Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Germany Bans Unvaccinated People from Public Life; Americans Struggle with Utility Bills; Democrats Face Wave of Retirements; House Manager Testifies in Maxwell Case; Past Infection Doesn't Protest Against Omicron. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 03, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Less than 69 percent of the population that is vaccinated against Covid-19. And if you look at the average seven day of daily infections, it's extremely high here in this country and it remains high and so, therefore, the German government and also the German population, by the way, according to the polls, has lost patience with people who continue to refuse to get vaccinated. So those measures are going to be pretty strict. And you mentioned that people are going to get locked out of everything except the most essential businesses. We're talking about things like theaters, movie theaters, sports facilities, indoor sports facilities, restaurants, pretty much everything. It is going to become very difficult for people who so far have not been vaccinated and who still don't want to get vaccinated.

At the same time, the German government is putting together a big push to try and get more people vaccinated. They say that they want to administer around 30 million jabs by the end of this year. The equivalent, by the way, in the U.S., would be about 120 million jabs in the span of a month. So they say they really want to get things going.

And then you have those potential mandatory vaccinations the Germans are talking about as well. We, of course, have an incoming new government here in Germany and they say they want the parliament to vote for it. But you could see mandatory vaccinations in this country come February, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, one thing that's different from the United States, though, it's my understanding that proof of previous infection can also get you into some of these establishments, correct?

PLEITGEN: That is -- correct. When we talk about the unvaccinated getting locked out, you're only talking about people who have not been previously infected and who haven't gotten the vaccine either. That is absolutely correct. Because, in Germany, if you've had the -- if you've had Covid-19, then you count as vaccinated for around half a year. Essentially what Germany is saying is it's locking everybody out who does not have antibodies. So, you're absolutely right, that is a very, very important distinction. And also, by the way, something that is checked when you go into

establishments here. Every time I go, for instance, into a sports game, my son plays basketball, my vaccination status is checked with a QR code so that they know that I have been fully vaccinated or I've recovered.

BERMAN: I would not want to play against the son of Pleitgen in a basketball game.

Fred, thanks so much for that. Appreciate it.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the pandemic has done so much damage on so many levels. Here in the U.S., millions of Americans are struggling to keep the lights on. And the utility bills are only going up as the temperatures go down.

CNN's Gabe Cohen has more on this story.

Look, you see it -- you see it in the bill and you see it more in some states than others.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and those utility bills are expected in some places to go up 30 percent this winter. So most Americans maybe are going to be feeling this. We're going to be feeling this.

But for millions of Americans, this is just adding to severe utility insecurity that they faced throughout the pandemic with debt piling up and, in many cases, power actually being cut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice over): Michael Lundy and her kids are preparing for more days in the dark.

MICHAEL LUNDY, DETROIT RESIDENT: Hopefully the lights stay on.

COHEN: She just got a shutoff notice from her power company. She owes them more than $2,400, debt that's grown throughout Covid while she was out of work taking care of her daughter. She says, in September, they cut her power until she paid a portion of her debt. Now they're threatening to do it again.

LUNDY: It's frightening. I don't want to be no where else but home.

COHEN: Americans have been racking up utility debt during the pandemic. They now owe companies close to $20 billion, up 67 percent from the average year. A study in Massachusetts found 30 percent more families are now at least 90 days behind on their bill.

Early in the pandemic, at least 32 states issued emergency orders to prevent companies from cutting people's power. But nearly all have expired. And shutoffs have surged. One study found close to a million American households had their power cut over a 12-month span, and that's just from 17 states.

JEAN SU, ENERGY JUSTICE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: We think the real number should be around 3.4 million households.

COHEN: Jean Su authored that shutoff study.

COHEN (on camera): Is that more than the average year?

SU: That's absolutely more than the average year. At least three times, if not more.

COHEN (voice over): Now, energy bills are skyrocketing, with heating costs expected to rise 30 percent this winter due to inflation and supply problems. To help, the Biden administration is deploying Covid relief funds and releasing 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, hoping to bring down prices. But it will take time.

COHEN (on camera): How does that increase impact you?

KALLELA MARTIN, DETROIT RESIDENT: It's stressful.

COHEN (voice over): Kallela Martin just paid her balance after getting a shutout notice over $179 of unpaid bills.

MARTIN: And I've been shut off for less. I've been shut off when -- for 23 cents.

COHEN: During winter, most states have rules that prevent shutoffs, but several don't, and even protected families can fall through the cracks or at least accumulate debt.

SU: I think we're going to see another huge tsunami of utility shutoffs.

COHEN (on camera): What can a shutoff do to a family.

SU: A family feels like they are living in a house that's uninhabitable.

COHEN (voice over): Salima Ellis has been living without power for more than two years, heating her Detroit home with propane tanks and living by candlelight.

[06:35:06]

SALIMA ELLIS, DETROIT RESIDENT: It humbles you and it makes you appreciate what I didn't appreciate before.

COHEN: The 49-year-old says she can't live here during the coldest weeks of winter.

COHEN (on camera): Why not move?

ELLIS: Where? Where?

COHEN (voice over): The American Rescue Plan, passed in March, more than doubled funding for the low income home energy assistance program, or LIHEAP. It helps families pay utility bills. But due to a combination of factors, only 17 percent of eligible households actually receive LIHEAP benefits.

COHEN (on camera): What is the long-term fix?

SU: The long-term fix they need is money to make their homes energy efficient.

COHEN (voice over): Low-income families, particularly in black and brown communities, often pay more for power and heat with homes that are older and poorly insulated. As part of the infrastructure bill, the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program will get $3.5 billion to update 700,000 homes.

PATRICK GUBRY, WAYNE METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY: We would fill this up with insulation to make the home healthier, safer, and lower the energy bill.

COHEN: The Wayne Metro Community Action Agency weatherize close to 300 homes in the Detroit area every year for families in need. The average cost, $7,600.

COHEN (on camera): Will that pay for itself in the long run?

GUBRY: Yes, absolutely. So we see about a 20 percent reduction in the heating bill.

COHEN (voice over): Michael Lundy is more worried about the short- term.

COHEN (on camera): What happens if your heating bill goes up this winter?

LUNDY: That's a disaster.

COHEN (voice over): She says she just applied for assistance after getting her shutoff notice. She should know in the coming days if she'll get help or be left in the dark again.

LUNDY: That's a lot to think of, what's going to happen, how am I do this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, throughout the pandemic, there have been activists calling for a national moratorium to stop these shutoffs. That never happened. And those winter moratoriums, they should protect a lot of families. But one of the big concerns is the debt that those families are going to be racking up in the coming months. And when those moratoriums get lifted, how many of them will have their power cut as they decide between food on the table or lights in their home.

KEILAR: Yes, and you know what they'll choose, you know, as we saw from one of the women that you spoke with.

Gabe, great report. Thank you so much.

Coming up, House Democrats have a retirement problem. There are 19 members jumping ship right before the midterms.

Plus, Stacey Abrams is running for governor in Georgia again. Will she be successful this second time around? We're going to ask her straight ahead.

BERMAN: And see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. The house manager in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial detailing how he handled Epstein's properties filled with topless women and baskets full of sex toys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:00]

BERMAN: Congressman Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the chair of the powerful House Transportation Committee, announced he is retiring. The 19 Democrat to announce a retirement or run for higher office. And this is a very high number, historically speaking, and a key sign of what might happen in the midterms.

Joining me now, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten.

Harry, what are we talking about in terms of numbers of retirements?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, you know, you mentioned straight retirements, people who are leaving public life versus those who might be running for higher office. I'm just going to look at those who are retiring from public office, leaving public life. What do we see right now?

Among Democrats this cycle, it's 11. Republicans, just four. Now, go back four years ago at this point, right? It was the exact opposite. It was Republicans, a lot more Republicans who were retiring than Democrats. And I don't have to remind you, John, that that particular year the Republicans going adios amigos basically set the stage for Democrats taking back control of the House.

BERMAN: One thing I will note, even though you're not counting those running for higher office, often people choose to run for higher office because they either, a, know that they would lose because of redistricting.

ENTEN: Correct.

BERMAN: Or, b, don't want to be in the minority, so they figure, hey, what the heck, I'm going to run for higher office.

What do retirements tell us historically?

ENTEN: Look, there's definitely a correlation between retirements and what happens in the House during midterms. But it's not perfect. So the party with fewer retirements gains House seats. True. Eight out of 12 times. So more times than not, the party with fewer retirements do, in fact, gain House seats, but is not a perfect correlation. So there are years where that doesn't occur. We were just talking about 2002 offset. That was one year. 2014, I believe, was actually another year of that story (ph). BERMAN: Just so I understand -- people understand why this is, is

because people see the handwriting on the wall. What it is, is members see what might happen, they fear they would go from the majority to the minority and they don't want to be in the minority, so they get out, particularly committee chairs. So when you see DeFazio and Yarmuth, and we put their faces up on the screen, committee chairs retiring is rare.

ENTEN: They don't do that.

BERMAN: They don't want to give up their seat unless they don't think they're going to be chairmen. Sorry, I digress.

ENTEN: It's your program.

BERMAN: There are other signs besides retirements that are an issue for the Democrats.

ENTEN: Yes, there are other signs. You know, if it was just retirements, that would be one thing. But, you know, I like to see different barometers, different metrics basically hinting at the same thing because that gives us more confidence that can be true.

So this is basically the generic ballot, right, the choice for Congress on December 2nd in the year before the midterms. Look where we were in 2018. Democrats had this huge nine-point lead. Look at where we are now. Republicans actually have a two-point lead. Republicans leading on the generic ballot is very, very rare and they're doing so right now.

BERMAN: They almost never lead on that. That's a question that says, would you rather your House member be a Democrat or a Republican.

ENTEN: Right.

BERMAN: No names, just Democrat or Republican.

All right, what's the history of the generic ballot question?

ENTEN: Yes, you know, that's exactly the point.

So, when the opposition party leads on the generic ballot, the non- White House party, they win or control the House since 1938.

[06:45:01]

Look at this, 10 out of 10 times. So, if the opposition party, the Republicans, are leading at that point, historically speaking, even this early on, the generic congressional ballot is a very key -- clear indicator that they will probably gain control.

BERMAN: I'm not good at math, but 10 out of 10 is always.

ENTEN: Yes, that does tend to be the case. Of course, you know, we have a small historically here, so I don't want to jump too far out. But historically speaking, a very clear indicator. BERMAN: Presidential approval, where does that figure in?

ENTEN: Yes, same exact thing, right? So, you know, the president's approval rating at this point since WWII in midterms, when his party gains or loses less than five seats, that's what Democrats essentially need to happen, right? If they lose four, they would still maintain control.

But look at this, Joe Biden's approval rating now is at 42. In order to match up historically with the times where that presidential party does well, look at these approval ratings, 79, 60, 86. Joe Biden's, 42, is not anywhere near any of these thigs where any of these presidents were at this point in the cycle.

BERMAN: OK, again, historically speaking, what numbers are you looking at in terms of how many seats are gained or lost in a midterm?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, look, White House party loses five or more House seats in midterms since 1870. That goes back a long ways. I think even if we add your age, my age, and that camera man's age all together, the fact of the matter is, we would not get back to 1870. Look at this, 34 out of 38 times when the White House party loses five seats or more in a midterm, this is the type of history that Democrats are going up against. It's just really, really, really tough to not see a major penalty against the president's party. And all these metrics that we've seen so far suggest that we're heading right towards that.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: An instruction manual on how to handle the topless women inside Jeffrey Epstein's home. What the house manager witness and testified during the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.

KEILAR: Plus, Facebook sold ads comparing the vaccine to the Holocaust, among other violent and anti-vax messages. How much did the company pocket on this stuff, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:21]

BERMAN: Explosive testimony at the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial. The long time house manager of Jeffrey Epstein's Florida estate read aloud from an instruction manual given to him by Maxwell that said, quote, remember that you see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing except to answer a question directed at you. Respect their privacy.

CNN's Kara Scannell joins us now with the latest on that.

Wow.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, a big day of testimony yesterday. That was just one of the directives that Juan Alessi, that house manager, had testified to while he was on the stand for about four hours. He said that Ghislaine Maxwell made it clear that she was the lady of the house and issued these directives. Another one was instructions for when they answer the phone. In that case they were told, unless otherwise instructed, never disclose Mr. Epstein or Ms. Maxwell's activities or whereabouts to anyone. If the caller is insistent, you simply ask them to take a message, a time, a number where the caller can be reached. Do not be bullied and do not show any reaction or impatience, simply be firm. So, this was -- this set the tone for what it was like working in that house.

He also testified that he had seen many, many, many girls who were there, including two he believed were underage. One of those is one of the accusers who testified earlier this week under the pseudonym Jane.

Now, Part of Alessi's testimony was also cohobating some of the small details that Jane had testified about. For instance, she had said that she was chauffeured by a sweet Latin American man and that when one of the first times that she was at Epstein's house, she sat by the pool with Maxwell and they were surrounded by other topless women.

Now, Alessi testified that he was -- whenever he was at the pool, he said that 75 percent of the time the women there were topless. He also said that he had chauffeured the Jane around, that he had picked her up from her high school, had taken her to Epstein's mansion. He also testified that he had driven her from her home to the airport up to the tarmac to board Jeffrey Epstein's jet, along with Ms. Maxwell and her small dog.

And this also goes to one of the key charges in this case about whether Maxwell was involved in the transportation of minors. He's putting her on the plane and he's saying that he was directed by her.

Now, Alessi said he never witnessed any of the alleged sexual abuse. He never saw any of the massages. But he said that he was in charge of cleaning up afterwards. And at one point he found a large sex toy which he said he had seen a handful of times.

Now, Maxwell's lawyers will have their turn today with him. The cross- examination begins this morning. Prosecutors say that they still have three other accusers they intend to call in this case, which could last another five weeks.

John.

BERMAN: Wow. Well, a big day.

Kara Scannell, thank you very much.

KEILAR: Alec Baldwin speaking out for the first time in an emotional interview. Why he says he's not responsible for the deadly movie set shooting. And we'll also speak live with a gun expert about Baldwin's claims.

BERMAN: And top scientists now warning that previous coronavirus infection may not protect against omicron.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:58:38]

BERMAN: This morning, top South African scientists are now warning that previous coronavirus infections may not protect against the omicron variant. This after a sharp rise in cases with people who have been infected in a study that hasn't been reviewed and -- there is a study that says this that has not been reviewed by a scientific journal yet.

Let's bring in Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN medical analyst and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

So, South African scientists looking at the data in the cases that they are seeing are saying there are a lot of people coming in with omicron who were previously infected. What's the significance of that, Doctor?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, that previous infection doesn't protect that well against this variant. So, John, what we know about this variant with certainty is that there are dozens of mutations to the virus. And some of these mutations change the shape of the virus or change how the virus presents itself to antibodies, either naturally occurring or antibody that are produced by vaccines.

So, it has a different appearance. So it, at least from these initial, small reports out of South Africa, it looks like the antibodies obtained naturally may not be enough.

[07:00:02]

Now, we also know that infection induced antibodies wane over time. The same as vaccine induced.