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CDC Director's Approval Is Final Step Before First Vaccinations Against Coronavirus Can Begin; FDA Authorizes Pfizer/Biontech COVID Vaccine Distribution In U.S.; Trump Raised Prospect Of Firing A.G. Barr In Meeting Friday; Supreme Court Rejects Trump's And Texas' Bid To Overturn Election; U.K. Sees Spike In Cases As Vaccine Distribution Begins. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired December 12, 2020 - 19:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This Is CNN Breaking News.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is the special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. We begin tonight with the news we've been waiting so long to hear.

There's just one step remaining for a coronavirus vaccine to become a reality here in the United States. We're awaiting the word from the CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield to accept the Advisory Committee's recommendation and then vaccines can ship out to distribution points across the country.

Vaccinations can actually begin as soon as Monday. This is lightning speed for the development of a new vaccine. Remember, it's been less than a year since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed here in the United States. That was back on Tuesday, January 21 and it's coming at a truly critical moment.

The pandemic has grown to horrific proportions here in the United States. Yesterday alone, another 3300 American lives were lost. It's a truly staggering number, one we are likely to see repeated day after day and just two hours ago we crossed 160 million confirmed cases here in the United States, the fastest we have seen 1 million additional cases confirmed since the pandemic began.

It's hard to overstate just how badly your country has been - has done handling this pandemic but this they put it into some perspective. More people died from COVID in the U.S. in the past week than have died in Canada during the entire pandemic. A reminder even with a vaccine we are not even close to out of the woods yet.

So right now we're waiting for this next major event. The CDC director to officially green light the vaccine and then clear the way for a massive distribution of millions of doses. Our correspondent Pete Muntean is in Michigan for us at the facility were Pfizer will send out its vaccine. Pete, tell our viewers how it's going to work, what happens first?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, we're getting new insight into why the vaccine is not on the move right this moment. Pfizer says vaccine shipments will start leaving here tomorrow morning. We know this spot is critical to the vaccine distribution network.

This is Pfizer's largest facility and Operation Warp Speed says vaccine will leave here, going to 600 locations across the country. Those are pharmacies, hospitals, CVS and Walgreens. Operation Warp Speed says though that many of those places will not see the vaccine until Monday, the bulk of the shipments arriving on Tuesday.

It is FedEx and UPS that are handling those packages and FedEx says there is a reason why the vaccine is not rolling out right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SMITH, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, FEDEX: We could deliver it within 24 hours but the decision was made by the team that because there are hundreds of administration sites that are going to be receiving these. They thought it best that we wait until Monday to deliver them to ensure they're all open and ready to receive.

So a week day, a normal business day seemed like the optimal time to send out those first shipments rather than try to get them delivered on a Sunday when some of these administrative sites might be short staffed or not open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Now this is not just a ground game, Wolf. This is also a major air operation and the FAA is directing airports to get ready for vaccine shipments, whether or not they were planning on them already or not. The FAA is telling airports that they should get priority access to delivery trucks and step up security.

You know this could be the beginning of the end for this pandemic but this is only the start of a massive movement and it starts right here in Michigan. Wolf.

BLITZER: Huge logistical challenge indeed, Pete Muntean, thank you very much. Another critical hurdle cleared on the way to mass vaccinations across the United States. Earlier today a CDC advisory board voted to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for people age 16 years and older.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us right now. Sanjay, how long before people are actually going to start getting these vaccines realistically? We know the logistical challenge is great.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean it is a great challenge logistically and the distribution overall but even when you consider all that Wolf, we're thinking early - early this week coming up here Wolf, so Monday, maybe in a lot of places Tuesday and then the rollout sort of will continue you know weekly you know maybe even with some degree of increased regularity.

So I think Wolf, this week we're going to see a lot of people getting these vaccines for the first time outside a clinical trial. Each state may sort of handle it differently. We're going to be tracking it very closely. I mean it's been amazing to watch the coverage today.

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People all over the country awaiting those first shipments which as you just heard probably going to be arriving on Monday morning in most places.

BLITZER: Yes, that would be - that would be good. In addition to being our chief medical correspondent, you're also a practicing neurosurgeon. Do you know Sunjay, when you will be getting that vaccine.

GUPTA: No, we don't know for sure. You know and each day we're sort of handling it differently so where I live here in Georgia, you know health care workers are being prioritized but as you know Wolf, it's interesting, if you do the math, there's probably 15 million or 16 million healthcare workers that have direct contact with patients.

We know long term healthcare facilities are going to be prioritized as well. Now when you add it all together, probably 20 million people are going to be sort of in that first list but initially 3 million doses are going to go out. So obviously there's not going to be enough to sort of meet that demand and you know states are going to have to do their triage.

So for me for example, I do work in a hospital but as a neurosurgeon, my patients aren't primarily COVID patients. There's infectious disease doctors, nurses, people who are working in the COVID units that are likely to be prioritized in these places. Haven't heard the specific plans yet and I think that's going to be one thing, Wolf.

It's going to feel maybe a little disjointed in the sense that you could be at the front of the line in one state, cross over the border and you know not be as prioritize in another state because each state is sort of handling this on their own but for me I think probably within the next few weeks, my turn would come up.

BLITZER: Yes, all of us want you to get that vaccine, we all want to get that vaccine.

GUPTA: I want you to get that vaccine, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to get it too. I'm ready here in THE SITUATION ROOM to show our viewers I'm getting the vaccine whenever - whenever my time comes up for it. I will be there. I'm sure you'll be willing to do the same thing to encourage folks who may be skeptical a little bit. If they see Dr. Sanjay Gupta getting the vaccine Sunjay, you will encourage them right to do that?

You're willing to do this on camera? GUPTA: Yes Wolf, I am for certain and you know I think more to the

point, I've been obviously reporting on this all year but I've looked at this data and I've seen how these vaccines you know the whole thinking process, the manufacturing talking to the researchers, talking to people like Albert Bourla who's the CEO Pfizer, talking to Moncef Slaoui, really understanding this and what I would say is that you know, it has gone through this process.

It is a remarkable sort of scientific feat that has occurred here, creating a vaccine as quickly but it's also gone through the rigors of the trial process to show that it's efficacious and that it's safe. I was talking to my mom last night, Wolf. My parents live in Florida, they're in their late seventies.

They saw the news, they're very excited as you might imagine and asked me the same thing about themselves, about them getting the vaccine and what I would tell you is I would recommend my parents get the vaccine as well and you know I mean this is based on lots of consideration and thinking.

I think it's a safe and effective vaccine that will do a great job of preventing them from getting sick. That's what I've been worried about all year. They've been hermits essentially you know living, trying to be very diligent about being safe. This could you know a vaccine that is 95 percent effective at keeping them from getting sick is certainly something I would recommend to them.

BLITZER: Yes, me too. This will save a lot of people's lives in the coming months indeed so how do you response Sanjay when someone expresses concern that this whole vaccine process, the authorization, the approval was rushed.

GUPTA: Well you know, I think there's two things. One is that we hear about this vaccine this year. This mRNA vaccine from Pfizer, a lot of the scientific sort of development around this vaccine actually started a long time ago even though the coronavirus is novel, the idea of creating vaccines, this way goes back to sort of the days of SARS.

That was 15-16-17 years ago Wolf. So that part of it you know, there's been a long history of working on this sort of science. The other part of it is just after you've sort of created the vaccine, which is more like creating a computer code really than creating a biologic. They found these specific code for a portion of the virus.

They wanted to use it to see if they could stimulate the body to create this immune response, never been done before and it worked but then they trialed it and it went through the Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 trials, then they waited for two months of safety data. Why two months?

Because if adverse effects occur with vaccines, they typically occur within 42 days actually and that's why they wanted to wait and the safety data looks really good as well. You know Dr. Hahn who is the Commissioner of the FDA, I've talked to him a few times about this.

I want you to hear how he framed it as well. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, COMMISSIONER, FDA: This vaccine met the FDA's rigorous standards for quality, safety and efficacy. Science and data, guided the FDA's decision. We worked quickly based on the urgency of this pandemic not because of any other external pressure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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GUPTA: There you go Wolf. We're in the middle of an emergency, this pandemic obviously but in the midst of all, they were able to create a brand new vaccine and put it through these rigorous standards. You know we've heard now about some short-term side effects of the vaccine.

You might get a sore arm for example, some mild symptoms. We don't know anything yet about long-term side effects. When will we have that kind of data, Sanjay? Is that a concern?

GUPTA: Well, you know the thing about trying to figure out long term side effects or long term anything is you do need the passage of time to really understand that. There's going to data collected for two years on these vaccines. You know there's going to be a system that's set up in place as part of the emergency use authorization.

It's an adverse event reporting system and they're going to continue to collect that data so I don't think - I think if anybody tells you that there's no long-term side-effects, you can't say that for sure because the only way you would know that is to wait a longer period of time but you also know that most of these adverse effects that have occurred in the past with vaccines typically do occur within those 42 day to two months sort of window and you didn't see that really here.

So we're going to continue to watch it and these adverse events, if they do occur will get reported but you know based on the data that we have, it looks like a safe and effective vaccine.

BLITZER: It certainly does. You know I'm sure you do too. I get the flu shot every year. My arm might be sore a little bit. I got the pneumonia shot, my arm might be sore a little bit, the shingle shot, my arm might be sore but there's no real major side effects and whatever side effect you might get, it's a lot better than having to go on a respirator or God forbid, dying from this deadly coronavirus.

GUPTA: No doubt.

BLITZER: We've talked about this several times well over this year and I just want our viewers to get a little perspective from you Sanjay, on this day, a day where more Americans died yesterday 3309 Americans were reported dead yesterday from coronavirus. That's more in this one day than in Japan and South Korea combined since the start of the pandemic.

I checked that today. 2500 or so Japanese have died since January from coronavirus, nearly 600 people have died in South Korea from the coronavirus all year. What did they do right, Sanjay? And what did we do wrong?

GUPTA: Well, first of all, they didn't have anything that we didn't have Wolf. I mean there was no magical therapeutic or something that they were able to do in those countries that we couldn't have done here. Just something to keep in the back of the mind.

I think they took this far more seriously from the beginning. You know I think maybe it was because a place like South Korea had really dealt with SARS. They remembered that and I think they acted quickly in terms of masking but also testing and tracing.

You know we don't talk about testing and tracing enough still and it's still a very important part of trying to get us out of this pandemic to actually understand who's carrying the virus and who's not. I think that that's you know the basics really do apply here.

It is one of these things Wolf, that I thought a lot about over this past year, the science has been remarkable to watch and chronicle and document as a journalist but science can't rescue us from ourselves, science can't rescue us more bad behaviors or our inability or a reluctance to adopt good, healthy practices.

There's no doubt Wolf and I don't - I don't enjoy saying this but there's no doubt things could have turned out very differently and that so many of the deaths that we see on the right side of the screen did not need to happen. They were preventable deaths and the vaccine is a hugely important tool. It's a powerful medicine, it's going to take time to work.

So these same things we've talked about well for a year now, you know 11 months, they still apply. We still need to do these things. We still need to wear masks, we still need to physically distance even as the vaccine is coming because so many lives can still be saved, Wolf.

I mean there's people who right now don't - are not worried about this who still may become infected and get sick and I don't want that to happen.

BLITZER: Yes, nearly 300,000 Americans have died this year from coronavirus. That's more than any other country in the world. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as usual thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for all your expertise, we rely on you and we're grateful to you for your analysis and your reporting. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: There's new CNN reporting right now that says President Trump is actually discussing firing another key member of his cabinet. We have details. We'll share them with you when we come back. Also while millions are struggling to make ends meet, stimulus talk, a relief bill up on Capitol Hill has stalled - talks have stalled once again.

Can lawmakers reach a deal to help Americans who are in desperate need right now. Millions are about to lose their benefits. The Republican and Democratic co-chairs of the problem solvers caucus, they are standing by. We'll discuss when we come back.

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BLITZER: Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, all shattered records on Friday. We lost at least - at least 3309 more of our fellow Americans on one day alone but even with that and even with the vaccine authorization breakthrough, the virus appears to be one of the last things on President Trump's mind on this Saturday night. Boris Sanchez is over at the White House for us. Boris, tell us what the president is focusing again on right now with what the only about 38 days left in office?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHOTE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes Wolf, President Trump still fixated on his election loss and this mythmaking that the 2020 election was stolen from him. The president also focusing his ire on those who refused to play along with the fantasy that the election was rigged. Now the president today tweeting that the Supreme Court acted disgracefully in dismissing this Texas lawsuits seeking to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania and other states.

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He's also going after his Attorney General Bill Barr. Remember our reporting indicated last week that President Trump was furious with Barr after the Attorney General came forward and said that there was no widespread evidence of election fraud. Now the president is angry at Barr after it was revealed that Barr had not disclosed an investigation into president-elect Joe Biden's son, Hunter.

Remember the president had this public campaign, he kept pushing the Attorney General and others to start investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Today he tweeted out essentially acknowledging that he believes that some kind of an announcement about an investigation into the Bidens could have helped him and other Republicans politically.

This is sort of history repeating itself. Remember that President Trump berated his former Attorney General Jeff sessions for the better part of a year after Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation. Now we're hearing that behind closed doors President Trump has been having repeated conversations about potentially firing his current Attorney General Bill Barr.

Conversations happening as recently as yesterday on the matter. One source describing the relationship between the two men as effectively broken as a Cold War saying that Barr ultimately would potentially resign if he felt that Trump was going to fire him, there's no indication that it is going to happen yet but it is another indication Wolf that the president does not like it when those that he hires or those he surrounds himself with do not do his bidding. Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, the president, he's been losing a lot of the supporters, all three of his nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court, they voted that that there was no standing in this Texas order that was going through. The Attorney General as you point out, he's told the Associated Press there really was no significant - no significant fraud or anything like that that could have affected the election and the Republican governors of Georgia and Arizona.

The president has lost them as well. All right Boris, stand by. We'll get back to you. The president did sign a one-week stopgap measure last night to keep the federal government from running out of money and completely shutting down. That's a long way from where struggling Americans know hope things would be by now with Congress still unable to reach a deal on coronavirus economic relief.

Unemployment benefits for more than 10 million Americans in this country are set to run out just about two days after Christmas. Joining us now the co-chairs of the problem solvers caucus in the House of Representatives, Republican Congressman Tom Reed of New York; Democratic Congressman Josh Gotthemier of New Jersey.

Congressmen, thanks so much for joining us and thanks to both of you for cooperating, working together on a bipartisan basis to help millions of Americans who are struggling or things are about to get worse. Congressman Reed, we're about to see the first coronavirus vaccine go into Americans' arms before they get handed a desperately needed relief check.

They need it right now so why are scientists able to do what your colleagues can't do in the House and Senate, pass legislation to help millions of Americans who have to put food on the table and pay the rent?

REP. TOM REED (R-NY): Well, I would agree with you Wolf, but I do not want to remember, we did do 3.5 bills that got some relief out there before up to this point but we need to finish the job.

BLITZER: But that was back in March Congressman. That was way back.

REED: Amen.

BLITZER: Since then you see the numbers just getting worse and worse and worse.

REED: I agree with you Wolf. I share the frustration of you and millions of Americans. That's why we're in the room. Josh and I in a bipartisan way now and a bicameral working with our Senate friends who are sincerely good faith actors with good hearts that want to get this done and get to yes on these issues.

And I will tell you, over the last couple of weeks working in this fashion, we are within inches - millimeters of getting this done and solving this package of $908 billion worth of relief that would take care of a liability concern, state and local which are the last sticking points out there.

And I got to just tell you we are so close to the finish line.

BLITZER: Well, I hope you do - you get over that finish line. Congressman Gottheimer, the sticking points liability protections which Congressman Reed just mentioned, Republicans want that state and local aid. A lot of these states, these local governments are in desperate need of some help right now. Democrats want that. The Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggesting leaving those provisions aside for now.

The House speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, they oppose that idea so what's going on right now? Do you agree with Congressman Reed that you're inches away from the finishing line.

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I do and we're not going to give up. You know I think we can't and to your point Wolf on state and helping local governments, you're talking about paying firefighters and law enforcement, teachers right now.

So many governments and local governments are short on dollars and as you know have high expenditures and especially now as we got to get the vaccines out, it's critically important that we help them. We help our hospitals and our doctors and our front line health care workers and you know Wolf as you have said over and over again, people are in food lines for the first time.

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They're facing evictions if we don't act and you know unemployment's going to run out so what we put together is a bipartisan package as Tom said and working with our senate colleagues that that helps people with unemployment, it helps our small businesses that really, really can use more assistance and keep those jobs and really now it's up to us to get it over the line.

We're not going to give up and that's the bottom line because people just can't. They're counting on us and I know Tom's committed to this. We're going to continue to work literally day and night until we get there.

BLITZER: So Congressman Reed, are you willing to accept the assistance, the aid to local and state governments and are you - what are you going to do about this liability protection that Mitch McConnell is demanding?

REED: Yes, I think they go hand in hand and obviously I'm willing to support the local and state aid component of it and the liability, I think people and the viewers need to understand why it's so important we get this done now. I mean we're not looking to close the doors to all liability claims.

The people that are acting in good faith, the people that are the bar owners, the hospitals, the colleges that are trying to do the best they could in a true emergency, those folks I think we can all agree need to be protected and we will keep the doors open for lawsuits for the individuals in the colleges and universities that just were completely reckless, really put people's lives at risk and there's a way to do this and the good news is these folks, these folks in the room that we're with.

The bipartisan group, problem solvers caucus plus also the Senate colleagues, they're listening to each other now, they're talking to each other and I think they both recognize what's at stake here with all the other relief plus the real substantive issue of protecting people from these liability claims.

BLITZER: Well, let's see - let's see how that unfolds because that's clearly a sensitive issue. It's been standing in the way of this deal and let's hope there is a deal because the stakes clearly are enormous. Congressman Gottheimer, let me quickly turn to the coronavirus vaccine that looks now, it's about to get final authorization.

Your state, your home state of New Jersey broke its own record for coronavirus cases, well over 6000 so far. Does New Jersey have everything it needs logistically right now to get things going quickly once the vaccine is finally authorized, that could happen tonight or tomorrow?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I've been in regular touch with our hospitals and with our governors. They've got a very clear plan to distribute these vaccines and I think obviously the second we get them, we got to start getting them out and protect our health care workers in the long term care facilities right away and those who are vulnerable.

It's critically important and to your point Wolf, we're facing a very tough time here in New Jersey with the breaking case load record today but also thousands of deaths every day and just like around the country, it's the cases are spiking and we've got to get these vaccines out and really Wolf, as you pointed out before, the key is to make sure and that's what we're focused on with the problem-solvers caucus, working with our senators to help people through this tough time as we get the vaccine out.

Right, that's what this emergency COVID relief package is all about, getting into the next administration, helping people through a very tough winter and flu season so we can get there and making sure we've got the resources for vaccine distribution for helping our schools through this for helping our families and our small business and our communities.

That's what we've got to focus on right now because we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, we just got to get there.

BLITZER: Well, what about New York state Congressman Reed? Are my fellow Buffalonians in western New York, are they going to get the vaccine shot as quickly as possible.

REED: I believe so. We've been talking to the same resources here in New York and the good news is the vaccine, this is the ultimate solution to this crisis and pandemic and that's amazing news with the approval that we heard and bottom line is to the point, we need to stress to people and I would lead by example.

I will take the vaccine. I'm recommending my wife and kids we you know, we'll all take the vaccine because you know it is safe and we need to get the vaccine widely distributed and also overcome this potential fear that's out there that people are potentially raising that they don't want to take the vaccine.

BLITZER: Yes, it's going to be a safe and effective vaccine. Congressman?

GOTTHEIMER: We're both going to get the vaccine, that's bipartisan and get it done.

BLITZER: This is so important right now. All these issues. Congressman Tom Reed, Josh Gottheimer, thanks very much for joining us. Good luck with this relief bill. Millions and millions of Americans, hard to believe here in the United States of America people are waiting in line for hours and hours simply to get some food to feed their families and their kids.

You guys got to get this passed and you got to do it quickly. Thanks so much for the effort, thanks for joining us.

REED: Thank you, Wolf.

GOTTHEIMER: Thank you Wolf. Go Bills.

BLITZER: Go Bills indeed. With another hurdle cleared before coronavirus vaccine can begin to be distributed. We're going to take a closer look at some of the logistical challenges behind distributing the vaccine to millions of Americans. We'll be right back.

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We'll be right back.

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BLITZER: With the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization and a C.D.C. advisory panel on board, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine moves closer and closer to millions of American arms.

CNN contributor and epidemiologist, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is joining us right now along with former Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Thanks to both of you for being here.

Secretary Sebelius, as you know, all 50 states as well as six major cities have submitted a list of locations for the vaccine to be shipped. This is a huge, huge logistical challenge right now. A lot of steps for this vaccine between arriving on the ground, getting into someone's arm.

Help our viewers better appreciate what lies ahead.

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KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER SECRETARY OF HEALTH UNDER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Well, Wolf, this ties into the section you just had with the two Members of Congress because one of the big missing pieces of this effort is finances desperately needed by state and local governments to actually mobilize a workforce on the ground to administer vaccines. The shipping that is being arranged from the Pfizer headquarters in

Kalamazoo to states around the country and to cold storage locations in those states is the Federal government's piece of the puzzle. But they basically then -- the Trump administration has said to states, you're kind of on your own. You need to get it from there into people's arms.

And right now, the Federal government has spent about $10 billion on vaccine development, and that has produced amazing results. So we have a vaccine that's safe and effective in less than a year. That's great news.

They have spent so far $240 million total on efforts to state and local governments, increased testing and building up this public health workforce. States say they need a couple of billion dollars.

So part of the Congressional package that is so desperately needed is getting these resources because from in Kansas, I can give for instance, of my home state, there are five cold storage locations that will receive portions of the Kansas allocation of vaccines, then it will be necessary to get the vaccine from those locations to nursing home for staff and residents and to hospital systems throughout the state, and Kansas is a relatively small state with lots of rural areas, big territory, small number of population, and those logistics are not easy.

Then you have to find people to actually administer the vaccinations and staff to line up not once but twice, keep those records about who got vaccinated when and make sure that they get followed up with the second dose.

So even this limited early supply is going to be tough when we get to a massive vaccination, it gets really challenging

BLITZER: It can be tough all over the country. Dr. El-Sayed, as Detroit's former Health Commissioner, what will this be like for health workers on the ground? How do you think communities have been preparing for this kind of massive effort?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, to echo Secretary Sebelius's point, which is to say that there just are not the resources to do this in the way that we would want, but there are really two big phases here that are going folks' mind. One is the logistics, making sure you know exactly where you're going to deploy this vaccine, know who the workforce is and make sure that they are trained, and then make sure that you are keeping this vaccine that needs to be held at very, very low temperatures, as cold as it needs to be, so it doesn't spoil.

The second piece, though, is an outreach piece and the outreach piece is almost just as important. As former Health Director in the City of Detroit, which is the largest majority black city in the country, I know that there's some trepidation, and the way that you get through that is to be fully transparent and engage validators from within the community so that folks understand exactly how this is going to be deployed, exactly what the research shows about safety and efficacy, and that there's an ongoing conversation with the community and both have to be done at the same time, but that takes resources, as Secretary Sebelius pointed out,

BLITZER: Well, how worried are you, Dr. El-Sayed, that a lot of folks in Detroit and elsewhere, in fact, are going to be reluctant to get this vaccine?

EL-SAYED: Well, the good news is that the first people who are getting the vaccine are frontline healthcare workers and these are the folks that people trust as arbiters with respect to this pandemic overall, and definitely, with respect to how to treat it and how to prevent it.

And so their experience and the way that they talk about it is going to be fundamental and critical. But then also starting that ongoing conversation early. I'm really optimistic that people recognize that we can save lives, that it's far better to get this vaccine, which we know has a very, very good safety profile from the evidence that's available than it is to potentially get sick and get the virus, which we know has really serious short-term consequences and potentially serious long-term consequences.

BLITZER: It could kill you, in fact. All right, Dr. El-Sayed, thank you so much, Secretary Sebelius, thanks to you as well. We will certainly continue this conversation in the days ahead.

An important note to our viewers, tomorrow morning, the F.D.A. Commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn will join CNN's Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION" at 9:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific.

Also joining Jake, former Vice President Al Gore and Bill Gates. They will be on "State of the Union" tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Trump supported lawsuit looking to overturn the election results in several battleground states. But my next guest says the nation's highest court didn't go far enough in its dismissal. We'll discuss when we come back.

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BLITZER: Last night, the U.S. Supreme Court shut the door on the biggest lawsuit attempting to invalidate the election results which showed that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. They rejected the case brought by Texas supported by 18 other Republican State Attorneys General, at least 126 congressional Republicans.

The decision by the way had zero dissents, but was it a strong enough rebuke from the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court? Let's discuss with CNN political commentator, the host of "SMERCONISH," Michael Smerconish. He is also the subject by the way of a brand new film "Michael Smerconish: Things I wish I knew before I started talking." The film is just out.

Michael, thanks very much for joining us on your show this morning here on CNN. You said the court's dismissal didn't go far enough. You're a lawyer. You're trained in the law. What do you wish they had done?

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MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I wasn't surprised about the outcome, let me say that from the get go. And I don't think that many who paid close attention, especially with legal backgrounds, were surprised by how it ended. The question for me was, how much explanation would the Supreme Court offer?

And in the end, there was virtually none. It was a short, unsigned order that was therefore subject to manipulation, interpretation, conjecture that I think was avoidable. And given the stakes of this case, I wish they had rendered more of an opinion.

Frankly, Wolf, like the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a Federal Court did, like the Third Circuit Court of Appeals did, because I think the stakes are so high and I'm very concerned going forward about the lingering perception of some Americans that the fix was in somehow, that there was fraud in this election, and that it was pervasive and it dictated the outcome of the case, none of which is accurate.

But I just worry about the lack of faith in elections going forward. So I was really hoping that they would have laid more out in terms of their thinking, but they didn't.

BLITZER: But they -- you know, it's interesting, though, the three Trump nominated justices on the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, they're part of the -- they went together with the three liberal justices nominated by Democratic Presidents in concluding that the State of Texas's motion for leave, to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution.

And as you see, the President has been complaining all day about the U.S. Supreme Court. That was a pretty stark dismissal.

SMERCONISH: I know. But, respectfully, what a mouthful that is to have to explain to someone. I prefer the language of the Third Circuit where the judge who was a Trump appointed federal judge said, briefs don't elect individuals, ballots do. If there had been some clear thinking language articulated by all members of the court, including the six conservatives, it would have been less subject to interpretation.

To go into the blogosphere today is to see what I'm talking about how some partisans are reading into this, things that I believe are completely inaccurate. Too bad there is not a concise opinion from the court laying it out signed by the justices, and not subject to interpretation. That's my argument.

BLITZER: So when they say in this order, Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections. That wasn't good enough, you don't think? SMERCONISH: No, definitely not. It was a technicality of sorts. They

said the Texas lacked standing in this case, that they weren't properly a party. They didn't weigh in on any of the underlying merits. And therefore, from the Supreme Court, there's just too much silence.

I completely understand the logic, by the way, because had the Supreme Court come to a different conclusion, it could have opened the door for say, California to dispute Texas, for New Mexico to dispute New York. There's no way that we can have that going forward.

And the only two who parted somewhat were Alito and Thomas, but that's because they have strongly held convictions that when you've got a dispute among states, the court necessarily needs to take that case up.

But I don't like the murkiness of it. I wish it had been more straightforward with a formal opinion.

Now what happens? Monday, of course, the Electoral College is going to get together, ratify the results of the election, then we'll come to January 6th with the Congress doing likewise. I predict there will be more mischief along the way, but none of it is going to alter the course.

BLITZER: Yes, the President of the United States, he was defeated time after time after time, but he continues to say he is going to continue to fight the victory by Joe Biden.

Michael Smerconish, congratulations on the new film. It's out there, folks can go watch it.

SMERCONISH: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: I recommend it highly. Thanks as usual for joining us.

SMERCONISH: Thank you.

BLITZER: Meanwhile, the U.K. last week became the first country to start rolling out the new coronavirus vaccine, but the country is not reporting a new spike in cases. We're going to go to London for the very latest.

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BLITZER: The world watched as the United Kingdom became the first to distribute the new Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, but the threat of the pandemic is far from over.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports from London.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Wolf, the British government is dealing with a spike in coronavirus cases after a few weeks of infection rates leveling off, there is now yet another surge. The government dealing with a very delicate balance between the optimism of actually vaccinating people this week in hospitals like the one just behind me here and the very real reality that this country is still in the throes of the second wave of this pandemic.

The Health Secretary saying, don't blow it now. Help is on the horizon, prepping the public potentially for more restrictions that could come into place next week when England's three tier regional restriction system is reviewed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Salma Abdelaziz in London. Thank you.

Let's go to Israel right now where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be the first leader of a country to actually go ahead and get the coronavirus vaccine. CNN's Oren Liebermann is joining us from Jerusalem.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, even as the first doses of coronavirus vaccines begin to arrive in Israel from Pfizer, there is a fear and a concern that Israel isn't out of this just yet.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that although you can see the light at the end of the pandemic, more restrictions are possible because of the rising numbers.

Netanyahu said he would be the first to take the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer to show that it's safe and effective, but he also said that if the numbers don't come down, more restrictions and perhaps even a third lockdown are possible.

The country's coronavirus czar warning Israelis and others to celebrate the holidays, Hanukkah and Christmas only with their nuclear family, not with others. There are now routinely more than a thousand new cases a day, on some days nearly 2,000 new cases a day and the positivity rate of testing above two percent routinely, sometimes even above three percent -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Thank you.

It's a breakthrough in the race to get Americans vaccinated, but we're still awaiting the last step, the last official step before vaccinations here in the United States can begin. That final step could happen at any moment. We have details. We'll be right back.

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