sources close to CNN, he has now raised the prospect of firing his top law enforcement official and historically fierce loyalist, Attorney General Bill Barr.

CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us from West Point where the president just departed after watching the Army-Navy football game. Kevin, how serious is the president about firing the attorney general?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it's not exactly clear, Ana. This has been a will he or won't he for a while, the two men engaging in something of a cold war. The tensions are now escalating, And the list of reasons that the president is upset with his attorney general, Bill Barr, is long, but his most recent grievance is this revelation about Hunter Biden, about a federal investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes. The president is furious that Bill Barr made sure that that wasn't made public before the election.

Now, that's following Justice Department rules, but the president, of course, believes it could have helped him in the election. And then an Oval Office meeting yesterday on Friday, the president again raised the idea of firing Bill Barr. It's not at all clear that he'll go through with this, but this morning, the president was still upset with his attorney general, calling him a big disappointment and saying, why didn't Bill Barr reveal the truth to the public before the election?

Now, this is not the only reason that the president is frustrated with his attorney general. He's also upset that Bill Barr said in an interview that there was no widespread election fraud. That, of course, undercuts the president's claims when he's trying to overturn the election. The president has also been upset at Bill Barr for other reasons, including not making more information about the Russia probe public before the election.

Now, does this all mean that the president is going to fire Bill Barr? We don't know. And it's not exactly clear. His aides have tried to convince him not to do that for the past several months. And if you'll remember, the president spent the better part of a year fuming at his former attorney general, Bill Barr's predecessor, Jeff Sessions, before he actually fired him.

You know, the president is furious about Bill Barr. He's furious about several other things as well, including that Supreme Court decision. He was tweeting about that well before he got here to West Point earlier today.

CABRERA: Okay, so, that's the state of play right now, Bill Barr still the attorney general but his future obviously up in the air. Kevin, stand by.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Wilmington, Delaware, following developments with President-elect Joe Biden. And, Arlette, there is a fierce battle right now for the Senate still playing out in Georgia with these two runoffs coming up next month. President-elect Joe Biden is going to be traveling to Atlanta next week. What should we expect from that visit?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, President-elect Biden will head down to Georgia on Tuesday with the goal of trying to make sure that those same voters that supported him in November turn out to vote in these January runoffs.

The president-elect will be campaigning down in the Atlanta area on behalf of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as he's trying to help boost turnout after he won that state that has traditionally gone red going back until 1992. He was the first Democrat to win the state since then, when Bill Clinton had won.

But it's not just the president-elect's appearance that's going to be important next week. The president-elect's campaign has also sent resources down to Georgia to help in these Senate races. They've spent about $5 million so far down there in Georgia and deployed around 50 of their campaign staffers between the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee to try to help and turn out voters. They're really focusing on the suburban Atlanta area as well as smaller cities.

But what is so important about this race is that it really is critically important due to the fact that it will determine the control of Senate. We had President Obama the other day saying that these races will determine the course of Joe Biden's presidency. And if Republicans were to win and hold on to the majority, that really complicates a lot of President-elect Biden's agenda, trying to push through items like healthcare and immigration.

So he is trying to spend the time and resources there to help out as much as he can heading into those January runoffs.

Now, later next week, the president-elect will also be announcing more of his cabinet picks as he is shaping what the early days of his administration will look like. There's a little over half a dozen spots that need to be filled, and the president-elect has the goal of filling those all by Christmas. Ana?

CABRERA: OK. Arlette Saenz, Kevin Liptak, thank you both.

[17:30:00]

With us now, Doug Heye, a CNN political commentator, former communications director for the RNC, and A.B. Stoddard, associate editor and columnist of "RealClearPolitics."

Doug, first, your reaction to the new reporting about the president mulling over firing his attorney general.

DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I don't think it's any surprise. You know, if you serve Donald Trump in this administration, you serve Donald Trump, not the American people.

That's not the way it's supposed to be. That's not what the oath you take is.

And everybody who has an official position, appointed position in the executive service, takes an oath to the Constitution, not to the man who's president or woman who's president.

But it shouldn't surprise anybody. And I think what we'll see is the Donald Trump presidency began with a bang and it's going to end with a bang.

But we know it's going to end. It's going to end on January 20th.

CABRERA: A.B., the president is still saying he's going to continue to fight for this election. What is the end game?

A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, REALCLEARPOLITICS: Well, Ana, that's the problem. He doesn't know. I mean, he's really -- there no tomorrow with the president right now. It's sort of been his style along. He is fighting for fighting's sake. And he has told associates in the

early hours and days after the election that his supporters need to see him fighting, and so he's doing battle with everybody.

The idea of getting rid of the attorney general is pointless and ludicrous. There's 40 days left. What is he going to do, get another one?

He's talking about a special counsel. I mean, there's a federal investigation into Hunter Biden. There's not more that can be done.

But he -- Newt Gingrich once said that Donald Trump wakes up every day trying to figure out how to stay on offense.

So I truly believe, as these avenues dwindle and these doors close and these court cases are embarrassing and he continues to lose, he will be picking other fights to try to show that he is on offense.

He doesn't really have a goal, but he wants to be seen as fighting.

And he wants retribution. And anyone who, from Jeff Sessions to Bill Barr and anybody in between who is not willing to do something that he demands, is going to be the object of that retaliation.

And so it's not clear that he'll definitely fire him. But talking about it and sort of trolling him on Twitter is, you know, a piece of that.

And it's a campaign of grievance and offense and, again, without much target.

But he really has to lash out and it's a long way, if you think about what he's going to continue to do. And 40 days is a really long time.

CABRERA: Painfully long time for Americans to endure.

And 126 Republican lawmakers signed their names on to this lawsuit, essentially, calling for millions of votes to be thrown out that, of course, the Supreme Court slapped down.

Doug, do you think any Republicans are regretting signing that today?

HEYE: Privately, I know they are. I talked to one member on Friday who said, basically, I know this is a bad idea but I feel that I have to do this.

Ultimately, he used the word "fight" earlier. They have to show they're willing to fight.

And this is the challenge for Republicans, especially as we move to whatever the post-Trump era will be. It is post-Trump. And the reality for these members is they feel like if you want to play Donald Trump's game, you got to back him up.

But the problem is, well, they're trying to score points with Trump. Donald Trump doesn't give points. He only takes them away one at a time. Ask Jeff Sessions. Ask Bill Barr.

And we'll see this again as other Republicans speak out.

CABRERA: But, Doug, can you imagine what Republicans would be saying if the roles were reversed here?

HEYE: Of course, I can. Not only can I. Basically, I've written those statements in the past, when I worked at the Republican National Committee or in the House majority leader's office, some pretty blistering statements towards President Obama.

If Joe Biden were doing this, I'd know exactly what they would be saying, and that's, look, that's part of the hypocrisy of this.

But ultimately, these members feel, in their districts -- and notice that it's more members of Congress of the House than it is Senators -- they feel that, in their district, they have to do this to stay viable to not lose in a primary two years from now.

They're operating out of a place of fear, not a place of confidence.

CABRERA: A.B., there's still no agreement on the stimulus.

Democrats have been demanding state and local funding, which is a big sticking point for Republicans.

Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing for business liability protections, which Democrats are rejecting. The American people need help now.

Who's going to give?

STODDARD: Well, you know, I can't predict who's going to give, when they're going to give and what the final substance of a package would be, but I do think something will happen before they leave.

[17:34:58]

And I also think Republicans will not give as much because they believe, as Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, said a few days ago, that they will be back at this, doing another package in a new administration, late January, early February.

So, I don't think it will be robust enough, but I think they will do something as a down payment. More is needed.

What was needed was needed a long time ago. Sooner was always better than later. A lot of damage has been done.

But I don't think they'll go home for Christmas without doing something and we just hope it's something strong enough to get people through until January or February.

CABRERA: Right. Something is better than nothing. But the damage is so deep already.

A.B. Stoddard, Doug Heye, good to have you here. Thank you.

As the U.S. gets one step closer to begin vaccinating people, the misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines is ramping up. We'll discuss in CNN's "WEEKEND PRESIDENTIAL BRIEF," next.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:03]

CABRERA: The CDC's vaccine advisors have voted to recommend the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for anyone age 16 and older.

This is a crucial development. It is the second to last step before inoculations can begin this country.

And that brings us to our "WEEKEND PRESIDENTIAL BRIEF" with CNN national security analyst, Samantha Vinograd.

Sam, unfortunately, along with this move in the right direction with this vaccine being authorized, we're also seeing a spike in misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. What are the security risks associated there?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Every American needs to be on heightened alert for Russian disinformation attacks right now.

For years, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia had spread disinformation about public health crises and about vaccines here in the United States. This pandemic period has been no different.

The Kremlin has launched global multipronged disinformation operations about the virus and the U.K. has specifically accused Russia of spreading disinformation to undermine confidence in western vaccines.

That's why, as the vaccine is rolled out, Russia will undoubtedly step up efforts to sow doubt about it.

We desperately need a public messaging campaign to counter these attacks. The administration is not well positioned to lead it.

From Trump hawking bleach to the administration's ongoing lies and attacks on science, they don't have credibility on COVID-19.

Now with the transition under way, President-Elect Biden does have updated information about the vaccine. He has more credibility.

So, we could see him try to captain this critical public campaign about vaccines.

CABRERA: I want to turn to Iran for a moment because there are various indications that tensions between the U.S. and Iran are high. What's your assessment of the threat from this country right now?

VINOGRAD: Well, when it comes to Iran and countering threats, Trump is leaving office largely empty handed in the conventional space.

We recently sent bombers near Iranian air space and redeployed an aircraft carrier to the region. That's to deter Iranian attacks because threats are elevated.

In cyber space, Iran has expanded its hacking and influence operations. We saw that play out in the last election.

And on the nuclear front, Ana, it is a fact that Iran has greater nuclear capabilities today than when Trump came in office. They are consistently chipping away at the timeline to break out to a bomb.

And just last week, Iran passed a law-barring inspectors from Iran and further enriching uranium in 60 days unless sanctions are lifted so Trump is leaving Biden with a mess.

Fortunately, Biden's senior team has deep experience on the Iran file and that will undoubtedly come in quite handy.

CABRERA: And, Sam, what are we learning about a possible Chinese spying operation targeting members of Congress?

VINOGRAD: Well, counterintelligence 101, foreign intelligence services target people with access, influence, and information.

That's why foreign intelligence services target public officials and their associates.

That's also why public officials regularly get counterintelligence briefings. Some listen and some don't.

We also know that the Chinese Communist Party is really good at long- term strategic intelligence operations. They're incredibly patient.

So, when we look at this latest reporting, let's just look at the facts.

We know that various Democratic lawmakers were targeted by Chinese intelligence operation.

We also know that when certain officials were briefed about this operation, they took appropriate measures. That's how it's supposed to work.

My question is, why this information was released right now. The public should be informed about foreign intelligence operations. It's the first line of defense.

But we had a U.S. counterintelligence entity tweet out the actual news reporting about this incident.

We have not seen U.S. federal government take similar measures when, say, Republican lawmakers have been targeted by Russian intelligence. So, this feels a little political.

And the bottom line is, we need to remove politics from threat reporting so we can all just get back to trying to defend ourselves.

CABRERA: Right. So we can all have eyes wide open.

Samantha Vinograd, thank you for your information.

VINOGRAD: Thanks, Ana.

This week's episode of "THIS IS LIFE," Lisa Ling meets people from all walks of life who have sadly joined the club no one wants tock wants to be a part of. Talking about families of victims and survivors of gun violence.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hearing the testimony of survivors and seeing the devastation that they were living with every day really spoke to both of us. We said, how many of us are there out in this country? And how can we connect with them?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Returning a guilty verdict. Guilty on all 165 --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end of the trial, we just decided this is what I want to do. I want to be able to hold a hand and help people through this initial grief and find a solution that can help them move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:45:06]

CABRERA: Don't miss "THIS IS LIFE" with Lisa Ling tomorrow night at 10:00.

Coming up, the heart wrenching story of a military hero felled by COVID in the same hospital where his newborn fought for life. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:02]

CABRERA: An Army veteran passing away in the same hospitals where his wife and newborn son were patients. Jeffrey Michael Keene served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keene died of COVID-19.

CNN's Martin Savidge spoke with Keene's widow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty-nine-year-old Michael Keene was not a number.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: He was a husband, father, hero.

(on camera): The military is a huge part of his life?

NICOLE KEENE, WIFE OF SGT. MICHAEL KEENE WHO DIED OF COVID-19: Huge.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): He survived four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Coronavirus killed him in just over three weeks.

KEENE: I feel this huge part of me gone, this huge hole.

SAVIDGE: It began as a scratchy throat. Since Nicole was pregnant, they got tested for COVID. She was negative. Michael was positive. Within four days, he was in an ICU on a ventilator.

KEENE: I was terrified and just knew you get on the ventilator and it's really hard to get off with COVID-19.

SAVIDGE: Days passed. The inability to be with her husband was torture on my coal.

And one night when she hadn't felt the baby kick as usual, she went to the hospital.

KEENE: I just remember the doctor coming in and looking at me and saying, we're going to have to take your baby right now.

SAVIDGE: Michael Wesley Keene was born unresponsive. It took a medical team 15 minutes to bring him to life.

(SIREN)

SAVIDGE: They rushed him to the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Kentucky Hospital. The same hospital as his father.

Doctors advised Nicole not to tell Michael about his son, fearing what the stress might do.

(on camera): Did you followed their advice?

KEENE: I did. I did.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Two days later, as Nicole lay in bed now in the same hospital as her husband and baby, she got a call from the doctor saying her husband was in cardiac arrest and they were trying to revive him.

KEENE: I fell to my knees and I was just crying. I just couldn't believe it.

SAVIDGE: She demanded to go to his room.

Waring full protective gear, she held her husband's hand.

KEENE: And I can just feel him slipping away. And I just felt -- I just don't even know how to describe it. I saw everything, all of our dreams, everything like came out of me. Like it just shattered.

SAVIDGE: Michael Keene died unaware that in that very same hospital, he had a son.

(on camera): Did you get to tell him?

KEENE: No.

SAVIDGE: So he never knew?

KEENE: No.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Baby Michael is now at home but may need specialized care.

His big sister is happy to help.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Mommy!

SAVIDGE: When she's not roaming the house looking for dad.

And Nicole struggles with expenses. Michael was the sole bread winner.

From his journal, she reads the wedding vows he wrote for her.

KEENE: "From this day to my last, all of my imperfect self is yours. We were walking the light and in the dark, but we will walk together. You are my heart, my soul, my miracle."

SAVIDGE: On the day Michael died, October 28th, coronavirus also killed 1,008 other Americans.

(TAPS)

SAVIDGE: But Michael Keene was not remembered. To those who loved him, he was everything.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Lexington, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: It's heartbreaking.

For so many, this time of year is typically about giving back. But the 14th annual "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" salutes the people that helps people through this turbulent year.

The star-studded show airs tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: It's been a year of challenges and change, but it's also been a year of hope. (SINGING)

ANNOUNCER: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Tonight is about hope. It is about decency and it is about compassion.

ANNOUNCER: And a salute to people who keep our spirits lifted.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to see the world differently.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Anyone can have impact, no matter their age.

(SINGING)

ANNOUNCER: Plus, viewers' choice for this year's most inspiring moment. And a special musical performance by Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner, Cynthia Erivo.

[17:55:04]

"CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE," Sunday at 8:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: It is going to be a great show. It will make you feel good. You won't want to miss it.

Gather up the family. Grab your tissues. Get ready to be inspired. "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" airs tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern.

It is a break-through in the race to get Americas vaccinated. But we are still waiting the last step before those vaccinations can begin. That final step will happen at any moment.

We got you covered here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)