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Nation Rings in New Year as Pandemic Rages across U.S.; More States Reporting Cases of Fast-Moving UK COVID-19 Variant; Capitol Hill Set for Messy Showdown as GOP Lawmakers Plan to Challenge Biden's Win. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired January 01, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

[10:59:55]

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and Happy New Year. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Jim and Poppy. I hope 2021 is off to a great start for you. I know so many of us are just happy that 2020 has come to an end.

Unfortunately, we're going to have to hang tough a while longer because the worst of the pandemic could still be ahead. In just the last three days of 2020, more than 10,000 Americans died from COVID- 19. All told nearly 346,000 have lost their lives since this pandemic began.

And cases are soaring, hospitalizations are setting new record highs. It was the fourth day in a row just yesterday and we are seeing new cases of the UK variant here in the U.S. At the same time, officials are scrambling to get more people vaccinated. So far only a fraction of the 12 million doses distributed have been administered.

In Washington, the president is back at the White House as Republicans gear up for a chaotic show down on Capitol Hill. CNN is learning 140 House Republicans are prepared to join President Trump's push to overturn the election results.

Let's begin in Atlanta. CNN's Nick Valencia joins us from a convention center that is again being converted into a field hospital. Nick, that temporary hospital is really a reflection of what we are seeing nationwide.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it is really sobering when you put it like you just did. That the worst of the pandemic could be ahead of us still. You look at the latest numbers from Johns Hopkins University and it's hard to just you know take a look at just where we are right now.

The last three days of 2020, over 10,000 Americans died just the last three days. And 2020 is behind us, but the pandemic is still very much so raging. Here in Georgia, the governor is so concerned with the latest surge of the winter months here that they've opened up this temporary field hospital here. 60 temporary beds for COVID infected patients. He spoke about this and really gave a stern message to the youth of Atlanta right before the New Year's ball dropped. He put a message out to those 18 to 29 saying they're responsible for spreading the virus now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): The largest percentage of cases that we're seeing in the state are coming from 18 to 29-year-olds. They have not been hit hard in most cases by this virus but if they infect others, that is where we see problems and the risk of someone being in the hospital or worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: The Georgia Governor's Office told me earlier that they are expecting to start accepting patients later today. This is in cooperation with the Grady Health System. There's been just such a strain here because of the surge in cases on the health system in Georgia, nearly 5,000 people hospitalized in the state right now. Ana?

CABRERA: That's very concerning. Nick Valencia, thank you.

More now on that spread of the new UK COVID variant here in the U.S. Health officials in Florida say they may have identified that state's first case of this new strain. And in California, three new cases have been detected in San Diego. And that's of course, on top of at least one, possibly two, cases in Colorado. Now, experts say there are likely many more cases across the country that just haven't been detected yet.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has more on this. Elizabeth, let's start with this new possible case in Florida. What more do we know?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we heard a tweet from a Florida health official about this. Let's take a look, Ana.

What they said is, "Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a male in his 20s with no history of travel. The department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We encourage all to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation."

So, two important things in there I really want to point out. This man had no history of travel. And that's what we're seeing with these UK variant cases in the U.S. They didn't go to the UK. They didn't go anywhere. They caught it here in the U.S. And that tells us that it is probably widespread. It's not just the one or two or four or six that we're finding. It is probably widespread.

This is a variant that spreads more quickly than other variants do. All the more reason, practice social distancing, wear your mask. You don't want to get sick and be a burden on the hospital system. You don't want to get someone else sick so that they would be a burden on the hospital system.

Now, let's take a look at what's going on in California, which further proves this point. So, in San Diego, two men in their 40s, one man in his 50s were found to have this variant. Two men had no known travel outside the county, just like in Florida. The third man they're not sure yet. They haven't talked to him. No known interaction with each other or one earlier case.

In other words, these guys didn't know each other. They just caught it out there in the community. And that's why county health officials believe that the new strain is, quote, widespread in the community. So, it's not just widespread in the community in California. It's widespread around the country.

Look at this list of countries where the UK variant has been found. It is too long. I'm not even going to read it. It's 29 countries and counting. Once you get to a list that long, you know that it is widespread around the world. Ana?

[11:05:06]

CABRERA: 29 countries now reporting cases of that UK COVID variant. But there's also the South African variant. Elizabeth, you spoke with the scientist who discovered this strain and he had some concerns.

COHEN: Yes, he says that we need to test and make sure that the vaccine will still work against this variant. He thinks that it will. But he said look, we have to test that, because there are many mutations. There's 22 mutations in this South African variant. 22 things that make it different. And some of them could affect the way that the vaccine works.

And so, he said we need to do some testing to find out if the vaccine will be just as effective, maybe a little bit less effective, maybe a lot less effective, he said we just don't know.

Let's take a look at the list of countries where the South African variant has been found. It's been found so far in eight countries, including South Africa. And when you see that it's already in Switzerland, France, UK, it is extremely likely that it is already here as well. Ana?

CABRERA: And already the vaccine process is not going as smoothly as we had hoped. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that reporting.

We're starting 2021 having to play catch up on coronavirus vaccinations. Federal officials had pledged to administer 20 million doses before year's end but the latest CDC data shows just 2.7 million Americans have been vaccinated so far.

Joining us now to discuss is a Syra Madad. She is a pathogens preparedness expert and the senior director of the New York City Health and Hospital System Special Pathogens Program.

Syra, Happy New Year. Good to have you with us. Experts say it will be months before vaccines are widespread enough to turn the course of this pandemic. In that last report it was still fewer than 3 million Americans having received those first shots. So, where is the hold up right now? What needs to change?

SYRA MADAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR, SPECIAL PATHOGENS NYC HEALTH AND HOSPITALS: Well, I think there's multiple different factors that are really holding up the distribution and administration of these vaccines. So, first you know it's not as easy as just having a vaccine available and giving it to the states. This is a completely different ball game than normal vaccination campaigns that healthcare facility systems and public health tend to do like for the seasonal flu.

And the game changer here is first, we have a limited supply. Second, you know we're in the time of COVID-19 where you have a lot of additional measures you have to take on top of just having you know patients or folks come in and get the vaccine. And then you have this ultra-cold storage requirement. And on top of that, what you're seeing is that a lot of these facilities are receiving some other vaccines you know just last week.

And with all -- you know, the strain of top of health care systems and public health already, you know need more resources. They're already bootstrapped with what's going on. And so, we absolutely need to send in reinforcements if we want to accelerate you know the vaccination administration. That absolutely has to happen now, especially with the urgent situation that we're currently in.

CABRERA: On that note, Senator Mitt Romney just blasted this vaccination plan in a statement, he called for using retired medical workers to help administer vaccines and to establish vaccine sites throughout states, possibly at every school. What are your thoughts about that?

MADAD: Yes. I think that's really important. I think we need to start looking at how we can extend our vaccination campaign but it's not you know as easy as setting up these sites and then having you know individuals come to administer it. You need to have an entire training curriculum. You know make sure people understand what the requirements are to administer the vaccine.

There's an entire screening and intake process that happens behind the scenes and then when individuals come to get their vaccine, they go through counseling because you know this is an emergency authorized vaccine. And then you get the dose and then there's a follow-up that happens behind - you know along with that.

There's a lot here at play that happens behind the scenes. So, we need to just continue to provide more resources to our health care facilities, to our public health partners to try to accelerate, you know, our vaccination campaign generally.

You know if we -- right now, we're in a very dire period as you know you've mentioned earlier. The projections right now that we're seeing is that you're going to see about 88,000 Americans more that are going to die in the next three weeks. You know and that's just a given.

We're seeing record number of hospitalization and death cases you know over the past few weeks. We're in a very grim you know milestone here and it's a very crucial period. On top of that, the new variants that everyone is hearing about is going to get a foothold here in the United States. It already had. It's probably circulating you know pretty widespread. We just haven't detected it yet.

We have poor genomic surveillance. We need to increase that. But we need to double down on all of these measures because what this new variant is going to do is probably going to expand our current epidemic for an additional you know few weeks.

And so, you know that's really important to understand. We need to do everything we can now to you know alleviate some of the pressures we're going to see in the weeks to come.

CABRERA: Are you confident the vaccines that are currently authorized will work against this new strain of the coronavirus first discovered in the UK, of course, there's also a new strain that was first discovered in South Africa?

[11:10:05]

MADAD: I am. Because right now, based on the data and information that we're seeing, it seems that the vaccines are certainly effective against these new variants. This is a learning curve. This is a learning process. We're learning more every day so as things change, things may continue to evolve. But based on the information we have right now, these vaccines do work.

And so, we just want to make sure that we're having more vaccines in individuals' arms to make a dent in this current epidemic. And we know that these vaccines aren't going to have an effect until a long-term gain. But that doesn't mean that we - we may not see an effect right away.

If we're more strategic about how we're deploying this vaccine and administering them, especially to the vulnerable population like the nursing home residents where you see a record number of cases of deaths. You know you're already seeing about 60,000 nursing home residents getting infected you know on a daily basis. We want to make sure that we are being strategic in administering the vaccines there as a priority.

CABRERA: Right. That's where the priority has started in terms of the administration process. Thank you, Syra Madad. Appreciate you joining us.

Still to come, election backlash on Capitol Hill. At least 140 House Republicans could vote against counting electoral votes next week or certifying the results of Joe Biden's victory. And we know Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is raising some red flags.

Plus, the Pentagon on alert one year since the killing of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. The concern over possible retaliation against the United States.

And the fight over $2,000 stimulus checks. It isn't over yet. Why one columnist says expanding these direct payments isn't such a good idea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:16:30]

CABRERA: More chaos looming on Capitol Hill. Two House Republicans say at least 140 of their colleagues, plan to challenge Joe Biden's Electoral College win next week.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill for us, CNN's Boris Sanchez at the White House, and Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief for "The Daily Beast" joins us as well.

Hello to all of you. Happy New Year. And we're picking up where we left off, aren't we?

Suzanne, what are you hearing on Capitol Hill this morning? What can we expect next week?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, Happy New Year. It almost starts to feel like ground hog's day after a while but there is going to be some drama. There's going to be fireworks and political theatre going into the new year. Of course, looking at January 6th with the joint session of Congress.

We have actually heard now from many lawmakers who will be objecting to certifying the election results. What is normally mundane is now full of drama. The list is getting much, much bigger now.

On the House side, at least 140 members who will be objecting to the election results calling for it to be turned around. And there, you see the patterns if you take a look at those who are signing off on this. It is very clear there are various groups. There are some who are aligned - closely aligned with President Trump, his allies when you take a look at Jim Jordan, as well as Mo Brooks who is leading in the effort.

There are others who do not want to be primaried and be challenged potentially in two to four years that they are putting their names on the list. You've got people like Jeff Van Drew, who left the Democratic Party, very unhappy, upset, frustrated with what he sees as the games that are being played. The freedom caucus members as well.

You've got at least eight Republicans from Pennsylvania where it's very contested. They're looking to see where their constituents and their votes - voters want them to challenge this election, where there's some sort of what they believe a case for this.

And then more than not, what you have people like Mark Green, Representative Mark Green and his statement is pretty, pretty milk toast. It is simply, well, hey, why not do this, because let's let the voters, let's let the American people look at the evidence and make up their own minds, their own determination. Kind of ignoring if you will the fact that this has played out in at least 60 court cases, the justices as well as Homeland Security Department. So, that's why you see these folks that are getting in line. Ana?

CABRERA: And Boris, the president is clearly fixated on this. He cut short his vacation in Mar-a-Lago, didn't even show up to his own party on New Year's Eve. What is the vibe coming from the White House as this next week gets closer?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, with this White House there's always been a sense of drama and uncertainty and the potential for chaos. And with just 19 days left in his presidency, that uncertainty is heightened for the folks around Donald Trump. Just that cutting short his trip to Mar-a-Lago came as a shock to a lot of advisers who expected that he might even stay beyond his originally returned -- originally planned return date.

There's also a sense of frustration with aides around the president. He's repeatedly had to have the process of the Electoral College certification explained. Asking repeated questions about the role that Mike Pence might be playing in all of this because he's still fixated on this idea that he's going to overturn the results of the election.

There's still open questions about how the president is going to act on January 6th when thousands of his supporters merge here on the Capitol to protest that certification. And what more he may say on Twitter. Not only peddling conspiracy theories but Republicans who do not go along with his fantasy of election reading. Ana?

[11:20:15]

CABRERA: Jackie, these GOP lawmakers who will contest the certification of Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, it's unbelievable there are now 140 of them, according to these two Republican representatives who are talking to our colleagues here at CNN. But when - you know when you break it down, do all these 140 lawmakers really believe that Joe Biden did not win this election?

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it's more that they believe that they need to support President Trump. This has everything -- this has turned in to a loyalty test, much like that bogus lawsuit that came out of Texas by the Texas AG, a bunch of them signed on to that. And that, obviously, was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

So, this has everything to do with the president not choosing not to acknowledge the results of the election. That members of Congress said we should let the American people decide. The American people decided. They voted. President Trump did not win. Joe Biden did.

And all of this, the president is keeping track of who is leading these efforts, who is signing onto this and they want to make sure that -- Ben Sasse pointed this out in that lengthy Facebook post yesterday that a lot of them are just scared of their voters. And they don't want to feel like they're going to pay for the fact that Trump lost. And they didn't support him.

CABRERA: Suzanne, what does that say then about the president's power over the GOP? Even now as he's, you know, just days from being out of office.

MALVEAUX: Well, it gives them a stark choice, really. It's an opportunity to decide which side are you going to be on? The kind of party, the Republican Party that aligns with President Trump and continues with his agenda and his requirements for loyalty. And then also if you take a look at the other Republicans who make, you know, fiscal conservatives, limited government, Senator John Thune, for instance, or Senate Majority Mitch McConnell who are making it very clear that this is a vote that they did not want. That it will not be beneficial to them to raise their hands and go on record with this vote. But they are forced to do so now.

And so, this is something that is going to set up very clearly the alliances moving forward in the Republican Party which side, which party are you a part of? The Trump Republican Party, or the other traditional Republican Party? It's a divided one and people will have to go on record saying which part they are part of.

CABRERA: All the experts, let's be clear, that we've spoken to say, this is going to result in the same outcome, regardless if they create all these drama, it may just delay the outcome but ultimately Joe Biden will be certified as the president-elect and will be sworn in on January 20th.

But Boris, will Trump ever fully accept the results of this election?

SANCHEZ: I wouldn't bet on it, Ana. If you speak to people close to the president, they do not think he will ever concede. And further, I think as an observer it's simply too profitable for him. Since the election the Trump campaign has sent out more than 500 fund-raising emails. The president animating his base through this idea that the election was rigged and lining his pockets with their donations as well.

Notably, this animates his supporters moving forward and gives him a certain degree of control over the Republican Party moving forward as Jackie and Suzanne just outlined. It's really ironic that the Trump presidency is bookended by him denying the legitimacy of both his predecessor and now his successor as well.

CABRERA: Boris Sanchez, Jackie Kucinich, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks to all of you.

Up next, tensions building with Iran just days before the anniversary of the death of their top military general. How credible is talk of a potential attack on the U.S.? We have the latest when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:50]

CABRERA: This morning, a U.S. official is warning Iran has raised their readiness levels of its maritime forces in the Persian Gulf over the last 48 hours as U.S. tension with Iran grows. It comes just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the American drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

CNN's Barbara Starr joins us from the Pentagon. Barbara, do we have any idea what Iran's intentions are with this move?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Ana. I think that that is exactly what the U.S. is trying to figure out right now. What they do know is they have signs, signals that Iran's maritime forces have increased their readiness in the Persian Gulf. But what is Iran's intention?

There's a couple of possibilities, officials tell us. It could be purely defensive on their part because they think the U.S. might be preparing to attack them. But it also could be some kind of preparation for some kind of operation against the United States.

U.S. policy is very much to try and deter Iran and show them that that would be a very foolish idea, that retribution, retaliation would be very, very swift. A lot of concern about all of this because these moves come at the same time intelligence is showing that Iranian backed militias inside Iraq have increased their preparations and planning for some kind of potential, again, we don't know, attack against U.S. forces in that country.