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Brexit Resolution Nears; Trump Pardons More Criminals; Bethlehem's Subdued Christmas. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired December 24, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, we might find out very soon if the U.K. and the EU have finally reached a Brexit trade deal more than four years after Britain voted to leave the block.

The U.S. president unleashes another wave of controversial pardons as he heads off on holiday while leaving a critical COVID relief bill in the balance. And a more cautious Christmas in Bethlehem this year. We are live in the holy city.

Good to have you with us. Well, after months of sharp disagreements and tense negotiations, we are told the U.K. and the European Union are now close to reaching a post-Brexit trade deal and sources say an announcement is expected in the coming hours.

In a tweet overnight, the European Commission spokesman hinted that the final details were being hammered out. He said the work was continuing through the night and was hopeful of an early start in the morning. All this one week before an end of the year deadline. So let's head straight to London where our Nic Robertson is standing by in front of 10, Downing Street.

Good to see you Nic so although an agonizing few years, a deal just might be done. What all are you learning about this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Rosemary. It does feel like historic day today. The weather's changed from the last few days when it's been really rather gray and low, foggy. The sun's come up. There's a brisk breeze. It's chillier but there's a blue sky and you get a sense that this really is the country about to take that - finally about to take that step. Of course it left the EU in the end of January this year. It's been in this period of sort of an interim period of negotiating this new trade deal.

And I think you know when you look at some of the newspapers here, talking about Brexit, there's a real sense of relief. When I think about it, standing here on the street, 4.5 years exactly to the day yesterday when the results were being announced in the early hours of the 24 - the early hours of exactly 4.5 years ago today June 24 by then 2016.

There was a real palpable sense in the country, something has significantly changed. The country was no longer going to be the same and then we've been in this long, long period of 4.5 years of trying to make it happen politically, trying to find a way with the European Union to have the divorce and then make this new trade deal.

What we now seem to be on the verge of it, we've been hearing these negotiations so many times before but I think the mood and the sort of diplomatic soundings at the moment are all hinting towards that. As you said, a tweet from the European Commission spokesman last night that they were going to keep talking into the night that there was detail perhaps.

We understand being discussed about the fisheries issue. This contentious issue about how much control the U.K. should have over its fishing waters, what access to those waters EU fishermen should have. But we understand that last night they were actually discussing you know right down to the details of the fish.

Should it be the fish early at the bottom of the sea, on the ocean floor that the EU would have access to or were they going to have access to some of those fish swim in the waters in between vital to fishermen, you know mackerel, tuna, these sorts of things herring, that swim in the sort of mid-waters so the real, real detail still being fine-tuned last night is what we - what we were understanding.

But I think when and if this detail - this deal comes as we expect, it's going to take quite a period of time to get into the details to find out what the devil is. You know where the concessions have been made by either side and what the impact is going to be for the U.K. but as we understand it at the moment in the broadest - broadest of terms, there will be a zero quota, zero tariff situation.

Meaning that the U.K. can ship into the EU and the EU can ship into the U.K. without paying additional tariffs and there'll be no limit on the quantities of those goods. Now there may be questions - questions about the sovereignty of some goods coming from the U.K., how much of those goods made in the U.K. put together actually contain entirely British components. How many sort of components were board in from outside the U. K.

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So there's going to be a lot of detail in there. Lawyers, experts are going to scouring through if when as expected a deal will be announced today. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right and we are waiting for that Brexit trade deal with bated breath of course. Nic Robertson joining us there from 10, Downing Street. Many thanks.

Well meantime, the U.K. is getting a glimpse of the kind of mayhem that could happen without a post-Brexit trade deal. Thousands of truckers stranded in the English port city of Dover but the issue not trade but rather getting all these drivers for COVID now that France has eased travel restrictions with the U.K.

Those tests are ongoing but frustrations are at boiling point. Britain's Transport Minister says it will take a while to clear the backlog, meaning many of those truckers won't be home with their families for Christmas. Well CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from Dover, England. Good to see you Salma. So this has been a nightmare for these truck drivers.

How are the COVID tests progressing so these drivers can get home?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, these drivers have now woken up after a fourth night sleeping in their vehicles for most of them. A fourth night living on the street, a fourth night without food, water, sanitation, help or access. There is a steady stream of trucks that you can see moving behind me now and that's because testing started here last night at the entry to this port.

But this is not the plan. We saw a very dramatic day unfold yesterday. Essentially what happened was a form of protest, a demonstration. These truck drivers got angry, they marched at the police line, they blocked traffic, they refused to allow this port to open up until authorities brought testing, mobile testing units here and that's what's happening now.

You have health care workers, bringing in a handful of drivers, about 30 we hear. 30 vehicles at a time, they test them. It takes about 30 minutes. It's a rapid test. If you're negative, you move along and you get on to the ferry and you get to move on to Europe but let's do the math.

30 trucks every 30 minutes that's about 1400 to 1500 at best if you're working 24/7. 1400 to 1500 a day at this one site. This is going to take days, that's according to the U.K. authorities to unblock all of this. This is a trickle, not a steady stream and this is just one of the coronavirus testing sites.

There is another one at this massive airport, Manston airport, a huge air strip as well where there are over 5000 truckers by some estimates also being tested there. The numbers vary but essentially, we're looking at 10,000 truck drivers all across this region. They will be having Christmas dinner in their cabs. Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is unbelievable and hopefully lessons have been learned about planning from this. Salma Abdelaziz, many thanks to you. Appreciate it.

Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is spending his final weeks in office basically setting fires for the incoming Biden administration. Late Wednesday, he and the First Lady flew to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the holiday but not before he vetoed a crucial bipartisan defense bill, that included pay raises for military personnel and he left in limbo a modest package of COVID relief after complaining the cash payments to individuals were not generous enough.

The President is also using his final month in office to exploit his power to pardon. On Wednesday he exonerated yet another rogues' gallery of convicted felons including more key figures in the Russia probe. CNN's Pamela Brown has those details.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the President continues his revenge against the Russia investigation rewarding two former advisers indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller issuing these full pardons to his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort who was convicted for his leud financial crimes and Roger Stone after commuting his sentence earlier this year.

Also on this list is Jared Kushner's father Charles Kushner so let's take through these. You have Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, they were indicted by special counsel Mueller. A winter trial and convicted by juries of multiple crimes.

Investigators say Manafort broke the cooperation agreement by lying to them. Roger Stone never cooperated after lying to Congress to protect the president and has never shown remorse so now both men are being rewarded by the president for their loyalty. The president has been long agreed by the Russia probe and has said his advisors were treated unfairly but it's worth noting here the Mueller report detailed in the obstruction of justice part, how Trump's team dangled pardons as a way to protect the president.

How Trump himself did that and now we're seeing the president's plan play out with these pardons. Also Charles Kushner, the father of the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. He was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering and served a 24-month sentence. Now White House officials say Jared did not advocate for his father to get the pardon because it was the unspoken word between him and Trump that this would happen.

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This is what sources have told me and my colleague Gloria Borger but overall, the story emerging from these pardons is that the president is using his pardon power to reward those close to him, some of whom would likely not me the DOJ criteria for pardoning. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

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CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN Political Analyst Patrick Healy. He's also the New York Times Politics Editor. Good to have you with us.

PATRICK HEALY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Great to be here.

CHURCH: So in the wake of a particularly chaotic day, one Republican aide is calling President Trump unhinged after he vetoed the defense spending bill, threatened to do the same with the COVID relief deal, pardons more friends and felons and then heads off to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas.

Is Trump unhinged or is there a plan to create unequalled havoc and burn down the house before he leaves office. HEALY: Rosemary, he has really divided the Republican Party of what's just four weeks left in his presidency. It's an extraordinary way to go out. You know you went over all of the key points. What he is doing right now is he's drawing lines in the sand at the eleventh hour on COVID relief before benefits run out, on the defense spending bill, you know on other fronts in ways that are putting Republicans in very uncomfortable positions.

Just looking at the Georgia Senate race for instance. The two Republican senators who are running for re-election have voted for the COVID relief bill that President Trump is now calling a disgrace so he's just - he's really dividing the party and confusing just a lot of Republicans about what he's up to.

CHURCH: Yes and Loeffler and Purdue are not saying anything about that but it's put them in a very sticky spot as you point out. So where does this leave the COVID relief bill? Is he just trying to stick it to his own party and give Democrats false hope of more money for Americans or is he serious about refusing to sign this bill as it stands?

And what are the consequences either way?

HEALY: I think we'll see all this play out soon but right now, it seems as if the Democrats are going to try to make hay from this fight, pushing the $2000 checks that President Trump has said he supports but this president, he may look sometimes like he boxes himself in but he sort of shingles in the way that he'll say one thing one day and one thing the next day.

And there is definitely a route to see him ultimately signing the bill that was - that was sent to him as opposed to blowing it up at the last minute and leaving it to a new Congress to try to deal with.

CHURCH: And President Trump issued another Wednesday including ones for Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father of course. Who might be next you think and is this a build up to a pardon for himself?

HEALY: Well, that's a great question Rosemary. You know, it's extraordinary this president has given now so many pardons to people who helped him politically, who may have stayed silent as we know or did stay silent. You know perhaps in the hopes of a pardon.

And so I think what we're looking at for right now Rosemary is whether he starts actually pardoning members of his own family you know, proactively including himself. So I mean pardon himself would be the sort of the big one so to speak.

There's also course Rudy Giuliani but I think it's the family and Giuliani in particular that we're watching right now.

CHURCH: Yes and Steve Bannon waiting in the wings as well.

HEALY: Sure. CHURCH: So is President Trump ultimately testing the loyalty of his

party, pushing everyone to the absolute limit to see who stands with him, who stands against him, even suggesting he's very loyal vice president Mike Pence is not doing enough for him, which is just an incredible statement.

HEALY: It really is. This president wants to go out of the office Rosemary. You know holding people to loyalty tests. Ultimately, how loyal are you willing to be and even threatening that senators and governors will face - Republican senators and governors will face primaries in 2022, basically add President Trump's urging because if they don't support him now, you know he will come back to haunt them so to speak in a 1.5 to 2 years by supporting Republican primary opponents.

So you know it really is sort of an extraordinary loyalty test including to Mike Pence who is going to have to get up and run on January 6. The Electoral College certification process in the Congress. You know ultimately Mike Pence has a constitutional duty to do you know we will see if he does it, again with this president in a lot of it is noise more than actual action.

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CHURCH: Indeed. Patrick Healy, many thanks and Merry Christmas.

HEALY: Merry Christmas to you Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, millions of Americans are going home for the holidays despite a global pandemic. Health officials are appealing to travelers to change their plans as hospitalizations break records.

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CHURCH: Well, COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. broke records again on Wednesday, setting an all-time high of more than 119,000 since the pandemic began. For nearly a month, more than 100,000 people have been hospitalized every day in the U.S. for the coronavirus. A new forecast from the CDC projects up to 419000 COVID deaths by the middle of January, almost 100,000 more than where the U. S. currently stands.

That hasn't stopped many Americans from traveling for the holidays. On Tuesday nearly 1 million passengers were screened in airports. The Incoming Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. should take great action to fight the virus. One option, a travel ban.

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DR. ROCHELLE WELENSKY, INCOMING DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: We have been saying loud and clear to the entire American people, we need to be limiting our mobility. Period. And whether we think about it from the U. K., from European countries, from South Africa, we need to be limiting our mobility.

And so the real question now is if we are concerned about a mutant strain, we know that viruses mutate so there are probably many mutant strains but if we're concerned about a specific mutant strain, what's the best way to control that so that it doesn't explode in other places. And I think you know one of those strategies might be to ban travel but other strategies might be to have quarantines upon arrival, to promote testing, to have testings before you arrive, to have testings upon your arrival or even several days after your arrival or some combination.

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CHURCH: The Trump administration will purchase an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered by the end of July. According to the CDC, more than 1 million vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. so far.

But as countries wait to get the vaccine into the arms of millions of people, the virus remains unrelenting. Starting today in Italy, the entire country is under a red zone restriction die to rising coronavirus cases. Italians flock to train stations Wednesday to get home before the shutdown began. They can only leave their homes now for health or work reasons or for essential needs such as grocery shopping.

Italy on Wednesday became the fifth country to suppose 70,000 deaths from the disease because in 19 vaccinations the.

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Such as grocery shopping usually on Wednesday became the fifth country to surpass 70,000 deaths from the disease. COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Italy on December 27. Next, a lessened Merry Christmas. We are live in Bethlehem with the celebrations muted this year.

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CHURCH: The food we eat is a theme this week for our series Eco Solutions. In this installment, we go to Japan to look at the link between food and the ancient craft of papermaking as Selina Wang takes us to a town, west of Tokyo where paper making is getting an eco- update to reduce food waste.

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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Achizan on the western coast of Japan's main island, a town of some 20,000 residents and Japan's traditional papermaking capital. According to local legend, the crafted making traditional Japanese paper or washi began here over 1500 years ago.

Today artisans still make washi by hand including Masami Igarashi.

MASAMI IGARASHI, WASHI ARTIST, IGASHI PAPER MILL (through translator): I started making paper when I was 22 and I've been a paper artisan for 25 years. But today the craft is under threat.

WANG: Washi like most paper is made from pulp derived from tree fibers. In this case, the mulberry tree and recently they're in short supply. Modern innovations in papermaking mean fewer farmers are growing mulberry trees. That forced Igarashi and her son 14-year old Yuto to look for new sources of fiber for the washi in the kitchen.

YUTO IGARASHI, SON OF MASAMI IGARASHI (through translator): Initially I wondered how paper can be made from food and how to experiment.

IGARASHI (through translator): The way food paper is created is a little different from the conventional way of making paper but it's made by just adding food waste from fruits and vegetables to usually ingredients like fibres, pouring that into a vat and shaking the vat thoroughly.

WANG: Igarashi uses onion skins, carrot peels, anything in season and there's no shortage of supply. In Japan millions of tons of produce end up in the trash every year.

IGARASHI (through translator): In the future, I hope this food paper makes people both here in Japan and globally realize the importance of paying attention to the environment.

WANG: In spring 2020, she launched a line of biodegradable stationery products in collaboration with designer Naohiro Niiyama.

NAOHIRO NIIYAMA, DESIGN DIRECTOR, TSUGI DESIGN (through translator): The awareness of food loss and disposal of food in Japan has been changing little by little but this is just the beginning.

WANG: And for Igarashi hopefully a new beginning for her age old craft. Selina Wang, CNN.

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CHURCH: What a great story there. Well, it is Christmas Eve in much of the world but the holidays this year are not immune from the huge changes caused by the coronavirus. Bethlehem will not have its usual crush of tourists because of COVID restrictions. Celebrations are being scaled back. Midnight mass at the church of the nativity will be restricted to the clergy and face masks must be worn Manger Square.

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A priest says it means to focus can be on religion rather than on business. Well, journalist Elliott Gotkine is in Bethlehem. He joins us now. Good to see you Elliott. So how different is the atmosphere in the lead up to Christmas in Bethlehem?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, it's very different. You know we've got shuttered shops, sterilized streets and as you can see behind me, more or less empty Manger Square. Most of the people you can see are medical and security personnel. Usually it would be packed with locals and foreigners alike, soaking up the festive cheer, listening to carol, concerts and other performances.

And perhaps attending midnight mass later on. None of that happening. In fact the only event that is going ahead more or less as normal is the procession of the patriarch and even that has perhaps been doubted a little bit because the patriarch himself for that patriarch has just recovered from COVID.

Now his procession comes from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. He's due to be met by about a dozen marching bands of scouts, usually there would be dozens of marching bands but even that's been scaled back a little bit. He'll arrive here at Manger Square and then he'll go in for some prayers but as you say, it's not you know the happiest Christmas that they were, they were hoping for here.

There are restrictions, capacity in Manger Square is at 200 and only clergy are going to be able to attend midnight mass later on so we can't really say that that Christmas has been canceled but it's certainly much more low key than otherwise would be.

CHURCH: Sure and I suppose people doing a lot more at home. How are they making new arrangements?

GOTKINE: Yes, I mean there are restrictions in terms of traveling, that people will one imagines just be making the best of it so they'll be able to watch the proceedings on television and they'll be able to be with their families but obviously there are restrictions on gatherings as well and people as they say, you know they've had a pretty terrible year.

This is a town that gets - whose economy, that about 85 percent of the economy relies on terrorism. They've not been able to have tourists for most of the year. So you can imagine how the situation is for so many people. It's quite desperate for so many people who had to close down that businesses and have even got to the point, one shopkeeper we spoke to telling us they may even have to consider emigrating because they just can't continue like this.

CHURCH: Well, COVID has changed the whole world. There is nowhere to run. Elliott Gotkine, many thanks. Joining us live from Bethlehem, appreciate it. And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. African voices change makers is up next and then I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. Do stick around.

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