Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom Live 20201211

Plus, keeping up the fight. President trump takes his battle to overturn the Election Results to the countrys highest court. Welcome, everyone, if all goes well, the first doses of the Pfizer Biontech Covid Vaccine could be reaching American Communities within days. It is now up to the u. S. Food and Drug Administration whether to accept its own Advisory Boards recommendation to authorize emergency use. Americas top Infectious Disease doctor says it was the fdas Panel Decision on thursday that finally got the ball rolling. The reason i think this is so important is that we want to make sure that we impress the American Public that decisions that involve their health and safety are made outside the realm of politics, outside the realm of selfaggrandizement and are made by independent groups. It was a very important step this evening. Now, the vaccine arriving of course as the coronavirus runs amuck across the u. S. Every day breaks another depressing record for deaths, for hospitalizations or new cases. There are currently a record 107,000 americans in hospitals with covid nationwide, and more keep coming every day, of course, as new cases explode. Hospitals running out of beds, exhausted front line workers running on fumes. Now, the u. S. President elect joe biden called the fda recommendation a quote bright light in a needlessly dark time. If the Pfizer Biontech vaccine does get the go ahead as widely expected, distribution of about 3 million doses could begin almost immediately. Cnns sara murray with our report. We intend to act quickly. Reporter within 24 hours of authorization, the coronavirus vaccines are set to ship out across the country. Fedex and ups on stand by, to send to more than 600 sites. There will be no higher priority shipments. Reporter mckesson is shipping out supply kits, millions of needles, face masks. The Monumental Task of vaccinationing america vaccinating americans. The governor is warning delays could lie ahead. We have been notified that pfizer shipments will be delayed for week two and week three. We have not been told what that means for us. Reporter for a while supplies robbe supplies will be extremely limited. Whenever the first shipment arrives, it wont be enough for every person in maine who may want or need the vaccine. That has prompted us to make difficult, unsavory choices. Reporter some hospitals are already setting up a delicate dance, staggering their staff vaccinations so enteire departments arent suffering vaccine side effects, and eventual those at the front of the vaccine line could have to wait. We have to send a message that, yes, there are a lot of people in that priority group, and yes, we want to make sure we get it to you. No it wont happen on day one, week one or week two. Patien patience will be the name of the game. Reporter it will be months before we see the vaccine available to the general public. Were expecting essential workers could be next on the list. Of course its going to be hard to decide who those essential workers are, and were starting to see early signs of lobbying campaigns. Today an Airline Industry wrote to the cdc saying front line aviation workers should be considered in this tranche of essential workers. You can bet there are going to be a lot more pleas like that in the coming weeks and months. Sara murray, cnn, washington. Dr. Peter drobac, good to you. More than half now, 53 of americans said they would likely get the first generation when its available, according to recent polls. That percentage is going up, but putting a lid on the virus needs more like 75 to 80 of people, doesnt it . What happens if that number isnt reached . Thank you for having me. Thats right. We have to remember that we dont know yet for sure whether the vaccine prevents me from infecting others. We assume it does but the data dont show that yet. Assuming thats the case, we need at least 70 of a population to be vaccinated to give the population protection, or to have immunity from natural infection or vaccination. If were at 53 , at least 17 or a bit more of the population would need to be persuaded to be vaccinated if we want to have that effect. What would you say to people the vaccines are rolling out, this thing is about over. Vaccine isnt a light switch, is it, its more of a dimmer. Thats right. And its frankly going to be on a slow dimmer. We know were not going to see a supply of vaccines. Thats going to be on scale closer to the spring. Its months before vaccinations are going to be widespread enough that theyre going to begin to turn the tide. As we just heard, were experiencing a 9 11 level casualty event every day in america. This is an emergency. The vaccine cannot help us today. The only thing that can help us today is being smarter about our decisions, masking, distancing and frankly having more restrictions on various indoor gatherings. Yeah, vaccine, obviously its terrific news given what the world is going through at the moment. As we know, the priority groups and most vaccines need two doses. How long might it be before were all able to be effectively vaccinated. Its going to depend on a number of factors. Obviously were talking about the largest Vaccination Campaign in our lifetimes, not just in the u. S. , but of course around the world. So theres a massive manufacturing burden. We have already seen a couple of shortfalls coming there, and then obviously the logistics of distribution and administering the vaccine. Realistically, i think it will be at least six months but probably more likely a year before even in a place like the u. S. Where a majority of the population would have access to vaccination. You know, im curious your take on, you know, the more rapid tests as imperfect as they are. You know, other country haves them pretty much on demand. You know, theyre not as accurate, perhaps, there are false positives, but the quick results and easy access could be effective in getting people to isolate. Theyre cheap, theyre easy to make. Why arent they more in use in the u. S. Than elsewhere. Some of that has to do with regulatory issues, and some of it has to do with overcoming, a perception on a test being less accurate as therefore being less useful. One of the most confounding things about covid19, whats made it so beif you had fuddlin its happening in people without symptoms. If we wait until people have symptoms to test, well miss a ton of transmission. Rapid test, even if its only 80 . If everybodys getting tested as a routine part of their business, 80 is better than 0 . I think in the shortterm, mass access to frequent Rapid Testing could make a bigger difference in helping to control this pandemic, even the vaccinations. Our thanks to dr. Peter drobac at oxford university, speaking to me earlier. Millions of americans are suffering in the pandemic, it is hitting them economically. 850,000 americans filed first time unemployment benefit claims just last week. That is the largest number in three months. Now, on top of that an Alarming Number of americans are going hungry, and Still Congress cant seem to agree on a new stimulus plan. Cnns joins me now. Talk about how these latest jobless claims numbers are pointing to the economy perhaps weakening and how consequential that is . Reporter absolutely. Look, michael, when i look at these numbers and seeing its at the highest level within three months and its the biggest weekly rise since march, we know that this is directly correlated to the local lock downs due to a Record Number of coronavirus cases playing out in parts of the United States. Economists are saying this is pointing to a deteriorating labor market, and of course importantly, we have to look at this trend is going to continue over the holiday season. If you look deeper into the numbers embedded there of course are the continuous claims. 5. 5 million, going up to 5. 8 milli 5. 8 million people, continuing to file for jobless benefits, and if you dig deeper, people eligible for state benefits have exhausted those avenues. Theyre going to the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Fund which is only available for 13 weeks. Once you exhaust those avenues, youre left with nothing. What is supposed to fill that gap is the stimulus plan. Those benefits expire at the end of the july. You and i have been having conversations for so many months, selfimposed deadlines by democrats and republicans. We have run out of time. Legislative days for federal spending expire next week friday. If the republicans and democrats dont come together to find a window of opportunity to talk about the two main sticking points on Liability Protections for businesses and aid for states and cities then were looking at delaying this even further into the new year. Were talking about being on the cusp of the Vaccination Program in the United States. We know its going to take months. And all of these things are going to play a really Important Role in the health of the u. S. Economy. The bipartisan plan or Steven Mnuchin plan, either way, republicans and democrats have run out of time. Yet again, politicians detach from the realities going on in millions of american homes. Eleni, well leave it there. Appreciate your time, thank you. More than a month after the u. S. Presidency was called for joe biden, President Trump still trying to overturn the results. Well have the details on the republicans last ditch lawsuit when we come back. Do you have a Life Insurance policy you no longer need . Now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. Call Coventry Direct to learn more. We thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. But we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. Our friends sold their policy to help pay for their medical bills and that got me thinking. Maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. Im skeptical, so i did some research and called Coventry Direct. They explained Life Insurance is a valuable asset that can be sold. We learned that we can sell all of our policy or keep part of it with no future payments, who knew . We sold our policy. Now we can relax and enjoy our retirement as we had planned. If you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of Life Insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. Dont cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what its worth. Visit conventrydirect. Com to find out if you policy qualifies. Or call the number on your screen. Coventry direct, redefining insurance. A live bookkeeper is helping customize quickbooks for me. Okay, youre all set up. Thanks that was my business gi, this ones casual. Get set up right with a live bookkeeper with intuit quickbooks. And Vice President elect Kamala Harris set to formally announce new members of their cabinet later today, and they include a lot of familiar faces from the obama administration. Cnns jeff zeleny with the late st appointments. President elect joe biden continues to fill out his cabinet at his transition headquarters in wilmington, delaware. He will announce new members including the housing and urban development, as well as the agricultural secretary, tom vilsack. Of course he served in the post for all eight years of the obama administration. Other key advisers, including the u. S. Trade representative and the head of the Domestic Policy Council and the Veterans Affairs secretary. Many of these rank and file cabinet members are familiar faces. They do indeed come from the obama administration. Mr. Biden, were told, is not being defensive about picking old hands. An ally said look, hes going for competent leadership. He believes the government is broken, and needs to have people filling the seats who know exactly what theyre doing. One of the biggest Seats Remaining is attorney general. Were not expecting that to be announced until next week. Leading contenders are doug jones, the outgoing alabama senator, as well as judge merrick garland, once nominated to be on the Supreme Court. All cabinet picks are expected to be picked by the christmas holiday. After that, a few weeks remaining until inauguration day. Jeff zeleny, cnn, wilmington, delaware. While joe biden moves full speed ahead to build his white house team. President trump still insisting he won the election. Now he and his loyalists are backing a Supreme Court challenge from texas demanding that millions of voters or votes in four key states that biden won be tossed out. Cnn chief White House Correspondent jim acosta with the details. Reporter surfacing at a white House Holiday party, the president made it clear he wants the Supreme Court to gift wrap the election for him by siding with a group of pro trump state attorneys general, out to overturn the will of the people. Were going to win this election. Filing the lawsuit with the support of 18 republican led states, texas gop attorney general ken paxton whos under federal indictment, and accused by democrats of seeking a president ial pardon wants the Supreme Court to consider the case before the Electoral College finalizes joe bidens victory next monday. Its a state on state action. The only place we can go is the u. S. Supreme court. Reporter pitting his hopes on the texas case, the president is scamming his supporters on social media falsely tweeting how can you give an election to someone who lost the election by hundreds of thousands of legal votes in each of the swing states. How can the country be won by an illegitimate president. Texas senator ted cruz said hes willing to argue on behalf of the president in the Supreme Court. We need the Supreme Court to step in and ensure that were following the constitution and following the law. Reporter the same cruz mr. Trump repeatedly called a liar in 2016. He walks in the bible held high, right, the bible held high. He puts it down, comes over here, starts ranting and raving and he starts lying. Reporter other Texas Republicans are throwing cold water on the case, from senator john cornyn, i frankly struggle to understand the legal theory of it. Congresswoman kate granger, i dont think its going to go anywhere. The Atlanta Journal constitution warned the attorney general against rallying opposition to the case after he said it was constitutionally, legally and factually wrong. Georgia republicans are facing the wrath of trump supporters, threatening to boycott the runoff election. Some folks say they are not going to show up. I understand them because were pissed. Give the Republican People and the base to get up off our tails and vote for you. If you done stop this fraud of an election, you dont have our backs, why do we have yours. Reporter Rudy Giuliani is ready to return to the crusade after a bout with the coronavirus. He told wca radio he received topnotch treatment because hes a trump vip. Sometimes when youre a celebrity, theyre worried if something happens to you, theyre going to examine it more carefully and do everything right. Reporter the pandemic claiming more 3,000 lives wednesday, the administration predicting there could be 362,000 death bs e januars by j what do you say to americans who believe you got this wrong. I want them to stay calm, and we are doing a great job. Reporter as for that texas lawsuit, the Pennsylvania Attorney general has filed a blistering response to the case in that filing pennsylvania accuses texas of quote seditious abuses in its lawsuit. Jim acosta, cnn, the white house. Cnn political analysts Toluse Olorunnipa joins me now from washington, d. C. Hes also a White House Reporter for the washington post. Good to see you. Lets start with this bizarre hail mary lawsuit in the absence of evidence of fraud. And leave the case aside itself for the moment, but what does republican support for it or silence about it say, and what dangers does the president s path present to the electoral system . There is growing republican support for this lawsuit even though it appears to be base let and really without merit, but the president has been putting pressure on republicans across the spectrum to support this lawsuit. Hes really amped this lawsuit up as the holy grail of his legal efforts saying this is where he wants his fight to be, and as a result, because he has so much sway over the party, attacks members of his own party if they cross the line or decide to take a position thats different than his. There are several republicans falling in line, and it shows how much theyre willing to sacrifice the democracy of the country in order to show allegiance to the president because they want to preserve their own political fortune. Its clear the president has a lot of strength in the party, even though what he is doing is dangerous and not in keeping with the Democratic Values of the country. Yeah, critics talk about a personality cult, and what im trying to imagine if democrats had done this in 2016 with the same lack of evidence, why are republicans enabling this course of action by the president and the damage its doing. I mean, is it, as you say, just the fear of his wrath that anyone opposed to him is an enemy . Or could it be that they are true believers in what theyre trying to do . Behind the scenes, the vast majority of republicans realize that what theyre doing is not in keeping with the facts on the ground. They know the president lost this reelection. They know there was not massive fraud but they want to essentially try to placate him by allowing him to move forward with these legal processes. They know they need to also speak to his voters because the polling shows that the vast majority of Republican Voters believe what the president is saying, and if these republican lawmakers decide to take a different position, theyre going to be on the outs with their voters, hard to get, sort of selfpreservation and lack of political courage, theyre not willing to take a stand for whats right. Theyre doing whats politically expedient by supporting the baseless claims, and that seems to be where the party is going. If you want to have standing within the Republican Party, you have to sign up for these conspiracy theories. You have to be on board with the baseless ideas of voter fraud, even though theres no evidence to back it up, and you have to put your name on the line and sign up for lawsuits that are meritless and baseless. Thats where the Republican Party is rig nht now. You have to wonder what damage is being done to the process. Its funny, i saw taylor swift has released two albums, the delay in helping millions of people is outrageous. Who is it hurting politically. We know who its hurting on the street . Yeah, its really hurting the idea of washington as a place where thenings get done. Its pretty clear in the minds of the American Public that washington is not able to provide the canine kind of reli thats needed by millions of americans, and hurting both parties. Republicans and democrats have constituents that are struggling amidst this pandemic and the Record Number of cases and the economy slowing down. President trump is really nowhere to be found in these negotiations. We have already seen his political fortunes dwindle because of the lack of progress and the amount of gridlock that has happened under his watch. He has lost. There are a number of republicans and democrats that find themselves in the political cross hairs at this moment because the American People want there to be cooperation and there does not seem to be any of that. We only have a minute left. I wanted to squeeze this in. It does seem extraordinary to outsiders, one man in this case, Mitch Mcconnell can pretty much decide what gets voted on. And is that a portent of whats possible or likely if there is Republican Senate majority after february. If republicans can maintain control of the senate, they will be able to block much of president elect joe bidens agenda. They will be able to stop him from passing the keeinds of legislation thaemt he wants to pass. If Mitch Mcconnell does not green light it, support it, it will not go through. He has an immense power and thats why theres a huge fight for these two runoffs in georgia to determine control of the senate because if Mitch Mcconnell maintains control, it will be very hard for joe biden to get anything done legislatively in the congress with a Republican Senate in control. It is amazing that any one man controls what gets voted on. Toluse olorunnipa, always good to have you on. Getting the u. S. Government to sign off on a Covid Vaccine is half the challenge, now the huge challenge of shipping across the country at super cold temperatures. Well have those details after the break. Also, Health Care Workers feeling the strain of soaring coronavirus cases. Well talk to one nurse about the struggles and stress Health Care Workers are experiencing. Whats inside airborne . A blast of immune support thats more than just vitamin c. Its a unique crafted blend of vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Its what makes airborne your daily dose of confidence. 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Plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a 500 prepaid card when you upgrade. Switch today. Welcome back. Not all vaccine candidates are working out. The so called sanofi, has been delayed until next year because it failed to generate a significant immune response in the elderly. Meanwhile the u. S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide within days on authorizing the Pfizer Biontech vaccine for emergency use in the u. S. That means some 3 million doses could soon be made available. Cnns nick watt with the details. History was just made in little boxes. And that concludes the vote. So we do have a favorable vote. The fda advisory kpee jucomm just voted to recommend a green light for pfizers vaccine. I think the safety is pretty well demonstrated and balance that against over 2,000 deaths a day, or 2,500 deaths a day, im comfortable. Our plan is to take their recommendations into account for our Decision Making and make a decision shortly thereafter. Again, it really depends upon the complexity of the issues discussed but we intend to act quickly. Needles and syringes on the move, nearly 3 million vaccine doses ready to be deployed within hours to states, but. Im really, you know, just fearing whats going to happen over the next several weeks. Hospitals are overwhelmed. People are tired and quite frankly, people are dying. Reporter yesterday in america, 3,124 people were reported killed by covid19, the highest daily toll of the pandemic. More lives lost than 9 11. Get used to it. The cdc forecasts another 70,000 or so americans could die from now through new years day. Thats an average of over 3,000 people every day. Icus at one in three hospitals were over 90 full last week. Reno, nevada, this wasnt a hospital. It was the parking garage, now filled with beds and patients. He coughs at nighttime, i can hear him, and if i yell, he can hear me. He knows that im still alive. Reporter the worst days, months, could be to come. Bill nye the science guy is on tiktok explaining why masks really work. Viruses dont travel by themselves. They travel in droplets of spit and is not, and the fibers are a tangle. And those who know best are grinching christmas. No christmas parties, there is not a safe Christmas Party in this country right now. I dont think were going to see really a sizable amount of vaccine for the American Public well into march and april. Reporter nick watt, cnn, los angeles. Now, as soon as the u. S. Government signs off on the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, a fleet of trucks will fan out across the country to deliver nearly 3 million initial doses. It is an epic undertaking. Cnns pete muntean with those details. The fda says trucks carrying the vaccine could begin leaving here within 24 hours of that final fda emergency use authorization. Whats so interesting is we know this spot, pfizers kalamazoo michigan spot is critical to the distribution network. Its the largest facility, a sprawling facility, 1,300 acres. We know that vaccine arrived here late last month, but operation warp spreeed, the federal government says the vaccine will be leaving here, going directly to 600 individual locations. Those are places like hospitals, pharmacies, cvs, walgreens. We know that ups and fedex will be carrying the packages encased in dry ice. Ups responsible for delivery on the eastern half of the country. We also know that temperature is so critical, that the Pfizer Vaccine needs to be negative, 100 degrees fahrenheit during transportation, and ups tells us each of its packages will come equipped with a thermal monitor able to broadcast the temperature of the package back to ups headquarters. We are also hearing from the faa that its air Traffic Controllers will now give flights carrying the vaccine top priority. Pete muntean, cnn, kalamazoo, michigan. Health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic face daunting challenges as the number of covid cases keeps on soaring in the u. S. Yesterday, more than 2,700 deaths were recorded. That comes after the u. S. Reached a daily high of more than 3,100 deaths on wednesday. That is of course the most since the pandemic began, and more than 107,000 people are in hospitals in the u. S. With the virus. Now, that is pushing Many Health Care systems in the u. S. To their breaking point as the intensive care beds near capacity. President of north dakota nurses association, tessa johnson, she joins me from tickinson, north dakota. Appreciate your time. I want to start with the American Nurses survey. More than 10,000 nurses, more than half felt they were overwhelmed. They said they were experiencing depression as well. I imagine those numbers might have worsened since then. How would you summarize how nurses are coping, how tough its been . Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that question. I think its a very important topic to discuss within our health care community. I feel that nurses are struggling right now. I know that everybody has worked hours, days, since this started in march, and were getting to the point that theres not much left to give, and nurses in general are just humans who give and give and give, even if their cup has nothing left to give. I fear for the Mental Health of nurses. I think were stepping a lot of things down, and were not addressing the issues, our Mental Health issues that are approaching. Yeah, look, i couldnt agree more. Do you get a sense that theres any real appreciation among the general public about the realities, those who have not been at the, experiencing the stress, watching people die. I dont. Sadly, at the beginning of the pandemic, everywhere you turned, thank you health care heroes, that was great. Here we are, nine months later. Nobody knows the reality until you walk in our shoes, see the things we see, make decisions we make, you make compromises, you give your all, putting Everything Else aside. Unless you walk in those shoes, you simply do not know the reality. And you know, it seems extraordinary but in your state, the governor at one point called for asymptomatic nurses to show up for work anyway. I mean, thats a head shaker. That must have been a shock to all of you. It was. We werent part of that conversation, the Nursing Association when the executive order came out, and we had a lot of opinions, emotions that came out of that from members of our association and nurses in our state, and we really felt that, here we are giving our all, and then if we contract the virus, we still have to come to work, and we dont get that rest, and we have to keep giving even at that point. It wasnt swallowed well by nurses in our state. Extraordinary and tone deaf. We talk a lot about capacity, hospitals filling up, icus running out of space. Its important to talk about capacity when it comes to Health Care Workers. Many, as you point out are exhaust exhausted, month after month. Incredibly stressful work. At some point, theres a cut off of how many you have to treat the sick how concerned are you about that aspect . Very concerned. Especially two, three weeks back, our Hospital Capacity was very very high. Our nursing shortage was tremendous. It really made everybody pause and think, what is our next steps going to be, and so mitigation strategies, such as the mask mandate, and some other things that our governor did about a month ago, and its made some serious impact. Its very concerning. I think the general public fails to realize that its not just about covid19. If theres not a hospital wbed theres a lot of reasons any of us could need a hospital bed or a nurse to take care of. Theres Different Reasons this could affect you, other than just covid19. One of the things, major factors we have discussed is the inse incessant nature of treating people, and with every record tally that comes out, you know in a week, two, three weeks, some of them are going to be in the hospital. What is it you would like to tell people about what they dont see, whats going on, what do you want people to know . We want people to know that theres very simple things that the general public can do to help us. Nurses, Health Care Workers are always willing to help their communities, and were always willing to go the extra mile and do these extra things, and were asking for very simple things, were asking for a mask, a Face Covering when youre in public. Were asking you to avoid large groups. Were asking you to smmake smar choices over the holidays. Health care workers have missed a lot of events, taking care of our communitys loved ones, and were asking for that just once, and so many people think its an infringement on their rights, and its political. And at the end of the day, its simply about human lives. Its not about a political party. Its just about saving lives. Well put, and youre a good advocate for your colleagues. Tessa johnson, thank you, and thank you for all that you do. Thank you for having me. Lets turn our attention to europe now, and while some countries are showing signs of numbers leveling off, germany struggling with increasing cases since october. Berlin set to implement significant restrictions in the days ahead of christmas, hoping to stem the spread. The german chancellor also calling for a full lock down after christmas. And the swedish government is considering a temporary pandemic law that would allow them to close public spaces. This coming as stockholm reports 99 of its icu beds are full. For more on how europe is contending with the latest virus surge, were going to turn to cnns Salma Abdelaziz in london, and Fred Pleitgen in mainz, germany reporter obviously theyre happy about getting the recommendation. They are waiting to see if and when they are going to get the emergency use authorization from the fda. We have heard in a press release from the ceo of biontech, i want to read what he had to say, i would like to thank the Fdas Advisory Committee for recognizing the Critical Role that our vaccine may play in helping to address this ongoing pandemic. Todays positive discussion, obviously speaking about last nights decision, todays positive discussion and vote reinforces the potential of our covid19 candidate in helping to protect people against in deadly and devastating disease. Of course these guys not only weigh wa waiting on the edge of their seats to get that emergency use authorization, but when that happens, the whole logistics chain is set in motion. We saw the report if pete muntean, and a lot of the vaccine is going to come from belgium and shipped to the United States. Germany struggling to contain a new surge in coronavirus infections. In fact, woke up early this morning and checked the data for Germany Center for disease control, a Record Number of new infections for a single day. 30,000, unfortunately also a Record Number of deaths, michael. Tragic, fred, thank you so much in germany for us. Lets go to Salma Abdelaziz in london. Vaccine starting to roll out, but, you know, theres been some worrying signs of increases there in the uk where you are. Is there a sense that theres, i dont know, people are dropping their guard because of it . Absolutely. Michael, here like in germany, you heard from my colleague, fred, they are dealing a spike in coronavirus cases. This is after weeks of it leveling off, and the government is trying to strike a balance between the optimism of getting people vaccinated like in the hospital behind me here, and the real reality that this country is still in the throes of the second wave of this pandemic its important to remember, yes, vaccines are being rolled out but only going to a limited section of the population. By and large, life has not changed for the rest of britain. Thats why the Health Secretary yesterday said dont blow it now, help is on the horizon, pressing people to follow rules and restrictions, but also to potentially face more regulations next week when englands regional restriction system is reviewed. Theyre also rolling out mass testing for School Children because between the ages of 11 and 18, are contributing most to this surge in cases. But look, here and everywhere across europe and germany as well, look at the big picture. Theyre worried about christmas time, about the possibility of people coming into a close confined space and causing a surge of cases before the vaccine is even ready for the Wider Population next year. Michael . Salma, thank you. Salma abdelaziz in london for us. Well take a quick break. When we come back, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns britain a no deal exit from the European Union could be on the way. Is a deal even still possible . Well be live in london with answers next. Robinhood believes now is the time to do money. Without the commission fees. So, you can start investing today wherever you are even hanging with your dog. So, what are you waiting for . Download now and get your first stock on us. Robinhood. Stop your cough from interrupting, with dq cough and congestion. Its max strength formula coats your throat and provides powerful relief. New dayquil cough and congestion. The maxcoat daytime power through your cough medicine. Youre choosing to get connected to the most to xfinity mobile, Reliable Network nationwide, now with 5g included. Discover how to save up to 400 a year with shared data starting at 15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. Come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. You can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. Stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store. The british Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning the uk to prepare for a quote australian option after brexit, Something Better known as a no deal. That is where most trading between the uk and the European Union would be conducted under basic World Trade Organization rules. It is a scenario that seems all but certain unless the uk and eu hammer out a post brexit deal by sundays deadline. Lets go to london and our anna stewart. It has been four years of trying to hammer out a deal, and here we are. Reporter here we are, and it felt like perhaps a little bit of saber rattling from Boris Johnson but the stark warning has been taken gravely here, brits being told people and businesses prepare for a no deal brexit, septembaccept thats no term he used. He should we should prepare for a australian agreement. That means falling back on w. T. O. Rules and tariffs which are very very costly, and interestingly, last night, the former australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the uk should be careful what they wish for, that that is not an arrangement that the uk should want. Australia has been trying to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement for the last two years and in addition to that, the style of the agreement the eu and uk would fall back on is worse than the one they have. Such as wine. Both sides said they will continue their negotiations right through the weekend, and on sunday, a decision will be made as to whether they think they can reach a deal before that 31st of december deadline, when the transition period ends or whether they should really start to stop the negotiations and prepare in earnest for a no deal brexit. Michael. Anna stewart there on the spot for us in london. Thank you so much. And were going to take a quick break on the program, be rig back. Listerine® cleans virtually 100 . Back. R back. Back. G back. Ht back. Never settle for 25 . Always go for 100. Bring out the bold™ save for being a new customer. Save more for adding drivewise. Save even more for driving safely. Take another look at allstate and start saving. Hong kong media tycoon jimmy lie has been charged under the Regions National security law. Hed been arrested in his newsroom in august. Well, now he faces formal charges of colluding with Foreign Forces and endangering National Security. If convicted, that could be a life sentence in prison. Lets get more on this with Kristie Lu Stout in hong kong. By far the highest profile person charged under this controversial law. What do we know . Absolutely, michael. Cnn has confirmed the media mogul has been charged under the sweeping new National Security law. He is on suspicion of colluding with Foreign Forces and endangering National Security, as you just mentioned. He is the most high profile person to be charged under the sweeping piece of legislation that was imposed by beijing on hong kong in late june. It criminalizes secession, sedition, punishable with life in prison. Supporters say it brings stability to hong kong, it fills a legal loophole. Critics say it under mines freedoms and autonomy. What has been a politically charged and eventful week in hong kong. We know earlier this week on tuesday, eight activists were arrested for their protests. On july 1st, hours after the new security law was imposed. On monday, eight others were arrested for a protest last month at the Chinese University of hong kong. Three of those arrested under the new National Security law. Human Rights Groups say this is a crack down on peaceful forms of political expression. A Statement Released earlier this week by Amnesty International chanting political slogans, singing songs and waving flags should never be crimes. It lays bare the deterioration of human rights in hong kong since the National Security law was enacted. The bank hsbc have been kri criticized for freezing assets of a lawmaker and pastor. Beijings support of the new National Security law isnt wavering, michael. Christi allow stout kristie kong. Appreciate it. Thank you for your company. Im michael holmes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Im off now. Early start is up next. 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So thank you, to our customers and to businesses everywhere, from all of us at comcast business. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is early start, im laura jarrett. Good morning, laura. Im Boris Sanchez in for christine romans. Thank you so much for joining us today. Its december 11th, friday, 5 00 a. M. New york. Always great to see you. Always great to have you, boris. This morning, the United States is one critical step closer to the reality of a coronavirus vaccine. Advisers to the food and Drug Administration recommending authorization of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. A final decision from the fda is imnegligen immine imminent but theres a long road ahead. Heres the current