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The Situation Room

Interview With Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton; Biden Introduces Cabinet Picks; Pandemic Surging; White House Coronavirus Task Force Calls For Significant Behavior Change Of All Americans; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 259,000, 12.5 Million Cases As Hospitalizations Hit Highest Level Since Pandemic Began; Biden Taps Longtime Adviser Tony Blinken For Secretary Of State. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 24, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: But President Trump himself is still refusing to concede that he lost the election, while ramping up his baseless attacks on the election, even as he claimed to celebrate American greatness during the traditional White House turkey pardon earlier this afternoon.

And there's more breaking news. The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has now surpassed 259,000 people here in the United States, with more than 12.5 million confirmed cases. Hospitalizations in the U.S. are at an all-time high right now.

Let's go to CNN Jessica Dean for more now on the Biden transition.

Jessica, the president-elect is setting an entirely new tone on the world stage. What's the latest?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

We heard from his newest picks earlier today. We also learned later this afternoon that the White House has signed off on president-elect Biden getting what's known as that presidential daily brief. That's classified intelligence that president-elects typically get.

We're told he will now begin receiving that. That is just another step in this transfer of power.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN (voice-over): President-elect Joe Biden making it official today.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: America is back.

DEAN: Formally introducing his first round of Cabinet nominees and appointees.

BIDEN: It's a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure. And it's a team that reflects the fact that America is back.

DEAN: The national security and foreign policy picks are all heavy on experience. And, if confirmed, some will make history.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Thank you for placing your trust in me to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

DEAN: Alejandro Mayorkas, the son of Cuban immigrants, would be the first Latino and immigrant to serve as homeland security secretary.

MAYORKAS: My father and mother brought me to this country to escape communism. They cherished our democracy, and were intensely proud to become United States citizens.

DEAN: Avril Haines would be the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence.

AVRIL HAINES, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE NOMINEE: I have never shied away from speaking truth to power.

DEAN: Secretary of state nominee Antony Blinken spoke specifically of his late stepfather, who escaped the Holocaust as a child, finding safety with American forces.

TONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: He ran to the tank. The hatch opened. An African-American G.I. looked down at him. He got down on his knees and said the only three words that he knew in English that his mother had taught him before the war: "God bless America."

That's who we are.

DEAN: Louisiana native Linda Thomas-Greenfield, nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations, promised to bring people together using what she calls gunboat diplomacy, a strategy she deployed in her 35 years in Foreign Service.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS NOMINEE: Wherever I was posted around the world, I'd invite people of different backgrounds and beliefs to help me make a roux and chop onions for the Holy Trinity and make homemade gumbo. It was my way of breaking down barriers.

DEAN: The nominees were clear. Their message to the world is very different than President Trump's America first approach.

BLINKEN: We need to be working with other countries. We need their cooperation.

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER NOMINEE: And, perhaps most importantly, you have tasked us with helping unite America.

DEAN: Seventeen days after the election was called, the Biden transition is now fully in motion, with the General Services Administration signing off on the official process Monday night.

BIDEN: I think we're going to not be so far behind the curve, as we thought we might be in the past. And there's a lot of immediate discussion. And I must say, the outreach has been sincere. It's not been begrudging so far. And I don't expect it to be. So, yes, it's already begun.

DEAN: The Biden team has already been in communication with several key government agencies, like the Department of Defense, Treasury, State Department, and Health and Human Services.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: So, president-elect Biden feeling very good about where they are now and how this transition is progressing forward.

And, Wolf, it's important to note that we now know that the Biden teams have been in contact with all federal agencies. So this continues to push forward toward Inauguration Day, January 20 -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, it's moving quickly, this transition.

All right, Jessica, thank you very, very much.

Let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, right now.

Jim, you're learning more about the tipping point that finally led the Trump administration to begin this formal transition process. What can you tell us?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

We're learning the General Services Administration did give the White House an early heads-up that GSA officials were preparing to formally ascertain that Joe Biden won the election and begin the transition process. That heads-up, we are told, happened last Friday.

I'm also told there were multiple advisers persuading the president yesterday to come to grips with the reality that it's over. Meanwhile, President Trump did emerge today from some hiding he's been doing over here at the White House as he tried to take credit for the rally on Wall Street earlier today in a bizarre couple of appearances in the White House Briefing Room and as he pardoned a turkey.

[18:05:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hereby grant you a full pardon.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey at the White House, President Trump sounded like he'd rather be back on the campaign trail, fighting to win an election he's already lost, as he described COVID-19 as the China virus.

TRUMP: During this Thanksgiving, we extend our eternal gratitude to the doctors, nurses, health care workers, and scientists who have waged the battle against the China virus.

ACOSTA: The president also turned his carving knife on former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is recommending that the incoming by the administration abandon Mr. Trump's America first foreign policy approach.

TRUMP: America first, shouldn't go away from that. America first.

ACOSTA: As he has since his defeat three weeks ago, the president didn't take any questions.

Earlier in the day, the president made a surprise appearance in the White House Briefing Room that lasted approximately 64 seconds to take credit for the Dow crossing the 30000 milestone.

TRUMP: Thank you very much. And I just want to congratulate everybody. The stock market, Dow Jones industrial average just hit 30000, which is the highest in history. That's a sacred number, 30,000. Nobody thought they'd ever see it.

ACOSTA: Once again, Mr. Trump declined to take questions.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

ACOSTA: But hold on. Wall Street analysts say the market news is due in part to the federal government's move to begin the transition process and president-elect Joe Biden's selection of Janet Yellen to run the Treasury Department.

Before the election, the president predicted a market crash if Biden won.

TRUMP: They say the stock market will boom if I'm elected. If he's elected, the stock market will crash.

You will have a depression. Who has 401(k)s in this group, anybody?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: If he got in, way bye-bye to your 401(k), because it's going down the tubes.

ACOSTA: CNN has learned that a group of top Trump attorneys and advisers spent hours on Monday persuading the president to yield to the transition process. A source close to the White House said one big factor was the growing outcry from Republicans after the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani's disastrous news conference last week.

The source described the performance as a "'blank show," adding, "Things have changed significantly since last Thursday."

After the president tweeted his approval to the General Services Administration's move to free up transition resources, another White House advisers said: "There you go. It's over."

Another sign of progress, a letter from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to staffers, stating: "As you may have seen, the GSA administrator has made an ascertainment to allow for the start of a presidential transition. I want to remind all employees of existing procedures and guidance that we must adhere to throughout this administration."

But Meadows cautioned: "Unless specifically authorized, personnel are not permitted to speak directly with a member of the Biden transition team or the federal transition coordinator."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, a key figure in the nation's pandemic response, said he will be working to help the Biden team.

ALEX AZAR, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We are immediately getting them all of the pre-prepared transition briefing materials.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And the official transition process has now begun.

We were told officials from the departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security all met with members of the Biden transition team today. That's how things are supposed to work here in Washington.

And one final meeting and I guess point of contact we should note, Wolf. Dr. Anthony Fauci confirms he's been having some discussions with members of the Biden transition team. He says those are preliminary conversations that are under way. He hasn't had any substantive discussions at this point.

But he hopes to stay on with the Biden administration to go after the pandemic -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, he's already served under six presidents. One more, looking forward -- I'm sure he's looking forward to one more.

All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very, very much. Don't go too far away. Want to bring you back to this conversation.

I also want to include our senior political commentator, David Axelrod, and our senior legal analyst, Laura Coates.

David, you know the president-elect, Joe Biden, well. You worked with them. I know you have been paying very close attention as he names his Cabinet. What stands out to you, at least so far, from this new team that he has assembled?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, certainly, on national security, this group reflects Joe Biden's philosophy. He believes in strong diplomacy. He believes in robust alliances. All of them spoke to that today.

They are all also steeped in the agencies that they will lead. Tony Blinken has decades of experience, was deputy secretary of state. Avril Haines was deputy CIA director. She will now be the director of national intelligence, and so on. Secretary Mayorkas was the deputy at the Department of Homeland Security that he will now lead. And I think that sends a strong signal to the rank and file. Also, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.N. ambassador, 35 years in the Foreign Service. These organizations have been pilloried by the president for four years, and the career people have been battered.

And here you have people who have a deep appreciation for those agencies. And I think that's very important. Then, finally, this is a historically diverse group. I mentioned Avril Haines. She will be the first woman to be the DNI. Secretary Mayorkas will be and is the first immigrant to lead the department of Homeland Security, which obviously has oversight over our immigration enforcement.

[18:10:18]

It was just a -- it's a very, very diverse group. So, the president- elect is sending a strong signal there that he's going to follow through on his commitment to have the most diverse Cabinet in history.

BLITZER: Yes, on that point, Laura, the president-elect promised a diverse Cabinet. Indeed, he's made history with some of the officials, as David just pointed out, that he's naming to these truly critical national security, foreign policy roles.

Has Biden lived up to his commitment to appoint a Cabinet that reflects the country that he is now about to get ready to lead?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It seems as though he's aspiring to do that, in terms of the idea of gender, and, to a certain extent, race.

But I think, you will find, on the grand scheme of things, there are going to be those who are critical, because many of the people who you have named who are certainly not -- not there because of elbow rubbing, but because of extraordinary experience, that they're familiar because they have been a part in some respects of the establishment in the past, or have been a part of prior administrations.

And it might not fully satisfy those progressives who might say, we want to have a newer, fresher sense of the future of the Democratic Party. Having said that, I think it was always clear that Biden was attempting to be a bridge between the Trump administration and whatever future Democratic Party there would be, but there would need to be that restorative period, given all that took place.

And, as David spoke about, particularly the idea of going from a America-first strategy to one that Anthony Blinken mentioned, and I thought was so powerful a moment, Wolf, when he talked about his late stepfather having been a child who escaped a death march at the Holocaust, only to find himself in front of a U.S. military tank, and a hatch opened by an African-American soldier, and just said, "God bless America," when he was saved.

And I think that was such a moment, that people's took a step back and said, this was hearkening back to an era when America was the great, last and best hope, and also talking about the role particularly of African-Americans and patriotism in this country, and how we're viewed across the world.

I think it was a very poignant moment and it went a very far way today towards that direction.

BLITZER: Yes, it was a really powerful moment, indeed, and explains a lot who Tony Blinken is today and how that has impressed him and influenced them over all these years. He and I have had many conversations on that specific point.

Jim Acosta, you reported that Dr. Fauci now confirms he has had what are called preliminary conversations with members of the incoming Biden team. How much coordination can we expect between the White House Coronavirus Task Force and president-elect Biden's Coronavirus Advisory Board, let's say, over the next 57 days?

ACOSTA: Well, it sounds like the Coronavirus Task Force is going to look different under a Biden administration.

The president-elect is going to want to have his own people at some of these various agencies, certainly at Health and Human Services and so on. Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to stay on. I just spoke with him on the phone. He said that he's had some preliminary conversations with the Biden team. He hasn't spoken with the president-elect just yet.

But, Wolf, this is going to be a whole new world for Dr. Anthony Fauci. He is going to be dealing with an incoming administration and an incoming president who is used to dealing with science and facts and data and so on.

Keep in mind, President Trump, he makes fun of people who wear masks. Joe Biden wears a mask on a regular basis. We saw him doing that earlier today at that event with his national security team. And so, in many ways, Wolf, this is this is going to be like an out-of-body experience for Dr. Fauci dealing with Biden and company.

But, at the same time, as you just pointed out, a few moments ago, Dr. Fauci goes back multiple administrations. He's worked with both Republicans and Democrats, and he hopes to stay on and keep fighting this pandemic. That's what he just told me over the phone a few moments ago. He wants to stay on the job, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, we all hope he stays on the job. He's the top expert when it comes to infectious disease.

All right, guys, thank you very, very much.

An important note to our viewers, Laura will be back later tonight hosting "CNN TONIGHT" at 11:00, 11:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to be watching.

Laura, that is going to be very, very important. Stay -- we will stay with you at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. Not too late for me.

Just ahead, I will ask President Trump's former National Security Adviser Ambassador John Bolton what he thinks of president-elect Biden's new foreign policy team. There you see him. We will discuss.

Plus, the White House Coronavirus Task Force is warning states they're not doing enough right now to control the pandemic and urging Americans to make significant changes to try to slow the deadly spread.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:19:07]

BLITZER: President-elect Joe Biden says -- and I'm quoting him now -- "America is back."

That was his message today, as he revealed several new Cabinet selections and signaled a sharp reversal of President Trump's so- called America first foreign policy.

Let's get some perspective from President Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton. He is the author of the new book "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir."

Ambassador Bolton, thank you so much for joining us.

The White House has now approved, as you know, president-elect Biden receiving what's called the president's daily intelligence brief. How important is that to the incoming president that he be fully briefed before he steps into his new role?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I think it's very important, and I think not just for him, but as he names his top advisers and Cabinet members, that they be read in quickly to intelligence programs as well.

The more prepared they are, the better they will be able to make decisions right from the beginning. And they're going to be faced with some hard decisions.

[18:20:03]

So, I'm very grateful and gratified this transition is under way. There's a lot of work to do, and just two months to do it in.

BLITZER: Yes, 57 days, to be specific, until January 20.

We're seeing the president-elect, -- the national security foreign policy team that is now taking shape. You may have clearly some ideological differences with some of these nominees, but what's your reaction overall to what we have seen so far?

BOLTON: Well, they're a very experienced group of people. They have all have close relationships with Joe Biden. I find that very interesting. Many have been staffers of his for decades.

And I think it's noteworthy, although I certainly can't explain it, that missing from today's announcement was the nominee to be secretary of defense. And I -- as I say, I can't really read what that signifies, but I hope that decision comes soon, because especially in a Democratic administration, you don't want the secretary of defense to be coming way behind the others.

BLITZER: Yes, I suspect that's going to be coming fairly soon. Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, we're hearing that she's going to get that. That wasn't officially formally announced today. But that's in the cards as well.

The president-elect touted the level of experience, as you pointed out, that this group brings to the Cabinet. How important is it to have people in place who can hit the ground running, who've worked in their various departments and agencies in the past?

BOLTON: Well, I think, unfortunately, the experience of the Trump administration demonstrates why experience is necessary, not just in the national security space, but in so many others. Trump's appointees hit the ground stumbling. And it showed in performance.

But, obviously, the real test is not experienced. It's judgment. And that's why I think the cohesiveness of Biden's team is going to be interesting, because it will clearly reflect his thinking, based on years of contact with him. So it has the prospect of being very unified and very focused, for well or ill.

And I think that's going to be important to watch.

BLITZER: Yes, I think Tony Blinken, the new incoming, assuming he is confirmed by the Senate, secretary of state, he's worked with Biden when he was a senator in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I think they go back at least about 20 years.

Did you have a close personal relationship with President Trump before he asked you to be his national security adviser?

BOLTON: No, I did not. But I don't think that's disqualifying. I think the question is how the senior advisers work together with the president.

Those who have worked with a president like this for so long have an advantage, in a sense. But they also risk succumbing to groupthink, too. So it's a difficult balance. Each president has got to pick his or her own team. Biden's picked most of his, so we will see what happens next.

BLITZER: The president, President Trump, repeated his wish today for his America first approach to remain in place.

Biden's nominees, they made it clear they intend to reengage globally. You heard with General Mattis said: Walk away from that America first.

It seemed like President Trump was responding, trying to belittle a General Mattis. What do you say to this little uproar?

BOLTON: Well, it's just typical of the Trump administration. Donald Trump himself doesn't know what America first means. And, honestly, neither do its opponents. Remember what John McCain's motto was in the 2008 campaign? Country first. Gee, I wonder what country he was talking about.

This goes to a basic point about foreign policy. You can't deal with it in bumper stickers.

BLITZER: Good point.

Ambassador John Bolton, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, as usual. Thanks so much for joining us.

BOLTON: You too. Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Just ahead, an urgent warning from the White House Coronavirus Task force: Americans must -- repeat -- must change their behavior, or the pandemic will continue to grow simply out of control.

Also, when will students in the nation's largest school system head back to the classroom?

The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, is standing by live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:53]

BLITZER: The breaking news this hour, troubling new pandemic numbers.

The U.S. coronavirus death toll is now more than 259,000 people and more than 12.5 million cases. Right now, so far today, 1,701 Americans have died so far. The day is not over; 1,701 Americans have died so far from coronavirus today.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The coronavirus outbreak is accelerating across the nation, more than 169,000 new cases reported yesterday, the highest Monday on record, 30 states seeing a surge in new cases this week, and an uncontrolled spread of the virus across New Mexico, up 104 percent compared to last week.

COVID-19 so rampant across America that one model projects the U.S. will reach a staggering 20 million cases by January 20, hospitals buckling under the surge.

DR. JEROME ADAMS, SURGEON GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: You may not be able to go in and get your heart attack treated. I have heard hospitals not being able to provide care for pregnant women because they're filled with COVID beds.

[18:30:01]

So that's the reality.

KAFANOV (voice over): From coast to coast, 14 consecutive days of record breaking hospitalization. In Minnesota, the Star Tribune Publishing, this dire headline no beds anywhere.

DR. SHIRLEE XIE, HOSPITALIST, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE IN MINNEAPOLIS: I took care of a woman who, after over month in the ICU, was recovering from COVID. And that should be a win. But we we're trying to call her family every day to give them an update and we couldn't get a hold of anyone. And then one day we found out it's because her husband had died of COVID and her daughter had died of COVID all while she was in the hospital. And so how do you tell somebody that? How do you tell somebody that their family has died?

KAFANOV: Experts warn that Thanksgiving holiday could turn into a disaster.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Going home to your home community for a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving holiday might actually, unfortunately, be a source of an uneven amplification of the surge.

KAFANOV: As the cases keep surging, some states forced to implement new restrictions.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): We're being overwhelmed with a record number of cases, with hospitalizations going up, with numbers of individuals in the ICU increasing every day.

KAFANOV: Nashville public schools returning to all virtual classrooms after Thanksgiving.

DR. NICHOLAS CHRISTAKIS, YALE UNIVERSITY: There should be no community in this nation where the bars are open but the elementary schools are closed.

KAFANOV: Meanwhile, the U.S. today announcing the first batch of 6.4 million doses of new vaccine could be distributed soon of December 10th

ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We believe we can distribute vaccine to all 64 jurisdictions within 24 hours of FDA authorization. Then we hope administration can begin as soon as the product arrives.

One of the private sector partners we've enlisted, CVS Health, has said that they expect to be vaccinating residents of nursing homes, one of the top priority groups, within 48 hours after FDA authorization.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (on camera): The coronavirus task force today sounded the alarm about spread of the pandemic, calling on all Americans for significant behavior change of all Americans. This as the CDC director today announce that the majority of the COVID spread across the U.S. is coming from small household gatherings and people who are not exhibiting symptoms. It is a stark warning ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Lucy, thank you. Lucy Kafanov in Denver for us, I appreciate it very much.

Joining us now, the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio. Mayor de Blasio, thank you so much for joining us. I know you got a lot going on.

Let's talk first of all about New York City public schools. They closed last week after the city seven-day average reached 3 percent positivity testing rate threshold. What other restrictions are you ready to put into place and at what point will you do that?

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: Yes, there are more restrictions coming, Wolf. I've been very clear about that. Now, the state of New York has to make the ultimate decision but they've put out the guidelines, and it's quite clear, unfortunately. In the next week or two, we should see some substantial restrictions. I think the indoor dining will be closed. Gyms will be closed. I'm not happy about it. And no one is happy about it, but that's what's coming.

On schools, we're going have to reset the entire equation, come back with additional testing and additional approaches to get the schools back up and running. So we had two months where we were able to have in-person education for hundreds of thousands of kids, but now we're going to have to add additional features. Even though schools were very, very safe, we're going to have to add additional precautions to get the schools back, and that's what we intend to do.

BLITZER: Like what?

DE BLASIO: More testing. We had a standard where our kids were being tested monthly in all our schools. That's going to have to be more frequent. We're going to have if we can do testing ahead, for example, all students having a test consent form on file and even testing them before they come into the school and getting a negative result. Those are the kinds of things we're looking at.

And we're going to do whatever it takes particularly for our special education kids and our younger kids, Wolf. That's where our focus will going to be, to get those schools back first but, again, with a lot of safety and health precautions. We know we can do it. We got to keep our kids and our staff safe but parents also really, really are saying from their hearts that their kids are missing being in school. We've got to get them reopened.

BLITZER: Yes, it's so sad. Now, when you think about you've got the largest school district in the country in New York City.

You heard in Lucy's package that Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a respected professor at Yale University, said, and I'm quoting once again, there should be no community in this nation where the bars are open but the elementary schools are closed. I understand that's the case in New York City right now. What do think? What do you say to that?

DE BLASIO: Well, it's not going to be the case for much longer. It's going to be the other way around soon. Because, as I said, it's quite clear, and the state rule is governed here, but by the state's own standards, it's inevitable that, very soon, you will see those bars closing and those restaurants too for indoor dining, not outdoor, for indoor.

[18:35:04]

BLITZER: But it's getting cold right now. You're not going to have much outdoor dining, right?

DE BLASIO: Well, you know, with heaters and with the right kind of ventilation, all you can, and it certainly safe for the indoor dining. But the bottom line here is, and I'm not happy to say but it's true, that professor is going to get his wish. We are going to have those closed and schools reopening. That's the bottom line in New York City.

BLITZER: And so, will schools reopen if it's still more than 3 percent positivity rate?

DE BLASIO: The state rules provide us a pathway to reopening with a lot more testing and some very rigorous measures. And we intend to find a way to do it. It's going to take an immense logistical effort but, Wolf, opening the schools to begin with and the biggest school system in the country was not a picnic.

Most people said it couldn't be done. We did it. We prove for two months. It was really, really safe. We set a very tough standard on how long we're going to stay open. Now we reset in that equation. I know we can come back. It's going to take a lot of testing, but we're going to come back.

BLITZER: I hope so. Before I let you go, Mayor, I wonder how you and your family are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. I know so many of our viewers in New York City and beyond are facing really tough personal decisions about how to celebrate this holiday on Thursday as this coronavirus and this pandemic is exploding in the U.S. right now.

DE BLASIO: Wolf, I'm saying to people -- I'm not talking about my family, but first thing I'm saying to everyone is do not travel. Stay local. Keep it small. If you love people, if you love your extended family, help them stay alive so we can all celebrate together in- person next year. Because I really believe by next Thanksgiving, we'll be in the kind of situation we can all come back together.

So in my case, I would normally travel for Thanksgiving. I'm not going to -- I'm going to be missing some of the people that are closest to me in the world that I would always see on Thanksgiving. I hate it. But I want to keep them safe. And it will be a very, very small group at Gracie Mansion. It won't feel like a traditional Thanksgiving but we just have to get through this once, Wolf.

And that's what I'm saying to people in New York City, fight your way through it. Skip the travel. Keep it small. Get through it one time. Protect each other, fight back this second wave and next year we're going to be in much, much better shape.

BLITZER: And next year, God willing, we'll have a safe and effective vaccine that will protect all of us and we'll be able to get back to some semblance of normality. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, Mayor de Blasio. I appreciate very much you joining us.

DE BLASIO: You too, Wolf. Take care, man.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Just ahead, we'll going to have more on the hopeful news that millions of doses of the coronavirus vaccine could be available within a matter of a few weeks.

Plus, the Thanksgiving holiday threatening the fuel the spread of the virus which is already out of control across so much of the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following involving coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths all climbing dramatically across the United States just two days before Thanksgiving.

Let's discuss with the Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha. Doctor Jha, thank you so much for joining us as this Thanksgiving holiday approaches, coronavirus cases are surging. How would you recommend that people celebrate this upcoming holiday?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes, Wolf, thank you for having me on. The safest thing, of course, by far is staying within your household, people you generally live with. That's the safest thing to do and that's what we're doing with our family, as painful as that is and as atypical as that is, that's what we're doing.

If you already have travel or are committed to traveling, there are things you can do to make it safer, such as trying to really make sure you're wearing mask when you're indoors together, trying to spend more time outside and keep windows open and ventilation going. None of these things are going to make it feel like a normal Thanksgiving but we're in the middle of a pandemic so we're not going have a normal Thanksgiving.

BLITZER: What's the safest way to travel right now?

JHA: You know, we think that airplanes themselves are pretty safe but packed airports, a lot of videos coming out of packed airports really do make my anxious about how safe that is. Obviously, driving, you're in your own little bubble and places like gas stations are not particularly risky. It depends a little bit on how far you have to go. If you have to go a long ways, it's probably flying. And if you can do it at an off hour, that's probably a bit better. BLITZER: Yes, and if you don't have a packed, packed plane and packed, packed airport that, would obviously be safer, although the risks are pretty serious all around.

The White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Jha, is calling for what's called significant change and behavior for all Americans. Beyond wearing masks, what behavior changes, other steps should we all be taking to help stop the spread of the virus? We hope this going to be safe and effective vaccines soon and it looks like there will be. But in the meantime, we've got to be careful.

JHA: Yes. You know, Wolf, this is the crazy part of this, right? We're a couple of months away from vaccines really starting to make a difference in our lives. And so we've got to do everything we can to keep people safe in those next couple of months. What does that mean? We know this virus spreads when people gather indoors and don't wear masks. That's really the high-risk situation.

So think about where you're putting yourself with other people not part of your household where people aren't wearing masks.

[18:45:02]

It could be in your home, it could be in a restaurant, it could be at a bar, it could be in a bowling alley. Whatever those situations are, we've got to really avoid those. Always wear a mask when you're outside the home and really be careful about who you invite over to your home.

If we can do those things, I think we can get through the next couple of months and then have a much, much brighter 2021.

BLITZER: Good advice, as always from Dr. Ashish Jha.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for everything you're doing. We really are grateful.

JHA: Thank you, Wolf. You, too.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Just ahead, we'll take a closer look at someone who is poised to be a key player in new incoming administration, Tony Blinken, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BLITZER: President-elect Joe Biden is rolling out his cabinet picks this week as the presidential transition process formally begins.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is joining us now with a closer look at the man who is poised to become the next secretary of state, Tony Blinken.

Kylie, tell our viewers what you're learning. KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, President-

elect Joe Biden formally announced that Tony Blinken was his pick for secretary of state today. And Blinken is going to be a pivotal member of the cabinet, that's because Joe Biden committed that America is going to be back on the world stage, engaging with allies and Tony Blinken is going to be the person leading that charge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATWOOD (voice-over): President-elect Joe Biden's pick for secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, has been part of Biden's brain trust for almost 20 years.

TONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: Mr. President-elect, working for you, having you as a mentor and friend, has been the greatest privilege of my professional life.

ATWOOD: Blinken worked with Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During the Obama administration, he was in the room for major foreign policy decisions. He served as a deputy national security advisor and the deputy secretary of state.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT: He starts off with the kind of relationships around the world that many of his predecessors had to build over the years. I know, I have seen him in action.

ATWOOD: Blinken, who grew up in Paris and New York, has a world view informed by his family history. His stepfather survived the Holocaust after four years in concentration camps, rescued at the end of the war by a U.S. soldier.

BLINKEN: He ran to the tank. The hatch opened. An African American G.I. looked at him. He got down on his knees and said the only three words in English that his mother taught him before the war: God bless America.

That's who we are. That's what America represents to the world.

ATWOOD: Blinken is a proponent of international cooperation, a key quality as the Biden administration sets out to revive alliances. Critics say those relationships were ignored and ransacked over the last four years by the Trump administration.

BLINKEN: If we renew our democracy at home, if we revitalize our alliances with democracies in the first instance around the world, that creates a foundation for us to act, I believe, more effectively in dealing with lots of challenges.

ATWOOD: Often critical of outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the face of President Trump's efforts to smear members of the diplomatic corps.

BLINKEN: He can either stand up for the men and women of the State Department, Foreign Service officers, civil servants, or, frankly, he should leave.

ATWOOD: The news of his selection welcomed by American diplomats and by former President Obama.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: He is outstanding. Smart, gracious, a skilled diplomat, well-regarded around the world.

ATWOOD: If confirmed, this is a mission I will take on with my full heart, Blinken wrote on Twitter. The 58-year-old father of two toddlers and guitar player who even has music on Spotify has a playful side. At one point going on Sesame Street to discuss the intense challenges faced by refugees.

BLINKEN: One of the issues we are going to talk about is something really important. Refugees.

GROVER, "SESAME STREET" CHARACTER: Oh, Deputy Secretary Tony Blinken from the State Department.

ATWOOD: The Trump administration put historic limits on the number of refugees coming into the U.S., limits Biden has pledged to raise dramatically and Blinken would be tasked with implementing.

Blinken, who supported U.S. military action in Syria and Libya has said the Biden team will maintain a commitment to Israeli security but --

BLINKEN: In terms of the amount of time and focus and energy and resources, we need to be thinking about how we allocate them to best match our interests.

ATWOOD: Handling China is one of the biggest challenges facing Biden's foreign policy team.

BIDEN: What I would make China do is play by the international rules.

ATWOOD: Blinken and Biden called China a competitor and they also say the U.S. needs to work with China when interests overlap. The world is waiting to find out how Blinken will make that work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ATWOOD (on camera): Now, Wolf, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked this evening if he had has been in touch with his successor, Tony Blinken. He said he has not. But he didn't count out the possibility. He also didn't say he was looking forward to it.

Now, what we do know is that the transition is underway here at the State Department. Career officials are in touch with the Biden transition team to prepare Tony Blinken and his team to hit the ground running on day one -- Wolf.

[18:55:07]

BLITZER: All right. Good report. Kylie Atwood at the State Department for us, thank you.

We'll have more news just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, we want to remember some of the wonderful people who died during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shirlee Josselyn of Florida was 92 years old. She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She loved bowling, bingo and her book club and enjoyed volunteering in her community.

Evelyn Ann Karel of Texas was 77, originally from England, she was also a patriotic American and a very proud Texan. Her family tells us Evelyn was an Elvis Presley fanatic who visited Graceland almost every year.

May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

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