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Erin Burnett Outfront
As U.S. Repeatedly Reaches Record Deaths, With 2,000 Reported So Far Today, Trump Mocks Germany For Record Day In Deaths; Fauci Warns Too Many People Still Think Pandemic Is A Hoax; Top Health Official Fights Back Tears As COVID Deaths Surge; U.K. Vaccine Authorities: People With A History Of Allergic Reactions Should Not Receive Pfizer Vaccine; GOP Zeroes In On Rev. Warnock As Main Target In Georgia Runoffs; Source: Melania Trump "Just Wants To Go Home". Aired 7-8p ET
Aired December 09, 2020 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, record deaths and hospitalizations. And Dr. Anthony Fauci warning too many Americans still think the pandemic is a hoax. How many lives have to be lost for many in this country to take it seriously?
Plus, the daunting job of delivering millions of vaccines, hundreds of millions of vaccines, drivers in one state expected to log 11,000 miles a day just to get the doses to the places they're going. We're going to give you an inside look at this unprecedented national effort.
And Florida police with guns drawn raided her home. She says it's because she accused the State of covering up the pandemic. Tonight we have new reporting on the story. Rebecca Jones (ph) is my guest. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, sounding the alarm. From coast to coast, the nation's doctors holding back tears as they warn Americans that the worst is ahead. A Health Director of L.A. County which has seen its hospitalization rate and fatalities triple over the past month and just had deaths top 8,000 in the county, spoke about the toll from the alarming spike.
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The more terrible truth is that over 8,000 people - sorry, over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back and their deaths are an incalculable loss to their friends and their family as well as our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Those words as Dr. Fauci says the U.S. still has not come to grips with nearly 300,000 Americans dead with how serious this pandemic is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Well, I think everybody uniformly needs to admit that we have a real problem. We've got to own the problem. If you don't own the problem, you're never going to fix the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And it is a deadly problem. So far today, another more than 2,000 Americans have died from coronavirus and it's only seven o'clock Eastern. And the President does not want to talk about it. Instead today choosing to take down another country for the toll the virus is taking there, tweeting, "Germany has consistently been used by my obnoxious critics as the country that we should follow on the way to handle the China Virus. So much for that argument."
Now to this he attached a tweet which noted Germany recorded 590 deaths in one day. So the facts are important here. It is true Germany hit a record in COVID deaths in just one day just like the United States which has hit or nearly hit record deaths for eight days running hospitalizations setting daily records. Germany's numbers though pale in comparison to the country that Trump is running the pandemic response for.
When you break down the number of deaths per 100,000 residents, here are the numbers, 24 for Germany, 87 for the United States. Four times worse. It is not even close.
Amid Trump's denial of a problem, he's got his holiday parties, he's ripping off his own mask, it is hurting America. It is actually having a very dangerous effect across this country, again, Dr. Fauci.
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FAUCI: We're seeing in some parts of the country what would be equivalent of almost denial, Cathy (ph), where people still don't think this is a big deal. They think it's kind of fake news or a little bit of a hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Denial and nearly 300,000 people and the number is going to go above that. That mindset of denial and hoax thinking on display. Sadly, in two of the states that right now have the worst positivity rates in this country where one out of two people being tested are testing positive. In Idaho, this was the scene outside of health board meeting in Boise last night.
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CROWD: We will not comply. We will not comply.
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BURNETT: The chant we will not comply, the signs reading no lockdown and no masks. Protesters also actually went then and surrounded the homes of a few board members and the protests escalated so quickly that the meeting had to be shutdown because some members feared for their safety and the safety of their family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANA LACHIONDO: My 12-year-old-son is home by himself right now and there are protesters banging outside the door, OK. I'm going to go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: In South Dakota, the town of Mitchell recently held a meeting to discuss a mask mandate after losing so many people to COVID. And what you're about to hear is just one of the many arguments against a mask mandate in Michel.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will stand against the government stripping us of our freedoms, liberties, rights and livelihoods all because of a fabricated pandemic. The bear face is the new yellow star of Nazi Germany, allowing discrimination, segregation and fear of individuals.
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[19:05:00]
BURNETT: Nearly 300,000 people are dead and she says it's fabricated. Where do those kinds of words come from? Well in a moment, I'm going to speak to a Republican council member from South Dakota. She was pushing for that mask mandate, because so many of her friends were dying.
Because unfortunately, the woman that you just heard a moment ago in Mitchell is not alone in saying that this is fabricated. So where does this come from? How could people still be saying this?
Well, it is because of the President himself who just last week retweeted a post with a picture of a doctor in Reno (ph) in Nevada. Now, this doctor took a selfie. This is in a makeshift COVID unit in a parking garage. So the President retweeted along with the picture, a message from a conservative blog that read, "Here is the fake Nevada parking garage hospital picture that our moron governor tweeted, proving it's all a scam. No patients, folded up beds, wrapped up equipment that's never been used. They spent millions on this scam and never seen a single patient in this fake hospital."
OK. So the President of the United States retweets this. That doctor who tweeted that picture after losing five patients in 32 hours came on this show and said this.
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DR. JACOB KEEPERMAN, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, RENOWN TRANSFER & OPERATIONS CENTER: And we have since seen over 200 patients in a parking garage, a place I never thought I would take care of a human being.
I was disgusted, and it's about time all of our elected officials view COVID as a humanitarian crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So those are the facts. Those facts though don't break through the noise all the time of the conspiracy theories being put out by the President. And too many in this country are taking the President's lead when it comes to COVID, because they trust the President.
You remember the IT contractor for Dominion voting system. She was Rudy Giuliani's controversial witness in that Michigan hearing on voter fraud. She told The Washington Post she has no plans to quarantine even though she was sitting inches away from Giuliani all day. He, of course, has tested positive for coronavirus. Her quote, "I would take it seriously if it came from Trump, because Trump cares about American lives."
She added that if Trump friendly networks like One America News or Newsmax told her to go get tested, she would. She trusts Trump. And as awful as that may be, he is violating that trust and putting lives at risk.
And Kaitlan Collins is OUTFRONT live outside the White House. Kaitlan, none of this breaks through, he just does not care and the President is essentially ignoring the virus and the toll that is taking as the death toll climbs to 300,000. He ignores that and tweets about Germany.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erin. When I've asked sources where the President's head is on the pandemic, they say he's basically completely consumed by his election loss. And we saw that play out yesterday at the vaccine summit where the President turned it instead into talking about their achievements with the vaccine development and instead into a venting session about what happened in the states, a lot similar to like what that tweet about Nevada that he tweeted earlier this week as well.
And when he was asked by a reporter, this vaccine news is amazing. But what is your message to Americans right now that we are seeing record numbers of deaths, cases, hospitalizations. And the President said, well, their goal was the vaccine. He then talked about immunity being developed in the United States, even though that's not what we're hearing from medical experts. And then he also blamed the amount of cases in the United States on the number of testing that we're seeing, something that the President has repeated for months, claiming that we have more cases because there is more testing.
Even though, Erin, we know the medical experts have said that is not the case. It's because the virus is surging across the country and I think that's the concern among people is what's going to happen over those next few weeks while the President is in office not taking this seriously or taking the same message that other health officials have. And that comes as he is also denying the fact that the transition is
happening, but you're seeing other officials, like the HHS Secretary, Alex Azar, say that he has met with the Biden transition team. And Erin, we should note that's the first cabinet official so far to confirm on the record that they've met with the transition team.
BURNETT: Kaitlan, thank you. Kaitlan at the White House tonight.
And I want to go now to Russ Duke. He was leading that meeting that you saw get shut down in Idaho. He is the Director of the Central District Health Board, which includes the Boise area. And Susan Tjarks, a member of the Mitchell South Dakota City Council. I referenced her. She's a staunched Republican, but she proposed the mask mandate there. OK.
I appreciate both of you very much coming on to talk about this. So Director Duke, you hear Dr. Fauci today saying that too many Americans still think the pandemic is a hoax. How much of that sentiment are you facing?
RUSS DUKE, HEALTH AGENCY OFFICIAL IN IDAHO: BOARD MEETING CUT SHORT DUE TO PROTESTS: I would say in here in Idaho that most of the members of our communities that I'm responsible for and it's about 520,000 people do support what we're doing. They understand the seriousness of it and there are behind us all the way. However, we do have a contingent in our community who do not believe the virus is dangerous or do not believe it exists at all and that's really created some real challenges for us, as you saw with video last night with the board meeting we tried to hold.
[19:10:08]
BURNETT: Yes. And in that board meeting, I just want to follow up with you on this, because there were the protesters outside the board meeting, but I know that some of them went outside the homes of board members and we saw one of your members, obviously, quite distraught about that. Someone home alone these people were surrounding the house. Are you concerned at all for your safety or the safety of other board members?
DUKE: Yes. I actually am. I guess I would have never thought it would come to this. And when people start going to someone's private home and harassing their families, that's over the line. To me, it's unacceptable. Our job here is to make decisions to protect the health of our communities and we're going to continue to do that. We know what we need to do.
Unfortunately, the meeting was disrupted and we're working on rescheduling it.
BURNETT: Councilman Tjarks, you were initially ridiculed when you proposed a mask mandate and I know you did it because you knew the science and because, sadly, you knew people dying. And it took a lot of death in your town before you were able to change minds there. How hard was that? SUSAN TJARKS, (R) CITY COUNCIL MEMBER OF MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA: It
was surprisingly hard, quite frankly, because I feel like we were in a little bit of denial and I knew that it wasn't a popular stance to propose masking. But I have to say that once the proposal was made, it did make it so that the people came forth.
I mean, we had the people from the hospital, the medical community and all of these agencies across our community that stepped forward and encouraged us to adopt to masking mandate. And so it really was a grassroots effort that really led to that, but the initial push to get it out there to propose a masking mandate absolutely was challenging.
BURNETT: So Director Duke, why do you think it is that that the protesters in your area are so against any restrictions?
DUKE: What they describe is it's about individual rights, that's what we hear. We're taking away individual's right. Clearly, it's an individual responsibility to help our communities through this pandemic right now and we know the mask debate that's raging on around the country, that's one of the very few tools we have to protect our communities and keep the disease in check. So it's just really difficult to know that these are our neighbors that are coming out and pushing so hard against what we're trying to do for the greater good.
BURNETT: It is hard on communities. And Councilwoman, as a conservative Republican, your Governor also, of course, is a conservative Republican, Kristi Noem. Now, she's obviously been staunchly against restrictions there. She says the same thing that the Director said. She says this is about her freedom. She's been traveling the country maskless and we all remember the event she held for the President at Mount Rushmore, over July 4th as the virus was raging in your state.
Dr. Fauci said today and I quote him, "We're seeing in some parts of the country what would be the equivalent of almost denial." Do you think your Governor is in denial and how powerful are the actions of people like her and people like the President?
TJARKS: Well, I want to start by saying in my mind this isn't a political issue. It's not a Democrat virus and it's not a Republican virus.
BURNETT: Yes.
DUKE: And so for me it's not a political issue at all and I will say that as a Council. I think that a lot of the councils probably across the State of South Dakota have longed for more leadership from Governor Noem. We would have loved to have had a statewide mandate put in place, but that wasn't going to happen. And so as a result, we have a piecemeal patchwork of different ordinances throughout the state.
So the leadership would have been really nice and why? I can't speak to that. I don't know why I assume that it's because she believes that we need to exercise our personal freedom and she always says she trusts the people of the state. But I think that at some point you need to stop and say, look, what we've been doing isn't working and maybe we need to take another look and do something different.
BURNETT: Councilwoman Tjarks, Director Duke, I appreciate both of your time. Thank you very much.
And as you hear that conversation, I want to go to Dr. Jonathan Reiner now, Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at GW who advised the White House medical team under President George W. Bush. So Dr. Reiner, what's your reaction to that? You heard Councilman Tjarks there that she longed for that leadership from Gov. Noem.
[19:15:03]
Why do you think these protesters in Idaho in South Dakota and by the way in many other places across this country are so violently and virulently against these restrictions? Still thinking it's a hoax, a fabrication as Dr. Fauci said. Is this because of the President?
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Yes, it is, Erin. On April 3rd, the President came before the country and told the country that he wasn't going to wear a mask. So what would his supporters get from that? If the President doesn't need to wear a mask when he meets with kings and queens and dictators, as he said, then why should I wear a mask.
We saw today that in deep red Wyoming, the Gov. Mark Gordon imposed the mask mandate. I was glad to see that. But I think we need to get down to the grassroots, down to the street level and we need people to understand from the people that they respect in town. The nurses and the firefighters. The local high school football coach, the Marine Sergeant. Let's hear from them why they wear a mask. I want to hear who they're wearing a mask for.
Now, I wear a mask all day for myself, and my patients, and my colleagues, and my family and my community. Let's hear from the grassroots. We need a massive public service ad campaign around the United States with local people, our local heroes.
BURNETT: Yes. So I always think when we have these conversations and I've now been thinking this for months, so a lot of people have died. But tonight there are people watching who are going to die of coronavirus and they don't think they're going to die of coronavirus. They don't think that.
A lot of people are still going to die that don't need to die and people are so entrenched in their points of view right now on certain basic things. How do you at this point change minds, Dr. Reiner? We are eight months in. You people protesting about masks, people who probably have had people in their lives die. They still don't believe it. What do you do to change their minds?
REINER: You change their minds by letting the people who understand the consequences of their actions explain what happens. Let's have the ICU nurse explain what happens when someone gets infected because you didn't want to have your freedom infringed upon, so you didn't wear a mask. Let's have the EMS workers explain what it's like to have to intubate
a patient in the field. Let's have their community explain to them. That's where it comes from. People want to hear from the people in their community why this is important. They don't want to hear from the leaders anymore. I don't think they trust leaders.
We've heard too much I, we want to hear about us. This is now only about us. So let's hear from us about this.
BURNETT: All right. Dr. Reiner, I appreciate your time.
REINER: MY pleasure.
BURNETT: And as cases surge and hospitalizations are at records and deaths are at records as they will continue to be, no matter what with the vaccine that is going to continue to be the case for quite some time here, the vaccine is going to start though. United States may start injecting people with the coronavirus vaccine in the next week as the U.K. tonight has a new warning that people with a history of allergic reaction should not get that Pfizer vaccine, which is the one that's coming out.
Plus, Republicans focusing most of their attacks on just one of the Democratic candidates in the runoff elections in Georgia, these crucial elections the whole world is watching, Raphael Warnock, why him?
And the President may be fighting to stay in the White House, but that is not what she wants. What we're learning about the First Lady Melania Trump is thinking tonight.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:22:23]
BURNETT: Tomorrow, a pivotal FDA advisory committee meeting that could lead to the nation's first vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine. Shipping as early as Friday. It comes as the U.K. though is warning that those with a history of severe allergic reactions should not take the Pfizer vaccine. This came after two health care workers with a history of allergies experienced symptoms after receiving a shot yesterday. Dr. Anthony Fauci today saying that news is concerning, but he adds allergic reactions are likely rare.
OUTFRONT next Rick Bright, a member of President-elect Biden's Coronavirus Advisory Board and former Director of the Federal office charged with developing a vaccine. So thanks very much for your time. I'm really glad to have you back. How concerned are you about these allergic reactions which granted maybe unusual and rare but happened on day one and weren't anticipated?
RICK BRIGHT, BIDEN COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: Well, Erin, thanks for having me on. I'm not too concerned about the allergic reactions that we saw on day one. It is concerning and it's something that we should watch very closely. Whenever we introduce a new vaccine into the population, we usually find out there are some extra adverse events or allergic reactions in some people.
What I think is really remarkable is how quickly those were identified on day one, how quickly they were reported and investigated. So that tells me the system is working that when we start vaccinating people, we will get those early signals and we can react to those so we can change our behavior, change the subgroup getting vaccinated if needed.
BURNETT: OK. So there were over 43,000 people enrolled in that Pfizer trial. And according to the trial protocol, people with a history of severe allergic reaction of the vaccine were not allowed to participate, so that's part of how they did it and want them in there to begin with, which I understand.
But in a trial of 43,000 people, we now know only 170 got the virus and only eight of those were in the actual vaccinated group. These are numbers. I understand you've got vaccine math going on here, but the entire process has moved very quickly. And a lot of people Americans who trust vaccines are looking at all of that now at a level of detail they didn't before.
If you are a person who trust the system, Rick, how do you wrap your arms around this? Such a small number of people even getting it that they're so sure?
BRIGHT: Well, I would put a lot of faith and confidence in the scientific process and the experts who are going to review the data from Pfizer. And tomorrow is a really big day and it is a big day for science, it's a big day for transparency and to build that trust.
[19:25:02]
We get to see that a number of external experts, non-government employees, no political pressure on them whatsoever who have reviewed the thousands of pages of data and they'll be able to look at every aspect of the vaccine in terms of safety and efficacy that is known today. And you'll see a really interesting debate, it's not going to be an open and shut book tomorrow. I'm expecting anticipating there will be a discussion on every little detail so they can make a strong recommendation to the FDA based on the data they have so far.
BURNETT: So you mentioned that meeting tomorrow and I know it's going to go all day and they're going to have it broadcast out there. People can watch it, that's important. I'm sorry, all that leads to the United States possibly injecting people with the vaccine over the next week. I mean, literally, we could be hours away because once this meeting is done and they recommend this could move forward very quickly.
Your colleague on the Biden Coronavirus Advisory Board, Loyce Pace, told me the other day that the President-elect Biden would get the vaccine the moment it's approved if Dr. Fauci recommended he do so. Dr. Fauci, of course, is going to be working with the President-elect. What has Dr. Fauci recommended? BRIGHT: I think Dr. Fauci is going to wait to see the discussion
tomorrow. He's going to see all the details on the date on safety and efficacy. And he'll be paying close attention and I believe President- elect Biden said that once Dr. Fauci says that it is safe and effective, then he'll take the vaccine and I believe he'll follow through with that.
BURNETT: So the Pfizer vaccine obviously is just the first of vaccine coming out. Pfizer and Moderna both using messenger RNA technology. There's another technology out there, the adenoviral vector which is used by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, very trusted name in the United States.
Professor William Haseltine, has done groundbreaking research on HIV and AIDS and he told me last night, he would take the virus that is not an adenovirus vector. He doesn't feel confident with that one. He knows it's a controversial statement, but that's how he feels. Do you agree?
BRIGHT: Erin, I think we need a variety of vaccines and some vaccines will work in different populations. And we clearly are already seeing that we have a shortage of the vaccines if we rely on only one manufacturer to make the vaccine. So that's all the more reason why we should continue to investigate a variety of vaccines.
I believe if the science from the clinical studies, these large clinical studies show that the vaccine is safe and efficacious and it works and protects people from getting infected and getting severe illness, I don't think you should be worried about taking one of those vaccines that gone through such scientific rigor.
I'm more concerned at this point of making sure that we get enough vaccine out to the people. It's a very complicated process to make vaccines and make enough of them to cover our population. It's going to take many months still to have enough vaccines and to vaccinate the people across our country. So we want to make sure that everyone is doing everything they can to wear their facemask and reduce the spread of the virus while we have to wait for the vaccines.
BURNETT: All right. Rick Bright, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
And when Rick is talking about the complicated process of distribution, it is that. That's an understatement in many ways. The Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at about minus 70 degrees Celsius. This makes it incredibly difficult to transport and very few places can store it. Omar Jimenez is OUTFRONT.
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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When the backdrop is windmills and open fields, you can see how getting a COVID-19 vaccine to actual people turns into a challenge. It involves literally loading cold packs into a minivan that eventually will be part of keeping this vital medicine cold as it travels 10s even hundreds of miles to clinics and hospitals that need them. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE BREINDENBACK, SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY, SANFORD HEALTH: Each state will receive its own allocation of vaccine and so we plan for that accordingly and strategically and place freezers like this across our four-region footprint.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ (voice over): At Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, they're ready for whatever amount of vaccine they get.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BREINDENBACK: That's inside and then there are inner doors as well.
JIMENEZ (off camera): This is for the Pfizer.
BREINDENBACK: This is for the Pfizer vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ (voice over): Months ago they bought these ultra cold freezers at least negative 70 degrees Celsius or negative 103 degrees Fahrenheit required for the Pfizer vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Negative 20 degrees Celsius for Moderna's.
BREINDENBACK: Right now, the freezers are empty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ (voice over): The Pfizer vaccine can only survive for up to five days in typical refrigeration.
BREINDENBACK: Normally get ordered from our clinics to distribute that vaccine. We'll pack it in coolers on ice and then monitor that temperature to make sure it's, at that point, maintaining refrigerator temperatures until it is given to the patient.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ (voice over): But the actual day distribution is complicated.
[19:30:03]
Sanford's coverage area encompasses more than 200,000 square miles over multiple states. That's almost comparable to the size of Texas. They have to rely on hubs that have the ultra cold storage facilities in key regions of these states.
And that's because each state to rely on hubs that have the ultra cold storage facilities in key regions of these states. That's because each state gets its own allocation of the vaccine. So, Sanford can only take supplies across state lines, not the vaccine itself.
And then from the hubs, they transport just enough vaccine to even more remote locations to get people what they need but not leave anything wasted in clinics or locations that can't store it properly.
DEAN WEBER, VICE PRESIDENT CORPORATE SUPPLY CHAIN, SANFORD HEALTH: Our courier network delivers thousands of miles a day delivering multiple times over many days to move the vaccine. We will continue to do that rather than moving big portions of vaccine to a small clinic or a critical access hospital.
JIMENEZ: What is the most difficult part about administering and distributing a vaccine in a rural setting versus a city setting?
KELLY HEFTI, VICE PRESIDENT NURSING AND CLINICAL SERVICES, SANFORD HEALTH: The geography itself, just the miles that separate us, making sure the resources can reach all of those areas.
DR. JEREMY CAUWELS, CHIEF PHYSICIAN, SANFORD HEALTH: I think worrying about when you're going to give a vaccine within, you know, six days of taking it out of the freezer and within six hours of reconstituting it is really something we hadn't -- I don't think anybody has done before.
JIMENEZ: Omar Jimenez, CNN, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
(END VIDEOTAPE0
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, two Democrats are running in Georgia's special election, but Republicans are focusing it seems on just one of them. Why?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-GA): Radical liberal Raphael Warnock is a socialist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raphael Warnock is a radical.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Plus, armed Florida police raid the home of Rebekah Jones. She's a former COVID data scientist. We're learning that the person who signed off on that raid has ties to Republicans in the state.
Rebekah Jones will be my guest.
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[19:35:52]
BURNETT: Tonight, a remarkable $417 million in TV ads have already been spent for the Georgia Senate runoff elections. Now, those elections will decide the balance of power in Washington, they are crucial. But just to give you context, it sounds like a hell of a lot of money and it is. It has nearly double the amount that was spent on what was the most expensive Senate race of all time until this runoff.
And much of the Republicans' firepower has been trained on one candidate. You see him there, Raphael Warnock.
Ryan Nobles is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reverend Raphael Warnock is a political newcomer.
REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D), SENATE CANDIDATE FROM GEORGIA: I'm not in love with politics. Strange thing, I'm running for the Senate.
NOBLES: A prominent figure in Atlanta from his perch as the senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Warnock who never had his name on a ballot until November.
Now in the Georgia runoff, Republicans are working overtime to define him.
LOEFFLER: Radical liberal Raphael Warnock. Radical liberal Raphael Warnock. Radical liberal Raphael Warnock.
NOBLES: His opponent, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, zeroed in on the tag of radical liberal roughly a dozen times in their debate.
And the GOP ad campaign has worked to tie him to progressive leaders in Washington like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Chuck Schumer.
AD ANNOUNCER: Raphael Warnock is dangerous.
NOBLES: Spliced with images of the riots and protests around the police and deaths of African-Americans, critics say those attacks have racial undertones.
For his part, Warnock acknowledges his background is part of his message.
WARNOCK: Well, there's no question that representation matters. And when we bring diversity to the table, I think we create better public policy. But none of that happens unless we show up. And so I intend to represent all the people of Georgia.
NOBLES: Warnock emerged largely unscathed during first round of voting last month which featured a large field and a fierce intraparty fight between Loeffler and GOP Congressman Doug Collins.
Now, Republicans are unloading a barrage of attacks, including highlighting some of his past sermons.
WARNOCK: America, nobody can serve God and the military.
NOBLES: Warnock says clips like those are taken out of context. WARNOCK: It was about priorities and about how one orders your
priorities so that you can live a moral life. And I think it's unfortunate and shameful that they are trying to distort not only my message, but the message of Scripture.
NOBLES: The all-out blitz against Warnock is coming not just from Loeffler but her Republican allies, including national Republican groups who are pouring millions into the race.
AD ANNOUNCER: Raphael Warnock attacks our military.
NOBLES: The strategy is part of a broader effort to convince Republican voters that Democratic control of the U.S. Senate coupled with Joe Biden as president will lead to an agenda out of step with Georgia voters, an argument some Republican voters are buying.
DANIEL WEST, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm going to vote for both of these two people because the alternative is Chuck Schumer. The alternative is AOC and these people that want to change America. This is -- this is ridiculous.
NOBLES: But Democrats are shaking off the attacks. They believe Georgia's politics are changing and Warnock's historic candidacy will resonate with voters of color who could play a significant role in determining the results of the runoffs.
And as he travels the state, including rural counties, Warnock is pledging to represent all Georgians.
WARNOCK: I'm 100 percent with the people of Georgia and I will absolutely stand up to whomever I need to stand up to represent their interests.
NOBLES: And if elected, Raphael Warnock would be the first African- American to represent Georgia in the United States Senate. And it would be significant if he were elected through Georgia's runoff system, because that was something that was passed during the Jim Crow era of Georgia politics.
[19:40:00]
And Warnock was asked about the historical significance about his run this week, and he acknowledged that race is a big factor in this race, but he said that representation matters and that ultimately his goal will be to represent all Georgians -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Ryan, thank you.
So I want to go now to Congresswoman-elect Nikema Williams. She will be taking the seat of late congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis, and she is also currently chair of Georgia's Democratic Party.
So, Congresswoman-elect, I appreciate your time. You just heard that report from our Ryan Nobles, you know, detailing these relentless attacks that have really been focused on Raphael Warnock. What do you think that's about? NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D), GEORGIA CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: I mean, it's
unfortunate. I think we see a man of character and a man of integrity. He is the preacher in the pulpit that Dr. King used to preach in at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Freedom Church, and he represents exactly what this election is about, people claiming their voices and just looking at where we've come in this state building cycle after cycle.
And Republicans are scared. They're scared of losing power. They saw what happened on the November 3rd election when Donald Trump lost not once, not twice, but three times after each iteration of the recount of the votes. Donald Trump has lost the state.
And we are in a really good place moving towards January. This is a turnout election. We're turning out our voters. They see the same things that we see on the ground, the energy is palpable, and we're continuing to do the work talking to voters about the issues that matter.
BURNETT: All right. So some of the words Republicans have used to paint Warnock, right, as an extremist, socialist, radical, Marxist supporter, you know, these buzz words have worked against Democrats in the past.
Here's just a small example of what we have heard in recent days in Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOEFFLER: Radical liberal Raphael Warnock is a socialist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raphael Warnock is a radical.
LOEFFLER: You've repeatedly praised Marxism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, Congresswoman-elect, we keep hearing that. You know, our Kyung Lah is in Georgia and she talked to many voters and they all were just saying, look, they're sick of it. They're getting inundated. I mean, the numbers, the math on how much money is being spent on this election, it's just too much for a lot of people. They only want to watch the media.
How much impact do you think all of these ads and things are even having at this point?
WILLIAMS: Erin, we're having conversations one-on-one with voters. We know that direct voter contact matters. We're having conversations with voters talking about issues that matter to them like how do we get our children back to school safely, how do we get this pandemic under control, how do we get our economy back working for us where we have two Republican senators in the state who have enriched themselves instead of looking out for everyday Georgians. That what's we're focused on and what voters want to talk about.
BURNETT: So, the President-elect Biden is expected to nominate Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to be his secretary of Housing and Urban Development, which comes on the heels of Congressman Cedric Richmond accepting a senior role in the Biden White House and that gives Democrats a five-seat majority, which would be the smallest since 1893, according to "Politico".
You're about to go to Washington and try to push a legislative agenda. Are you worried that you're not going to be able to get anything done with a very tiny five-seat majority?
WILLIAMS: A five-seat majority is still a majority, Erin, so I'm looking forward to getting to Washington and getting to work on behalf of the people of the fifth district.
We need to pass things like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act so that we can stop some of the things that we're seeing here in Georgia in this election cycle and things that we know will come up in January with Republican control of the state House and the state Senate.
A majority is still a majority and I'm excited about the opportunities that we have before us.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Congresswoman-elect. I appreciate your time.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, police raid the home of a former COVID data scientist and she claims it's because she blew the whistle on the cover-up. Now, there are new questions about the judge who signed off on the raid. The story is so bizarre. So, she's going to be up next to tell you about it.
And then, even as her husband fights to stay in the White House, a source familiar with Melania Trump's thinking says she not only wants to go home, but she wants to know how much of her post-White House life taxpayers are going to pay for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:47:39]
BURNETT: Tonight, new details about the judge who approved the controversial raid at the home of the former coronavirus data scientist fired after she claimed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was trying to manipulate virus data. The judge's ties to Republican politics amid questions over this armed raid caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Come outside. Outside.
POLICE OFFICER: Who else is in the house, ma'am?
REBEKAH JONES, COVID DATA SCIENTIST: My two children and my husband.
POLICE OFFICER: Where's your husband at? POLICE OFFICER: Calm down.
JONES: You want the children down?
POLICE OFFICER: Call them all down.
POLICE OFFICER: Mr. Jones, come down the stairs, now!
POLICE OFFICER: Police, come down now.
POLICE OFFICER: Search warrant.
POLICE OFFICER: Come down the stairs.
JONES: My children. He just pointed a gun!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Drew Griffin is OUTFRONT.
Drew, what are you learning tonight about the judge and this raid?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's the judge that had to sign off on the search warrant and, you know, what amounts to, Erin, is a fairly low-level kind of information hacking, not even really a hack, illegal use of a state messaging system.
But the judge who actually signed off on what you just saw had been judge for barely a month. In fact this was probably one of the first search warrants he had ever signed ever. He had been a lawyer only a couple of years before that, but he does have very deep ties with Republicans in the state of Florida.
His name is Joshua Hawks. His father, a big-time well-known Republican lobbyist and former judge himself. He had been appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
And as we said, this was perhaps the first time that anybody came to him to ask to have a search warrant signed. He did that. He was on call when he did that, so that was his job, even though the search warrant wasn't actually executed until a few days later.
The judge would not comment to us about any of this, but it certainly has raised more questions about just exactly what was going on here.
In the meantime, a setback in another court for Rebekah Jones, Erin. She faces a misdemeanor count of stalking against a boyfriend. There was a plea deal that was on the table. That apparently has been rescinded by prosecutors, taken off the table, and that case is going to have to be litigated again in some form or fashion.
[19:50:07]
So, Rebekah Jones facing a setback in another case against her -- Erin. BURNETT: All right, Drew, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.
And, Rebekah Jones is now OUTFRONT.
And, Rebekah, I want to give you a chance to react to this new reporting about the judge who approved the armed raid at your home, including that this is now believed to be the first time he actually signed off on a warrant like this the very first time.
JONES: Yes, actually found out that he had been sworn in less than a month before he signed off on that. And I don't personally know the man. I am not a connective person.
And to be the most recent DeSantis appointee assign to family court and have this be the first thing you sign off on, I think that speaks for itself.
BURNETT: So, you know, your computers were seized in this raid, Rebekah, and you said you fear it could expose your sources, right? Your sources in the government to retaliation, you know, with what you saw here in this data manipulation. Are any of the sources afraid that they could be next in the matter of days that they're now exposed?
JONES: Yes, I had several risk reaching out to me to ask me if my family is okay, to tell me they knew nothing about what was going to happen and just to check in which was brave of him considering any communications with me is not secure as it was before. But I kind of issue that warning that if you have been talking to me or you thought our conversation is confidential because I promised that to you, that may be at risk.
BURNETT: Yeah, very brave of them to reach out and they did because how terrifying it must have been for you to open that door. I mean, that video was disturbing, you know, and that gun is pointing up the stairs, and you're there, and your children are there.
You know, how scared were all of you? And how are you all doing right now and your children?
JONES: I think we're just trying to push through the next day, everyday. It's kind of felt the same way it has for six months for my husband and I. I went downstairs fully anticipated being arrested, I had no idea what for, but I figured it was going to happen. I received a tip from somebody from the previous night that something was going to go down soon, didn't know what it was.
And so, I opened the door and I put my hands up, I was surrounding, I was ready to go. I only turned the camera when in case something with the arrest didn't go right. I never expected them to storm into my house and point guns at my children. Since then, the police have released my home address and my private number online which just feels further retaliation for releasing the video in the first place.
BURNETT: Wow. I mean, so, Governor DeSantis has, you know, as you know, Rebekah, said -- touted his response to the virus, says the reality show you don't need restrictions, you don't need lockdowns, anything to fight the virus. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: Yes, we've seen cases increase but look at other states seeing the increase way, way more. People vote with their feet. People are coming here at a higher cliff than they were a year ago. I think part of the reason is you know we have schools opened and we have people employed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, Rebekah, from what you have seen, from what you know, from what your sources are telling you, you hear what the governor's saying. What do you think the reality is right now in Florida?
JONES: The reality is that as of today, there are 201,400 school cases confirmed by the state of Florida in the state. That's students and staff probably.
The reality is also that there were 9,592 new cases today and with nearly 100 deaths reported every single day. We're going to hit 20,000 official deaths confirmed to us in probably the next week. And that's an underestimate because Florida has never tracked nor reported probable cases and deaths the way that other states do.
So, we are looking between six and eight thousand additional deaths that are not being reported according to the CDC.
BURNETT: Wow.
JONES: The research I recently published, as recent as my last week actually was my first publication related to COVID-19 and academic outlet showed that the percentage of students attending face-to-face in school increases with the number of cases and the case rate in school shows that basically the case rate of the community contributes largely in the case rate of schools, and that cases do spread within schools and spread within their communities, which is exhibited by the dramatic increases in cases of the age group. The state is not doing well. It is not.
Opening school is a bad idea.
[19:55:01]
A lot of major academics have been calling for schools to be closed until the community spread is under control. And I'm one of those people in that camp.
And this is -- this is not listening to science. And it hasn't been since the day that I was asked to change all the numbers to just make it look nice.
BURNETT: So, before we go, I want to ask you about what Drew ended his reporting on of a plea deal that you had an unrelated case off the table. Why do you think that got rescinded, that plea deal just days before the raid took place? Do you think there is a connection? JONES: I think my lawyer laid that out clearly in the hearing it was
further state retaliation. You know prosecuting somebody who's writing about abuse they suffer from an ex-boyfriend years ago when they were in college isn't a winnable case to begin with. So, by trying to rescind that offer which we hope they will honor, that they will honor their word on that isn't something that's ever going to happen for them.
And every move of this has had the governor's stamp on it, and it's just -- just leave us alone. Were we are trying to do science. We're just trying to do research, just give us the chance and leave us alone. That's all I would say to this man, is just let us do the work. If you are doing the good job, there is nothing to hide.
BURNETT: Rebekah, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
JONES: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, there is a last one person inside the White House who's ready to move on. It's Melania Trump. And as she's thinking about the future, she apparently wants to know about the perks, the taxpayer funded perks that come with being a former first lady.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: New tonight, she wants to go home. That is what First Lady Melania Trump wants right now, according to a source familiar with her thinking.
Kate Bennett is OUTFRONT with her exclusive reporting.
All right, Kate. So, the president obviously won't concede, and, you know, just not -- he doesn't want to go anywhere.
Has how eager though is the first lady to be out of the White House?
KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It sounds like she's pretty eager according to my reporting. At least she's realistic, let's just say that. She's already begun even just a few days after the election was called for Joe Biden. Officially, she was asking, she sent a task member to ask around about what may or may not be available for her in terms of budget from the government to set up an office and hire staff and sort of how that transition works.
So, they'll publicly forward facing she's been by the president's side and align with him. Behind the scenes, she's packing up and deciding what is going to go to Mar-a-Lago, which is where she and the president are going to be living, what would go back to New York, what would stay. So, she's definitely taking those steps to leave the White House.
BURNETT: And, you know, you mentioned an office, you know, how that would be done. I mean, you're always reporting, Kate, I know that she even asked about whether there were taxpayer funds allocated to the former first lady, which, you know, I think it is incredible to many people given the wealth that the president says that he has. BENNETT: Sure. Well, you now, presidents actually get a post-
presidential fund from the government, from taxpayers to establish an office and staff.
And first ladies do not however. The only thing they're allocated to have is $20,000 a year pension if their person passes away, which is not necessarily a lot of money certainly, wouldn't even buy a Birkin bag for Melania Trump.
But no, there is nothing allocated from taxpayer's funds that would help establish herself should she want to do that in her post-White House life.
BURNETT: Pretty incredible that that inquiry would even happen.
Kate Bennett, thank you so much with that reporting that I know so many of you interested in.
Thanks to all of you for watching. It is time for Anderson.
