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Congress Reaches Deal On $900 Billion COVID Relief Package; Interview With Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) About Promoting Mask- Wearing; Countries Banning U.K. Flights As Officials Warn Of New COVID Variant; CDC Advisers Vote On Priority Groups For Next Vaccinations; U.K. Reveals New Variant Of Virus May Spread More Easily; Trump Campaign Petitions Supreme Court Over Pennsylvania Election. Aired 7- 8p ET

Aired December 20, 2020 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:07]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

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

And we begin tonight with breaking news in two huge developments offering a reason for hope tonight. First, most importantly for Americans who have been struggling financially during the pandemic, Democrats and Republicans finally are coming together to agree on a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. One that includes $600 in direct payments for some Americans.

We'll go live to Capitol Hill and the White House for all the details. That's coming up.

We're also learning who will be in the next group to receive the new coronavirus vaccines here in the United States. A critical CDC committee tonight saying who should get those vaccines next. We're going to tell you who is in the group and how soon potentially they could start getting these vaccines.

At the same time the U.K. is now finding itself isolated and alone as countries are cutting off transportation links over fears about a new variant of the coronavirus.

But let's begin on Capitol Hill right now. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell says the House and Senate leaders have finally agreed to a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. This is desperately needed funds for millions of Americans who have gone into poverty over these last several months because of the pandemic.

They will have to agree up on Capitol Hill to pass what's called a stopgap measure to avoid a government shutdown at midnight tonight. That is expected.

Joining us now our White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond and our senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju is on the phone with us. I think you're on the phone, Manu? Are you on the phone for us?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and the leadership is actually right now, Wolf, so I'm going to toss it back to you.

BLITZER: All right. We're going to get to that news conference. Stand by. I want to bring in Jeremy over at the White House.

So, Jeremy, this deal, it's an important deal. Americans have been waiting for it. Millions of Americans have gone into poverty. But you know what, let's just listen into Nancy Pelosi, see what she's saying, with Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-NY): To bring the legislation forward that will help America's working families. Our purpose has always been to crush the virus, to put money in the pockets of the American people which we do in this legislation. Sadly, our third purpose to honor our heroes was not fully appreciated by our Republican colleagues and so our support for state and local government, while significant in this legislation, requires more to be done.

So we consider this a first step and that, again, more needs to be done. We're so excited that that will be happening under the Biden- Harris administration, about 700 hours from now. The -- what I'm excited about in this bill, and it's really the Democratic difference, is what it does for America's working families. As we see food lines all over the country, it was the -- our legislation that had the initiative for food, for nutrition, for our children in school and the -- seniors as well as America's working families.

Rental assistance when so many -- let me just say about food, maybe 15 million children in America are food insecure. Many adult food insecure people, highest percentage of them, I believe, is in the state of Kentucky. Nonetheless, the food, the nutrition piece of it, has always been central to our Democratic proposals. With the millions of people on the verge of eviction, we have rental assistance and a moratorium until the Biden administration.

Food, rental assistance, earned income tax credit and child tax credit for America's working poor families. The Democratic difference. CDFI's assistance for community development, financial institutions to help small business, minority owned businesses, women, veterans, rural, Native American owned businesses to participate in a way because they're not big and they don't have financial relationships. Sometimes they are overlooked but that is central to what our legislation has done.

Childcare. Childcare. Children learning, parents earning. Very important. Especially in a time of a pandemic when children cannot actually, in many cases, go to school.

[19:05:03]

Therefore, their parents can't go to work. Childcare. Again, these and so many other issues that are so central to the kitchen-table needs of America's working families. That has always been my focus and that is the Democratic difference between what we have succeeded in doing and what was not even present in any way in any bills that the other side put forward in the Senate.

In addition, we're very pleased that investments in transportation system and what that means to our economy, jobs, et cetera. We're very pleased that bipartisan, bicameral support for WRTA, that is a job creator as well. The employment retention tax credit. Some of these things just made it in late this evening. That's why it's taking us longer to write the bill to bring it to the floor. But these are some of the later developments.

And, of course, we're very proud that surprise billing is a part of this. And again -- one thing that we didn't achieve, the money that was left over from the CARES Act, we wanted to have flexibility so it could be used for revenue loss as well as coronavirus expenses by our communities and our states. Republican and Democratic governors alike supported that. We did get an extension of one year.

So perhaps, unfortunately, with the spread of the virus, they will have those kinds of expenses. So in any case, whether it's education, transportation -- let me just say this one thing because from time to time I hear a question here, Mr. Leader, what took so long? What took so long is because we could not get our Republican colleagues to crush the virus. I couldn't understand it. Why would they not want to invest in the science that has told us so importantly that it required testing, tracing, treatment, separation, sanitation and the rest.

And when we had the bill in the HEROES Act and even in the smaller HEROES Act, because we reduced the time, they said we just made a light touch on your language on testing. No. 53 percent of it to take out everything that referred to minority communities. Communities of color was so hard hit in all of this. And now we see why. They didn't believe in the science. We knew that. But they did believe in herd immunity. And that's why they never -- we never could come to that first bill pillar, crush the virus.

So for these and other reasons, we're on a new path now --

BLITZER: Obviously, she's very pleased that they've now reached a $900 billion COVID relief package deal. The vote coming up, we anticipate, in the next day or so. They've got to pass what's called a stopgap measure tonight to keep the government from shutting down.

Jeremy Diamond is over at the White House for us.

So, Jeremy, first of all, any reaction from the president or officials at the White House? The president, obviously, is going to have to sign this legislation, assuming it passes in the house and the Senate and we are assuming that will be the case. Is the president going to sign it into law?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, I'm watching my phone closely to see if the president takes to Twitter to offer his reaction to this. Of course we've seen how unpredictable he can be recently as it relates to legislation passed by Congress. He has of course threatened repeatedly to veto the veto-proof bill passed by Congress for the National Defense Authorization bill. That's the annually Defense spending bill that the president is unhappy with because it didn't include PET provisions that he wanted in that bill.

As it relates to this coronavirus relief bill, the president has at times used his Twitter platform to push for Congress to pass this legislation, but he has been completely uninvolved in the details of this and in negotiating this bill. The president took to Twitter last night to suggest at the last minute that these direct stimulus payments which are only $600, a maximum of $600 in this bill, that those should be higher, which some Democrats had been pushing for, some Republicans as well.

But his involvement at the last minute in that negotiation was obviously not helpful and not leading to any kind of breakthrough or progress in that matter. And, in fact, as you see now, what was passed here was indeed the $600 that was being discussed.

So while we're seeing both Republicans and Democrats making the point to try and claim credit for this legislation to also offer blame to the other side for the things that they were not able to get in this bill, we have not yet heard from the president of the United States and frankly there's very little in here that he can actually take credit for himself because he has chosen over these last several weeks, Wolf, in particular, to really step back from the hard business of governing and leading this country.

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BLITZER: Yes, this was a deal worked out by the Republican and Democratic leaderships in the House and the Senate. The White House, for all practical purposes, especially the president, was invisible in putting this deal together.

Jeremy, stand by, we're going to get back to you. If you get reaction from the president or other officials there, let us know.

This is really important. And while the news about this desperately needed relief bill, a new vaccine is offering reason for hope. Public health officials insist ending this pandemic here in the United States will depend on all of us wearing masks, engaging in social distancing, and now a very, very prominent Trump supporter who found himself fighting the virus is speaking out directly and calling on mask holdouts to change their behavior. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: You know, lying in isolation in ICU for seven days, I thought about how wrong I was to remove my mask at the White House. Today I think about how wrong it is to let mask-wearing divide us, especially, as we now know you're twice as likely to get COVID-19 if you don't wear a mask. Because if you don't do the right thing, we could all end up on the wrong side of history. Please wear a mask.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Really important advice. The former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is joining us right now.

Governor Christie, thanks so much for joining us. We were really worried when we heard you were in the hospital suffering from COVID- 19. First of all, how are you feeling? Have you had any lingering effects with your bout?

CHRISTIE: I'm back to 100 percent now, Wolf. There was definitely some lingering fatigue for two or three weeks after I left the hospital. But that's gone away now and I feel very fortunate back to 100 percent. Thanks for asking.

BLITZER: Well, that's good to know. And we're really happy to hear that. You know, this public service announcement that you made about the importance of wearing masks, it was really significant. And you know, what's so, so worrisome to me and so many others is that they don't do it at these White House Christmas parties, the social distancing is gone, there was a party just Friday night.

What do you say to your friends, your associates over there who are refusing to engage in social distancing, to wear a mask, even at an indoor event like this?

CHRISTIE: Well, Wolf, listen, you know, I for seven months engaged in wearing a mask, doing social distancing, frequently washing your hands, and I stayed healthy for seven months. And then for four days I took my mask off when I was inside the White House grounds because we were being tested every day because I thought I was safe. I was wrong. And for anybody who goes into the White House grounds and thinks that they're safe, talk to me, talk to Kellyanne Conway, to Bill Stepien, to Stephen Miller, to Hope Hicks.

All of whom were in debate prep before the president's first debate and all of whom by the time the debate was over were infected with COVID-19 and saw those symptoms happening afterwards. So there is no safe place from this virus and that's what I wanted people to know. For seven months, I stayed safe because I followed the rules. For four days I let my guard down and it got me.

BLITZER: Why do you think they still are refusing to do what you and the scientific, the medical community are saying? Why do they still refuse to do that at the White House?

CHRISTIE: Well, I do think there's this illusion because when you go into the White House, at least all four days that I went in for debate prep, I was tested and tested negative. So there's this illusion and it came over me as well that leads people to think, well, they're going into a safe space. It is not a safe space. And that's because there is no safe space from this virus, Wolf. And that's what I wanted everybody to understand.

And now that we see the Moderna vaccine coming out today, the Pfizer vaccine already being administered, we can see light at the end of this tunnel finally. Let's not let our guard down over the next three or four months. Let's work extraordinarily hard to do these things, to put on a mask, to wash our hands, to keep -- stay away from big crowds and staying distanced.

I know it's going to stink for Christmas, Wolf. I know for people who just celebrated has been ka celebrated Hanukkah, who are now getting ready to celebrate Christmas, that this is a real, real, awful time to have to stay away from your relatives and friends. But the fact is that's what we need to do to try to keep this virus under control until the vaccine is available to everyone.

BLITZER: Yes. Even as we're all upbeat and optimistic about the two vaccines that now have been authorized for use here in the United States. The numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, they're exploding right now, record numbers. So all of us -- you're giving very important advice -- have to be extremely careful.

While I have you, Governor, let's talk about a few other issues.

[19:15:01]

What do you make of this reporting that President Trump actually discussed -- it's hard to believe -- invoking martial law in the Oval Office of the White House to try to invalidate Joe Biden's democratically held win?

CHRISTIE: Well, you know, Wolf, if that reporting is true, and I don't have of course knowledge of it, but if that reporting is true, remember the thing that Ronald Reagan used to say, he used to say personnel is policy. And what he meant was that the people who surround you and what they do will help to determine policy.

This is why someone like Michael Flynn never belongs anywhere near the White House, let alone inside the Oval Office and his lawyer Sidney Powell. Now I've been talking about this since the transition in 2016, how dangerous I thought General Flynn was. I sat with him in security briefings with the then-candidate Donald Trump and then with President Donald Trump, and I will tell you, that he is not fit to be giving advice to anyone.

And I think the best advice I can give the president is keep Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell out of the Oval Office, and then those really bad ideas will stay out of the Oval Office as well.

BLITZER: Yes. It's hard to believe that Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn, and Rudy Giuliani, for that mayor -- the former mayor of New York, he was there giving this advice presumably as he said publicly in a radio interview about martial law maybe being implemented in six battleground states to see if this election, which has now been certified by the electoral college, it's been -- everyone, including Bill Barr, the outgoing attorney general, have said there's no evidence of widespread fraud.

Why is the president bringing these people and, for that matter, a man you know, Rudy Giuliani, whatever happened to him?

CHRISTIE: Listen, Wolf, the electoral college has spoken and they speak on behalf of the American people. Their votes represent the votes of the American people. And I said this on election night, Wolf, on a competing network where you know I work. You know, when the president gave his first speech at 2:30 in the morning claiming there was some fraud, I said you cannot say that without showing the evidence. That was November 3rd.

We're now sitting here on December 20th and I still have not seen the evidence nor has any court seen the evidence. In fact, every court that has looked at the evidence has not supported these cases. In fact, it's thrown them out. And so I understand how hard it is to lose an election. I've lost an election, Wolf. And losing hurts. But in the end, when you get in this game, you understand that that's a possibility, you have to live with it, and you have to move on.

And for my Republican colleagues and friends for the party that I've worked my whole life for and will continue to work the rest of my life for, what we need to do now is to move on, win those Senate races in Georgia, keep our majority in the Senate, and we'll work to improve the country going forward.

BLITZER: Very quickly before I let you go, why is the president continuing to fight this? Why is he continuing to insist -- he posted a tweet today -- greatest election fraud in the history of our country. Why is he doing this? Is it simply to raise money for future campaigns?

CHRISTIE: You know, Wolf, I'm not a mind reader. I have been the president's friend for 20 years. I can tell you that I'm not surprised because he has never accepted losing well. He's never accepted losing at all. And so when this has occurred now, and it was a hotly contested election, very competitive election night, as you know, it went on for days afterwards as the votes were being counted, I just don't think the president has yet come to terms personally with having lost.

And he needs to. Because the country needs to have the right type of transition and move on to the next administration. I voted for the president. I supported the president. I helped him prepare for both of his debates this time. And all three of his debates the last time. But in the end, Joe Biden is the president-elect of the United States.

He will be sworn in on January 20th of next year. And we need, as Republicans, to now move on to how we're going to work with the president-elect in places we can, and how we will effectively oppose him and advocate our positions going forward as Republicans, as we move into 2021. That's what we need to be focused on.

You know, elections are always about tomorrow, not about yesterday, Wolf. And in the aftermath of those, my advice is, we need to tear off the rear-view mirror and start looking through the windshield of tomorrow to help the American people get through this COVID crisis and move on to the challenges that still face our country.

BLITZER: Well said, Governor Christie. Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for the public service announcement on the importance of wearing masks. Stay safe out there. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

CHRISTIE: Merry Christmas, Wolf. And to everyone who's out there watching, please wear a mask and stay safe.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. Appreciate it very much.

We're following more breaking news here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Over a dozen countries now ordering strict restrictions on travel to and from the U.K. because of a new variant of the coronavirus, one that officials now say is more easily spread.

[19:20:07]

We're going live to London when we come back.

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BLITZER: Let's turn to Europe now and stunning news as Europe is essentially cutting off links to the U.K. because of a new variant of the coronavirus. Travel between France and the U.K. will now close for 48 hours beginning tonight. This comes as over a dozen other countries have put in major travel restrictions on British citizens after a new COVID-19 variant was detected in the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for an emergency meeting tomorrow.

Joining us now, CNN's Max Foster who's joining us from London, and Richard Quest who's in New York.

Max, what, just days before Christmas, U.K. citizens are now being told they have to stay put, stay in their homes, they're temporarily unwelcomed in other countries, and now I understand there's worry about food supply in the U.K.

[19:25:02]

What is going on? How is the government handling this crisis?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a big question. And the question will be asked of Boris Johnson, I'm sure, tomorrow. So this new variant of the virus spreads at 70 percent, up to 70 percent faster than other variants. This is a concern here. It's concentrated in London and around the southeast of England. But it's actually across the U.K.

The health secretary today saying it's actually out of control. So if you look at the latest numbers, coronavirus cases in the U.K. up by 36,000. That's the today's daily figure. And that's nearly double what it was last week. It does feel like it's out of control. So these flights are being canceled but the bigger concern today, the immediate concern is that France has got this 48-hour ban on trucks or any sort of travel going into the country.

But trucks in particular is the concern across the English Channel. So there are 10,000 trucks traveling across the English Channel every day this time of year. They carry fresh produce so the retailers are very concerned about the shelves going empty effectively in the run-up to Christmas. The Food and Drink Federation saying this has a potential to cause serious disruption to U.K. Christmas fresh food supplies and exports of U.K. food and drink. So the U.K. trucks aren't allowed to go to France, but of course the

French trucks aren't going to want to come over to the U.K. if they're going to be stranded here. Boris Johnson, he's got this emergency meeting tomorrow. It's a Cobra meeting. He'll have to find some sort of response. The retailers are saying, you've got to get France to change his mind here. But there's very little chance of that if you look at the numbers, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. Well, this is a life-and-death issue, obviously.

Stand by, Richard Quest, you're joining us from New York but you're monitoring how the airlines are handling all of this, the markets, how they're reacting. What are you learning?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, first of all, you've got all the airlines deciding that they're not going to fly because obviously there's no point in running planes if the governments won't let people actually travel. So in Italy, in Spain, in Germany, and in France, Belgium, the Netherlands was the first out of the gate when the government in the Netherlands has said that they would not accept any planes or passengers from the United Kingdom.

If you then add onto that the fact that Britain will be in this or the part of Britain, the 17 million people affected in the south and southeast, will be for at least 10 days, possibly longer, you can start to see how this essentially means that Britain is ground to a halt in all real sense. Now on the plus side, it does at this time of the year anyway because Britain is well known for sort of taking a long Christmas break.

But the very nature of this, Wolf, the way in which the level of uncertainty at this time, the number of governments involved, we've heard tonight that Canada, Canada is stopping all inbound flights from the United Kingdom. No doubt the U.S. will be looking -- not -- by the way, not that there's that many passengers on board these planes. But no doubt the U.S. will be looking to do something similar about all of this.

One point to note for those who are worried about this new variant, because it has appeared in other countries including the Netherlands. The U.S. surgeon general believes that whilst this is a greater threat, there's no evidence that the mortality rate is higher as a result of this variant, nor, Wolf, is it believed that the vaccine is affected by it. The vaccine, it's believed at the moment, is still effective against this new variant. But more research needs to be done.

BLITZER: Yes, let's hope. Richard Quest, thank you for that update. We'll see what the United States does about flights coming in from the U.K. See if it follows Canada's example.

Max Foster in London, good luck over there. This is a real crisis that's unfolding.

There's more breaking news we're following. The CDC committee voting on who should be next in line here in the United States to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. We have new information, information you need to know. Stay with us.

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[19:33:38]

BLITZER: Wasting no time as the Moderna vaccine is now approved for distribution, a Federal panel votes to give adults ages 75 and older and essential workers priority in the next round, the second round of vaccine allocation, but some members on the C.D.C. Advisory Committee say it was very hard to put some groups ahead of others.

CNN's Natasha Chen is joining us right now. Natasha, these are extremely difficult choices. Tell us what you learned about today's decision.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, you could tell from the sound of the voices of the committee members on this live stream meeting today that they really struggled to have to put any Americans over others. But that's a necessity at this point because of the limited doses of vaccine that's currently out there.

But what you were talking about just now, the 75 and up, as well as the frontline essential workers that's what they call Phase 1B because the very first, Phase 1A is already underway. Those are healthcare workers, people in long-term care facilities. Those are the images you're seeing of people getting vaccinated.

Now what they voted on today was that group that we just mentioned, 75 and up, frontline essential, and then the phase after that is going to be 65 and up, younger people with high risk medical conditions as well as other essential workers.

That last phase is what they spent more time debating because what is a high risk medical condition? Right now that list includes obesity, diabetes, cancer, et cetera. These issues are shown to be associated with severe COVID-19.

[19:35:10]

CHEN: Now, they did also talk about the successes here, more than half a million people already vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. Here's the Executive Secretary of the advisory committee today talking about that success.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DR. AMANDA C. COHN, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES: This is also really an incredible feat that we have vaccines so quickly. We are hopeful that they will continue to increase production, as well as potentially have new products early next year.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHEN: And to be clear, the frontline essential workers who are next include first responders, teachers, and grocery store workers. The phase after that will include the other essential workers -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We're watching this very, very closely and millions of Americans are watching it as well. These are potentially life-saving developments. Natasha, thank you very much.

We're going to get reaction to what we just heard from our medical experts. This is breaking news we're following. We'll be right back.

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[19:40:10]

BLITZER: A second coronavirus vaccine gets the greenlight here in the United States. A C.D.C. panel determines who is next on the list to get it and the world reacts to that new coronavirus variant in the U.K.

Joining us now to discuss all these late breaking developments, Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Dr. Ashish Jha, the Dean at the Brown University School of Public Health.

Doctors, thanks to both of you for joining us. Thanks for everything you're doing. Dr. Schaffner, what about this C.D.C. Advisory Committee decision? Do you agree with their assessment? Who should be next in line for the vaccine, the second tier of recipients?

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, Wolf, as you have heard, the committee members really had an agonizing time talking about this. And indeed, they have been studying this very carefully for quite a few weeks now.

And yes, I agree with it. The next group after healthcare workers, as well as residents in long-term care facilities, will now be people who are 75 years of age and older, and frontline, essential workers. Those are the two large groups, and then after them, 65 and older, and those younger than 65, who have underlying health conditions, and the remainder of the essential workers. These are large groups, we will take some time to reach out to them, get them in and get them vaccinated.

But these are firm forward steps in the delivery of these now two vaccines, I'm pleased to say, two vaccines that we have to make a dent on the transmission of this virus.

BLITZER: What do you think about it, Dr. Jha, what about people who do have these underlying conditions, whether lung related issues, heart related issues, cancer, even if they're under 65? Should they have to wait for the third tier?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: You know, Wolf, as Dr. Schaffner said, these are hard decisions. I think the committee got it right. What we know is that the single biggest predictor of risk is age, and people over 75 are at very substantially increased risk. So I think targeting that group and allowing them to get vaccinated,

along with essential workers seems very reasonable to me. Again, obviously, we all wish we had all the vaccine in the world that we could get everybody vaccinated immediately. But I think this tiering saves lives, probably that's the best on reducing transmission, tough needle to like, kind of thread here, but I think they did a good job.

BLITZER: Yes, it's really, really hard, and these are critically important decisions. Let me get both you to weigh in because we're hearing these disturbing reports, Dr. Jha about very wealthy people trying to actually jump the line by offering to pay for a vaccine or make some large contribution to some hospital or university. How do you ensure that the vaccines go to the right people?

JHA: Yes, Wolf, this is really important. I've heard stories along those lines as well. I think we've got to do a good job of really tightly controlling the vaccine and making sure people who need it the most would benefit the most are the ones who get it first.

And I think the idea that you can somehow pay to cut in line, obviously goes against both public health measures and our sensibility of fairness. And it's really important that universities and hospitals safeguard against this kind of behavior.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Schaffner, I want to get your reaction to these very disturbing reports, and we've been reporting on it coming out of the U.K. right now where scientists say they've actually identified what they describe as a new COVID variant that could potentially could be 70 percent more contagious.

We're seeing multiple countries now banning flights from the U.K. France is closing the tunnel, preventing trucks from going into the U.K. through the -- you know, it's just a terrible situation right now. What do you make of this new variant, this new COVID variant?

SCHAFFNER: Well, Wolf, I'm awfully interested in it. I haven't seen the data yet that support that notion. But it must be a pretty good bunch of data, because these governments are now acting on it in a very serious way.

This virus apparently this variant of the virus spreads more readily. This was already an extraordinarily contagious virus. Imagine it spreading even more readily.

Now, it doesn't make you more seriously ill, but it does spread more readily, and the vaccine should continue to be effective against it. So those are two good things in the midst of this turmoil now that we see.

BLITZER: Give us some perspective, Dr. Jha, this new COVID variant that apparently is now in London and some other areas in the U.K.

[19:45:01]

JHA: Yes, so these kinds of -- I mean, so first of all variants pop up all the time. That's not unusual in a pandemic. There is some evidence emerging that this is indeed a variant that is more contagious. And my sense is, it's not limited to London and we've seen it in other places, including in Denmark.

And so I expect that if this ends up being a really big thing, it will grow in other areas as well. Again, the key issue is the things we know to prevent the infection, the hand washing, mask wearing, distancing, all that will still work, and then the vaccines will continue to work.

Again, I think this is important, but we shouldn't panic by any stretch. It doesn't fundamentally alter the dynamics of what we're trying to achieve here.

BLITZER: And we will see if the United States follows the example of other countries about banned flights, at least temporarily from the U.K. coming in to the United States. We'll watch that very closely.

Dr. Jha, Dr. Schaffner, thanks to both of you very much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

We have an important note for our viewers. Join Anderson Cooper to learn how the country defeated the 1918 pandemic. The new CNN Special Report begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right after our special SITUATION ROOM and we'll be right back.

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[19:50:42]

BLITZER: There's even more confirmation tonight that the White House just can't let go of the election loss. The Trump Campaign announced today, it is waging yet another legal battle to try to overturn the results. This time petitioning the United States Supreme Court to overturn Pennsylvania High Court rulings on mail-in balloting. They're seeking to vacate the appointment of electors committed to President- elect Joe Biden allowing the General Assembly to select their replacements.

Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is joining us right now. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much for joining us. What do you make of this? The Trump campaign again, asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn your state's election results?

LT. GOV. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): I don't think how anyone could conclude otherwise that the Trump campaign has a significant fetish for public humiliation. So I mean, we've got a beating for every case they want to submit and bring it on.

BLITZER: Are you worried at all that something might happen in the U.S. Supreme Court? The last time this came before the Supreme Court, they rejected it unanimously saying there was no legal standing.

FETTERMAN: Going up here, yes, I mean, keep sending them on, we'll keep cracking them over the fence. I mean, like, let's go. Every fifth beating in Pennsylvania is on us. So like, keep sending them our way. BLITZER: Do the reports, Lieutenant Governor, of what we have been

describing as these Oval Office conversations about martial law potentially being imposed in the United States to overturn the democratically held election -- the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States, what do you make of these reports?

FETTERMAN: I just find it's it. I don't pay any attention to it whatsoever. It's just a bunch of dead-enders and losers spit-balling crazy.

It's no different if they were sitting at a corner bar, you know, talking. I mean, it doesn't matter. They relegated themselves to the fringe, whether it's online trolls, or whether it's just some random sitting around spit-balling about, you know, oh, whatever. It doesn't have any reflection in reality. It's not going anywhere.

BLITZER: And yes, it certainly isn't, but let's say hypothetically, Lieutenant Governor, that this fight that somehow this legal fight got kicked back to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, do you think Pennsylvania legislators would actually go along with it, overturn the will of the millions of people who voted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?

FETTERMAN: They couldn't. By definition, their results would be overturned as well, too, and they wouldn't exist. So they literally have a circular firing squad if they win this case, in your hypothetical, that would completely undo all of their elections and we wouldn't have a General Assembly to even do anything.

So it's, it's like, LOL, but yes, well, you know, just keep sending them our way. We'll just keep cracking them over the fence.

BLITZER: I don't know if Rudy Giuliani who signed this statement from the Trump Campaign about once again, appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court knows that the Electoral College, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, have officially certified that Biden won the election, Trump lost the election.

I don't know if they appreciate what's going on right now, because it's really disturbing to see this. They are refusing to give up, and as you correctly point out, the majority, the vast majority, almost all of President Trump's legal battles to overturn the results of the election have ended in failure.

For a President who is often concerned about the optics of failure what's his endgame? Why do you think he is doing this right now? My suspicion has been it's a good way to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in potential campaign money.

FETTERMAN: Well, whatever he raises, that's how much you know that dignity is worth because, I can't imagine a process any less dignified than what continues to go on. I mean, it's illogical. It is amusing.

I mean, just to step back and watch. I mean, everyone has known since November 3rd, how this movie is going to end, no matter how they capitulate, no matter all the public snake handling and carnival barking hasn't changed one single race, one single state.

The movie, you know, ends with Joe Biden being sworn in on January 20th. Deal with it.

[19:55:02]

BLITZER: Yes, I don't know if they appreciate that Biden won by more than seven million votes nationally in the popular vote and he crushed it in the Electoral College, too. Yes, go ahead and make a final point.

FETTERMAN: Yes, I mean, the Electoral College, I mean, I don't know what universe they're living in, but any conceivable one has Joe Biden winning. You know, whether it's in Republican states like Arizona or Georgia, or whether it's Democratic states like Wisconsin, Michigan or my own state. You know, there's no good news anywhere.

BLITZER: Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Thanks so much for joining us.

FETTERMAN: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news this hour up on Capitol Hill where congressional leaders have finally, finally agreed on a $900 billion COVID relief bill.

We're going live to Capitol Hill when we come back.

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