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As Frontline Worker Fights Pandemic, His Dad Battles Virus In ICU; Trump, Biden, Harris All Head To Georgia To Stump In Senate Runoff; Sen. Josh Hawley Says He'll Object To Certification Of Electoral College Results; Biden Faces Pushback On Defense Secretary Pick; Millions Could Miss Unemployment Checks After Funding Lapse. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 30, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hamid Alkhalili is an E.R. nurse whose father is currently in the same hospital where he works battling COVID. His dad's 63. He was perfectly healthy, had no underlying medical conditions.

And Hamid is joining me live.

Hamid, thank you so much for all that you do, and welcome.

HAMID ALKHALILI, E.R. ROOM NURSE WHOSE FATHER WITH COVID IS IN HOSPITAL WHERE HE WORKS: Thank you very much, Brooke. And thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: What a position for you to be in, as a nurse in a hospital full of COVID patients, including your own father. How's he doing?

ALKHALILI: I wish I can give you some good news but, unfortunately, as of today, he still remains in the ICU. He's still intubated, on the ventilator. This is day two of him being in the ICU.

Before that, he was in the stepdown unit, stepdown ICU. And unfortunately, he's experiencing some kidney issues and requires emergency dialysis. It just -- you know, it's just progressing so fast.

This is only day number 12 or 13 for him, I believe, of the hospitalization. We brought him in. His oxygen was a little bit low, but it was fixed with just simple oxygen. But then throughout the days, he just steadily declined.

And it's just, you know, it's kind of crazy, because the whole time, like, during this whole pandemic -- and by the way, I'm a first-year nurse, and you know, so, for all the first-year nurses out there, please, stay strong and we're going to get through this pandemic. That's one thing I can say.

But basically, as a first-year nurse, we were trying to keep my mom safe. She has a history of cancer. And she had her radiation and all that and my father, we didn't really -- well, you know, we kept him safe, also, but our concern was our mother.

And his concern was my mom, so we made sure she had her mask on and everything, then he ended up getting sick. And --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: It just shows, if I may jump in, Hamid, how vulnerable and how this virus can sneak up on the healthiest of all of us.

I know you had COVID. I think it was November. You know, you had to take a couple weeks off.

Your dad was the healthy one. He now is on a vent, you know, having assistance in terms of, you know, breathing.

And here you are, understanding everything that's coming out of the doctors' mouths about what's going on with your dad, and you can't even physically visit him, in your own hospital. Why?

ALKHALILI: No. It's been a struggle. It's been a struggle. And I deal with COVID patients. I work in the emergency room and department, and it's just -- it's just the strict no-visitor policy.

And before, I was able to see him through the window and I was able to post updates, like picture updates about him. Now I can't even do that because it's so shut, like, tight. The ICU's so closed in. So, it's just strictly phone calls.

And he's only three floors up from me. That's all it is. I'm not that far away from him, but it feels like we're thousands and thousands of miles --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Worlds apart.

ALKHALILI: Yes. And it's been hard, especially for my mother. She's going through COVID right now. She has, you know, like everything -- like, she's having body chills and fever. Her respiratory and oxygen levels are fine.

But she's so broken about this, the fact that she can't see her husband. And god forbid, and we don't know what's going to happen, so, yes.

BALDWIN: Your mom -- let me just, for everyone watching, your mom, as you pointed out, has COVID. You had had COVID. Your pregnant sister has COVID. Your little sister has COVID. My goodness, Hamid!

And if I may just ask a little bit more of a personal question. You know, I know your dad -- I want to end with your dad, because he got you and your family out of Iraq during the Iraq War, brought you to America.

You know, if -- I know he's just a couple floors above you, but if he could hear you right now, Hamid, what would you want to say to him as he is fighting for his life?

ALKHALILI: Honestly, I just wish, like, he can, like -- I just want him to know that no matter what the outcome is, we're proud of him, that he fought. He fought so hard.

The last few days -- the last -- ever since I've known this man, he's been fighting. And whatever the outcome for this situation, we are proud of him and we love him.

And Shala (ph). And that means god-willing. I really, really pray, like, he -- he gets the peace, he gets the peace that he deserves.

He's been fighting all his life. I hope he continues to fight. But whatever the outcome is, we love you. That's it.

[13:35:03]

That's everybody. And I have my brother here. Everybody, my sisters, my mom, dad -- or not my mom -- and my -- just everybody.

BALDWIN: Hamid --

ALKHALILI: We just miss him.

BALDWIN: -- in Shala (ph), that you will be able to speak with him and hug him and tell him the story of coming on TV and talking about him and his fight.

I wish you well, your entire family well.

And again, to you as a first-year nurse, thank you a million times over. Bless you.

ALKHALILI: Thank you. Thank you very much, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Ooh.

Coming up next, President Trump and President-Elect Biden both have announced that they are heading to Georgia next week to try to sway the outcome of the critical Senate runoff races. We'll talk about that.

All of this comes as Biden is hitting the Trump administration hard over its vaccine rollout. Details on what the president-elect says he can do differently.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:30]

BALDWIN: With the control of the U.S. Senate hanging in the balance, President Trump, President-Elect Biden, Vice President-Elect Harris, they are all going to Georgia next week.

The outcome of the state's two runoff elections will set the tone for the next four years. This is an unusual political moment in American history. Voters in

this one state will decide which party controls the Senate.

So, let's bring in CNN political correspondent M.J. Lee, who's in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. We also have CNN political analyst and national politics reporter for the "Wall Street Journal," Sabrina Siddiqui.

Welcome, welcome.

M.J., I want to start with you.

What does it tell you that everyone I just name-checked, every single one of them, all heading down to Georgia to campaign?

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It tells you that this is incredibly politically important. Certainly, Joe Biden knows this, Kamala Harris knows this.

For anyone following these two races, what they will know is that, if Democrats are successful in winning these two runoff races, that changes everything politically for them, in terms of just the makeup of the Senate next year.

What it means is that the Senate would be divided, 50-50, and Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect, will end up serving as the tie- breaking vote for the Democrats.

So, just in terms of planning out what kinds of legislative victories the Biden administration might be able to have next year in working with Congress -- and he obviously has talked about having a lot of big goals in working with Congress next year.

It could mean the difference between being able to get some of these big-ticket items done versus really having to work with.

And sometimes wrangle Senate Republicans and asking them to take difficult or votes that they are not wanting to take because they want to get some of these goals done.

So, for Biden and Harris, they are fully aware that so much is on the line with these two Senate races, and that is why they are going to campaign there.

You know, the last time that Biden was there, he talked to voters in Georgia, and essentially, said you all were able to pull off something really historic in helping me win the state during the presidential election, but I need you to do it again come January in these Senate races.

BALDWIN: Yes. And so, all of that, the Georgia election's Tuesday. It's like there's a one-two punch next week, because Wednesday is the certification of the Electoral College vote up on Capitol Hill.

Sabrina, to you.

We know Republican Senator Josh Hawley says he will object during all of this to the certification of the Electoral College results.

Our colleagues up on the Hill say, you know, this will cause nothing short of a circus but will not at all change the results of the election.

You've been covering Biden. Do you know how closely the Biden team is paying attention to all of this next week?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, they're certainly aware of Senator Hawley's intentions, but they also see that as a distraction.

They see it as purely symbolic on the part of some Republicans who are still unwilling to accept the outcome of the election, and perhaps, in the case of Senator Hawley, angling for a potential presidential run in 2024.

The Biden transition says that this will really, simply, at best, delay affirmation of what is already known, that President-Elect Biden's Electoral College victory has already been certified by 50 states and the District of Columbia, and that he will be inaugurated on January 20th.

So, they're pressing forward with the transition.

In a briefing just now with reporters, incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki, said that more cabinet announcements are expected next week.

Of course, he's traveling to Georgia, as we just discussed, to campaign for the Senate, which, of course, holds the key to much of his agenda.

And they're really not paying much attention to objections on the part of a handful of Republicans, especially when they know that those objections will be overruled in the democratic-controlled House.

And there are even many Republicans in the Senate, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who have said that it is now time to move on and to prepare for a smooth transfer of power.

BALDWIN: You mentioned Jen Psaki and talking about filling the rest of the cabinet.

M.J., to you.

You have a bit of reporting on a bit of a hurdle for Biden's defense secretary pick, retired general, Lloyd Austin. What's going on there?

LEE: Yes, you know, it's a potential hurdle in that this is somebody who would need to receive this waiver from Congress before there can be a confirmation vote.

The reason that he needs this waiver is because there's a law that says he needs to have seven years of time between when he served in the military and then when he is going to be appointed to and confirmed to lead the Pentagon. [13:45:14]

This is a waiver that has been issued before. And actually, that is a part of the potential holdup.

There are members of Congress right now, including Democrats and Republicans, who feel like, look, we issued this waiver a couple of years ago for James Mattis, who was Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary.

And if we do this again and too soon, this might be setting a new precedent.

But according to reporting that I've been doing and Lauren Fox has been doing on Capitol Hill, there's also sort of this tug-and-pull of members who feel that way but also feel like they don't necessarily want to be the ones to be blocking a historic nominee.

This is somebody who would be the first black person to lead the Pentagon.

So, there's a bit of a back-and-forthright now, deliberations over whether members of Congress will offer him the waiver.

But I will say, when you talk to the Biden transition team, they are saying that they are fully confident that not only will he get the waiver, but he will also be comfortably confirmed for that position as well.

BALDWIN: We shall see.

M.J. Lee, thank you.

Sabrina Siddiqui, thank you as well.

Speaking of Capitol Hill here, chaos on the Hill over whether to give more money in direct checks to Americans while millions of people are waiting for financial help. I'll talk to someone who's pretty frustrated with Congress, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:12]

BALDWIN: While President Trump golfed over the weekend and ignored signing the COVID relief bill, unemployment benefits lapsed for millions of Americans.

Eventually, the president signed the bill, but because he delayed signing it, most assistance desperately needed won't be available until next year.

That one-week delay is critical for people in these cars, lining up, bumper to bumper at a food bank event there in Texas, families with nowhere else to go for food. I want to bring in Hicham Oumlil, a self-employed fashion designer in

New York. His wife is an interior designer who's been furloughed. They are about to lose nearly $600 a week, which, for now, is their only income.

So, Hicham, thank you for joining us.

HICHAM OUMLIL, SELF-EMPLOYED FASHION DESIGNER: Thank you. A pleasure to be with you today.

BALDWIN: The $600, how far were you able to stretch with just that?

OUMLIL: It's really very hard for us, my wife and I. As you know, I'm a fashion designer, she's an interior designer. We had a pretty comfortable lifestyle.

We live in Brooklyn. Our cost of living is quite high, so $600 is a minimal amount to survive on.

BALDWIN: How have you adjusted how you are living? And what have they last few months been line for you and your family?

OUMLIL: They've been very stressful. We have a 7-year-old son, who is obviously at home. Since September, he's been in a hybrid school.

But we've not been able to pay almost half of our monthly rent over the last few months. We've been creative in other ways, but --

BALDWIN: How so, Hicham?

OUMLIL: You know, basically, like not certain things like, staying with the basics, likes health insurance, life insurance, and so on, but this stretch has dragged on for too long. We cannot -- we can't afford it any longer to go on like this.

Congress has the purse, has the money. And they should be able to compensate for us staying home, doing what the government has been asking us to do.

It is their responsibility right now to make sure that reciprocate. They ask us to stay home, we did the right thing. They have to do the right thing.

BALDWIN: Hicham, I was talking to a man, Matthew Cox, was his name. I was talking to him two days ago. He's in similar shoes. I may argue a bit worse. He had to leave his home, move to his in-laws so they can't help with the kids.

Even just the $600, you know, he was referring to that as insulting, and certainly would see if the Senate goes for this $12,000 for folks like you, he saw that as a real boost.

How do you see it all?

OUMLIL: Quite honestly, $2,000 or $600 is not the way to go about this huge issue that is facing most of the country. We have to have adequate policy.

This is piecemeal policy, you know, that the government is doing just to cover their backs. They're not thinking creatively

First of all, two things they have to look at. One is this transition until the pandemic is over.

Then there's the next transition for us, in particular, a business owner. How do you transition now that then when the pandemic is over, you know, to be able to meet the demands of the market, you know, your customers, clients and so on?

[13:55:09]

They're not really thinking about this cleverly. They are reactionary.

We are, you know, us individuals, thinking preemptively how to survive. They need to do the same and think much more creatively how to solve the problem.

It's not only getting us to the vaccine, but --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Beyond, it's making sure you can be comfortable, live, keep a roof over year head. I hear you.

It's important to emphasize to have folks like you on the show every day.

Hicham Oumlil, be well, and early happy new year to you.

OUMLIL: Same to you. Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

The U.S. lagging behind several countries when it comes to administering the COVID vaccine. How Operation Warp speed says they plan to fix it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)