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Powerful Storm Hits Central U.S.; CDC Says Most Omicron Cases Have Been Mild; Countries Tighten Restrictions as Omicron Spreads; Threat of Russian Invasion to Dominate G7; Consumer Price Index at Highest Level since 1982; Rural America Battles Inflation as Conditions Improve across the U.S.; Unvaccinated Staff Adds to High Toll in U.S. Nursing Homes; U.K. Court Approves Julian Assange's Handover to U.S. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 11, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everyone. I am Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and we begin with breaking news.

A dangerous night across the central U.S. Millions of people at risk from a powerful storm system, with more than 20 tornadoes reported across five states. Have a look at this video.

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HOLMES (voice-over): In the background there -- yes -- you can see a tornado in the darkness that makes it harder to see. And it does make it even more dangerous as well.

At least two people have been killed in Arkansas, one at a Dollar General store; another, at a nursing home where 20 other people were injured or rescued.

And in Illinois, emergency crews are searching for people feared trapped inside a damaged Amazon warehouse. Some family members of those who work there still waiting on word from loved ones.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It was lightning bad. You know, we lost power for about two hours now. And then, my phone died. So, it was like I have no idea -- to get a hold of him. I have no idea what's going on. And I'm -- we're just worried sick. We just want to know if he's OK.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES (voice-over): Meanwhile, we are learning that a train derailed in Western Kentucky during the severe storms. The governor there declaring a state of emergency due to heavy damage throughout the state, as you can see there. More than 180,000 homes and businesses in six states are without power.

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HOLMES: All right. New details emerging about the potential impact of the Omicron COVID variant.

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HOLMES: The disease -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most of the 43 reported Omicron infections in the U.S. have been mild.

However, it says a majority of those people had been vaccinated. And 14 of them had already received their boosters. More than half of the U.S.' states now have identified a case of the Omicron variant. It comes amid an uptick in COVID infections nationwide, which is pushing some hospitals to the brink. CNN's Athena Jones with that.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. COVID-19 cases on the rise, again. Now averaging nearly 120,000 new infections a day. Up more than 50 percent over a month ago.

Case numbers increasing in 26 states. Hospitals strained in hard-hit Michigan, Ohio and Arizona. Indiana now becoming the latest state to call on the National Guard to help overwhelmed hospital workers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hospital beds, the monitors don't feel that -- I mean, our -- we are tired. Our people are incredibly tired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The surge is definitely upon us.

JONES (voice-over): And in New Hampshire, the governor warning --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a rough winter. There is no doubt about it. I don't think these numbers are going to really finish peaking until January.

JONES (voice-over): The nationwide surge driven almost entirely by the highly contagious Delta variant.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We need to be on a wartime footing because we are at war with an enemy that is killing 1,200 Americans a day and I just don't see it.

JONES (voice-over): Doctors say most of those hospitalized are unvaccinated. But as the U.S. prepares to mark one year since the first shots went into arms, the pace of COVID vaccinations is up almost 40 percent over a month ago, with nearly 460,000 people getting their first shot each day and some 2 million total doses administered a day. About half of them, booster shots.

Early studies suggest boosters increase protection against the new Omicron variant. Dr. Anthony Fauci telling CNN, the National Institutes of Health will likely have data early next week from lab tests on vaccine effectiveness.

With the CDC confirming today cases among those infected with Omicron in the U.S. have been mild and among those already vaccinated, that mirrors what is being seen in South Africa, where the variant was initially identified.

SALIM ABDOOL KARIM, SOUTH AFRICAN COVID-19 ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Cases tend, on the whole, to be milder with fewer requiring oxygenation. So, it's -- you know, interesting that it's emerging, it's confirming what we know. And certainly, no red flags at this stage.

JONES: And here in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a new temporary mask mandate, requiring New Yorkers to wear masks in all indoor public spaces, unless businesses implement a vaccine requirement.

The new mandate will be effective starting Monday through at least January 15th. Violators will face a fine of up to $1,000 and civil and criminal penalties.

Hochul saying the new mandate is necessary to get ahead of a winter surge that is seeing increased cases, reduced hospital capacity and insufficient vaccination rates in certain areas -- Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

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HOLMES: Now in Europe, the U.K. is urging people to get a COVID booster shot, as a new study there found that two doses of the COVID vaccine are insufficient against the Omicron variant. CNN's Eleni Giokos joins me now live from Athens.

And, when we look at Europe, you have got rising infections in places like France, Germany, elsewhere.

What -- what is the latest in Europe, in terms of infections?

And -- and considerations of more measures like mandates and so on?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Michael, you know, and this is the important move, where you have already alluded to it. It's about that third jab to try and get people even more protected, as COVID-19 infection rates are rising in many parts of the continent.

The U.K. actually put out a warning that Omicron cases would reach 1 million by the end of the month because doubling rate is occurring every two to three days. In the past 24 hours, 450 Omicron cases were identified in the U.K.

But they think that that is an underprediction. They believe that it might be much higher. Hospitalizations are increasing. But new restrictions are coming in place, a recommendation to work from home, wearing masks in certain areas.

And you will remember, a couple of months ago, that they had lifted all those restrictions and now, they are going back to try and ensure they bring those numbers down.

In Germany at one point this week, they reported the highest daily death toll that had thus been seen in February. And the unvaccinated being put under lockdown, apart from being allowed to go to essential businesses.

So, there is a general sense here of trying to basically put restrictions in place, getting third jabs into people's arms based on the clinical data that we are seeing. And then, of course, trying to figure out just how prevalent Omicron is.

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GIOKOS: In France, you are seeing the same where you have got numbers of positive cases, record numbers coming through at one point this week as well as hospitalizations on the rise, ICU units also coming under pressure.

But France has not put in place, yet mandatory vaccinations. They are trying to do that. And then, of course, lockdowns and restrictions are still on the back burner. But cases are rising and there is major concern, Michael, right now in various parts of Europe.

HOLMES: Absolutely. Eleni, thanks so much, there in Athens for us.

South Africa has announced plans to begin rolling out Pfizer booster shots in the coming weeks, as it struggles with the impact of the Omicron variant. One epidemiologist says evidence suggests this new strain does spread more easily. CNN's Larry Madowo is in Johannesburg for us.

And there has been increasing -- despite the numbers going up there by magnitudes -- there is still resilience when it comes to the anti- vaccine group there.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And people are almost getting emboldened, when they hear that the government might force them to take vaccines, Michael, that is correct.

There is a growing movement of antivaxxers in South Africa, who say the government has no right, legally or morally, to force them to take a vaccine. They have a right to decide, in the South African constitution and the bill of rights, and this goes against that, especially in a country with a history of apartheid.

So South Africa has only vaccinated about 38 percent of the adult population. The plan was to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population but has not gotten there yet. And that is why government is considering that vaccine mandate. And the private sector, many companies are already going ahead to do so starting January.

HOLMES: All right, Larry Madowo there in Johannesburg with the very latest. Appreciate it, Larry, thanks.

We are going to take a quick break here on the program. When we come back, the top diplomats of the world's wealthiest democracies meeting in England this weekend to discuss how to deal with Russia's provocative military buildup near the Ukrainian border.

Live pictures coming to you there and we will have a live report from Liverpool when we come back.

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HOLMES: The U.S. has announced new sanctions against a dozen officials of foreign governments for their alleged roles in human rights abuses.

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken making that announcement in recognition of International Human Rights Day. He arrived in Liverpool on Friday for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.

The new sanctions target specific officials in China, North Korea, Belarus, Uganda, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mexico.

Similar measures were also announced by the U.K. and Canada.

Blinken and his G7 counterparts will begin gathering soon in Liverpool. And topping their agenda, the volatile situation along the border between Ukraine and Russia. Russia's foreign ministry, on Friday, issuing an ultimatum to NATO to rescind its membership invitations to Ukraine and Georgia, a demand that NATO quickly rejected.

Meanwhile, a U.S. official says a shipment of U.S. small arms and ammunition has arrived in Ukraine. CNN senior international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson standing by for us in Liverpool.

So, what is going to be the main message these leaders are going to want to come out of this meeting?

Presumably, one of like-minded allies on the same page, when it comes to issues like Russia.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. I think we may get a slight insight into the thinking of secretary of state Antony Blinken when looking at his Spotify playlist for this trip. Of course, Liverpool, a city of history, a city of culture.

The Fab Four, The Beatles from this city and at the top of that playlist was "Penny Lane" by The Beatles. But next is a Liverpool anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone," a message there perhaps for Ukraine because that's the expected message to be delivered. I have to say my favorite on that playlist was Echo and the Bunnymen.

But maybe I'm just showing my age there, Michael. But it is a very serious discussion about Russia, as Russia is seen to continue to increase its troop presence and go into military drills, live-fire military drills, close to the border with Ukraine.

It's raising concern here. Liz Truss, the British foreign minister, who is hosting this G7, has made it the main sort of speaking point ahead of discussions here and saying that key among these leaders who arrive here is that united front.

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LIZ TRUSS, U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY AND MINISTER FOR WOMEN AND EQUALITIES: I share the view that it would be extremely serious if Russia were to take that action. It would be a strategic mistake and there would be severe consequences for Russia. And what we're doing this weekend is working with like-minded allies to spell it out.

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ROBERTSON: So what she's talking -- what she is talking about there is a Russian incursion into Ukraine. And what we have seen over recent weeks is an effort by -- by United States, its partners, its allies in Europe and across the world, to send a very clear, very strong message to President Putin that any such action could incur, as the United States has said, severe economic consequences.

And no -- you know, sort of no -- no mistake in that message is sort of joining that message up with a new German administration. President Biden, in recent days, calling the new German chancellor; Janet Yellen, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, calling her opposite number in -- in Berlin, as well.

And here, just last night, Antony Blinken meeting with the German foreign minister. We also know that there is going to be, on the table for discussion, China, Afghanistan, Iran a real pressing issue; Myanmar, Ethiopia, to name just but a few. These are going to be the big -- the big talking issues. But rest assured, Russia, right at the top of the list.

HOLMES: Yes. And quickly, Sunday, Nic, there is going to be ASEAN invitees; most of them, virtual. But there is going to be a focus on the Indo-Pacific.

What headlines likely there?

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ROBERTSON: Yes, I think we are going to see more of, you know, allies across the world, like-minded allies, you know, facing down autocracies.

And in this case, it is going to be a lot of discussion about China. Sunday, as well, do expect conversations about COVID, about vaccine, about Omicron, which of course, is a variant that people are worried about, if the third world didn't get enough vaccines.

Remembering that, at this summit -- G7 summit, a billion doses of vaccine were promised to developing nations. Many critics said that wasn't enough. That would allow potential variants to escape. And here we are in that scenario. So again, pressure on delivery on COVID vaccines around the world.

HOLMES: All right, Nic, thank you so much. Nic Robertson there in Liverpool for us.

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HOLMES: And returning to our top story, the powerful storm system making its way through the central U.S. At least 24 tornadoes reported across five states. Parts of Western Kentucky have been hit hard and a state of emergency declared. Storm chaser Michael Gordon joins me now from Mayfield, Kentucky.

Thanks for doing so. Just give me a sense of what you have seen there.

MICHAEL GORDON, STORM CHASER: This has been something that I really didn't want to see. It -- devastation. I mean, that's -- buildings leveled. Homes leveled. Rubble everywhere. There is -- it's -- it's hard to explain, especially in the dark right now. It's very sad.

You look around and you have people walking on the streets, other families looking for their loved ones still. I was out earlier before this call, going through some of the homes, trying to help out as much as I could.

I think the Mayfield city -- the city of Mayfield's been on top of it. They got -- the personnel, they got the search-and-rescue teams out. They got dogs out now. I have been seeing a lot more rescue efforts. But the damage is pretty much undescribable (sic).

HOLMES: And -- and to put that in context, I mean, you -- you chase storms. This is kind of what you do.

How does this compare?

GORDON: This is probably one of the worst storms that I have seen, the closest I've ever been to such a large tornado in my life. And it's -- like I said, it's -- it's really undescribable (sic). There's --

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HOLMES: What did it look like?

What did it feel like as -- as you're looking at this biggest tornado you've seen?

What does that feel like?

What goes through your head?

GORDON: I -- I don't know what I was feeling at that point. I was trying to -- to figure out where it was at. And I could see it. And then it would go away and then I could see it again. But after it got past me is when I noticed really how large this tornado was.

When it was coming head on, it didn't look as large until it got past me. Then I could see the debris flying everywhere, the -- you know, the -- the width of that tornado and the power. You could just -- you could feel the power.

It's almost like being sucked -- I mean, all of the air in that area is being sucked up into the atmosphere. And so, it kind of just takes all of your -- I don't know how -- I don't know how to really explain it. But it's -- it's a feeling that you -- oh, I guess I don't ...

HOLMES: Did you have a sense of the damage?

I mean, when it gets light there in a few hours, that's when you are really going to be able to tell.

But you had the sense there was a lot of damage?

GORDON: Yes, after I'd seen it pass through past me and watching it on radar as it traveled farther, up into the Mayfield area where I am at now. I could just see -- you could see the destruction path as it -- as it went away from me.

And it wasn't giving up. It was very solid and it was moving pretty much in a straight line. It was like it was a bulldozer. That's how I guess I could ...

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GORDON: Seeing it from behind, it looked like it was just a bulldozer. And now seeing the damage, that's what it looks like.

HOLMES: That's -- that -- you paint a very scary picture, Michael Gordon, really appreciate your joining us. Incredible images and -- and video you shot and -- and thanks for giving us a sense of what it was like. Really do appreciate it. Thank you.

GORDON: Yes, thank you.

HOLMES: Law enforcement officials say that the truck that crashed in Southern Mexico, killing 55 people, was indeed speeding, as some had feared. Officials say it overturned with dozens of people crammed inside, most of them migrants from Guatemala.

More than 100 people reported injured. Mexico and six nearby countries have formed what they call an immediate action group to investigate and prosecute the international traffickers responsible for the deadly accident.

Authorities in Southern Lebanon are investigating an explosion at a Palestinian refugee camp.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES (voice-over): It happened Friday. This was in the port city of Tyre. Local media and sources on the ground report, fortunately, no one killed and no serious injuries. The details surrounding the blast, still unclear.

Somad (ph) news agency reporting the explosion happened when oxygen cylinders stored to treat COVID-19 patients ignited. Earlier, Lebanese state media reported that it took place at a Hamas warehouse filled with ammunition.

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HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes. If you are an international viewer, "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is coming up next. If you are here with me in North America, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

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HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes.

The U.S. President, Joe Biden, says high inflation has reached its peak in the U.S. His comments coming after new government data showed consumer price index at its highest level in nearly 40 years.

Mr. Biden believes his Build Back Better spending plan will provide relief from the soaring prices. But its passage, of course, far from certain. More now from CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With prices at their highest point in nearly 40 years, President Biden is predicting it's, quote, "the peak of the crisis."

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But inflation is affecting people's lives.

COLLINS (voice-over): Inflation reached its highest point in November since 1982, when Ronald Reagan was in office and Joe Biden was a senator from Delaware. Tonight, President Biden is pointing to other signs that the economy is recovering.

BIDEN: Every other aspect of the economy is racing ahead. It's doing incredibly well. We've never had this kind of growth in 60 years.

COLLINS (voice-over): That message complicated after the consumer price index, which measures what you're paying for services and goods, climbed 6.8 percent in November compared to a year ago.

BIDEN: It's a real bump in the road. It does affect families.

COLLINS (voice-over): Rising costs are also challenging the path ahead for Biden's legislative agenda. The president sounding uncertain when asked if he can get Senator Joe Manchin to vote yes on his expansive economic bill with inflation numbers this high.

BIDEN: I don't know the answer to that. I'm going to be talking to him at the beginning of the week.

COLLINS (voice-over): Manchin says he's concerned that more federal spending now will make inflation worse but the president is pushing back.

BIDEN: Economists think that it's going to, in fact, diminish the impact on inflation, because it's reducing costs for ordinary people, reducing costs for ordinary people.

COLLINS (voice-over): Manchin is also concerned by the cost of the bill overall.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I talked to him this morning. He was stunned.

COLLINS (voice-over): In a new report requested by Republicans, found that the temporary spending boost in tax cuts are made permanent, it could add trillions to the price tag.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What this fake CBO score was about was extending all of the programs that would expire without paying for them. The president would pay for them. There's no bill that exists on this front.

COLLINS (voice-over): Inflation also a top concern for voters who are paying more for food, gas, rent and used cars. But some of the biggest drivers of inflation are retreating, as gas prices have dropped and natural gas prices are also down.

PSAKI: This obviously is not captured in the data, since the data was through the course of November.

COLLINS: Now President Biden will be speaking to senator Manchin next week. The White House has not disclosed whether that will be an in- person conversation or a phone call.

But you can imagine he will be trying to make that argument to a critical Democratic vote, that he does believe the inflation crisis has hit its peak -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

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HOLMES: The prospect of lower inflation isn't happening fast enough for people in rural America. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has the story of a family in Michigan, trying to navigate the ups and downs of the pandemic economy. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA ST. CYR, MICHIGAN RESIDENT: Hi.

You hungry?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In the St. Cyr household, Cricket the show cow and Trigger the rescue horse are top priorities.

C. ST. CYR: So your animals come first. Like, they eat before I eat.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): And these gentle giants eat a lot. The price of their food has gone up and with twice-daily feedings, they run through nearly two 50-pound bags a week.

C. ST. CYR: It was about like $16 a bag and right now it's at -- it depend on where you go. Where we're getting it, it's about like $22.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): It's just one of the price pinches for this family in rural Michigan.

Spending power for rural Americans has dropped by 5.2 percent compared to 3.5 percent for urban Americans from pre-pandemic. And rural Americans typically spend more on the very items that have seen the biggest price increases, food, energy and cars.

YURKEVICH (on camera): What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to inflation?

C. ST. CYR: I think it's just not having the options to offset those costs. It's like, OK, yes, we could drive another half hour, another hour but it's like, we're paying $3.50 for gas.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): But gas prices are falling to a seven-week low, down 20 cents in Michigan in the last month to $3.22 a gallon.

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YURKEVICH (voice-over): And for these new small business owners, every cent counts.

C. ST. CYR: You have a budget that you have to stick to.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): This year, the couple launched their wood furniture and decor company, Palomino & Co., out of their garage. But then the cost of lumber skyrocketed and good quality became scarce. So to fill orders, they turned to their own barn for wood.

C. ST. CYR: All of this used to be stalls. This whole -- like the aisleway, they're all stalls. We deconstructed those to get lumber.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): The price of wood has come back down but the cost to ship their orders is up.

DYLAN ST. CYR, CO-OWNER, PALOMINO & CO.: With being out a little farther out in the country, obviously, shipping costs, they increased because the farther out they have to drive.

C. ST. CYR: I think we've been hit with so much, it's like, you know, first, inflation and then gas prices and then shipping.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): But as prices have risen, so have wages, up 4.8 percent since last November. Dylan still has his full-time job to help support the business.

YURKEVICH (on camera): So you feel like it's risen a little bit together, enough to offset?

D. ST. CYR: Yes. It's definitely helped. Probably not enough to keep up with inflation.

C. ST. CYR: No.

D. ST. CYR: But it's definitely helped, though. I mean you always have that in the back of your mind.

YURKEVICH: The couple says there is a positive to living in rural America during a time of inflation. If a family in the community is suffering financially, the whole community rallies around them to try to keep their heads above water.

And the St. Cyr couple says that, despite the fastest rise in inflation in nearly 40 years, they're very hopeful and optimistic about their future and their business' future. They believe that this inflation is temporary -- Back to you.

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HOLMES: Vanessa Yurkevich there.

Coming up here on the program, COVID-19 cases rising in the U.S. And a new study shows hundreds of lives could have been saved if more nursing home workers were vaccinated. We'll discuss.

Also a look at the Supreme Court's ruling on restrictive Texas abortion law and the decision's potential impact.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

A new study in the U.S. suggests unvaccinated employees are adding to the high death toll from COVID-19 in nursing homes. About 80 percent of workers there are vaccinated.

But a study in "The New England Journal of Medicine" estimates, if all nursing homes had staff vaccinated at the national average, thousands of COVID cases could have been prevented as well as more than 700 deaths among elderly residents.

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HOLMES: Michael Barnett is an assistant professor at Harvard School of Public Health and joins me now from Newton, Massachusetts.

The numbers in the research are sobering. Give people a sense of the life and death impact of unvaccinated workers in nursing homes on the residents that lived there.

DR. MICHAEL BARNETT, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. It was sobering, a great word to describe it. We were really surprised by how huge of a difference that we saw. We compared nursing homes with 80 percent vaccinated versus 30 percent. We found in homes with the lowest vaccination rate, there were three times as many resident deaths in those compared to those with the highest coverage.

HOLMES: You actually tweeted and did a great tweet thread on this.

One of them is, "Over one eight-week period, if all nursing homes were magically raised to the highest staff vaccination levels nationally, we would have had 703 fewer resident deaths."

How many more lives could be saved if all nursing home staff were fully vaccinated?

BARNETT: I don't have an exact answer. But we know that those 703 fewer resident deaths was half of all the nursing home deaths in that period. That was just if we hypothetically raised all nursing homes to the 80 percent staff vaccination level.

If we take every nursing home and raise it up to 100 percent, it is plausible we could have saved over 1,000 resident deaths during that period, the vast majority of the deaths that occurred entirely.

HOLMES: That is incredible. It is undeniable, that the vast, vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated.

Did you get any sense of why health professionals would be so reluctant to be vaccinated, given the facts?

BARNETT: It's a really tough question. I see this every day as a primary care doctor. I run into patients every single day who are hesitant to get vaccinated. I don't think health care workers are immune to the same trends affecting the country at large.

There are two major groups I think of. On the one hand, vaccination is a deeply political topic. We are more polarized than ever before. Then many others have heard of side effects. They are not sure if COVID is that serious or haven't gotten to it yet because they are busy.

And both of those can happen.

HOLMES: Of course, the Biden administration put out a mandate for health care workers to be vaccinated. That's been put on hold by the courts.

But why on Earth would employers allow unvaccinated workers to work among the high-risk community?

It's confounding and literally deadly.

BARNETT: I agree and it is hard to imagine. However, the nursing home industry has been plagued by horrible staff turnover for years. Going into the pandemic, it was actually almost certainly the highest stress that any nursing home director across the industry would have faced, finding good staff who would want to stay at a job that does not pay that well.

And you know, unfortunately, it's not very well rewarded. So a lot of nursing home directors are worried, if they mandate a vaccine, actually they could even further overstretch their workforce and be in an even tougher situation providing care to their residents.

HOLMES: Yes.

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BARNETT: It is a very, very hard situation.

[03:45:00]

HOLMES: That says a lot about the industry.

We are out of time.

Have you found elsewhere any evidence of racial disparity in terms of this issue?

BARNETT: Yes, like everywhere, especially in the pandemic, there are racial disparities that came out in nursing homes. We found those with a higher proportion of minority residents or staff have lower vaccination rates and higher mortality. That was actually going into the pandemic before vaccination.

So we really have a double whammy for nursing homes that serve minorities.

HOLMES: It is valuable research. And I urge people to have a read of it because this is a massive deal, people dying in nursing homes who literally did not have to. Michael Barnett, Professor, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

BARNETT: Thank you so much for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a restrictive Texas abortion law to remain in effect. Many advocates worry that Roe versus Wade, which protects the right to abortion in the U.S., could eventually be overturned.

Now if that happened, these states would ban the procedure immediately. That's according to an analysis from the Guttmacher Institute. Jessica Schneider has more on the court's decision.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The threat to abortion in Texas remains. Supreme Court justices leaving in place a controversial Texas law that bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected around six weeks. Anti-abortion advocates are celebrating.

JOHN SEAGO, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, TEXAS RIGHT TO LIFE: The court has allowed the Texas law to stay in effect for 101 days now and we're very confident that is going to stay in effect.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): While the Supreme Court did not step in to block the allow, it did rule in favor of abortion providers, saying that they can sue some state officials, sending the case back to the lower courts.

Chief Justice John Roberts writing with the court's liberals, saying, given the ongoing chilling effect of the state law, the district court should resolve this litigation and enter appropriate relief without delay.

But the ruling still dealing abortion clinics a blow, while a lower court looks into the issue, private individuals won't be stopped from suing any person involved in performing an abortion after six weeks, with payouts under the law amounting to $10,000 per case if the plaintiff wins.

Clinics across Texas have shut down because of that threat of litigation.

LINDSAY LANGHOLZ, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROGRAM, AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY: It is going to be hugely problematic, as we go forward, that these cases continue to be brought and they continue to have a chilling effect on people's access to abortion care.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The law has now been in effect 100 days since September 1st. In that time, abortion clinics in surrounding states have reported being overwhelmed at the number of Texas women coming in for procedures and low-income women without the means to travel have been left with few options.

Liberal-leaning Justice Sonia Sotomayor slammed the Supreme Court's decision, saying the court should have put an end to this madness months ago. My disagreement with the court runs far deeper than a quibble over how many defendants these petitioners may sue. The dispute is over whether states may nullify federal constitutional rights by employing schemes, like the one at hand.

SCHNEIDER: Abortion rights advocates are vowing to keep fighting even though they say they've only been left with a shred of a case.

The Supreme Court also dismissed the case that was brought by the Justice Department to challenge S.B. 8.

A spokesperson for the attorney general saying that they will continue to challenge the law in the lower courts since the law itself deprives Americans of their constitutional rights established under Roe v. Wade -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

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HOLMES: Still to come, a British court gives the green light to Julian Assange's extradition to the U.S. But the WikiLeaks founder is not done fighting yet.

We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is one step closer to being extradited to the U.S. A British appeals court overturning an earlier decision that blocked his handover to Washington. But the court fight, though, is not over yet, as Nina dos Santos reports. Assange's supporters are pushing back against the ruling.

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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): Julian Assange's supporters were in a defiant mood outside the U.K.'s high court where two senior judges ruled the WikiLeaks founder can be extradited to the United States.

STELLA MORIS, JULIAN ASSANGE'S FIANCEE: They are imprisoning Julian on behalf of a foreign power, which is taking an abusive, vindictive prosecution against a journalist and this is what it is about.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): He's facing 18 charges, most from the Espionage Act, related to his role in the dissemination of classified U.S. military documents more than a decade ago. If convicted, he could be handed a sentence of up to 175 years.

JULIAN ASSANGE, WIKILEAKS FOUNDER: It is a disgrace and a threat to journalists.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Central to the case: whether Assange is a journalist or more of a hacker. The U.S. initially charged him in 2019 with helping his source, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning, to crack into government computers.

Since then, he has been held in a maximum-security prison in London. Before that, he sought diplomatic asylum in Ecuador's tiny embassy in

the capital since 2012, avoiding questioning and extradition by Swedish authorities for sexual misconduct allegations there, ones that were eventually dropped but that he claims were politically motivated.

He even made his way into the Trump story.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The Hillary Clinton documents released today by WikiLeaks.

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DOS SANTOS (voice-over): For his fiance, the mother of two of his children, an extradition would set a chilling precedent for freedom of speech and she's vowed to appeal.

MORIS: Julian represents the fundamentals of what it means to live in a free society, of what it means to have press freedom and what it means for journalists to do their jobs without being afraid of spending the rest of their lives in prison.

DOS SANTOS: In currency their decision, judges here cited U.S. assurances that Assange's mental health would be protected in America and an offer for him to serve out a portion of any sentence in his native Australia.

In doing this, they reversed an earlier decision made by a lower court to block the extradition on the grounds that Assange may be at a greater risk of suicide if held in U.S. custody.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): What happens now?

The case will go back to the courts for more legal wrangling. After that, Britain's home secretary will have the final say. All this means while Assange's case will continue to divide opinion and question the international boundaries of free speech, his many years of confinement will continue for now -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, if you haven't received your holiday greeting from the House of Windsor just yet, we have a preview. Yours is almost certainly in the mail.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released this Christmas card of the family when they vacationed in Jordan. The palace said in a statement they were delighted to share this year's photo with the world.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles and Camilla made a point of wearing their masks in a photo they chose. It's from earlier this year at the Royal Ascot horse racing event.

Got mine yesterday.

I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @HolmesCNN. Kim Brunhuber takes over from here as CNN NEWSROOM continues.