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England: Tough New Lockdown After Record Surge in Cases; Iran Seizes South Korean-Flagged Tanker; Iran Says First Batch of 20 Percent Enriched Uranium Completed; Trump Spews Lies at Rally Hours Before Polls Open; Democrats in Georgia on the Attack as Campaign Ends; Atlanta's Hip-Hop Community Plays Key Role in Elections; Mexico's COVID Czar Takes Beach Trim Amid Infection Surge. Aired 4:30- 5a ET

Aired January 05, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone.

Well British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reimposed a lockdown in England as COVID-19 cases soar. The new more transmissible variant has fueled a surge in infections and hospitalizations across the country. Under the new restrictions many schools will be closed, and people can only leave their homes to shop for essentials, attend work and for medical assistance. The Prime Minister is hopeful the lockdown and increased vaccinations will help slow the spread of the virus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out. In England we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Wales and Northern Ireland are already in lockdown, and Scotland started a lockdown of its own earlier today. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is just outside 10 Downing Street in London. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Salma. So what is the latest on this tough new lockdown across England and the vaccination rollout?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, in some ways the Prime Minister's address yesterday seemed inevitable. The data, the numbers, the figures were simply record breaking. And that's how the Prime Minister started his statement. He started by laying out the health crisis in the country. He said the health care system here is being challenged, it's under pressure like at no point before during this pandemic. That there is a 40 percent rise in the number of people in hospital with coronavirus. 40 percent higher than it was at the peak in March. At the highest point of this pandemic. 40 percent more patients, again. Absolutely overwhelmed.

And he said, look, we're stretched to the limit. I have no more options. I have to put a lockdown across England in place and it will be in place for a few weeks or we'll view it in February. But a lot of people will tell you, look, we've been living under England's toughest restrictions now. Three quarters of this nation was already under lockdown.

So what's the difference? The difference is schools. And schools were a matter of concern. That's why they needed to be shutdown. There had been a spike in cases there just before the Christmas holiday. So they simply couldn't risk, they couldn't have that additional variable of kids going back to school in a couple weeks' time and that potentially causing a surge, causing more people to end up in hospitals.

But the question is, Rosemary, is this enough? The government is facing a very tough, a very defiant enemy in the form of this variant which the Prime Minister said yesterday is between 50 percent to 70 percent more transmissible. That's how much more easily you can get it and you can spread it. So they really used all the tools in the toolkit at this point by putting in this lockdown.

The Prime Minister kind of indicated during his address that really the only way out will be through the vaccination program.

So let's talk about that -- the vaccination program. Right now of course focused on a key portion of the population. Prime Minister Boris Johnson again indicating in that address that that key portion, those most vulnerable groups, those priority groups would need to be vaccinated by mid-February in order for things to get better, in order for restrictions to be eased. But you're looking at potentially about 14 million people having to be vaccinated in the next six weeks. It's ambitious. Some people say unrealistic. But what we do know, Rosemary, is the toughest weeks, they're ahead of us.

CHURCH: Yes, most definitely. Salma Abdelaziz joining us live there. Many thanks.

Well now to some of the other coronavirus stories around the world. Austria is extending its restrictions until at least January 24th. It's scrapping plans to allow people who tested negative to start moving out of lockdown early.

The French health minister has just announced plans to amplify, accelerate and simplify the country's vaccine program. France's data indicated just over 500 people had been vaccinated as of January 1st. Now compare that to an estimated 265,000 in Germany.

In South Korea, the death toll has passed 1,000, a sad milestone in a country held up as a standard for dealing with this pandemic.

Well a South Korean destroyer has reached the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a South Korean flagged chemical tanker. And you can see on the right side of your screen there an Iranian patrol boat approaching the tanker. And this comes as Tehran says it has completed its first batch of uranium enriched -- of enriched uranium to 20 percent purity. That's far beyond the cap imposed in the 2015 nuclear deal.

And for more on this, Sam Kiley is following developments from Jerusalem.

[04:35:00]

But first let's start with Paula Hancocks who joins us live from Seoul. So Paula, what is the latest on that seized South Korean flagged tanker?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we're hearing from the South Korean foreign ministry that they have been told by the Iranian authorities that the sailors are safe. We understand that the Iranian ambassador to South Korea was summoned this Monday afternoon saying that the sailors are safe. But also saying that it is a simple technical issue.

So the Iranians are really sticking to their story that the reason that they had to detain this particular tanker was because it was being an environmental polluter and certainly this is what the South Korean ambassador to Tehran was told by authorities as well. Again, saying the sailors were safe.

We know there were 20 sailors on board. Five of them of Korean nationality. But certainly, analysts would point you to the fact that there are frozen funds, an estimated $7 billion of frozen funds, Iranian assets in South Korean banks at this point. So certainly that would raise a question mark as to whether or not this detention was more than environmental but was, in fact, political.

Now we understand from the DM shipping, which is the owner of this particular ship, that they lost contact as soon as the ship was detained. They say that those on board had 10 to 20 minutes warning by the RVF radio -- VHF radio and then the armed soldiers came on board and detained the ship.

So really what the South Koreans are looking at, at this point is, the relationship between them and Iran has been deteriorating we know because of these extra sanctions that the United States and the Trump administration has been putting on Iran and in particular on the Iranian oil imports.

Now the Iran oil imports have been a key part of what South Korea was using until fairly recently. And they really seem to have found themselves in the middle of this tension between the U.S. and Iran, and the foreign ministry simply calling for the sailors and this tanker to be released very soon.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks, Paula.

Sam, to you now, and this all comes across as Iran ramps up uranium enrichment and its biggest breach yet of the nuclear deal. What's the latest on that? And of course, reaction from the region?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you might expect, Rosemary, the reaction from the Israelis is to repeat their mantra, and it's one that they're deeply committed to, certainly in the case of Benjamin Netanyahu. But I think there's nationwide support for the Israeli position that they will never allow the Iranian regime to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

Now, in order to do that, the Iranians would have to enrich uranium to some 90 plus percent. But the 20 percent level is a very significant increase. It's the Iranians have flagged that would be doing this. Their (INAUDIBLE) had indeed instructed their government back in December to begin this. They've now said officially that they're doing this in a subterranean facility that they have.

And the Israelis are saying they're committed to and supportive of the international atomic energy authority's continued inspections there. Which the Iranians, of course, have said that they are much less committed to.

The context of this and as we heard again there from Paula is all part of the collapse of the JCPOA, the nuclear deal that was struck after many years of diplomacy under the Obama administration, but with support of key players around the world, key international players around the world to get the Iranians to dial back very substantially on their nuclear program in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Now only the United States has imposed sanctions on Iran, it's what they call part of their maximum pressure campaign. But this has paralyzed many nations, most nations ability to do business with Iran even though they would like to see Iran get some kind of incentive to stick to what was the nuclear deal. Now that has been -- if you excuse the pun -- been somewhat blown up by the Trump administration and the Iranians continued destabilizing efforts across the region. So it has severely ramped up tensions once again here.

CHURCH: All right. Sam Kiley and Paula Hancocks, many thanks to you both. Appreciate it.

Well despite all the controversy over President Trump's phone call with Georgia officials, some voters in the state say they've not even heard about it. The details next.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well the polls in Georgia open in just a few hours and the results could hinge on reaction to what the president said in that controversial phone call. Much of which he repeated to Georgia voters just hours ago. But so far it doesn't seem to matter much to Republicans. CNN's Kyung Lah has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On this final full day of the Georgia Senate runoff campaign, the two Democratic challengers are on the attack using President Trump against his own party.

JON OSSOFF, DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: The president of the United States on the phone trying to intimidate Georgia's election officials to throw out your votes. Let's send a message. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: He is being aided and abetted by two United States Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.

LAH (voice-over): On the Republican side, Senator Loeffler dodged direct questions about Trump's recorded phone call while Senator David Perdue turned his fire on the recipient of Trump's phone call, Georgia's Republican Secretary of State.

SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA): To have a statewide elected official regardless of party, tape unknowing -- to tape without disclosing a conversation -- a private conversation with the president of the United States and then leaking it to the press now is disgusting.

LAH (voice-over): Even as Senator Purdue defends a sitting president attempting to undermine an election, there is little sign it matters to the GOP faithful. At least among those who came to see Vice President Mike Pence and Milner Georgia, they claimed they have not heard anything about this call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I haven't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I haven't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know there was election fraud.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a good day.

GABRIEL STERLING, GEORGIA VOTING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER: It's rock and roll again. It is Groundhog Day again.

LAH (voice-over): Georgia is split into two worlds. Claim versus fact, say exasperated Georgia state election officials. The Secretary of State office displayed this poster sized message at its first press conference since Saturday's controversial phone call.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of people aren't going out to vote. And a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote.

[04:45:00]

And if you would be respected, really respected if this thing could be straightened out before the election.

LAH (voice-over): Democratic voters who say they all heard the Trump phone call?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I've heard it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I've read about the tapes, most certainly.

LAH (voice-over): Admit they don't know if it'll change Tuesday's election.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's incredibly disappointing. And I hope it galvanizes people to turn up for the Democratic candidates, but I'm not optimistic that it'll make that much of a difference.

LAH: Well, Senator Loeffler tweeted that she is going to object to President-Elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win on January 6th. Senator Purdue also indicated he supports the effort although he can't officially vote because his term ended on January 3rd.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Atlanta is comedian and political pundit Karl "Special K" Douglas. He is also the head comedy writer for the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. Great to have you with us.

KARL "SPECIAL K" DOUGLAS, HEAD COMEDY WRITER, "THE RICKEY SMILEY MORNING SHOW": Hey, thanks. Nice to be here.

CHURCH: Absolutely. So, you and others in Atlanta's hip-hop community spearheaded a voter drive that helped flip Georgia from red to blue. Now you are trying to do the same in Tuesday's two crucial Senate runoff elections. Do you think you can do it again?

DOUGLAS: Well, yes, I would like for most, if not all of that credit to go to Stacey Abrams and her organization who kind of spearheaded everything. We just followed her lead. But I do feel very confident we have over three million votes that have already been cast in these runoff elections, which is if I'm not mistaken a historical achievement. That an astronomical number for a runoff. And so I really think people are energized, and I really think people do understand what's at stake right now.

CHURCH: So what all did you do to convince Atlanta's black community to get out and vote and show them that their vote counted?

DOUGLAS: Well, one of the things that we've done on the morning show, in the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, is we had made, even since before the general election, we made a concentrated effort to really just drive home the message with, you know, various other pundits, legal friends that we have, political pundits, politicians, everybody from the former President Obama to the former first lady, to James Clyburn. To, I mean, just a whole host of people that we would have on this show every single week.

And we just pound home the message of how important it is that not only do we vote in the general election for the president, but we also have to get a Senate in place that is going to, you know, work for our agenda, for our community. Which I think is going to benefit community at -- you know, the community at large. But in particular, the black community needs to get engaged in these down ballot elections and I think we did a pretty good job of driving that message home.

CHURCH: Was it a hard sell at times to some people who just to convince that their vote doesn't count?

DOUGLAS: I think, yes, sadly I think that even though we had made great strides, I think since the days of Barack Obama we have made great strides in our community to get people to understand the importance of these elections, but you know, there is still some people, there is still a thought process out there that does think that you know, the party is on the same and that our votes don't necessarily matter. And so, that is a hurdle that we anticipated going in, and again, it's just, you know, rinse repeat, rinse repeat, rinse repeat.

We just keep driving the same message home. And me personally, I try to get people to understand, even if you're voting from a selfish motive, you know, that politics involves every aspect -- every aspect of your life is involved in politics and is affected by politics.

And so, I try to drive it home at a base level, you know, your health care, your job, your taxes, you're access -- police reform. You know, I try to hit home everything that is important to people in our community to give them an understand that this stuff does matter.

CHURCH: Right. And why did you decide that you needed to do this and what did you learn from the whole experience?

DOUGLAS: Well because I've been a political person since I was barely out of diapers. You know, my father was very active in politics back in the seventies. You know, he worked for Jimmy Carter's campaign. He worked for Mayor Jackson campaign. He worked with Andrew Young. I would see people in my house like Julian Bond. You know, people like that. And so politics is in my blood.

[04:50:00]

And I've always been interested in and I've always educated myself about it, and I have always understood the importance of it. And so for me, it is just something that I like to share with other people, to really fully understand that you have to get engaged, even if you don't do anything but vote. You know, I say at the bare minimum, just vote. I'm not saying you have to be a pundit. You have to be educated on every single issue and every single candidate, but at least educate yourself enough to go out and make a vote that makes sense.

CHURCH: Karl "Special K" Douglas, great to talk with you. I appreciate it.

DOUGLAS: Thank you.

CHURCH: And still to come, as Mexico sees cases spike, the country's COVID czar is spotted at a beach restaurant. Critics say it would be like Anthony Fauci dining out in Miami. The details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The man leading Mexico's COVID response is being accused of hypocrisy after he was seen ignoring safety guidelines. As CNN's Matt Rivers reports, it comes as the country deals with its worst wave of the pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:55:00]

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So imagine for a moment if Dr. Anthony Fauci of the United States went to the beach in Miami, maybe sat outside in an ocean front restaurant. Critics here in Mexico are saying that the basic equivalent of that happened over this past weekend because of what we saw from Dr. Hugo Lopez-Gatell.

Now Lopez-Gatell is the deputy health secretary that is leading the Mexican government's response to the coronavirus, but he was seen in the beach town of Zipolite in Mexico. He was photographed there, those photos subsequently, quickly went viral and many people shouted hypocrisy.

Because what we've heard from Lopez-Gatell for months now is that people to avoid spreading this disease should stay in their homes, when at all possible and only leave when it is essential to do so.

Now, Lopez-Gatell addressed the controversy, the press conference Monday night basically admitting that he went on this trip. He said he went to visit friends, close relatives that live there. He said he had nothing to hide. But based on what he said it would seem that that trip would be nonessential and that would mean that he is not following his own advice which is only to leave your house for essential activities.

And he also took this trip at a particularly fraught time here in Mexico during this pandemic. Cases have been on the rise, deaths have been on the rise since the beginning of October and here in Mexico City, for example, the occupancy levels of hospitals is a huge issue. Nearly 30 public hospitals here in Mexico City are reporting capacity levels at 100 percent and more hospitals could soon be to come.

Matt Rivers, CNN -- Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "EARLY START" is up next. You're watching CNN. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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