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U.S. Set To Kick Off Massive Vaccination Campaign; Millions Of Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine Ready To Ship; Parts Of Europe Seeing Uptick In Infections; Trump Not Moving Beyond Election Loss; At Least 23 Arrested During Washington Protests; Republicans Rally Georgia Voters; Final Day Of E.U.-U.K. Negotiations; 2020 A Tough Year For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson; New Questions Over BBC's Interview With Princess Diana. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 13, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): In just hours, the very first doses of coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. are set to be shipped. We'll have the latest on this massive logistical operation.

Plus clashes and arrests in the streets of the American capital. Stop the Steal protesters angry about the presidential election results take their message to the Supreme Court.

And it was the interview that shook Britain's royal family to its core. Now fresh questions are being requested about whether the BBC used underhanded tactics to get Princess Diana to talk.

Live from CNN World Headquarters, welcome to our viewers in the United States and Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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BRUNHUBER: Millions of doses of COVID vaccine are ready to ship across the United States at this hour, pending the final OK from the head of the CDC. It's up to Dr. Robert Redfield to issue the official red light for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. An advisory panel made that recommendation earlier on Saturday.

Testing data show the drug achieves 95 percent immunity against the coronavirus after two shots and it's showing up just as the pandemic in the U.S. is turning from bad to worse.

One million Americans tested positive in just the past four days, bringing the total so far to a staggering 16 million infected people. It took almost 100 days to reach the first million (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) in April.

The CDC could sign off on the vaccine at any time. When it does, transporting millions of doses of vaccine to their destinations while keeping them super cold will be an epic challenge. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has the latest on this massive undertaking.

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DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As a race to distribute the Pfizer vaccine in the United States is set to begin, there are different parts of the logistics, the process of actually getting that vaccine to hospitals and nursing homes and government agencies that have taken months to plan.

Different carriers like FedEx and UPS are going to take that vaccine and ship it all over the country to try and get it to people who need it quickly. Now there are three different aspects to this.

Of course, temperature, much has been made about the fact that this vaccine must be kept in extremely cold conditions, negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

And timing: FedEx has said it's using Bluetooth and GPS to make sure it has eyes on these packages of vaccines everywhere they go, every step of the way, to make sure they get there as quickly as possible.

And then there's the transit and that's because airports across the country have been told by the FAA to prepare for these vaccine flights even if they're not expecting them. One airport that has been told to potentially expect those vaccines is Ford Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have Stephen Clark with me now.

And, Stephen, proximity wise, it's very close to Kalamazoo where Pfizer is shipping a lot of these vaccines out.

But what is it about this airport that has made you guys ideal for this vaccine distribution?

STEPHEN CLARK, GERALD R. FORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: It's all about infrastructure. When carriers are looking to transport this vaccine not only here in the United States but globally, it's all about long runways, air cargo facilities and the ability to get people and goods in and out rapidly.

So we have a 10,000-foot long runway, perfectly capable of handling wide body international flights. We handle wide body domestic air cargo flights every single day of the week. So for an airport like Ford, it's just business as usual for us.

GALLAGHER: I know you guys, though, have been planning for this about a month now. It's not just technical and a difficult process, it's been kind of emotional as well, right?

CLARK: Absolutely. I think, for us, our industry has been impacted so much by COVID. Many of our colleagues, our friends, our loved ones, they lost their jobs, they're laid off, furloughed, changed jobs.

So to have an opportunity to be on that starting line of heroes, we think of health care workers, we think of nurses, we think of, you know, scientists, all these folks, the fact that transportation gets to be a part of that story and put an end to the beginning of this terrible pandemic is pretty incredible.

GALLAGHER: I know the Ford Airport say they've spoken or been in talks with at least four international carriers in terms of the vaccine. Of course, a lot of this is still shrouded in secrecy.

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GALLAGHER: And there's massive security involved in the vaccine distribution here in the United States and worldwide -- Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on the vaccine, who should take it and what the rollout will look like when it's signed off on.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Just remarkable developments scientifically with this vaccine. It is now authorized and has now been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control as well, which means that lots of moving parts are starting to unfold.

We know that the shipments are scheduled to begin this weekend. Likely going to be arriving in many places by Monday morning. And we could see people starting to get vaccinated for the first time outside of a clinical trial early this week, perhaps Monday or Tuesday.

The process has been so far, once the FDA authorized it, the CDC recommended it and we get some better clarity on not only who the vaccine is recommended for but also who may not be recommended.

For example, we know that this is going to be recommended for people 16 and over. There was some back and forth on that among the advisory committee. Some felt that the age should be 18 and over but the FDA and now CDC think 16 and over.

We know that pregnant women, for example, were not part of the original clinical trial; 23 women in the trial became pregnant while in the trial. But there's not a lot of data to worry that it's dangerous or that it's not safe. There's not a lot of data to show its efficacy in pregnant women specifically.

That's likely to end up being conversations between pregnant women and their doctors. For example, if a pregnant woman is in a high-risk profession and exposed to COVID over and over again, for example, they may go ahead and ask for the vaccine.

We know that people who have had a significant allergic reaction in the past, so significant that they carry an EpiPen, they may not be recommended to get the vaccine. And people who have conditions that have compromised their immune system.

But I think a lot of this is going to be conversations between individuals and their health care providers to try and figure out what's going to be the best course of action for them.

Three million doses, roughly, are going to distributed around the country. And it's up to each state to sort of triage these doses. We know that specifically health care workers who take care of COVID patients and people in long-term care facilities are going to be at the top of the list.

But each state may give all their doses to health care workers or all their doses to long-term care facility residents. Or they may split it up. So it may be different in one state compared to the state next door. So that may feel a little disjointed in the beginning.

But the hope is, as more and more vaccine is created, it's going to help smooth out some of the demand surges that are likely to occur obviously in these various states.

I want to show you quickly, in terms of future vaccine, we know about Pfizer. The U.S. government bought 100 million doses of that; Moderna, another vaccine maker, is going to go through this whole same process next week. They've applied for emergency use authorization.

There will be committee meetings at the end of next week on Moderna's vaccine. We'll see how that rolls out.

Look at the other vaccines possibly in the pipeline here: AstraZeneca, 300 million doses; Johnson & Johnson, 100 million doses. We got some news from Sanofi-GSK that they're probably going to take longer, maybe even the end of next year before they have their vaccine.

But you start to do the math and, in order to vaccinate the country, two doses, 600-700 million doses, you may get there if the other makers get their emergency use authorizations and if they can manufacture the vaccines at the scale that is necessary, then distribute them.

So there's a lot of hurdles still for this all to work and a lot of things have to go exactly right. But I got to tell you, it's an important, important step forward to actually have this vaccine authorized now here in the United States.

I frankly did not think we would be having this conversation this year. But here we are. We're going to continue to follow it, see where the vaccines go, see how people are reacting to it, see how the distribution is going. And as we learn more of the details, we'll certainly bring them to you.

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BRUNHUBER: New coronavirus cases are also headed in the wrong direction across parts of Europe. According to Johns Hopkins University, Denmark, France and Germany are among the countries suffering an uptick in new infections during the past week. Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet on Sunday with Germany's 16 state premiers about a possible nationwide lockdown.

[05:10:00] BRUNHUBER: It's widely expected to go into effect before or shortly after Christmas in hopes of stemming the country's surging cases. For the latest on the coronavirus in Europe, let's turn to CNN's Anna Stewart in London.

Anna, many European countries facing opposing pressures as we head toward Christmas; on one hand, rising cases; on the other, pressure to ease restrictions to allow people to enjoy the holidays with loved ones.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Kim, large parts of Europe have been under some form of lockdown or restrictions for weeks or even months now. And many countries are planning to ease up over Christmas so families can spend time together.

However, in large parts of Europe, the infection rate is incredibly high. Germany, 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported just in the last 24 hours. That's despite Germany being in a so-called soft lockdown. They've been in that since the beginning of November. So clearly it's not doing enough to curb the virus.

And the expectations today are that the chancellor will meet with the 16 heads of states and they will decide to implement some sort of national lockdown. Some of the states have actually implemented individually certain restrictions ahead of that. And this is so that hopefully people can meet over Christmas. Although, that remains up in the air in Germany and many other countries.

It was notable earlier this week, Angela Merkel, the chancellor, made an unusually impassioned speech, where she said, if we have too many contacts now before Christmas and that ends up making it the last Christmas with the grandparents, then we will have failed.

Now expectations for a national lockdown include things like shops being told to shut, perhaps schools being closed early and people being told they need to work from home.

Germany certainly isn't alone here. France registered 14,000 new cases in the last 24 hours. They were due to ease up on their restrictions on Tuesday. They won't be doing it to the extent they hoped and they're also extending their curfew.

In Denmark more regions under lockdown on Friday. Now it's 80 percent of the population is under lockdown in Denmark.

And also in England, despite the national lockdown ending less than two weeks ago, the infection rate is on the rise, particularly in regions like London where I am right now. The end of next week, we expect that perhaps London will face stricter measures once again. And we're less than two weeks away from Christmas.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, CNN's Anna Stewart in London.

Supporters of U.S. president Donald Trump flocked to Washington, D.C., this weekend ad their anger at the election result boiled over when the sun fell, as clashes broke out with counterprotesters. Joe Biden says he'll announce all of his choices for cabinet by

Christmas Day and there are a few key positions yet to be named.

Who is on the list?

We'll take a look. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): At least four people were stabbed and almost 2 dozen others were arrested during post-election unrest late Saturday in Washington, D.C. The mayor's office says the stabbing victims are in critical condition. Videos posted online show fights like this one breaking out between Trump supporters and counterprotesters.

Large groups of Trump supporters descended on the nation's capital earlier in the day to protest the presidential election results. The daytime demonstrations were largely peaceful but most protesters weren't wearing masks even as the pandemic rages. President Trump remains furious about the election results more than a month later.

And the latest target of his anger?

Well, his own hand-picked attorney general, William Barr. Boris Sanchez has the details from the White House.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump spent Saturday mostly focused on the 2020 election and mythmaking, repeating false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from him.

And now the president is focusing his ire on those in his administration and elsewhere that are refusing to go along with this fantasy.

On Saturday, President Trump tweeting that the Supreme Court acted disgracefully in dismissing that lawsuit from the state of Texas and other states, trying to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania and a number of other states.

The president also focused on his attorney general, William Barr. CNN reported earlier this month that President Trump was furious with Barr after the attorney general revealed in the Associated Press that he did not believe that there was any widespread election fraud, there was no evidence of widespread election fraud.

CNN has learned that President Trump, at that point, contemplated firing the attorney general but was talked out of it by aides, ultimately suggesting that he was so close to January 20th and a new administration that it wouldn't be worth it.

Now the president is again revisiting the idea after news that attorney general William Barr worked to keep news that the Department of Justice was investigating President-Elect Joe Biden's son, Hunter, under wraps.

Barr, following precedent and policy at DOJ to not reveal any sort of information about a candidate or their family members being under investigation around election time, the president tweeting this, quote, "Why didn't Bill Barr reveal the truth to the public before the election about Hunter Biden?

"Joe was lying on the debate stage that nothing was wrong or going on. Press confirmed. Big disadvantage for Republicans at the polls."

That "truth" there that the president is alluding to, a bit nebulous at best. Nevertheless, this is history repeating itself. Remember, President Trump frequently berated his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, on Twitter because Sessions did not do his bidding and ultimately recused himself from the Russia investigation.

That went on for the better part of a year before President Trump ultimately fired Sessions, replacing him with Barr.

Now we're in a similar situation with the current attorney general.

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SANCHEZ (voice-over): Sources close to the two men say that the communication between them is virtually nonexistent, that there has been a breakdown between the two of them.

They likened it to a cold war between the two men. At this point, we understand the president has mused about firing Barr. It's unclear whether he will, so close to a new administration on January 20th -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex.

Thank you so much for joining us. I want to talk about what we saw before the story, the clashes that we saw in Washington and elsewhere, between the president's Stop the Steal allies, including those from the far right, and the counterprotesters.

The question is, I mean, how do you govern a country when so many of your citizens clearly believe your presidency is illegitimate?

I guess, ask Barack Obama, I suppose. But... NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Yes.

I mean, that's a great question. This is going to be a huge challenge for Joe Biden. And we knew he was going to face this challenge. It was inevitable with the way that Trump was talking to his supporters.

And some think that he was talking to his supporters in a way that would encourage violence. Others think at least he has not seriously condemned any violence. But he's tried to encourage his supporters to come to the streets, to stop the steal.

And he's created this false narrative that we've talked about many times, that this election wasn't free and fair and it was stolen from them. This has fired up his supporters.

Now they don't think Joe Biden is a legitimate leader. A recent Quinnipiac University poll revealed that only 23 percent of registered Republican voters think that the election was free and fair. And on that same poll, less than half of white male voters think the election was fair.

So we have a very divided public along very partisan lines that is growing increasingly polarizing. That's going to make it difficult to govern. And we're seeing people like Rush Limbaugh talking about secession. This is an incredibly dangerous period in American history.

BRUNHUBER: On the flip side, we saw one Republican lawmaker who had signed on to the Texas lawsuit, congressman Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, wrote this following the Supreme Court decision.

"The casting of electoral votes will end the hotly contested election and we should come together as Americans to work together for the future of our country."

All right. So even if those are just words at this point, that's still very different from the tone coming from most of his colleagues.

Does the temperature sort of come down on Monday, when the Electoral College meets?

Or are Republicans too tied to President Trump and they'll have to keep on with this resistance as long as Trump does?

LINDSTAEDT: Right. I mean, I think that's a great question because I think that the Republicans thus far fear Trump. They know that he'll attack them on Twitter as he has the governors, the Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia.

He's merciless in his attacks of them. And they're completely afraid about what he's going to say about them. As such, they have toed the party line and basically agreed to do whatever he wanted to do.

I mean, you had 126 GOP House members that agreed to this completely frivolous lawsuit that the Texas state attorney general decided to put into play.

So the question really is, will Republican leaders decide to lower the temperature, as you said, and say, listen, we have to accept the election results and we have to move forward as a nation because we're facing a pandemic and one of the worst crises we've seen in the U.S. with so many people dying per day.

Up to 300,000 people have died now. We really need to put things aside and focus on all the challenges facing us. But we're not seeing enough Republicans willing to do that yet.

It's because they falsely believe that they have to adhere to Trump in order to win. But we see that even though, yes, Trump did very well in the election, winning 74 million votes, the Republicans themselves did better in the election. They don't need him as much as they think they do. I think they'll be better off if they distance themselves from him.

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BRUNHUBER: Our thanks to Natasha Lindstaedt for joining me there.

U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden introduced several of his cabinet nominees and other top picks for his administration on Friday at an event in Wilmington, Delaware. So far, he's going to long-time allies and advisers from his days in the Obama White House.

There are a few key posts he has yet to name but we're learning of at least one person who turned him down for the job. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the details.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to name more of his cabinet picks next week. But there is one person, we are learning, who has turned down an offer to serve in Biden's administration.

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SAENZ: A spokesperson for Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the mayor was offered a spot in Biden's cabinet but respectfully declined the offer. She was one of Biden's earliest supporters during the presidential campaign and she was thought to be under consideration to lead the Small Business Administration.

It is unclear which position she was offered but, at this point, she is turning down that chance to serve within the administration. But there are a number of spots that the president-elect still needs to fill in his cabinet, including his pick for attorney general.

That is one of the major positions still outstanding that we expect to get before the Christmas holiday, which is the president-elect's target for filling out his cabinet.

Now Biden also will be grappling with the new vaccine that soon will be distributed across the country. And one big question is when the president-elect himself will be getting a vaccine. He has said that Americans should trust in the process, that they

should be confident in this vaccine and that could be a step he could take to show that confidence in the vaccination -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

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BRUNHUBER: Millions of vaccine doses are about to be shipped throughout the U.S. The latest as the country prepares to roll out its first coronavirus vaccine.

And as Georgia gears up for two all-important Senate runoff elections, we'll look at the mixed messages voters are hearing. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you, our viewers in the United States, Canada and around the world.

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BRUNHUBER: Millions of pandemic-weary Americans are waiting right now for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give its final OK for a COVID-19 vaccine. That clearance could come at any time and, when it does, millions of frozen vials of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will be on the move across the U.S.

The expectation is deliveries will begin Monday to about 600 locations. Now there's likely to be some bumps in the road with the rollout. I spoke with Lancaster University virologist Dr. Muhammad Munir about some of the issues that will need to be ironed out.

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DR. MUHAMMAD MUNIR, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY: Certainly there are challenges that we have to tackle down the line, because until we don't really have sort of level those bumps, we can't claim the victory.

I think one of the problems is, of course, the one that we've been very commonly talking about, is the storage and transportation at minus 70 Celsius. It's one of the biggest challenges.

Then there are other issues. For instance, we have to make sure that a certain level of population is immunized relatively quickly; until we don't have 70 percent to 75 percent of people immunized, we don't achieve herd immunity.

And also make sure a second dose is given at the right time; until we don't have the vaccine, the second dose is given within 21 days, the immune system might not elicit and that is really the challenge. Another is really to reach to the minorities within the population to

really make sure that people who are hesitant, they would take the vaccine and will have the courage enough.

BRUNHUBER: I want to talk about that last point there. I have some numbers here in the U.S. African Americans are about 20 percent less likely to want the shot than white people or Latinos.

And a study in London found minorities are about 30 percent less likely to get it compared to white people.

So what effect could this have on those communities, particularly since they seem especially vulnerable to the disease?

MUNIR: Yes, absolutely. I think this is one of the major concerns to reach to the minority communities first, because they're disproportionately affected.

Secondly, because of either rumors, question about the speed of the vaccine development or the trust, either recently or historically, are contributing toward the hesitancy toward the vaccine, particularly in the minority communities.

For example, as you were saying, in London, according to a survey, it's only 39 percent people in the ethnic minorities would be taking up the vaccine compared to 70 percent in the white population.

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BRUNHUBER: That was virologist Dr. Muhammad Munir.

Officials are warning people not to let their guard down because a vaccine won't be a quick fix. It could take months before enough people receive it to make a dent in rising cases and deaths. New York is seeing a notable uptick. Evan McMorris-Santoro reports.

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EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced this city's seven-day average infection rate for the coronavirus has increased to 6.26 percent. That's a big rise.

The numbers for the past few weeks have been nearly 2 points lower. Every metric the city uses to track the coronavirus -- new cases, new hospitalizations and, sadly, deaths -- is rising on Saturday, a sobering reminder of the worst days of the pandemic back in the spring.

In response, leaders are imposing new restrictions. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced indoor dining will be shutting down again starting Monday, an attempt to bring the numbers back down.

Leaders are warning the situation here is once again dire. The mayor said this weekend that this is a pivotal moment in New York's battle against the coronavirus. In a sentiment shared by all Americans, he looked forward to the vaccine while urging residents to stay vigilant for what he hopes will be the final stretch of this long pandemic -- Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN, New York.

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BRUNHUBER: We're just weeks away from the two crucial runoff elections here in the state of Georgia that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. As Kyung Lah reports, Republicans are bringing in high profile personalities scrambling to maintain the allegiance of their supporters after the Supreme Court rejected efforts by the Trump camp to overturn Joe Biden's election.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The immediate political impact is on the two Senate runoff seats here in Georgia. Now, Democrats and Republicans are crisscrossing the state, talking about voter enthusiasm, trying to get people to focus on the early vote, which starts on Monday.

Now, as far as those bus tours, what we were listening for.

[05:35:00]

LAH: And what we are continuing to listen for is whether the Supreme Court's decision to not hear the case is going to be immediately talked about on the campaign trail.

Now, we did see the Club for Growth Save America bus tour. One of the speakers, Representative Louie Gohmert, who comes from Texas, directly addressed it. I want to see if you can follow his twists and turns as he attempts to spin this.

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): And they may wimp out, but we have got to show the Supreme Court wimps or not, there are people in this country that still stand up for right.

LAH: Republican notable Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate, joined Gohmert on the trail and what she was saying along with other speakers is you still got to vote. Don't be discouraged. Don't be disillusioned. Yet following up with that, by basically disparaging the entire American democratic system -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Atlanta.

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BRUNHUBER: A critical day underway for the post-Brexit trade talks as E.U. and U.K. negotiators face a self-imposed deadline to hash out an agreement.

Can they break the deadlock?

Plus Princess Diana's infamous interview with the BBC some 25 years ago.

Was she tricked into dishing royal dirt? We'll explain how the BBC itself has reignited the long-running debate. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Time is running out for the U.K. and the European Union to reach a deal on their future relationship. Negotiators arrived a short time ago at the E.U. headquarters in Brussels. Today has been the deadline for both sides set for reaching a post-Brexit trade agreement.

Now the U.K. foreign minister said the talks could continue past today. Still, a U.K. government source says the latest E.U. offer is unacceptable.

[05:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Nic Robertson joins me now from London.

Nic, Boris Johnson faced two major issues this year, the pandemic and Brexit and now increasingly under fire for his handling of both.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and this whole notion that the Brexit trade deal talks could be resolved one way or another this weekend does seem to be sort of losing a little bit of credibility.

A huge amount of pressure on Boris Johnson over the year that has eroded his credibility as a national leader in terms of handling COVID, as you say, but also in the way that Brexit is being handled.

His party is divided over this. The hardline Brexiteers are insisting that he takes a tough line with the E.U. negotiators. And others in his party very cautious about the potential economic fallout and cost of a no-deal Brexit.

So the position of the prime minister is very, very tough. He's due to have that very critical phone call with the European Commission president, Ursula van der Leyen, in the next few minutes to determine whether or not the talks should continue and in what form.

But under -- we should be under no illusions the difficulty on Boris Johnson right now.

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ROBERTSON (voice-over): Boris Johnson has had a tough year and it shows, his party in rebellion as waves of COVID-19 pandemic battering Britain worst than most other nations.

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Well, we did it. We did it.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Yet a year ago, surfing electoral success.

JOHNSON: I am humbled that you have put your trust in me.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): A massive 80 MP majority.

Then came floods and COVID-19's first wave.

JOHNSON: I was at the hospital the other night, where I think there were actually a few coronavirus patients. And I shook hands with everybody.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Johnson slow to grasp the gravity.

JOHNSON: You must stay at home.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Slow to lockdown, slow on PPE, slow on test and trace.

JOHNSON: I've taken a test. That has come out positive.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Days later, rushed to hospital.

JOHNSON: NHS has saved my life. No question.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): By mid-December, more than 60,000 of his citizens not so lucky. Many in care homes lost their lives to COVID- 19. And through it all, Johnson losing credibility.

JOHNSON: Anyone who cannot work from home should be actively encouraged to go to work.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): His return to work message ridiculed.

MATT LUCAS, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: If you can work from home, go to work, don't go to work. Go outside. Don't go outside.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): His chief adviser flouting lockdown guidelines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But managed to hold onto his job for another six months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just hoping that the government make a U-turn.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Humiliating U-turns, including over free meals for school children.

JOHNSON: But this is not a return to normality. I wish it were so.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): By year's end, the country, his party, deeply divided over his handling of COVID-19, the pandemic not his only controversy.

THERESA MAY, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The government is acting recklessly and irresponsibly.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Drawing unprecedented rebuke from his predecessor following his plans to break terms of a legal Brexit treaty with the E.U.

NICOLA STURGEON, SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER: To the other countries of the E.U., Scotland wants to return and we hope to do so soon as an independent member state.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And worse, Scotland's drive for independence gaining momentum, their leader's handling of COVID-19 perceived better than his, humiliating infamy for Johnson should the 300-year union uncouple on his watch.

JOHNSON: I do think it's vital that everybody now gets ready for that Australian option.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And on the other union, Brexit leaving the E.U., almost 11 months of talks, still no trade deal.

JOHNSON: We're not stopping. The talks will continue to negotiate.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Less than 20 days to go, time running out. Failure could lead to economic pain. Yet, amazingly, in a year packed with drama, he added more at home, a divorce, a betrothal and a baby.

For a man who once dreamed of being king of the world, the weight of it is surely on his shoulders now

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[05:45:00]

ROBERTSON: And it's moments like these, right now, in the next 15 minutes before Boris Johnson has his call with the European Commission president, that it will really weigh. It will be in his purview, the cabinet want to have a vote on whether or not he calls an end to the talks.

The pressure seems to be there for him for to effort continuing. We don't know what's happened with the negotiators overnight. We know they've begun again talking today but it is on Boris Johnson's shoulders, that decision which will affect the fate of this nation for years to come -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Your piece puts it nicely in perspective. Thank you, Nic Robertson in London.

One of the greatest journalistic scoops of all-time is facing scrutiny. Allegations that Princess Diana was manipulated into giving the interview and getting a fresh look 25 years later. We'll have the details after a short break. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The late Diana, Princess of Wales, sat down with the BBC 25 years ago. The interview shocked the United Kingdom and the world. Now questions are being asked about whether she was duped into agreeing to the broadcast. CNN royal correspondent Max Foster reports on the new scrutiny.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the interview that rocked the monarchy and caused a worldwide sensation.

MARTIN BASHIR, BRITISH JOURNALIST: Do you think Mrs. Parker Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES: Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

FOSTER: Confirmation that Prince Charles' extramarital relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and an admission of her own infidelity. Diana also went on to question Charles' suitability and desire to be king.

RICHARD KAY, COLUMNIST, DAILY MAIL: It seemed like a slam dunk. It seemed like one of the great journalistic curves and scoops of the decade if not the century.

FOSTER: Why exactly did Diana do the interview?

How was she convinced to lift the lid on what was really going on behind palace walls?

BASHIR: Why have you decided to give this interview now?

Why have you decided to speak at this time?

FOSTER: The recurring allegation is the BBC journalist Martin Bashir knew exactly why that he had used forged documents the suggested the palace staff were working against her and being paid to spy on her.

A graphic designer then working for the BBC Matt Wiessler admits he mocked up the statements, but on Bashir's instructions and without knowing how the forgeries would be used.

MATT WEISSLER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, BBC RADIO 4 TODAY PROGRAMME: He started talking to me about needing some bank statements. I asked him just to sketch me up what he was looking for, because he was always saying, well, I've seen it. I've seen the stuff but, you know, I can't get hold of it and I need copies made of it.

FOSTER: Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, claims Bashir used the false bank statements to trick him into getting an introduction to Diana. KAY: So, his point is that the whole premise of the interview was set up on false and dodgy grounds. It might never have taken place and the whole course of history could have changed.

FOSTER: The interview took place. And according to the Queen's press secretary at the time, the palace was blindsided.

CHARLES ANSON, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II: At the time that we were told about the program that Monday morning, it was already in the can and edited for the next week ahead.

So it was my task to bring the Queen at Windsor and inform her, but of course, without knowing what the content of the interview was. there wasn't -- there wasn't much that we could say.

FOSTER: Behind the scenes, soon after the interview was broadcast, the Queen penned a letter to Charles and Diana giving her approval for a divorce, a royal source tells CNN. Meanwhile, palace staff were instructed to support the princess.

ANSON: It was a mixture of not wanting to make it worse, as a result of the interview, combined with really want him to start looking at ways in which we could help Princess Diana to find a way forward in her life that would provide her with more satisfaction and stability. And the Queen certainly supported the idea that we should be constructive about it.

FOSTER: Then there was the question of the BBC's conduct. An internal BBC inquiry in 1996 concluded that Diana had not been misled. Whilst documents were forged, the inquiry found they played no role in Diana's decision making.

But Charles Spencer has continued to build his case against those findings. And the corporation's new director general, Tim Davie, has committed to a fresh independent investigation led by a retired senior judge. Davie said the BBC is taking this very seriously and we want to get to the truth. In a wider BBC statement, they said we'll do everything possible to get to the bottom of this.

In an unusual intervention, Diana's son, Prince William, has publicly welcomed the reinvestigation. He said it should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time.

In 25 years, Bashir hasn't defended himself publicly. He hasn't responded to our requests for comments either. But in another statement, the BBC said that Bashir is signed off work by his doctors recovering from heart surgery and complications from COVID-19.

For 25 years, there have been calls from within the palace, but also within the BBC, for a full independent investigation into exactly how Martin Bashir secured the biggest media interview in modern British history. Where was the oversight? Was it ethical for the BBC to investigate itself? Was there a cover-up?

ANSON: On the human level there's a there's a perfectly valid interest on the extent to which perhaps, you know, the methods used to get the interview might have added to the princess' concerns that she was being followed.

[05:55:00]

ANSON: Or perhaps being monitored or at a phone being listened to, or whatever it may be, which would have increased anxieties.

FOSTER: If it's found that Diana and her brother were convinced by the BBC to think she was being spied on, that it raises the profound question of whether her path would have been different in the final months and years of her life.

This new investigation may also call into question the core values of accuracy and fairness for the public broadcaster at a time when the BBC is trying to negotiate a future funding package with the British government. Its publicly funded model has already been called into question, not least by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

The media landscape has changed beyond recognition since Martin Bashir sat down 25 years ago with Princess Diana -- Max Foster, CNN, BBC Headquarters, London.

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BRUNHUBER: American football history was made Saturday in Vanderbilt's 42-17 loss to Tennessee. That's where Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in U.S. college football's elite Power 5 conferences.

This was her second time kicking for Vanderbilt but her first time scoring with this successful extra point. She also serves as the goalie for the Vanderbilt women's soccer team.

That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers here in the U.S. and Canada, "NEW DAY" is ahead. For our global viewers, "Connecting Africa" is next.