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CNN 10
Upcoming Runoff Election In Georgia; Economic Ripple Effects Of COVID Closures; Exceptional Pay It Forward Event. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired December 10, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz and this is CNN 10. It`s always great to have you watching. Besides December 10th, a couple other dates
start off today`s show, December 14th and January 5th. The first one is when early voting begins for two vacant U.S. Senate seats in the state of
Georgia. The second one is the date of the in-person voting for those two Senate seats.
Why are we focusing on one state`s Senate races? Two reasons. One, neither of them was decided on the day of the presidential election last month.
We`ll explain why in just a moment. And two, it just happens that Georgia`s pair of Senate elections will likely determine whether Democrats or
Republicans will control the U.S. Senate going forward.
It is projected that Democrats will lead both the White House and the House of Representatives starting next January. If they take control of the
Senate as well, they`ll have an easier time passing laws and establishing their priorities for the country. If Republicans keep control of the
Senate, they`ll be able to limit Democrats power and influence compromise.
The Senate`s role in the U.S. government is a critical one. It confirms or rejects the president`s cabinet nominees. It confirms or rejects the
president`s Supreme Court nominees. It has to work with the House on any legislation that makes it to the president`s desk for signature. That`s why
so much attention is centering on the Peach state as voters there could decide the Senate`s balance of power for the next two years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The road to socialism does not run through Georgia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re living out a moment of crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We win Georgia we save America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elections are a matter of life and death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Georgia law required that any candidate running for state, local or Federal office wins at least 50 percent of the vote. That
didn`t happen on election day so now these races are headed for a runoff in January leaving the make-up of the U.S. Senate hanging in the balance. The
(inaudible) will decide who controls the power on Capitol Hill.
If Republicans can manage to win one or both of the seats, Republicans will maintain control of the U.S. Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will
remain the majority leader. If Democrats however can win back both seats, they`ll manage to be a tie in the U.S. Senate. That can always be broken by
the vice-president handing Democrats control of not just the U.S. House but also the entire Congress.
The two Republican Senators running David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are running against Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock. Two Democratic
underdogs who are hoping to find the same success Biden found in Georgia during the general election. If Loeffler wins, she`ll add to the Republican
ranks and the record-breaking number of Republican women on Capitol Hill. If Warnock wins, he`ll become the first black Senator from the state of
Georgia. All eyes are on Georgia and January 5th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these countries has a square flag? Nepal, Switzerland, Pakistan or New Zealand. The flags of Switzerland and Vatican
City are the only two in the world that are square.
The eight-day holiday of Hanukkah begins Thursday night. Christmas Eve is exactly two weeks after that and New Year`s Eve is exactly a week later.
For Americans looking to be with their loved ones, restrictions and guidelines can be very different from state to state.
In Arizona for instance, there are no restrictions on people traveling to or through the state. In California, most people are under a mandatory,
stay at home order. People traveling there are told to self-quarantine for 14 days and tourism is restricted with many museums and businesses closed.
So two extremes there and many other states are somewhere in between.
It`s a similar situation in Europe where different nation`s governments are trying to figure out what they`ll allow as people across the continent look
to spend Christmas with friends and family. It reflects a balance that leaders have been trying to find all year. The rules and closures are an
attempt to keep people from catching and spreading coronavirus but the effects go well beyond individuals stretching to national and local
economies. Melissa Bell hit`s the slopes.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some come for the spectacular views and the fresh air but many come for the sport. Each year, the European ski
industry brings in $34 billion euros in revenue. Half the world`s total according to an industry expert but not this year.
Ski lifts will be at a standstill this Christmas in many of Europe`s stop skiing destinations because of COVID-19 restrictions. And that means total
beyond the ski industry. Entire villages like Megeve in the French Alps are up in arms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE TRANSLATED: The ski lifts here in Megeve will lose $8 million euros in turnover. And we know that one euro spent on this means
seven euros spent in the village so that gives an idea of the extent of the economic damages for villages.
BELL: But (inaudible) December after much debate and mutual pressure France, Germany, Austria and Italy decided not to open their ski lifts. A
decision met with incomprehension by those whose livelihoods depend on them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: It`s an outdoor activity and I think in terms of big crowds, we are not confronted with the same crowds you see in the
metro in a big city.
BELL: But just 60 miles away across the border here in Switzerland, the ski lifts are open with resorts like Verbier putting in place special
restrictions like masks that need to be worn on the lifts. And social distancing put in place as well in order to make sure that people can ski
as safely as possible. (inaudible) who runs Verbier`s (inaudible) and ski lifts says that much has been learned since the Austrian ski resort of
Ischgl was identified by health officials as a major cluster during the first European COVID wave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last spring we didn`t have any -- any measure in place. We didn`t have any masks. We didn`t have any social distance. So now that
the game is different, we are pretty much sure we can do a good working in order to keep the ski resort safe.
BELL: In Verbier, the measures aren`t just being taken on the slopes but also in the village where local leaders say they`re leaving nothing to
chance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not only to save the -- the Christmas holiday but it`s to save the winter. And it`s to save as well the reputation because we
know that everybody`s watching at us and if we make a mistake and afterwards due to the mistake we have a corona cluster. We will be pointed
as a bad organization.
BELL: The conditions here in the Alps this season are incredible. Loads of snow, plenty of sunshine and the fear was that people might be tempted to
flock to Switzerland to try and make the most of these slopes. That`s why several European countries have put in place restrictions to prevent their
nationals from doing just that. Melissa Bell, CNN, Verbier.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: You might have heard of the drive-thru, pay if forward phenomenon. When someone at a restaurant pays for his or her own order and then covers
the cost of the next car too. Well, that recently happened at a Dairy Queen in central Minnesota according to affiliate WFAA.
And it`s making news because it kept happening. Each car in the line paying for the one behind it. The store manager says the most cars she`d ever seen
do this was around 15 or 20. But last Thursday, she knew she was seeing something special when the number grew to 125.
It went on all day and the person in the last car that night before the restaurant closed left money for the first car the next day. The manager
posted this on Facebook and on Friday it kept going. Every single car paid for the one behind it. It continued for most of Saturday until the chain
was finally broken. You could say somebody "Scrooged" it up. The total number of cars that did this was more than 900. The total value in sales
was more than $10,000 and the manager says the moral of all of this is for people to just take care of each other.
The average weight for a pet goldfish is about half a pound or less though they can grow to five pounds in the wild. This one though, recently
discovered at a small lake in South Carolina is nine pounds in weight and 15 inches long. Parks and Recreation workers found the massive fish while
doing a survey of the lake. These animals are not native to South Carolina. Officials say it`s likely someone tossed their pet in the lake and it just
had plenty to eat and a lot of room to grow. They threw it back in after getting the photo.
Holy "mackerel". That`s a goldfish that a catfish wouldn`t be caught "kitten" around with. The officers "barracuda" kept it but it`s kind of
"bonito" that they threw it back "trout" and didn`t let it "flounder". I mean, after all, it`s worth its weight in "goldfish" and it swims to the
"tuna" of a different "gofish".
I`m Carl Azuz. We went fishing in the comments of our You Tube Channel today as we do everyday and we caught Central Aroostook High School. It is
in Mars Hill, Maine. Thank you for watching CNN.
END
