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Downtown Nashville Sealed Off After "Intentional" Explosion; Eyewitness Describes Scene On Nashville Street; Soon: Authorities To Give Blast Investigation Update; Health Officials Brace For COVID Surge After Holidays; France & Spain Confirm Cases Of New Coronavirus Variant; Four Former Blackwater Contractors Pardoned For 2007 Baghdad Massacre; Study: Grocery Store Workers Face Higher Risk Of Infection. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 26, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Possible human remains were found at the blast site after an eerie audio recording repeatedly warned of an imminent explosion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can hear this message, evacuate now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The blast left at least three people injured, left several other vehicles on fire and destroyed a number of buildings on the block Tennessee Governor Bill Lee just requesting an emergency declaration from President Trump to help with ongoing relief efforts after touring the damage.

We just learned investigators are expected to give as an update sometime this afternoon. Natasha Chen is live for us now in Nashville. So Natasha, what are you hearing from investigators?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this is still very much an active scene. As you mentioned Governor Bill Lee posted on Twitter about requesting that emergency declaration. He said on Twitter that after he toured this area he found the devastation shocking.

And of course, that's because there's so much debris here. It spreads across several blocks. We're on 2nd Avenue where this happened, but its several blocks away where the perimeter is. You can see some police cars in the distance with tape right there. There's shattered glass even several blocks away all over the ground.

Right now we are expecting that there may be a press conference again this afternoon to update us with the latest information from law enforcement. As you mentioned, they confirmed yesterday that there was tissue found believed to be human remains.

I asked specifically where they found that on the site if that could possibly relate to whether anyone was in the RV, and the police chief told me that it was too soon to answer that question, that the debris is just scattered in a way that they're still working through this and more information is hopefully to come very soon this afternoon, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Natasha, Nashville police have also identified the officers who helped evacuate people ahead of the explosion. What can you tell us about that?

CHEN: Right. So you have to imagine these residents were terrified when they heard gunshots early Christmas morning, called 911. These are the six officers who came and responded to that call and then everyone heard that very eerie recording counting down to an explosion, giving people 15 minutes to get out of the area. Here is the police chief of Nashville talking about their efforts yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOHN DRAKE, NASHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: These officers didn't care about themselves. They didn't think about that. They cared about the citizens of Nashville. And they went in. We'd be talking not about the debris that we have here, but also maybe potential people. So with that said, the officers saved lives today and their heroism should be noted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And those six officers the police department said are not available for interviews right now. It should be noted too that I asked about body cameras because that program is being rolled out throughout this police department. But I'm told by a representative of the department that this precinct the central precinct officers didn't have body cameras yet when this occurred.

So right now we're seeing surveillance footage, but it's unlikely that we would see footage from the officers themselves when they were arriving on scene. It should also be noted that the gunshots that people reported to have heard when they called 911, we asked whether there's any indication whether there was real gunshots that were fired or just recorded sound, perhaps like what was played from the RV, and that is also still under investigation, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. OK. And of course, the surveillance videos from the general area are going to be pretty important and pivotal potentially. Natasha Chen, thank you so much. Appreciate that. Well, this is what one witness told CNN's Anderson Cooper about what he saw on the morning of the explosion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MOLLOY, EXPLOSION EYEWITNESS: I turned around and an officer was walking towards me. And I said why do we have to evacuate? What's going on? Right then the bomb went off. His back was to the explosion and I was looking at him and it was behind him. And we're about half a block away from where the explosion was.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Now, I'm seeing video. I believe that's you with your dog. Is that right?

MOLLOY: Yes, that's a Black German Shepherd so we walked over one street over to a little grassy area. That's where I was headed. And then he stopped me. So after the explosion I mean, all I saw was just this huge fire ball from my side of the street, which is the same side of the AT&T building is, moved across the street and then up in the sky.

I didn't - I didn't feel any concussion from the explosion and it was really loud, but it didn't, like, hurt my ears. The dog didn't yelp. It wasn't anything like that. So I wasn't aware of what kind of damage that this had actually caused. I immediately hear help me escort me back into my building then started yelling for my wife.

[12:05:00]

MOLLOY: She was getting better sleep and can't find out it blew out. Our building's an old two-story building. We're in the historical areas, 1875. It blew out the back windows on our two floors and blew debris and stuff over across the bed where my wife was sleeping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, unbelievable close call for him. We've been reporting we know that at least three have been injured from that Christmas Day blast. Let's talk about the investigation now. I want to bring in Charles Ramsey; he is a CNN Law Enforcement Analyst and Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and that of D.C. as well. Good to see.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about this. The Tennessee Governor you know he has asked the president for an emergency declaration. How does that declaration perhaps help in unleashing resources for this investigation?

RAMSEY: Well, first of all, there's already a tremendous amount of resources that has already been devoted to this. But certainly it helps. Any aid it all can help. Nashville has had a rough year. They had tornadoes. Now they have this so certainly any kind of aid would be of benefit to the city and the state.

WHITFIELD: You got a city, state investigators; you would have ATF, FBI there. How would they be working together? How would they fan out on this debris field, which is usually quite sizable from an explosion? We heard our Natasha Chen say they believe at least two blocks, but potentially it could be even wider than that?

RAMSEY: It could be wider than that. It's not only on the street level. The rooftops as well have to be thoroughly searched because debris will go in all directions, up, down, and so forth. But right now the FBI is the lead - my understanding it's the Memphis field office that has taken over.

But ATF has also sent in their national response team. And these are probably the best in the world when it comes to really processing these kinds of scenes. Not only do they have the bomb experts there, but they also have chemists there that will be going through the debris trying to find out what type of explosive was actually used in this particular incident.

WHITFIELD: Right. Because it will be, you know, Chief Ramsey, amazing detective work because as in these bombings, just as we learned during the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, that while you may have a cavity which will have very small pieces of evidence, the projectiles, you know, the circumference of the explosion will produce larger sizes of evidence.

And it's really putting the puzzle pieces back together, so no mistake the bomber or bombers will be found out. So talk to me about the intricacies of this kind of investigative work of putting together these tiny - which could be like a postage stamp-sized piece of evidence to something that could be feet long.

RAMSEY: Well, that is why they have to sift through this so carefully. So you can see the debris field. You know you have got glass, you've got wood, you concrete you get everything, so they're going to really take their time and sift through this before any debris is removed from the scene at all.

Fortunately they do have an image of the RV. They noted direction of travel, so I'm sure they're already going back trying to recreate the path that that particular RV took. Hopefully they're able to enhance the image and maybe even get a shot, a snapshot of the person who was driving the vehicle.

Obviously if they find the axle or any other remains from the vehicle itself, maybe they'll be able to get the VIN number and be able to find out, you know, is it owned, was it rented? This is kind of thing that's going on right now.

They know a lot more now than we know, and that's typical in an investigation. You can't release everything right away. But, you know, this is going to take some time and people need to be patient. This is not going to be solved overnight.

WHITFIELD: What do you make of this recording that was playing telling people to evacuate, sign posting an explosion is about to happen. Is it you're feeling that the intent was less about informing people to try and keep the casualty rate down, but potentially the other way around, getting people to come out in the street and potentially be targeted?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, personally I believe that the intent was to avoid a mass casualty event because that could have easily taken place. First of all, it could have been left in a location other than where it was, which on Christmas morning it's largely industrial, I understand.

That time of morning, there aren't going to be very many people out on the street. Why give a warning if the purpose is to kill a lot of people? So they gave them time. Although 15 minutes is not a lot of time, so my hats off to those police officers that responded very quickly and were able to get a lot of people to evacuate.

[12:10:00]

RAMSEY: But clearly not everybody evacuated. The guy walking the dog said his wife was still upstairs asleep, so not everybody responds but you do the best you can under those kinds of very stressful circumstances.

WHITFIELD: Right. Talk to me about what those officers, you know, were facing at that moment doing that amazing, heroic work to try to get everyone to safety. We understand there were no body cam videos, but there will be surveillance video that's going to help put the pieces together.

Give me an idea what those officers were up against you know when from getting the call to then hearing that recording, and then trying to spring into action and help people to safety.

RAMSEY: Well, what they're up against is time more than anything I mean they're responding to a call of shots fired. The last thing they expected was to have an RV that had a recording saying it's going to blow up in 15 minutes. So they had to respond very, very quickly.

Fortunately, they apparently worked that area they know that area, so they know what's a business location versus where residents are? So they didn't waste time. They probably went immediately and started, you know, banging on doors.

They may have used loud speakers from their vehicles; I'm not quite sure but doing all they can to get people up and out. They probably would have sent them out through the back door so they didn't come down on 2nd street so that would just put them in harm's way.

So they just continued to work as hard as they could for as long as they could and they were putting themselves in harm's way because, you know, it's not just the explosion itself, the concussion from the explosion that causes the internal damage to the human body.

So they were doing a lot of things, but one thing that they knew they were doing is risking their own lives. So, you know, I've been around it 47 years, so I'm not surprised that police officers would do something like that.

WHITFIELD: Well, so many are so grateful that they did just that. All right, Chief Charles Ramsey, thank you so much, and have a great rest of the holiday. Appreciate it.

RAMSEY: Thank you, you too.

WHITFIELD: More than 12 million Americans are set to lose key unemployment benefits today unless President Trump signs a $900 billion COVID relief deal. But it's not the only looming deadline. The government would also be forced to shut down on Monday and eviction protections would expire on New Year's Eve if the president doesn't act. CNN's Sarah Westwood joining me now from West Palm Beach, so Sarah, President Trump's $2,000 proposal now is getting a new key endorsement from Senator Lindsey Graham, but who else is on board?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Fred not many Republicans at the moment. They must be feeling the pressure as President Trump ramps up his public calls to up the amount of the individual checks from $600 to $2,000.

But keep in mind he sat on the sidelines through weeks of negotiations that were led by his own Treasury Secretary. Steve Mnuchin was the one who in fact brought the $600 figure to congressional leader as a proposal that Republicans could get behind, and GOP lawmakers voted for this bill with the impression that the White House supported it.

So now many of them are in a difficult position of having to flip-flop essentially or defy the president by sticking with their vote because this bill did pass with a veto-proof majority. As you mentioned though the president's idea got a key endorsement yesterday from Senator Lindsey Graham and I want to read you what he tweeted after coming off the golf course with President Trump.

After spending some time today with President Trump, I'm convinced he's more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $2,000 per person and challenge section 230 big tech liability protections. Now, both of these demands have already been rejected by congress with veto-proof majorities, so it's unclear now what the White House plans to do.

We have been asking whether the president plans to veto the relief bill if he's that upset about the amount of the individual relief checks, if he plans to sign it and continue to agitate to increase the amount of that individual relief. It's just unclear and Republicans on Capitol Hill are not getting guidance from the White House right now, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then you know the notion that the government could shut down on Monday unless the president signs this relief bill, I mean, there's a lot at stake here.

WESTWOOD: Right. As of this wasn't complicated enough, Fred, this relief deal was tied to the spending bill that would keep the government open past Monday. So if the president doesn't sign this bill, the government could run out of money on Monday.

Jobless benefits for millions of Americans are also set to lapse at the end of the today if he doesn't sign this bill, and crucially millions more Americans could face waves of evictions because the eviction moratorium will expire on moratorium will expire on Thursday, the 31st if the president doesn't sign this bill.

[12:15:00]

WESTWOOD: Keeping moratorium on evictions is a key part of the relief legislation. So there's a lot riding on whether the president puts his signature on this bill and what Republicans will do to try to appease him right now, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sarah Westwood, thank you so much. Coming up, the United States reporting about 2,000 deaths per day from Coronavirus and experts are worried about a post-holiday surge. We're live at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles where thousands of people are being tested.

Plus a doctor gets infected with COVID just days after getting the first vaccine, but it says it's a matter of timing. Why he still has unwavering faith in the science and what he wants you to know about the vaccination process?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Americans just celebrated their first Christmas during the Coronavirus pandemic. The holiday comes at the end of another week in which the nation saw an average of 2,000 deaths per day. Case counts across the country remain at an all time high and hospitalization rates continue to spike.

CNN is covering the pandemic from the East Coast to the West. Joining me right now with the latest on the virus is Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles and Alison Kosik in New York, Paul you first, how is L.A. handling these growing cases and hospitalizations?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is all hands-on deck, Fred as we said the decks expanding into the ICU and ERs of these hospitals. Let's take a look at the state wide hospitalizations because these numbers are astounding.

Almost 19,000 people hospitalized in California and about 4,000 of them are in intensive care units. The other way they're handling this is through aggressive testing. This is Dodger Stadium, the largest COVID-19 testing site in the nation.

I'm going to bring in two volunteers here, step on in Daniel and Crista. They've been right at the front lines of this testing, especially in many of the poor neighborhoods in Los Angeles, making sure that everybody gets tested.

[12:20:00]

VERCAMMEN: One of the things that you were fighting against - is where you would say would be a wives tale, something that went through the Latino community about not being true. What would you say was one thing you heard that was just astounding?

CRISTA CAMPOS, CORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH MOBILIZER: Yes, you know we were at a mobile testing site. A lady just casually walked by and asking about the test and if we're sticking a needle through the head and I just - where she's getting this information and she's is getting this information someone else is giving this information. So we really want to clear this up and we really want to tell community not to be afraid of testing and also not be afraid of COVID. Just be safe and don't be risky. VERCAMMEN: You've been out here on the front lines for a while, Daniel long hour's legs have to be hurting. What's one thing that you really want to drive home to people about testing and the need to get it at these underserved communities?

DANIEL LEW, CORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH MOBILIZER: Well, if you look at the equity maps and where the hot spots are, a lot of it has to do with where people are really underserved. It's an assumption that people have transportation, internet, the same kind of resources, and not just about the testing, there's resources of all types that are needed for those areas.

VERCAMMEN: Daniel, you told me twice this week during Zoom calls about testing. You started crying over, why?

LEW: Why did you already do that? Because--

CAMPOS: I think it just we're - the thing about is we're testing people every day and we also know someone that have recently passed away. My aunt passed away recently due to COVID. And I had to grieve and then the next morning I have to shift focus to test someone else on skid row. So I think that's why we're just so - we're so committed to this just because of, you know, we know someone who just passed away.

We're losing someone and we're also - don't have the chance to hold someone very tight right now. So I think that's why we're missing out and that's why sometimes it gets a hold of us at these meetings.

VERCAMMEN: And that's what I wanted to show is you do this every day and you're losing relatives to COVID. Daniel, it seems like you wanted to say something else?

LEW: Oh, yes. I mean, we just had another team member just lose her grandmother just like three or four days ago. There's a lot of pain that comes with it, but we have to get going the next day no matter what because we need to save as many people as we can and we need to get the trust out there, get people ready.

VERCAMMEN: That trust, Crista, there is still for some reason some people for whatever reason don't want to be tested.

CAMPOS: Yes. I mean, there are a lot of reasons. There is fear of sharing information that we might share with ICE. There's the thought of how we're going to share this information and, you know, we just - the thing is that we cannot just have a test site and have people to trust us. We really got to build that trust. That's why we partnered with LAFD city and also meet with councils around this city just so we can spread the word and have us get involved with the community.

VERCAMMEN: I super appreciate both of you for taking time out. I think a lot of people would view both Daniel and Crista as heroes, tirelessly testing people throughout this pandemic. In a global hot spot, which is Los Angeles back to you Fred?

WHITFIELD: I so much appreciate their commitment and I mean clearly Daniel and Crista are showing just how painful a process this is, but at the same time how necessary this process - what they're volunteering for to keep everyone safe. All right, Paul. Thank you so much. Let's go now to New York. Alison Kosik, give us what kind of coordination is happening there?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you some numbers, some recent numbers. As of yesterday, 12,000 new Coronavirus cases were reported here in New York. 70 percent of ICU beds statewide are full.

Governor Andrew Cuomo giving a sobering reality to the race that we are in right now, that despite vaccines being distributed, he says it's going to take some time for us to slow the spread of the virus. Now, he does say that New York is faring better than much of the country. That's despite a 5.5 percent positivity rate.

So he is imploring New Yorkers to keep up the momentum during the holiday season, social distance, and celebrate safely. He's also reacting to the new CDC regulation requiring anyone traveling from the U.K. to get a negative COVID test three days before boarding a flight, saying testing people for COVID-19 before they get on planes is common sense.

We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past and we must continue to do everything we can to keep New Yorkers and Americans safe.

[12:25:00]

KOSIK: Fredricka, that regulation goes into effect on Monday, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alison Kosik and Paul Vercammen, thank you so much and thanks for brining the stories of so many people who are directly being impacted every day every hour.

All right, up next, a new Coronavirus variant confirmed in more than a dozen countries and counting as the United States begins cracking down on travel from the United Kingdom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This just in, the world now reporting more than 80 million cases of Coronavirus as a more contagious variant first found in the U.K. is being confirmed all across Europe. Officials in France and Spain have announced their first confirmed cases of the variant, and in the entire variant has been detected in more than a couple countries, including in Asia, Australia, and Africa.

CNN's Cyril Vanier is in Paris.

So Cyril, what are you learning about the spread of this new strain particularly across Europe?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, its presence already in at least ten European countries. That's the scary part. It was discovered in France and it was confirmed that the first case had been detected in France on Christmas Day and this from a U.K. traveler who traveled to France last Saturday.

[12:30:00]

VANIER: Now I'm personally familiar with that timing because that is when I also traveled from the U.K. to France. And this was hours before the U.K. hit the panic button on this variance. So travelers back then, I was one of them, simply didn't know that this was a big risk. You know, since then I've been tested in a negative, but that particular traveler who hasn't been identified, but who traveled to the French city of tour, he then tested positive for COVID-19.

And because he was coming from the U.K., his test was then provided the genetic sequencing. And that's when we found out a few days later that it is the genetic sequence of this variant of the virus, which is believed to be a lot more contagious than previous variants up to 50 percent to 70 percent more contagious, even though the scientific community still has to provide a definitive conclusion on that. And we've seen similar scenarios play out in Spain, in Sweden, in Germany, and in Belgium. So as I said, at least 10 countries now have it, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And then let's talk about this measure the U.S. has put into place requiring negative tests for U.K. travelers who were coming to America that starts Monday. How's that being received?

VANIER: Well, look, it doesn't have the emotional impact that the original travel restrictions had back at the beginning of the pandemic in March. You know, at the time, both Europe and the U.S. were, at various moments, had to take very restrictive travel measures against one another. And at the time, it was emotional. But reality has changed on so many levels during this pandemic year. And now, I think, European countries, first of all, have done the same thing to the U.K.

A number of European countries actually shut their borders with the U.K. for one to two days on Monday, Tuesday, until they could figure out a protocol to allow U.K. travelers back in. And now they've done the same thing as the U.S. which is to impose negative COVID test to allow U.K. travelers. So this is something that's pretty widespread now, Fredricka, and it comes into effect for U.K. travelers going to the U.S. on Monday.

WHITFIELD: All right, Cyril Vanier in Paris, thank you so much.

So while the vaccine is a beacon of hope in the midst of this overwhelming pandemic, one doctor reminds us that it takes more than a week for the vaccine to offer any protection against the virus. Dr. Steven McDonald is among the more than 1 million Americans who've already received their first dose of the vaccine.

He got his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on December 15th. But now, follow with me here, three days later on Friday the 18th, Dr. McDonald was exposed to the virus. And then on Sunday, the 20th, he got sick. The next day on Monday, he got a test. And on Tuesday, the test came back positive.

Dr. Steven McDonald joining us now. Welcome. How are you feeling today?

DR. STEVEN MCDONALD, EMERGENCY MEDICAL PHYSICIAN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you so much for having me. Physically today, I feel fortunate to feel fine. You know, morally, this has been a tough road. There was so much hope after getting the vaccine and making it through this year without getting sick. So it's been a tough couple of days on that front.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Was yours is the two -- yours is the two dose vaccine?

MCDONALD: Yes. So I received the Pfizer vaccine. I received my first dose as you heard on Tuesday. And so it should be stated here that in order to achieve some effect about 50 percent efficacy, you need at least 10 days after that first dose. And to achieve that 95 percent that everyone's been reading about in the press, you need to have both doses. They're spaced apart by three weeks, and then you need a week after that second dose actually.

WHITFIELD: Right. OK. So that's what people really need to understand. Because even though you get the first, you know, dose, it doesn't really protect you like that second dose in totality would. So what is your message still given that you had the exposure, you know, you did test positive for coronavirus, even after getting that first dose?

What's your message overall to people who remain nervous about getting the vaccine? Hear your story, hear that of others who may have had an allergic reaction and say, OK, see, that's why I'm not so sure. What do you say to them?

MCDONALD: Sure. So, you know, the individuals who have had allergic reactions, just as this gentleman in Boston recently, he had a strong history of allergic reaction. So if you have a history, please do exercise caution when approaching this vaccine. That said, for most people, this is incredibly safe.

After my initial shot, I felt essentially no symptoms. And then I would also want to emphasize that I am not a clinical study, I am not a data point, I'm one person. And so I did get sick after getting the vaccine.

And I want to emphasize that the numbers are still right, this vaccine still just protect 95 percent of people after both injections. I want to beat the anti-vax and the misinformation crowd because we're probably going to see some more of these cases.

WHITFIELD: And even though you've had the experience that you've had, you know, are you still feeling some relief ultimately, that you are on the track, you know, of getting that second booster and hoping that that, you know, more than 90 percent efficacy is going to be beneficial for you and everyone else?

[12:35:18]

MCDONALD: I'm one of the most fortunate Americans, especially black Americans, who tend to do very poorly with this virus and that I've had a very, very mild course compared to, I mean, I've seen 10s of patients die from this. And so, to have such a mild course I actually attribute that to the vaccine. I think the vaccine is significantly attenuated my symptoms potentially. My body was sort of prepped. Even if it couldn't prevent me from getting sick, it -- I think it probably did prevent me from having a more significant course.

WHITFIELD: So paint the picture for me now at your hospital. What are you seeing? And how do you, you know, feel that that vaccine? I mean, how does -- the idea that the vaccine will one day be available to the masses? How do you think that will change your experience at the hospital and what you have been seeing in patients?

MCDONALD: Sure. What we're seeing right now is somewhat similar to the lead up to our peak here in New York City in the springtime. So, I'm seeing cases where someone will come in for something completely unrelated. They fell off their skateboard. They're having some pain in their legs or something unrelated and turns out that they have coronavirus. And so we're getting a lot of -- we're seeing an uptick in that, certainly. And it's quite concerning.

Again, we're nowhere near the level that we're at, that we were at in the spring, like late March, early April. And in terms of vaccine, I really can't wait for the day when someone's over 65 comes into the E.R. for something unrelated and I can offer them the coronavirus vaccine. I really do look forward to that.

WHITFIELD: As a physician on the front line, I mean, it must have really, you know, taking you aback to hear from a colleague in the medical industry, Dr. Susan Moore, a black physician in Indiana, dying of COVID. In November, she recorded a deathbed message that I want you and others to listen to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SUSAN MOORE, DIED OF COVID-19 IN NOVEMBER: I put forward and I maintain, if I was white, I wouldn't have to go through that. I was in so much pain from my neck. My neck hurt so bad. I was crushed. He made feel like I was a drug addict, and he knew I was a physician.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, she's underscoring, you know, the disparity. And, you know, it's one thing to know that as a physician and a black physician to hear about the stats to know and see, you know, in your patients, their experiences. But now she's talking about being subjected to it herself, you know, the disparity in care. That's a resonating message. And she has since passed.

MCDONALD: Yes. This is the second time this year, at least a second time this year, that we're seeing a black person caught on video, complaining of I can't breathe, and then later passing away. And, you know, this just shows that racism is really baked into so many systems in American life, from law enforcement all the way to medicine, which is designed to protect people, both are designed to protect people and black people do poorly in the hands of both.

I thought it was difficult response from the hospital where she was treated when they said, you know, we're absolutely not racist here. There was no race to not planned or care. And I think what I'd like to see in American society is for more institutions and more individuals to say, you know what, race as a problem, we do have a problem with racism, and we're going to start working on that. And so that's -- it's really disheartening and really upsetting unfortunately.

WHITFIELD: It really is. Dr. Steven McDonald, I'm so glad that you are doing well and are sharing your story. I'd love to have you back, particularly after your second booster to describe your experience. Thank you so much.

MCDONALD: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: And Happy New Year.

All right, still to come. President Trump pardoning more than 90 people as the clock counts down to the end of his presidency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:42:04]

WHITFIELD: As of December 24th, President Trump has issued pardons or commutations to more than 90 people, including Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner. Four former Blackwater contractors were also pardoned in connection with the 2007 mass shooting in Baghdad that killed 17 civilians.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon is in Istanbul for us. So Arwa, you spoke to a survivor who said Trump will, quote, have to face God.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And I think he and so many others, Fredricka, are really struggling to put their anger and their shock into words, because they had already waited so long for justice for this utterly heinous crime. And now just like that justice was taken away from them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): The horror filled memories of that day in September 2007, still haunt those who survived, whose physical scars may have healed. But who grappled with the psychological trauma nearly every day.

I remember seeing a woman and her son. Their car was in front. It was on fire. She was crying out until she burned to death with her son, Hasan Jaber Salman says.

There was so much gunfire, it wasn't normal. Bodies just fell in the street. I wasn't wounded yet. I moved my car to get away. And I was shot multiple times.

It was a sunny day in Baghdad, one where the population would almost pretend their country wasn't being ravaged by violence. But these illusions shattered quickly in Iraq. In an instant, a busy Baghdad round-about on the source square turned into a street of blood.

Ali Abdul Razzaq was the youngest victim, just 9 years old. Shot in the head in the backseat of his car as his father helplessly watched him die.

My son was the heart of our family, his father Mohammed told us years ago. The shooting rampage was carried out by what was then Blackwater, a private security company notorious for its brutish and trigger-happy behavior. Blackwater claimed its personnel were under attack. Though numerous accounts said that was not true.

From his hospital bed at the time, Salman had described how Blackwater operatives opened indiscriminately at civilians. No one fired at Blackwater, they were not attacked by gunmen. They were not targeted, he said.

Salman traveled to the U.S. to testify, almost seven years after the massacre. In the end, one of the Blackwater operatives was sentenced to life in prison. Three others sentence from 12 to 15 years. Salman, a lawyer himself, felt as if there was a semblance of justice. It renewed his faith in American ideals, not anymore.

[12:45:06]

President Trump, the first recent U.S. President to pardon convicted killers, let the murderers, the men who destroyed his life walk free.

I say to him, your decision, you're going to have to face God on this, Salman says. You did not fulfill justice. You pardoned the criminals and the killers. The blood of the dead and the wounded is on your hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: And Salman is also warning about the dangerous precedent that this sets. And one also has to realize that especially in the region for a lot of people living in the Middle East, America's moral standing has already been eroding and this just erodes it even further. When it comes specifically to Iraq, well, for them sadly, they have been reminded many of them say, of just how little America values their lives.

WHITFIELD: It's understandable this double punch that so many are now speaking of. Arwa Damon, thank you so much.

All right next, food workers on the front line of the pandemic in the U.S. now facing higher risk of coronavirus infection. So should they receive hazard pay for going to work during a pandemic? We'll discuss straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Grocery store workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. And as of late November, at least 109 grocery workers have died from the virus and another 17,400 have been infected. That's according to a report from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which is calling on grocery store chains to strengthen safeguards and reinstate hazard pay.

[12:50:18]

Joining me right now, the President of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Marc Perrone. Good to see you, Marc.

MARC PERRONE, PRESIDENT, UNITED FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTL. UNION: Good to see you, Fredricka. How are you today?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing OK. But, you know, this is tough because every time all of us go to the grocery store, you know, we have to be reminded how much groceries are putting on the line by interacting with the general public. But what are you hearing from members and about their fears, their concerns, you know, what they're putting on the line to make sure that everyone can get their groceries?

PERRONE: They are afraid. In fact, they're afraid to bring the virus home to their families. Quite honestly, we had a death on the floor of one of the Fred Meyer stores in the northwest, where they did not let the workers know that the person had been infected. They did, in fact, three people, tried to revive the individuals. They didn't know that he had coronavirus and, ultimately, now they're concerned that they might have it as well because there wasn't enough transparency. So they're very afraid.

WHITFIELD: What needs to be put in -- what kind of protections do you think need to be put in place? Is hazard pay enough, or is it hazard pay at a minimum is your hope that that would be reinstated?

PERRONE: It'd be hazard pay at a very minimum. I think that the first thing that needs to happen is this is that, you know, employers, regardless of the type of employer that it is, ultimately needs to notify workers when they have a positive test inside those units. Whether or not it's a food packing, food processing place, or whether or not it's in a retail food store, or a pharmacy or a nursing home, people need to know if, in fact, one of their co-workers has tested positive and has COVID.

That is the only way that we're going to be able to make sure that we don't transmit that disease, because as you well know, people that are associating with each other on daily basis, they drop their guard, and ultimately, they can be infected with a virus as well.

In addition to that, if in fact, they're going to be taking these risks, and risks that they take every single day when they go to work, they should in fact receive, you know, higher pay for those risks. Because we know, just from the basis of what we've been seeing, a lot of these hospital bills after somebody's been in there for quite some time, you know, has been upwards of $70,000, $75,000. So even if you were to get, you know, hospitalization at 90 percent, it's still $7,500 if they had to pay 10 percent of that bill.

So --

WHITFIELD: That's a lot of money. PERRONE: -- hazard pay, quite honestly, should be at the front of the line, as well as making sure that the governor is in the states, and I know that CDC has recommended it, but the governor in the states place those front line essential workers in the same position at 1b as the CDC did.

Because if, in fact, they don't do that, I've got real concerns that other people, people that don't necessarily have to go to work every day, they can sit in their homes and do their jobs from their houses, might somehow get pushed to the front of the line. And these workers who had to expose themselves to the customers, and to the lack of transparency that they're seeing, may not be able to get the vaccine as quickly.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you want to make sure they are able to get the vaccine as soon as possible. And real quick then, Marc, what can all of a shoppers do, you know, to help ensure and make sure that all those on the front line in those grocery stores? You mentioned the litany of professions and jobs in the grocery store, what do we all need to do to make sure that they remain safe?

PERRONE: I think that we need to wear a mask when we go in those stores. I know that at times it might be uncomfortable, it may be a little bit difficult to do, but we need to protect those workers by wearing those masks and we need to make sure that we keep our hands sanitized. That is the first thing that we can do.

And if, in fact, they ask you to put the mask on properly, pull it up over your nose, please don't get aggravated at them. They're just trying to protect you, the other customers and themselves in the process.

WHITFIELD: Right. Marc Perrone, as you say, it's incumbent on all of us to just simply do the basics, right, during this pandemic. Thank you so much.

PERRONE: Thank you, Fredricka and Happy New Year.

[12:55:01]

WHITFIELD: Happy New Year to you as well.

Coming up, a record-breaking white Christmas in Pittsburgh and now the nation is dealing with a blast of arctic air.

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WHITFIELD: All right, if you wish for snow for Christmas, you were in luck. If you lived in Pittsburgh, if you want to call it that, the city recorded its snowiest Christmas in 85 years, getting more than five inches on Friday. This, as many states in the northeast are facing a very bitter cold season.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joining us from Atlanta. Allison, and hey, in Atlanta and some parts they had a little dusting of snow. So this cold weather wave is everywhere. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. There were, there were a lot of places, Fredricka, that ended up having a pretty white Christmas. And look at some of these. You had several states that not only picked up a couple of inches but picked up well over a foot of snow. Ashtabula Ohio,18 inches, Roseland, Indiana picking up over 15 inches of snow just yesterday and then portions of this morning.

We do still have some snow coming down today. You can see most of it is focused along the Great Lakes region areas around Buffalo and also Watertown, New York, that lake effect. So some of those areas are likely going to get very narrow bands of about 8 to up to 12 inches total which is why you have some of those lake effects, snow warnings and even winter storm warnings. But for the majority of the eastern half of the country, the problem now is the cold temperatures.