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Pandemic Cases, Deaths Surging Sharply Across U.S.; Biden Prepares For A Changed Iran; Bitter Georgia Senate Battle Smashes Election Spending Records; Trump Pushed Georgia's Governor To Overturn Biden Win; Controversy Over Israel's Pick To Lead Holocaust Memorial. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired December 05, 2020 - 20:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world him I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.

People across the United States right now are becoming infected with the coronavirus and surging into hospitals all around the country in disturbingly high record numbers, and this is startling. Get this, in just the past five days, the first five days of December, more than 1 million Americans have now tested positive for the coronavirus, five days, more than 1 million people.

At the same time, an unprecedented amount of COVID patients are currently in hospitals all around the country. And today marks the fourth straight day with more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized with the coronavirus.

COVID-linked deaths are also on the rise. Today, the United States surpassed 281,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths.

Let's go out to California right now, where millions of people are facing some of the toughest lockdown restrictions since the spring. Starting tomorrow, new restrictions go into effect. New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are exploding, putting an already stressed healthcare system in even greater, dire straits.

Let's go to CNN Paul Vercammen if Los Angeles for us. Paul, tell us more about these new measures that are about to go into effect in huge chunks of Californians.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are very serious restrictions. And as you pointed out, they will go into effect one minute before midnight tomorrow. But what prompted all this? This straight line to despair, it's not a curve. But look at the numbers in California, the last count, 25,000 new COVID-19-related cases, more than 10,000 hospitalization hospitalizations, more than 200 deaths.

Now, they had implemented this plan that if the intensive care unit capacity dropped below 15 percent in any region, then the new strict measures would go into place. And indeed, it has happened. So, in the San Joaquin region and in the Southern California region, a total of 27 million people, we will see these measures which forbid going to playground and museums, to distilleries, breweries and the like, also a mandate that people wear masks. We've also had some bay area counties join in. So most of the state will be under these severe guidelines.

This is not being welcomed throughout the state. In fact, the sheriff of Riverside County called the new restrictions ridiculous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: While the governor's office and the state has threatened action against violators. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department will not be blackmailed, bullied or used as muscle against Riverside County residents in the enforcement of the governor's orders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: But back out here live, I'm at the UCLA Medical Center, doctors and nurses, top brass here applauding these stricter regulations. They say they need something to flatten this curve, protect doctors, nurses and the rest of the public.

Also on the UCLA front, they can store a million vaccines here in seven freezers. And they expect to be putting some shots into people's arms here with the COVID-19 vaccinations in the sum of two weeks. Back to you now, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Paul. Thank you so much Paul Vercammen in L.A. Joining us now, Michael Osterholm, he's a member of President-elect Joe Biden's new coronavirus advisory board. He's also the Director for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Professor Osterholm, thanks so much for joining us.

As these hospitalizations and new cases all across the country are exploding, how is the Biden transition team planning to tackle this dire situation on day one? We're talking about 46 days from now.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, BIDEN COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: Well, as you know, the transition team has a small group of individuals that are working closely with the current administration to understand what is being done right now.

As you know, the Biden administration doesn't have any authority to do anything right now. But I think the key message is that we want to get out to everyone that we must take immediate actions to keep our hospitals from being overrun, from seeing the kind of deaths increases that we are seeing right now and this is something that is urgent as of this evening.

[20:00:14]

BLITZER: A million cases confirmed that in United States in the first five days of December alone. Did you anticipate anything like that? OSTERHOLM: Well, you know, we did, Wolf. Some of us actually were talking about this actually on this show. I talked about it back in August, we've had 200,000 cases a day by Thanksgiving. You know, we saw this confluence of pandemic fatigue, people just tired of dealing with the virus. They believe the pandemic was real but they have the need to get back out into the public.

Then we have those with the pandemic anger, the many people who still believe that this pandemic is a hoax, that, in fact, it was politically motivated. And then you put that all together with indoor air in many parts of the country were now being indoors actually facilitates the transmission. So we really have a perfect storm.

And what our whole purpose right now in trying to reduce cases is obviously we want to protect every life. But we have to protect our hospitals. Right now, it's going to be a major crisis in many hospitals, not to just get care for COVID but you better not have a heart attack or a stroke or be an automobile victim, accident victim right now given that what's happening to our hospitals.

BLITZER: About 200,000 confirmed cases a day, a million new cases in the first five days of this month. Do you anticipate, Professor, that it's going to get worse?

OSTERHOLM: You know, Wolf, it sure could. I suspect it will. We haven't yet seen the big uptick in cases that have occurred from the Thanksgiving Day celebration. Those cases are just now getting ill and getting tested. And I fear that there will be a number of those cases that will drive this daily total even higher.

And then that will slingshot us into the Christmas holiday season. Our initial information right now says Americans are likely to travel this Christmas, as they were in this past Thanksgiving, which was almost the same as last year. Somehow, we're just not getting the message across.

But this is a life and death situation. And that if you really love your family in this COVID year, you won't put people in harm's way by going to celebrations where you unknowingly bring the virus with you. It's time for families to have really hard discussions about how can we protect mom and dad, grandpa and grandma and all of us from this virus during this holiday season.

BLITZER: Yes. And what the CDC points out, and correct me if I'm wrong, Professor Osterholm, that 50 percent of the people who pass on, who transmit this virus are totally asymptomatic. They almost certainly don't even know they have it. Is that right?

OSTERHOLM: That's exactly right. We're very concerned about that point. They may be what we called pre-symptomatic. They do get sick later. But at the time that they're at the event, they have no idea that they're positive and infecting others there. So this is a huge issue.

Right now, the bottom line message to America is we got to stop swapping air. Realize that's how we're transmitting this virus. And if you are in places where you are breathing the same air in the same room the other people are breathing, you know, they have to be bubbled with you, meaning that only you and they have been together and not with others. And if new people come into that bubble, it's now broken. And if you are swapping air with them, you're just going to be one of these cases that we're all talking about and, unfortunately, those are numbers we up on the board, but they're real people who are actually making up those numbers.

BLITZER: The Food and Drug Administration, as you know, is expected to give emergency use authorization for safe and effective vaccines, we are told, later this month. How long will it take before millions and millions of Americans are vaccinated and that we could begin to slowly but surely go back to some semblance of normality?

OSTERHOLM: Well, this is the light at the end of the tunnel and we have to understand that we are asking people to hold out until we get these vaccines. My concern right now, Wolf, is I worry that the vaccine rollout is a train derailment, if not, a train wreck about to happen. We have done nothing in this country to actually educate the American public about what this vaccine is, how many people are frightened of the term Operation Warp Speed. They think they're going to be a science experiment by taking the vaccine.

We have seen many people who say, what is this messenger RNA? What is this mRNA vaccine? I've seen recent data in the past several days as high as 30 to 40 percent of physicians and even higher percentage of nurses are going to wait at this point until they find out how safe this vaccine is. We have done nothing to prepare our communities for this vaccine.

So I fear that it's going to arrive and it could be a life saver, a game changer for every one of us, and yet I think we're going to see many people not electing to take the vaccine. We have a lot of work to do to make that happen.

BLITZER: Well, how do we do that? How do we convince the American public that it's safe to get the vaccine? Because former presidents like former President Obama and former President Bush and former President Clinton, they have all said and the incoming president that they'll go on television and do it on camera.

[20:10:02]

They'll get a shot. Dr. Fauci says he'll do it on camera. Will that be enough to convince the American public it's safe?

OSTERHOLM: You know, I don't think so. I think it's really important that they do it. I think President-elect Biden today spoke out about the need to have comprehensive plans, which was very welcome. I would willingly take the shot today. But I don't want to budge in line in front of those who need it more.

But, you know, when you have this situation where you have this confusion, you have people that are concerned about this new vaccine developed under this Operation Warp Speed concept, we have to tell a story. We have to tell people what's going on. We have to tell them why.

The series you did last night with Sanjay and Tony Fauci and Anderson was very important. That's what we need more of to be able to educate people about why these vaccines are safe, why they're effective and why they very likely could save your life.

BLITZER: That was the CNN Town Hall. It was excellent last night, as you correctly point out.

One final question, Professor Osterholm, before I let you go. I've heard from experts say they don't know if you get the shot, if you get the vaccine, you're still potentially capable of transmitting the virus to other people. What's the latest information you have on that?

OSTERHOLM: You know, we are still working on that. I think there is a high likelihood it will be protected, that you won't transmit the virus to others, but that's the kind of information that we're gaining from these studies that are being done.

But you make a really important point here, it doesn't mean that the vaccine is effective and they it surely doesn't say anything about the safety. Those two things are still intact. But we'd like to make sure also that somebody who's vaccinated can't be infected asymptomatically, meaning that they don't show symptoms and still transmit the virus.

BLITZER: Yes, that's so important. And even if there are some side effects, some minor side effects, it's a whole lot better than coming down with COVID and potentially dying as a result. Professor Michael Osterholm, thank you so much for what you are doing.

OSTERHOLM: Thank you.

BLITZER: We're always grateful to hear from you. Thank you.

OSTERHOLM: Thanks a lot, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you. President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as the next president of the United States in just 46 days. Among the challenges he'll face once entering office will be the growing threat from Iran and other countries.

This specific question coming up, will the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist cause major changes to U.S. policy? We have a report from Tehran. Our Nick Paton Walsh is in Tehran. We'll go there when we come back.

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[20:15:00]

BLITZER: More on the breaking news we're following. More than 200,000 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the United States today. This is the fourth day in a row more than 200,000 confirmed cases. And it's part of the 1 million new confirmed cases reported in the United States in just the first five days of this month. We're talking about December. We're going to have a lot more coming up on all the breaking pandemic news.

But there's other important news we're following as well, including the upcoming first test of the Biden administration's foreign policy, and it may come from Iran, the country that held 52 Americans hostage until inauguration day back in 1981, now appears to be holding off on yet another decision with global implications until yet another new American president takes office.

Our Nick Peyton Walsh is in Tehran right now. He'll show us what the Biden White House is expecting when it comes to easing tensions this time around. Nick, what are you learning?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Wolf, Joe Biden speaking to our Jake Tapper. It was clear that he wants to deal, again, with Iran diplomatically. The one source said to perhaps talk about the missile issues or Iran's presence here in the region. Germany's foreign minister too has also spoken about the need for a nuclear-plus agreement, so a lot of negotiation ahead.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration's special envoy, Elliot Abrams, just told Reuters he thinks it is unlikely Iran will retaliate because they need sanction relief so urgently. We've seen some of that here, frankly, the country really struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, passing the 50,000 death toll mark just this day.

But, still, tensions are high, remains so because the possibility of retaliation and, frankly, the residual tension and anger is still here in the region. Wolf.

BLITZER: And that's going on. Nick Paton Walsh in Tehran for us, Nick, we'll stay in touch with you.

Joining us now, President Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, he's also a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nation under President George W. Bush. And he's the author of the bestseller, The Room Where it Happened, a White House Memoir. Ambassador Bolton, thank you so much for joining us.

This will not necessarily be the same Middle East that the president- elect will face once he takes office in 46 days as opposed to the Middle East he was involved in when he was vice president of the United States for eight years. There's a whole bunch of new developments. What kind of situation, Ambassador Bolton, will he inherit?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I think that's important to understand. I think you are quite correct. It is a very different Middle East in part because of the ramifications of the failed 2015 nuclear deal. I think the Gulf Arab states, the oil-producing monarchies have seen Iran not just continued pursuing its ballistic missile capabilities, I think, continuing to pursue its nuclear programs clandestinely, but Iran has increased its support for terrorism in the region. It's increased its conventional military activities. The Gulf Arabs will see a much more threatening Iran post-eastern nuclear deal. I think that's a substantial reason why you have witnessed Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, historic breakthroughs with maybe more to come, but it's also made the Arab states that has made Israel as well much more resistant to the United States simply rejoining that deal. This going to be a lot more complicated than the Biden transition team thinks.

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BLITZER: Yes. I think Tony Blinken, the incoming secretary of state, is going to have his hands full. The president and the vice president- elect, they will have their hands full as well.

The Trump Administration, of course, walked away completely from the Iran nuclear deal, pursued what was being described as a policy of maximum pressure. Will those heavy sanctions give the president-elect more leverage to try to influence Iran's behavior?

BOLTON: Well, I think there is no doubt about it. I think it would be a misnomer, sadly, however, to call the sanctions maximum pressure. I don't think we did everything we could do, and that's unfortunate. But a key element of the 2015 deal was that the multilateral sanctions had failed to change Iran's conduct and U.S. sanctions alone couldn't possibly achieve it. In fact, I think the sanctions imposed after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 did more to pressure Iran than the multilateral sanctions.

And the Europeans have admitted privately, they understand that the 2015 deal didn't cover the ballistic missile program. They have acknowledged they made a mistake in ending the arms embargo. They understand the continuing threat of Iranian terrorism and conventional military activities. This deal was partial when it was conceived. It wasn't adequate in its own terms, certainly not adequate now to deal with the threat Iran poses across the Middle East.

BLITZER: CNN has learned, Ambassador Bolton, that the Trump Administration prevented the Biden transition team and its national security officials from actually meeting with various counterparts over at the Pentagon. The DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the NSA, National Security Agencies, they were not allowed to meet with them apparently this week. This was well after the formal transition has begun.

Now, the Pentagon is denying this, saying there were briefings on Friday, military international security issues were discussed but not on intelligence. What do you think? Is there any excuse for stonewalling on these critically important intelligence-related issues for the incoming team?

BOLTON: Well, I think the one legitimate concern that the Department of Defense would have would be in the intelligence sector, you've got to make very sure that the transition team people have adequate clearances. And if that's what the issue was, then it needs to be cleared up quickly. If it was obstructionism, it's unacceptable.

The whole effort to deny the Biden team access across the government, to me, was unacceptable. And it would be the case in defense, just so long as the people who want to talk to the national security agency and others have the appropriate clearances.

BLITZER: Well, do they have the clearances if they serve, let's say, for four, eight years, in sensitive highly classified national security positions during the Obama Administration?

BOLTON: Sure. They could have active clearances. I did when I was a private citizen between administrations because of various pieces of work they do and so on, or if they have clearances sensitive clearances before, they could be cleared through quickly. I don't think it's an insuperable obstacle, but I think it's a legitimate concern, if that's it. If it's not security clearances, then, as I say, it's unacceptable.

BLITZER: Ambassador Bolton, thanks so much for joining us.

BOLTON: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: All right. Georgia right now, we are talking about the state of Georgia in the national spotlight, just one month until a pair of runoff elections that will decide who is the majority in the United States Senate, the Democrats or Republicans? But will President Trump hurt or help Republican chances to hold onto the majority in the Senate? We'll be right back.

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[20:25:00]

BLITZER: President Trump continues to attack Georgia's Republican leadership for refusing to play along with his false voter fraud claims. The attacks come as the state's two GOP senators are in a pair of runoff elections that will determine the balance of power in the United States Senate.

CNN's Kyung Lah takes a close look now at the record amount of money being poured into these two key races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kelly Loeffler knows she is lying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raphael Warnock is a rev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raphael Warnock even hates puppies.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the hyper-partisan battle for the Georgia Senate seats, there is uniform agreement about this.

DAVID WILLIAMS, GEORGIA RESIDENT: They're on, I would think, 75 percent of the time. Every commercial is an ad, a campaign ad.

DARRELL FORD, GEORGIA RESIDENT: It's too much. It is too much.

DAN TREVELINO, GEORGIA RESIDENT: Oh my God. It's -- I'm tired of it.

LAH: We can't even get through our interview.

There is another one.

TREVELINO: It's all --

MARK GIULIANI, GEORGIA RESIDENT: It's too redundant, if you will. I mean, I get tired of seeing people bashing people.

LAH: They should all prepare for more.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Jon Ossoff has dedicated his career to fighting injustice.

LAH: Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff just released this new ad, enlisting the help of one of his party's most potent political forces.

OBAMA: If we vote like our lives depend on it, because they do, we will elect Jon Ossoff to the United States Senate.

LAH: It is the latest in a flurry of new ads on Georgia airwaves. Ossoff's opponent is Republican Senator David Perdue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Jon Ossoff wins, they control Washington. But Georgia can stop them.

LAH: The other Republican incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, is fiercely attacking her opponent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raphael Warnock is a rev, he's wrong and he's dangerous.

LAH: Reverend Warnock and Alvin the beagle responded.

REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: But I think Georgians will see your ads for what they are. Don't you?

LAH: A total ad spending, including reservations through the January 5th runoff crossed 300 million.

[20:30:03]

Spending by the incumbents and Republican backers top the Democrats by $50 million. The Georgia runoffs are far and away, the most expensive Senate races of the 2020 cycle.

BRENDAN FISCHER, CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER: Money absolutely matters.

LAH: But the Campaign Legal Center's Brendan Fischer offers this warning with Georgia's add war.

FISCHER: Voters are exhausted. They've just been through a hotly contested presidential race. They just voted in November. And they may not be motivated to vote again in January.

LAH: Especially says waitress, Kayleigh Waters (ph), when she's just trying to survive financially during COVID.

KAYLEIGH WATERS, GEORGIA RESIDENT: It just doesn't make sense. We're in the middle of a pandemic like to come home from work and watch T.V. and see that is kind of like even more depressing. And it's so polarizing.

LAH (on camera): All right. Jon Ossoff, and speaking with reporters said that he fully expects to be outspent in the ad war, but he does intend to win at the ground game.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Kyung. Let's get some more now on the battle in Georgia that will determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. I'm joined by CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at the Atlantic, Ron Brownstein. Ron, thanks for joining us.

As you know, the president today called Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, a Republican hoping to try to influence Georgia's governor in an effort to overturn President-elect Biden's victory in the state of Georgia. Governor Kemp clearly refused. Do you expect this to cost Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler, David Perdue with the angry Republican voters in January?

In other words, how is this going to impact the January 5th vote?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: First, I don't think we have the language to fully express what we are watching from the president and from so many Republicans in Congress who are enabling his behavior.

I mean, he is calling the governor of Georgia today with on the basis of unfounded claims of fraud that have been laughed out of court all over the country and telling him to overturn the verdict of the voters and send electors to Washington to reelect President Trump in the Electoral College.

Anyway, what is the right language that Peter Baker, the New York Times, you know, kind of compared it to kind of Shakespearean tragedies, King Lear raging on the heath, and we think about this as kind of ineffectual or offensive, but at what point is the words coup or treason apply to a president who is trying to overturn the results of an American election and those who are -- those who were allowing him to do it?

Now, there's, you know -- certainly there's enormous incentive for both sides to go out and vote. But it cannot help if the President continues, even you know, even as he as he visited, the state today, continues to attack the Republican leadership and saying they have failed to stand up for him. That is just kind of a split, a divide in the Republican coalition. They can't do them any good before this January. BLITZER: And it's amazing how the president is attacking the Republican leadership in Georgia. The governor Brian Kemp. He's calling him a moron, a nutjob. He says he regrets having endorsed him in the election. He's attacking the Republican Secretary of State of Georgia. What do you make of this?

BROWNSTEIN: And in Arizona as well, and in any as in any other state. Look, I think all of this is possible. And the death threats that are flowing out of this to the Secretary of State in Georgia and the Secretary of State in Arizona, and a state senator today in Georgia, who announced that she has been receiving death threats.

All of this is possible because so few Republicans are taking a stand against these poisonous fantasies and are allowing them to take root in a way that seeds, the kind of extremism that we are seeing in these threats to public officials.

I mean, the fact is -- I mean, I wrote this week on the -- on the CNN website, that I think history will say that Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy have more abjectly surrender to Trump's fantasies than Republicans did even Joe McCarthy's, you know, claims of a conspiracy so immense in the early 1950s.

And I think there should be no confusion, that one of the reasons why this is going to the extent that it is and you are seeing these attacks from the President and the kind of the echo in these threats against public officials is because so few Republican officials will stand up against what he is doing in Congress, the governors and the secretaries of state have been stronger.

BLITZER: And we discussed this earlier. But I want to get your thoughts. So many people believe the President is rejecting the election outcome, the certification by all the battleground states that Biden won, all the major news organizations, including Fox News, certifying projecting that Biden won four weeks ago today. One of the reasons he's doing this because he can raise a ton of money for his political future.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, and absolutely. And he can raise money and he can also solidify his influence in the party. And I find that's one of the great ironies here in the deference and the kind of the cowering by Mitch McConnell and McCarthy and the other Republican leaders to Trump's unfounded claims, because basically, he can now leave the White House and say, I wasn't defeated.

I didn't leave the party into a dead end. It was stolen from me, this kind of stab in the back mythology that, clearly, he is trying to lay down and nurture for the next four years, and that's going to give him more influence within the party.

[20:35:19]

I mean, it increases the odds that the Republicans in Congress will remain very much under his thumb and subject to intimidation by tweet. I think he is, you know, whether or not in the end, he runs in 2024. He is setting up a scenario where his influence in the party will remain enormous in large part, I think, because so many Republicans have allowed him to do see this alternate avert -- you know, alternate reality in which he really didn't lose. He didn't really leave the party to defeat, he won. It was stolen from him. He needs to come back and avenge it.

BLITZER: Yes, he's already raised in the last month alone, more than $200 million, which he can use for his political future anyway he wants down the road.

All right, Ron, thank you very, very much. This support notes that are Senator Kelly Loeffler and the Reverend Raphael Warnock. They will debate each other live on CNN tomorrow night. 7:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll have a special SITUATION ROOM during the 6:00 p.m. hour and the 8:00 p.m. hour around the debate, debate night in Georgia, tomorrow night 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

And just 46 days from now, Joe Biden will join the small and exclusive club of American vice presidents who have gone on to serve as commander-in-chief, and that's the subject of a brand-new CNN film, "President in Waiting," it airs next at the top of the hour right after THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll have a preview, that's coming next.

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[20:40:42]

BLITZER: On January 20th, Joe Biden will join the small and exclusive club of American vice presidents who have gone on to serve as commander in chief. And when he takes office, he'll bring with him a groundbreaking vice president in Kamala Harris.

Tonight, the new CNN film, "President in Waiting" interviews every living former president and vice president to get their unique perspective on the second most powerful job in the world. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, the way president and I would talk about it alone, we talk about it with a small group, toward the end of the fall, when it was opened up to the Secretary of State to the Homeland Security, et cetera, there was a lot more discussion about trying to decide whether Bin Laden was dead.

But literally, because of the phases of the moon, we got to a place where the President had 48 hours to make a decision to go or not go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now the director of "President in Waiting" Jeffrey Roth. Jeffrey, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for doing this film, you interviewed every living Vice President, every living former president for the film, how did you get all of them, first of all, to participate? And what was it like talking with such a truly unique group of people? JEFFREY ROTH, DIRECTOR OF "PRESIDENT IN WAITING": Well, that was the, first of all, a big problem. When I came up with the idea of "President Waiting," obviously, the idea is to get all them to sit down for an interview to discuss the relationship between the President and the Vice President.

And yet, you have to take a big leap of faith going into this, knowing that you need at least, you know, good eight, nine, or 10 of them to create the movie. And it took me about a year and a half to line them up, and it was not an easy thing to do. But fortunate we did get them and sitting down with them, obviously, is very humbling in the stories that they have to tell and for what they've done in the history is remarkable.

BLITZER: It certainly is, and congratulations. Very, very impressive work.

Everyone has spent so much of the past two years, let's say, focusing in on the presidential election, and who the next president of the United States will be. What made you want to examine the number two spot, specifically the vice presidency?

ROTH: Well, for whatever reason, in the back of my head, it was always a fascinating office to me. And knowing that when you go through the history of the office, it was considered very inconsequential. It then moved into the Walter Mondale Jimmy Carter era with the quote-unquote Carter-Mondale plan to create the modern-day Vice President, and to where it led today.

And if you take as an example, Harry Truman, who was Vice President, became president within a matter of months, had to sit him down and basically tell him that the Manhattan Project existed. And then I believe was within four months, he made the decision to drop the ball.

BLITZER: Interesting. The film takes us back, as you pointed out, to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale to that era. Having talked to all of them, which vice president do you think had the most impact on the roll since that time?

ROTH: I think it is grown since Carter Mondale. You could go with George Bush and Ronald Reagan, where they created the lunches, and they created this weekly private meeting. And if you remember, that that relationship didn't start off so well. And then it continued to evolve from that moment into where it was with Obama and Biden. Just this a personable friendship and a true, trusted advisor. And that's basically where it's become. And the most important person and the last person in the room before the decision tends to be the vice president.

BLITZER: How do you think Joe Biden's experience as Vice President for eight years will inform how he approaches his role as commander in chief?

ROTH: Obviously, I think that it will make his life easier because he had eight years in that role, and seeing firsthand how President Obama dealt with everything and then obviously, whatever advice he gave to the president and now being president like and what he's looking for in his vice president. He will then move forward to a more comfortable introduction in the first months of the office and knowing what is expected out of a vice president.

[20:45:18]

BLITZER: Jeffrey Roth, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for putting together this film. We're all -- we're all looking forward to seeing it. And I want to make sure our viewers know "President in Waiting" appears next right at the top of the hour, only here on CNN. And we'll be right back.

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[20:50:59]

BLITZER: Tonight, national outrage over Israel's plans to appoint a radical right-wing former politician to head Israel's Holocaust Museum and memorial site, Yad Vashem. CNN's Oren Liebermann has this report.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the retiring head of Yad Vashem has led one of the world's most important Holocaust institutions for the last 27 years, during nearly three decades at the head of the organization and the museum, Yad Vashem has hosted dignitaries, world leaders, VIPs, and millions upon millions of guests. It is because of all of that, that the leader of the organization is an incredibly critical and sensitive position.

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LIEBERMANN: On the outskirts of Jerusalem, Yad Vashem is one of the world's most venerable Holocaust institutions, unnecessary stop for world leaders visiting Israel and host to a million guests a year. But an institution that's supposed to be above politics is now caught in another controversy.

At the center of this storm is Effi Eitam tapped to be the next leader of Yad Vashem, the 68-year-old general and conservative hardliner is a hero to the right wing. He fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and took part in the operation to free hostages, many of them Israelis from Uganda.

As a commander of the Givati brigade during the first Intifada, four of his soldiers were court martialed for beating a Palestinian prisoner to death. The soldiers testified against him saying the beating was under his orders. Eitam was severely reprimanded.

After leaving the army, Eitam entered politics, joining the right-wing national religious party. In 2006, he said the vast majority of Palestinians would have to be expelled from the West Bank, and then Arabs would have to be removed from Israel's political system.

Effi Eitam declined to speak with CNN, as did minister Zeb Elkin who nominated Eitam. Elkin told The New York Times Eitam's unsuccessful remarks were part of an ugly and hypocritical campaign from the left wing and that Eitam's comments were taken out of context. Yad Vashem declined to comment.

Critics of the appointment are far less quiet.

EFRAIM ZUROFF, AMERICAN-ISRAELI HISTORIAN: Some people who have made unfortunate comments that follow them wherever they go. And this is one of those examples. There was never any indication that he expressed any regret. He had any remorse.

LIEBERMANN: Efraim Zuroff is an American-Israeli historian and Nazi hunter, who says Effi Eitam lacks the background and the sensitivity to lead Yad Vashem.

ZUROFF: Not every general or every military hero deserves to be putting in places for which they have no qualifications

LIEBERMANN: Holocaust Remembrance Organizations, survivors, and the Anti-Defamation League are among those urging the Israeli government to appoint someone else to lead such an important institution. This is not Yad Vashem's only recent controversy.

In 2018, the museum criticized the joint Israeli-Polish statement, which had said whitewash the Polish role in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem said the statement contained grave errors and deceptions despite the museum's chief historian being involved in the joint statement.

Earlier this year, Yad Vashem hosted the World Holocaust Forum, with world leaders attending, including Prince Charles and Vice President Mike Pence. The museum was forced to apologize afterwards for inaccuracies and partial facts portrayed by speakers at the event.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, falsely claimed 40 percent Jews killed in the Holocaust were from the Soviet Union. With rights groups observing a rise in anti-Semitism in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere, the museum's champions say maintaining and building Yad Vashem's credibility is more critical than ever.

COLETTE AVITAL, CENTER ORGANIZATIONS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN ISRAEL: The message of Yad Vashem isn't a universal message. It is one that sanctifies human life, one that is against genocides, not only here, but around the world.

LIEBERMANN: With Israel's government on the brink of collapse Eitam's nomination is temporarily frozen. It's given his critics a window to lobby against his appointment. As this fight drags on, the future of what museums committed to remembering the past hangs in the balance.

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LIEBERMANN: Colette Avital tells us she suggested other names to lead Yad Vashem, names that would be less controversial both from the right wing and the left wing, she says. But as of right now, the government is only considering Effi Eitam on appointment that is stuck as this government remains deadlocked and perhaps heading for an election. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem for us with that report. Oren, thanks very much. More news right after this.

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[20:55:07]

BLITZER: I'm wolf blitzer. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back with another special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM tomorrow night 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

But before we go, we want to share some more stories of the wonderful people who died from the coronavirus. Gene Kalish of Florida was 77 years old. A beloved father and grandfather. Gene love bowling and cheering for Detroit sports teams. His daughter Jillian (ph) says he was the funniest person she knew. And then he was always trying to make people smile.

Shirley Bannister of South Carolina was 57. She worked as a nurse for 30 years and was chair of the nursing department at Midlands Technical College. Shirley's daughter Demetria (ph) also died earlier this year after testing positive for the coronavirus. May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.

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