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Downtown Nashville Sealed Off after Intentional Explosion; France Discovers First Case of New COVID-19 Variant; Dr. Fauci Increases Estimate for Reaching Herd Immunity; Japan Bans Foreign Nationals after Recording Cases of COVID-19 Variant; Millions of Americans in Danger of Losing Key Benefits; Iconic Atlanta Restaurant Gets a Boost from Supporters; Millions Impacted by Severe Weather Christmas Day. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired December 26, 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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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, I am Michael Holmes. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, investigators search for clues and answers in Nashville, Tennessee, after an explosion in the heart of the city caused massive destruction and raised a lot of questions.
COVID at Christmas, surging in the U.S. And around the world, showing us that the virus is definitely not taking a holiday.
Donald Trump's Christmas chaos as unemployment benefits for millions are set to expire this weekend. The president, as you can see, there is golfing.
A major investigation underway in Nashville, Tennessee, after what officials call a deliberate explosion took out part of the city's historic downtown. Right now, no word of motive, nor suspects. Only 3 people were injured, incredibly, and they are all expected to be fine.
Despite the widespread damage, no loss of life. Police do say that possible human tissue was found near the blast site. That is being sent off for testing.
Now the bizarre events began early Christmas morning after police responded to a call of shots fired and came across that motor home, there, on your screen. It was parked and it was playing a recorded warning. It said a bomb would explode in 15 minutes and then counted down minute by minute. You can hear part of that warning and part of the blast in the video we're about to show you, posted on social media.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Imagine how jarring that would be, anytime, much less early on Christmas morning. The warning from the RV and the fact that police believed it had gotten people to safety, likely saved many lives.
Getting more now from Natasha Chen in Nashville. She spoke with the mayor about how they are dealing with the aftermath.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Much of downtown Nashville is under a curfew that began the afternoon or Christmas Day and goes into Sunday afternoon. That is typically to keep people away from the investigation scene, that now stretches several rocks, debris scattered everywhere.
This happened early Christmas morning, when people heard first heard gunshots, called 9-1-1 and then there was the odd sound of a recorded message coming from an RV, giving a countdown, 15 minutes until an explosion.
The mayor of this -- of Nashville said at least 41 businesses were destroyed, three civilians hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. He said this was intended to create chaos, that the city will be resilient and rebuild.
MAYOR JOHN COOPER (D-TN), NASHVILLE: My message is, expect a knock on your door. It's going to, I think, be a puzzle on the streets for some period of time. But I expect them to solve it. And they are bringing their resources to bear, to be able to solve it. This should not be an America where you have bombings on the street.
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CHEN: We don't know who may be responsible for this right now. But police did say that they believe it is an intentional act. The mayor said the city will be resilient.
At the same time the police chief confirmed to CNN that human remains were found on the scene. They've been sent to the medical examiner for further investigation -- back to you.
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HOLMES: Joining me now from Orange County in New York, CNN law enforcement analyst and retired FBI supervisory agent. James Gagliano.
Appreciate, you and your expertise.
What is your read on what we know so far?
It is fairly bizarre, in many ways.
JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Mike, I think bizarre is the right way to capture what we are seeing here. Much of this doesn't make sense, yet. But in 25 years in the FBI and much of that time having worked post-blast analysis, a lot of times, we just don't have all the facts off the bat.
One of the most difficult things about these types of investigations is that the evidence is typically destroyed in the blast. This was not a tiny pipe bomb; clearly, it was something much bigger than that. I couldn't tell whether or not it was a sophisticated device or not.
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GAGLIANO: I'm sure the FBI and the ATF and the local police working the scene have a lot more answers right now than we in the media do.
HOLMES: What is the difference between what police call an intentional act and terrorism?
GAGLIANO: A lot of it is nuance. We describe -- we define terrorism as violence or the threat of violence, in order to pursue some type of political or some type of social justice mission or aim.
What was interesting about this -- and I think you pointed it out at the top -- is there was a warning played prior to the detonation. The fact that this was done at 5:30 in the morning, Central Standard Time, if you were seeking to do massive casualties, this would not have been the way to do it.
Where you gave a preemptory warning where the streets and the buildings were not filled with people.
HOLMES: Exactly. The phone calls coming in about shots fired may have been to lure in law enforcement. We don't know at the moment.
What are investigators going to be looking for?
This is a pretty touristy area, so there will likely be security cameras.
GAGLIANO: It is a relatively small- to medium-sized American city and, look, we are in the 21st century. You cannot walk across the street without emitting some type of, what we call, digital exhaust. Whether it's phone data or hitting off of a cell tower nearby or an EasyPass or some type of device that, when you cross a bridge, takes a picture of your license plate, somebody knows something.
Look, all the years I spent in law enforcement, whether criminal or counterterrorism, there is no such thing as perfect crimes. I don't know how soon we will get answers on this, but I imagine it will be in short order. This does not look like it was a well-crafted, well put together conspiracy.
I could eat my words but in just looking at this, what I've seen thus far, I believe police will have some answers here in a day or two.
HOLMES: You know this stuff well and I heard a lot of people talk about sophistication and so on.
But isn't it true that car bombs can be reasonably low tech?
You don't need access to C-4 and so on. Fertilizer is readily available. You can get instructions online.
How much expertise is needed to do something like this?
GAGLIANO: Not much. You just pointed it out. Whether you go back to the early '70s and "The Anarchist's Cookbook," or what you find online, bombs can be very simple devices. If you go back to 1995 and the Oklahoma City bombing, you were basically dealing with fertilizer and diesel fuel.
Yes, you do need a power source and initiator and a switch but those are all relatively easy things to put together.
One of the things I think investigators will obviously look at here, every bombmaker has their own fingerprint. I don't mean their literal fingerprints although those can be recovered from crime scenes but the way they put bombs together.
If this was someone who did it for the first time, maybe, we won't have them in our rogues' gallery. However, if this is someone who had done this in the past, they do have a particular type of style, a particular signature, if you will.
And I'm pretty sure all of the bomb technicians right now, from the ATF, FBI and local police, are probably going through the debris and trying to determine what type of bomb this was, how sophisticated it was and, to your point, most importantly here, is this is a precursor to something else happening?
Is there a conspiracy or plot for more of these?
That is the number one thing that they want to get to the bottom of right now and attempt to interdict.
HOLMES: Does your gut tell this was some sort of message attack?
You make the point; they seem to go out of their way to avoid civilian casualties or a high body count, perhaps, trying to entice law enforcement.
But the whole message thing?
That was very deliberate. We don't know yet about the location, the significance, outside of the AT&T building and so on.
Does it feel like a message to you, rather than something intent on causing mass casualty or mass damage?
GAGLIANO: To your point, this was parked outside of an AT&T building. And obviously AT&T is part of a communications network.
Is this the type of critical infrastructure targeting that you would expect if this was an act of international terrorism and somebody wanted to, A, cause mass casualties and, B, massive damage to infrastructure?
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GAGLIANO: It does not appear that way. If somebody really wanted to have people be hurt, there are three things in a bomb that cause fatalities. One is the overpressure, two is the shrapnel that's in it -- and in this case it was the actual vehicle itself -- and then number three is the incendiary effect, caused by fires and things like that.
Where it was parked, the time it was parked and the fact that there was a preemptory warning, it's almost like someone wanted to send a message. This could be something as simple as a disgruntled former employee -- and again I am not speculating that's what it is -- but it could be those things.
Police have got to follow the evidence. They're going to do that. And, Michael, I will guess, in the next day or so, I think we will have answers and some leads that end up panning out.
HOLMES: Hopefully so. Great to have your expertise, James, thank you so much.
GAGLIANO: Thanks for having me, Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now the White House says President Trump was briefed on the explosion and will continue to get regular updates. For the most part, the U.S. president has spent the holiday golfing at his resort in Florida.
One thing he hasn't tweeted about is what happened in Nashville. He golfs as millions of Americans desperate for economic aid wait on him to sign the coronavirus stimulus bill. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from West Palm Beach.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Now the president was scheduled to have a teleconference with military service members on the Christmas holiday.
But unlike in previous years, where the president has usually invited the news media in, invited cameras in to record the event, the president, this year, disinviting the news media from attending that teleconference with the troops, which means that we did not get any reaction from the president to that explosion in Nashville.
We, also, didn't get to get an update from the president on that coronavirus relief legislation. The president, earlier this week, putting that legislation into limbo, suggesting that he -- calling it a disgrace and suggesting that he might not sign that legislation.
The president complaining about a number of items in that omnibus spending bill, as well as saying that he wanted to see those stimulus checks to Americans, which are at $600 in that legislation, more than tripled to $2,000.
Of course, the president raised those objections only after that legislation was passed. And that president, in his two days at Mar-a- Lago, so far, he has done nothing to actually get that piece of legislation amended or to get it passed in Congress.
The president, instead, spending time on both of his two full days at his Mar-a-Lago resort golfing and doing nothing, it seems, to actually get that legislation through -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, traveling with the president, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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HOLMES: We're going to take a quick break on the program. When we come back, the downtown Nashville explosion on Christmas morning, very much a mystery. Witnesses say it was terrifying, understandably. We will have more on the investigation.
Also, coronavirus cases and deaths mount in the U.S. as the troubling U.K. variant shows up in more countries. Stay with us for the latest developments. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
A holiday season like no other is upon the United States as the country hardest hit by the coronavirus grapples with the pandemic still. It topped 330,000 total deaths on Christmas according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 18.7 million infections now recorded.
Meanwhile, France is the latest country to report a case of the more contagious COVID variant that was first detected in the U.K. This coming as the E.U. prepares to roll out its first vaccination campaign. Officials hopeful of the new strain will not impact vaccine effectiveness.
South Korea and Japan, seeing a troubling surge of cases, both repeatedly reaching new highs in recent days. Let's look at the situation in the U.S. And, making matters worse, the behavior over the holidays. Alexandra Field with that.
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ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This Christmas, the one we never imagined.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: It was January 1st of this year, when most of us heard about the COVID19 pandemic starting out of Hubei province in China. I just never believed that we would get to 330,000 American lives lost by Christmas Day and still accelerating at 3,000 deaths per day.
FIELD (voice-over): Almost one in every 1,000 Americans killed by COVID this year. In L.A. County, a person dies of COVID every 10 minutes. There are no ICU beds left in Southern California or the San Joaquin Valley.
HOTEZ: When our ICUs get overwhelmed -- and we saw this in March and April, in southern Europe and New York City -- that's how the mortality numbers skyrocketed. So, this is happening now all across the country. We are reproducing that Manhattan and New York City epidemic from March and April now times dozens of times.
FIELD (voice-over): Despite a clear warning from the CDC that travel can increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19, more than 7 million people passed through America's airports in the last week.
DR. CHRIS PERNELL, PUBLIC HEALTH PHYSICIAN: I think people don't think coronavirus will happen to them. They think coronavirus will happen to another family. But there is no safety other than those public health measures that we've been preaching from the mountaintops.
FIELD (voice-over): New travel restrictions go into effect Monday. Passengers coming from the U.K. will need a negative COVID tests within 72 hours of boarding a flight and documentation of the results. That, as concerns grow that a variant of the virus discovered there could be more transmissible.
ALBERT BOURLA, PFIZER CEO: We are testing to see if this new strain is equally sensitive to our vaccine and also will also be neutralized by our vaccine.
FIELD (voice-over): Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla says he is cautiously optimistic that the vaccine will prove as effective against the variant.
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FIELD (voice-over): Dr. Anthony Fauci now estimates that 70 percent to 85 percent of the country will need to get the vaccine to get to herd immunity.
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It will take maybe half a year or more for us to get to herd immunity in the country so that everybody is able to be protected from coronavirus.
And in that meantime, we still have to really double down and do the masking and physical distancing and avoiding indoor gatherings.
FIELD (voice-over): The suffering this holiday season, unprecedented. For most Americans, even the first dose of the vaccine is still months away. But another surge may be just days out.
DR. ERIN BROMAGE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We've just seen daily cases just amplify and amplify and amplify. So Christmas, today, is going to do a similar thing.
FIELD: Given the concerns about yet another surge after Christmas, given the fact that we've seen the numbers rise so sharply after so many major holidays this year, it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that at this point the CDC is strongly recommending that, for New Year's, you stay home, you celebrate with members of your household or if you're going to celebrate with your friends, to do it online -- in New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.
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HOLMES: Let's take a closer look now where things stand in Europe and Asia. CNN's Cyril Vanier is in Paris and Selina Wang is standing by for us in Tokyo.
Cyril, let's start with you and what you see there.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, look, the news this morning in French newspapers, the headlines say that a contamination with the new British variant of the coronavirus has now been found in France. Experts say, this is bound to happen at some point. Now it has shown up.
A French national, traveling from the U.K. to France, last week, the same day I did in fact, to the French city of Tours, tested positive. Because he came from the U.K., his test was sent for DNA sequencing and it was confirmed, yesterday, on Christmas Day, that yes, indeed, this was the new variant.
This is a cause for concern, because the new variant is believed to be much more transmissible. That person, by the way, should be said, had no symptoms. He's feeling fine and is in isolation at his home. All his contacts, including health care professionals that took care of him when he went to the hospital, are now being put in isolation.
So that is one headline. Meanwhile, we have another huge bit of news about to happen here, E.U. wide, for the European Union, the beginning of the European vaccination program rollout.
European countries start vaccinating their people tomorrow. The European Union is 450 million people, so this will be a massive undertaking. It is going to set expectations right off the bat that the E.U. Commission has said, by the end of next year, they may have been able to vaccinate everyone or at least all of those who want the virus.
That is how long it will take. But as I speak to you Michael, the vaccine is being shipped, trucked to all 27 member states, they should receive it today, vaccinations in France are going to start tomorrow morning, just a few dozen people tomorrow.
Really, it's symbolic, a drop in the ocean. But I do think authorities wanted the vaccinations to start by the end of the year. They were poised to do it in January but then things went faster than they had anticipated with the European Medicines Agency, approving the Pfizer vaccine on Monday. The French followed suit on Thursday and now, there will start
vaccinating on Sunday.
HOLMES: That is good news and we hope it goes smoothly. Cyril, thank you.
Selina, let's turn to you now in Tokyo. Some worrying numbers in your region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing a surge in COVID infections and countries that have largely managed to keep cases under control for most of the year. In Japan, we see cases continue to break those records, reporting more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases per day for three days in a row.
Japan also confirmed its first cases of the new COVID-19 variant that is potentially more contagious, coming from five people who traveled from the U.K.
Japan, along with 40 other countries, has restricted travel from the U.K. It is clear the outbreak is gaining momentum in Japan. We see hospitals strained and some interesting statistics here is that it took Japan more than nine months to reach 100,000 COVID-19 infections but in less than two months Japan's COVID cases have now doubled to more than 200,000 total COVID-19 infections.
The Japanese government has refrained from declaring a state of emergency and, in fact, the government does not have any legal enforcement for COVID-19 restrictions. But the prime minister has said he is considering the use of subsidies and penalties to enforce shorter business hours for restaurants and bars.
[03:25:00]
WANG: Meanwhile, in South Korea, this is a country that's been seen as a model nation for how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now also dealing with a surge in cases. South Korea, lingering around over 1,000 daily COVID cases. These are record high numbers for this country.
They've already banned large gatherings and ordered tourist attractions to close. The challenge for South Korea is previous waves of infection were largely from large clusters, churches and nightclubs. The new infections are harder to trace, coming from places like restaurants and offices.
But Michael, it's important to put into context, the surge we see in Asia pales in comparison to the massive numbers we see in Europe and the United States.
And it shows just how hard it is to deal with the pandemic during this winter season when cold weather is driving people indoors and when everyone deals with COVID-19 fatigue -- Michael.
HOLMES: Absolutely. Selina, good to see, you in Tokyo. Now the coronavirus did lead to a subdued Christmas at the home of the
Catholic Church. Thousands of visitors, usually flock to the Vatican for the holiday. But St. Peter's Square was empty yesterday. Pope Francis delivered his usual Christmas Day message from an unusual spot.
Instead of speaking from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, the pope spoke indoors, calling for COVID vaccines to be available for all and he pled with countries to cooperate in the race to emerge from the pandemic.
For viewers in the U.S., I will be right back with more news. For our international viewers, stay tuned for "AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS."
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HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States, I'm Michael Holmes, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Appreciate you being with us.
Six police officers are being hailed as heroes for their swift actions before an RV blew up in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning. Some witnesses say it was, understandably, terrifying.
First, they had a voice coming from the motor home, announcing that the vehicle would explode in 15 minutes -- and then it did. Officials say because officers moved fast to clear the area, only three were injured. The blasts tore in to at least 41 businesses. And what may be human remains were found near the blast site. No confirmation on that. They are being tested.
The Nashville mayor says the explosion was caused by a, quote, "deliberate" bomb.
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MAYOR JOHN COOPER (D-TN), NASHVILLE: As of right now, initial evidence does show that the early morning explosion was a deliberate bomb being set off in our community. The blast caused injuries and catastrophic damage to this very historic part of Nashville.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN was able to talk to witnesses like Betsy Williams. She said she was asleep when what sounded like gunfire from an automatic weapon woke her up. Here is what she told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
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BETSY WILLIAMS, EYEWITNESS: It was sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 am -- I'm not exactly sure the first time we heard the gunshots. It was -- it sounded like an automatic weapon. It was very loud. And it woke me up. It woke us up.
And, you know, we didn't do anything to start with because you just wake up after you've heard that, well then waited a few minutes and it happened again. And so, we call 9-1-1 and --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, the first time -- sorry, just to be clear, the first time you heard it, how many shots did you hear in a row?
WILLIAMS: I think it was it, you know, I didn't really count on, but it was about probably 8 to 12.
COOPER: OK.
WILLIAMS: You know, it was a, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, like that and it was very loud and so it happened again the second time.
COOPER: And then do you have a sense of how much time between --
WILLIAMS: And so, it happened again the second time?
COOPER: How much time elapsed between the first burst and the second time you heard it?
WILLIAMS: You know, it seemed like it was probably longer than it actually was, you know. And so maybe it was five minutes.
COOPER: OK.
WILLIAMS: Maybe 10.
COOPER: OK.
WILLIAMS: And then it happened again and then we call 9-1-1. Well, then, when it happened -- it happened the third time and we called 9- 1-1 back, again, just to make sure and there were responders who had already come down there after we call the first time. And we noticed, we looked out the window and there was this white R.V. that was parked just across the street.
And so it started playing this message, evacuated now, this vehicle contains a bomb and it will explode. And it I think they may have been playing some other things. It was a mechanized woman's voice, it was computerized. And --
COOPER: So, it didn't sound like a woman had recorded it herself. It sounded somehow computerized.
WILLIAMS: No. It sounded like it was a computerized thing, you know, how you have those automated calls --
COOPER: Sure.
WILLIAMS: -- and you have automated stuff. And that's what it sounded like. And that went on for a lot -- a good long while because by that time we were -- we called 9-1-1. Again, wanting to know, what should we do, you know, what should we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Millions of Americans, meanwhile, hours away from losing critical unemployment benefits. They're waiting for President Trump to sign legislation that many need as a lifeline. If he doesn't, it could also cause a government shutdown. So, there is that.
Plus, an Atlanta institution, saved by customers who did not want to lose it to the coronavirus pandemic. The owner says there is still more to be done and I will talk with him next.
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HOLMES: Starting today, some 10 million Americans are set to lose extended unemployment benefits. And a government shutdown by the way could also happen on Monday. Now this, thanks to President Trump, not yet signing the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. And, a massive government funding bill.
Instead, he went golfing for a second straight day at his Florida resort. Senate Republican Lindsey Graham was with him on the golf course Christmas Day, tweeting that Mr. Trump's demands for $2,000 direct payments are reasonable and he hopes Congress is listening.
It's not, though. The Republican side isn't, anyway?
Earlier I spoke with CNN political analyst, Josh Rogin, about why the delay and what the outcome will be if the president does not sign the bill.
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JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: What's crazy is that Congress actually flew down a paper version of the 5,000-page legislation to Mar-a-Lago yesterday. And Trump didn't even bother to read it.
He tweeted, today, that he's been making calls and having meetings, neither of which claim has been verified. Regardless, it seems clear that he is not going to read the bill or sign it or veto it Friday.
Now Saturday comes another deadline. If he doesn't sign the bill by the end of the day Saturday, then actual unemployment benefits will cease. Restarting them will be very difficult. And real people will suffer greatly.
So, while the president tweets and golfs, actual people's livelihoods are on the line. And, you know, 398,000 people signed up for pandemic unemployment insurance just this week alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Incredible numbers.
One of the businesses that desperately needed help is right here in Atlanta. Manuel's Tavern has been a mainstay here for six decades. It has been a hub for politicians, lawyers, police officers and journalists, even priests and actors. But the pandemic was putting all of that at risk.
[03:40:00]
HOLMES: Owner Brian Maloof was afraid he would have to shut the place down for good. But thanks to a GoFundMe campaign, and an outpouring of love and support from the public, Manuel's future is looking a bit brighter.
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HOLMES: Brian Maloof is the owner of Manuel's Tavern.
It's great to have you on, Brian.
Before we get to the good news, how bad were things?
How desperate was the situation before customers stepped in?
BRIAN MALOOF, OWNER, MANUEL'S TAVERN: It was terrible. We were losing $25,000 per month on average. Sales were down 62 percent since March. It was an incredibly difficult situation to be in and it was impossible to manage. The circumstances of everything were just a recipe for business failure.
HOLMES: I know that it's such a family there with the staff and you are having to send a letter out and say, we won't make it. And I read about you doing a to do list, returning ashes that were there and uniforms of fallen soldiers. There's a plaque on the wall to many of your longtime regulars, who pass along, including a longtime CNN producer.
But there are so many things there. It's part museum, part art gallery and home to so many people.
MALOOF: It really is. We have a 64-year business history, and over those times, we made a lot of personal connections with the community, really personal connection with customers. And over the years, we've been given very memorable pieces of their lives we have on display the tavern.
So, to shut all that down, to return all of those things, it was really heartbreaking to think about. But going back to your point earlier, when I thought we would have to close permanently, everyone to go back to their home. And it was incredibly said.
HOLMES: One of your loyal customers started a GoFundMe and, then within a day, things just started to happen. Tell us about your reaction to the response, what was going through your mind as the amount kept rising and rising over the day.
MALOOF: I wasn't sure if the GoFundMe would work. I knew that people loved us, I knew that there would be some donations. But the amount of money we needed to get through December and into 2021 seemed unattainable.
And a dear friend of mine and a regular customer, Angelo Fuster, didn't give me a choice. He was going to try this. And he started this GoFundMe page and he just asked me to be patient and see what would happen.
And I think, in 17 hours, we met the goal. It was astonishing how fast it really took off. It was amazing.
HOLMES: You needed a few tens of thousands, and you are saying that you are now well over $180,000, which is remarkable. Happy news; for those who don't know, Manuel's is a huge institution in Atlanta. You've had a lot of high-profile people there. Three former presidents for example, Clinton, Carter, Obama.
For those who don't know, give us a sense of what the restaurant means to Atlanta and the loyalty of the customers and so on.
MALOOF: We've seen Atlanta grow up. My father started the business, it was an extension of my grandfather's business that was a little further down the street. We watched Atlanta, our families watched Atlanta grow and we grew along with it. It is an 8,000-square foot restaurant, we seat around 340 people inside.
We do a lot of event business, plenty of memorable event business, rehearsal dinners and retirement parties, wakes and a bunch of different things. There is a tremendous section of the population that has some memory of an important life event that has taken place at Manuel's.
And we have seen a lot of stuff that has happened. So, to close it down shuts down those memories, so to speak. I think that is why everyone stepped up so quickly because it meant so much to them.
HOLMES: The beauty of the place, as you described, it, large in terms of what you can see but there are so many small nooks, areas and bars. It doesn't feel as big as you describe it.
[03:45:00]
HOLMES: That is part of the beauty of it. I'm just thinking, going on, we've all seen the politicians at work or, let's be honest, not at work.
What is needed going forward now, not just for Manuel's but for other small businesses in terms of assistance?
What has been like watching politicians dither?
MALOOF: It's been painful. Restaurants were the first businesses, citizens were told to avoid, to stop the spread. We will be the last businesses given the all clear for people to come back. There has been a tremendous effort to keep people out of bars and restaurants.
What has been frustrating for us is the energy that has been put into stopping the spread of the virus has not been adequately met with funding to support us for this lack of business.
It wasn't as if we were doing anything wrong. We are managing our business like we always have. We were looking forward to a fantastic 2020. And then COVID came along.
If this was bad management on our part, we were going out of business because I was doing stupid stuff, I would happily accept the outcome -- not happily but I would accept the outcome.
What is frustrating is that the money has not been coming in the fashion that we've needed it. The money hasn't been coming as fast as the damage has been occurring, is the problem.
What's really cemented our fate and caused this reaction that is happening is when Congress went on break for Thanksgiving and there was no additional small business stimulus. That is when I decided to close it and that's when Angelo stepped up with the GoFundMe.
But this really should not be grants -- I'm sorry; shouldn't be loans. It should be grants. This lone process, this money is needed right now. This is the most expensive time for restaurants, when you have to prepay your insurance, you have to buy all of your licensing. And December is an incredibly expensive month for bars and restaurants.
The money is needed now. All of us have very similar financial sometimes We're all shooting for the same labor cost percentages, the same food cost percentages. And I'm guess that the trouble that I'm in, there are a lot of restaurants that are in the same boat, because all of our percentages are roughly the same.
HOLMES: You mentioned no funding and they went on break in Thanksgiving. Here we are, Christmas, and the money is still not formally approved. Let's end on a happier note. Once this nightmare is over, this COVID nightmare, I can imagine there will be quite a party at the restaurant.
MALOOF: We actually had one today. We had a very safe, social, separated party today, celebrating Christmas. And when we get through this -- and I'm suspecting that will be midsummer -- we are expected to have a large event with this behind us. And I'm really looking forward to that day.
HOLMES: Well, I may just pop in, Brian Maloof.
MALOOF: You're more than welcome.
HOLMES: It's a great institution and a wonderful pub. It is just a great Christmas story of what your patrons did to keep this venerable business going. Brian, thank you so much and Happy Christmas.
MALOOF: Merry Christmas to you and thank you so much for having us. And I really look forward to a COVID free 2021. HOLMES: We all do, thank you.
MALOOF: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Positive Christmas story there.
Now the weather outside, for many Americans, is indeed frightful. Flood and freeze warnings, who is in danger, when will it let up?
We have the details when we come back.
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[03:50:00]
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HOLMES: It was a white Christmas, in St. Petersburg, Russia, but not just the snow, as you can see. A mysterious foam was floating in a river and flying through the air. Some people amused by the sight. Others, worried about what's causing the sudsy mess.
Investigators say a chemical used to make liquid soap may have been dumped in the area.
A bit worrying.
Now nearly 4 million Americans are under flood watches in the Northeast, as heavy Christmas Day storms could rethaw rivers to reach flood levels and another 8 million Americans are under freeze warnings, that stretch as far south as Central Florida.
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HOLMES: Now Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was filled with the sounds of the season on Christmas Eve. Have a quick listen.
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HOLMES (voice-over): The choir, wearing helmets and coveralls, perhaps honoring the workers who were trying to repair the cathedral. No live audience, of course, inside the church. Notre Dame, still, being renovated after it went up in flames nearly 1.5 years ago.
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HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Kim Brunhuber will have more CNN NEWSROOM, in a moment.
