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Trump Is First Modern Presidential Candidate Who Won't Concede; Former U.S. Negotiation On Prospects For Middle East Peace; U.S. Treasury Department Imposes Sanctions On Lebanon's Former Foreign Minister; Vatican Releases Report On Former Cardinal McCarrick; El Paso County Judge Likely To Extend Lockdown; Mitch McConnell Speaks After Being Re-elected Senate GOP Leader. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired November 10, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Veteran negotiator Saeb Erekat has died at the age of 65 of complications from COVID-19. Now he caught the
disease last month. It had been three years since he had undergone a lung transplant.
Since the early 1990s Erekat was one of the most recognizable names and faces in the Middle East peace process playing a critical role in the
landmark Oslo Accords before becoming the Chief Palestinian Negotiator.
Well, Palestinians have declared three days of mourning for a man whose death comes at what is an important time for both the region and indeed the
world. The Oren Lieberman now looks back on a career like few others.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Saeb Erekat was a man with an increasingly impossible mission but one from which he never shied away. He
was the Head of the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department for decades in charge of finding common ground with Israel that would lead to a peace
agreement and to a two-state solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB EREKAT, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE PLO: This is the only way to save the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. Please, let
us stop scoring points. Let us stop finger-pointing and let us go to sanity, wisdom and courage and come back to the negotiating table
immediately with no conditions whatsoever because at the end of the day we have recognized the state of Israel's existence. It's up to you to take the
high ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Born in Jerusalem and educated in the U.S. and the UK, Erekat joined the Fattah Political Party growing close to its charismatic founder
and leader Yasser Arafat, considered a hardliner at first. Erekat gained respect for those who sat across from him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI DIPLOMAT: Saeb Erekat has been a man of peace, always has been a man of peace and then that I trust and a man that I
respect. That's the good news. The bad news is that Saeb Erekat does not call the shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Erekat was a critical part of the Oslo Accords when ending the Israeli Palestinian conflict seemed unachievable with an imminent goal. But
as the years passed and breakthroughs became sporadic, Erekat found himself with little common ground to stand on between Israelis and Palestinians,
and their leaders who deeply distrusted each other Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas. But Erekat never moved from his goal, even as it grew more
distant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EREKAT: My option is to sit. I may be in the minority. I'm being criticized heavily by sticking to the two-state solution, but I know in history that
if we want to have are a solution, we must have a negotiated solution between us and the Israelis, and if we don't help ourselves and
Palestinians, that means this will be translated in the blood of my children and their children and nobody else will do it for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: When President Donald Trump unveiled the White House's plan for Middle East peace it was soundly rejected by the Palestinians and the Arab
World. Erekat and the Palestinian leadership wanted no part of Trump's vision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EREKAT: President Trump is busy inviting Netanyahu so the three of them can decide my future and they can decide what's best for me and they want to
dictate on me. Actually what we hear about Jerusalem being Israel's capital, there are refugee issues with security and borders, it cannot even
be called the deal of the century. It's the fraud and the hoax of the century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: But within months Erekat would find himself on the outside looking in as Israel normalized agreements with first the United Arab
Emirates and weeks later with Bahrain. He kept arguing stridently for the importance and necessity of a two-state solution, it was his most mission
one that remained unfulfilled in his lifetime.
ANDERSON: Our next guest knew Saeb Erekat and what he did best firsthand. This picture is from Camp David 20 years ago, and can you see Former State
Department Adviser Aaron David Miller next to the Secretary of State - Albright, he is seated almost opposite Erekat and says fondly they often,
quote, annoyed the hell out of one another, and yet they devoted their lives to the same cause.
Miller says I mourn the passing of Saeb Erekat and extend my condolences to his wife and his children. Saeb was my friend and negotiating partners for
years. We shared a goal in which I know he believed deeply, Israeli- Palestinian peace.
I will miss him greatly. Well, Aaron David Miller is joining us now from Washington. Aaron, thank you, and those are beautiful words. Two sides, one
table, one cause how will you remember Saeb Erekat?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMRE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ADVISER ON MIDDLE EAST: You know, a lot of the Palestinians we dealt with in the negotiations over-
-
ANDERSON: Well, that's a little unfortunate. Let's see whether we can get Aaron back. We will have a look at U.S. politics, and we'll see if we can
get Aaron David Miller back because that's such an important story.
We've been talking about the death of Saeb Erekat who has died at the age of 65 from complications associated with COVID-19.
[11:05:00]
ANDERSON: He did have a lung transplant about three years ago and at the time people are concerned about that when it was clear that he - he had the
COVID-19 disease but sadly passed away. Three days of mourning as we've been reporting in Ramallah and his funeral will be held there.
Let's see if we can get Aaron David Miller back. Can we? All right, OK. I'll tell you what, we will move on to a bit of U.S. news and we'll come
back to this as on when. Well, turning to the U.S. where this hour the norm-busting outgoing president is busting another norm.
President Donald Trump blocking key plans for the transition of power after losing the election to Joe Biden here's the first modern presidential
candidate to refuse to concede an election. Joe Biden topped the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election this past weekend.
Some states are, of course, still counting with Biden expected to break 300 electoral votes when all the counting is done. It is worth noting that
counting at this stage is not out of the norm, whatever anybody tells you. It is not out of the norm. This happens.
Counting often goes on some days after Election Day. His transition team, I'm talking about Donald Trump, well, I'm sorry I'm talking about Joe Biden
here, of course is stuck in neutral and is considering legal action. Joe Biden - Joe Johns has more on the uncertain days ahead.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: President Trump is still refusing to accept the reality of the election results this morning, and
those around him are supporting the delay in allowing President-Elect Joe Biden to get to work one of them, Attorney General Bill Barr who authorized
federal prosecutors to investigate Trump's baseless claims of voting irregularities in the election.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or illegal voting in the United States, something officials in battleground states like Michigan are
making clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOCELYN BENSON, MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm confident that any inquiries that proceed in Michigan or elsewhere are only going to reveal
the truth this. This election was smooth, secure, transparent and accurate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: On Capitol Hill, top Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell amplifying the president's lies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We have the system in place to consider concerns, and President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into
allegations and irregularities and weigh his legal options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Starting the transition of power between the Trump and Biden Administrations is extremely critical as the United States grapples with
the Coronavirus pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENT-ELECT: This election is over. It's time to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric that designed to demonize one
another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: But Biden is still unable to unlock all of the resources that should now be available to him as the winner of the election, including access to
highly classified information and intelligence briefings.
Holding the key the general services administration who's Trump-appointed Administrator Emily Murphy has refused to cooperate with Biden's trainings
as President-Elect. A GSA spokesman telling CNN there is no election winner, but that isn't true.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN PSAKI, SENIOR ADVISOR, BIDEN-HARRIS TRANSITION: We've all seen these tactics for weeks if not months from the Trump team, even before the
election, and with every day, with every effort to delay this, it's delaying us getting access to the resources we need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: This after Trump started off his Monday suddenly announcing the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a tweet. Sources fear Esper may
not be the last victim of Trump's lame duck firing spree, telling CNN FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel and the Attorney
General could be the next ones to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Frankly he can do a lot of damage by destabilizing every major agency, by firing a whole series of senior leaders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joe Johns reporting there. OK. Just before that report we were talking to Aaron David Miller about the death of Saeb Erekat, a man he
called his friend. The two sides as I suggested, one table, one cause. I was asking how you will remember Saeb Erekat.
MILLER: Of all the Palestinians we dealt with, Saeb was the only one I think even when it appeared as if there was no hope in the prospects of a
two-state solution as it may appear now who continue to believe and wouldn't abandon the notion that through rational logical discourse can,
Israelis and Palestinians could actually, with American help or without.
[11:10:00]
MILLER: Find a way to negotiate, Becky, something that you and I would consider a conflict-ending solution. He believed deeply in that. He lived
it as well. He believed deeply in relationships with the Israelis.
He sent at least three of his children to seas of peace, a remarkable program that breaks down barriers and suspicion and mistrust between
Israelis and Palestinians. And in a way despite the fact, as I tweeted out, we annoyed the hell out of one another I think it's that commitment that I
was most struck by.
ANDERSON: I mean Oren Lieberman's obituary pointing out that this was a man many applauded as being a man of peace. He negotiated with you, the
Americans, the Oslo Accords, with the Israelis. I wonder what you believe his death means then for the prospect of any meaningful negotiation for
peace under what will be a new Biden Administration which, by the way, is pledging to restore aid to the Palestinians that, of course, was lost under
President Trump.
MILLER: I mean, look, I - I have no illusions any longer, although like Saeb I haven't given up hope that in fact under the right circumstances a
negotiation could produce an outcome. I think in a way paradoxically, and I don't want to appear too optimistic here, that you may have a certain
degree of alignment of factors coming into play that might be able to change the negative free fall on the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
Oddly enough the normalization agreements, the Abraham Accords have in a way given the Israelis a stake in maintaining those relationships and
welcoming other Arab states which may well mean a certain degree of constraint with respect to their behavior.
The Palestinians are at sea, I think demoralized and divided but perhaps open to a resumption of their relationship with the Israelis and the Biden
Administration, even though it will be pre-occupied with at least five separate crises, domestic crises that I could identify, I think will be
open to creating more hopeful lines, both to the Netanyahu government, given Biden's long-standing relationship with Netanyahu.
And certainly they will - they will do what the Trump Administration did not do, which was to open up a meaningful serious dialogue with the
Palestinian authority. I mean, it's not a conflict and an agreement but maybe, just maybe, change of administrations and diminishing options might
actually produce the prospects of something better than what we see now frankly which is free fall.
ANDERSON: Aaron David Miller, on the Abraham Accords, I just wonder which camp are you in when it comes to Riyadh in all of this. Do you believe that
the fact that the Saudis haven't signed up may mean that they are keeping something up their sleeves to negotiate with the Biden Administration?
Who has, and Joe Biden has said, you know, he has welcomed the coming together of a number of Arab states. I mean, that's UAE and Bahrain and
Sudan at present. He's welcomed their normalizing relations with Israel, and a, you know, would welcome more.
Do you believe that that's Riyadh keeping something up their sleeve to negotiate a new sort of relationship with Washington under Joe Biden or
not?
MILLER: No, it's a fascinating insight and the chances of moving with the Israelis before the election were slim to none. The Saudis wanted to wait
for the outcome. Becky I think, and, again, you know, reading tea leaves like reading the Kremlin tea leaves, reading Saudi tea leaves is not easy.
I think though that the issue of normalization may well be tied up with the issue of succession, and I - and that's a tricky business. People are
speculating about the prospects of King Salman abdicating to ensure a peaceful transition to his son, Mohammed Bin Salman.
But remember, Joe Biden's relationship with the Saudis is not going to be anything like the Trump Administration. We essentially under the Trump
Administration created a zone of immunity for Saudi Arabia and gave them a wide berth to do all kinds of things which frankly were both ruthless and
reckless.
But I do believe that are normalization with Israel may well represent a sort of - I don't want to trivialize this, get out of free jail card for
Mohammed Bin Salman should he choose to play it?
[11:15:00]
MILLER: But the real question here is timing here, and I'm more convinced it's tied up with - with the Saudi internal politics and the prospects of
his succeeding a father who is much more cautious and conservative on the issue of reaching out to the Israelis than he may be.
ANDERSON: We spent most of our discussion focusing on Saeb Erekat and rightly so. A sad day for so many and condolences coming in for his family
from countries around this region I see them coming in from Lebanon and from Jordan and from Egypt just as we've been on air.
Thank you for joining. Thank you for your thoughts on Saudi. You and I will have these discussions week in and week out. We may never get to the - to
the winning sort of line on these Middle East politics, but we give it a go. Aaron David Miller, thank you for your time. It's been a pleasure
having you on, and thank you for talking so eloquently about Saeb Erekat with us today.
Well, the next American President will surely have to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Of course it's clear that it will be Joe Biden's
to deal with. He'll be next in the White House, but it's not clear to everyone. The right wing media, as you would expect, fueling the
president's narrative of false claims of widespread voter fraud.
There is also this attention-grabbing moment on Fox News on Monday that caught many by surprise. During a briefing by the White House Press
Secretary, have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want every legal vote to be counted, and we want every illegal vote to be--
UNIDENTIFED MALE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I just think we have to be very clear. She's charging the other side of welcoming fraud and welcoming
illegal investigate. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can't in good countenance continue showing you this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We'll talk more about the media's post-election role with CNN's Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter. Let's start with that moment. That
was Fox News pulling away from the White House Press Secretary saying that they couldn't countenance false statements and accusations being made by
her that was quite something.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, quite unusual and media critics have been looking for signs that Rupert Murdoch is pulling his
networks and pulling his newspapers away from Trump. There's been editorial in "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Post" urging Trump to step
aside gracefully and stop talking about stolen elections.
But actually Neil Cavuto cutting away from McEnany as the exception of the rule Fox is peddling bogus voter fraud claims almost every hour of the day
and it is poisoning the minds of many Americans. Here are some examples from primetime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know how many votes were stolen on Tuesday night. We don't know anything about the software that many say was rigged.
We don't know. We need to find out.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: There's no question that mass mail-in voting is an unmitigated disaster. We must never again allow Democrats to foist
this on our country given what we're seeing days and days later.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: They want you to believe that this week's vote and same-day voting counting process is totally normal and it's above
board. Do you do really believe that? They want you to ignore the irregularities and the lack of transparency and the serious instances where
the law was broken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biden's Campaign says they are defending the election. They deny what they are really doing which is stealing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: That right there is election denialism. It's been happening across white wing media, on television, on radio, on Facebook and on Twitter. It's
promoted by the president and his allies, promoted on the president's Twitter feed and promoted by Murdoch's Fox News.
This is irrational stuff but it's spreading wildly and very widely and now essentially we have two parallel Americans. One week after that election
night which became an election week, half the country has moved on. President-Elect Joe Biden is working on his transition plans, and yet in
this other America led by the Tucker Carlsons and Sean Hannitys of the world it's very much a dispute, a contested election.
They are going along with the president's claims about mass voter fraud. They are claiming this election is not over yet and I think in many ways
we're in a very perilous moment in America where there's all of this nonsense spreading in right wing media that's both informing and
misinforming the president and his supporters. It's in some ways the new Birtherism it's a new way to delegitimize a Democratic President.
ANDERSON: I'm just wondering then what happens during this transition period because after all the media does play into a very did I sided
America.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: People will watch what they agree with and they will turn off or won't tune into the channels that they don't agree with. How do ratings
play into Fox' narrative at this point do you think?
STELTER: I think two things are going on with Fox's ratings. Number one, the audience is deflated. They don't want to watch Biden or they don't want
to listen to his speeches. That is very real the numbers decline when Biden is speaking versus when Trump is speaking.
But there is still a very loyal audience of about 5 million people that watch Tucker and Sean Hannity and Laura Ingram every single night. You
spread that out over the week you have got tens of millions of people that are following this narrative.
So it is an alternative reality that most Americans aren't watching. But enough are, right? Enough of the Trump voting base is plugged into this
narrative and when they are not watching television they are reading about it on Facebook, they're seeing these arguments by anecdote, right?
One person with one claim that something went wrong at one polling site is being used to create a perception of mass chaos. It's just not real. That
dynamic and that connection between Fox and Facebook I think is something that is very troubling to see right now.
ANDERSON: I want to read you a quote from an article in "The Atlantic" called "Lessons from Beirut for America" writing about Trump's comments in
an AXIOS interview where he said the COVID situation is what it is. Kim Gaddis wrote the following this type of dismissive callousness, the utter
rejection of responsibility even in the face of preventable calamity has dominated the politics of Lebanon for decades.
And then goes on with some really insightful comments it has to be said. That is a terrific read, that article in "The Atlantic." What do you make
of that parallel?
STELTER: A great read. There are a lot of folks comparing this situation in the United States, the unstable situations, there are comparisons to Middle
Eastern countries and in comparisons to Latin American countries where you have a regime and where you have a leader who is refusing to give up power,
who is trying to use the levers of government to hold on to power.
It is not full-blown authoritarianism, it is something less than that, but it's not strong healthy democracy. We're seeing a version of Democratic
backsliding in the United States where different tribes are set against each other. People are being told on the Trump side right now, Trump voters
are being told stay with your tribe.
Don't believe the President-Elect Biden is the duly elected president. You must believe - he may only have won because of voter fraud because of bad
things happening in Democratic cities. That's the narrative. It's very tribal and I think what Gaddis is getting at, this tribalism that we see in
other parts of the world is now infecting America.
ANDERSON: Brian Stelter is on the story, Brian, always a pleasure. Thank you, sir.
STELTER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, the White House denial isn't just about losing the election it's also not about losing the fight against a pandemic. Coming up when
things may change for the better. Meanwhile, Lebanon also in the grips of the pandemic one of several crises gripping that country, we'll look at how
effective the effort is to confront what is going on - to confront those crises, sorry, and whether they are working?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
ANDERSON: Well, in just a few days Lebanon is headed for its second nationwide lockdown as Coronavirus cases are skyrocketing and the intensive
care units reach capacity it. And the Caretaker Prime Minister warns that the two-week shutdown may be extended if people don't comply.
Well, doctors and hospitals say their resources are depleted. Infections are soaring, at times exceeding 2,000 in one day in a country already mired
in political turmoil and on the verge of economic collapse. The government had been trying to avoid a complete lockdown to stem the outbreak which has
now surpassed 95,000 cases.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible so Lebanon, a country very much struggling with the virus, already a fragile health care system and no
apparent strategy for what comes next. CNN's Ghazi Balkiz joining me now from Beirut. What is the reaction to this lockdown firstly?
GHAZI BALKIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, it's a bit of a mixed reaction, Becky. For instance the head of the Rafik Hariri Hospital, the main hospital
dealing with COVID in the country, has said that a two-week lockdown, it is the least we can do considering the numbers and the capacity of hospitals
and how the medicine and medical supplies are depleted.
On the other hand, heads of some syndicates, unions and worker syndicates have said that such measures are going to only affect the most vulnerable,
the poorest people. Those who need to work every single day to eat that day and take it into account, you know, as you know, the lockdowns affect major
economies in the world.
You know, economies like Britain, Germany, the U.S., and in Lebanon or the U.N. this year it's said about 55 percent of the population is under the
poverty line where the value of the Lebanese Lira has decreased by 70 percent. Those people are going to feel the pain, feel the pain of the
lockdown a lot more than other places.
In fact, the Caretaker Prime Minister today said Lebanon is not only dealing with the COVID catastrophe, they are dealing with economic,
financial and political catastrophe. Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes. Well, let's talk about these politics because I want to talk about the president's son-in-law Gebran Basil, a Former Foreign Minister,
of course, and one of the politicians called out by protesters as part of this sort of cohort of political leader who quite frankly has let the
country down so badly.
He was black listed by the U.S. just last week for corruption and for ties to Hezbollah. He has fired back and slammed those sanctions as unjust and
politically motivated. Now a day later the U.S. Ambassador in Lebanon had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOROTHY SHEA, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LEBANON: Mr. Basil thinks may think it serves his cause to selectively leak information about our exchanges taken
out of context that's not how I normally operate. But I'll put one thing out there. He himself expressed willingness to break with Hezbollah on
certain conditions. He actually expressed gratitude that the United States had gotten him to see how the relationship is disadvantageous to the party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What do you make of all of this, Ghazi?
BALKIZ: Well, Gibran Basil's office issued a statement after the Ambassador - a video statement. He said any attempt to drive a wedge between Hezbollah
and the free patriotic movement which is his political party, the need to try a wedge between them is a nice try, and that's a quote, and that it
would not succeed.
Now keep in mind some people here do not believe the U.S. Ambassador and some people in today's morning papers or headlines they are reporting out,
you know, the Ambassador's ultimate boss which is Donald Trump obviously President Trump always sends out false claims and false statements on
Twitter and statements.
So not everybody believes what the Ambassador has said. On the other hand, many people who are opponents of Mr. Basil, they found it very credible
what the Ambassador has said. So that's also is a bit of a mixed reaction to the statement.
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
BALKIZ: And Hezbollah has spoken in defense of Mr. Basil, Hezbollah have issued a statement a few days ago saying that all this was a political move
by the U.S.
[11:30:00]
BALKIZ: And in fact - a statement this week, and we expect to hear more about that.
ANDERSON: Yes, exactly. All right, Ghazi, always a pleasure. Thank you, sir. Well, in the U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden says there is a dark
winter ahead for Americans. Why there may be a light though at the end of that perceived dark winter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We would, giving vaccine very likely before the end of this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And we'll look and take a look at what that timeline means for you and me living outside of the U.S. the country that have already signed
deals with Pfizer just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the Vatican has just released a report into a disgraced Former American Cardinal who became a power player in both the church and
in Washington.
Cardinal McCarrick became the highest ranking church figure to be defrocked over sexual abuse that was last year the Vatican's own two-year
investigation found a series of bishops and cardinals downplayed or dismissed reports about McCarrick including Pope John Paul II.
Tuesday's report focuses on what would know when about McCarrick? Let's bring in our Vatican Correspondent Delia Gallagher. What do the findings
reveal, Delia?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this report runs more than 400 pages. Among other things it reveals that the Vatican was
aware of accusations against the former cardinal as early as the late 1990s.
That was under John Paul II, but it says that investigations at that time yielded inaccurate and incomplete information hand that that, coupled with
McCarrick's own personal denial to John Paul II of any wrongdoing meant that he was made a cardinal.
Importantly, Becky, the report exonerates Pope Francis from taking any action earlier against McCarrick saying that he was relying on the
decisions made by his predecessors. Let's take a look at many soft key events in this story which led up to this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the one who has saved us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: He was once a prince of the church and a friend of presidents. Former Washington, D.C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick enjoyed a spectacular
career at the heart of power in Washington and in Rome.
[11:35:00]
GALLAGHER: When the U.S. Cardinals were summoned to the Vatican by John Paul II in 2002 at the beginning of the sexual abuse scandal Cardinal
McCarrick was the reassuring face of that crisis, advocating zero tolerance for abusers, even as there were unrevealed allegations against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't say how anyone in the United States today would cover up something like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: Theodore McCarrick was created a cardinal in 2001 by John Paul II. Around that time an American priest wrote to the Vatican to warn them
of rumors that the cardinal was sexually abusing seminarians, but no action was taken for years until, according to the Vatican under Benedict XVI
McCarrick was quietly advised not to travel or to be seen in public and - discreet live of prayers and penance to avoid further rumors of his sexual
misconduct with seminarians.
A recommendation which the cardinal seemed to ignore as he continued traveling and appearing in public, even at the 2013 conclave that elected
Pope Francis. But then in June 2018 accusations that McCarrick had abused a minor were found credible by an internal church investigation in New York.
Although McCarrick maintained his innocence he resigned as cardinal, something that has rarely happened in the history of the Catholic Church.
In 2019 Pope Francis de-frocked the Former Cardinal, officially removing him from the priesthood after a church trial found him guilty of sexually
abusing minors and adults.
The Pope promised a Vatican investigation into how McCarrick rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church despite years of allegations of sexual
abuse against him. And Becky, we should note that this is the first time we've received such a detailed report from the Vatican essentially
outlining their own failures.
The Vatican Secretary of State said today that they published it with sorrow for the abuses but that they had taken significant steps he says in
the past two years to avoid repeating the errors of the past.
ANDERSON: Our colleague Christiane Amanpour spoke to the Former Washington Archbishop Theodore McCarrick in 2013 and I just want our viewers to have a
listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THEODORE MCCARRICK, FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: We have from the lord and from the presentation of celibacy is a very important thing in the life
of a priest. I was a bishop of the diocese for 25 years and, you know, there's not only a spiritual advantage, a very practical advantage there,
but I think the nature of giving yourself to the lord completely is hard to do. Maybe many of us don't do it as well as we should do it. Maybe I'm not
doing it as well as I should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was 2013 that was the conclave of course event that I also covered in Rome. What does the church do with this investigation,
Delia?
GALLAGHER: Well, Becky, the important thing, first of all, as I say is that they have released their own internal documents and what - who knew what
when. That was the important thing that people wanted to hear from him as a sort step towards transparency, but what you just played is pointing to the
importance of this report for Catholics in the United States and around the world and for the Vatican transparency because the whole time of the U.S.
sex abuse scandal starting in 2002.
Cardinal McCarrick was the face of that scandal reassuring people that it would never happen again and that these abuses were being taken care of and
during that time as we now know he had accusations against himself.
So this is why this report was so highly anticipated and why it's important, that the Vatican at least as a step is revealing what they knew
about it and pointing to their own failures in taking care of it. Becky?
ANDERSON: Who knew what and when? Delia, thank you. Delia Gallagher in Rome for you. This is CNN. We'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We have to come together to health soul of this country so that we can effectively address this crisis as one country where hard working
Americans have each other's backs and we're united in our shared goal, defeating this virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was the U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden urging a way forward as the U.S. reports more than 100,000 cases of COVID a day for the last
week. In total that's more than 10 million cases. Texas on the verge of topping a million cases alone, a number that most countries around the
world haven't even reached. CNN's Omar Jimenez takes stock of how serious the situation is?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States surpassing 10 million confirmed Coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. 1 million of
those cases reported in just the last ten days can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: And the now as you see we're well over 100,000 and that is really something that is unfortunate having said that it is not too late to
turn that around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: On Monday the U.S. saw more than 111,000 new cases in 44 states seeing upticks in the number of cases.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in essentially a national sort of state of exponential growth. I think that, you know, we
are going to continue to go up in terms of the newly diagnosed infections as well as people who need to be hospitalized and sadly people who will
die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: The surge is reaching every corner of the nation. In the Midwest cases and the number of patients hospitalized with the virus continues to
rise. At least 16 states across the cup think are seeing record hospitalizations, including Ohio who saw its worst week since the pandemic
began Ohio medical officials warning that hospitals are becoming overwhelmed due to the recent uptick.
That surge also felt in North Dakota where the Governor announced asymptomatic COVID positive health care workers are now allowed to work in
COVID units of licensed health care facility as hospitals face staffing shortages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG BURGUM, NORTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR: We could be facing a situation in our state in the next two to three weeks where we would be severely constrained
on hospital capacity. Some parts of the state we're already seeing that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: In New York City the positivity rate has increased to well over 2 percent for the first time in months. Mayor Bill de Blasio issued this
warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK MAYOR: Now, unfortunately, we're seeing a real growth in the positivity rate in the city and that is dangerous so we have
one last chance to stop a second wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And here in El Paso nearly 900 new Coronavirus cases were report on Monday and the city currently has a test positivity rate of over 20
percent. More than 1,000 patients are hospitalized with the virus and just over 300 of those are in the ICU.
The city now has six mobile morgues and is asking for four more. El Paso is currently under a two-week shutdown that is set to expire on Wednesday. The
county judge though says he feels they will need to extend that shutdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARDO A. SAMANIEGO, EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE: The hospitals are still not manageable. We're having, you know, an inability to handle fatalities. That
leaves me no choice but to lean towards an extension of the order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, amid this darkness, there is what Dr. Anthony Fauci calls light at the end of the tunnel.
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Have a listen to what he says about the promising Pfizer vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: You have to go through the hoops of making sure all the eyes are dotted and the Ts are crossed about the safety and the regulatory aspects
of it, but we will be giving vaccine to people very likely before the end of this year. That is good news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It really is good news, isn't it? News that President Trump has been predicting for a while, he's now saying I told you so. Just a quick
reminder of what we've heard the past few months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A vaccine could be ready around November 3rd, are you optimist take that will happen and will that--
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The vaccine. I am. I'm optimist take it will be probably around that date.
We're on track to develop and distribute a vaccine before the end of the year and maybe substantially before.
It will be delivered before, in my opinion, before the end of the year but it really might even be delivered before the end of October.
We're going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about. We have a vaccine that's
coming. It's ready. It's going to be announced within weeks, and it's going to be delivered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, today President Trump tweeting that his own FDA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Democrats, he says, didn't want to give him
a vaccine win before the election so he says the news was kept under wraps until now.
Well, the vaccine breakthrough may have happened on his watch, but it's just one that President-Elect Biden will face the challenge of distributing
a vaccine and convincing a huge number of skeptics that any vaccine is actually safe.
CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen says help may be on the way but she says it is still important to remain as vigilant as ever. Thanks for joining us.
There is an issue of trust, isn't it, certainly in the U.S. when it comes to a vaccine? And that, many say, because this whole thing has been
politicized and rushed not least by Donald Trump who promised a vaccine by the election. Do you believe this has been rushed and is that - should that
be a concern?
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I'm glad you asked the question because we know that in order for a vaccine to work it doesn't just have to be safe
and effective, it also has to be trusted and public health depends so much on that public trust and that trust has been eroded when there has been
politics injected into a process that really should be based on science.
And I think that is the challenge ahead for the Biden Administration to make sure that people understand that it's only science and only data and
evidence that's driving vaccine approval and not in any way politics or partisanship.
ANDERSON: So how big a challenge will Joe Biden have then in making this vaccine available for everyone, everyone who wants to take it, it of
course?
DR. WEN: Absolutely. And so part of that is the public education and re- gaining trust but a lot it is the logistics as well because vaccine approval even if we are able to get this or other vaccines, emergency use
authorization by the end of the year and that approved by the beginning of 2021 we're still talking about just in the U.S. alone, manufacturing,
distributing and hundreds of millions of doses.
This Pfizer vaccine also requires two doses and it's something that may require booster shots like a flu shot like every year you may need to get
this vaccine. And so this is a huge logistics challenge and that's something that the incoming administration needs to start working on right
now.
ANDERSON: Well, President-Elect Joe Biden is urging caution amidst the good news. He did applaud the news yesterday but he did urge caution and Dr.
Anthony Fauci also echoing the same message. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: This is something that we should feel really good about, but I want to make sure people understand that it's good because we know that
there's light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn't mean that we're going to give up the important public health measures that we continually
still have to do every single day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Over 100,000 cases five days in a row. That's a million cases in the U.S. since the election, and we've heard that the worst could be yet to
come. There are some naysayers out there who really genuinely believe that the worst is yet to come. How bad do you think things could get before a
vaccine becomes available?
DR. WEN: We are facing the deadliest winter potentially that we have seen in our lifetimes because we're on track of having more than 2,000 deaths in
America every day, and - and before a vaccine comes is this entire winter.
[11:50:00]
DR. WEN: The earliest that we can have something distributed to the American people is spring of 2021 so we need to get through this winter.
And that means that people cannot let down our guard. We have to continue to wear masks, avoid indoor crowded gatherings and keep that physical
distance of at least six feet.
And it's going to be hard with holidays coming, with the weather being colder and harder to socialize outdoors rather than indoors, but we have to
get through this winter. We need to protect those around us because otherwise there's not going to be another holiday for us to celebrate
together.
ANDERSON: That's the states outside of the U.S. which countries do we understand have signed contracts with Pfizer at this point?
DR. WEN: I am not certain about which countries have already signed this, but I think that this is, again, really important for us to keep track of,
that this is the first of many vaccines that are in the pipeline.
And I'm actually quite optimistic that because we have so much different shots on goal that there may well be other vaccine manufacturers as well
that may have vaccines approved beginning in 2021 and then there will be many more options for us going forward.
ANDERSON: We've been discussing that on this show. Thank you, Dr. Wen, always a pleasure.
DR. WEN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Still ahead, President-Elect Joe Biden will be joined by two family members when he enters the White House come January. I'm going to
introduce you to the first pups major and champ. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: President-Elect Joe Biden isn't the only one embarking on a new adventure in the White House. Jeanne Moos introduces us to America's newest
first pups.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By licking his opponent Joe Biden is bringing another kind of licking back to the White House, meet champ and
major, German Shepherds who have already been deployed in web ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: How would I look walking a dog on the White House Lawn? Would that be--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Champ and major, dogs of the United States. Champ was a gift to his wife after Joe Biden won the Vice Presidency. Major was fostered and
adopted by the Bidens in 2018.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Biden celebrated national cat day in the most obvious way, by posting this picture of himself with a dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The first dog adopted from a shelter to occupy the White House. Major and Champ already have their own Twitter accounts where they are receiving
well wishes from the owners of pets like Steve and Sampson after Justin Throe tried to hook up his dog with Major, single and looking for a running
mate. Champ has already appeared
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: He's a talker. Champ, want to play golf?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: On "60 minutes," the pair has been showcased in a holiday ad and now they will join the ranks of sox and Barney the biter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did it get you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got bit by Barney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then there's Beau.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is walking who at the White House?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: President Trump liked to talk about dogs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And the guy jumped like a dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: But his first wife Ivana wrote Donald was not a dog fan. Yes, well the feeling seemed mutual.
[11:55:00]
MOOS: When this Brooklyn dog named George encountered a punching bag Trump during a post election stroll. President Trump may not be a dog fanatic but
he gets their attention it. Remember how he speaks to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Sit down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jimmy Kimmel wondered if dogs would obey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Excuse me, sit down. You weren't call. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Three out of four sat, but when it comes to stay, these two will be staying at the White House and a guy not known for beating his own chest
will be thumping theirs. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
ANDERSON: And some news just interest before we close out "Connect the World" for the evening. Turkey's President is congratulating Joe Biden on
his victory in the U.S. Presidential Election.
In a statement Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed a desire to keep relations between Washington and Ankara strong saying and I quote I reiterate our
determination to work closely with the U.S. administration and believe that these strong cooperation and alliance between our countries will continue
to contribute to world peace in the future as it has until today.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was your fill of "Connect the World." It's good night from us. Stay safe. Stay well. We'll see you same time tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MCCONNELL: What it says about America is that until the Electoral College votes, anyone who is running for office can exhaust concerns about counting
in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.
It is not unusual, should not be alarming. At some point here we'll find out finally who is certified in each of the states and the Electoral
College will determine the winner, and that person will be sworn in on January 20th. No reason for alarm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible)
MCCONNELL: I don't think anything that's occurred so far interrupts an ordinary process of moving through the various steps that I indicated and
allowing, if there is a new administration, it to work through the transition, all of the steps will be taken at the appropriate time.
All of these steps will be taken at the appropriate time. I'm going to go over and open the Senate. We have another stakeout after lunch, I'll be
happy to take your questions then.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Important breaking news the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell there speaking after Republican meeting. I
want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world.
END
