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Schools Weigh Reopening amid Omicron Spread; New York City EMS Workers, Firefighters Out Sick; Biden-Putin Phone Call Today; Ghislaine Maxwell Guilty on Four Sex Trafficking Charges; Trump Fights to Keep January 6 Records Private. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired December 30, 2021 - 09:00   ET

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

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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Good morning, everyone. So glad you're with me. I'm Poppy Harlow. Jim has a well-deserved week off.

As the Omicron variant takes over the U.S., a very stark prediction from the CDC this morning, now forecasting over 44,000 people will die from COVID-19 in this country in the next four weeks.

This comes as school systems grapple with what to do after the holiday break. Some places like Washington, D.C., requiring negative tests before kids can return to the classroom.

In the meantime, states like Georgia and Ohio activated the National Guard, trying to help alleviate the growing pressure facing hospitals. We'll have more on that in a moment.

Also this just in to CNN: new weekly jobless claims are out; 198,000 claims were filed last week. That is 8,000 less than the week before. It is low, it is near a 52-year low, in fact. What it means for the broader economy, we'll talk about it.

Plus a critical conversation for President Biden. He is going to have a phone call today with Russian president Vladimir Putin. That came specifically at Putin's request.

What will they talk about?

Let's begin with the Omicron variant. Our Polo Sandoval and CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me with the latest.

Elizabeth, let me start with you. First, to the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, what she said about vaccinated people, that they may be more likely to develop a breakthrough infection with Omicron than with Delta, showing, again, just how much more contagious it is.

What does this mean for the month ahead?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, so it shows two things: one, how much more contagious Omicron is but also the vaccine worked better against Delta than it does against Omicron.

So we may be seeing these breakthrough cases. But keep this in mind -- and I can't emphasize it enough -- vaccination is still helpful. It will -- the data says that it will give viewers -- most likely to give you a mild disease compared to unvaccinated people.

The hospitals are filling up mainly with unvaccinated people. The vaccine is keeping people out of the hospital, to a very great extent.

So let's take a look, though, at the future. I have to say the future is not looking great. That's because, as we said, Omicron is so transmissible. The CDC has done a forecast and what they say is that, in mid-January, they expect to see an estimated 17,400 new hospitalizations per day.

To put that in context, now we're seeing about 9,400 new hospitalizations per day. So that is a big difference, unfortunately.

Also, a difference in deaths; if you look at over the next four weeks, the CDC estimates that we're going to be seeing 45,000 or more deaths over the next four weeks. To put that in context, in a typical flu season, we see between 12,000 and 52,000 deaths in an entire flu season.

So in the next four weeks, Poppy, we're going to see as many deaths as we have in an entire bad flu season. That's what the CDC is predicting. These predictions are just predictions but that's what their data tells them. Poppy?

HARLOW: OK. Elizabeth, before you go, there is some new information, important information from Johnson & Johnson, about how their booster stacks up against the Omicron variant, right?

COHEN: That's right. So this is data that is coming out of Johnson & Johnson, not peer reviewed, and what they say is that, if you get a Johnson & Johnson shot and then a booster six months or more later, it is 85 percent effective against hospitalization, compared to not getting vaccinated at all.

It also increases antibodies in other parts of the immune system, the CDC says, though, there is safety issues with Johnson & Johnson. They still prefer that people get Moderna or Pfizer.

HARLOW: All right, good to know, Elizabeth, thank you very, very much.

In New York, right here, the Omicron outbreak caused huge staff shortages among first responders. Polo Sandoval is with us.

What are you hearing from the FDNY? POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Emergency response services are noticing in several instances they're getting emergency calls but these are from people who are sick, people who are asking about getting tested or even, in some cases, asking for rides to get tested.

SO what you're hearing from New York City officials is that's not what 9-1-1 is for. That's what 3-1-1 is for. The concern here is for potential staff shortages. Look at the numbers now, the number of emergency responders that have called in sick, according to FDNY, about 30 percent of EMS workers, about 17 percent of firefighters called in sick here.

That includes confirmed COVID cases, those experiencing flu-like symptoms, and those just generally sick here.

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SANDOVAL: But the thing is those numbers are twice as high as what we have seen in the last week. So what we're hearing from outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, whose term ends with the year, they will weather the storm, they're taking steps to make sure no calls go unanswered.

Right now every firehouse remains open and they expect that to continue as they continue to ask people to not call 9-1-1 unless it is absolutely necessary.

HARLOW: Yes, wow. Polo Sandoval, thank you for the reporting.

Joining me now to talk about this, Syra Madad, senior director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program for New York City Health + Hospitals, also a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Thank you very much for being with us this morning.

SYRA MADAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR, SYSTEM-WIDE SPECIAL PATHOGENS PROGRAM, NEW YORK CITY HEALTH + HOSPITALS: Good morning. Thank you for having me on, Poppy.

HARLOW: You have a really important take, I think, on testing. As I should note, we learned that these rapid at-home tests are not highly effective in being accurate when it comes to detecting the Omicron variant, as Elizabeth Cohen reported yesterday.

If you have symptoms, the BinaxNOW test will be wrong 38.8 percent of the time. If you're asymptomatic, it will be wrong 64 percent of the time. You say COVID tests at home are, quote, "not a Kit Kat bar to split with a friend."

What do you mean?

MADAD: What I mean by that, when you buy a test kit, it comes with two tests. There is a reason for that. The individual buying the test, those two tests are meant for you. It is meant for you to do both of those tests over a period of time, having some time between the two tests.

If you get -- if you are planning on testing yourself, testing yourself on day one and then have that 24-hour period between the second test, that's what's going to be the much reliable indicator of whether you truly are positive, truly negative.

What we're seeing more is a lot of people are splitting those tests, giving one test to a friend, taking one test. And that's what's also decreasing the reliability of the result that is coming in. So certainly the rapid at-home tests are taking a hit in terms of sensitivity. They're still very important tools. I want to encourage people to use it.

HARLOW: What if the two tests say different things, which one do you believe?

MADAD: If you have a positive, first, if you have a positive result, I would assume you're positive. You want to follow up with a PCR, if you can. If you have a negative result and you're symptomatic, higher risk of exposure, act as if you may have COVID and get a PCR test if you can.

I think it is important to understand, given there is so much virus in the community, if you're coming down with sniffles or a cold or a cough, it is best to assume you probably have COVID and want to isolate for the appropriate period of time.

HARLOW: It is interesting; you say, look, COVID-19 testing results are half-day passes, not multiday passes.

MADAD: That's right, because the test results can change from morning to afternoon. You test negative in the morning, you may test positive in the afternoon. The virus, when we do the testing, it is a point in time.

At that given moment, what is your test result?

Because we know that the new Omicron variant is so much more contagious and incubation is shorter, you may see that people test, you know, positive just hours out in the same day. That's why serial testing is so important.

HARLOW: How -- well, if there were enough tests, right?

That's what we're up against now, too.

Do we know anything yet from the data?

Or is it too early about the reinfection probability with Omicron?

MADAD: So there is some really compelling data that has come out.

And they have shown that, if you have gotten infected previously, for example, with Delta, the risk of reinfection is fivefold or so, anywhere from fivefold to eightfold with this Omicron variant, which goes to show you it is really important to go ahead and get vaccinated because it provides better immune response, more reliable, more durable.

That's where so many of us are echoing, go ahead and make sure you get vaccinated, if you haven't gotten your first or second dose, and getting your booster dose. That's what will protect you right now.

HARLOW: What do you expect, given how involved you are in the health systems across New York City, the impact to be of 30 percent of EMS workers out and 17 percent of FDNY out?

MADAD: Staff shortage, it is a real issue, both from a prehospital standpoint, EMS bringing patients into the healthcare system and healthcare worker shortages. And not just in New York but around the nation.

I think when we look at this Omicron variant, even if it is half as mild but twice as contagious, it is going to cause havoc in our healthcare system. That's what we want to avoid.

We want to preserve hospital capacity. We know that next four to six weeks is going to be very rough with rising rates of cases. We know we're not back to March 2020 and we know we have the tools to help keep ourselves and communities safe.

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MADAD: But it is a very anxiety and fearful feeling right now for many.

HARLOW: Very quickly, given what Dr. Fauci said yesterday about New Year's Eve celebrations -- don't go to a big party, no hugging and kissing, et cetera -- should New York City still be having its New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square?

It's still 15,000 people.

MADAD: Yes. That's a great question. I think, first, you know, given the alarming rise of cases, we need to start curtailing activities that bring large congregate settings. This is outdoors and people are going to be fully vaccinated and masked, these are great risk reduction tools.

If we can cut that number in half, that's much more palatable to me. I understand that people want to go ahead and engage in these activities because they have done the right thing; they're vaccinated, wearing masks, applying all these different technique techniques.

We want to continue to be safe. We also want to understand the situation we're in. We're going to see more virus, more cases in the next couple of weeks. We have to do everything we can to curb transmission right now.

HARLOW: Syra, thank you for being with us. It is great to have your expertise.

This just in: new unemployment claims dropped to just 198,000 last week, holding near historic lows. CNN Business reporter Matt Egan joins me now.

What does it say about the state of economic recovery more broadly?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: Well, Poppy, it says, despite high inflation and Americans' low views on the economy, this recovery is actually in pretty good shape. Just 198,000 jobless claims in the latest week. That is very close to the 52-year low that was set earlier this month.

Demand for workers is very, very high and firing is at historically low levels. This does tend to be a volatile time of the year for jobless claims. And economists say some of the recent drop could be driven down by the seasonal effects. That's why they like to look at the four-week moving average.

Even by that measure, this is a new 52-year low. It is really an indisputable positive for the economy. And it is that much more impressive when you think about how far this jobs market has come.

In early January, there were nearly 900,000 jobless claims per week. This new number is down by three-quarters. That's very impressive. It makes sense; companies have a near record number of job openings right now. Many of them are desperate to hire.

Makes a lot of sense they can't afford to let go of the workers they do have. We're ending in a very good place. The challenge will be keeping that momentum up in 2022, especially given all the COVID concerns.

HARLOW: This year has really given workers so much power and leverage. It is going to be fascinating to watch how it plays out long-term. Matt Egan, thank you for the great reporting.

Still to come, speaking for the second time this month, why Russian president Vladimir Putin requested another call with President Biden. That's going to happen today.

Plus, guilty on five of six counts against her. We have new reaction this morning from some of Ghislaine Maxwell's victims.

And what does the Omicron surge mean for kids and school?

Are they going back in person next week?

I will speak live right here to the head of the nation's largest teachers' union.

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HARLOW: This afternoon, President Biden will hold his second call in a month with Russian President Putin over military tensions on Ukraine's border. This call was requested by Putin, ahead of bilateral talks with the United States and Russian officials that will take place on January 10th.

I should note those talks will not include Biden or Putin. Joining me now, CNN White House correspondent John Harwood; CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, joining us from Moscow.

Nic, let me begin with you. The Kremlin is explaining a bit more today why Putin initiated this call.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They're saying what's coming up, the nature of the conversations that will be had in Geneva, beginning January 10th, are extremely complicated. That's a quote from the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

From their perspective, from the Kremlin's perspective, they had this phone call with President Biden, what, two or three weeks ago, 7th of December. And during that call, the Russians said, we're going to put forward our proposals.

And they did and they were extreme. They were NATO not to accept Ukraine as a member of NATO, NATO not to base forces or military hardware inside of Ukraine and also NATO to withdraw from the eastern boundaries of Europe.

A lot of that is very contentious and likely -- unlikely to be accepted at face value. But, you know, that was what the Russians put forward. It seems like Putin wanted to have a follow-up phone call before his negotiators -- and his chief negotiators can be his deputy foreign minister -- before they arrive in Geneva.

You know, the complications that he sees in that, clearly he wants to set his own narrative around it. We know from the U.S. perspective that the Russians aren't de-escalating their forces and aren't de- escalating tensions.

And from the White House perspective, how can you have meaningful conversations that can be productive and go some way to achieving Russia's goals, if you don't have a de-escalation?

The two things are kind of interlinked. We asked the Kremlin spokesman about that today. And the answer was, it is not us creating the tensions; it is the U.S. creating the tensions. It's NATO's problem, that they have been coming closer to us.

So the positions on this just haven't moved. They're really a long way apart. And it comes to fundamental understandings about NATO and about -- from Russia's perspective and NATO's perspective.

HARLOW: And, John Harwood, to you, it is not just that Putin wants a verbal guarantee from Biden on NATO; he wants written guarantees from the U.S. and NATO, specifically that NATO will not expand the military capabilities further eastward and into Ukraine.

Is there any indication from the White House on how the president will address that, specifically, with Putin today?

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JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know President Biden is not going to provide those written guarantees. That's a nonstarter from the U.S. perspective.

So the question about Vladimir Putin, as he initiates this phone call, did he initiate it, Poppy, in order to get Biden to say no, so he can then say, well, I tried a diplomatic solution; therefore we need to go ahead and stage another invasion?

Or is he actually -- has he been chastened by the consequences that President Biden outlined in their last call a couple of weeks ago, unplugging Russia from the global financial system, perhaps very severe sanctions on Russian oligarchs or Vladimir Putin himself?

We don't know the question. We know that Vladimir Putin has a consistent record of aggression. He sees the decline of Russia's influence around the world as a tragedy he's trying to reverse.

Under the George W. Bush, administration he invaded Georgia. Under Barack Obama's administration, he annexed Crimea, still in possession of Crimea. This would be a repeat of what Putin has done before.

What Joe Biden has tried to do is rally allies, rally the Ukrainian leader, assure him that the United States has his back and is going to, if, in fact, Russia invades, they're going to provide more military equipment to the Ukrainians.

President Biden has spoken directly to President Zelensky of Ukraine. Yesterday, secretary of state Blinken had another conversation with President Zelensky. So this is a poker game right now.

And the White House, I think, has some hope that the talks that Putin and Biden will have this afternoon will facilitate further talks next week. But they simply don't know. They didn't raise a lot of expectations on a background call with a senior administration official yesterday.

Not saying that because Putin initiated the call, that that meant he was ready to engage in serious diplomacy and take a diplomatic offramp. They said, anytime he asks for a call, we say yes. Anytime we ask for a call, he says yes. That's what leaders have to do.

We have to wait and see what comes out of this call and, more significantly, what happens in the follow-on negotiations next week. The Russians have amassed around 100,000 troops on the border of Ukraine, could go up to 175,000.

If there is an invasion, people expect that to be in late January, early February. So the timeframe for resolving this is fairly short.

HARLOW: Nic, a few weeks ago, Jake Sullivan said essentially that the Biden administration, the U.S. has leverage over Putin and Russia right now because of Nord Stream 2, that pipeline, that, if they were to invade Eastern Ukraine, the West, Europe, Germany, could nix it and not even allow oil to start flowing through it.

Russia sees it exactly the opposite way. It is near complete and so they have the leverage.

ROBERTSON: Yes, and that point came across again loud and clear yesterday. Putin was having a video conference call, where some of his sort of departmental chiefs -- and one of them was the head of Gazprom -- on national television.

And the head of Gazprom said again, as we heard from other Russian officials, Nord Stream 2 is ready to go. It is full of gas, ready to go.

I asked this question at the G7 summit earlier on in December, do sanctions that the Europeans and the United States are considering against Russia, are you prepared to take economic pain back home?

Let's face it, gas prices across Europe are skyrocketing. It would be extremely painful, politically costly, for any government in Europe to forgo what could be as much as 30 percent of their gas supplies from Russia.

Russia has been a supplier of -- in extremis (ph) for the U.K. within the past couple of years.

So I think -- you know, I think Russia thinks that this is a gamble on Nord Stream 2 and on gas supplies to Europe, that it can roll with, that it can certainly roll with inasmuch as it can mass 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, that it is talking now about having more military exercises in Belarus in February and March, that could, again, draw in hundreds of thousands of troops as they did a few months ago.

So you know, Russia -- when Russia looks at pressure on Europe and also finding a wedge between Europe and the United States, the gas pipeline is a great one. It is a good pressure point for Russia.

And Russians will look at the situation and see that the United States is sending gas supplies to Europe to offset what shortfall there might be from Russia. So he knows this is a weakness for European leaders. There's only so much pain they can put on Russia through turning off gas supplies.

HARLOW: Right. Nic Robertson, thank you for the reporting from Moscow.

And John Harwood to you as well, at the White House.

Ahead, some amount of justice and certainly accountability for the victims of Ghislaine Maxwell following yesterday's verdict.

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HARLOW: What it means for other cases -- next.

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HARLOW: "Their courage and willingness to face their abusers made today's result and this case possible."

Those words from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, praising the accusers of convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, after Ghislaine Maxwell, of course, the long time associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was found guilty on five of six counts related to her role in Epstein's sexual abuse of young girls, including sex trafficking of a minor.

Maxwell's attorneys say they're going to appeal.

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