Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
U.K. Is First Western Nation to Approve Emergency Use of Coronavirus Vaccine; China Preparing for Large-Scale Vaccine Distribution; Cold Shipping COVID-19 Vaccines; U.S. Justice Department Investigating Potential Presidential Pardon Bribery; Fauci Honored for Work on HIV/AIDS. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired December 02, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: This hour we are connecting you to the global quest for a vaccine. Dateline China, America, the United Kingdom and the
latest from Russia, too.
That is as we find ourselves looking at a world that feels at least on the cusp of victory against the pandemic while, of course, also suffering the
very worst of its effects.
We begin this hour in a kingdom united in its sense of optimism. Great Britain, one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, has become the first in the
West to approve a vaccine after phase III trials. More on the U.K. granting emergency authorization and what that means for the British public in a
moment.
The vaccine itself designed by Pfizer and BioNTech, who say it offers up to 95 percent protection. The British prime minister is hailing the news and
expects 400,000 people to get the first jabs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: I know that the whole house will want to join me in welcoming the fantastic news that the MHRA has formally
authorized the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine will begin to be made available across the U.K. from next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That would mean the vaccine would be rolled out right ahead of the biggest holiday on the British calendar, Christmas. Significant not
just for families but also the government, which is only today lifting the latest lockdown in England.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Rolling out the vaccine free at the point of delivery, according to clinical need not ability to pay, is in
the finest tradition of our National Health Service.
And I'm delighted to confirm that the NHS will be able to start vaccinating from early next week. The whole purpose of the vaccine is to protect people
from COVID so we can get lives back to normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Important to note: the U.K. has given emergency approval to this vaccine, not full and final approval. And that means it's designed and
designated for groups of the population, the most vulnerable.
So the medical calculus means it makes sense to take it and, further, experts say it is highly unlikely that the U.K. will be out of the woods by
the spring, as Hancock, the health minister, has suggested.
And an E.U. lawmaker is chiming in as well, calling the U.K.'s vaccine approval, quote, "problematic."
Why?
Well, there is an awful lot to get to over the next couple of hours. Let's get cracking on it. First with Salma Abdelaziz in London for us.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Becky, it is hugely exciting and significant news and it couldn't come at a better time. As you said it has
been a tough year for everyone. Today is the first day that England has come out of lockdown and into this great new news, a vaccine that's already
on its way from Belgium.
I have spent the day today just walking around central London, speaking to people, how they heard the news, how did they react?
It is such an emotional moment for everyone here to see not just that this vaccine is approved but the U.K. is the first in the world. Take a look at
how the day unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): One big step for the U.K. and a giant leap for humankind. The first Western nation to approve a coronavirus vaccine will
be rolling it out, starting early next week.
HANCOCK: 2020 has been just awful and 2021 is going to be better and help is on its way. Help is on its way with this vaccine.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The super quick authorization came in part because Britain's regulators engaged constantly with Pfizer and BioNTech, according
to experts. An initial batch of 800,000 doses will soon arrive from Belgium. That's enough for half as many people, given they need two doses
21 days apart.
Government guidance released today says residents in nursing homes and their caregivers should be given priority; the next, front line health
workers and those over 80.
ABDELAZIZ: The real challenge will be immunizing the wider population. Health experts say two-thirds of people need to have immunity in order for
the epidemic to be stopped. That means winning hearts and minds and persuading as many people as possible that the vaccine is safe and
effective.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Regulators were quick to assure the public.
[10:05:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone can be absolutely confident that no corners whatsoever have been cut.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): On the streets of London, elation and relief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having been through this year and lost a lot of people to this horrendous illness, that has taken a lot of people's family,
friends, co-workers, I think it has been quite a shocking situation. And we're very grateful to see the news today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perhaps we are finally going to turn the corner. So it's wonderful.
ABDELAZIZ: I think there's a big smile on your face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess it would be nice to see how -- you know, how people receive it and whether it is safe. But, yes, I have reasonable
confidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everyone has slight doubts, you know. It's been quite quick in the making. And then, you know, they're going to inject
something alien into your body. So, yes, I'm a bit -- a bit skeptical. But things need to go back to some kind of normal.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The end of the pandemic is in sight, the final hurdle will be gaining the public's trust in the cure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: Becky, we've been talking about this deadly pandemic for months now and we've been saying, if a vaccine comes, if a vaccine comes.
Well, now we can say, when the vaccine comes. And here in the U.K. that is just a matter of days. Yes, of course, the government is aware of the
criticism. I know you mentioned that from the E.U. official about how quickly this has all happened.
Why is the U.K. first?
Well, the government here says that that's because regulators were in touch all along the way with the researchers from Pfizer and BioNTech. And that's
why they were able to get this out so quickly, Becky.
ANDERSON: Salma Abdelaziz is in London for you. We will do more on who gets the vaccine and when next hour. We will talk with Antony Herndon (ph),
one of the leaders of the group in the U.K. that will be making those decisions. Do stay with us for that.
Well, the words the whole world has been waiting to hear, spoken just moments ago to CNN. "It is the start of the end of the pandemic," quote,
that from the brains behind BioNTech. Remember that vaccine developed in partnership between them and Pfizer.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has been speaking to the BioNTech CEO and is connecting us now to the very latest on the vaccine.
What do they tell you, Fred?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Becky. Of course, they are ecstatic here at BioNTech and the vaccine was
really developed right in the labs that you see behind me, in the building that you see behind me.
And the CEO of BioNTech told me they worked day and night. One of the things that's interesting, that Salma was just saying, he said, absolutely,
the U.K. regulators, all the regulators, have been in touch with BioNTech this entire time, posting questions, requesting more information.
So this is a process that's been ongoing. But one of the things they said with this emergency use approval in the United Kingdom, he said that the
process there was every bit as professional as it is in the United States, as it is in the European Union as well.
He says folks in the U.K. can be certain they are going to get a very safe vaccine and one certainly the regulator has kept a very sharp eye on what
exactly is going on.
Now he said that the process now is going to go very quickly; shipments will be going to the U.K. within a matter of days and people will get jabs
in their arms probably at the beginning of next week. And he did also indeed say that he believes that this could be the beginning of the end of
the coronavirus pandemic. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UGUR SAHIN, CEO, BIONTECH: It will be the first time that people outside of clinical trials will get access to our vaccine. And we believe that it
is really the start of the end of the pandemic if it can ensure now a boat or (ph) out of the vaccine.
Of course it's the first country to enable an authorization and others will probably follow. But it's a good start. So if everything goes well, I
expect that first people could get the first vaccinations beginning next week.
I personally believe, with the number of companies now reaching, reaching, reaching the approval in the next few months, we might be able to deliver
sufficient number of doses until end of summer 2021 to reach the 70 to -- 60 percent to 70 percent coverage, which could give us the relief to have a
normal winter in 2021.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So the end of summer 2021 is when people, he believes, could really be feeling the difference, when life essentially could really start
returning to normal, is what the CEO of BioNTech believes.
There was one other really interesting thing, Becky, that he told me as well. Of course, one of the things we've been speaking about so much in the
past couple days is the fact that this Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored and needs to be shipped at around minus 100 Fahrenheit, minus 70,
minus 75 Celsius.
[10:10:00]
PLEITGEN: He says they're already working on a new formula of the vaccine to try to get it shipped possibly even at room temperatures to make sure
that that whole shipping process becomes easier as well.
They're also checking the vaccine further to see whether it could possibly be shipped at not quite as cold temperatures already in the not too distant
future. But they say also by the sort of middle of next year, towards the end of next year, they will have a new formulation in place just to make
that whole logistics process easier as well to make sure they can ship each more to more places around the world, Becky.
ANDERSON: I know you've been at distribution centers, exploring the challenges that the distribution of this vaccine puts up around the world.
I mean, people do want it distributed around the world. There are challenges to the logistics of doing that and we will explore those in the
days and weeks to come. Thank you for that.
So that's the latest in Europe. That's far from the whole story on vaccines because, when I say this is a global quest, I mean it. Like, for example,
in China, where hundreds of thousands of people already vaccinated there with the country's own homegrown vaccine.
You will remember they are also holding large trials here in the UAE, the Sinopharm trial. We are working on ways to bring you news on that because
we do not have these Chinese vaccine trial results as of yet.
CNN's David Culver has been getting an exclusive look into the infrastructure that is already in place in China to get that vaccine sent
around the world. He is out in Shenzhen for us today -- David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, you've been looking at the vaccine distribution within the U.S., within the U.K. and other parts of Europe.
It's going to look a little differently here in China. They're going to be focused not so much on the domestic rollout but global distribution.
Now not all of this is rooted in goodwill. Chinese companies that are behind the vaccines that are eventually approved will certainly benefit
financially from this. And some look at this as an opportunity for China to repair what is perceived as a tarnished image after its initial handling of
the outbreak.
Nonetheless, they have to prepare to distribute. And the companies behind that distribution already are in place and ready to roll it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: You are looking at one of the cargo jets that will soon be taking vaccines that are approved here in China, made by Chinese biotech
companies, to the rest of the world. This one is a charter, Ethiopian Cargo. It's their pharma wing.
Look over here, you can see they are already loading up some of the PPE, some of the face masks, some of the Hazmat like suits. Inside, however,
they have built an infrastructure that is temperature and climate controlled. Why does that matter?
Well, as soon as the vaccines are approved, they have to be kept at a certain temperature setting and that is the only way they can be
transferred from start here in Shenzhen in southern China to finish.
For this aircraft, it continues on to the Middle East. One thing that's important to note is the logo on the side, Cainiao. That is a part of
Alibaba. It's their logistics and distribution part. Normally, they are doing goods that people are buying online. Think of Amazon but on a massive
scale. That is the company that here in China is helping with the distribution of vaccines as soon as they are given the go ahead.
WAN LIN, CEO, CAINIAO: We are ready to move the vaccines.
CULVER: Cainiao's CEO Wan Lin says the company is now adding more routes for global reach.
LIN: We are not sure about the exact demand on that but we are definitely building our capability to be prepared for that.
CULVER: While China has yet to approve a vaccine for public use, Cainiao says their end to end climate-controlled infrastructure is in place and
ready. The required temperature, which differs depending on the vaccine, must be maintained throughout transport, from leaving the production
facility, to airport storage and finally, to global cargo distribution.
GEORGE MAO, VICE-GENERAL MANAGER, CAINIAO GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN: For example, the Shenzhen airport terminal it has already set up a cold chain
warehouse mainly for the medicine suppliers.
CULVER: CNN got an exclusive look inside that cold chain facility which will soon store the approved vaccines. Now these chambers can be specified
and even customized based on the required temperature for each vaccine. And they can put them in different chambers within so as to accommodate that.
Cainiao then now works with different airlines to ensure that cargo temperature is sustained throughout the flight, in this case, Ethiopian
Airlines. Since the start of the pandemic, they've flown more than 3,000 tons of supplies to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
TEWOLDE GEBREMARIAM, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES: So we do the same also with the vaccine to distribute to all destinations around the
globe and then we can cure a lot of human beings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: It certainly sounds promising.
[10:15:00]
CULVER: But the reality is all of this is dependent on a vaccine being approved here in China.
Where you are, Becky, in Abu Dhabi, we know Chinese vaccines have been part of some of the clinical trials. But the biotech companies behind these
vaccines, they have some challenges. There's skepticism over their lack of transparency at times. And there's questions over how effective the
vaccines really are.
If they can win back some of that trust globally, then we know companies like Alibaba's Cainiao are ready to start shipping immediately -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, David.
I'm going to keep you up to date on the very latest from China viewers, as we've seen countries allowing these vaccines to be used then.
But what about the place with the most cases on Earth?
We're going to take a look at where America stands -- up next.
And Elton John is a hero to many of us for his work on HIV and AIDS. Coming up, the singer and activist puts another familiar face in the spotlight for
tackling the AIDS crisis.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, this hour, folks, we are tracking developments on the COVID-19 vaccination front or vaccine front. The U.K. becoming the first
Western country to approve a vaccine for emergency use. Now the British approval coming before the United States.
So where does that leave America right now?
Well, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is meeting next week to discuss emergency authorization. And according to an Operation Warp Speed document
that's been obtained by CNN, the first shipments will be delivered on December 15th. Joining me now, CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay
Gupta.
Good to have you, Sanjay. Let's start by getting you to walk us through the U.K. emergency use approval.
Just how significant is that?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very significant, Becky. You know, I mean, obviously it's moved along quickly. And that's
always going to be a subject of some discussion, how fast is too fast.
And I was talking to some folks this morning, very involved with regulation there. And that's always going to be a topic of discussion. But look, I
think one of the biggest things was we had not seen data from -- about these vaccines, other than from the companies themselves.
So now you have a very important regulatory authority, the MHRA, that's saying basically, this is good to go. You know, they're going to plan on
delivering doses very quickly as a result.
So no red flags, at least according to that authority, and I think that's going to bode well for other organizations like the FDA and also the rest
of the European Union, the EMA, their regulatory authority, to be able to go ahead and feel comfortable with authorizing this under emergency use.
[10:20:00]
ANDERSON: And we've been reporting that an E.U. lawmaker has said that this approval in the U.K. is problematic for the very reasons that you've
been discussing this with, have pointed out.
Turning to the U.S., then, what timeline are we looking at there for emergency approval?
Just walk us through what we know at this point.
GUPTA: Yes, I mean, the way that it works is -- so in the U.K., for example, data was sort of submitted on a rolling basis. So they were giving
data along, starting really in October and then the final submission was made November 23rd in the U.K.
In the United States, pretty similar; there was not rolling submissions but the data was submitted on November 20th. So a couple days earlier. What's
been happening is that data scientists basically are looking at that data.
And when I say looking at the data, they're looking at the way that the data was collected, the methods of study. They're looking at raw data from
blood samples that were taken from these various trial participants. They're trying to figure out, does a particular vaccine work better for one
group, such as older people, versus another group.
You know, all of the safety concerns, obviously all these things are being taken into consideration.
If it all sort of comes to fruition, then the way the calendar looks in the United States, is December 10th, there's going to be a meeting where many
of these people come together.
And, by the way, it's a publicly livestreamed meeting; typically not a big crowd-getter, Becky, but this one might be different because obviously the
world paying attention to this particular potential authorization.
A few days after that, they say December 15th, you could see the first shipments delivered. And, you know, it would be immediately after that,
that the first time you would see people getting vaccinated in the United States outside of a trial.
And then shortly after that, you may have another vaccine that comes online, the Moderna vaccine. I was talking to folks from Operation Warp
Speed yesterday. They say that Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, at least in the United States, likely to go through an emergency use process in
January.
So you know, within -- by the end of next month, Becky, in the United States and many places around the world, you could potentially,
potentially, have four vaccines that are coming online.
ANDERSON: Yes, isn't that fascinating. The first phase of the program, as I understand it in the U.K., is residents in care homes; then all those
over 80 years of age, front line health and care workers. And then it sort of -- it goes down from there. Those over 75, those over 70.
. Would it be a similar rollout, then, that you would expect in the United States?
GUPTA: It sounds that way. And the recommendations -- and they are just recommendations that come from this committee that basically schedules
vaccines -- were very similar here in the United States, basically saying health care workers but, even more specifically, health care workers who
are primarily taking care of COVID patients.
So for example, I'm a health care worker, I'm a neurosurgeon. I take care of COVID patients only if someone is diagnosed with COVID when they are in
the hospital. But there are people who, every day, nurses, doctors, staff that are taking care of COVID patients at a hospital like mine, they are
likely to be first in line.
But also the long-term -- the long-term care facility residents and staff are also going to be part of that first phase.
And you will remember, Becky, back in the spring, it was nursing homes that were initially hit hardest, the things that people were really paying
attention to. They're still very vulnerable; 40 percent of the deaths, for example, in the United States, 40 percent of the quarter million-plus
deaths have come in long-term care facilities, 6 percent of the infections.
So that's a very vulnerable population. So it just makes sense. When you start to really look at the calendar, what that means is that, for young
healthy people like yourself, if you were in the United States, it would be May-June time frame before the vaccine would be available.
But you would probably see a downward trajectory of the curve before that, as more and more people get vaccinated.
ANDERSON: There is light at the end of what has been a pretty dark tunnel. Sanjay, you have been with us every step of the way, not just on this show
but on CNN almost every hour, I would hazard a guess.
And it's been time that -- well, we can't pay you enough, as far as I'm concerned, because it's been so, so important that the world hears from
you. There is an awful lot of calls to sort through and we will answer your questions.
[10:25:00]
ANDERSON: Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join Anderson Cooper for a new "Coronavirus Town Hall: The Vaccines," that's at 9:00 pm Friday on the
U.S. East Coast, 6:00 am Saturday in Abu Dhabi and 10:00 am in Hong Kong.
Sanjay, thank you.
We've been talking about how hard it is, getting the Pfizer vaccine actually distributed because it has to stay really, really cold while it's
being moved around. And by really cold I mean so incredibly cold that there aren't really that many freezers that can stay at that temperature. It's
minus 75 degrees Celsius.
So we just took you to China with David Culver to look at how it's getting its vaccine out. Now keep all of those logistics in mind with the added
complexity of this temperature as Pete Muntean shows us, airlines are going to be helping out and possibly cashing in, too, in America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is something you typically would not see. This is essentially one big refrigerator that United Airlines will use
to distribute the vaccine what it is indeed ready.
It needs to be especially cold and that is the big challenge in distribution. Airlines could be central to this and maybe transport the
vaccine the furthest.
At 40 degrees Fahrenheit in here right now but the Moderna vaccine will require that it be negative four degrees Fahrenheit. The Pfizer vaccine,
negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit and it requires a special freezer.
This is a key link to getting the vaccine from where it's made to getting it to where it'll be administered.
Airlines and air cargo groups are already using special refrigerated containers like this. In fact, we saw one just like this being offloaded on
a flight from Brussels here at Dulles International Airport earlier today.
United is already doing charter flights for Pfizer to help transport this vaccine -- had a task force for months. American Airlines is starting
vaccine trial flights. DHL, UPS, FedEx, will all get in on this when the vaccine is ready.
And the FAA is actually administering special waivers to airlines so that they can carry extra dry ice on board to keep the vaccine cold enough while
it is on board.
Airlines have been struggling in the pandemic, air travel's still down about 60 percent from what it was a year ago, they cannot wait for this
vaccine to come out.
Now airlines could be central to distributing the vaccine to you -- Pete Muntean, CNN, Dulles International Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: While big leaps are being made on the vaccine front, the coronavirus situation in much of the world is worsening. Let's get you up
to speed on some of the stories on our COVID radar right now.
Hospitals in Japan report a ninth straight day of highs in patients in intensive care and patients on respirators. The country tops 150,000 COVID-
19 cases since the start of the pandemic. The health minister says Japan is facing a sense of crisis.
In Germany, the past 24 hours have been the deadliest yet in the pandemic, with 487 people dying from COVID-19. Germany's death toll has been rising
sharply with the two previous daily highs both occurring in the past week.
Turkey also seeing more COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations than ever before; 190 people died in a 24-hour period on Tuesday. Also on the same
day, the government imposed a new weekday curfew from 9:00 in the evening until 5:00 in the morning local time.
Coming up, a source tells, U.S. associates close to Donald Trump are lining up for pardons before he leaves the White House.
Can a president pardon anyone before allegations of wrongdoing are actually made?
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's going to turn it around. I think he's going to turn it around. I think we got cheated out of the election and I'm
sticking with him.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Trump campaign signs can still be seen lining the yards of supporters across America. Why they refuse to accept the reality
that he lost the election. That is after this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Donald Trump's days in the White House are numbered. And a source tells CNN that some of the president's associates are making last-
minute appeals for preemptive pardons before Donald Trump leaves the Oval Office.
Among them, Rudy Giuliani, a claim the Trump attorney denies. Also reportedly on that list, Donald Trump's three eldest children and his son-
in-law, Jared Kushner.
Well, this comes as attorney general William Barr deals a major blow to the president's continued baseless allegations of widespread election fraud.
Our next guest says if the president pardons his own family it will be, quote, "a historic stain" and a low point for corruption and self-dealing.
Not sitting on the fence is CNN's legal analyst, Elie Honig, who joining us from New Jersey.
Can he legally pardon family members?
What we are looking at here is preemptive pardons possibly for family members, pardons granted before anyone is actually indicted of something
but just in case they might be indicted at a future point.
Am I getting this right?
And is there any legal precedent for that?
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Very, very little. So here is what we know for sure. A pardon cannot cover somebody for future conduct. A president
cannot say, I pardon you for something you might do tomorrow or five years from now.
A pardon has to be backwards looking. But the tricky question that you raise is, can a person be pardoned if they've never even been charged with
a crime?
The vast majority of pardons that we see in our system go to people who have been charged and are convicted, even President Trump's recent
controversial pardons and commutations to Michael Flynn, to Roger Stone. They were all charged with crimes, convicted of crimes, that's how it
normally works.
What we're talking about potentially with the family members is pardons, even though they have never been charged. That has happened in our history
but only very rarely, the most famous one -- or infamous one -- was president Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon, who had not been charged.
Also Jimmy Carter in the '70s pardoned Vietnam draft evaders. It's happened rarely but has never been challenged or put to the test. There is a
legitimate question about whether that pardon would be legal in our system.
ANDERSON: Also potentially talking about Rudy Giuliani here, alongside these family members.
What about the idea that Donald Trump might try to pardon himself?
HONIG: Yes, now, that one we definitely don't know. That's never been tried before. No president has ever gotten to the point where they've been
seriously considering it. But it appears to be potentially in play here.
The argument that it's OK for a president to do is based on the text of the Constitution itself. It gives the president a very broad pardon power, does
not say he can pardon anyone but himself.
The response to that, though, is, if you look at the intent of the framers, one of the main things they were trying to guard against was self-dealing.
And a self-pardon would be the ultimate form of self-dealing. You are serving as a judge in your own case. You are letting yourself off the hook.
So will President Trump try it?
Maybe. There are signs pointing that he might. And if he does and then he gets indicted, we might finally get our answer because it would certainly
go into our federal court system, probably ending up at the U.S. Supreme Court.
[10:35:00]
ANDERSON: Elie Honig is in the house. Thank you, sir.
A month after Joe Biden was president-elect, some loyal Trump supporters continue to wave their campaign flags high. CNN's Gary Tuchman spoke with
voters in Georgia, who think the president can still win reelection.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In many American neighborhoods, the beginning of December still looks like the beginning of
November. Trump campaign signs, flags, banners on houses and barns. On fences, on trees. All left up by Trump voters who, in many cases, believe
giving up on their signs means giving up on their president.
Julie Darnell lives in Cherokee County, Georgia, just north of Atlanta.
You still have up a lot of signs and flags for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. The election was November 3. How come the signs are still up?
JULIE DARNELL, TRUMP SUPPORTER: And they're going to stay up to the end, to the very end. I think it's going to come through.
TUCHMAN: What will come through?
DARNELL: I think he's going to turn it around. I think he's going to turn it around. I think we got cheated out of the election and I'm sticking with
him. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Donald Trump has a lot of loyal supporters here.
He received 69 percent of this county's vote. So you will find a lot of signs here that are still up.
J.D. Ortega says during the campaign, some of his Trump signs were stolen, so he put other signs high in trees and that's where they will remain for
now.
J.D. ORTEGA, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, they're still up because I'm hopeful, you know. I'm hoping that something is going to come out of these
investigations. I'm hoping that something will turn the tide. And I'm just -- I'm a big supporter.
TUCHMAN: And that Donald Trump can still be president?
ORTEGA: And I'm hoping that he can still be president. Yes, I absolutely am.
TUCHMAN: But then there is reality. The formal certifications of the results of battleground states. The Trump attorneys' failures in courtrooms
throughout the country to prove what the president's claims was a fraudulent, rigged election.
Does it concern you, though, that the president and others say there is evidence, but it's not being presented in the courtroom?
ORTEGA: That does concern me.
TUCHMAN: Why do you think that is?
ORTEGA: I don't know. I don't know all the ins and outs of what he's got going on. So it does concern me that it hasn't come to light yet.
TUCHMAN: The lack of evidence presented by the Trump's lawyers is not comforting to many still flying the Trump flags, including Roger, who
didn't want his face want his face shown but did want to tell us he nevertheless feels Donald Trump could win the election.
And why? Other than him saying it?
ROGER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Just anecdotally. As I've said, it's hard to say. We have so many --
TUCHMAN: Is it maybe wishful thinking on your part, as opposed to --
ROGER: Sure. Sure, absolutely.
DARNELL: America voted Joe Biden in, then Joe Biden should be in. But I think it all should be fair. I think it all should be fair.
TUCHMAN: Does it bother that you haven't seen any evidence of it, that it hasn't been presented and that maybe you're being tricked? That maybe this
man just wants to stay in office so badly he's going to keep saying it but not show any evidence proving it? DARNELL: Bother me? I don't know why he
would want the office the way they've done him.
Many people still sporting the signs look at post-election Trump as a political martyr.
Each person we've talked to here recognizes that, for every day that goes by, things get more complicated for Mr. Trump. But these are true believers
who refuse to stop believing.
Do you think, though, it's possible that America elected Joe Biden to be the next president? I mean, I know you don't want that to have happened.
DARNELL: Possible. Possible. Not probable. Possible.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Cherokee County, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Just coming in to CNN, a senior U.S. official says Israel was behind the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist. He was killed on
Friday. The unnamed official isn't giving out any details about whether the Trump administration knew about the attack before it was carried out.
Without producing any evidence Iran immediately blamed Israel for the assassination, saying it bears the hallmarks of Israel's foreign
intelligence agency, Mossad. Israel has neither denied nor claimed responsibility for the killing.
We will be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN, PERFORMER AND ACTIVIST: This is a man who is responsible for embracing activists and people living with HIV and incorporating their
views to change drug trials back in the early days.
He expanded research and treatment and saved countless lives. We met years ago at an AIDS conference and I applaud and admire the continued leadership
and devotion to this fight.
Together, we will end the AIDS epidemic.
So Dr. Fauci, we thank you. Congratulations on this wonderful honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Before he became a global hero for his work on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci worked tirelessly to help people living with
HIV and AIDS. On World AIDS Day on Tuesday, Sir Elton John honored Fauci with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.
Because of COVID-19, of course, the honors were bestowed virtually.
The Schumacher name is returning to Formula 1 racing. We all know about F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Son, Mick, is poised to enter F1. Ahead of that,
he will be right here in Abu Dhabi.
[10:45:00]
(WORLD SPORTS)
[11:00:00]
END
