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Trump Won't Concede Despite Electoral College Vote; U.S. House Member Says He's Quitting Republican Party; Officials Warn Americans to Keep Following Health Guidelines; U.S. Rolls Out Vaccine as Death Toll Tops 300,000; Trump Administration Imposing Sanctions on Turkey; How Abu Dhabi Uses Safe Bubbles to Protect Events. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 15, 2020 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Thanks for joining me. I'm Robyn Curnow, you're watching CNN.

So the U.S. electoral college has officially affirmed President-elect Biden's victory from New York to California. Dozens of electors cast their ballots for the former vice president, giving him enough votes to secure the White House.

But according to several sources, sitting President Donald Trump isn't ready to concede just yet. Instead he spent part of the day tweeting out conspiracy theories about election fraud. And some of his biggest supporters are still refusing to acknowledge Mr. Biden's victory, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

But at least one Republican said he's had enough of his party's efforts to undermine the election. In fact, Congressman Paul Mitchell of Michigan says he's leaving the party all together. Here's what he told Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. PAUL MITCHELL (R-MI): It became clear to me that I could no longer be associated with the Republican Party, that leadership does not stand up and say, the process, the election is over. It's over today.

And then I saw the president tweet out it's not over to January 20. Somehow, he's going to continue to combat this.

The people have voted. As I say in my letter, I voted for Donald Trump. I supported the administration policies 95, 96 percent of the time, the last two terms. I've been active in the national state party. But this party has to stand up for democracy first, for our Constitution first, and not political considerations, not just a candidate, not simply for raw political power. And that's what I feel is going on and I have had enough. JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: We've seen these local election officials, including the speaker of the statehouse in Michigan today, putting out a letter saying that, if he were to challenge the electors going to Joe Biden, that would set a horrible precedent and it would wreak havoc.

We saw a guy on your canvassing board, Aaron Van Langevelde -- I believe, is his name -- showing more courage and character than House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise combined.

Why? They don't actually believe this crackpot stuff, do they? It's just they're afraid of Donald Trump?

MITCHELL: I haven't spoken with them, so I can't tell you what rationale that they have for supporting this, other than trying to support the president.

I can tell you that I appreciated Speaker Chatfield, the Statehouse speaker, speaking up today. And he did so in response to a state legislator that, when asked about they had some plans in Lansing for continuing protests, they were asked, well, people could feel safe, correct? He said, well, he couldn't guarantee that.

We had a Statehouse member talk about the fact that violence may occur today. In fact, we had a -- credible threats of violence, as determined by the Michigan State Police, against electors. The head of security shut down all the state office buildings around there. When you can't conduct an election without threats of violence, we become a Third World nation. What are we, Venezuela? I mean, it's ridiculous.

And to have an elected official, in this case a Statehouse member, say, well, he wasn't really sure if there would be violence or not, you ought to stand and up say there should be no violence. We do not hold elections in which there's violence.

This country has come too far. And that's why I'm troubled. And that's why I ultimately decided to lead the party, because our leadership needs to stand up and say, no, we have a process. We respect it. And we respect the vote of the American people. And when they have voted, we move on to govern the nation, and not play politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: All of this comes as Congress continues to negotiate a deal for a coronavirus relief package. Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say the bill should include more and for state and local governments. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans disagree. They say the best way to help cities and states is to distribute a coronavirus vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:35:00]

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY): This is the support that state and local governments need most urgently, not unfettered slush funds for non- COVID related needs that predate the pandemic. But incredibly urgent targeted money to get citizens vaccinated right now and finish the fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Nearly 3 million doses of the new vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech are being distributed across the U.S. this week. That's enough to start vaccinating some of the most vulnerable people like frontline health care workers and those living in long term care facilities.

Officials expect tens of millions of more doses in the coming weeks. But it will be several months before most Americans can get the lifesaving shots. And then in the meantime, thousands of people are getting infected and dying every single day. The nation's top health authorities are warning the arrival of a vaccine does not mean it's time to let your guard down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Well, first thing, it's not going to be like turning a light switch on and off. It's not going to be overnight. It's going to be gradual. And I think we will know when we see the level of infection in the country at a dramatically lower level than it is right now that we can start gradually tiptoeing towards normality.

DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: My message to America is that the finish line is in sight. The last couple of miles are the hardest but we've got to keep running. Because even if you aren't worried about COVID, your loved one who's in labor may not have a hospital bed. Your loved one who has a heart attack or who gets in a car accident may not have a bed. And that's why we need to continue to follow the three W's, wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: So joining me now is Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst and former Department of Homeland Security official. And she wrote a piece for the Atlantic about the vaccine rollout as the U.S. deals with a very bleak winter. And she also wrote how things will likely get worse before things get better.

Juliette, hi. Lovely to see you. It's a very powerful article, because what you lay out is that projections are that about 450,000 Americans will die by February. And you're also getting this great news about the vaccine. This push and pull between despondency and optimism is going to be with us for a while, isn't it?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Absolutely. It's going to be with us probably, you know through the summer or up to the summer of 2021. I call it the split screen of 2021. It is going to be the horrible news and then the news of hope. You know, the sort of imagined hope, right, as the vaccine gets manufactured and distributed in the United States. And I think that is a split image that -- a split screen that Americans are going to have to get used to and that is why we have to continue to do the masking, the social distancing while we wait our turn in line.

Because I should just say, a vaccine distribution doesn't happen like this, as everyone is well aware now, it is what we call a rolling recovery. It is going to roll over the United States, in different allocations, different distributions. And so it means, there's not going to be a single moment where we can say, you know, this is over. It's going to be awhile.

CURNOW: Yes, I mean, in many ways I think you described it as a relief moving in waves --

KAYYEM: Yes.

CURNOW: -- as the New Year unfolds. I mean, how does that need to be managed, particularly in a place like the United States. You know, with all this -- with all the stakes, the unequal health care system, the diversity of expectations?

KAYYEM: So I think it's going to take a lot of transparency and honesty with the new administration coming in and sort of committed to both of those things. I think it will start to see some of the apprehension that we've seen in the polling. A decrease, so that people are less vaccine hesitant.

And I think there's something here about sort of processes or logistics supporting or helping policy needs. In other words, I think the more efficient, the more fair, the more equitable the logistics of the czars and going to communities fairly, are allocations distributed fairly? Is there -- is the system working? More people will be confident.

The good news is that most of the polling, when people say no, they don't want to take the vaccine. If you actually press them, they basically mean no, I don't want to take it first. And that the more people that take it, the more then they will be willing to take it. And I think if you ask most public health officials, their biggest concern is vaccine hesitancy, because they know that logistics can get fixed. Well there's going to be problems, but they know that that part can get fixed.

CURNOW: You mentioned the Biden presidency. How crucial is this Biden presidency going to be to actually getting this vaccine out quick and fast and in a affective way? Particularly because the alternative was more of what we've seen in the past year.

KAYYEM: Right, exactly. An administration that can't plan ahead, that can't tell the truth, you know, in alternative universe they would be getting a lot of credit for supporting Operation Warp Speed.

[04:40:00]

But I think that the way that President Trumps sort of makes everything so personnel and so antagonistic, it's hard for people to do that.

I said about six months ago as I started to get hints that they were -- we were going to get a vaccine. You know, a second reason to want a Biden presidency is just because not only will there be a transparency but fairness. That we won't see the kinds of games that were played on the front end of the pandemic, which was, you know, going after governors, going after mayor's.

I think it's not going to be easy for the Biden administration. They've got two big challenges. One is we need more money. There's just no question about it. The other is, I don't think we have much transparency about things that support the vaccination program. Do we have enough meals? Do we have enough syringes, you know, because we are in competition as you know with the globe for all of these things?

So those are issues that the Biden administration is going to have to address, there are management issues not public health issues. So one of the reasons why husband says you keep smiling, one of the reasons why I keep smiling is that someone is often on air for bad news. The hard part is done, right. The vaccine is -- it works. The rest of this is solvable.

CURNOW: Juliette Kayyem, always very, very good to speak to you. Thanks so much. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

KAYYEM: Thank you. Happy holidays.

CURNOW: Even as vaccine doses are slowly becoming available, many around the world are still battling the coronavirus and beating it. That includes a 104-year-old woman. There she is there. Her name is Elena, released from a hospital in Madrid on Monday after recovering from the virus and pneumonia. Wow, she's tough. The staff cheered as she was wheeled out as you can hear after spending 14 days in the hospital. Spain plans to start vaccinations as early as the beginning of January if a vaccine is approved by Europe's top medical agency.

So why did the U.S. wait more than a year to sanction Turkey for purchasing Russian weapon system. We'll explore the reasons and examine the fallout. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

CURNOW: It's 44 minutes past the hour. And I want to show you these very dramatic images coming from Australia. Coastlines along the whole eastern part of Australia are being battered as a powerful storm barrels through the area. It's bringing heavy rain, strong winds and abnormally high tides. This is Byron Bay, a popular tourist destination, and it has been especially hard hit. Officials have issued evacuation orders, also for low lying towns warning of possible flooding. And in the state of Queensland, this beach has also been blanketed by a thick layer of sea foam. A dog who wandered into the water was almost swallowed up, as you can see here as well. But luckily her owner jumped in and saved her. Well the Trump administration is imposing sanctions on Turkey. It's

over Ankara's purchase of a Russian surface to air missile systems. The sanctions will come more than a year after Turkey took delivery of the weapons and only after a frustrated Congress made the sanctions mandatory. Well Arwa Damon is standing by now in Istanbul. Hi, Arwa, tell us more about this.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, these sanctions were a long time coming. They're happening under what's known as the CAATSA act, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and they are targeting Turkey's defense procurement agency as well as certain individuals within it.

This is the agency and the individuals which the U.S. says were responsible for the procurement of the Russian S-400. Now you'll remember the U.S. for quite some time now has been sounding alarm bells over this as have other NATO member nations. Because they say that these S-400s could potentially compromise the integrity of the F- 35 fighter jets.

Now, that being said, from Turkey's perspective, they feel as if they were forced into a position where they had to purchase the S-400s because they say that the U.S. was unwilling to sell them the Patriot Missile Defense System, but it's a lot more nuanced than that. Turkey wanted a certain deal when it came to the sale of the Patriots. The U.S. companies that produced them were unwilling to abide by the terms of the agreement that would see them hand over sensitive technology to the Turks.

Turkey then turns around, buys these S-400s from Russia and deeply aggravates the United States. The U.S. has been trying to pressure Turkey to back pedal from the deal, but Turkey has been standing strong saying it's not going to be bullied or allowed to compromise its own defenses, its own national security.

What this has done though, Rosemary, has led to one NATO nation, sanctioning another. Now in terms of the impact of these sanctions, they do not as far as we understand it, affect deals that are already in place. But the concern is what is going to happen moving forward and will a new Biden administration actually change anything.

CURNOW: Thanks Arwa, it's Robyn here, but nice to see you anyway.

DAMON: Oh, sorry.

CURNOW: It's OK. Lovely to see you.

So negotiators for the European Union and the United Kingdom remain far, far apart. No surprises there on several key issues as they navigate the terms of their future relationships. Some of the sticking points include fishing rights. The U.K.'s ability to break from EU standards and the legal oversight of any new deal. This stalemate could mean the U.K. won't have a solid trade framework in place when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31st.

So this is CNN. Coming up, the unique way about Abu Dhabi is making its biggest sporting event safe during a global pandemic.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: So we may be in the midst of a global pandemic, but the UAE, they were able to hold Abu Dhabi's biggest sporting event over the weekend. Our Becky Anderson explains how they did it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, MANAGING EDITOR, CNN ABU DHABI AND ANCHOR (voice- over): The battle for the Formula One World Championship took place both on and off the track this year. The global pandemic almost forced F1 to scrap the entire season. And champion Lewis Hamilton narrowly made it to Abu Dhabi season finale after contracting COVID-19.

(on-camera): Well, in order for the event to go ahead this year, officials have created a biosphere. A secure bubble into which only those who are critical to the event -- and that is about 3,000 people -- are allowed in. We are on a boat in Yas marina. You can see behind me the paddocks and between here and the hotels for example, there is a secure route.

voice-over): Simply getting the racing teams from the previous Grand Prix in Bahrain was a complex challenge. So, travel corridor was created to move everyone in a bubble across the Gulf.

SAIF AL-NOAIMI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ABU DHABI MOTORSPORT MANAGEMENT: We safeguarded the entire journey from the airport in Bahrain. The personnel boarded on the 10 to had airways charter flights. They arrived into terminal three. We conducted another test upon arrival into the airports, and then we transferred them safely into the Yas Island biosphere.

ANDERSON (voice-over): It was a massive operation alongside the private planes 600 trucks were needed to move the equipment to the circuit. And 400 people needed to unload them.

AL-NOAIMI: We conducted somewhere in the range of 12,000 COVID-19 tests. Within the biosphere we have 15 different stations within that -- within the zone to conduct all of these tests. It includes 1,100 hotel staff to cater to everybody staying over here.

[04:55:02]

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Grand Prix rounds off a series of sporting events hosted by Abu Dhabi this year. All made possible by the creation of the secure bubbles. Between July and October, the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC also held tournament's on Yas Island inside a safe zone.

UFC President Dana White took to Instagram afterwards thanking officials here for literally moving mountains to make the event happen. And in August, the Indian cricket board announced the Indian Premier League or IPL will be moved to the United Arab Emirates after deeming the risk from COVID-19 too great for the tournament to be held on a home turf. And for organizers, it was a race against time to shift the event.

MATT BOUCHER, CEO, ABU DHABI CRICKET: Really seven to 10 working days to put everything in place we then opened an average which was essentially an extension of quarantine from the host hotel to Abu Dhabi Cricket. And then that allowed the players under police escort and surveillance to move between the hotel and the training, venue and practice.

ANDERSON (voice-over): These events have all taken place behind closed doors without paying spectators. And that's a blow to Abu Dhabi's economy. But the UAE is looking at the long game.

BOUCHER: Having a lot of international interest from teams, we can keep their players safe and play cricket.

ANDERSON (voice-over): By getting these events over the finish line safely, the UAE is banking on these events being here in the future. And the fans, they will bring back.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Thank you so much for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow, "EARLY START" with Laura Jarrett and Christine Romans is next. Stay with CNN.

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