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Trump Vetoes Defense Bill, Throws Relief Bill in Doubt; California Surpasses 2 Million Confirmed Cases of COVID-19; 2020: A Year Like No Other for the Economy. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired December 24, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:29:50]

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: When he uses that authority, you know, to accommodate you know his cronies or his sycophants or his relatives or people who are engaged in real corruption without any type of serious vetting from Department of Justice.

I mean it really calls into question you know why we have this pardoning power. I think it will have to be reformed as a consequence to this president.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Why do we have this pardon power? From what you can tell us, why do we have this pardon power and what would you say to those who would say, look, the president has the power under the Constitution to do what he did. This isn't an abuse of power.

DENT: Well, certainly the president has a right to do what he's doing, but it is not the right thing to do. I always thought - I thought that the pardoning powers were to be used judiciously when there were mitigating circumstances in a case, where there might be new evidence or any number of things that could occur that would lend one to believe that maybe the sentencing was too harsh or that there were again, extenuating circumstances that would justify this type of clemency. That is not what we're dealing -- hearing with this president who's simply using this to reward loyalists, friends, sycophants and really to - and really to whitewash acts of political corruption in many cases.

BROWN: All right. And on top of these pardons, Doug, the president vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act. Now he's threatening the same with stimulus. What kind of a position does this put Republicans in? If you are a GOP member of Congress, what do you do here?

DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I was actually in the House buildings this week talking to a member of Congress about this. And it goes back to what Charlie said earlier, we have got issues. And the reality for Republicans is, they're trying to do the right thing and thwarted time and time again by President Trump. It makes it hard for them when they stick their neck out to try to do the right thing to be undercut by the president yet again. Moving forward is a very difficult thing for them to do.

They know we've used this phrase a lot in a lot of different contexts, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel even if they don't view a Biden/Harris administration as certainly as a light that will get to some place of normalcy where if an administration says we support this bill, they're going to be able to move forward and not get their feet cut out from under them at the very last minute.

BROWN: I want to just finally end with you, Charlie, with this discussion. What does the Republican Party look like after Trump leaves office? I know you sort of alluded to it early on in your answer but what do you thing? Can the Republican Party go back to what it was before Trump and how do you feel right now having been a member of the Republican Party?

DENT: Sure. Well, I'm very saddened by the state of the party today. But I don't think we can go back to where the party was pre-Trump, but we obviously need to get to a better place. And I would argue we need to do three things.

One, we need to become a party that is much more socially sensible and tolerant. Two, we need to become a party that is much more constructively engaged on the international stage. And three, we need to be a party that embraces free markets but with modern, reasonable regulation. And finally, I would say, Pamela, the party also needs to come up with real policy solutions on issues outside of their comfort zone like climate change or immigration.

Simply complaining about AOC and the squad might excite the base but it's not a prescription for governing agenda. So, the party needs to get to much better place rather than being guided by the whims of one man. We need to be about you know core principles and values that are embraced by not only Republicans but the majority of the American people and set a right tradition.

BROWN: All right, Charlie Dent, Doug Heye, Merry Christmas Eve. Thank you both for coming on this holiday to talk with us, share your perspectives. Important discussion. Thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:38:15]

BROWN: California is now the first state in the nation to surpass 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. It took the state about 9 months to hit 1 million cases back on November 12th. CNN's Dan Simon joins me now from San Francisco. So, what are officials attributing this sharp rise in new cases to, Dan?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Pamela. The two main reasons are complacency and gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday. But the current numbers are a bit mixed. Let's go through them.

The state recorded 361 deaths yesterday. That's the second highest since the start of the pandemic. The high came on December 16th with 379 deaths.

Now, as far as cases are concerned, you had nearly 40,000 cases yesterday. That's an astounding number by any stretch but it's also down 27 percent from the previous week. And the state's seven-day positivity rate, it's also down slightly. It's now at 12.6 percent down by 1 percent. This is how Governor Newsom is framing the current numbers. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): It's a modest indication of a possible sign of some good news. But again, we have to be mindful of what we're walking into over the course of the next number of days into Christmas holiday season more broadly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Now despite that possible optimistic tone that the governor was talking about, the ICU capacity throughout the state is now 1.1 percent, which is also a decline. So, a little bit of a mixed picture as officials have been talking about. We are now in the middle of a surge upon a surge. Pamela?

BROWN: A surge upon a surge the day before Christmas. Dan Simon, thank you.

[10:40:01]

The TSA says nearly 1.2 million people travelled through U.S. airports on Wednesday. That is the most people to pass through airport security checkpoints since the start of the pandemic. Despite several warnings from the CDC against holiday travel, CNN's Amara Walker joins me now from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Amara, how are officials working to keep travelers safe?

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Pam. Well, for one thing, masks are required once you get inside here at Atlanta International Airport. And TSA officials are reminding everyone that passengers are allowed to bring up to 12-ounce hand sanitizer bottles with their carryon luggage.

But it seems that health officials are most concerned about what happens once passengers get to their given destinations and if they take the precautions that they've been pushing for. Here at ATL airport it's been relatively busy throughout the morning although not nearly as crowded as it normally would be during a normal holiday season without a pandemic.

In fact, airport officials are saying that they expect to see half the number of travelers this season compared to the same time last year. There's reason to be concerned, however, the TSA is reporting record breaking pandemic travel over the last six days, from Friday to Wednesday, more than 6 million passengers have been screened by the TSA. On average, that's about a million passengers passing through our nation's airports, that's the most total travel we've seen during this pandemic.

Also, you mentioned that number on Wednesday, 1.2 million travelers screened by the TSA. That's the highest number we have seen since this pandemic began.

Pam, I spoke with travelers here, they tell me they know the risk of traveling and gathering with family members. One young family told me that it was a very difficult decision despite the fact that they both contracted COVID as healthcare workers back in the spring and they tested negative for antibodies. Here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were really torn. You know we want to see our family. We've been away from them for so long. And we're you know we see COVID all the time. And we see bad viruses all the time, too. So, we're just not really in the age bracket where like it's going to really harm us. We actually got it back months ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: We should mention, however, the data isn't clear, definitive on whether one is actually immune once you have contracted COVID. I do want to mention ATL airport says it is expecting the busiest day to be the Sunday after Christmas. Pam, back to you.

BROWN: All right. Amara Walker, thank you.

While many Americans have been hit so hard financially by this pandemic, they're struggling to scrape together a holiday meal. That has meant long lines at food pantries across the country. We're going to take you live to one up next.

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[10:47:30]

BROWN: Well, this Christmas Eve, millions of Americans are struggling to feed their families. The pandemic has left food insecurity at an all-time high and with government aid in jeopardy, overwhelmed food banks are filling the gap.

CNN's Natasha Chen is at a drive-through event in Atlanta. So, tell us what's going on there, Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, I'm going to step aside to show you that Reverend Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff, the two Democratic candidates for the Senate runoff here in Georgia have come by to volunteer and help put food in people's trunks.

We actually just saw someone realized who it was, putting donations in their car and they screamed. People very excited to see them. But you know Ossoff did say before he started volunteering that he felt it is extremely important to acknowledge the food insecurity and the need that is so great this year across the country as we've seen at many food drives, you know people who have never been to food banks before, trying to get some help any way they can and, of course, during the holiday season it's critically important. There you see them putting some more items into someone else's car. Here, this event - here is the 50th Annual Christmas Drive for the Jose Helps Organization. Named after Hosea Williams the civil rights leader in Atlanta. Of course, the weather is sort of playing games with how many people are able to show up right now but there is quite a long line of cars and people who are here asking for this help, what they're getting is a sack lunch today as well as a box of food. There's a turkey right there. The box of food should be able to feed a family for about a week. And that's just so critically important during this pandemic when we heard from people here today who have lost their jobs because of the COVID economy. Pamela?

BROWN: And this of course happens as they're still in limbo on whether they're going to receive government aid, many of these people showing up there today. Have they talked to you about how just anxious they are with everything up in the air with the president essentially threatening to veto it?

CHEN: Well, I haven't spoken to the people driving past us thus far about that particular issue. I did try to ask John Ossoff earlier about that. He was eager to start volunteering first and said he would get back to us about those questions. But certainly, on people's minds today as they are talking about how they're going to continue getting help, continuing into 2021 when we know these donations are great that would really last these people about a week.

[10:50:06]

BROWN: Right. And we know that the unemployment help is expiring. There's a lot of important dates coming up. They are waiting for help. Natasha Chen, thank you very much.

All of this amid a tumultuous year for the economy. One that saw small business owners hit hard and families left struggling to keep roofs over their heads. CNN's chief business Christine Romans takes a look back at a year in business unlike any other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: 2020, a year like no other for business. The pandemic touched every part of the economy. Altering the way Americans live, work, and shop. Historic job losses prompted unprecedented stimulus. But as benefits dwindled, Americans suffered. And while a few companies thrived, some may never recover.

This year the pandemic triggered the worst job loss in U.S. History, 22 million jobs vanished in just two months, wiping out a decade of gains.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: The largest single month of job losses since the great depression.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: The worst jobs report in American history.

ROMANS (voice-over): Nearly every sector shed workers during the spring lockdowns, the U.S. hasn't recovered all those jobs and hiring is now slowing again. DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, all.

ROMANS: Historic losses prompt a historic response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motion is adopted.

ROMANS: The government passing an unheard of $2 trillion relief package back in March.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: This is the largest aid package in history.

ROMANS: The government enhanced unemployment benefits, funded stimulus checks for families and loans for hard hit industries. But there was a catch. All measures had expiration dates, small businesses said PPP loans ran out fast if they managed to secure one at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first rounds send tens of millions of dollars to bigger publicly traded companies like Potbelly, Ruth's Chris and Shake Shack.

ROMANS (on camera): All three later returned the money.

(voice-over): As unemployment aid expired, Americans lined up at food banks in record numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They used to feed about 50,000 families a month now it's over 100,000 a month.

ROMANS: And eviction moratoriums without rent forgiveness became a ticking time bomb.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Evictions are about to skyrocket.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 200 eviction orders have come through the Harris County courts for this week.

ROMANS: Experts warned for months that more stimulus was needed but congressional gridlock kept a new deal in limbo. Meanwhile, that economic pain stalled growth.

CUOMO: The second quarter was the worst quarter in terms of GDP action in America's history.

ROMANS: And even with a record summer, bounce back --

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: We still are not back to levels we were at before the crisis hit.

ROMANS: The pandemic essentially froze the economy. Americans largely stopped eating in restaurants, attending movies, live events and traveling. Leading to some big losses.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two airlines, American and United, announced that they're laying off a combined 32,000 employees.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Marriott says that the financial impact of this pandemic is worse than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined.

ROMANS: Home bound Americans fueled an online shopping spree helping behemoths like Amazon. While devastating brick and mortar.

SCIUTTO: J. Crew becomes the first major retailer to file for bankruptcy protection as a result of the outbreaks.

ROMANS: Lord & Taylor, the nation's first department store filed for Chapter 11.

As the country lived, worked and attended school online, sales exploded for companies like Zoom, Peloton, and Nintendo, and a new breed of essential worker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As millions stay home, millions are out risking exposure to the virus on the front lines.

ROMANS: Delivery employees helped keep the economy afloat in 2020.

Amid the pandemic, the death of George Floyd in police custody in May sparked protests over racial justice and a racial reckoning for corporate America. Companies pledged to address diversity in their hiring, and some recognized the Juneteenth holiday.

Major retailers promised to better support black businesses while others retired problematic logos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Aunt Jemima brand will retire the image, acknowledging its racist past.

ROMANS (on camera): Minority and low waged workers also bore the brunt of job and income loss this year. Meanwhile, the stock market thrived. There was a big plunge in March.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trading has stopped because we've seen a drop of 7 percent.

ROMANS (voice-over): Ending in a bear market. But stocks rebounded quickly to record highs, buoyed by government stimulus, explosive rallies and stay-at-home stocks and big tech and the Federal Reserve.

[10:55:08]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE (voice-over): The feds bought up trillions of dollars in securities. Pumping new money into the economy.

ROMANS: This is the historic disconnect of 2020. The so-called K- shaped recovery. Main street suffers but Wall Street gains by vetting on the future that vaccines and more stimulus will trigger a rebound.

(on camera): Can the economy turn around in 2021? After a year of historic losses, next year can only be better but it may be a dark winter before we get there.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BROWN: Well, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Pamela Brown on this Christmas Eve. NEWSROOM with Kate Bolduan starts after a quick break.

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