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The Situation Room

Interview With Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD); President Trump's Chaotic Final Days; U.S. Tops 328,000 COVID Deaths and 18.6 Million Cases, December on Track to be Deadliest Month of Pandemic; CDC Says, Over 9 Million Vaccine Doses Delivered Just Over 1 Million Administered Across U.S. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 24, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: On this Christmas Eve, Americans are facing a new level of loss and uncertainty, as the coronavirus crisis explodes, and the outgoing president uses his final days and power to create chaos.

President Trump is in Florida tonight, golfing and tweeting, while threatening to derail the $900 billion COVID relief package approved by Congress. His 11th-hour demand to beef up stimulus checks was shot down by House Republicans today, who refused to go along with a Democratic bid to approve the increased by unanimous consent, a full vote now expected Monday.

These parting shots by the president come as the country right now is in the midst of what is likely to be the deadliest month of the pandemic.

As of this hour, the U.S. death toll has now climbed above 328,000. And total cases are moving closer and closer to 20 million.

Let's go right to our White House correspondent, Jeremy Diamond. He's with -- covering the president down in Palm Beach, Florida, for us.

Jeremy, he's at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. That's his permanent residence right now, with even fewer constraints on his rather erratic behavior than he has here in Washington.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's certainly true, Wolf.

And this is the place where you can see the president is going to be encouraged to continue to fight this 2020 election, which he lost. It's certainly not the place so far where you're seeing the president's react and act to this chaos that he caused back in Washington, threatening to -- appearing to threaten at least to veto this $900 billion coronavirus relief bill.

The president today, he wasn't working the phones. He wasn't meeting with advisers to try and salvage that desperately needed aid for Americans. Instead, we saw him on his golf course.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (voice-over): After thrilling financial relief for millions of Americans into limbo, President Trump decamped to his Mar-a-Lago resort, and quickly set his sights on his golf game.

The president hitting the links after a pre-Christmas threat to sink legislation providing $900 billion in desperately needed coronavirus aid, even as the White House last night said the president would -- quote -- "continue to work tirelessly for the American people." His schedule includes many meetings and calls.

But, as the president tees off, more than 20 million Americans are out of work. Nearly eight million have fallen into poverty since the summer. And supplemental unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of the week.

The president's refusal to sign the spending package could also trigger a government shutdown on Tuesday.

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD): The bill HR-9047, and I ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

DIAMOND: Even as Trump demanded Congress triple $600 stimulus checks to Americans, House Republicans objecting Tuesday to Democrats' attempts to amend that provision by unanimous consent.

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): It is Christmas Eve, but it is not a silent night. All is not calm. For too many, nothing is bright. And for too many, they are not sleeping peacefully.

DIAMOND: The president remains fixated on reversing the election he lost, even complaining that his forever loyal vice president isn't fighting hard enough, retweeting a call for Pence to accept Electoral College votes during a pro forma session of Congress on January 6, a breach of Pence's constitutional duty.

Two sources telling CNN Trump and Pence spent more than an hour together in the Oval Office yesterday before that retweet, and that Trump has been -- quote -- "confused" as to why Pence can't step in to overturn the election.

The president also plowing ahead with more controversial pardons, a day after pardoning two men who lied to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators and three corrupt former Republican congressmen, Trump issuing 26 more pardons, including to his longtime political adviser Roger Stone, who lied to congressional investigators to protect Trump, and Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman who stopped cooperating with Mueller's team and then lied to prosecutors.

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER ACTING FBI DIRECTOR: You have a president who is actively engaged in undermining the system of justice that he is supposed to protect and defend. It's remarkably disgusting.

DIAMOND: Republican Senator Ben Sasse slamming the pardons as "rotten to the core." And Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, who did cooperate with prosecutors, said Trump's pardons show how broken the whole criminal justice system is: "This is wrong."

But that's not all, Trump also pardoning his son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, who was prosecuted by Republican Chris Christie.

FMR. GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ): Mr. Kushner pled guilty. If a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and videotapes it, and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND: And, Wolf, I'm told that President Trump today received a will welcome as he arrived at his golf club for what I assume will be the first of many days of golf here.

[18:05:06]

This person I spoke with said that the president appears to be very resolute in continuing to contest the results of the 2020 election. And this person also said he still thinks it's not over -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jeremy Diamond, I want you to stick around. We're going to get back to you in a moment.

But I want to go to Capitol Hill, where the president's last-minute threats to crucial legislation is clearly putting enormous pressure on lawmakers, especially members of his own Republican Party.

Our congressional correspondent, Phil Mattingly, is joining us.

Phil, Republicans have some very tough choices to make in the immediate days ahead, because the stakes are clearly enormous.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're enormous.

And they're enormous for Americans that are hurting, due to the economy, due to the kind of aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that came with them. But they're also facing a very real prospect of a bill that they all for the most part voted for all the sudden being vetoed by a president that they don't want to break away from.

It's been a difficult balancing act since the election that a lot of Republicans have tried to figure out how to deal with. Now it's coming into clear focus here.

The bill itself, well, it left Washington this evening, on its way by airplane down to President Trump. What he's going to do with it when it arrives, the coronavirus relief package, plus the government spending bill to keep the government open beyond Monday, well, that is an open question.

Even some of the president's formerly close Republican allies on Capitol Hill, they have been telling me over the course the last 24 hours they have no idea what he's going to do. That's left Democrats basically to implore the president just to sign the bipartisan bill. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOYER: This is Christmas Eve. Surely, the president of the United States, whether he is in Mar-a-Lago or anyplace else, ought to empathize with the pain and suffering and apprehension and deep angst that the American people are feeling this Christmas Eve and sign this bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And, Wolf, I think I want to underscore one key point here.

And that is, based on everybody I'm talking to on the Capitol Hill side of this, is, there's no alternative. There's no plan B. There's no plan to reopen the bill and address some of the president's concerns or consider those concerns.

You keep in mind how long it took to reach an agreement on a coronavirus aid package, more than eight months of kind of stalemate in negotiations, finally a breakthrough a couple of weeks ago. This is the bill. This is the government funding bill as well.

The president needs to decide if he's going to sign it. And if he doesn't, there's no fallback plan right now. And that means an enormous amount, not just for millions of Americans, but also whether or not the U.S. government stays open past Monday.

BLITZER: Well, just explain specifically, Phil, what's at stake for Americans if this COVID relief bill fails.

MATTINGLY: Yes, this is really important, because, in just two days, on December 26, two crucial CARES Act, the coronavirus, initial coronavirus stimulus package, unemployment programs, will expire.

These programs are currently giving benefits to about 12 or 13 million people, adding on weeks of unemployment insurance beyond what the states usually provide. Those will expire on December 26. You have an eviction moratorium that is about to expire as well.

Inside this bill, inside this package -- nobody's saying it's perfect. There were people who said it didn't go far enough. Plenty of people have said it perhaps provided too much money, but you obviously have the $600 direct payments. You have the additional $300 federal unemployment benefit that would go on top of all these issues.

And also, increasingly important, Wolf, there was a 15 percent increase in food aid, in food stamps. And when you look at the food pantries around the country and the lines that are going into them, you recognize how necessary that is at this point in time. All of that goes away if the president does not sign the bill.

BLITZER: Awful situation.

All right, Phil, thank you very much, Phil Mattingly reporting.

Let's go back to our White House correspondent, Jeremy Diamond, along with CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip and CNN senior political analyst Ryan Lizza. He's the chief Washington correspondent for Politico.

Abby, the president wasn't involved really in this COVID relief bill negotiations. Then, right before Christmas, he hints at a veto, takes off to play some golf down in Florida. Does he have any idea what's on the line right now for millions of Americans?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think he does, Wolf. I think he understands that -- the broad strokes of what's happening here.

I just don't think he really cares. It's not front of mind for him. You can tell that he's really fixated on this election and fixated on political retribution and settling old scores, whether it's in the form of pardons or in the form of making life difficult for Senate Republicans and House Republicans on Capitol Hill who have already voted on this bill.

What will be even more tragic is if President Trump delays signing this bill, only to eventually sign it, and delays that relief from coming to Americans, allowing them -- not allowing them to go into this holiday season with some kind of certainty that they might be able to provide for their families in the coming days.

[18:10:00]

That would really be, I think, a tragic outcome for all of this, because, as -- as Phil laid out, there's really not much of an alternative. He could veto this, but there's no certainty that he will get what he wants. And he might eventually sign this bill. But if he takes his time doing it just out of spite, I think that only the American people will stand to hurt from that.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Ryan. The president clearly is angry with the Republican leaders in Congress, especially the two top Republicans in the Senate, the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, John Thune, the number two Republican, because they have acknowledged that Biden won the election, will be president of the United States.

But does he want his legacy to include denying Americans their stimulus checks and the unemployment benefits, especially around Christmas?

RYAN LIZZA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I mean, just think about that question.

The president of the United States is going to veto legislation that is providing a lifeline to millions of Americans, as we -- the death count is increasing. And doing it out of personal spite because Republican leaders just acknowledged the reality of the election, it's sort of an insane situation we're watching unfold here.

I mean, some of this stuff has become so out of bounds of what normal -- normal American politics, that I think we don't even realize it any anymore. I mean, imagine if someone said that the president of the United States was mad because Republicans acknowledged his opponent's victory, so he was punishing the country by not signing legislation, and, at the same time, issuing this -- these series of pardons from Republican officials that have gone through a very careful Justice Department process, committed crimes that everyone agrees were prosecuted fairly.

So, we just see this series of just not taking the presidency seriously at all. And we have still got a long way to go here. God knows what else could happen between now and January 20.

BLITZER: Twenty-seven days. That's going to be a very, very long 27 days. I think you're right.

Jeremy, the president's focus appears to be, A, on pardoning his allies, ramping up pressure on the vice president in Congress to fight the results of the election.

Is there any talking him down from this? Because my suspicion has been, he knows he lost, he knows Biden's going to be president, but there's an opportunity now in these final 20 days -- 27 days -- to maybe raise another $100 million in political contributions. He's already raised more than $200 million, maybe $250 million so far.

It's a good way for him to leave with a lot of cash.

DIAMOND: I think that's certainly a byproduct, Wolf.

But, at this point, I think the president has moved on from going through the motions of accepting a defeat, telling people that, yes, he understands that it probably won't work out, but he still wants to fight, show his supporters that he wants to fight, vs. what we have seen from the president really in the last week, which seems to be a much more concerted effort to really try desperately, even though it's not going to work, it's going to be unsuccessful, ultimately, to try and overturn the results of this election.

And that is why we have seen so many of the president's top advisers and people close to him who have gone to the media, telling myself and my colleagues that they have grown increasingly alarmed with the president's behavior over the last week.

And I can tell you, Wolf, that there are some people who have tried to talk to president off the ledge that he is on, who have tried to steer him away from the Sidney Powells and the Michael Flynns. But it's simply is not working at this point.

And like we have talked about before, Mar-a-Lago is a place where perhaps the president will really simply delve even deeper into his denial of reality and these attempts to overturn the election.

BLITZER: In addition to golfing and enjoying Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, he's also tweeting.

Let me read, Abby, a tweet that he just posted a few minutes ago: "I saved at least eight Republican senators, including Mitch, from losing in the last rigged (for president) election. Now they (almost all) sit back and watch me fight against the crooked and vicious foe, the radical left Democrats. I will never forget."

Twitter then posted this claim about, election fraud is disputed.

What do you think? Why is the president doing it? Is it what I suspect? It's an opportunity for him to try to get even with these guys, but also an opportunity for him to raise campaign cash looking down the road?

PHILLIP: I think you're right about both of those things.

He is in a vengeful mood right now. He is upset that he's alone in this fight, because most Republicans recognize that the president is waging a losing battle here. But the president is also facing the end of an era for himself. He's about to lose the most power he's ever had.

[18:15:04]

And I think that that has really set him off. And so you see him trying to threaten Republicans on Capitol Hill by dangling this idea that he's going to run again in 2024, by suggesting that the retribution will come later, that he might -- he might actually support primary opponents for them in 2022 and 2024.

These are all the last gasps of a president who is facing the loss of an enormous amount of power and does not like that idea. So, that's what this is all about. All of this stuff about the COVID relief bill, it's not about the $2,000 for Americans. He could have asked for that weeks ago, months ago. He did not.

It's about throwing a wrench in the process, making life difficult for Mitch McConnell and for John Thune. And that is really, really unfortunate.

BLITZER: And he ended that tweet that he just posted with the words, "I will never forget," never forget, in all caps.

Clearly, he's threatening these Republicans. If they walk away from him, if they do what Mitch McConnell and John Thune did and acknowledge that Biden won the election, Trump lost the election, he will, in his words, never forget.

Everybody, stand by. There's more news we're following.

We're also hearing more names of possible nominees for positions in president-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet.

CNN's Jessica Dean is covering the Biden transition for us.

So, Jessica, how many vacancies actually are left?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, president-elect Biden has five vacancies left to fill, before he gets a full slate of his Cabinet nominees. He had originally said he hoped to have that completed by tomorrow, Christmas Day. But that's going to slide until, we're told, about early January before he gets that all complete.

So, he has those five vacancies he needs to fill, chief among them, who will be his attorney general? We're told the two leading candidates there right now are Judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Alabama Senator Doug Jones.

Biden talking a little bit about this earlier this week with reporters and saying that there's no politics here, no obvious choice here. They're really trying to do their due diligence and really make a smart, good decision on who they want to run the Justice Department.

Also, they still need to choose a CIA director, and they need to choose a secretary of labor, commerce and someone to head up the Small Business Administration.

Now, he does have a lot of those positions already filled in his Cabinet. And he's faced a little bit of criticism from people who say, well, this is a lot of the former Obama people coming back, these are such familiar faces. Maybe people had been hoping there would be more fresh faces.

He spoke to some columnists yesterday, and he said this quote. Quickly, I will read it to you: "One reason you need old hands is the old hands know where the old bodies might be buried," Wolf. So that was some his some of his thinking on some of his selections for his Cabinet -- Wolf.

BLITZER: He's moving relatively quickly with these Cabinet positions.

All right, Jessica, thank you very, very much.

Just ahead, we will have more on the president's attempts to pressure the vice president, Mike Pence, to block congressional approval of the Electoral College vote. There's a -- here's a word. The vice president can't do it. But how ugly could things get?

And holiday travelers defy health officials' warnings and shatter pandemic records.

This is a SITUATION ROOM special report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:21:32]

BLITZER: There's breaking news.

Even though it's Christmas Eve, President Trump by this evening is firing off angry tweets about the election. Just minutes ago, he tweeted this. I will read it: "I saved at least eight Republican senators, including Mitch, from losing in the last rigged (for president) election. Now they (almost all) sit back and watch me fight against the crooked and vicious foe, the radical left Democrats. I will never forget," "never forget" in all caps. That's a real threat to those Republicans who may acknowledge the

truth that Biden won.

We're joined now by Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland. He's a key member of the Foreign Relations Committee. He also serves on the Finance Committee.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us.

What's your reaction to this very angry tweet the president just posted? Is he essentially threatening your Republican colleagues who have gone ahead and acknowledged the fact that Biden will be the next president of the United States in 27 days?

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): Wolf, this president has shown over and over again how he has compromised America's security, how he's defamed the office of the presidency.

But, right now, our main concern is getting help out to American families. The bill that we passed is critically important. It provides relief in regards to those who are unemployed, small businesses. The direct payment checks are desperately needed.

We got to get this relief out there. And the president is deciding whether he's going to hold this up for his own fancies. This is horrible, particularly on Christmas Eve. It's just unthinkable that he's holding up this bill.

BLITZER: As you know, this COVID relief bill, now all those pages on its way to the president down in Palm Beach, Florida.

But earlier today, your colleague Republican Senator Roy Blunt -- he's a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate -- said he has -- quote -- "no idea" if the president will sign it into law.

Do you think the president understands what's at stake here for millions and millions of Americans who are suffering?

CARDIN: I don't think the president cares.

I think he's all about him; 92 senators voted for this bill. That's how bipartisan it was and how urgent it is that we get this relief out to the American families. I don't think the president cares.

It's all about him.

BLITZER: The president is also pressuring the vice president, Mike Pence, to stop Congress from accepting the election results when it convenes on January 6.

The vice president of the United States is always the president of the Senate. He will be in the chair. How messy do you think this potentially could get?

CARDIN: Wolf, it's hard to predict exactly how far the president is carrying this. The one thing I can tell you, on January the 20th, Joe Biden will take the office as the next president of the United States. There is no question that he has been elected. The Electoral College has met. The president's claims are just without any merit whatsoever.

And we're going to -- our democracy is going to prevail. So, the president will keep on with his ranting and raving. What Mike Pence does, I hope he honors his public service and carries out his responsibility on January the 6th.

BLITZER: What message is the president sending, Senator, with his wave of pardons over the past few days on his way out the door?

CARDIN: It is so outrageous, these pardons.

Pardoning war criminals compromises our national security. Pardoning people who interfered with investigations compromises our -- the independence of our judicial -- our Department of Justice.

[18:25:05]

It's just outrageous. President Trump has shown over and over again he expects the attorney general to be his personal attorney, rather than the attorney for our nation. And he's using the pardon to satisfy his own political agenda, and not in the interest of America.

So, this is just outrageous. It's offensive to the international community. It's offensive to Americans.

BLITZER: Senator Ben Cardin, thank you so much for joining us on this Christmas Eve.

Enjoy these few holiday days, the New Year's. Be safe out there. We will stay in touch. Appreciate it very much.

CARDIN: Wolf, thank you, stay safe, and have a happy holiday.

BLITZER: You too.

Just ahead: a dire new projection of coronavirus deaths in the months ahead here in the United States, as the nation is in the midst of a very, very deadly December. How many lives will be saved by the vaccines? Stand by.

And, as you get ready to celebrate, we have expert advice on how to stay safe, to stay safe as possible during this holiday weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: We're following breaking news on the pandemic as the U.S. death toll is climbing and climbing now above 328,000. By the end of December, more Americans will likely have died this month than during any month of the pandemic.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even on this COVID Christmas, America's airports are packed full of people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Florida from Orlando.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just came in from Denver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom really wants to see us. You know, you can only say no so long.

FIELD: On Wednesday, a new pandemic air travel records set nearly 1.2 million passing through airports, according to TSA, which has counted around a million flyers on each of the last six days.

MICHELLE WILLIS, TRAVELING TO PORTLAND, OREGON: We've got lots of masks, and lot's of hand sanitizer, and headrest covers, and gloves, and disposable everything, so feeling good.

FIELD: Dr. Anthony Fauci, who turns 80 today, is staying home for the holidays and planning a family zoom and hopes others will follow.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I really feel strongly that I need to practice what I preach to the country.

FIELD: But images of so many air travelers are fueling fears we will, in fact, see another surge superimposed on a surge and dark January days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very scared about what we're about to see.

FIELD: Hot spots are now spread out all over the country from Maine to Alabama to California which has passed the eye-popping threshold of 2 million COVID cases, a first for any state in the nation.

DR. JIM KEANY, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN, MISSION HOSPITAL: A few months ago we had five COVID patients in the hospital and now we're up to nearly a hundred. So that shows you the -- within just a couple months how much it's accelerated.

FIELD: Hospitalizations are at a record high. December will soon become the deadliest month of the pandemic. And we are careening towards a total of 330,000 American deaths. That's 1 in 1,000 Americans killed by COVID.

REP. RAUL RUIZ (D-CA): We need to tell everybody that this is not the time to have large indoor mask-less parties, holiday parties. This is the time to hunker down.

FIELD: The CDC now projects as many as 419,000 deaths by January 16th. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation upping its projections again after just one week, predicting as many as 567,000 deaths by April. Their model suggests more than 33,000 lives will be saved from now till then by vaccinations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay, is it going to hurt?

FIELD: 9.5 million doses of them have now been delivered. Just over a million doses of Pfizer's vaccines have been administered, according to the CDC, much less than expected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (on camera): Wolf, here at Mount Sinai Hospital, they are continuing to vaccinate their frontline workers. That's a job that will continue through the holidays and another sign of this Christmas will be unlike that has come before it.

Along with sending letters to Santa this holiday season, some kids also sent letters to Pfizer, one asking for enough vaccines for everyone everywhere, another asking for a vaccine for Santa. Wolf?

BLITZER: I love those letters. Alexandra Field, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Dr. Megan Ranney, an Emergency room physician affiliated with Brown University. Dr. Ranney, thank you so much for joining us, thanks for everything you're doing.

As you know, vaccinations, they are underway for frontline health care workers like yourself, but do Americans understand just how bad the situation has gotten inside hospitals in all these different hot spots all over the country?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I don't think that most Americans understand just how bad it is right now. You know, I am on Twitter talking about the current surges here in Rhode Island as well as across the country. I posted today about an advisory that is going out to L.A. County. Basically, EMS units in L.A. County are being told not to take anyone to the hospital unless it's an absolutely life threatening emergency. People are being told to stay home, if at all, possible.

And after I posted that, I had dozens and dozens of comments telling me that I was overexaggerating COVID-19. You know, my colleagues in California, my colleagues in Arizona and Florida, and my own colleagues here in Rhode Island, we see what's happening. We see the lack of beds in the E.R., in the hospital, in the ICU and we see the increasing death counts. But that's a tough thing for people to see if they're not behind those doors with us to communicate just how bad it is.

BLITZER: Despite the vaccines, this isn't letting up any time soon. According to the latest model from IHME, we could see nearly 240,000 more U.S. deaths by April, Dr. Ranney.

[18:35:05]

Has the country lost the willpower to focus in on the basics of reducing transmission, like wearing a mask, social distancing, don't congregate, especially indoors?

RANNEY: You know I think people are fatigued and especially during the holiday season, like we just heard in that clip. People are saying, I can only say no to my family so many times. The thing is I wish I could communicate to them the number of people that I've admitted to the hospital this week who got together with their families over Thanksgiving for just a little bit. They just wanted to see their kids or their grandparents, then they got sick and multiple members of their family got sick.

Keeping up these practices for just a couple months longer can save our own lives but more importantly can save the lives of our community members from COVID but also from all that other stuff that we can't take care of effectively if the hospitals are overflowing with sick COVID-19 patients.

BLITZER: As you know, Dr. Ranney, there are serious concerns about the new variant, this new strain of the virus from the U.K. and whether the vaccine that's out there right now, two have already been authorized here in the United States, will still be effective. What do we know so far?

RANNEY: So, so far, we know that that variant was first identified in late September in the U.K. and it has become one of the dominant strains there. We imagine that it's here in the U.S. but we've sequenced so few of the genomes and the tests that have been done here in the United States. We've only done about 300 sequencing in the last month here. So we imagine that it's already here, but we don't know for sure.

The studies so far suggest that that strain spreads more easily. It's not more deadly but it's more easy to transmit. So it means that we're likely to have more super-spreader events, things like the rose garden, things like that wedding in Maine where over 177 people ended up sick and almost a dozen died. That's the thing that we're worried about. We don't see signs yet that the new strains are going to make the vaccine less effective, but the jury is still out and there's a lot of scientists working hard to get definitive answers over the next few weeks.

BLITZER: Dr. Ranney, thank you so much for joining us on this Christmas Eve. I want you to have a happy, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Give our love to the family. And we'll stay in close touch with you. Thanks for everything you're doing.

RANNEY: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Right now, we want to honor one of the most trusted medical experts during this pandemic. And wish Dr. Anthony Fauci a very, very happy 80th Birthday today. Dr. Fauci was greeted by emergency workers as he left the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland last night. They then launched into singing, Happy Birthday.

The D.C. Mayor, by the way, also is marking this milestone for the nation's top infectious disease expert by proclaiming today Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day here in the nation's capitol. Dr. Fauci, best wishes, thanks to you for all your service, you're a national treasure. We are all grateful to you.

And just ahead, we'll have more on the emerging gap between the number of vaccines being delivered to the states and the number of shots actually being administered. I'll ask Miami Beach's mayor what he's seeing and what they're doing.

Plus, important last-minute advice on how to celebrate the Christmas holiday as safely as possible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:00]

BLITZER: We're seeing alarming gap right now between how many doses of the new coronavirus vaccines are being delivered to the states out there and how many people actually are getting the shots. Nationally, we're nearing 9.5 million doses that have already been delivered, but the CDC says far fewer have been administered so far, just over 1 million.

Florida has received about 965,000 doses of the vaccines but only a fraction of that, about 68,000 doses, have been administered.

Let's discuss with the mayor of Miami Beach, Mayor Dan Gelber. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. How is the vaccine rollout going where you are in Miami Beach?

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: Well, there's a huge amount of anticipation. We've got a lot of seniors and folks that are vulnerable and we intend actually to begin with our local hospital to start dosing and providing the first vaccines to our seniors in our congregate communities as early as Monday morning, as we re-purpose our trolleys to actually bring seniors to the local hospital to get their doses to by either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

BLITZER: Do you have to be a resident of Miami Beach in order to get be eligible, if you're a senior, let's say, to get the vaccine at Mount Sinai or any of the hospitals in Miami Beach?

GELBER: No, we couldn't do that. And, in fact, a lot of the other hospitals will probably follow suit later next week or beyond. But because I think we're the first -- I'm getting a lot of calls from people asking that question.

We're giving to folks 75 and over first. The hospital makes that decision based on federal guidelines and the governor's executive order. And they have decided that 75 or older will be the first group. Then they'll move it down to 65 and older when they complete shots for those folks.

[18:45:01]

Luckily, a lot of other hospitals will begin their dosing as well. I think it's happening a little sporadically around the county. But, of course, our county is really the hot spot through the states. So, it's very important we get the vaccine out special to our senior residents as soon as possible.

BLITZER: So, do you agree then with the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis's plan, to prioritize seniors ahead of essential workers who may be way younger, in their 20s, 30s or whatever breaking with the CDC's recommendation?

GELBER: Yeah. I think we've got to get our senior residents first because they're the ones who have been really -- look, they've been hospitalized in much greater numbers. Obviously, the deaths have been highest in those communities. So, I don't think it's bad or wrong to do it necessarily that way. I think what he needs to do is tell the rest of the community that they need to stop the spread of the virus, because, you know, we can't get cocky about this. We can't let our guard down right now.

We have 13,000 cases in Florida. We haven't seen that number since July with 121 deaths in the state of Florida and over 4,100 deaths in my county. So, the virus is here. It's killing people. It's putting them in the hospital. Even though we want to protect our most vulnerable, we need to stop the spread of the virus in the next few months especially.

BLITZER: I checked, as I do every day, with Johns Hopkins University. Yesterday alone, just one day, 3,359 deaths from COVID in the United States; 3,359 in one day. That's the third highest so far, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Their loved ones, their families are not going to have a very merry Christmas, obviously.

The president is down now in Palm Beach, down in Florida, spent the day golfing as you know. But before he left D.C., he actually hinted he might veto this desperately needed COVID relief bill. What will that mean for folks where you are who are relying on these critical benefits?

GELBER: It's hard to explain the amount of trauma that would be placed over the trauma that's already there. It's like a whole another set of problems. I go to the food lines that we've created in our city and many cities obviously. They're turning many (ph) people now. And that money runs out in a few weeks, SNAP money and other money they're relying on.

People need these funds especially over Christmas and the holidays, but on January 1, I don't know what people are going to do when it runs out. I don't know how they're going to survive.

And the idea that Congress and the president are playing chicken like in this horrible game of chicken with people's lives and the anxiety it's creating. It's horrible, that, you know, he needs to show leadership and get this thing done. It should have been done weeks ago, nobody should have to go through this time of the year wondering whether they're going to be able to feed their children and we are turning people away now in the food line. So, it's not as if we have enough right now.

BLITZER: It's an awful situation. Mayor Gelber, be careful out there. Enjoy the holidays if you can. Happy New Year to you and your family. We'll stay in close touch with you, as we always do. Appreciate it very much.

GELBER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Just ahead, important last-minute advice for staying safe as possible during the Christmas holiday. This is information you need to know.

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[18:53:03]

BLITZER: As the United States suffers through the worst wave of the pandemic yet, health officials like Dr. Fauci have advice on celebrating safely at home this year.

Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): America's top voice on the pandemic warns Christmas this year could cause an even more catastrophic spread of coronavirus than Thanksgiving did.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: With Christmas, it starts several days before, it goes the week after Christmas into New Year's and the New Year's holiday.

TODD: As America is in the midst of an especially dangerous period of hospitalizations and deaths, Dr. Anthony Fauci says this year, it will be just him and his wife together for Christmas.

FAUCI: And for the first time in more than 30 years, I'm not spending the Christmas holidays with my daughters.

TODD: Dr. Fauci, the CDC and other experts have safety tips for Americans have warnings and safety tips as the holily season peaks. They warn Americans not to travel but if you have to travel, try to get tested and quarantine before you leave and quarantine again when you get there. Try to drive to your destination.

DR. SEEMA YASMIN, FORMER CDC DISEASE DETECTIVE: If you're on the plane, keep your mask on, try not to eat or drink especially if it's a short flight. Try to stay in your seats so you're not walking past other people, up and down the aisle, trying to go to the rest room

TODD: Any gatherings with people outside of your immediate family are discouraged. But Dr. Lena, former Baltimore health commissioner suggests if you do host a gathering, try to make it outdoors wherever possible.

DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Outdoors, those infectious particles are more likely to get dispersed but others can bring them in.

TODD: But Dr. Wen also has advice for people who don't live in warm weather areas.

WEN: For many people, it's probably going to be cold. Ask guests to bundle up. A fire pit or heat lamp can also help

TODD: She suggests seating families six feet apart and the host set out individual servings of food and drink. For gatherings indoors, experts say, spread people out as much as possible.

[18:55:00]

ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Open as many windows as you can. Provide as much circulation as you possibly can.

TODD: If people are eating at a gathering in a home, epidemiologist Anne Rimoin says have them eat in pods of their own family members, in different parts of the residents and --

RIMOIN: Don't have loud music. Turn music way down so people don't have to speak loudly.

TODD: Many shopping malls are still crowded this holiday season and experts say that's dangerous. If you can't order gifts online, what do you do?

YASMIN: Do curbside pickup where you're not even leaving your car to get your goods. The less-ideal scenario is when you are going into stores but you can try to limit your exposure to other shoppers by going during off-hours when there are fewer people inside

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Experts are also very concerned about the mental and emotional health of people this holiday season, acknowledging that it could be lonelier and more desperate for people this year. They really encourage people who are dealing with that to contact organizations like the crisis text line and Samaritans USA, or simply pick up the phone or get on Zoom and contact relatives.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Brian. And we'll have more news just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Finally on this night before Christmas, we're following major breaking news now. These are live images coming in from NORAD's official Santa Tracker. You can see St. Nick and his reindeer are making good time as they bring gift to children in the use and around the world.

Santa knows this isn't a good time to travel but he's taking extra precautions. Check out the mask he's wearing.

On behalf of Santa and all of us here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we want to wish you a merry Christmas and happy and healthy holiday season.

Thanks for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.