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CDC Forecasts 44,000 Covid Deaths in Next Month; Several European Nations Report Record High of Daily Cases; Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted of Helping Epstein Sexually Abuse Teens; Biden, Putin to Hold Urgent Call Amid Ukraine Crisis; Trump Uses Endorsements to Solidify Hold Over Republicans. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 30, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're really struggling to maintain our work force, particularly with nurses right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Indoor new year's eve celebrations should be out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The U.S. health system facing immense pressure as cases hit record peaks. And officials say although Omicron may be milder, it's spreading across the country like wildfire.

We're just hours away from more talks between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Biden. Tensions over Ukraine, no doubt, on top of that agenda.

And mourners pay their respects to antiapartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We'll go live to Africa.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: It's Thursday, December 30th, with just two days left in 2021. We are now seeing the coronavirus pandemic explode right around the globe. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world is averaging an all-time high of more than a million new infections a day. And experts are warning things will only get worse.

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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR GENERAL: This virus will continue to evolve and threaten our health system if we don't improve the collective response. Right now, Delta and Omicron are twin threats. I'm highly concerned that Omicron being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta is leading to a tsunami of cases.

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FOSTER: Infections are also rising quickly in the U.S. The country is averaging more than 300,000 new cases a day in the past week, and that's another record. Johns Hopkins reports close to 490,000 cases on Wednesday. And more than half a million on Monday. We should point out, though, these numbers could be the result of a lag in reporting over the Christmas holidays. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is forecasting 44,000 new COVID deaths in the U.S. over the next month. That would bring the country's death toll to nearly 870,000 in just two years. And one expert predicts a looming disaster for the health care system.

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MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY: We don't know a lot of the things we wish we'd know, but what we do know and what is emerging here is that this country is going to be in the soup in just in the next few weeks. With so many cases and so many locations, that we're going to see critical infrastructure as well as health care challenged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Just one example of infrastructure already struggling is the New York City subway system. Sick-outs forced the closure of an entire line between Queens and Manhattan on Wednesday.

Lines of COVID testing in a number of U.S. cities stretched for hours and home test kits are virtually impossible to find in drugstores or online. One former health and human services official calls the situation absolutely inexcusable.

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RICK BRIGHT, IMMUNOLOGIST AND VACCINE RESEARCHER: Americans are waiting too long. I describe it as the hunger games and I really mean it. Personally, I've been traveling during the holiday, and I've had to just rushed in store after store after store to try to find a test. Exposing myself to people who might be infected with this virus. It's not where we should be going into year three of this pandemic and the Biden administration can do a lot more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Biden administration is working to address the problem. The Defense Department just signed a massive contract to produce critical materials for COVID testing. And U.S. regulators have authorized two new at-home test kits made by Roche and Siemens.

Meanwhile, scientists are learning more every day about the Omicron variant. Two new studies from Israel and South Africa show protection from the Pfizer vaccine is reduced against Omicron but is restored by a booster. One of the studies provides real-life data that two doses still protect people from severe illness and death even without a booster.

The CDC director says 12 to 15-year-olds could be approved for boosters in the next few days or weeks, but vaccines for children under 5 will take longer. The number of children admitted to hospitals in the U.S. is rising rapidly or steadily, rather. The latest figures show an average 334 admissions per day, just shy of Septembers peak. That's a 58 percent increase from the previous week.

Health experts are advising people to avoid large New Year's Eve parties this weekend. They say small gatherings should be OK as long as everyone is vaccinated and tests negative beforehand.

[04:05:00]

CNN spoke with several doctors who say hospitals and health care workers are being overwhelmed by the Omicron surge.

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DR. CATHERINE O'NEAL, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: To hear that Omicron is different and is not causing immense illness in people is not what we're seeing on the ground. We're seeing our ERs flooded with people who are looking for a test but are also sick and want to be evaluate and want to find out what's going on so they can protect their family. Inside the hospital we're seeing an increase in admissions that is startling. We've more than doubled our admission since last week at this time and those people are sick.

DR. JAMES PHILLIPS, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: It is unlike anything we've ever seen. Even at the peak of the prior surges of COVID. What we're experiencing right now is an absolute overwhelming of the emergency departments throughout Washington, D.C. All our hospitals themselves, the inpatient wards seem to be maintaining.

The emergency departments are being flooded with mostly mildly symptomatic patients who are coming in to get tested. And it's part of that shortfall of national testing that's occurring and it's all falling on the emergency department. And all of our problems are compounded by the fact that while many of us were able to stay safe from getting the Delta virus and the previous variants that have come our way, Omicron is affecting the staff at our hospitals in an unprecedented way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Several countries across Europe are reporting a massive surge of COVID infections never before seen during the pandemic. For the first time, Spain surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day despite the rise in numbers, the Spanish government has decided to reduce the quarantine period for those who test positive from ten to seven days.

And the U.K. set a record of its own on Wednesday with more than 183,000 new daily cases. According to public health officials, the Omicron variant now accounts for more than 90 percent of all infections in England.

Meanwhile France reported 208,000 cases in just 24 hours. That's the highest number of daily infections for any country in Europe since the pandemic began. CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now live from Paris. Because people are asymptomatic, the numbers are probably higher, aren't they -- Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we heard from the health minister yesterday who weren't at the parliamentary committee, Max. And whilst there were a million people believed to be contaminated in France right now, the number was probably much higher than that simply because there are many people who don't yet realize they have it.

Now, here in France, the Omicron variant is not yet the dominant one. It is still the Delta variant he explained to that committee yesterday that is causing that stress on the hospital system. And that we're seeing such fast rises in. But Omicron is not far behind, he warned, with the number of cases doubling every two to three days. It should soon be dominant here in France as well.

And what he explained as well, Max, and I think this was interesting, was that whilst Omicron was three times less dangerous than previous strains, it was leading to six to seven times more infections. And of course, that just in terms of the arithmetic was going to have an effect on the health care system already coming under strain. We are already seeing in France here operations being deprogrammed. Patients being turned away in order that I.C.U. beds can be kept clear for what is expected to be a rise in the number of hospitalizations. What he described yesterday in fairly alarming terms, was that what France is seeing now is not so much a fifth wave as a tsunami -- Max.

FOSTER: And the pressure on the health care system here in the U.K. seems to be because of a lack of testing. A lot of health care workers have got a lot of issues, you know, working out whether or not people are positive or negative, but also the health care workers are home because they're getting COVID and they are being tested.

BELL: That's exactly right. And that's something we're seeing repeated throughout Europe. The system coming under strain because people are getting sick, but also because the people meant to be taking care of them are getting sick. So fast is this latest strain spreading. So, we got to this situation yesterday where you had 208,000 new cases in France, another record set. It was the third in about five days that was set. That's how quickly it's going.

And if you look across the border in Germany, Max, it is just 1/6 of the I.C.U. beds that are currently available. That gives you an idea of the kind of pressure the hospital systems are coming under. And again, it is just a matter of weeks now, given the caseloads that we're seeing in so many European countries -- Max.

FOSTER: Melissa in Paris, thank you.

After five days of deliberation, a jury in New York has convicted Ghislaine Maxwell of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Maxwell now faces up to 65 years in prison. She was convicted of recruiting and grooming four girls for her former boyfriend and associate.

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DAMIEN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls now grown women who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made today's result in this case possible.

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[04:10:00]

FOSTER: Maxwell's family left the courthouse without comment, but her brother later issued a statement saying they firmly believe in her innocence. No date has been set for sentencing. Randi Kaye has more on the testimony at the trial.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A British socialite in a trial focused on her twisted behavior. Ghislaine Maxwell now guilty of five of the six counts against her.

The three-week trial included key testimony from four women who alleged Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused them, and Maxwell not only helped facilitate, but in some cases participated in that abuse between 1994 and 2004. The women at the time were younger than 18.

AUDREY STRAUSS, FORMER ACTING ATTORNEY FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT, NEW YORK: Maxwell was among Epstein's closest associates, and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.

KAYE (voice over): Maxwell was found guilty of the most serious charge of sex trafficking a girl named Carolyn between 2001 in 2004 when she was a minor and just 14 years old. Carolyn had told the court that she was paid hundreds of dollars every time she engaged in a sexualized massage with Epstein and recruited other young girls for him. Carolyn recalled on the stand how Maxwell groped her naked body on one visit when she was just 14 telling her she had a great body for Epstein and his friends. In court, defense attorneys tried to suggest Carolyn made inconsistent statements about her timeline, but it seems the jury didn't buy that.

Another woman identified at trial only as Jane testified, she was 14 when she endured abuse that included oral sex and intercourse, testifying that sometimes Maxwell took part in the sex acts.

Another girl named Annie Farmer told the court back in 1996 when she was 16, Maxwell massaged her bare chest at Epstein's New Mexico ranch.

Overall, the defense argued that women were misremembering or lying for personal gain or adding Maxwell to their stories only at the government's suggestion. Epstein's former pilots also testified. Larry Visoski flew Epstein for nearly 30 years. He called Maxwell, Epstein's number two, his quote, "go-to person." The pilot also testified he flew Maxwell and Epstein along with some very high-profile passengers, but never saw any sexual activity onboard the aircraft.

In court, the defense tried to paint Maxwell as a scapegoat for a man who behaved badly, that man being Epstein, who Maxwell dated in the 1990s. The two remained close after the relationship ended.

Epstein himself later faced charges of running a sex trafficking ring. He took his life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.

So now, it is Ghislaine Maxwell's turn to answer for the crimes and having just celebrated her 60th birthday in prison, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Maxwell's attorney says the defense was disappointed with the verdict and announced the next legal step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBI STERNHEIM, GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S LAWYER: We firmly believe in Ghislaine's innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started working on the appeal, and we are confident that she will be vindicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Annie Farmer is one of the women who testified against Maxwell.

She said, I'm so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of predatory behavior that Maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of these crimes. I hope that this verdict brings solace to all those -- to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law.

The attorney for another accuser said, today's verdict is a towering victory not just for the brave women who testified in this trial, but for the women around the world whose young and tender lives were diminished and damaged by the abhorrent actions of Ghislaine Maxwell.

No date has been set yet for Maxwell's sentencing. But when it does happen, legal experts say the nature of these crimes will weigh heavily on how much prison time she gets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: When you look at crimes, you look at the statutory maximum, right. What does the law allow at the end of the day for a particular defendant to get? But then what you do is as the norm is what the guideline sentence in the rage would otherwise dictate. It's not going to be lost on the court that this offense is egregious. Her offense level will be significant, and therefore, she will get a number of years in jail.

At the same time, mitigation, right. She doesn't have any criminal history, et cetera, so I do think that there would be an opportunity not for her to spend the rest of her life in jail, but at the end of the day, that she will get significant and stiff time for these, you know, just egregious crimes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Maxwell was convicted on five of the six counts against her including the most serious sex trafficking of a minor. She was acquitted of enticing a minor to travel with the intent of engaging in illegal sexual activity.

[04:15:00]

With Russian forces keeping up military pressure on Ukraine, Presidents Putin and Biden are just hours away from their second high stakes phone call in less than a month. Those details just ahead.

And in Johannesburg, South Africa, a memorial service to honor the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

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FOSTER: In the coming hours, U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin will hold an urgent phone call at the request of Mr. Putin and continued ratchet tensions in Eastern Europe. Earlier President Putin met with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and agreed to hold joint military exercises inside Belarus. Belarus borders Ukraine to the north and Russian troops are already amassed along Ukraine's eastern border. The U.S. and its NATO allies fear that Moscow is preparing to invade Ukraine again and today's phone call is presumably aimed at dissuading Mr. Putin from taking any military action.

For more on this CNN's Nic Robertson joins us from Moscow. What is the intel you are hearing -- Nic?

[04:20:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the Kremlin really isn't laying out a reason why President Putin asked for this phone call. What we've heard from the White House is they remain concerned about Russia's continued troop buildup on the border of Ukraine. And the message is that if Russia really wants to have a constructive and productive dialogue in these talks that are coming up on January the 10th, then this needs to happen in an atmosphere of de- escalation. And the United States says it's not seeing any de- escalation at the moment in terms of the Russian troop buildup.

But in the past few days, the United States flew a spy plane over Ukraine with the ability to look at what Russian troops were doing, how they were deployed. Russia, of course, has said that it had withdrawn 10,000 troops. So, the United States seems to have the view that at the moment Russian posturing for productive talks is not there.

But we understand the view from their side, but we don't understand at the moment why the Kremlin wants this phone call. Other than perhaps what we've seen very clearly emerge here is that Russia believes that it's the United States that can address its real concerns over NATO's presence and future -- potential future presence in Ukraine. And that is the crux of what Russia wants to get at here, of course, and it sees the United States as the vehicle to help change NATO's opinion and position.

This is a very, very -- going to be a very, very tough negotiation. And we've just heard from the Russian side about who will be the lead negotiators at the talks on January the 10th in Geneva. The deputy foreign minister on the Russian side Sergei Ryabkov and on the U.S. side, Wendy Sherman, the Assistant Secretary of State.

FOSTER: And what could we read into the fact that Biden accepted the offer of this call rather than batting it away and not being seen to, you know, kowtow, as it were, with Russia with this request?

ROBERTSON: Yes, you know, you know, what we are being told from the White House is this fits with Biden's sort of playbook on how international diplomacy should be done. He thinks that leadership to leadership talks can be productive and useful. Certainly, it would appear in the context of, you know, that phone call that they had a few weeks ago, when the agreement there that, you know, lower-level diplomatic tract should be established. And through that track Russia set forward its set of demands, if you will, about NATO not allowing Ukraine to become a member of NATO and for NATO not to base troops and weapons systems inside Ukraine.

That first call allowed for a lower-level diplomatic track which has led to the establishment of the talks in Geneva on January the 10th. So, you would ask why the need for this phone call right now. And from the Russian perspective, it's not clear, and it's what perhaps is slightly puzzling as you try to figure this -- the maneuvering out here is, you know, one would have expected the Kremlin in the past perhaps to have laid out why the phone call -- why they wanted to have this phone call and made something of it. They have made a lot about pressuring the United States into getting into these talks. They made a lot about that video conference that President Putin and President Biden had several weeks ago. This is sort of radio silence on the phone call part of it -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Nic in Moscow, thank you.

Lawyers for former U.S. President Donald Trump submitted a new filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. And they're hoping the court will block the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection from getting his White House records. The high court hasn't yet said if it will take up Trump's lawsuit. In an interview with the "Washington Post," committee chairman Bennie Thompson suggested Trump's delay in stopping the riot could lead to a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

Now Trump's lawyers say this is outside the committee's proper legislative role and an argument already rejected by lower courts. The committee is expected to respond with its own filing later today.

Meanwhile, the former president is using his considerable influence to reward Republicans who support him and punish those who don't. On Tuesday, he offered his endorsement to Alaska's governor, but with strings attached. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former President Donald Trump making it clear he's using his endorsements to take on his political enemies. Endorsing Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy for reelection only if he does not endorse Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski for reelection.

Murkowski has been in Trump's sight since she voted to convict him on an impeachment charge for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Murkowski.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): Guilty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Murkowski, guilty.

SERFATY (voice over): This is just the latest in a long string of controversial Trump endorsements, fueled by getting revenge and settling political vendettas.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The war monger, the person who loves seeing our troops fighting -- Liz Cheney. How about that?

SERFATY (voice over): In Wyoming, Trump throwing his support behind Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney's primary opponent Harriet Hageman.

TRUMP: So hopefully they'll get rid of her with the next election.

SERFATY (voice over): After Cheney voted to impeach him and has continued to call out his dishonesty.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president.

SERFATY (voice over): In Georgia, Trump endorsing David Perdue for governor as a way to get back at Republican Governor Brian Kemp for not doing enough to undermine the will of Georgia voters and turn the 2020 election for Trump.

TRUMP: And your rhino Governor, Brian Kemp, who has been a complete disaster.

SERFATY (voice over): Trump also using his endorsement to preserve his own political brand, attempting to stack the party with loyalists even if those candidates come with controversy. In Pennsylvania, Trump endorsing former Army Captain Sean Parnell.

TRUMP: He's a real hero, a real tough guy and he'll never let you down, Sean Parnell.

SERFATY (voice over): Parnell went on to suspend his campaign in November after a messy and contentious custody battle.

In the Georgia Senate race, Trump recruiting and endorsing political newcomer Herschel Walker.

TRUMP: You know, Herschel is not only a Georgia hero, he is an American legend.

SERFATY (voice-over): Even as the former-football star has faced allegations of threatening multiple women over a span of a decade. Walker has spoken openly about his violent past, but his campaign denied a more recent allegation of threatening behavior from 2012.

MAX MILLER, OHIO CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Hello, Ohio!

SERFATY (voice-over): And in Ohio, Trump is backing former-senior White House adviser Max Miller for Congress. Even as he faces allegations of abuse from his ex-girlfriend -- former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller has denied the abuse and filed a defamation suit against Grisham.

SERFATY: And it's not only these marquee racists, Trump has endorsed several down ballot candidates those running for Secretary of State and Attorney General in statewide race as well as local election posts, even down to the precincts level. Trump clearly helping to place his allies in more prominent roles ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Jordanian lawmakers took trading political blows to a whole new level getting into a fist fight on the Parliament floor. The brawl broke out during a debate over constitutional reforms on Tuesday that would give more rights to women, with one conservative lawmaker calling the proposed changes as going, quote, against morality and motherhood.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the Biden administration is trying to clarify its latest COVID guidelines. Why some say things are more confusing than ever.

Plus, naming and shaming, public humiliation in China for those who are caught breaking pandemic rules. The latest from Beijing after the break.

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