Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Fauci: U.S. Will Not Delay Second Dose of COVID Vaccines; Will the Economy Recover in 2021? Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 01, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, happy New Year to you, too, Alison.

The U.S. military hopes it will be a quiet, and calm New Year. But all eyes on Iran in the Persian Gulf, that's for sure. Some of it is because of Iranian rhetoric as you mentioned, they're now talking out there about a threat against the United States, possibly coming from within this country. And their forces are being closely watched.

What we do know is that Iranian maritime forces according to U.S. officials have increased their readiness levels and that is concerning because nobody knows what they might be up to, what they might be planning. This comes as Iranian-backed militias in Iraq also according to U.S. intelligence have increased their readiness and have a pretty considerable stock of artillery and rockets, a lot of concern some of this may be aimed at U.S. forces as that one year anniversary comes up, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN HOST: Is that type of movement typical?

STARR: Well, the maritime forces, it does happen that, for example, they see Iranians put ships out to sea, sometimes it's training. That officials are telling me is not what they think is going on here. But what are the Iranian intentions. It may be defensive. They're putting their ships out, getting them out of port, putting them out to see because they're worried about a U.S. attack.

Or it could be there might be planning for operations against the U.S. And U.S. officials are making it clear, that would be a foolish move on the part of Iran because then the U.S. military most certainly would respond with full force -- Alison.

KOSIK: OK, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, thank you.

Still ahead, paging Oprah and LeBron James. Our next guests are looking for you. Their visions to get black communities on board with the coronavirus vaccine, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:31]

KOSIK: Today, Republican Senator Mitt Romney is blasting the nation's COVID vaccination process, calling it woefully behind, and saying that when something isn't working, you need to accept reality and develop a plan, particularly when hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake.

But lack of planning isn't the only problem. There's also lack of trust, especially among black Americans.

My next two guests are both emergency room physicians. They also just wrote an op-ed in "The New York Times" titled: How to Reassure Black Americans that the Vaccine is Safe.

Dr. Monique Smith and Ben Thomas join me live now.

Thank you both for joining us today.

DR. MONIQUE SMITH, WROTE NYT OP-ED "HOW TO REASSURE BLACK AMERICANS THAT THE VACCINE IS SAFE": Thank you for having us.

DR. BENJAMIN THOMAS, WROTE NYT OP-ED "HOW TO REASSURE BLACK AMERICANS THAT THE VACCINE IS SAFE": Thank you.

KOSIK: Well, thanks for all that you do. Dr. Thomas, let me start with you. You call on the CDC to collaborate with the nation's most influential black Americans to build vaccine trust. Talk to me about why this is so important, and who do you think should be part of the public health campaign?

THOMAS: That's a great question. Well, 1.5 million black Americans have been infected with the coronavirus. And over time, we've seen that black communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

So with that said, we need to engage trusted voices in the black community to really engage these communities who are most at risk. Celebrities as we mention in the op-ed, Oprah, LeBron James, are just one aspect of it. We really should engage local leaders, community organizers, faith based organizations to really capture and really educate the masses.

KOSIK: Dr. Thomas, have you heard from Oprah or LeBron?

THOMAS: No, I wish. They are welcome to call me.

KOSIK: OK, Dr. Smith, there's also a real need for a strong local community effort. Can you give us more idea about the work you're doing to build trust in that way?

SMITH: Absolutely. So I'm the founding executive director of Health DesignED, which is our acute care design and innovation center at Emory. We have been fortunate to mobilize alongside community anchor groups in Metro Atlanta, as well as digital health startup Access Mobile to deliver critical messages about COVID through trusted messengers. And really, what that looks like is using text and social media in

order to reach people where they are, which is often on their cell phones, using the voice of small business owners in the black community, as well as faith-based organizations, health care institutions that sit in the middle of underserved communities, to reach people about messages about COVID and now about vaccines in a way that's culturally sensitive and that has potential to impact behavior.

You know, we know research shows that black individuals are twice as likely to respond to a message sent by someone that looks like them. That means something. We have to respect that and meet people where they are.

KOSIK: Yeah.

Dr. Thomas, what are you hearing from those that say they don't want a vaccine now because they simply don't trust it.

THOMAS: Well, the hesitancy is real. Many people feel the vaccine was rushed out too fast, other people feel they could get COVID-19 simply by getting the vaccine itself. And frankly, people just don't trust vaccinations in general.

Anecdotally, I had a number of black patients express their worries to me about getting the vaccine. And you know, that's built on histories of exploitation, experimentation and abuse within the U.S. health care system towards the black community.

[13:40:09]

KOSIK: Dr. Smith, how do you get black Americans to as Dr. Thomas mention trust a system that has historically worked against them?

SMITH: Well, it's a long journey. I think that's the first piece, acknowledging that, acknowledging that we have broken that trust and that there are very real fears and we have to acknowledge not just about COVID vaccine but about the larger health care system.

This is really a question how we make sure access is available to everyone, and intentionally design this in an equitable way for black communities, communities that historically have been exploited and abused by the medical system and that face very real implicit bias and institutional discrimination that we see.

So, we've got to work in a way and in virtual reality that we have and meet people where they're at.

KOSIK: All right. Doctors Monique Smith and Ben Thomas, great talking with you. Once again, thanks for all that you do.

SMITH: Thanks again.

THOMAS: Thank you. Happy New Year.

KOSIK: Happy New Year. It is a popular New Year's resolution, fixing our finances. After such

a roller coaster year, what can you do today to help reset in 2021?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:55]

KOSIK: Breaking news. The U.S. will not follow the U.K. in delaying the second doses of the COVID vaccine. That's according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Let's get straight to CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, what can you tell us?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Alison, Dr. Fauci tells me that the U.S. will not be following the U.K.'s example and stretching out two doses of the vaccine. He said, look, all we know about the vaccine is what we learned in clinical trials. And the clinical trials, the doses were just a few weeks apart, 21 days for Pfizer, 28 days for Moderna vaccine, and he said, we're going with the data. The clinical trials showed great success, 95 percent efficacy when you do it just a few weeks apart.

In the U.K., they're stretching out doses to as much as 12 weeks apart, and there isn't -- the clinical trials were not designed to look at it that way. So he said that's what we're doing. We're sticking with the regimen that we have been doing now. There are no plans to change it -- Alison.

KOSIK: He is reported as saying that some of his comments were misrepresented. Did he talk to you about that?

COHEN: Yes, he said, so he said on the "Today" show yesterday that changing to the U.K. regimen was under consideration. He said what he meant was that some people were considering that, some people were talking about it, but he said not U.S. health authorities.

The U.S. health authorities are sticking to the regimen that's currently being done. It may be under consideration by other people but not by U.S. health authorities. So he said his comments were misinterpreted.

KOSIK: OK. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much.

The Dow and S&P 500 ended the year with all-time highs. President Trump quick to claim credit on Twitter, touting records with 401(k)s, and offering congratulations to all. But there's been so much volatility in the past year and so much lost ground to regain.

Joining me now with more, Seth Harris, former acting labor secretary under President Barack Obama.

Seth, welcome.

SETH HARRIS, FORMER ACTING U.S. LABOR SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thanks, Alison. Happy New Year.

KOSIK: Happy New Year to you.

Now, we know that the stock market isn't the economy and we know that the pandemic wiped out a decade of job gains.

The question to you then, can the U.S. economy see measurable recovery this year?

HARRIS: Well, there's no question that it can, it is just a question whether our politics is going to allow it.

You know, we're 10 million jobs below where we were in February of 2020. We have still millions of Americans collecting unemployment benefits. We have miles long lines with tens of thousands of people at food banks who basically can't feed their kids. We have millions of Americans facing eviction or foreclosure on their homes.

So, for people in the lower half of the economic distribution in our country, middle class people, and working class people, there's a deep hole we need to climb out of and the question is, will President Biden be able to persuade Congress to make the kinds of massive investments that are required in order not only to take us back to where we were in February before the pandemic but to a new fairer, more just, more equal economy with a growing middle class? That's the challenge for Congress in January.

KOSIK: Yeah, and desperately needed stimulus money. That's beginning to hit some bank accounts for some Americans. Checks will soon be coming for others who don't have direct deposit. But, yeah, it is clear it is not going to be enough.

What is -- what is the Biden administration going to need to do to jump start not just the economy but let's get more specific, the labor market, which is showing it is stalling out?

HARRIS: Well, that's exactly right. Not only are we 10 million jobs short of where we were, we've effectively lost one year of job growth.

And so, we have a lot of jobs to recover. But it is not enough just to take any job. You know, one of the problems with the recovery from the Great Recession was that there were a lot of jobs created, but many were low quality jobs that didn't have unions, didn't have benefits associated with them, they were low wage jobs.

[13:50:00]

So the challenge is to build good, solid unionized middle class jobs, and there are segments of our economy that allow that kind of work. We know that if we invest in infrastructure, if we invest in manufacturing, if we invest in education, in the caring economy, in the energy sector to try to address the existential threat of climate change, those are good solid jobs where unions have a meaningful presence and will be able to organize those workers. That's really what we need going forward. So, President-elect Biden laid out a detailed plan during the campaign

called Build Back Better that is designed to do exactly what I just described, but the question is going to be, first of all, what happens in Georgia on January 5th with the runoff elections, but also what happens in Congress, depending upon which party controls Congress, whether they'll go along with him to make those huge investments that are needed for the future of our country.

KOSIK: Now, Joe Biden became vice president during 2009's Great Recession.

Does that give -- does that experience give him more credibility now with Wall Street?

HARRIS: Well, I'm not sure I really care what Wall Street thinking about this economy. They are not the drivers of economic growth in this country, and I think Joe Biden knows that.

I have the opportunity to work very close with him during his leadership of the implementation of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act which brought America back from the Great Recession. He really understands, first of all, what's going on in middle-class families and working-class families' lives, but he also understand how to get government to work to help those families and climb that career ladder that they're all hoping to get up.

So, I think President-elect Biden really understands what's needed here. He learned a lot from the experience back in 2009, 2010, 2011. He knew what worked then. He knows what's going to work now.

But, again, the question is, will our politics allow it? My hope is that they will.

KOSIK: All right. Seth Harris, great talking with you. Thanks for your perspective.

HARRIS: Thanks, Alison.

KOSIK: It's New Year's Day, time to make resolutions.

Fixing our finances is often at the top of the list, about you if you're like many Americans who are struggling during the pandemic, the question is, where do you start? Not an easy answer, especially if you've lost the job or had an emergency expense that sent you back last year.

However, if you are fortunate enough to be employed, here are some things can you do. Focus on spending less in 2021. And for some, being confined at home has meant less money spent on everything from commuting to dry cleaning to eating out.

As you hopefully go back to work in the New Year, the idea is as to stick to your quarantine habits.

Also, try to save more. But you shouldn't say you want to save more. Have a goal in mind, and know it will take time to get there. That patience is key. Every little bit helps. And over time, your contributions will make a difference.

Lastly, save smarter. Set up automatic monthly contributions for your savings buckets, whether it's for your child's, college account or your retirement savings.

Automating will help you with consistently stocking away money, and if the pandemic has taught anything, it's that saving for an emergency is key. So, if you don't have one yet, it is time to start an emergency savings account. That way, you're better prepared for the next rainy day.

Coming up next, the latest in the Georgia runoff election where the coronavirus is forcing one candidate off the campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:05]

KOSIK: In Minnesota, state prosecutors are asking to delay the trial against four former police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. Right now, the trial is set to begin March 8th, but the state is trying to delay that start date to June 7th, citing the pandemic. The state's motion says that the trial will pose, quote, unique public health risks, because it will involve a large number of participants and will likely result in the kind of large public demonstrations that erupted last May.

New York battling a worsening crisis today, the state added nearly 16,500 new COVID cases today, just after reporting their highest number of infections in a single day, over 16,800 only yesterday. This as hospitals there are being stretched thin with nearly 8,000 COVID patients being treated in hospitals as of now. And just today, nearly 200 people in New York lost their lives to the virus.

Breaking news just into CNN. The Senate just reached the two-thirds threshold to override President Trump's veto on a major defense bill. The bill is known as the National Defense Authorization Act and the override delivers a bipartisan rebuke to the president in his final days in office.

John Avlon takes over our coverage right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN AVLON, CNN HOST: Hello, and happy New Year to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Avlon in New York, and you're watching a special New Year's day edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with breaking news on Capitol Hill. The Senate rebuking the defense on a massive defense spending bill by overriding his veto.

Joining me now, CNN congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly.

Phil, tell us how we got here and how big a deal is this?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think you need to put it into context, right? This is a bill that's been signed into law 59 consecutive years. It always passes with wide bipartisan margins, and I think everybody who worked on the bill this time around, if you looked at the initial votes before the veto override, it was pretty clear the support was there to override any veto, and yet President Trump vetoed this legislation for a couple reasons.