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Soon, Biden to Lay Out Vaccine Plan after Trump Administration's Rocky Rollout; Rick Bright, Biden COVID Advisory Board Member, Discusses Biden Vaccine Rollout & Trump Admin. Having No "Reserve" 2nd Doses; Text Messages Show Last Goodbyes of COVID Victims; GOP Senator Apologizes to Black Tulsans for Opposing Election; State Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-OK) Discusses Lankford Apology; CNN Special Report, "Kamala Harris, Making History," Airs Sunday at 10 P.M. ET. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired January 15, 2021 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
DR. RICK BRIGHT, MEMBER, BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY BOARD: So, we can be more transparent and communicate with the states in a more transparent way so they can plan and schedule for their vaccination campaigns.
It's been very chaotic, very disruptive, and certainly not transparent, and not in a coordinated fashion from the federal to state level.
President-Elect Biden will improve those coordination, improve that communication se can improve the efficiency by which we're going to vaccinate Americans.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Despite the Trump administration promising, they're actually appears to be no more reserve second vaccine doses to release.
How will that impact the Biden's administrational rollout plans?
BRIGHT: Well, once again, we are certainly going to dedicate to vaccinating as many Americans as quickly as possible.
We're going to do everything possible to ramp up and scale up production of the vaccines as quickly as possible.
We're going to partner with Congress to make sure the funds are becoming available to push out to the states and push out and partner with states and locals to open up more vaccination sites so we can vaccinate Americans.
We need to make more vaccines faster and we need to administer it even faster.
KEILAR: Real quick, Rick, before I let you go here. The name is changing, "Operation Warp Speed." Why the name change?
BRIGHT: Brianna, "Warp Speed" indicates fast speed. Actually, there are Americans who are nervous about the vaccine because they believe it was made too quickly, or maybe short cuts occurred along the way.
We want to assure Americans that the vaccine is safe, shortcuts were not taken. We want them to be confident in getting that vaccine.
"Warp Speed" was about making it, distributing it -- and they didn't do such a good job of distributing it. We want to move beyond that.
President Biden has a COVID response team and that's what we're going to put in place and that is how we're going to communicate it to America so they have confidence and can trust what they hear from the new team coming in.
KEILAR: And the new name is "Operation --" what?
BRIGHT: It's going to be "Our COVID Response."
KEILAR: "Our COVID Response."
KEILAR: Thank you so much, sir. Rick, we really appreciate seeing you.
BRIGHT: Good to see you. Thank you.
KEILAR: It's hard to it grasp the enormity of what this pandemic has taken from America. Going into 10 months into this crisis and it is the worst it has ever been.
Nearly 390,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. That's approaching the number of American lives lost in World War II. That is nearly six NFL stadiums, if struggling for a visual way to think about this loss.
In the first two weeks of this new year, more than 42,000 people lost their lives. These 14 days, they are the deadliest in the entire pandemic.
Each one of these numbers is a story. It is a loved one. It is someone's father, someone's mother, someone's daughter, someone's son, someone's brother, someone's sister, someone's friend.
Katie Sanders and Celeste Sloman produced a powerful piece on natgeo.com. What it does is it shows the final text messages from families to their loved ones dying of coronavirus.
And so we want to share some of these with you.
Kelsey Ellis, just 29 years old visited her twin sister on their birthday, and Audrey was sick. After they had their birthday meal, her lips were noticeably blue.
Audrey went straight to the emergency room. She spent three days in the ICU. She was sending selfies to keep her sister updated.
Kelsey wrote, "Please, don't be scared. You are going to be OK. You are in the best hands and they will take care of you. Everyone is praying and sending good vibes your way. Love you." "You are doing better each day. Keep resting. Also, no worries about
momma, you know how she gets. We are sending you so much love. We will always have our phones on.
Audrey died the next day. And because of coronavirus restrictions, Kelsey picked up her twin sister's ashes at a contact-less drive- through.
Marco Reyes' father, Jose, was a political prisoner in Cuba for 12 years before coming to the U.S. Jose battled the virus two weeks in the hospital. He Facetimed and texted before going on a ventilator.
After one of these Facetime calls, Jose immediately texted his dad and said: "Old man, I love you so much. I want you to walk out of there so we can have coffee together." Jose responded, "I love you, too. Of course. Take care, kisses."
Father's Day was the last time they saw each other in person and Jose died three weeks after that text.
Then there's Isabelle Odette Papadimitriou, a respiratory therapist, 64 years old, a mom and grandma with an 8-month-old granddaughter.
And she was working on the frontlines of the pandemic when she contracted the virus.
She sent text messages to her daughter. She talked about her struggles with the virus.
[14:34:59]
She said, "Enjoy your trip. I didn't want you to think of me during your trip. That why I hadn't told you. I love you and that sweet princess," Her granddaughter," "is my reason to fight this."
She goes on, "I love you all. I am a very strong woman. I'm one who will make it through."
Her daughter replied, "You are strong. I know you'll beat this. It's a long, drawn-out virus as you know. There will be up and down days. We're rooting for you. Love you."
The next night, Isabelle called an ambulance and she died not too long after that.
Two days after her death, her daughter received a package from Isabelle, sandals that she ordered for her granddaughter while she was sick in bed.
Darcy and Dana Cobbs, sisters, and their dad, Morgan Cobbs Jr. Morgan has been taking care of his 95-year-old mom and both contracted COVID.
While her dad and grandmother were in the hospital, Darcy texted pictures of his varsity letter. "So proud." A picture of them together on vacation in the living years.
"I love you, Daddy. God has got you and will bring you through. I'm believing for his healing miracles for you, Daddy."
She went on, "Thinking of you. Hurry up and get better. I love you," she said. "Daddy, be still and fight this thing. I love you."
One of his daughters said she always thought he'd come home. Their grandmother died in a hospital. And a week later, Morgan followed her with a nurse holding his hand.
Todd Bailey always called his aunt Kathy the cool one. She always opened her doors to him. She took him to his first concert.
And Kathy Jones felt terrible that she exposed her family to the virus. Todd's mom, Kathy's sister, also ended up testing positive.
When Todd called an ambulance for his own mom, he texted his aunt in the hospital to check in.
And he said this: "Didn't want to call you because I know you're busy fighting right now. We love you and are with you. Mom is very worried so keep fighting through this. We know you can do this. We love you, Kathy."
That text went unanswered.
Several days, later another, "Hope you're eating. Don't want to call and make you talk. We are loving you."
That was a text one day before she died.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:49]
KEILAR: Republican Senator James Lankford is now apologizing to his black constituents after spending weeks trying to overturn Joe Biden's win.
He did reverse course after the capitol attack. And he voted to certify the Electoral College results.
And now, in a letter to the "Tulsa World" newspaper, Lankford writes this:
"What I did not realize was all of the national conversation about states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan was seen as casting doubt on the validity of votes coming out of predominantly black communities like Atlanta, Philadelphia and Detroit."
"Many black friends in Oklahoma saw this as a direct attack on their right to vote, for their vote to matter. And even a belief that their votes made an election in our country illegitimate."
"I deeply regret my blindness to that perception. And for that, I am sorry."
Monroe Nichols is a member of the Oklahoma State House. He is one of several black leaders who has called for Senator Lankford to be removed from Tulsa's commission about the 1921 race massacre, which has been an effort that Senator Lankford has very much joined.
Mr. Nichols, thank you for being with us.
I wonder what your reaction is to that apology from the Senator.
STATE REP. MONROE NICHOLS (D-OK): Yes. Thank you for -- so happy to be on today.
You know, I appreciate, I know it takes a lot to apologize, but, you know, the apology misses on a couple of levels. Right?
Definitely, those of us in the black community felt very strongly about the Senator's actions.
But this was also an attack on American democracy. I don't know if an apology completely absolves the behavior, we saw that led to a very dangerous situation at the capitol.
So, I appreciate the apology but I think it falls far short of what's necessary moving forward.
KEILAR: I wonder, you know, he says he didn't know about the racial overtones. But the racial overtones of what was going on, the places where the votes were being questioned, I mean, that's not information that was in hiding. That was widely covered. That was widely known. Do you believe him in that? Do you believe that he really didn't know?
NICHOLS: You know, I find it hard to believe. You know, I made the initial observation that when talking about Pennsylvania, what I hear is, Philly. When you talk about Michigan, what I hear is Detroit. When you talk Georgia, all I hear is Atlanta.
I don't think there's anybody serving at that high level who's ignorant to those facts.
Not the least of which was challenging the Arizona vote in Oklahoma's home to 38 federally recognized tribes. It was the native vote in Arizona that turned that election.
So, whether these black indigenous communities, we're all a little frustrated because we were huge contributors to this last presidential election.
And for our Senator to say those votes shouldn't count, I don't know how he could be so ignorant of that fact.
KEILAR: He's in cycle. He's up for re-election soon.
NICHOLS: That's right.
KEILAR: And we watched Georgia go blue, which was very unusual.
Do you think this apology would have meant more, or this realization of the racial overtones would have meant more if he said it before we watched, say, Georgia go blue? In the Senate?
[14:45:08]
NICHOLS: You know, not necessarily. Right? Like, I think Georgia going blue, I mean, because there's already the conversation about Philadelphia and Michigan.
This was an opportunity to really reduce the confidence in our elections by peddling lies and conspiracy theories. And we know now that everything is so fragile that you just can't do that, right?
So whether it was before Georgia or after Georgia, the Senator knew better than to peddle a bunch of stuff that wasn't true.
And it really didn't only undermine our confidence in him as a leader, but it undermined really how other folks in Oklahoma, white, brown, black, whatever, feel about elections overall.
Our senior Senator, Jim Inhofe, said that he wasn't going to vote to object, because it would be a violation of his oath. I really wish Senator Lankford would have saw it the same way.
There's no need in our country at this day and time to cause that kind of doubt when it's based on nothing but lies and conspiracy theories that I believe have racial undertones that are too big to miss.
KEILAR: I want to thank you so much. Oklahoma State Representative Monroe Nichols, we appreciate you coming on.
NICHOLS: Glad to be on. Thank you.
KEILAR: Rehearsals for the Biden/Harris inauguration have already been pushed back one day out of security concerns. But the show will go on, on January 20th. And CNN has an inside look at the history making Vice President-Elect. We have a sneak of our special report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:51:01]
KEILAR: In just five days, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will be the first woman to serve of as our nation's vice president and the first black and South-Asian American to hold that title as well.
A new CNN special report, "KAMALA HARRIS, MAKING HISTORY," gives us a look at her journey from California's attorney general to Washington, D.C.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After the financial crash in 2008, states sued these banks for foreclosure abuses.
California was among the hardest hit with banks filing foreclosures on more than one million homes.
That's when Harris pulled up her chair to the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN NELSON, FORMER CALIFORNIA SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're in the negotiations and she's talking to the banks. We're flying around the country partnering with other A.G.s.
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-NV): There's leverage, right, in that force of all the states coming together to take on some of the banks and Wall Street.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I determined that what the banks were offering California was crumbs on the table so I pulled California out of the negotiations.
PHILLIP: Standing in the trenches with Harris, Delaware's attorney general, Beau Biden.
HARRIS: His state hadn't been as hard hit as many around the foreclosures. But Beau, on a matter of principle, said it's not right and I'm going to stand with you guys.
It was incredible how much heat we took. And Beau stood there. Beau stood there.
PHILLIP: The standoff paid off.
HARRIS: As a result of 13 months of intense discussions, sometimes battle, we have delivered to California $18 billion in relief for California's homeowners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Joining me now is CNN political correspondent, Abby Philip, also the host of the hour-long special report, which will air this Sunday.
Abby, really looking forward to this.
And Harris has been preparing for this role her entire life. Tell us more about her journey to this point.
PHILLIP: Well, the story of Kamala Harris is, in a lot of ways, of her being the first to many, many milestones in her career.
Going all the way back to when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco to her A.G. race, to being, you know, one of the few black Senators to ever serve in the United States Senate, period, to where she is today.
And you can see in that clip, you know, especially in her A.G. days, really trial by fire in a lot of ways. I mean, clearly being a prosecutor is not an easy job for anyone but particularly for her.
There were some really pivotal moments that kind of not only forged her in the fires but also made her a national phenomenon.
And it's one of the reasons that she's here today because, throughout her career, she's been getting the attention of people.
Not just for her initiatives that she launched in San Francisco and in California, but also for that big move taking on the big banks and also forging that friendship with Beau Biden, which led her to have a relationship with Joe Biden, who will be the next president of the United States.
KEILAR: And, I mean, clearly, she knew, and we know that things have been very -- it's been a very divided country.
She couldn't have imagined that she would be taking office under the circumstances is she is, a pandemic, a siege on the capitol, and an inauguration that's essentially going to be virtual.
Did she talk about any of that?
PHILLIP: Well, one of the things we talked to her and her husband, the soon-to-be second gentleman, Doug Emoff, about what just the change in their lives, the concerns about their own personal safety.
It's something they have dealt with up close and personal in the campaign where she was almost accosted by someone at a public event who jumped onto the stage.
[14:55:00]
And Mr. Emoff was at the time in the audience and jumped up there to basically get this person off the stage.
And it was just a reminder to everyone the risks that they pose.
But I think both of them had a clear message that they trust the Secret Service around them. They are ready for this moment. They know what it entails.
And they don't want to live in fear. And I think that's kind of how they are entering into this next chapter of their lives.
KEILAR: The second gentleman.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: It's very cute.
Abby, thank you so much. Abby Phillip.
And, again, her CNN special report, "KAMALA HARRIS, MAKING HISTORY," will air Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern.
In less than an hour, President-Elect Biden is set to lay out his plan to speed up the vaccine rollout. This, as we learn there may be not be a reserve of second dose like the Trump administration had prompted. We will bring the speech to you live just ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
