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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

U.S. Sets New COVID Record: 3,708 Loved Ones Perish; Biden Blasts Trump Over Lagging Pace of Vaccinations; Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine Approved for Emergency Use in UK; Woman Told Nashville Police in 2019 Warner Was Making Bombs; McConnell Moves to Link Trump Demands to Stimulus Increase; Georgia Senators Facing Runoff Vote, Back $2,000 Stimulus Checks; Croatia Rocked By Strong 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 30, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:24]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START.

We have reports from the U.K., Delaware, Nashville, Capitol Hill, Moscow and Paris as only EARLY START and CNN can. I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, December 30th. It is 5:00 a.m. exactly in New York.

We begin with the coronavirus pandemic and the darkest day yet for Americans. More than 3,700 friends, family members, loved ones succumbing to the virus. That's a record. What is happening now is more than the chaotic early days of this pandemic.

One of yesterday's victims, newly elected Republican Congressman Luke Letlow from Louisiana now the highest ranking U.S. politician to die of COVID-19. He was only 41 years old. He was supposed to be sworn in to his congressional seat Sunday.

Another grieving family, that of 18-year-old Sarah Simental (ph). She was supposed to graduate from her Illinois high school in a few months. Instead, her family is planning her funeral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH SIMENTAL, MOTHER OF FRANKFORT, IL TEEN WHO DIED OF COVID-19: I know she fought because one of the last times that I was able to talk to her on the phone because I couldn't be up at the hospital at that point and they were taking her from her regular room to ICU, and she said, I'm going to be okay, mom. And that was the last thing no parent should ever have to watch their child go through that. Nobody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just heartbreaking.

Colorado has just discovered the first known U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the U.K. The patient in his 20s had not traveled suggesting this is already spreading in the community. The variant is not known to be more deadly but key here, it is believed to be more contagious which is compounding a critical problem -- overcrowding hospitals.

U.S. hospitalizations up almost 40 percent since Thanksgiving and setting another record overnight, nearly 125,000 patients. One of them, James Teltschik, he tested positive two months ago. COVID has ravaged his body so badly he needs a double lung transplant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES TELTSCHIK, NEEDS DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT DUE TO COVID: All I want for Christmas is a new set of lungs. The disease will keep pulling you in and we've got to keep fighting it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The worry that hospitals might have to turn patients away is now becoming reality in California. Oxygen supply problems led at least five Los Angeles County hospitals to declare an internal disaster Sunday, which meant they had to send patients away.

U.S. health and defense officials will answer questions today about the slow pace of vaccine distribution, a growing problem nationwide. Issues are widespread. One Wisconsin clinic had to throw out 500 doses after they were left out of the refrigerator overnight by mistake.

President Trump blames states for the slow rollout. But remember, many states, they didn't get as many doses as promised. The White House has moved the goalposts a few times on what to expect and when. Now, President-elect Biden is taking the Trump administration to task and promising to speed things up.

CNN's MJ Lee is with the Biden team in Wilmington, Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

There is so much riding on the successful distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, and Joe Biden saying on Tuesday that President Trump is simply not getting the job done. He said that if you look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. Many, many more Americans should already be vaccinated by this point in the year.

Here is what he said.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: The Trump administration's plan is to distribute vaccines is falling behind, far behind. A few weeks ago, Trump administration suggested 20 million Americans could be vaccinated by the end of December. With only a few days left in December, we've only vaccinated a few million so far. And the pace of the vaccination program is moving now, if it continues to move as it is now, it's going to take years, not months, to vaccinate the American people. LEE: Now what Biden is proposing is a much more aggressive federal

plan essentially saying that the vaccinations should be happening some 5 to 6 times faster than what we're seeing right now. And a couple of other things that he mentioned as well, he talked about vaccination sites. He also mentioned mobile units so that people in hard to reach communities can also get vaccinated.

He also talked about a national public campaign to try to convince those who have doubts about this vaccine that it is, in fact, safe.

[05:05:07]

He also, of course, talked about this mask mandate requiring every American to wear a mask in his first 100 days in office.

Now, he did interestingly say that he is prepared to move heaven and earth to make all of this happen, but he was clear that the task ahead is incredibly daunting. He said this is going to be the greatest operational challenge that the country has faced.

Christine, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: MJ for us in Wilmington, thank you.

Breaking overnight, another coronavirus vaccine, one that's cheaper and easier to store, getting the green light in the U.K.

CNN's Phil Black live for us in London.

This is certainly very good news. They want to get this moving as quickly as possible, right?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Christine. This is potentially a game changer, not just for the U.K. but the rest of the world as well, largely because this particular vaccine is seen as logistically convenient. It doesn't have to be stored at ultra low temperatures. It can be stored and moved around relatively easily. So, it can be rolled out more widely.

So the idea is you can get it to more people at a much faster rate. It's going to make a big difference in the developing world and to maximize that potential the government has shifted tactics a little. So, it will now be focusing on getting a single does, instead of two doses, as quickly as possible. People getting the first dose, prioritizing that to as many people as quickly as possible, as the stock becomes available, the logic there is you build up a certain level of immunity among a broader section of the population and that will be more effective at slowing down the transmission of the virus.

Now, there are two questions about just how effective this vaccine is, what is the ideal dose, because the trials threw up some head- scratching result. There was a mistake at one point, which meant that some participants received a lower dose but by the end of it, they were found to be more effectively protected. There needs to be more research into that. That's going to take time.

For the moment, the regulators here are satisfied that this vaccine is both safe and effective enough to begin going into people's arms immediately. It's going to start happening in the next week and that's going to see a very quick rollout with millions of these vaccines being delivered in a very short space of time and I can tell you, it is incredibly welcome news here at what is a very dark time for the U.K. because the government, people here, everyone really is dealing with a surging number of cases because of the new more highly transmissible variant.

And this surge in cases is threatening to overwhelm the country's health system -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Phil, thank you so much for that. Definitely better days ahead there we hope for the U.K.

Breaking overnight, CNN confirming the Nashville bomber's girlfriend told the police more than a year ago in August of 2019 that he was building bombs in the RV at his home. A police report says officers -- they tried to get Anthony Warner to open the door but he did not answer. It's the first real indication that police could have had an eye on Warner before he blew himself up in that same RV on Christmas morning.

CNN's Martin Savidge is in Nashville, he's more on the investigation now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

The FBI and other authorities here say they continue to investigate all potential avenues when it comes to resolving what may have been the motivation for the bomber. They do not specifically say that they're looking into the possibility that conspiracy theories online about the 5G telephone network may somehow have inspired the suspected bomber, Anthony Warner.

But CNN has learned there was actually a bulletin that was sent out to law enforcement nationwide warning about the possibility of online communications somehow influencing attacks on 5G infrastructure. They had been noting that it had been seen over a dozen attacks overseas and there had been at least six attacks here in the United States. It has to be noted that the RV that's attributed to Warner was parked against a large switching facility owned by AT&T, that's the parent company of CNN, and that the resulting blast had a devastating impact on both civilian and government communications for days.

Experts say that's really a warning that our communication system is vulnerable and that going forward they'll have to greatly intensify the redundancy of their system. Meaning the impact of the blast will go far beyond Central Tennessee, even as they continued to try to resolve the mystery of the motive of what a man did on Christmas Day here -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Martin Savidge, thank you.

So why does $2,000 for American families hinge on stripping protection from social media companies and investigating bogus claims of election fraud?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:12:57]

ROMANS: Welcome back.

Twelve minutes past the hour.

While Americans wait for a widely available coronavirus vaccine, millions are in dire need for help right now. We know $600 is on the way, but the push to increase those relief checks to $2,000 is hitting a roadblock named Mitch McConnell.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, the big wild card in terms of whether or not the United States Senate would move forward on those expansion of $2,000 stimulus checks was Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader. What was he going to do? How was he going to react to the House-passed bill, to the president of his own party demanding those checks?

Well, he tipped his hand a little bit on Tuesday. Take a listen.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: During this process, the president highlighted three additional issues of national significance he would like to see Congress tackle together. This week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.

MATTINGLY: Then he tipped his hand a lot a little bit later when he introduced his own piece of legislation. It's legislation that would increase the $600 direct payments to $2,000. However, it would include two other provisions, two other provisions requested by President Trump in order for him to sign the original COVID relief and spending package. That would include the online provisions including section 230, a repeal, as well as a voter fraud commission even though there has been no evidence up to this point of voter fraud.

So, what does that mean? McConnell putting out a bill tying all the president's demands together? It means that if McConnell decides to put it on the floor, the bill will fail. It is considered a poison pill by Democrats and Democrats in that wake of that bill being put out -- outrage.

Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader, is calling it a cynical play. Senator Chris Murphy saying it was a poison pill. Democrats making it very clear they believe the only path forward is the House-passed bill to increase those checks from $600 to $2,000.

Here's the reality for McConnell. Not only is he balancing a president, he's balancing two Republican senators just days away from a crucial runoff, to the who will hold the majority of the United States Senate, to Georgia senators.

[05:15:03]

He's also balancing his conference, his 52-member conference, the large portion of which is opposed to the policy altogether.

So, where do things stand? Well, he could go with his own bill. He could let the clock run out entirely on this congress. Nothing may happen at all.

One thing we do that's going to happen, at some point over the next several days, McConnell will lead an override of President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act. That's going to happen. It's just a matter of when.

That's also held up by the stimulus check issue. Bernie Sanders, a key player, in trying to expand those checks, saying he won't allow a vote on that or he will try and block a vote on that until he gets an up or down vote on that House-passed stimulus check bill.

The problem with that, he can delay it, he can't stop it. The longer he delays it, the closer it comes to the end of this Congress. The end of this Congress with no action would mean no stimulus checks -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Phil.

There's also growing support among Senate Republicans for increasing those COVID relief checks to $2,000. That includes support from both senators from Georgia who are, of course, campaigning to save their jobs in a runoff election next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-GA): I said I'd support it, I support it. Look, we have to provide relief to Americans because Democrats have locked our country down. They've played politics with this moment and refused to pass relief month after month after month.

SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA): I've talked to the president repeatedly over the weekend. His heart was we've got to do this. We've got to do this now, and we don't want to wait. We don't trust the other side will do it right. And so, that's why he signed it into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Backtrack there on Senator Loeffler. You know, the House passed a big relief package way back in May and there was no reaction from Republicans for much of the summer. The focus on the Georgia race is, of course, intense. Nearly 2.5

million ballots have already been cast in the runoffs. That's already half the total of Georgia's entire vote in the general election.

Now, the Trump administration is trying to downplay this morning any delay in stimulus aid or short-changing for unemployed people. On Tuesday, the Labor Department assured jobless Americans of the full 11 weeks of the $300 boost of the stimulus deal in the jobless checks even though President Trump didn't sign it into law until Sunday, missing an important deadline.

The Labor Department also said people in two pandemic unemployment programs, they will receive benefits for the final week of the year. Still, most unemployed Americans may have to wait a few weeks for the state agencies to reprogram the packages and provisions into their systems.

The benefits will be retroactive to the end of December. And Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said some checks could have within deposited as early as last night. Who could expect some money here?

Look, if individuals who make up to 75 grand a year, you will receive $6,000. People who make 99,000, you receive nothing. The income thresholds are doubled for couples and parents can get 600 per child. Mnuchin said paper checks will start being mailed out on Wednesday.

Breaking overnight, a historic shift on abortion in the pope's home country.

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[05:21:40]

ROMANS: Breaking overnight, a history-making vote to legalize abortion in Argentina, up to 14 weeks. It is the first major Latin American country to do so. Celebrations followed, as you can see, followed in the streets. President Alberto Fernandez is expected to sign this into law.

Abortion has been a divisive issue for years in Argentina, which is, of course, the pope's home country. He encouraged opposition to this bill last month. Latin America is home to 40 percent of the world's Catholic population.

To Russia now where the crackdown on the opposition is reaching a dangerous new level. Russian authorities launching a new criminal probe against opposition politician Alexey Navalny. Essentially, they're daring him to follow through on his promise to return to Russia.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more from Moscow.

What are they accusing him of here? New fraud accusations?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely, Christine. This time, it's large scale fraud as the Russian investigative committee put it. Essentially what they're saying is that an anti-corruption foundation that Alexey Navalny is the head of, they say that that received millions of dollars in donations and that some of those donations or large portions of those donations were used by Alexey Navalny and some others for personal use, for buying personal property, they said, and then also personal trips as well.

It's quite dangerous for Alexey Navalny because he could face up to 10 years in prison if it goes to court and if he is convicted in all of this. And, of course, Christine, just yesterday, we're talking about the fact that Alexey Navalny was supposed to appear at a hearing at Russia's federal penal service that he had said, that he has to come to, which obviously is physically impossible for him to come to as he's still recovering from the Novichok poisoning in Germany.

And so, Alexey Navalny could, indeed, face arrests if and when he decides to come back here to Russia. And Navalny, of course, is crying foul in all of this. He believes that the Russian authorities, once again, are embarrassed by that CNN and Bellingcat investigation that uncovered large parts of the plot by the FSB, the Russian intelligence service, to poison and try to kill Alexey Navalny. He believes this is payback.

In fact, he went to his Twitter account -- Instagram account, I'm sorry, and he posted the following. He said, I said from the beginning in my video that they will try to jail me because I didn't die on the plane and then track down my assassin because I proved that Putin is behind it and that is the thief who is ready to kill those who refuse to be silent about his thievery.

That's Alexey Navalny talking. And we actually asked the Kremlin about this. The Kremlin is saying that Vladimir Putin is not worried about all this and he's indeed going about his business. Of course, what they have to say is the Russian government has consistently denied being behind the poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Christine.

ROMANS: Of course, they do.

All right. Thanks so much, Fred Pleitgen, for us. Thank you.

To Croatia where there's a race against time to save victims after a strong earthquake there. The epicenter, about 30 miles southeast of the capital Zagreb. It could be felt across the Balkans, we're told.

One local mayor says his town has no running water, no electricity, and he's, quote, going through hell. You can see the rubble there.

CNN's Cyril Vanier is live for the very latest with us.

What do we know?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that at least seven people have been confirmed dead. That's according to the government, and this was the largest earthquake to hit Croatia since the advent of modern seismic measuring instruments.

[05:25:05]

I want to show the precise moment that the earth shook. When that mayor that you talked about was actually getting a press conference about the previous day's earthquakes. Look at this and his reaction, subsequent to the earth shake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE)

DARINKO DUMBOVIC, MAYOR OF PETRINJA (through translator): I don't know if people in the houses are alive or dead. Half of the city has been demolished. We are now struggling to organize with a new strength that we must find in ourselves because this is a sadness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: So all national services were mobilized in a search and rescue effort. It's now 24 hours after the earthquake and a firefighter told our CNN affiliate on the ground, N1, that they're in there with search and rescue dogs to try and find any remaining victims under the rubble.

Now it's a remote poor area of Croatia. A lot of people living isolated in their homes so they're going house to house to see if there's anyone there under the rubble. Of course, the priority is to save lives. At this stage, electricity still has not come back. People at the hospital had to be airlifted to the capital Zagreb because the bridge leading to the capital had been also damaged by the quake.

We're also, of course, hearing that there have been after shocks which is -- which happens all too often in earthquakes which can be traumatic for people but can also compromise the safety of structures and buildings.

ROMANS: All right. Cyril, thank you so much for that. Keep us posted if there are any new developments there in Croatia.

A dark winter is off to a deadly start. The highest human toll so far in the pandemic includes the highest ranking U.S. official so far.

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