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U.S. Averaging 150,000 COVID-19 Cases A Day; Israel Plans To Administer Fourth Dose Of Coronavirus Vaccine; Biden Insists Build Back Better Can Pass Despite Manchin Opposition; US Talks With Russia Could Occur In January. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 22, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:26]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London and just ahead right here on CNN Newsroom.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Always be extra special careful, because you're dealing with an unprecedented situation of a virus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now is the moment to really practice those mitigation strategies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the next two to eight weeks will be a global blizzard.

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SOARES: States and help officials prepare for the worst, warning a holiday COVID surge is imminent.

Israel is now offering a fourth COVID vaccine dose to vulnerable people. We are live this hour in Jerusalem.

And could it be a potential lock -- deadlock during the trial former police officer Kim Porter prepare the third day of deliberations after suggesting they may be struggling to reach a verdict.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from London. This is CNN Newsroom with Isa Soares.

SOARES: Welcome to the show everyone, it is Wednesday, December 22nd. We'll begin with new evidence of just how devastating the COVID 19 pandemic has been now. The CDC says life expectancy in the U.S. fell by almost two years in 2020, mostly due to the pandemic.

Last year, Americans live to an average age of 77 down from 17.8. That is the biggest single year drop in more than 75 years. And COVID was the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer.

The news comes as the pandemic is still raging right across the country fueled by Omicron. The variant has now been detected in all but one state and that is South Dakota. The country is currently averaging nearly 150,000 new COVID cases a day.

And while new numbers, new case numbers actually declined last week, data from the WHO shows us still has more new infections than any other country. Despite all that, millions of Americans are putting on putting holiday plans on hold on Tuesday, President Biden encourage them to celebrate if they're fully vaccinated. Have a listen.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: If you are vaccinated and follow the precautions that we all know well, you should feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays as you planned. You know you've done the right thing because you enjoy the holiday season.

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SOARES: Now in the lead up to the holidays long lines are formed. As you can see they're forming a testing sites, and officials are warning the weeks ahead could be brutal, really for the healthcare system.

On Tuesday, President Biden announced teams are now being deployed to help overburden hospitals in several states. He also tried to ease the minds of anxious Americans. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has those details for you.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Just days before Christmas, President Biden offering reassurances and warnings to the American people about the spread of the Omicron variants. Now certainly this has now taken up the majority of new cases and White House officials are expecting that to grow.

Now the President taking a number of steps what his administration is going to do on testing, opening up new federal testing sites in New York City and elsewhere, sending military medical members to hospitals to help them with their burden staff and also sending at-home tests across the country, some 500 million of them by January.

But the question is will that be enough? The President though offered these words of assurances and calm to Americans.

BIDEN: I know you're tired. I really mean this and I know you're frustrated. Well, I want us to be over or still in it. This is a critical moment.

ZELENY: The President also doing something he rarely does referring to former President Donald Trump, who in the past several days, it said that he too has received the booster. Now he was speaking at an event where he got booed for that. But President Biden essentially praised his predecessor instead of for President Trump did it soak in other Americans trying to make the case for vaccinations and boosters. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

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SOARES: Thanks, Jeff. Well, President Biden denies the shortage of COVID-19 testing kits in the U.S. is a failure. He says no one anticipated the virus spreading as quickly as it has in the past few weeks. Drive-thru sites are also being overwhelmed. The free site in Cleveland, Ohio had to shut down Tuesday after testing more than 1,000 people in its first day.

[04:05:00]

U.S. pharmacies are limiting the number of home tests customers can buy six at CVS and four at Walgreens. Dr. Anthony Fauci says more help is coming quickly have a listen.

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FAUCI: They're putting up about 20,000 testing sites with getting a half a billion test very quickly, literally within the next few days, and then have a situation where you can get anywhere from 200 million to a half a billion tests per month. So we will be able to very soon have all the tests that people need because you are correct. It is an important part of the comprehensive program of staying safe.

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SOARES: Well, meantime, more states and cities across the United States are implementing new measures in an attempt really to curb the COVID surge. California's governor has announced all healthcare workers in the state will be required to receive a booster shot starting January 3, Chicago will start requiring proof of vaccination to dine indoors, go to bars and visit gyms and an anticipation of post-holiday surgery.

Vermont has requested teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to add additional capacity to hospitals and distribute monoclonal antibody therapies throughout the state.

And West Virginia is planning to spend $48 million to aggressively recruit and train more nurses right across the state. The governor says around 1,700 nurses didn't renew their license last year. Officials they expect COVID hospitalizations to hit record highs this holiday season.

And in Cleveland, Ohio, this simple message, Help, as you can see there just one word from several area hospitals. That plead really was brought in a full page advert -- advertisement. You can see then Ohio's largest newspaper. Below it, they made an appeal for everyone to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated saying that currently treating more COVID patients than ever before and that really overwhelming majority of them are unvaccinated. Just a single -- simple word, that single word to really express what they are going through.

If I take you to New York City they're offering $100 to anyone who gets a COVID vaccine booster at one of the city's vaccination sites before the end of the year. The city is also expanding testing sites with some help from the federal government officials expect to have more than 100 testing centers including both fixed and mobile by the end of the week. As for offering up cash for boosters, Mayor de Blasio says it's well worth it to save lives.

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BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK MAYOR: This is strategic. This is to move the people who are not moving fast enough. God bless the people went got their booster fast. That was the right thing to do for themselves and their families. We gave it to them for free. But we got to move some other people in incentive, get them off the dime, get a moving for the good at all. That's a good investment.

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SOARES: And without micron spreading really like wild fall and Christmas just days away. Many people are wondering just how safe it is to travel and be out for the holidays. Here's what top U.S. health experts are saying.

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DR. ASHISHA JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Omicron is so contagious that there's still a small chance you're going to get infected. But if you're vaccinated and boosted, you're going to do well from a clinical point of view. You're not going to get very sick.

I think kids -- can kids go to school safely? Absolutely. Can we gather in small groups of meaning family and friends? They can if everybody's vaccinated, everybody's eligible. If you can get find those rapid tests and get everybody a rapid test, that makes it much, much safer.

I do think that those things are possible. I wouldn't go to a large Christmas Party right now with 300 people indoors eating and drinking. I think that's unnecessary.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: One thing I want to just make sure people understand and it is not really the act of being on the airplane or being in the car, the travel itself that is puts it one at risk. What puts one at risk is actually all of the behavior and the mitigation strategies that may not have been used in the week prior to gathering before people meet up. And that's really why we're saying right now is the moment to really practice those mitigation strategies so that you can be safe when you're together.

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SOARES: Very good advice there. Well, meanwhile, Israel is taking a major step and its fight against COVID-19 becoming the first country in the world to recommend a fourth vaccine dose. The additional booster for at risk groups comes into the country braces for another wave of course of Coronavirus infections. For more on this, let's bring in journalist Elliott Gotkine in Jerusalem. And Elliot, you know, what more do we know about the plans for this fourth booster in particular, how soon will be available and critically the decision behind it here.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: So I think the decision behind it just shows that Israel is really trying to do everything that it can to get ahead of the Omicron variant and to slow its spread and to slow down this fifth COVID wave. And I don't think it will have any qualms about sticking his neck out or sticking its arm out for over 60s, medical workers and people with a suppressed immune systems in terms of receiving a fourth shots of the COVID vaccine.

[04:10:02]

You may recall back in the summer, it was one of the first to roll out a third booster shots of the vaccine. Well, before the United States and other countries and health experts were saying that it was necessary. So that's what's going to happen in terms of the fourth shot and the groups that are going to receive it in terms of how soon it will happen.

While we're still waiting for more information on that, I understand that they've been talking on the radio here about more shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arriving in Israel. And of course, at the same time, the country is trying to encourage those that have yet to have their third shot to do so as well, all the while trying to ramp up the vaccination campaign for children.

And this is just one of the many -- one of the measures, many measures that Israel is trying to take to slow down the spread of Omicron. It's extending the use of the requirements for a green pass to prove vaccination or recovery. So for example, in shopping centers, shops that are bigger than 100-meter squared, you won't be able to go in there without a green pass. They are reducing the time gap between the recommendation for people to receive their third shot after their second shot. So that's been shrunk that time gap.

And on top of that are getting public sector workers, half of all public sector employees from Sunday are expected to begin working from home and also encouraging private sector workers to do so. And of course, we've been talking the last few days as well about the U.S. and Canada being added to Israel's red no fly list that came into effect last night, again, in order to try to stop off with the major source of Omicron in the country, because most of its 341 confirmed cases came from people bringing it back into Israel.

So what Israel is hoping is that with all of those measures in place, it will by itself more time, it'll be able to slow the spread of the Omicron variants, and that Israel will be able to better prepare for the spike in cases that is expected to happen in the coming weeks. Isa.

SOARES: Very briefly, Elliot, how is our news of this fourth vaccine? How's that being received? GOTKINE: Look, I think Israelis those that are eligible for it. And as I said, this is for the over 60s, medical workers and people will suppress their immune systems. You know, Israel is I think the second most successful in terms of rolling out a third booster shot. So there is, you know, a reasonable appetite but at the same time, I think some people might be taking the view that look, you know, how much longer is going to go on? This is a fourth one. Will there be a fifth one, a sixth one, is this going to go on forever.

But I think for now, you know, before it's been administered, we'll see what the take up is like and see if that reflects the kind of appetite among Israelis for receiving yet another shot of the COVID vaccine. Isa.

SOARES: Elliott Gotkine in Jerusalem from this hour. Thanks very much Elliott. Well, Just ahead, Democrats are trying to revive President Biden's domestic agenda. But first they have they may have to overcome some deep divisions within their own party. We'll explain the Biden administration says some demands from Russia are non-starters as tensions remain high over its military buildup near Ukraine's border. We're tracking all the developments that you will live in Moscow, next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did Senator Manchin break his commitment to you?

BIDEN: Senator Manchin and I going to get something done. Thank you.

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SOARES: The U.S. president they're refusing as you can see to condemn Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who's been blocking administration's Build Back Better Act instead, indicating that they will overcome the impasse. Joe Biden made his case to reporters on Tuesday. Have a listen.

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BIDEN: You saw what happened yesterday. All the talk about how my Build Back Better plan was going to increase inflation and a causes debts and the like. What happened? Goldman Sachs and others said if we don't pass Build Back Better we're in trouble, because it's going to grow the economy. And without it, we're not going to grow.

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SOARES: Well, Manchin's office (ph) said he had an honest conversation with respect to Senate colleagues on Tuesday, but still believes the President's plan will cost more than expected. During that call the Senate Majority Leader reportedly vow that Democrats won't stop working on the bill until it is passed. And there will be a vote next months. Here's CNN's Manu Raju with more for you.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Democrats had a private conference call on Tuesday night trying to figure out if they can get this agenda back on track after Joe Manchin effectively derailed it on Sunday.

Now, it's unclear if they can do just that, because there is absolutely no consensus on how to move ahead is particularly because Manchin reiterated his concerns to his colleagues, I'm told. He also said he had concerns about inflation and geopolitical concerns. He said this bill does not actually show the true nature of his costs. He said it would add to the debt.

Now, Democrats pushed back there was some belief that Joe Manchin was not accurately portraying how this bill would be paid for. But, there was a discussion by Manchin that he'd be willing to continue to discuss things going forward. So does that lead to a smaller plan a scaled back proposal? Is that something that even liberals in the House or even the Senate could accept? And could they get it all done? And to Joe Biden's desk in a matter of weeks or even months, that remains a big question because midterm election season is heating up, and Democrats are on the defensive trying to keep the house are struggling to keep the Senate as well.

And there are concerns that Democrats may go to the voters, promising a lot, but delivering nothing on this big agenda. Even as they point to the infrastructure bill, social safety net expansion had been hoped. There have been hoped from liberals and activists and their voters that they would do something but they may not be able to get it because of deep divisions between Joe Manchin and the rest of his party. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

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SOARES: Thank you, Manu. Meanwhile, U.S. markets rebounded, someone chooses, you can see getting walloped you remember the beginning of the week. The Dow gaining 560 points and NASDAQ finishing more than 2 percent higher. As you can see there, green arrows close on Tuesday, all three benchmarks really snapping a three-day losing streak. And let me show you the picture for us futures along with European markets and Asia markets.

[04:20:00]

Dow futures expected, you can see the NASDAQ, S&P and 500 and the Dow, all expected to stop trading day lower this Wednesday. Mix picture really in Europe. FTSE Really the only one in Europe seeing red this morning. And in Asia also another mixed picture, of course, concerns over Omicron and demand playing into all this. I think our Shanghai Composite is not working very well, but we'll keep you updated on those numbers.

Now, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe says further diplomatic talks with Russia unlikely to take place next month. This comes amid soaring tensions over Russia's military buildup near Ukraine's border. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding security guarantees from the U.S. as well as NATO, including a binding pledge that NATO won't expand further east. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more from Washington for you.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Biden administration is making it clear that the demands put forward by Russia demands for example, that Ukraine not join NATO or about positioning of U.S. forces throughout NATO, as well as advise and assist in Ukraine that these are non-starters. The administration has made it clear not only from President Joe Biden, but also now from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Russia simply can't make demands of Ukrainian foreign policy. Whether Ukraine joins NATO or whether it joins any other alliances is a decision for a sovereign Ukraine to make. Here's what Blinken had to say on Tuesday.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: One country does not have the right to dictate the policies of another or to tell that country with whom it may associate. One country does not have the right to exert a sphere of influence. That notion should be relegated to the dustbin of history.

LIEBERMANN: The U.S. is working with its European allies to prepare a set of sweeping sanctions that target not only Russia's energy sector, but also its overall economy as well as its financial sector in a bid to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering an invasion of Ukraine.

The idea here the thinking is that Russia's economy is not strong. And if Putin sees this sweeping array of sanctions, as a potential consequence, if he invades Ukraine, he may think twice about doing so. Where did the talks go from here? Administration officials here have said they hope there are more talks coming forward in January not only between the U.S. and Russia, but also perhaps between NATO and Russia, that would lead to an off ramp, a way to avoid an escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. Still, the U.S. military and others are watching this very closely in a situation that could very easily ignite with a mistake, a misstep or Russian invasion. Oren Lieberman, CNN at the Pentagon.

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SOARES: Thanks very much Oren. Well, CNN's Melissa Bell is following all these developments from Moscow, she joins me now live. And Melissa, we have seen and heard pretty stark and some even say aggressive language from President Putin as he continues to blame NATO and the West for these rising tensions. What has been the reaction that these comments from the United States and indeed from U.S. and its allies to what we heard from Putin so far?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're quite right to push out that, Isa. We've been seeing increasingly aggressive language, I'd say not just from Russia, but also from NATO in the United States, these threats of sanctions that would go far beyond anything that had been seen before (INAUDIBLE) in a much more coordinated what coordinated way between United States and Europe compared to anything we saw in 2014.

So you see this ratcheting up of language. What we heard yesterday from Vladimir Putin, who was speaking in a defense ministry meeting, it was televised, was a warning. First of all, pointing out that what he wanted was dialogue rather than in bloodshed, but saying that Russia would not hesitate to carry out what he described as military technical activity. Should what he regards as the aggressive moves from NATO continuing, in a sense, you have to look at it from his point of view.

He mentioned that these various treaties coming out of the cold war that the United States has progressively left the idea of missiles being placed within several minutes striking range of Moscow in Ukraine, for instance, should that eastward expansion of NATO continue extremely worrying for Russia. This is what Vladimir Putin had to say at that meeting yesterday.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): But why? Why did NATO have to expand? Why withdrawal from the ABM Treaty? What is happening now the tension that is building up in Europe is their fault. Armed conflicts, bloodshed, this is absolutely not our choice. We do not want such a development of events. But we want to be able to have at least understandable, clearly stated legal guarantees. This is the meaning of our proposals laid out on paper and sent to Brussels and Washington.

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BELL: I mentioned there the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed the 1970s between Russia and Washington, the middle of the Cold War left by the United States in 2002. But it goes to the heart of Vladimir Putin's preoccupations what might happen on his borders should that eastward NATO expansion continue.

[04:25:01]

And your heard it in that meeting yesterday with the Defense Minister talking about an American military company. He said that was using mercenaries and then required chemical weapons and was planning provocations on Ukrainian soil in couple of cities in the east of the country. So there are genuine fears on both sides of ratcheting up of the language. But again, that glimmer of hope, in the shape of that conversation that will begin in January, Isa.

SOARES: We shall see what comes out on the conversation in the New Year. Melissa Bell, great to see you. Thanks very much.

And if you want to dig deeper on the rising tensions between West and Russia, as Melissa was outlining, what we can really expect from President Putin when it comes to Ukraine, have a read of this fascinating opinion piece by Michael Bociurkiw. I read it this morning, where he really argues that Putin's endgame, he says, is USSR 2.0, coming almost 30 years the day the Soviet Union collapsed. He also goes on to say, without firing a shot, Putin has managed to send the West into a collective panic, or at least in the position where they feel the need to appease the ageing autocrat. You can find that piece more on cnn.com/opinions.

Now, I know you're probably not counting or anything, but we're just three days away until Christmas and the winter solstice is bringing snow to early parts of the U.S. The rest of the country will have a dream or -- to dream really have a white Christmas. CNN's Tyler Mauldin is at the Weather Center with the very latest. Good morning to you, Tyler. Give us a sense of what our viewers can expect as they start making their way whether they're driving, getting in a plane, or even walking, see their loved ones.

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, hey, Isa, good morning to you. As you know the last couple of days we've been tracking multiple areas of low pressure across the West Coast, which will really cause both the rain and the snow fall to pile up very quickly.

We're talking about some snowfall totals getting up to five feet along the Sierra Nevada. Some indications show that, well, we could be seeing some isolated areas of the Sierra Nevada, you could see snowfall up to about eight feet of snow. All right, so yes, that's a lot.

And up here across the intermountain west going into the Northern Rockies, we're going to be measuring the snow in feet as well. So travel delays for sure here. What about the rest of the country up here across the Great Lakes and also New England, we have a pair of low pressure systems moving across that will also impact our travelling both by ground and by air because those will be some -- those will give a quick little hit of snowfall in both regions.

So for Wednesday, the travel impacts will be minor to moderate here across the west coast and then minor to moderate to up here across New England. Then as we get into Thursday, you can see that, there you go, more the way of travel delays for us with those systems moving over. I apologize I didn't realize that graphic was there.

And then you can see the above average sheet is going to be here across the center portion of the country. So yes, we've got a couple of areas where there will be travel delays, mainly the west coast, the Great Lakes and New England.

But then the majority of the East Coast in the days to come we'll just be seeing tranquil above average heat. Notice that across the plains, we could see by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we could be seeing temperatures in the low to mid 80s. Atlanta, Georgia not spared. Temperatures by Christmas day in Atlanta, Isa, in the low 70s. Not feeling much like Christmas.

SOARES: No, that's very mild indeed. I did like your graphics by the way, your Christmas graphics. Expect more decorations in the days ahead, Tyler.

MAULDIN: Thank you. SOARES: Good to see you, Tyler.

MAULDIN: Thank you.

SOARES: Still ahead, new testing requirements and filed (ph) limits are taking hold right across Europe, not least one country's health minister isn't ruling out a hard lockdown.

And police in Minnesota bracing for protests as a public wait for a verdict in the trial of Kim Potter, a former officer was shot and killed Daunte Wright. We have the very latest.

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