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Trump Tests Loyalty and Ignores Pandemic; U.S. COVID Hospitalizations Reach Record 119,000+; Sources: UK-EU Post-Brexit Deal Imminent. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 24, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:02:24]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead: President Trump sows political chaos on Christmas Eve, vetoing one bipartisan bill, leaving another in limbo and pardoning a slew of loyalists.

All this as the country suffers. More Americans are in the hospital with COVID-19 than ever before. And officials have bleak predictions for the holiday week.

And it's one of the most important international negotiations in a generation. The post-Brexit trade talks might finally have a resolution. What you need to know about the deal the United Kingdom and the European Union are trying to strike.

(MUSIC)

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Well, it is now Christmas Eve for much of the world, but the usual good cheer has been severely tempered by the worsening pandemic. Nearly 80 million people have been infected worldwide, 1.7 million have died since COVID-19 first emerged.

Here in the United States, the picture is especially grim over 3,300 deaths were reported on Wednesday, the third highest day so far. And medical professionals fear an overwhelming surge of new cases and deaths after the holidays.

Well, there are currently 119,000 Americans fighting for their lives in COVID wards across the country. It is the highest number of hospitalizations yet.

None of which seems to be on Donald Trump's radar. Instead, the U.S. president and first lady have gone to Florida for the holiday. And it's not at all certain that he will sign the COVID relief bill just passed by Congress. Before leaving Washington, President Trump spent much of Wednesday issuing pardons, to more than two dozen convicted felons. And not just any felons. These were among the president's most fierce

and loyal defenders during the Russia probe.

CNN's Pamela Brown has those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

[04:05:04]

Also on this list is Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner.

Now, let's tick through this. You have Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, they were indicted by special counsel went to trial and convicted by juries of multiple trials. Investigators say Manafort broke the cooperation agreement by lying to them. Roger Stone never cooperated by lying and has never shown remorse.

So, now, both men are being rewarded by the president for their loyalty. The president has been long aggrieved by the Russia probe and has said he thinks his advisers were treated unfairly. But it's worth noting here, the Mueller report detailed any obstruction of justice part how Trump team's 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 Trump'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, the White House official said 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. This is what sources have told to 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 not likely meet the DOJ criteria for pardoning.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, the flurry of presidential pardons to loyalists goes hand in hand with President Trump's obsession with staying in power after January 20th. The president sees Congress as the next battle as that impossible quest. He even retweeted this message from a supporter calling on Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to ratify the Electoral College results when Congress meets in early January.

And we get the latest now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lame duck president is trying to convince America he is anything but, vetoing a defense bill, threatening to upend coronavirus relief and issuing a wave of controversial pardons. Trump vetoing the annual defense bill after lawmakers refused to kill a provision renaming military bases named after Confederate generals.

But instead of a win, Trump is likely to suffer the first veto override of his presidency. That move after Trump also appeared to threaten to veto the coronavirus relief bill just passed by Congress, putting $900 billion in stimulus and vaccine distribution funds at risk.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Send me a suitable bill or else at next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package.

DIAMOND: Trump's threat coming as another 803,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment just last week. Attacking the bill as a disgrace, Trump undermined his spokesman who said he would sign the legislation, his treasury secretary who negotiated on Trump's behalf, and the majority of Republicans who voted to pass the bill, including the Republican senators running in Georgia's special election.

SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA): We voted on the COVID relief. And I'm so proud to be able to bring that relief back to Georgia.

DIAMOND: The president objecting to a slew of funding provisions that are actually included in a separate spending bill in which the president requested in his annual budget to Congress, like $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt, $25 million to support democracy and gender programs in Pakistan, and $40 million for the Kennedy Center.

Trump also calling on Congress to triple the stimulus checks to Americans.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'm asking Congress to amend his bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple.

DIAMOND: Democratic leaders pouncing on that idea, which many Republicans oppose. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeting: Democrats are ready to bring this to the floor this week by unanimous consent. Let's do it.

Trump's threat to upend the legislation blindsided officials who was scrambling to determine if Trump was actually threatening the veto. Meanwhile, the president doling out a slew of pardons fit for the last gasp of a presidency, even if he refuses to accept defeat. Pardons for George Papadopoulos and Alex Van Der Zwaan who both pleaded guilty to lying to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators, Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who's convicted of misusing nearly a quarter million dollars in campaign funds, and Republican Congressman Chris Collins, the first lawmaker to endorse Trump who pleaded guilty to securities fraud.

Trump also pardoning four Blackwater security guards who were convicted of murder and manslaughter charges after killing 17 people at a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): When you look through all of them, what ties all of them together is corruption. It is corruption. He's literally burning down the house of justice as he walks out the door.

[04:10:01]

DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond, traveling with the president, in West Palm Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, U.S. lawmakers are expected to meet on Monday to deal with that crucial defense bill. That could lead to the first veto oversight as we heard there in Jeremy's package.

It's not clear what happened to relief that Congress approved after President Trump called for substantially greater cash payouts for struggling Americans. Two House members on opposite sides the aisle spoke with CNN's Chris Cuomo about the possibility of raising direct payments to $2,000 per person.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH GOTTHEIMER, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: We're going to be introducing a motion on the consent of $2,000. If that's what the president would like, we'll surely put up more resources, as part of our package, in addition to unemployment increase and support for small businesses and food and aid to our schools and getting out the vaccines, it's all part of this bipartisan package.

So if it's about more resources directly to people, of course, we're there. I hope the other side will be there. Tom and I actually got behind putting direct resources to Americans and got on legislation early. That's something that's important to us.

So if that's what it takes, then let's get it done. But the idea we do nothing right now, we've got 14 million people who will go off unemployment on the day after Christmas. People are going to be evicted from their homes. So, we got to act, if it's more resources, let's just do it.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, "CUOMO PRIME TIME": And the government is going to shut down. But, Tom, have you heard any word about Trump pushing you guys to meet Pelosi on the floor?

TOM REED, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, I think there's going to be incentive tomorrow to raise the cash to $2,000. Josh is right, we talked about that, and I agree with them in direct payments. However, you know, what we would see, is the primary response to that, we put this deal together, when you talk about direct payments then you have a conversation about unemployment benefits going up $300 per person, because if they're getting $2,000 direct payments on top of the $300, then people rightfully on our side would be arguing, well, then the unemployment benefit doesn't have to be as high, with a $300 increase a week.

And that's why this deal needs to stay together because this is months of negotiation and we found the sweet spot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The president's objections to the COVID relief bill came as a surprise to just about everyone who worked on the legislation.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump has made clear he's unhappy with the coronavirus relief and spending package. But what he's going to do next, well, it's been more than 24 hours and nobody seems to have any idea. The president not weighing in any further than that late video he put out on a Tuesday night, castigating a measure that everybody was under pressure he would sign.

In fact, the top officials were not only in the room negotiating the matter, but they also said the president was supportive of the measure. So, where does that leave things at this point in time? First, let's look at the stakes.

The stakes here are enormous. Not only is this desperately needed economic relief, $600 in direct payments, $300 on the unemployment side, the extension for 11 weeks of two crucial federal unemployment programs that cover nearly 12 million to 13 million people. All of that is in this bill. Not to mention $280 billion for small businesses but now hangs in limbo.

Now, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy had a private conference call on Wednesday. I'm told by somebody who's on the call that McCarthy said he'd spoken to the president, the president said he was not committed to vetoing the legislation, but he's obviously frustrated with it.

So what happens next? Well, that's up to the president. Now, nobody seems to know.

House Democrats will try to make a legislative move on Thursday, try and basically get what the president wants, $2,000 in direct payments, something the president said he wanted. However, Republicans have made clear they will block that effort, saying it's just a political move.

Again, leading us all back to one place. The president of the United States now in Mar-a-Lago and deciding whether or not to side off on one of the largest emergency economic relief packages in the history of the country.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, after months of negotiations we're told that the U.K. and the European Union are now nearing a post-Brexit trade deal and sources say an announcement is expected today. In a tweet overnight, a spokesman said work was continuing and hinted that the final details are being hammered out. All this one week before the end of a year deadline.

Nic Robertson is standing by in front of 10 Downing Street. He joins us now live.

Good to see you, Nic. It is history in the making. What more have you learned about the post-Brexit trade deal and when might we learn in an announcement?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think what we're learning now, Rosemary, there's a mood of excitement made yesterday that a deal was about to be signed.

[04:15:01]

That there was about to be a statement on both sides, the E.U. side, the U.K. side, and then that didn't happen.

And then the boxes of pieces seen going into the negotiating rooms in Brussels and the word came out there's details being worked out. I think what we're learning is that for a deal of this magnitude, and it's not expected to be as big and as strong as some trade deals, but for a deal of this magnitude that might take many years, five years is a figure that the E.U. chief negotiator has told the European parliament that a deal of this size normally takes to negotiate, the period of negotiation which has been since the beginning of February this year until now is relatively condensed.

But again, it's the details that they're get into overnight seem to be over one of the big sticking points over fisheries. To the point which particular fish the E.U. fishermen will have access to in U.K. waters. Will they only be able to get the fish that feed off the bottom or will they have be able to get the fish that swim around in the water in between, for example, tuna, herring, which are most important for fishermen.

So, again to come back to your question, what are we learning? We're learning that a lot has been done in a short space of time. That a lot of details have gone into it, and they're still in those details but as you say, there is a historic -- this will be a historic moment if and when it happens, as expected.

I think it does have that atmosphere here today, I have to say, that after 4 1/2 years ago, when standing here four and a half years ago as the results were coming in from the referendum, exactly 4 1/2 years ago to the day when the results were coming in. And that day felt like a momentous day for the country, this also does begin to have that historic feeling about it, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It's been a long torturous road for sure. Nic Robertson joining us live from 10 Downing Street, many thanks.

Well, thousands of truck drivers remain stranded in England, desperate to cross into France before Christmas. A live report from the port of Dover where tempers flaring. That's next.

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[04:21:16]

CHURCH: Well, COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. smashed records again on Wednesday, reaching 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 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects up to 419,000 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.

CNN's Alexandra Field has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A crisis now on the verge of a horrific new milestone. By the end of the week, it is likely that 330,000 Americans, roughly 1 in 1,000 Americans will have died from COVID-19. For the fifth time in the U.S., deaths climbed higher than 3,000 on Tuesday. It was the second deadliest day of the pandemic.

The little relief that could be on the way to Americans is now in jeopardy with President Trump casting doubt on the future of a $900 billion stimulus bill, in a surprise Twitter video.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'm asking Congress to amend this bill.

FIELD: The chaos surrounding this deal as the government strikes another deal to purchase 100 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Nine days after the first shots in arms, just over a million doses of the vaccine have been administered according to the CDC website.

There's no data yet on how many Moderna shots have been given, but it's likely the country will fall well short of the big goal, 20 million vaccines given by the end of the year.

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: If we don't get the 20 million people vaccinated this month, I hope people will understand, is this a logistic challenge of enormous proportion.

FIELD: A pressing question about those vaccines, are they as effective against variant of virus identified in the U.K.

COLLINS: We would expect that the vaccine should still be effective against that. So, I want everybody to sort of take a breath here. One of the things we are worried about it appears to be more transmissible. FIELD: And possibly more infectious for children, but more studies

needed.

Researchers suggest the U.S. may already have hundreds of cases.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, INCOMING DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: We have been saying loud and clear to the entire American people, we need to be limiting our mobility, period.

FIELD: That warning coming just as the TSA reports record high pandemic air travel in time for the holidays, the number of people passing through America's airports, around 1 million for each of the last five days, and likely to hit a new high tomorrow.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: This type of travel is risky, particularly if people start congregating when they get to their destination, in larger crowds, in indoor settings.

FIELD: New York City taking no chances with anyone coming in.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: If you don't comply with the quarantine, that's a $1,000 fine to begin day one. If you continue to not comply for the quarantine, it's $1,000 for each additional day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (on camera): And as far as the restrictions in New York City, well, anyone traveling to the city will get an order from the Department of Health. But if you're coming from the United Kingdom, enforcement of that order will be stepped up. Sheriffs deputies could be knocking on the door of your hotel room or your home to make sure you're, in fact, compliant with that order.

In New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, the chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed says the number of allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine is greater than expected. Dr. Moncef Slaoui says more drug trials could help researchers understand what's causing the adverse reactions.

[04:25:01]

And with six reported cases so far, Dr. Slaoui says more information is needed on the worse reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: That frequency, as it stood yesterday, is superior to what one expected with other vaccine, that was expected in the range of maybe one person having an allergic reaction, and with the Pfizer vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: All right, now, to the United Kingdom where officials are imposing travel restrictions with South Africa after finding another coronavirus variant even more transmissible than the one recently discovered in England.

Meantime, the tense waiting game at the English port of Dover is stretching into another day. And frustrations are boiling over. Thousands of truck drivers are scrambling to get COVID tests so they can cross into France now that it's eased travel restrictions with the U.K.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from Dover to explain all the chaos.

Good to see you, Salma.

So, the travel restrictions may have eased but the test be has been slow, hasn't it? What is the latest on this?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary after a very tense day yesterday, we finally saw testing start, just at about dusk really, but I know you have pictures there to show just how the day unfolded.

What really happened here was essentially a demonstration, a protest by these truck drivers who blocked the road, marched towards the police line, demanded that they get coronavirus tests, demanded that they get answers, and we did finally see a mobile team with health care workers show up in the evening. We do now see a steady trickle essentially of these truck drivers being tested, about 30 every 30 minutes. So, this is going to take days to unblock.

And I know you're looking at pictures from last night of these truck drivers facing off after spending days living on the streets, living in their couch, there's no food, no water, no access to sanitation, most of them, and demanding answers.

Most of them come from Eastern Europe. English is not even their language and they are trying to navigate a very complicated situation. But now that it's calm, and you're looking at those images, I sort of want to reflect here on them for a moment. It is those pictures that probably jolted European leaders into action.

We were looking at a no deal Brexit. But what happened here illustrated what happens when Britain is cut off from its neighbors. When the U.K. is isolated from the rest of Europe, when there is no partnership between these two sides.

It has to work. If has to be a union. Otherwise, you have people, you have good, you have lives that are caught in the middle.

So, yes, we're looking at the port of Dover being blocked. But this is bigger than that, Rosemary. This is about finally breaking through those negotiations after four years, because what happened here gave them a taste of what's to come -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: I think you are absolutely right. This was a wake-up call. This was a preview. So, they have moved into action.

Salma Abdelaziz, many thanks for that live report. Appreciate it.

And coming up next, a post-Brexit trade agreement may be coming very soon. We will have an update on the negotiations after a short break. Stay with us.

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