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Congress Scrambles To Reach COVID-19 Stimulus Deal; Heated Oval Office Meeting Included Talk Of Martial Law; California Hospital On The Brink As COVID Cases, Deaths Surge; Trump Refuses To Condemn Russia In First Comments On Cyber Attack; Where Does Trump's "Election Defense Fund" Money Really Go?; Dr. Fauci Answers' Kids Questions About Santa And The COVID Vaccine. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 19, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Ana Cabrera.

We have breaking news for you this hour. The CDC's advisory panel has voted to recommend Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18 and older. The CDC director is expected to give the final green light at any moment. And then it will be all systems go.

The Operation Warp Speed chief operating officer says trucks carrying the vaccine will begin rolling out tomorrow. This will add millions of doses to our current supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

One group that hasn't been cleared to take the vaccine is children. But Dr. Anthony Fauci today tells CNN that the U.S. may start clinical trials with children in a matter of weeks with results available in just a few months.

This hopeful news follows an alarming development out of the U.K., however, where a new, even more contagious strain of COVID has emerged. It's so serious, in fact, that it's prompted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reverse course and put parts of the country back into lockdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, the potential risk it poses, it is with a very heavy heart I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Thankfully, the strain does not appear to affect the impact of treatments or vaccines, but England's chief medical officer says urgent work is under way to rule out if the new strain is somehow deadlier. Urgent work also under way on Capitol Hill where negotiations over the long-awaited and much needed COVID relief bill are still ongoing. We're told there is a single hold-up.

CNN's Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju joins me. Manu, I think when our viewers listen to what this hold-up will be, they'll be shaking their heads asking, what?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And it's unclear if it will get resolved. And we do know that negotiations are centered on this one issue, the biggest sticking point right now, about whether or not to rein in the Federal Reserve's emergency powers. Those are lending authority that was created in the March stimulus law. That law allowed the Federal Reserve to carry on with several emergency lending facilities.

Republicans believe they should be restrictive. They say the intent of that law is essentially to be wound down. Their concern is that if it continues it could be used as a slush fund, not necessarily for this current crisis. Democrats say that the -- what the Republicans are pushing largely by Republican Senator Pat Toomey that they believe that essentially would constrain the incoming Biden administration and they are pushing back.

At this hour, there are negotiations intensifying between Pat Toomey and the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer. They had a meeting in their office. The two spoke. Toomey came out suggesting they could still reach a deal. I talked to another senator who was in that meeting, Mitt Romney. He said he can't predict if they can reach a deal but he said they have an idea where their disagreements now lie.

Now, I also saw Toomey just moments ago also talking to other senators as well. Kyrsten Sinema, who is a Democratic senator from Arizona, is sitting down with Toomey right now behind closed doors. She apparently is part of the talks as well.

And Senate Democrats largely are getting briefed this hour to hear about the latest, where things stand. But this is seen as the biggest sticking point. If that gets resolved, the view is that other issues that are still outstanding could also get resolved and then they can reach an agreement.

Now, still, it's uncertain though, Bianna, whether or not this can move as fast as many people want. They still would like to get it done through the House by tomorrow. The hope is possibly in the Senate by tomorrow too, but this deal hasn't been reached. Still needs to be drafted.

They need to schedule votes. That is particularly challenging in the Senate which requires 100 senators to agree to schedule a vote. So any single senator who can object and delay things, and some might because they may not like the deal, and they certainly haven't seen the details of what is being discussed right now.

So, a lot of questions about whether this $900 billion relief package can pass certainly in time by tomorrow night when the government is also slated to run out of money if they don't pass another funding package. So a lot of this tied up in these negotiations that are happening right now. We'll see if they can get a deal because so many people are waiting as they're seeing things expire, such as unemployment benefits in just a matter of days, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Absolutely. And Senator Coons telling me just in the last hour that he also, like Mitt Romney, didn't know if he would be able to negotiate with Senator Toomey to walk back some of his demands as well.

[17:05:01]

That seems to be the sole hold-up right now.

Manu Raju, I know you will stay on this. Thank you so much.

RAJU: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Moderna's coronavirus vaccine is being packed up and readied for delivery just hours after the FDA issued an emergency use authorization. One step remains before Americans can actually start getting the Moderna vaccine shots, and that is the green light from the CDC. The agency's vaccine advisory panel has just sent its recommendations to the CDC director who must now give the final go ahead.

While we wait for that to happen, we're told it could be at any time. Let's go to CNN's Pete Muntean. Pete, if all goes well, how long before someone could be rolling up their sleeve for a vaccine from Moderna now?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, we're standing by for the shipments to begin here. Operation Warp Speed says trucks carrying the Moderna vaccine will roll out of here starting tomorrow. The shipments, those deliveries will begin on Monday. It all begins right here.

This is a critical spot. This is a McKesson facility. That's the company in charge of the distribution of the Moderna vaccine. And it's a strategic spot. We are not too far from Memphis just down the road. That is FedEx headquarters. And it's FedEx and UPS that will be carrying the Moderna vaccine to 3,000 locations across the country. This is a huge rollout, four times larger than the initial Pfizer rollout of last week.

GOLODRYGA: Massive rollout indeed. But we do know there have been issues with the shipping process of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. What are you learning about that? We were also hearing a rare apology.

MUNTEAN: Well, Operation Warp Speed is actually issuing that apology, having said it learned a lot of lessons in the last week. General Gustave Perna apologized to states who thought they were getting more vaccine but did not. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEN. GUSTAVE PERNA, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: It was my fault. I gave guidance. I am the one that approved the forecast sheets. I am the one that approved the allocations, right? There is no problem with the process. There is no problem with the Pfizer vaccine. There is no problem with the Moderna vaccine, right? It was a planning error, and I am responsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: This Moderna vaccine has one big advantage over the Pfizer vaccine. It does not need to be stored at super cold temperatures, rather, it can go in a regular freezer. That opens up this vaccine to a lot of places without deep freezers, namely, rural areas. This is a start of a massive movement, Bianna, and it all begins right here in Mississippi.

GOLODRYGA: Absolutely. And having two as opposed to one vaccine makes it so much easier and efficient getting it out throughout the country as well. Pete Muntean, thank you.

Well, according to the CDC, at least 270,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine have been administered under the FDA emergency use authorization so far. So far, there have been six serious allergic reactions. There were additional reports of reactions but they were not considered serious. The CDC says investigations into these reactions are ongoing.

With me now is Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor and Dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez, welcome, great to see you.

So what should people know about these reactions because we're hearing they were in the Pfizer vaccine as well as the Moderna vaccine?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, it depends what we mean by serious. We know serious allergic reactions do occur about the order of one to two per million for the influenza vaccine and the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer and other cancers, about 3 or 4 per million for the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. So we can expect that serious allergic reactions will occur.

Now 6 among 270,000 would be high, but they're not saying they may not be serious. So there's a little bit of confusion there.

So I know this is under investigation. The FDA has made that decision to move forward except if you're allergic to any known component in the vaccine. And I think that's a wise recommendation for now. So, hopefully, the FDA is now looking into this.

GOLODRYGA: Which is why it's so important that these vaccines are administered in a facility that can then monitor for a few minutes after the vaccines are delivered, right, and then offer EpiPens or whatever aid these patients do need to receive and they have been treated there on the scene as well.

Earlier today, the U.S. surgeon general addressed reports of reactions to the vaccines. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S.SURGEON GENERAL: This is normal. This is expected. If you are someone who has had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine in the past, please let your health provider know. But to everyone else out there, please know this means the system is working. We are recognizing and catching these very, very rare side effects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:10:13]

GOLODRYGA: So you agree with what the surgeon general said there? And how important is it for these cases to be known that we have full transparency when there is an issue?

HOTEZ: Yes. Well, I think, again, we need clarity on the severity of those six reactions. If they went into anaphylactic shock, that's one thing. But I think we would have heard about that by now. And then what is the allergic component to the vaccine? There's some speculation it could be the polyethylene glycol, or PEG, that's found in some food additives. That's a component of the lipid coating that's required for the RNA.

And, you know, just by the logistics of how this vaccine is distributed that it requires that deep freezer requirement, it tends to mean that it is in pretty closely regulated facilities, like health care facilities, because it's quite difficult to move it out to more remote areas which is more like what the Moderna vaccine will do.

And we'll see if the same allergic reactions occur with the Moderna vaccine. The point is, it does not appear to be linked in any way to people who have food allergies so far, only if you have a known severe allergy to the previous vaccine injections or components of the vaccine.

But I think, Bianna, the other point to remember is this is a brand- new technology. There are going to be speed bumps as we roll out this vaccine. And so there's going to have to be that iterative discussion between the government scientists and the American people. And that's the one part that's been missing out of Operation Warp Speed so far.

It's a great program in terms of scientific rigor, in terms of integrity of the clinical trials, but they never really built in a program of public communication. And that's going to be a top priority for the Biden administration to fix when they take over.

GOLODRYGA: It is crucial. And, Dr. Peter Hotez, I don't want to diminish the miracle of having two vaccines in a record period of time. This is fantastic news. We just want to be transparent if there are any hold-ups. But at the same time, you've got thousands upon thousands of people having no side effects at all, so people should definitely talk to their doctors but not be dissuaded from taking the vaccine as well. We have to breaking news and we're going to have to end this conversation, unfortunately too short. Dr. Hotez, we love having you on though. Thank you.

HOTEZ: Thanks so much, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And now to that breaking news. And we are learning of a heated Oval Office meeting Friday where Trump allies floated ideas of ways to overturn the election.

I want to go straight to CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, just when we thought we couldn't hear anything crazier, what are we learning about this meeting?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very clear that as President Trump continues to refuse to accept that he lost this presidential election to President-elect Joe Biden, the president is also still consulting aides and allies for more ways that he could possibly move to continue to contest this election or at least undermine the legitimacy of Joe Biden's election as the 46th president of the United States.

We're told that on Friday, the president met with Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser, who was pardoned by the president, despite having pled guilty to counts of lying to the FBI, and his attorney, Sidney Powell, who has been trafficking these deranged conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that have been roundly and thoroughly debunked.

The president, nonetheless, during this meeting, apparently was talking about potentially naming Sidney Powell as a special counsel within the government to investigate voter fraud in the 2020 election despite a total lack of evidence of any widespread voter fraud in this election.

And he also discussed apparently this idea that Michael Flynn has brought up recently about using martial law to rerun the 2020 presidential election. I want you to listen to this crackpot idea brought up by Michael Flynn recently on another network and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He could order the -- within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and he could place them in those states and basically rerun an election in each of those states. I mean, it's not unprecedented. I mean, these people out there talking about martial law like it's something that we've never done. We've done -- martial law has been instituted 64 -- 64 times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Now, it is not clear at all that that idea is being seriously considered, but it did come up in this meeting in the Oval Office. We should also note that the military has made very clear that they would never be involved in any efforts as it relates to overturning the results of the election or determining who the next president will be. That is a job for the voters and for the electors who have already chosen Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.

And we should also point out that many of these ideas being floated by Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn, while they were enticing to the president, they apparently drew a significant backlash from some of the president's advisers, including the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, and the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

In fact, sources are telling us that the meeting devolved into a screaming match at times. One source calling it, quote, ugly, as Flynn and Powell accused the president's advisers of not pushing hard enough to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

[17:15:02]

What is clear, Bianna, is that this effort is continuing. And a source told me earlier this week that the president has even floated with some advisers staying at the White House past inauguration day before being talked down from that ledge.

But it is clear that the president is engaging with some of these very dangerous and concerning ideas. The question is how far he will continue to take it. And we will have to wait and see on that one. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Aside from crazy and just deranged, it also shows you where the president's priorities are right now with all these other crises that are going on in the country. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.

And joining me now is Republican Congressman John Curtis of Utah. Congressman, you were one of the first Republicans in Congress to acknowledge President-elect Biden's victory. I want to get your reaction to this stunning report out of an Oval Office meeting last night, including talk of martial law and screaming matches.

REP. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): Well, let me just tell you, I've been in Congress for three years. And for three years, I keep hearing all these worst case scenarios. You have to remember, it was a conversation, not a revolution. There were far more important things in front of us, and I think we need to move on and tackle them.

GOLODRYGA: But that's all you have to say to that? I mean, I understand there are far more important issues and we had you on to talk about COVID, and we will in a second. But we can't just grow numb to incidents that what happened in a third world country and we would have a state department that would be alarmed about hearing these types of reports.

CURTIS: Listen, you're talking about a conversation that reportedly took place. We don't know anything about the details. And you just can't get me all riled up about that.

GOLODRYGA: Does it bother you? CURTIS: It bothers me that it's such a big deal to so many people who know nothing about the facts and know nothing about the details. Let's get some facts in front of us and then we can have that conversation.

GOLODRYGA: But you do reiterate that President-elect Biden is, in fact, the president-elect?

CURTIS: Of course.

GOLODRYGA: Okay. Well, let's move on to why we had you on in the first place because there's another, as you said, many crises going on in this country. How confident are you that we will have a COVID relief deal soon?

CURTIS: Well, I am confident. What's frustrating to me American people and I have to tell you very frustrating to me is that there are so many low-hanging fruit ideas that are bipartisan that we could move forward if we could just get a vote on them and yet we're tying it up with all of these issues that are very, very difficult to solve. I'd love to see us just push forward these ideas that have broad bipartisan support. Let's get a vote on them.

GOLODRYGA: Do you understand this hold-up coming from Senator Toomey about some obscure Fed policy allowing them to have certain privileges and certain separation from Congress in terms of use of funds?

CURTIS: Sure. As I understand it, what we're talking about is funds that were allocated and not used by the Federal Reserve. And I got to tell you, there's a lot of us on both sides of the aisle that are very, very concerned about these amount of money we're spending with no accountability. Why wouldn't we repurpose some of the funds from the original bill and use them in a more effective way? I can see his argument.

GOLODRYGA: But can you understand why some people would be scratching their heads trying to wonder why all of a sudden Republicans are worried about deficits and spending given what this administration has done over the past four years?

CURTIS: I think your point is valid. I can tell you that there are many of us that have been concerned throughout this whole process and remain concerned. But it is bothersome that many people don't seem to be concerned about the issue.

GOLODRYGA: How worried are your constituents about paying their bills, about paying their mortgage, about getting food on the table, about feeding their families?

CURTIS: Well, I think not just my constituents but around the country and around the world, we have people that are very concerned about that. Utah, won't surprise you, has handled this in a way that's been very, very impressive. Our unemployment rate is just over 4 percent. That doesn't mean that people aren't struggling and hurting, but it does mean that we're making it through this.

I personally feel like there are many people in my district that need help. We need additional PPP funds. We need to help individuals. We need to solve some of the things being handled administratively that Congress had legislative intent on that have not been resolved. There's a lot of work for us to do.

GOLODRYGA: I know that you have actually received the Pfizer vaccine this morning. How are you feeling?

CURTIS: Well, thank you for asking. I'm feeling fine. It was, to be honest, no different than any other vaccine shot or shot that I've had. And I'm feeling great, thank you.

GOLODRYGA: So, again, going back to the importance and significance of a vaccine, and that's why you have come public with yours and shown photos as well. You have people raising doubts about the vaccine in this country. At the same time, Fox News' Tucker Carlson said this vaccine, you know, raises some questions and is wondering just how smoothly the process has gone. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: So how are the rest of us supposed to respond to a marketing campaign like this while nervously?

[17:20:02]

Even if you're strongly supportive of vaccines, and we are, even if you recognize how many millions of lives have been saved over the past 50 years by vaccines, and we do, it all seems a bit much. It feels false, because it is. It's too slick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: It's too slick? I mean, it's not a car he's talking about. It's a vaccine that can save, you know, millions of lives and get us out of an economic slump. How dangerous is that kind of talk?

CURTIS: Well, I can tell you this. I took the vaccine this morning. That's my level of confidence. As crazy as this year has been, there's only one thing that could make it more crazy, and that's to have the antidote, the vaccine, right in front of us, something that would protect us and not take advantage of it. That would make this whole pandemic and this year even crazier than it already is.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Congressman, thank you so much for coming on tonight and thank you so much for getting your vaccine and encouraging others to do likewise. We appreciate it.

CURTIS: Absolutely.

GOLODRYGA: And tonight, join Anderson Cooper to learn how the country defeated the 1918 pandemic. The new CNN special report, Pandemic, How a Virus Changed the World in 1918, begins at 9:00.

And we'll be right back

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:25:00]

GOLODRYGA: Hospitals across the state of California are on the breaking point this weekend. The number of patients being hospitalized with COVID-19 is skyrocketing across much of the state. In Southern California, some major hospitals are now running out of ICU beds and health care workers are verging on exhaustion caring for an unparalleled surge in COVID-19 patients.

I want to bring in Paul Vercammen in Tarzana, California. And, Paul, you spoke to health care workers caring for COVID patients. What are they telling you?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are exhausted. They are heartsick. They are just trying to maintain some level of lucidity because they are so tired. And let's get right to the California numbers. They've just came out, Bianna, another 43,600 new cases.

We also have another huge amount of deaths. it dipped just a little bit under 300 today. We should note, it was over 300 two days in a row. And then the hospitalizations, they are up around 18,000. This is significant because in these intensive care units, we have 3,500 people.

So at this small hospital, 17 beds, they are at capacity. The ICU director here got on his shift at 2:00 A.M. and he has the -- I just don't even know how to describe this. He has the unbelievable task of telling us that he lost a couple of patients, COVID-19 patients, this afternoon, and this is how he frames what's going on inside this ICU.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. THOMAS YADEGAR, ICU DIRECTOR, PROVIDENCE CEDARS-SINAI TARZANA MEDICAL CENTER: It's been horrible, Paul. This is, by far, the worst that it's been in the past nine months, no matter how hard we try to get patients better to stabilize them. And, hopefully, we get patients home. It seems like there's another four patients who are sicker waiting for that same bed.

The patients are coming in much sicker than the past four months and a lot of them are getting intubated in the emergency room.

They notice that the hospitals are being overwhelmed and they're just trying to wait. I had a patient this past week who waited too long. And I asked, why are you not coming in earlier? And it broke my heart. But what he said was, I didn't want to take someone else's bed. I didn't want to take someone else's bed. I thought that someone is going to be sicker and needed it more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And these stories are being played out throughout California.

The doctor here, Yadegar, is saying, look, we need you to cooperate and wear your masks and pay attention. He says he wants to see Los Angeles turn back into a virtual ghost town.

Back to you now, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: It is not a hard ask to tell people to wear their masks, especially now that these first responders are seeing a second surge, reliving all of that devastation again. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much.

And now to our breaking news, the president finally speaking out on the massive cyberattack linked to Russia. But guess what the president is doing? Well, downplaying it.

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[17:32:53]

GOLODRYGA: President Trump breaking his silence today on what's being called the biggest cyberattack on government agencies in U.S. history.

This morning, Trump seemingly downplaying the severity and Russia's suspected hand in all of this. Notably, not condemning Russia, but rather saying it's all under control and that China might even be responsible.

This after his own secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, publicly linked Russia to the massive cyber intrusion campaign.

Joining us now is CNN national security analyst, Samantha Vinograd. Also the former adviser to the national security adviser in the Obama administration.

Sam, great to have you on.

A lot of news. We are now learning that the White House itself was about to put out a statement accusing Russia for the hack, which is probably why secretary of state said as much, until, of course, he was contradicted by the president himself via tweet.

Give us a sense of how serious this is and how confusing it is for the rest of the world when the president tweets something like this.

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Trump's failure to condemn Russia is unsurprising. He's been acting like Putin's publicist for years.

What Trump really did today, Bianna, is cement his own legacy as a national security threat to the homeland. By undercutting his experts, he's helping Russia's measure to sow confusion in the United States.

His experts valued this attack a significant cybersecurity campaign. Trump downplayed it.

Pompeo, as you mentioned, attributed this attack to China.

Trump said to -- to Russia, excuse me. Trump said China may be involved. Trump said he has everything under control. The experts say the attack is ongoing.

Trump's tweets amount to dangerous disinformation and his team needs to spend critical mission time cleaning up his mess.

Ordinarily, I'd be more concerned that Trump letting Putin off the hook again would further empower Putin.

But Putin knows, in 32 days, we're going to have a president that just isn't going to tolerate Russian attacks against the homeland.

That's why I think that Putin is probably starting to tune Trump out and paying more attention to what President-Elect Biden has to say about costs for this attack on the homeland.

[17:35:00]

GOLODRYGA: Well, this is going to be a huge crisis for President-Elect Biden to walk into as well. Clearly, sanctions are not working to deter Vladimir Putin.

And who knows how deep these intrusions and hacks have gone into our government agencies here as well. So it's a big headache and big lift for the Biden campaign.

GOLODRYGA: But let's talk about the Trump tweet and experts that are likely working to ascertain what information was assessed. Trump said it's not that big of a deal. We know otherwise.

Do we have a sense of the damage here?

VINOGRAD: From a P.E. perspective, this attack amounts to Putin winning the lottery.

There's now public knowledge that U.S. cyber defenses failed to adequately detect and avert this attack. It's now public knowledge that U.S. intelligence resources failed to pick up on this operation.

This was a multifaceted failure, and that fuels Russia's narrative about U.S. weakness.

In terms of other spoils, it does appear that Russia may have been able to monitor U.S. government e-mail communications. It's a major intelligence advantage.

And if Russia got access to thousands of U.S. government e-mail addresses, those could be manipulated for future phishing operations.

What we don't know is if the Russians were able to disrupt any operations during the course of this attack or if they retained the ability to do so going forward.

It may take months if not years, to ascertain the damage here. But just based on what we do know today, this attack was a big success from Russia's perspective.

GOLODRYGA: And a huge embarrassment from America's perspective as well.

We know Biden is reportedly working on a cost and position strategy. What could that look like? Shutting consulates doesn't seem like a

great idea when sanctions don't seem to be deterring Putin.

VINOGRAD: Well, shutting U.S. consulates hurts the United States and helps Russia.

But on the financial sanctions front, Bianna, Biden has already floated more sanctions. And I think sanctions could be effective if they involve countries who have a more substantive economic relationship with Russia.

Microsoft indicated earlier this week that at least seven other countries were implicated in this attack. That could bode well for getting countries on board for sanctioning Russia with this attack.

From a diplomatic perspective, President-Elect Biden could choose to shutter more Russian consulates in the United States and to kick out more Russian diplomats.

That could detract from Russia's ability to advance own interests on the ground here in the United States.

On the covert action front, there's also the possibility of the United States launching offensive cyberoperations against Russian government entities, assuming that we have the capability to do so.

That could lead to escalation. But you could mitigate that by couple anything offensive cyberoperation with a credible diplomatic message about goals, namely, the desire for a cyber cease-fire.

GOLODRYGA: Also sanctioning those oligarchs who continue to support, and vis-versa, Vladimir Putin and his inner circle.

Samantha Vinograd, a lot on the president-elect's plate.

Thank you for joining us. Appreciate it.

VINOGRAD: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Coming up, the president raking in big bucks to fund his fight over the election. But where is that cash really going? We're following the money, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:25]

GOLODRYGA: Since the election, President Trump has raised more than $200 million by pushing lies and bogus claims of election fraud.

E-mails and text messages sent to his supporters, urging, donations suggest the money is going to a so-called election defense fund.

But if you read the fine print, a lot of that money is going to a leadership PAC Trump established after the election that could help fuel his political ambitions in the future.

Time now for the "CROSS EXAM" with CNN Legal Analyst, Elie Honig.

Elie, great to see you.

One viewer is saying: Are there limits to how President Trump can spend money he's raised from donors to contest the election results?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Whoever the candidate, whatever the pitch, your campaign donations can be used in very broad and sometimes unexpected ways.

Now President Trump has been running a bait and switch since election day. The pitch is, I need donations to challenge the election in court. Of course, those cases never had any chance and they have almost completely failed in the courts.

But here's the thing. If you look at the fine print, some of those donations went to what's called a leadership PAC. And that means the money can be used for many different things. That money can pay legal fees and campaign costs.

But that's only a small percentage of the total. And as you said, we're now learning some of that money is being spent at Donald Trump's own private businesses.

The president also can use that money to fund other candidates. That's an important way to keep people loyal to him and punish anyone who may dissent.

And the president can use that money for his own war chest if he decides to run again.

So these donations are doing far more than just funding these hopeless lawsuits. What they are really doing is building President Trump's personal wealth and building his political power for the future.

GOLODRYGA: It's also another reminder to always read the fine print.

Let's go to another viewer who wants to know: Now that the Electoral College has confirmed a Biden victory, can Congress overturn or nullify that?

HONIG: Well, this is the president's latest delusional fantasy, but it's not going anywhere.

Now under the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, Congress has to ratify the electoral vote. That's happening on January 6th.

Ordinarily, it's just a formality but there's an obscure procedure that allows Congress to challenge the vote.

First, you need at least one member from both Houses in order to start this process. It looks like there could be some Republican members who might do this in the House.

But it's less clear if there's even one member of the Senate who would be on board. Even Mitch McConnell now has said it's over.

[17:45:02]

And, Bianna, even if that happens, then you need a majority of both the House and the Senate to throw out or change any electoral votes.

It's doubtful whether Senate Republicans would go along with this. There's zero shot in that Democratic-controlled House.

So the president seems to be very fixated on this, but it's really more delusional fantasy than reality.

GOLODRYGA: And final question for you, Elie. Coronavirus cases and deaths are exploding nationwide, but many businesses do remain open.

So another viewer wants to know: Does the law allow customers or employees to sue a business if they were infected with COVID while at that business?

HONIG: Yes. As we speak, this exact question is a major sticking point in the ongoing negotiations over a COVID relief bill.

Now Republicans are generally in favor of immunity, where a person cannot sue. Their argument is, we need to prevent costly lawsuits against businesses that are already struggling to survive economically.

Democrats, essentially, say, well, you can't cut off the right to sue. We need accountability. And people need to be able to get compensation if they've been injured.

Now there are possible compromise positions here. What they could do is make it harder but not impossible to sue and raise the legal standard.

It's looking like they're going to do what politicians often do and punt it down the line a little bit.

But we'll certainly be watching this. This will be a key issue in the ongoing negotiations up on Capitol Hill.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt about that.

Elie Honig, thank you so much. Have a great weekend.

HONIG: Thanks, Bianna. You, too.

GOLODRYGA: Coming up, Dr. Anthony Fauci with a special message for kids about why COVID can't stop Santa Claus. You'll not want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:51:11]

GOLODRYGA: And finally tonight, a blue furry superhero stopped by CNN's studios to help explain vaccines to children. It's all part of CNN's special show for kids, "THE ABCS OF COVID-19."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: We were just telling everybody that a vaccine is being made that will help protect us all from the spread of coronavirus.

GROVE MUPPET: Oh, yes, of course, a vaccine, which is a busy name for a vacuum cleaner.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No not quite, Super Grover.

A vaccine is actually a weakened form of the virus or a part of a virus that can help our body build up its defenses by teaching our bodies' germ fighters, known as anti-bodies, how to defeat the virus.

CABRERA: Our body are actually great at protecting us. But sometimes they need a little extra help. That's why we take vaccines.

GUPTA: Right.

GROVER: Yes. Exactly what I was going to say. A vaccine is a little superhero boost to your body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: A teachable moment for all of us.

Well, several children had some rather important questions about coronavirus and Santa Claus. Well, they got a big answer from the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They put out presents with COVID-19 spreading everywhere. How can they do it?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Will Santa still be able to visit me in coronavirus this season? But what if he can't go to anyone's house or near his reindeer?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Well, I have to say that I took care of that for you, because I was worried you'd all be upset.

So what I did a little while ago, I took a trip up to the end of the North Pole. I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus, myself. I measured his level of immunity and he is good to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Good to go. Dr. Fauci saves the day once again.

We are so glad, Dr. Fauci took the time right here on CNN to let kids around the world know that he vaccinated Santa Claus. Such a wonderful, wonderful morning show this morning.

Well, this year, "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" celebrated incredible people behind this year's biggest stories, the fight against the coronavirus and the battle for racial equity and social justice.

But we also shared the year's most inspiring moments and asked you to vote for which moment moved you the most.

Anderson Cooper shares your choice for this year's most inspiring moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Sometimes a photograph can capture the mood and the attention of the world. In June, one did just that.

(SHOUTING)

COOPER: During protests in the streets of London, events turned violent. A Black Lives Matter group was there to condemn statues of people with racist ties and defending white protesters were there to protect the statues.

Things got heated. One male, a white male, a former police officer, wandered as the crowd and he started to get beat up.

One of the Black Lives Mattes protesters, Patrick Hutchison, saw he was in peril and moved in, picked up the injured man, carried him through the crowd to safety.

PATRICK HUTCHISON, BLACK LIVES MATTERS PROTESTER: The biggest thing for me was making sure that no harm came to him, because I knew if harm had come to him, that would be changed. And the blame would fall on the young Black Live Matters protesters. So we made sure we got him out of there safely.

COOPER: Patrick, the father and grandfather, hopes everyone who sees the image understand the responsibility to do the right thing resides in all of us.

HUTCHISON: We just want equality for all races, all people. Right now, we're the ones who seem to be the oppressed ones. It's about time things were changed the world over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:55:07]

GOLODRYGA: Such an incredible moment of humanity.

You can watch "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" any time on CNN. Go to CNN on demand and HBO Max.

I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for joining us. I'll see you tomorrow night. My colleague, Wolf Blitzer, picks up our coverage coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)