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EARLY START

COVID Denial Increasing Danger in Idaho & Across the Country; Biden to Introduce Defense Secretary Nominee Today; Congressional Leaders Still at Odds Over Pandemic Stimulus Bill; Ravens' Dez Bryant Tests Positive for COVID-19. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 9, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:19]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Christine Romans.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Wednesday, December 9th. It's 5:00 a.m. here in New York.

In less than a month from today, an untold number of evictions will begin. Food lines will continue to grow across the country and expanded unemployment benefits, it's going to disappear. People aren't protesting that right now.

No. Instead, a year of denying science at the highest levels of the U.S. government has trickled down to the states. Some public health boards can't get through meetings without being interrupted.

That was in Boise, Idaho, where the weekly board meeting for the Central District of Health had to adjourn its virtual meeting after COVID deniers showed up even at some members' homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to take care of you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I interrupt you for a moment? My 12-year-old son is home by himself right now and there are protesters banging outside the door. I'm going to go home and make sure he's okay. I will reconnect in a few minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: One day, it's over the election, the next it's over the same part of the parasite of the same information.

SANCHEZ: There are coronavirus deniers in Idaho who are protesting the state where more than half of COVID tests came back positive yesterday. ICUs there also stretched to the limit. The health board was going to vote on new measures to stem the rapid spread of COVID- 19, something that is desperately needed nationwide. There are more than 2,500 deaths reported overnight, one of the worst days of the pandemic so far.

And once again, a record number of COVID patients in U.S. hospitals, almost 105,000 Americans fighting to survive. That number has tripled since just October.

JARRETT: And even as anticipation grows for vaccines that are on the way, even this White House, the task force, is warning states that vaccines will not significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19 until late spring of next year. Pfizer's vaccine may get emergency use authorization, EUA, as soon as tomorrow.

A top official at Operation Warp Speed lays out what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GUSTAVE PERNA, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: I am 100 percent confident that we will be able to implement this with our collaboration of the trifecta there, we will be successful and we will start to have shots in arms within 96 hours of the EUA. That's what I believe with all of my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: In the meantime, events like this are not helping. Officials in Columbus, Ohio, temporarily shutting down this nightclub because up to 500 people jammed into a concert headlined by R&B singer Trey Songz over the weekend.

At a church in Ozark, Missouri, under fire for hosting a big Christmas celebration over the weekend, without social distancing and without masks.

JARRETT: The National Restaurant Association says one in six restaurants nationwide have already closed for good this year. Expect that number to grow as winter arrives and outdoor dining becomes less appealing in cooler states. That means a lot of jobs are about to disappear, right around the holidays. Nine months into this pandemic, 42 percent of Americans say their household income is still below what it was before the outbreak began.

SANCHEZ: President-elect Biden laying out an extremely ambitious plan to combat a pandemic in the first 100 days in office. President-elect Biden acknowledging reality in that he won't immediately end the pandemic but he says we can change the course of the disease and return to normalcy in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: We'll start with my signing order on day one to require masks where I can under law, like federal buildings, interstate travel on planes, trains, buses. And secondly, this team, this team will help get at the latest -- at the last 100 million COVID-19 vaccines, at least 100 million COVID vaccine shots into the arms of the American people in the first 100 days. The third thing I'm going to ask in the 100 days, it should be a national priority to get our kids back into school and keep them in school. And to the American people, I know we've all had a lot of sleepless nights this year. All I can tell you is the truth -- we're in a very dark winter. Things may well get worse before they get better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:05:03]

SANCHEZ: It is a big day for the Biden transition team. Two new cabinet picks are set to be revealed, and the president-elect is set to introduce his choice for secretary of defense.

But that nomination does face some resistance even within Biden's own party.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is with the Biden transition in Wilmington, Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura and Boris, President-elect Joe Biden will formally introduce retired Army General Lloyd Austin as his choice for defense secretary in Wilmington later today. Austin, if he is confirmed, would be the first African-American to lead the Pentagon in its history, but Austin's nomination could also face some hurdles in Congress as some senators are raising concerns about the need to grant him a waiver to serve because of the fact that he only retired from the military four years ago.

Now we are also learning that Biden has made up his mind on two other key cabinet posts. The president-elect is expected to nominate Tom Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture. That is a position that Vilsack held for both terms during the Obama administration. And Vilsack has been a long-time friend and supporter of Joe Biden.

And the president-elect is also planning to nominate Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She is the third known cabinet pick this week that is a person of color as Biden is trying to diversify his cabinet.

Now while those cabinet picks are on their way, Biden has recently been focusing on building out this health team, rolling out the key members that will help tackle the coronavirus pandemic. President- elect making it clear that tackling the pandemic is a top priority -- Laura and Boris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Arlette, thank you so much for that.

The U.S. Supreme Court reaffirming Tuesday what's been clear for a month now, denying a last-minute attempt by President Trump's allies to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania. It's a ruling that could spell the end of the president's bid to subvert the will of the voters and overturn the election, but Republicans are still too intimidated to move on. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you willing to acknowledge that Joe Biden is the president-elect? Will you able to do so on Monday when the Electoral College votes?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: This has become a weekly ritual. The Electoral College is going to meet on the 14th and cast a vote and we're going to have a swearing in of the next president on the 20th of January. Why don't we concentrate on what we have to do the next two weeks?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: In a closed door meeting yesterday on Capitol Hill, Democrats actually tried to put the Republicans on the record, proposing resolution that said the inaugural committee was preparing for the inauguration of Joe Biden, something simple. Republican leaders, though, rejected it. The co-chair of the Biden inaugural committee tells CNN the president-elect ceremony will be 75 to 80 percent virtual.

JARRETT: Well, the House has passed a defense spending bill with a veto proof majority. The bill now heads to the Senate where bipartisan support is also expected. Now the president has threatened to veto the measure ready to sacrifice and withhold money from the troops, an apparently vengeful effort to crack down on big tech on his way out the door.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. For the much-needed coronavirus relief bill, multiple reports say the White House and Republican leaders are getting behind the plan to include $600 stimulus checks but those checks could come at the expense of unemployment benefits, and Democrats say that is simply a non-starter.

CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: Good morning, Boris and Laura.

Despite optimism that there could be a bipartisan deal reach that a COVID relief package has been stalled, a $900 billion outline that had come out just a few days, there is now pessimism again on Capitol Hill as leaders of both sides traded blame and barbs yesterday about the stalemate in the discussion and about a disagreement about how to move forward. It's raising questions about whether a deal can be reached as so many Americans around the country need relief from Washington and uncertain if it's going to happen.

The big sticking points are two issues on this docket. One, how to deal with liability protections for business and others that reopen during the pandemic, something that Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, wants and has been pushing for for months, and also what Democrats want, aid to state and local governments that have been cash-strapped, hit hard during this pandemic. Now, what Mitch McConnell proposed yesterday was to get rid of those

two sticking points and focusing on the issues in which they can disagree, such as small business loans, jobless benefits and other issues that the two sides have more or less coalesced around.

[05:10:00]

But Democrats pushed back, said they can still get a deal on those other issues. They say state and local money is so essential to help police, firefighters, teachers, and others who could get laid off if those -- if that money does not come from Washington. As a result, a bipartisan group of negotiators continued to meet, continued to discuss if they can find a way forward. It's still possible that a bipartisan group can reach a deal. But what will happen if Republicans and Democratic leaders are not in the same page? It's still an open question.

A lot of action all coming to a head here on Capitol Hill as lawmakers race to get out of the door and millions will wait action from Washington -- guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Well, still ahead for you, the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrives in Israel and the prime minister says he's first in line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: Well, many countries are facing the reality of telling people to cancel Christmas celebrations this year.

CNN is covering the pandemic around the world.

[05:15:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Melissa Bell in Paris.

The Swiss government has announced that it is to ban nearly all public gatherings from this Saturday in the face of rising COVID inspections and strained ICU. From Saturday, the only public gatherings will be allowed will be church services and legislative meetings.

Shops, meanwhile, sports facilities and markets will have to close at 7:350 p.m., although authorities have indicated that if infections continue to rise, they could be closed altogether.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

As the first dosage of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Israel, landing in Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport onboard a DHL cargo flight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was there to meet them. He said he will be the first in the state of Israel to take the vaccine to show Israeli citizens how important and how safe it is to get vaccinated, and said he hopes millions of Israelis take the vaccine.

He also said that the arrival of the vaccine was an important day and it showed there was a light at the end of the pandemic. He called it a holiday and said it was that significant. The country the size of Israel is one of the first to get the Pfizer vaccine.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City.

Vaccines are big news in the U.S. and they are also big news here in Mexico, with the government announcing on Tuesday that 1/4 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine will arrive in Mexico for distribution this month followed by 15 million more doses of that same vaccine by the end of April. The government says it will be health care workers that will receive the first round of these vaccines followed by those who are age 60 and higher.

A bit of a reality check on the timing of all of this, the government hopes to vaccinate 75 percent of the population ages 16 and older by the first quarter of 2022.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

In Singapore, a cruise ship to nowhere has been turned around after a passenger has tested positive for COVID-19. Royal Caribbean confirmed to CNN that a passenger tested positive after checking with a member of the ship's medical team. Now, this cruise then informed Singaporean officials of the news and the ship was returned to port. And guests were not permitted to disembark until full contact tracing measures were carried out.

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship that's called the Quantum of the Seas was hosting a four day three night cruise for Singaporeans around Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Thanks to all of our reporters for those updates.

The MVP Lamar Jackson was back in action last night but another big COVID scare for the Ravens threw a wrench into Tuesday night football.

Your "Bleacher Report" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:03]

SANCHEZ: The reining MVP Lamar Jackson returning for the Ravens last night but one of his teammates pulled off the field right before the game due to COVID.

Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report". And, Andy, Dez Bryant was not happy about it.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: He wasn't, Boris. You know, he's really looking forward to this game, played for the Cowboys for a long time. You know, the new Ravens wide receiver, he was out there ready to face his former team but 30 minutes prior to kickoff, he was pulled off the field and he was tested for COVID and they did that because there was a test earlier in the day had come back inconclusive and when they tested Dez again, it came back positive. Dez revealing that news on Twitter.

He tweeted a lot during this game, including: Since I tested positive for COVID before the game, do the game stop or go on?

Well, the NFL did contact tracing and felt it was okay for the game to go on. No other players tested positive on Tuesday so the game did start like normal without Dez Bryant.

Lamar Jackson, one of the Ravens who tested positive during the team's outbreak, he said after the game he had flu-like symptoms and still can't really taste or smell, but the reining MVP looking great against the Cowboys.

Baltimore beat Dallas in this one, 34-17. The last place Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.

For the first time in 102 years, Ohio State and Michigan won't be playing a football game. The Wolverines canceling the rivalry due to a rise in positive tests in their program. The fourth ranked Buckeyes' chances to play in the title game are now uncertain.

The conference said before the season, you had to play six games in order to be eligible to play next championship game. Ohio State right now has only played five games. According to ESPN, Big Ten athletic directors are meeting today about whether to relax that rule, something Ohio State coach Ryan Day they should definitely consider.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN DAY, OHIO STATE HEAD COACH: I think it's one of the things that was put into place early on. Decisions are made based on the information you have at the time and then things change and we know. The season goes on. And then it got changed to conference only. Then it got changed to no season. It got changed to a season.

So, I mean, there's been a lot of changes and I just think, you know, we have to take a hard look periodically at all of this stuff. This is one of those situations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And in the meantime, the SEC says its championship game in Atlanta will have fans in the stands. More than 16,000 spectators are going to be on hand to watch top ranked Alabama take on number six Florida. That means on December 19th. Tickets already sold out. And, Laura, you know, that game pretty much already a playoff game,

especially for Florida. You know, if they win, they would get into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what the playoff committee ends up doing at the end of the season, Laura, because, you know, you got a team like Ohio State that's going to play a max of six games and you got other teams playing eight or nine games.

[05:25:08]

It certainly will be interesting those final rankings come out in a few weeks.

JARRETT: Yeah, have to see what happens there.

All right. Andy, appreciate it. Thank you.

SCHOLES: All right.

JARRETT: All right. Still ahead, the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has tripled in two months, but new restrictions driving more and more retaliation against officials and their families who are trying to help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Good morning. This is EARLY START.