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CNN Live Event/Special

Vaccine Rollout Remains Slow; Interview with Hip-Hop Artists Jeezy and Jermaine Dupri; More Transmissible COVID Variant Locks Down England. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 05, 2021 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Stand by for this alarming reality. Right now, here in the U.S. in the year 2021, a person is dying from the coronavirus every 33 seconds -- two a minute -- these are people's family members. And the rollout plan for vaccinations, falling well short of this administration's own promises.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Epidemiologist and CNN medical analyst Dr. Larry Brilliant joins us. Good morning, Larry -- Dr. Brilliant, I should say -- you just take the state of California --

LARRY BRILLIANT, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Poppy.

HARLOW: Good morning. The state of California, and it's so bad that in L.A., you know, the ambulance companies are being told, don't transport someone to our hospitals if it doesn't look likely that they're going to survive. Is California's crisis right now an indication of what is about to come all across the country?

BRILLIANT: I'm afraid it is. This is the cadence that we expected after Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Let me say it a different way, I'm fearful that it be the harbinger.

HARLOW: Yes. And you're there, you're in San Francisco, gosh.

SCIUTTO: So how do we get around this, right? I mean, the vaccines are coming out more slowly than this administration promised -- that's a fact, they said 20 million by the end of the month, 20 million people vaccinated; we're at a quarter of that and several days into the new month.

[10:35:11]

We're going to have a new president in two weeks. What does Joe Biden and his team have to do immediately to begin to get a handle on this and turn it around?

BRILLIANT: Dr. Fauci said the cavalry was coming. The vaccine is coming, it's much slower than we expected or hoped. We're going to have a rough time in the next couple of months, and we face the possibility that we will have to do a shutdown again, especially if the variant from the U.K. arrives.

HARLOW: Which he said is likely already here. You tweeted out this opinion piece in the "Washington Post" that was partly written by Dr. Jha, who we had on yesterday, calling to delay the second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine for people here in the U.S. who have already gotten the first dose.

And you indicate that you changed your mind. Why is that the right course when only one dose gives about a 52 percent protection versus 95 percent for two?

BRILLIANT: It's a very tough question, a very difficult question. Look, everybody's going to get one dose first anyway. If we have enough supply coming, then that second dose will not be delayed. The question is only do we keep half of the scarce vaccine we have in the refrigerators for three weeks. And on that, I'm afraid I agree with Dr. Jha. But it's safer to give out one now and then hasten the delivery of the second dose.

HARLOW: Well --

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: Well, Dr Brilliant --

HARLOW: -- Dr. Brilliant --

SCIUTTO: Yes, we both like calling you "Dr. Brilliant" because it's such a fitting name, but thank you as always.

HARLOW: I'm sorry, we're -- I'm sorry we're short on time but we'll have you back for more time very soon. Thank you very much, Doctor.

BRILLIANT: Thanks -- thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Of course.

Well ahead, obviously, huge election today in Georgia. And the Georgia hip-hop community really helped flip the state in November for President-elect Biden. What about today for control of the Senate? Can they do it? Jermaine Dupri and Jeezy are here next.

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[10:41:47]

HARLOW: Welcome back. Well, the hip-hop community has played a huge role in helping President-elect Joe Biden win the White House. Now, the focus turns squarely on Georgia's Senate race and trying to flip those seats blue. Today, some of the biggest stars out of Atlanta have been doing all they can to get voters to the polls, and we know every vote counts in this race. President-elect Biden won the state by less than 12,000 votes.

I'm joined now by multi-platinum Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist -- and, lest I forget -- talk show host Jeezy. Good morning. Thanks for being --

JEEZY, GRAMMY-NOMINATED RAPPER: How are you doing, good morning, good morning.

HARLOW: I'm well, good morning to you. Thank you for being here very, very much. For anyone who --

JEEZY: Absolutely.

HARLOW: -- doesn't know your journey, your personal story, you know, I mean, it's a remarkable transformation, you know, growing up young, in a gang in Macon, Georgia, all the way to stardom --

JEEZY: Yes.

HARLOW: -- but you never have seemed to lose sight of where you're from and what you come from and your community. You were quoted --

JEEZY: Right.

HARLOW: -- in "Rolling Stone" a few days ago, saying your get-out- the-vote effort and all you've put into this is not just about the election, it's about mobilizing people. What is your message this morning?

JEEZY: Correct. Well first of all, let me say that my journey was a choice, and I chose to be an imperfect leader. I came from a situation that had humble beginnings, and I understand my influence. So I'm here and I'm doing what I do as a black man, as someone from the community, as a voice of the people and just getting people together because we have to understand what our value is.

And for the longest time, my culture feels like we've been alienated from politics, and so now we have a say. So I just want to make sure that we all understand that our vote counts, our voices count and our numbers count. And that's why I'm here.

HARLOW: What about the folks that you talk to in your community who say I hear you, but how can I believe that when my -- you know, my situation hasn't changed? I mean of course you have the song, after Obama was elected, "My President," right? And there are still people who say -- and we know -- that having the first black president didn't change many things --

JEEZY: Right.

HARLOW: -- for the black community. What are you hearing from those folks?

JEEZY: Well -- you're absolutely correct, everybody has their opinion. But right now is our chance to be heard. So I don't think anybody's the end-all, be-all, I don't ever think it's going -- I mean, even in the history of politics, everybody's never been happy. And personally, you know, we're being forced into it because you have people that either are into politics or not. But at this point, we all are into politics because it's our world. If

we don't say anything or do anything, you know, we get pushed to the wayside. So I agree on many levels that, you know, some of us feel like, why should I do it? My vote doesn't count. But we just turned Georgia blue, and it wasn't about just Biden winning, it was more about let's mobilize and show people our numbers. And we did that in Georgia. Like, we showed them what our strength is.

So I'm hoping that we as a people see that our vote does count, you know, our numbers do count and we have to continue to keep pushing and keep pushing our initiative because now we're seeing momentum, we're seeing progress.

[10:45:11]

Everything that's going on now --

HARLOW: We just saw --

JEEZY: -- excuse me?

HARLOW: Sorry to interrupt, sorry to interrupt. I just want to explain to our viewers what we were just seeing on the screen there. I don't know if you can see it, but we'll pull it back up, these are pictures of you with the president-elect, Joe Biden. You did this roundtable with him --

JEEZY: Correct.

HARLOW: -- focused on -- particularly on black men. What did you walk away --

JEEZY: Correct.

HARLOW: -- with that conversation from? Because if you guys are able to flip the Senate blue, it will make the Biden-Harris agenda a little bit easier.

JEEZY: Right.

HARLOW: But what do you expect from this administration?

JEEZY: well, I expect that Kamala understanding the culture and understanding us will -- can give a hand in that, but I also respect the fact that he sat down and we had a real one-on-one conversation about what I think and what my people think that we need.

And he needs us, it's clear, he -- when he won his election, he shouted out the people that stood up, and he needs us, and we need him. So it's teamwork at this point, and we need these Senate seats so he's able to do what he promised us that he would do.

Because if we don't have the Senate seats, we fight another uphill battle. And I feel like we won the war, and it's time to win the battle. At the end of the day, we're not trying to split (ph) the world, we just need what we need as a people, that's it.

And if you look at the history of this and the history, how it's been set up, systemic racism and everything, this is the first time in a long time that our voices really count, so we've got to stand on that. And Atlanta and (ph0 Georgia has been doing a magnificent job of just staying and keeping their finger on the pulse, but now it's time to take it to the next level so that we all can see what it is that the president-elect is going to do in this new --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: What about -- what about black representation in the president-elect's cabinet, right? I mean, he's yet to pick an attorney general --

JEEZY: Right.

HARLOW: There are some of your fellow black Americans who are disappointed that so far the picks, there are not more black picks, like, I wonder what you think and if you have a message --

(CROSSTALK)

JEEZY: Well, this --

HARLOW: -- for -- for --

JEEZY: -- to me, it's not a black-and-white thing, it's not.

HARLOW: Huh, yes.

JEEZY: It's who's going to do the best job. You know, this has never been about color, this is about a particular groups of people that need a little more tender love and care. You know, and not that we're begging for it, it's just because it's set up that way. So our neighborhoods are the ones that are being plagued with crime, our neighborhoods are the ones that people are being evicted from their homes, our neighborhoods are the ones where our kids can't go out to be safe, you know, because we're not set up for that.

So we just asked them for the things that make sense for us. And I'm quite (ph) sure (ph) any other particular group would ask for the same things, so it's not a black-and-white thing, it's who's going to do the best job.

HARLOW: That's an important message.

So we have joining us -- it's better late than never, we're glad you're here, Jermaine Dupri, apologize for the technical difficulties. That is what happens in the middle of pandemic. But Jermaine Dupri, Hall of Fame songwriter, award-winning producer, activist is here with us.

And you have, J.D., a long history of course in Atlanta. You told my colleague Eliott McLaughlin, who wrote a really fascinating piece recently, "Being part of politics in this city, it's in our blood, it's in the grass, it's in the dirt of this city." That is your point, is today, in this activism for the Senate race, today, it's not new.

JERMAINE DUPRI, AWARD-WINNING MUSIC PRODUCER AND ACTIVIST: Yes. No, it's not new, it's not -- it's not something that, you know, people are seeing right now and it's like we just started doing this, we all have been active one way or another, without even.

That's why I said I think it's in the blood and it's -- it's in this city, because we have all been active one way or another without actually -- you know, actually getting paid to do this, without actually, you know, without actually even doing interviews and all of this type of stuff, it's just something that we do in this city.

And I think it's also -- it's the connection that -- that it's a blueprint in this city that shows us that voting and being a part of the things that need to happen to change, came from -- you know, came from before myself, before any of us, Martin Luther King and all of these guys that was doing this, Andrew Young and all of this, they was doing this work prior and as young people. So I feel like it's just something -- it's a piece of the cloth that goes through this city.

HARLOW: Thank you both so, so much. I wish we had 10 more minutes with you, so why don't you both come back and I'll let you get to the work -- important work -- that you're doing today, getting out the vote. Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy --

JEEZY: Vote

DUPRI: Yes.

HARLOW: Thank you very much. Yes, vote, everyone, vote. Thank you, Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy, we appreciate you.

[10:49:59]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: So the United Kingdom today has now entered its third national lockdown because of COVID. This is coming as a new contagious variant of coronavirus spreads unchecked throughout the country.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Phil Black is outside 10 Downing Street in London with more. Phil, I mean, alarming steps taken by the U.K. because of alarming numbers there. What was the message from the prime minister?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The message, Jim, Poppy, is -- it's not a new message: Stay at home. But it is said with much greater urgency and it is now being said with a raft of new lockdown restrictions that make it feel grimly familiar and reminiscent of the first national lockdown here, back in April last year, during the first peak of the pandemic.

[10:55:10]

The reason it's necessary -- as you've touched on -- is this new, more highly transmissible variant of the virus, one that is seeing cases surge here, and to a point where those numbers are now threatening parts of the health system. There's a shocking comparison, I think, when you look at hospital admissions at the moment, they are already 40 percent above what they were at the peak of the first wave, so it's a real problem.

The prime minister has had to accept this grim reality. His critics would say he's accepted it too late because his science advisers have been pushing for this for a couple of weeks already, but he has now decided to enter -- push England into joining the rest of the U.K. into yet another lockdown. It means people have fewer reasons for being able to leave their homes.

Crucially, the big change is he's decided to close schools, all of this for the foreseeable future, probably at least the duration of winter. The assessment is that these numbers are going to keep climbing for some time, so it is very likely the grimmest period of the pandemic for the U.K. is still coming, and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

The prime minister points to a hope, that hope is the vaccination program. But what it means is that there is now a race here between the vaccine program's rollout and the virus itself. The hope is that this lockdown will drive down the transmission to buy enough time in order to roll out that vaccine, or the vaccine options, as quickly as possible -- Jim, Poppy.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Impossible decisions they're having to make. Phil Black, thank you for reporting outside of 10 Downing Street.

And thanks to all of you for joining us today. Again, it is a big day, I'm Poppy Harlow.

SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto. Our special election coverage with Brianna Keilar continues right after a quick break.

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