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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Deaths, Hospitalizations Hit New Highs As U.S. Waits for Vaccine; Biden Calls on Congress to Pass "Robust" Relief Package; Trump Frustrated Barr Did Not Back Bogus Election Fraud Claims; Steelers Beat Ravens in Rare Wednesday Afternoon Game. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired December 03, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:16]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Thursday, December 3rd. It's 5:00 a.m. in New York, 48 days until Joe Biden's inauguration as president.
And we begin this morning with coronavirus, as the pandemic in the United States has never been worse than it is right now, with new records and not good ones being hit every day. The number of lives lost reported overnight, 3,157. That's the most in a single day, and the first time that the number has surpassed 3,000.
More than 100,000 Americans are sick in the hospital right now, also a new record.
Overnight, the nation's second largest city issued a stay-at-home order.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D), LOS ANGELES: My message couldn't be simpler -- it's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything and if it isn't essential, don't do it. Don't meet up with others outside your household.
Don't host a gathering. Don't attend a gathering. And following our targeted safer at home order, if you're able to stay home, stay home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Americans intently waiting for a vaccine and wondering why Britain is rolling out theirs first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We really scrutinized the data very carefully, to guarantee to the American public that this is a safe and efficacious vaccine. The U.K. did not do it as carefully. They got a couple of days ahead. I don't think that makes much difference. We'll be there. We'll be there very soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: CNN's Athena Jones starts us off in New York with the latest plans to distribute the vaccine in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDOETAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the United Kingdom becoming the first Western country to green light a coronavirus vaccine, plans are already underway to distribute it in the U.S. once the FDA grants emergency use authorization.
GENERAL GUSTAVE F. PERNA, U.S. ARMY, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: When EUA decision comes, distribution to the American people becomes immediate within 24 hours. That's our goal.
JONES: Federal officials expect 40 million doses to be available by the end of December with between 5 million and 10 million doses becoming available each week for the first few months as vaccine makers ramp up production. The first shipment set to be delivered December 15th for Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine, and December 22nd for Moderna's.
A CDC Advisory Committee recommending health care workers and residents of long terms of long term care facilities be among the first to be inoculated.
Operation Warp Speed officials expect to vaccinate 20 million in December, 30 million in January, and 50 million in February.
MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF ADVISER TO OPERATION SPEED: End of February, we will have potentially immunized 100 million people, which is really more or less the size of the significant at risk population.
JONES: But it will be months before most people get a shot, and America is already in crisis.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force warning we are in a very dangerous place with the COVID risk to all Americans at an historic high.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES (on camera): This as CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield says the next three months will be the most difficult in the public health history of the country and the U.S. could see close to 450,000 deaths from COVID before February even begins -- Christine, Laura.
ROMANS: All right. Thank you for that, Athena. In a show of presidential leadership in this health crisis, three
former presidents are ready to roll up their sleeves to bolster public confidence in the coronavirus vaccines. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all volunteering to get their shot on camera once the FDA approves one. Clinton and Obama onboard -- got on board after President Bush reached out to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx at the White House Coronavirus Task Force to see how he could help promote the vaccine.
JARRETT: Well, despite the surge in coronavirus infections and death across the country, the White House just carrying on as usual, numerous holiday receptions and parties. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defending the president's plans at a briefing on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: I wonder, is the White House setting a good example for the White House to have in-person holiday parties at a time when the CDC and other organizations are asking Americans to forego these kind of celebrations.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes. So, you know, if you can loot businesses, burn down buildings, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Not responsive there.
And not to be outdone, officials say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also invited hundreds of guests to the State Department for holiday receptions in the coming weeks.
ROMANS: All right. We will be hearing a lot from President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris today. Both will sit down with CNN's Jake Tapper for their first joint interview since the election.
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Right now, Biden's focus is on the millions of Americans struggling through the economic crisis caused by this pandemic.
We get more from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, President-elect Joe Biden keeping his focus on the economy, after forming his economic team earlier this week, meeting with front line workers and business owners, of course, workers out of the job, and business owners out of customers in the wake of the recession and pandemic.
But we did hear from Mr. Biden calling on Congress to act before he takes office. He did tell Americans that help is on the way. JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I promise you, hang on. We're going
to get through this. You're going to get through this. It's going to be hard as hell for the next 50 to 70 days, unless the House acts in some way, the Senate acts and passes some of this material.
ZELENY: Of course it is an open question if the House and Senate will act in the last days of December, but even if they do, President-elect Biden says there will still be a need for a large economy relief package that he will present in the first days of his administration. It is, indeed, a top priority for his first 100 days, but the question is, what will the size or scope be that that will still be determined by who controls the Senate.
As of now, Republicans do. As we know, though, that could change with those Georgia runoffs on January 5th -- Christine and Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Jeff, thank you.
Tonight, President-elect Biden and VP-elect Harris join Jake Tapper for their first joint interview at the White House. A CNN special event at 9:00 p.m. tonight, only on CNN.
ROMANS: All right. So, lawmakers dusting off their playbooks in an attempt to get some kind of stimulus deal done before the end of the year. First, a bipartisan proposal by several members of Congress was released Tuesday. This plan, $908 billion. It includes funding for unemployment insurance and money for state and local governments, a nonstarter for GOP leadership.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that bipartisan proposal should be used as a starting point for talks.
Now, we learned Democrats quietly sent an offer to Republican leaders earlier this week. Sources say the proposal doesn't include language on liability protections, again, a red line for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell released his own plan, half the size of a bipartisan proposal. His plan includes roughly $332 billion to help small businesses, including another round of paycheck protection program, loans to business, and a one month extension of the pandemic emergency assistance program, there's also money for schools, testing and vaccines.
What it doesn't include, direct payments to Americans. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN MNUCHIN, TREASURY SECRETARY: The president will sign the McConnell proposal that he put forward yesterday, and we look forward to making progress on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: So there's just no more time here, folks, the financial cliff for millions of Americans is days away. First time unemployment benefits are rising and the jobs market recovery is clearly, Laura, slowing down.
JARRETT: And yet President Trump's focus is not on the economic crisis or the pandemic that has killed a record number of Americans.
No, he's still hung up on losing the election. The president posted a speech on social media Wednesday so full of lies and propaganda that's been rejected by the courts and state election officials. We're not going to show it here. We're not going to amplify it.
The president is also frustrated that one of his most dependable defenders, Attorney General Bill Barr, undercut cut him in the press by telling the truth that there's no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the results.
CNN's John Harwood has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We're looking at the possibility of turbulence as the Trump administration staggers toward the finish line. Sources are telling CNN that President Trump is frustrated with his Attorney General Bill Barr for the fact that Bill Barr has recognized the obvious reality that Joe Biden has won the election and that there was no systemic election fraud that decided the outcome.
This is something that is agreed upon by political observers, but President Trump does not accept it. Not all together surprising that he feels burned by Bill Barr because Barr so often in his tenure as attorney general has done the president's political bidding. But on this, he has drawn a line.
The president is being urged not to sack his attorney general. Not clear what the point of that would be with just a little bit over six weeks left in the administration, but the president is also frustrated in addition to Barr's comments on the election, on his failure to bring charges against people who were involved in the investigation of the president that was instigated in 2016, with his relation to his ties to Russia.
So, we don't know what the president is going to do. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary said if we have personnel announcement, you will be the first to know.
[05:10:01]
But no one will be surprised if the president who likes to lash out at people he thinks have crossed him will take this step -- Laura, Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. John Harwood, thank you, John.
Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, says no substantial changes have been seen in the state's second recount, which was demanded by President Trump's campaign.
Raffensperger, a Republican, says multiple investigations in Georgia have found no evidence of widespread fraud. He says the state expects to recertify President-elect Biden as the winner.
JARRETT: Still ahead for you, President Trump is trying to use funding for U.S. troops as leverage in his fight against social media companies. We're going to tell you what's going on next.
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[05:15:02]
ROMANS: President Trump's threat to veto the annual defense bill setting up a show down with Congress over a bill giving troops a raise and setting defense policy. Trump's demand that lawmakers reveal legal protections for social media companies drawing swift push back from those in his own party.
Several Republicans spoke out against the president's attempt using troops as leverage to take a whack at social media platforms he claims are anticonservative. The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jim Inhofe, tells CNN he plans to move ahead without adding the provisions that Trump wants in the measure.
JARRETT: The United States is temporarily withdrawing some of its staff from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
Sources tell CNN officials are concerned there might be retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani. The one year anniversary of his death is January 3rd. Those staff members are expected to return to the embassy in Baghdad in mid January. It's unclear exactly how many diplomats are being pulled.
ROMANS: Ivanka Trump sitting for a deposition Tuesday as part of a lawsuit alleging the Trump inaugural committee misused more than a million dollars. The deposition of the president's daughter and adviser was revealed in a court filing by the attorney general's office in Washington, D.C. The office sued the Trump organization and the presidential inaugural committee back in January, accusing them of grossly overpaying for event space at the Trump hotel in D.C. for that inauguration in 2017.
The suit claims the city's own event planner advised against it, noting the charges were twice the market rate.
JARRETT: Well, the parents of 628 migrant children separated from their families by the Trump administration have still not been found. The Justice Department and the ACLU have been trying for more than two years to reunite migrant families that were ripped apart when the administration started enforcing its zero tolerance policy at southern border. They were ordered to reunite by a court. President-elect Biden has pledged to issue an executive order forming a task force focused on reuniting these separated families.
ROMANS: Six hundred twenty-eight, unbelievable.
Two major sports leagues in America face a lot of uncertainty as players keep testing positive for coronavirus. We've got the "Bleacher Report" next.
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ROMANS: All right. So the Ravens and Steelers finally got a chance to face each other, delayed three times because of coronavirus.
Andy Scholes has more on this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hi, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine.
You know, despite being very shorthanded, this Baltimore Raven's team was able to keep this rare Wednesday afternoon game competitive, but this certainly was a sloppy game. You know, the Ravens 17 players on that reserve COVID-19 list. Nine of those starters including reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, to Robert Griffin III getting the start. He struggled, like 33 yards and had a pick six before leaving the game with an injury.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin not happy with his team's performance, calling it junior varsity. But Pittsburgh did win 19-14 to improve to 11-0 on the year. And Griffin saying after the game, this whole saga has been pretty tough on the Ravens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GRIFFIN III, BALTIMORE RAVENS QUARTERBACK: This isn't just about football. You know, this is about guys' families, this is about their wives and their children, and anybody else that is in close contact with them at home, and a lot of our players who have tested positive, their family members have also tested positive, and those things don't get reported.
So, when people think, they just don't want to play. They don't want to do this. It's not that. We love football. We want to play football. We also want to make sure our families are safe. That's the reason we play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, the NFL defending the decision to have the Steelers and Ravens play yesterday. The league's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, saying on a conference call, the Ravens entire team tested negative before taking the field. Commissioner Roger Goodell also said if the league stays discipline, he's confident they're going to be able to finish the regular season on time. All right. The NBA, meanwhile, releasing its first round of COVID-19
test results since players reported to training camp, 48 players testing positive for the virus between November 24th and 30th. That's nearly 9 percent of the league.
The opening night Christmas schedules are out. Kevin Durant and the Nets are going to host his former team, the Warriors, to start the year. That's followed by the Lakers and Clippers in L.A. Both of those games on December 22nd, are on our sister network, TNT. All of those teams will be in action on Christmas Day, the five-game marathon headed by the Lakers, featuring Luka Doncic and the Mavs.
All right. The NBA offseason, well, it really never fails to disappoint with blockbuster moves and we saw another one from the Houston Rockets Wednesday night. The team trading all star guard Russell Westbrook to the Wizards in exchange for John Wall in a first round pick. Wall hasn't played since December 26th, 2018, after dealing with knee and Achilles injuries. He is reunited with his former college roommate in Kentucky, DeMarcus Cousins, going to play with the Rockets. Westbrook reunited with his old coach Scott Brooks there in D.C.
And, you know, Laura, both these guys making over $40 million a year for the next three years. Many people thought their contracts were untradeable. That's the way you trade an untradeable contract for another untradeable contact.
JARRETT: That's the way it works as well. Nice to see some reunions there for them.
All right. Thanks, Andy. Appreciate it.
SCHOLES: All right.
JARRETT: A top contender has emerged for a key post in President- elect Biden's administration.
[05:25:00]
We have the details for you on that next.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
JARRETT: Good morning. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. It is 29 minutes past the hour.
And we begin with some grim numbers here, folks. The coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. has never been worse with new records and not good ones hit every day. The number of lives lost reported overnight, 3,157. That is the most in a single day, and the first time that number has surpassed 3,000.
More than 100,000 Americans are now.
