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America on Alert as COVID Surges Ahead of Busy Holiday Week; New Information in January 6th Riot Investigation; White House Urges Vaccinations, Boosters to Combat Omicron; No Live Audience for Tonight's "Saturday Night Live;" NFL/NHL/NBA All Battling Uptick in COVID-19 Cases; Recovering and Rebuilding in Kentucky. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired December 18, 2021 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:26]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday evening.

And tonight, a nation on alert. COVID surging ahead of the busy holiday week. Americans told to prepare for difficult times ahead. The Omicron variant, now breaking through the toughest COVID-19 protocols and derailing the return of live professional sports. The entertainment industry, not immune either as holiday shows shutter and "SNL" scraps tonight's live music and audience.

And in Europe, the mayor of London declaring a major incident as the Netherlands enforces strict new lockdown measures.

Rising numbers and very real concerns tonight. Americans can no longer ignore the surging pandemic looming over their holidays and intruding on their lives. President Biden, acknowledging the growing public concerns, will deliver a speech on Tuesday focusing on the Omicron variant.

Here in the U.S. Omicron is expected to become the dominant variant, but as of now experts say it's Delta driving this latest surge. Both cases and hospitalizations are now at levels not seen since September at the end of the summer spike. This afternoon "Saturday Night Live" cancelled its live studio audience for tonight along with musical guest Charlie XCX. The Radio City Rockettes have cancelled their famous Christmas Spectacular show because of breakthrough infections within the production.

Broadway has pulled down the curtain on shows. The NFL and NHL have postponed games and big-named players have tested positive. Also several colleges have shifted classes and exams online. For many Americans there is a growing sense of a weird new reality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAISSA DORFF, GOT TESTED FOR COVID: I mean it's weird that now it is -- there is almost a feeling, especially in New York, that this is like a new normal as the Omicron wave is hitting. I feel like it's all picking up again, and it feels similar to the beginning but now having been boosted, having, you know, had all the shots and done all of the things, there's a little bit more of like, oh, this is what we have to do just now.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining me right now is Dr. Craig Spencer. He is the director of Global Health and Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

And Dr. Spencer, you have been right there in the thick of it. What are you seeing in the ER right now?

DR. CRAIG SPENCER, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Well, quite honestly our ERs in New York City have been full for quite some time and it hasn't just been COVID patients. It's been patients that have been putting off routine care since the pandemic started, quite honestly. You know, the other day I saw a patient who had been putting off a heart surgery that he needed from before when the pandemic started, and he waited until his symptoms got so bad that it brought him into the emergency room and he got much worse.

So right now we're seeing nursing shortages all throughout the city. We are seeing doctors and nurses leave their job because they're exhausted, they're burnt out, and we are still seeing a lot of patients pile into emergency rooms, hospitals that are full. We just don't have a lot of capacity and wiggle room for another surge of cases.

BROWN: Yes, and what is your concern looking ahead? I just spoke to a doctor in the last hour who predicted it's going to be a tsunami in the coming weeks and months.

SPENCER: We are definitely going to get a tsunami of cases, right. We know that today we had record level cases here in New York City that only eclipsed yesterday's record level of cases. We know that a lot of people are going to test positive. But if you are vaccinated, and especially if you have had a third dose, the likelihood that you are going to have severe disease or that I'm going to see you in the emergency room is still incredibly low.

The majority of people that we are seeing are still those that are unvaccinated. So take this opportunity, especially before we have the tsunami of Omicron, to get vaccinated if you haven't been or to get a third dose, especially if you're older, if you're 50-plus, if you have any underlying medical issues. The big question is going to be, will we have a surge of hospitalizations and deaths after we see a big surge of cases?

And we still don't exactly know. We are looking to the U.K. and to South Africa for some of that information, but the U.S. is quite unique. So I think we all need to be on alert and be careful.

BROWN: The lines in New York City for testing are around the block. Look at this video right here. Here in D.C. it is the same story. How problematic is it that tests aren't more easily accessible during this critical time?

[19:05:05]

SPENCER: It's upsetting for many reasons. One, because we're two years into this and we are facing some of the same problems we had in March 2020, rights, where you don't have enough access to tests. And we should be doing better than this right now.

And what is also really frustrating is that I think soon we'll probably run out of testing capacity. You know, not everyone can wait for four to six hours in a line to get a test and we'll have people that ultimately end up leaving, some of whom have COVID, don't get a positive test, don't really know, they may not act as if they have COVID and may spread that to others.

It also is going to limit our ability to have a good understanding of, you know, how quickly and where Omicron is spreading because I think testing capacity is just not enough in the country as this virus continues to spread. We just don't have the capacity to do testing for all the people that are going to need it, and that's really going to hinder our ability to understand exactly what's happening on a local level.

BROWN: I want to talk about travel bans. The U.S. has restrictions on South Africa where Omicron was first reported and seven other countries. The U.S. is re-evaluating that now. But from a medical and scientific perspective, are travel restrictions the right approach?

SPENCER: If you remember within really just a few days after Omicron was identified in South Africa, the U.S. and many other countries put in place travel restrictions from multiple countries in Southern Africa, the majority of which had never seen a case of Omicron. That was really just three to four weeks ago, and today here in New York we had 21,000 cases today.

South Africa, the country of South Africa had 20,000, meaning we have more cases in New York now, the majority of which are probably Omicron or will be in the coming days. The point being that the travel bans were political theater. It made it look like we were doing something, but we knew that they weren't really going to help. The longer they stay in place, the more I think it really sets us up to perform poorly in the next pandemic.

We are not accountable. We are putting in place things that really aren't public health driven but politically driven, and, quite frankly, it hasn't helped us. We have a big surge of cases here. I'd prefer that we stop stigmatizing countries that really did the right thing, that did the science and notified the rest of the world, were transparent, and unfortunately were punished in return.

BROWN: Just very quickly to button up this segment as people are watching, trying to figure out, you know, what they should do with their holiday plans, there are a lot of comparisons right now with what's happening to the beginning of the pandemic. But to be clear as there are these similarities, we are also in a much different place as a country, right? Because we have so many people vaccinated, better understanding of the virus, more tools to fight it, right? SPENCER: Absolutely. Look, if it were me I wouldn't be going to any

big indoor holiday parties with a bunch of colleagues where masks are off, but I will be seeing my family and we will do rapid tests beforehand to make sure that we're all safe. You know, everyone that I'm going to be seeing indoors is going to be vaccinated, and that is my decision for myself and for my family. I have two kids under 3 that can't be vaccinated.

We are in a much different place than we were a year and a half, two years ago. We have the tools where we can stay safe, and I think it's important for us to celebrate, to be with family, especially as it's been so hard over the past few years. But we need to be thoughtful. We need to make individual decisions that won't continue to burden collectively hospitals and everybody else that's still in the front line fighting this virus.

BROWN: That is such an important message. Dr. Craig Spencer, thank you.

SPENCER: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: Well, it seems that every day we are learning new things about the January 6th insurrection. New tonight, the man behind the Stop the Steal rally that led things off that morning has handed over thousands of text messages he sent and received leading up to that day.

CNN's Whitney Wild is tracking this story. So, Whitney, court documents suggest many of these messages were to and from members of Congress and people and then President Trump's inner circle. What more are you hearing?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, this all comes in a court filing, Ali Alexander challenging a list of things about how the Select Committee, namely, their effort to try to get his phone records directly from his telecommunications provider. And what this filing shows is that he passed along communications that he says are from Representative Mo Brooks.

He also says that he testified in front of House Select Committee investigators last week for several hours in which he discussed phone communications he had with another member of Congress, specifically Paul Gosar. And then further, Pamela, said that he had a conversation with Kimberly Guilfoyle.

So what this shows is that the House Select Committee investigators have a wealth of information they are getting directly from the source, directly from the people whom they've subpoenaed, who they think were really at the central effort here of these rallies that eventually preceded the violence at the Capitol. So, further, Pamela, it is refocusing their effort on what these members of Congress know and what their efforts were leading up to the riot as well.

[19:10:02]

So as we see this investigation unfold, you know, they have again this wealth of information provided directly from the source which may refocus investigators on people within that building -- Pamela.

BROWN: And CNN has exclusive reporting that reveals new information about a text message sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows pushing a, quote, "aggressive strategy to undermine the 2020 presidential election." The alleged source of that message may surprise some. What do we know about it?

WILD: Well, House -- members on the House Select Committee believe that this text message was sent by former Texas governor, former energy secretary Rick Perry, and it was sent, Pamela, November 4th, OK. So I mean this is, you know, the day after the election. And what it shows is that basically from the gate there were members within the Republican Party who were strategizing ways to try to overturn the election.

So here's what this text message says. Here is an aggressive strategy. "Why can't the states of GA, North Carolina, Penn and other R- controlled statehouses declare this as BS where conflicts and elections not called that night and just send their own electors to vote, and have it go to the SCOTUS."

So this was another piece of information provided directly from the source. This came from this volume of records that then-White House chief of staff provided to the House Select Committee and it's one of the things that the House Select Committee would question Mark Meadows about, Pamela.

However, he maintains that he cannot sit for a deposition. He still says that because the former president is trying to exert executive privilege he simply can't give a deposition even about records he's already provided, Pamela.

BROWN: I mean that should -- that text should make everyone feel sick to their stomach.

Whitney Wild, thank you so much.

We want to talk more about these developments with Preet Bharara, former U.S. attorney, CNN senior legal analyst, and host of the "Stay Tuned with Preet" podcast.

All right, Preet. So let's start with Ali Alexander, the organizer of the Stop the Steal effort, turning over thousands of messages, many of them between him and members of Congress and Trump's inner circle. How significant is this?

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I think it's quite significant. You know, the fact that you have a lot of people who were engaging in disputes and defiance with respect to the committee, some people are doing both. He is doing both. You know, on the one hand he's turned over a bunch of documents like Mark Meadows has, on the other hand he's filing suit to prevent the obtaining of cellphone records, further communications records.

But the fact that a lot of materials have been turned over and shows some of the origins of this I think is quite significant. I think the other thing that's significant about it is, as you pointed out in the prior segment, is that what we're being set up for is a very, very significant and unprecedented clash between the members of the January 6th Select Committee, which is made up wholly of members of the House of Representatives, and other members of the same body who have not been subpoenaed yet but who are being implicated by these documents and other documents and other reporting, and I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out, a fight between some members of Congress and other members of Congress to see if we get transparency into what happened on January 6th.

BROWN: Yes. I mean it would be a pretty big deal if they subpoena their fellow members of Congress for more records. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, he seems to be changing his tune. He is now showing support for the January 6th investigation, saying what the committee is trying to uncover is something, quote, "the public needs to know."

Now, to be clear, he voted against an independent 9/11 type commission to get down to the bottom of this. But what do you think about McConnell's sudden turnabout? What is going on there?

BHARARA: You know, that's an interesting question. I don't know how much of the turnabout is sudden from all the words that he's spoken and I think reporting of things that he said to colleagues. He has a very dim view of what happened on January 6th, and I think he has a very dim view of what Donald Trump's participation was, but at the end of the day when it came time to vote in a particular way he didn't vote the way that he sounded in the speeches he gave.

So mostly, this is going to take place, unfold and be fought about in the House of Representatives, so Mitch McConnell doesn't have a lot to do with it unless there's some future impeachment which I don't see happening with respect to the former president. So his words, you know, I guess we can talk about it. I guess it makes some difference in the minds of some folks, but most people I think care more about actions and deeds and votes than words at this point.

BROWN: And as you pointed out, his vote did not reflect his concern and his words. I want to turn to this sobering development, these three retired generals authoring an op-ed in "The Washington Post" where they say they are growing more and more worried at the potential for political violence in the U.S. Military, writing, "As we approach the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, we all of U.S. former senior military officials, are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military which would put all Americans at severe risk."

[19:15:14]

"In short, we are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time."

Preet, these are strong words. What does it mean that these three former generals have gone public like this and do you think they're right? BHARARA: So they're the experts. I have never served in uniform and

certainly haven't in recent times and some of these folks have. They have combined service record of over 100 years among the three of them. So you take it very seriously. I mean, among the things that they say in the op-ed, which has rightly gotten a lot of attention is there needs to be, you know, a certain kind of education and training within our military of civics and how the Constitution works and how civilian rule is very important in the military.

So I think they're sobering. I think they are patriots for bringing up the issue. It becomes a difficult thing to figure out what you do and see if there are folks who are going to be predisposed to engaging in violence of an unpatriotic nature like happened on January 6th. I mean, one of the sobering statistics that they point out in their op- ed is that something like over one out of 10 of the people who were involved in the insurrection had a military record, U.S. military record.

And while we honor the sacrifices of veterans in this country, when they decide to do things like engage in a slow-moving coup on January 6th, that's sobering and in some ways very frightening. So I think we should take their words very seriously.

BROWN: I think we should, too. Preet Bharara, thanks so much.

BHARARA: Thanks, Pamela.

BROWN: Up next, the Omicron variant now breaking through the toughest COVID-19 protocols and derailing the return of live professional sports. We will tell you who is affected.

The COVID surge now the biggest test yet for the Biden administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death, for unvaccinated.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Why the vice president says the White House didn't see these variants coming.

And in Europe, the mayor of London declaring a major incident as the Netherlands enforces strict new lockdown measures.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:36]

BROWN: Across the country signs of another brutal winter. Postponed football games, cancelled college classes, long lines for COVID-19 tests. Rough images for a president who promised to shut down the virus. The administration's plan to combat the surge includes booster shots and expansion of at-home testing and new antiviral COVID pills, but the reality is that many of these tools remain absent.

Vaccination rates have waned in recent months. At-home tests are difficult to find for so many and the FDA still hasn't authorized COVID pills that could be incredibly effective. So the question now is, how can the administration soothe the American psyche as these variants threaten more months of COVID pain and anxiety?

Joining me CNN's Chris Cillizza. Hi, Chris, thanks for coming on.

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICS REPORTER AND EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Hi, Pam.

BROWN: So these variants are complicating efforts to get ahead of the pandemic in every country, and I want to be clear on that. But the bottom line is President Biden campaigned on getting ahead of it. Since April his COVID approval rating has fallen 12 points. How big of a problem is this for the president?

CILLIZZA: I mean, it's a huge problem, and I think that you can't blame this on Joe Biden. We're dealing with an infectious disease the likes of which we haven't seen in 100 years. So I mean I think it's important to establish that. At the same time, to your point, Pam, he did campaign on we're going to get this under control, we are going to get the economy started again, we are going to get back to, quote- unquote, "normal again."

When you campaigned on that, and, of course, you're going to campaign on that. You're not going to say, oh, we're going to let it run wild. But when you campaign on that there is an expectation when you are president of the United States that you are going to get this under control. It was always a little bit of a -- I don't want to call it an empty promise, Pam, but a hope in the unseen.

Joe Biden can't fix this. He can't tell the coronavirus to stop mutating, right. At the same time when you are president of the United States, these problems -- and this is the central problem facing the country. Everything else comes from it, right. Everything flows from the economy, education, et cetera. When you are president, these are the problems you have to handle even if it's everyone recognizes beyond your capability to sort of snap your fingers and fix it.

BROWN: Right. And then, of course, on 4th of July he had said that -- declared independence from the virus, but as we know this is a virus that keeps on mutating. And to that point, Vice President Kamala Harris is taking some heat again. Whether that's fair or not I'll let the viewer to decide. But this time it's for appearing to admit the administration was caught flat footed in their response to the Omicron variant.

Harris told "The L.A. Times," "We didn't see Delta coming, I think most scientists did not. We didn't see Omicron coming. And that's the nature of what this awful virus has been, which as it turns out has mutations and variants."

So was Harris displaying some brutal honesty here or do you think this was another example of her being unprepared for a question? When I say unprepared, I mean, of course, the question about why she hadn't been to the Mexico border and about Israel.

CILLIZZA: Yes. I don't know if it's unprepared. It is one of these difficult things in politics, Pam. She's not wrong in that we didn't -- we don't know -- we know the virus is going to mutate. We don't know exactly what it's going to be. Some of these mutations are not a big deal.

[19:25:06]

Some like Delta and Omicron are a very big deal, right. So she's not totally wrong. At the same time, again, this gets back to the first point. When you are the president or the vice president, there is an expectation, whether it is fair or not, there's some expectation in the American public that you're going to have foresight and you're going to fix things.

Particularly when you promised during your campaign that that's what you're going to do. So when you say things like, we were caught by surprise by this, it's not wrong, it's just not what is expected from the American public. And again, you said fair or unfair, we can have that debate. Is it fair to expect a president and a vice president, no matter who they are, no matter what party they belong to, to solve a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic that continues to mutate in ways that baffle epidemiologists and infectious disease experts?

No. At the same time, we elect leaders to lead and in these moments that's what people want whether or not it's reasonable.

BROWN: And it's worth noting that not long after that -- and I have no idea if there's any connection to those comments, but Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, tweeted out that President Biden will be holding this address on Tuesday to talk about the Omicron variant and all the things that the administration is doing to combat it.

CILLIZZA: Yes. I mean, look, Pam, I'll put myself in this category. Like I'm -- you know, I thought we were kind of getting to the point where everything I read, everything I heard, well, you know, there's not going to be another major surge. That enough of the country -- not enough candidly, but enough of chunk of the country is vaccinated and boosted, enough people have gotten it that we're not headed back to this Delta surge that we saw in August and September.

Well, you know, I think what this has taught every politician and certainly all of us is don't make predictions about what the future of the virus looks like, right. Because you wind up looking dumb, and I think a lot of people look at it and say, I thought that we were headed into, well, this Christmas is going to be different, and then once we get into the new year we are going to be different.

And now we're back to -- I mean, I know I am. We're back to the same thing. Should we go to the holiday party? Should we travel? Should the kids go on playdates? You know, we are back to the same conversations that, candidly, we were having a year ago. And I think that frustration is really hard because, again, when you are the elected leaders of the country it trickles up to you, and it is a very hard question to answer. BROWN: And, by the way, you wrote this great op-ed for CNN.com just

talking about that, what you have been going through in that frustration and anxiety stemming from all these changes and sort of the whiplash. Like, wait a second, we're at this place again? I encourage our viewers to check it out because I bet a lot of people are going through what you're going through, too, Chris. Thank you so much.

CILLIZZA: Yes. Thank you, Pam. Thanks so much.

BROWN: Well, no live audience tonight and no musical performance. "Saturday Night Live" joining the growing list of shows grappling with COVID concerns. How should we be absorbing pandemic headlines like these seemingly coming constantly now?

Brian Stelter joins me on that, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:38]

BROWN: Tonight, "Saturday Night Live" episode will still air live on NBC, but without a studio audience. The show cites concern about the omicron variant. "SNL" will also use a limited cast and crew this evening.

And a short time ago, the show's musical guest Charlie XCX tweeted about how she has to bow out because of that limited crew. She says she is safe and healthy.

Paul Rudd is tonight's scheduled host.

CNN chief media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter joins me now.

Hi there, Brian. So no replacement act has been announced. Can they still fill 90 minutes of live TV tonight? And by the way, can you believe this? Here we are, again.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: This does have shades of March 2020, even though it is so different. I think the differences are more important than the similarities.

You know, yes, we saw all of these programs shut down or scale back nearly two years ago. The difference now is that the people who are testing positive, are most just having a bad day in bed, and they will be just fine.

You know, what we're talking about is vaccinated in New York seeing record numbers of cases, both New York State and New York City. Largely vaccinated in New York City. I feel like everybody in this town now knows 10 people who have tested positive and that includes at "SNL." So that is why SNL is scaling back because crew members, perhaps others have tested positive.

It's going to be hard to put on a normal show tonight. So to answer a question, Pamela, it will not be a fully live show.

They'll probably rely on some taped programs, some things they have in the can from earlier in the week. And so it'll be a very different "SNL."

And as a symbol of where we are, I think it is significant because these cultural moments, these entertainment icons, they are symbols of where we are, how far we've come and yet how quality of life and how life is still being disrupted by this virus.

I think, Pamela, it is because nobody quite knows what to do in this new normal where you have again, in New York City, a largely vaccinated community protected from the virus, and yet, because lots of people are testing positive, having the sniffles, having a version of the flu or the cold, people are taking precautions, the right thing to do. But we have to figure out though, I think the next few weeks and months, Pamela, is, what are the new rules? What is the new normal?

What we're about to see in these two weeks leading to Christmas and New Years, we're going to see offices scale back, we're going to see staff start to stay home again, we're going to see retrenchment in a very real way and "SNL" is a symbol.

But is that the right answer over the medium to long term? After the New Year, what is going to be the new solution when this very contagious virus is affecting -- is impacting basically everybody?

[19:35:12]

BROWN: Right. I mean, you've seen -- you've heard from doctors since all of this, and just in the past few days, they are saying, look, we're all basically going to get COVID-19 at one point or another. And I asked Dr. Reiner, he was on earlier, well, then in that case, you know, why are we taking all these precautions and following these protocols, and so forth, if it's just this inevitable, and he said, it is still so important, also, because hospitals are still getting overwhelmed and we are still learning about the omicron variant and how it impacts people, even those who are fully vaccinated.

And so, it is causing this quandary for entertainment shows, right? Not just for sports. We've seen it in sports. You've got a lot of late night comedy shows that are based in New York, they've been bringing back studio audiences. Is that about to change, too?

STELTER: Yes, well, right now, because of the Christmas and New Year Holidays, this is a little bit of a lull. But that's going to be a big question in January for the media world. I think we're going to see this in all sorts of industries, and all sorts of sectors.

And for people who have gone back to 95 percent normal, the idea of scaling back is very uncomfortable, very disheartening, and I think that's the psychological story right here. There is so much discouragement and disappointment about this moment, so much anxiety and stress about this moment, and I wonder, well, who are the leaders that are going to provide a better path forward? Is it going to be up to the NFL, who are coming up with ways to have

players play as long as they are not symptomatic? Is that going to be the path forward?

BROWN: There's still a lot of questions people have on their minds tonight. Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

And join Brian for much more on "Reliable Sources" tomorrow morning at 11 Eastern here on CNN.

Well, as we just sort of noted there, it is a busy weekend off the field, off the court, and off the ice. How sports leagues and teams are navigating this COVID surge, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:38]

BROWN: Professional sports leagues are not immune to the recent spike in COVID cases. Multiple NFL and NHL games have been delayed, and some NBA teams are hovering right at the minimum number of eligible players left to play.

CNN World Sport anchor Patrick Snell is watching it all.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN ANCHOR, WORLD SPORT: Well, Pamela, the NBA will soon implement daily testing and the NHL shutting down five teams until after Christmas and for the first time this season, the NFL has postponed games, three of them this weekend due to COVID-19 issues.

Saturday's scheduled game between the Browns and the Raiders has been pushed to Monday. The league also moving the Philadelphia versus Washington game and Rams-Seahawks from Sunday to Tuesday.

Now that decision comes after 23 Cleveland Browns players were added to the NFL's reserve COVID-19 list in recent days including the team starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield and his backup. As of Friday night, the Rams had 29 players on the list, Washington 23.

The NFL updating its COVID protocols further on Saturday making it easier for vaccinated asymptomatic players to be activated following a positive test. On Friday, the NHL is shutting down the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames until after Christmas. This, because of COVID concerns and as often happens, Pamela, as we've seen in this pandemic, these things happen in waves.

Just earlier on Saturday, two more teams were made to pause their seasons due to a rising number of positive cases, Boston and Nashville.

In the NBA, it has been an interesting 24 hours for Nets star Kyrie Irving. He hadn't played in a game all season because of his unvaccinated status. But late Friday night, the team's general manager saying they would let the seven-time All-Star rejoin the team as a part-time player. Irving still wouldn't be able to play in home games because of New York's vaccine mandates in arenas, but could play away games.

Short-handed Brooklyn want him back on the court because they have multiple players in health and safety protocols including superstar, James Harden.

Here comes that weight of the game within the past few hours, both Irving and their third big star, Kevin Durant were placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols.

Pamela, it's back to you.

BROWN: All right, thanks so much.

Well, he survived a devastating tornado by hiding in his bathtub. Now, a Kentuckian I met while reporting in Mayfield last weekend needs help to recover and rebuild.

I catch up with him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:36]

BROWN: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took a tour of his home state of Kentucky earlier today to see for himself the damage from last week's deadly tornadoes. He toured the devastated town of Mayfield and promised the people there, they will not be forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Well, we want to stay with you for the long haul. Because I know there's always a lot of attention in the beginning and then it begins to subside as people forget and move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The death toll from last weekend's tornadoes just in Kentucky stands at 77.

Thousands of people are putting their lives back together and mourning their losses after those deadly tornadoes last weekend. One of them is Charles Sherrill of Mayfield, Kentucky. He survived the storm by getting into his bathtub, and here's what he told me last Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And that's where you were right in there? Look at this. You were right in there.

CHARLES SHERRILL, SURVIVED KENTUCKY TORNADO IN HIS BATHTUB: Landed right there.

BROWN: You were right in there. And what were you thinking when --

SHERRILL: Just praying, praying that you know that God will take care of me that my kids and my family were okay. BROWN: Where we are kids and the rest of your family?

SHERRILL: They were in another house a couple of blocks over. And they were okay, I didn't know -- it hardly did no damage there.

[19:50:10]

SHERRILL: I was in that bathtub back there.

BROWN: You must be feeling really lucky because --

SHERRILL; My first cousin lives across the street here who got me out.

BROWN: He got you out of there.

SHERRILL: Yes. Because I couldn't see.

BROWN: Did you have any -- so this basically almost protected you though.

SHERRILL: the wall of this house fell on top of the tub it pretty much protected me from the rest of that. But the house was right there.

BROWN: It was over there?

SHERRILL: That's the foundation, it shifted all the way and went to the road, yes, the foundation was just after -- it wasn't right here. This is the driveway.

BROWN: And you live right next to the train tracks. You said it sounded like a train.

SHERRILL: It sounded like a train. I'm just -- I'm just thankful to be alive. Grateful, that you know, my kids and my family and thankful for the ones that did make it. Sorry, for the ones that didn't make it. But yes, that's where I was.

BROWN: I'm so sorry, you're having to go through this. I can't imagine looking at --

SHERRILL: Pretty much -- but the only problem I really had, I guess when you're thrown out of here, the pulled the pipes out and I was close to drowning.

BROWN: Wait, what happened?

SHERRILL: See the water line?

BROWN: Yes.

SHERRILL: So they busted and the water was just shooting in to the tub and I almost drowned, but other than that, I was okay.

BROWN: And then what happened? It just stopped.

SHERRILL: I got out of there. Water was up to here, I couldn't see because it was so dark. And I had a first cousin who had to get me out.

BROWN: Oh, gosh.

SHERRILL: And I don't even know if I had some shoes and stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Charles Sherrill joins me on the phone now. Charles, first of all, how are you doing a week in?

SHERRILL: I'm doing -- I'm doing okay.

BROWN: Doing okay.

SHERRILL: Doing well as best as I can be at this moment.

BROWN: Tell us what this last week has been like for you since we met there when you were showing me the bathtub that you survived the tornado in?

SHERRILL: It's been hard. I have been just trying to take it day by day and just been staying with friends and relatives and just trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

BROWN: And how are you doing that? Because you don't even have a car. I mean, you showed us that your car was severely damaged from the tornado. You don't have a home? How are you getting by day to day?

SHERRILL: I've got friends and some friends that come check on me and they give me a ride to a different food supply to get supplies and food and personal hygiene and things like that. Other than that I'm just trying to take it day by day. It is hard.

BROWN: Are you running into any red tape getting help from any government agencies?

SHERRILL: Not at this time. I think I should be as of the law -- listen, I'm sure I should get some kind of relief from F.E.M.A., I just haven't got it yet.

BROWN: But to be clear, you have talked with F.E.M.A. right? Tell us about that.

SHERRILL: I talked to them. They said it would be -- I had to go online to fill out the application and this is an ongoing process. So I'm making sure, within a few days, I think there's like five to 10 days. I think we are right at a week since we had a tornado. So hopefully, I am going to receive funding next week.

BROWN: What about on the ground there? Local organizations? State officials? Are they providing resources to you and help that you need to get through each day right now?

SHERRILL: Actually, they have. They have been great. They've been good to the whole community. They got food supplies, food trucks, and water, pretty much everything you need, everything that you know that it takes to really make it. They've been pretty good at that.

BROWN: What help do you still need?

SHERRILL: There are some organizations that have been good.

BROWN: What do you still need and what is your biggest concern as you look ahead to your future right now?

SHERRILL: Right now, I just really need a place to stay. I need a home, I need a car. I just don't have no transportation really have nowhere to live and that's really the biggest problem that I'm going through right now, and then I guess, it's just hard right now.

BROWN: It's just hard. Well, Charles Sherrill, thank you for giving us an update a week in and we wish you the best.

And for more information for all of our viewers who want to help. There's lots of great organizations to help those folks in Kentucky like Charles, just go to cnn.com/impact.

Charles Sherrill, thank you so much.

SHERRILL: Yes, ma'am.

BROWN: And we will be sure to keep in touch with Charles and return to Kentucky for an updated story in the months to come.

Worldwide, not just in the United States, coronavirus cases are sharply rising and that has more countries canceling Holiday traditions to try and slow the spread.

CNN has correspondents around the globe and we'll check in with them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:32]

BROWN: As omicron spreads across the U.S., the White House is enlisting prominent musical acts to convince folks to get vaccinated.

On Friday, the White House tweeted a clip of Pentatonix singing in original tune about getting the booster shot.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

BROWN: A little while later, the Jonas Brothers lip sync to a viral video where Long Islanders talk about President Biden or as they describe him, Biron.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

BROWN: But the celebrity tweets were not without their detractors, so the critics saying everything from "What a waste of time" to "I never thought I'd hate the Jonas Brothers until now."

NEWSROOM continues right now. [20:00:31]