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Will Congress Override Trump's Military Bill Veto?; Interview With Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA); House Votes To Increase COVID Relief Checks To $2,000; U.S. Tops 334,000 COVID Deaths And 19.2 Million Cases As Fauci Warns Of Surge Upon Surge After Holidays; Biden Condemns Nashville Bombing, Thanks First Responders; Interview With Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR). Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 28, 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]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm Jim Acosta in THE SITUATION ROOM.

And we are following breaking news. The House just passed a measure to increase stimulus checks to many Americans from $600 to $2,000. That's what Democrats and President Trump wanted, after he finally signed a sweeping relief bill into law following days of delay and disruption.

Up next, the House will vote on overriding the president's veto of a key defense bill. Both votes are critical tests of Republicans' willingness to defy the president, this as president-elect Joe Biden is slamming what he calls the irresponsibility of Trump administration officials, accusing them of putting up roadblocks for his transition team.

It's more evidence of unnecessary turmoil on the outgoing president's watch, as the coronavirus is raging like never before. Tonight, more than 334,000 Americans are dead, and more than 19.2 million have been infected.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning of a surge upon a surge of new cases after holiday gatherings and travel.

Let's go right to CNN Congressional Correspondent, Phil Mattingly.

Phil, we just got a vote total in. Tell us more.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, 275 to 134.

And that means, in the Democratic-led House, a bill has passed to expand those direct payments. Now, this was in response to President Trump himself, when he initially pretty much stopped the process of signing the very large COVID relief and spending bill into law.

One of his demands? Increasing those direct payments, those stimulus checks in that measure from $600 to $2,000. Democratic leader said, OK, let's do it. They tried last week by unanimous consent. Republicans blocked that. This time around, they did it under suspension of the rules, which, without getting too deep into the procedural weeds here, they needed two-thirds of those present to vote for it in order for it to pass.

And they just barely, just barely crossed that threshold. About 130, a little north of 130 Republicans, Jim, voted against this measure. And you want to put it bluntly, this was an extremely difficult vote for Republicans, who, from an economic orthodoxy perspective, generally don't want any part of giving direct payments out or generally are opposed to it.

However, they were facing the pressure from the president himself, somebody that, over the course of the last four years, Jim, as you know better than anybody, they have been unceasingly loyal to.

So, how did they vote? Well, they ended up dividing. About 40 Republicans voted with Democrats for this measure. A little more than 130 voted against. Now, of course, this means it will head over to the Senate.

As it currently stands, President Trump says he has a commitment to at least start the procedural votes on the $2,000 direct payments bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell up to this point has not said anything about what that process would be. Jim, we expect him to lay that out tomorrow when the Senate comes into session.

ACOSTA: And, Phil, as you know, there are two critical votes happening this evening, the other one being the Defense Authorization Act.

And Republicans are in a pickle on this one as well, as you know, Phil, because some of these Republicans who voted for this defense authorization bill may not be able to muster up the courage to defy the president and vote to override his veto.

How is that breaking down at this hour?

MATTINGLY: Yes, Jim, you're always reluctant to put too much into a single vote or a single couple of votes, particularly on the House floor.

But given everything we have seen since November 3, given where the president has been and, frankly, given where the Republican Party has been over the course of the last four years, these two votes are fascinating.

The National Defense Authorization is a bill that has passed Congress in a bipartisan manner, usually with very big votes, for 60 years now; 59 of those years, it has been signed into law. This was the first time it was vetoed by President Trump.

You noted some Republicans who are very supportive of this measure, who are very -- consider themselves national security Republicans, like House Majority -- or House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, said he will vote against the National Defense Authorization Act because he wants to sustain the president's veto.

So, how Republicans come down on this issue, whether or not they're willing to override the veto of the president that they have been so loyal to, but who won't be in office here in just a matter of weeks, is going to be very, very interesting how it breaks down.

Jim, I will tell you one thing. Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, well-respected by both parties, made very clear, without mentioning the president's name at all on a floor speech before this vote was to take place, that it was a matter of, this is the same exact bill the vast majority of Republicans voted for last time around.

As he said, not a single comma has been changed. How do they vote this time around, given where the president sits? Well, it's going to go a long way to telling you what the Republican Party, at least the House Republican Conference, is going to be doing in the weeks and months ahead, given where President Trump's role in the party continues to sit -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, Phil, there used to be a problem in Washington when you were for something before you were against it. But we will talk about that in a little bit.

All right, let's go to Kaitlan Collins. She's covering the White House. She's down in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Kaitlan, the president got what he wanted from the House, at least so far, but its fate in the Senate is not clear when it comes to these stimulus checks.

[18:05:02]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not.

And Phil's right. McConnell made no mention of this in his statement yesterday, so we will have to wait until tomorrow to see what he actually says about this. But when the president did finally agree to sign that coronavirus relief bill yesterday, after sitting on it for several days, one of the statements that he had included when he did sign it was he said he wanted the Senate to consider this $2,000 stimulus check proposal that, of course, he and Democrats agree on.

But it is not clear where the Republican majority leader is going to go with this. And so what you have seen in all of this effort was really -- could have been unnecessary. And the president's own aides are viewing it that way, Jim, because, of course, he was completely uninvolved in the negotiations, so they did not know the president was going to threaten to not sign that bill over these stimulus payments and wanting them to be $2,000, instead of $600, when it was his own team that had negotiated it.

And, of course, he signed it yesterday, only delaying it, while, ultimately, not changing anything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It really is a disgrace.

COLLINS (voice-over): blasting it for days, President Trump gave in and sign the pandemic relief bill overnight, ending a drama that he created, while getting nothing in return for his theatrics.

TRUMP: I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000.

COLLINS: Trump threatened to derail the $900 billion bill in part over the size of stimulus checks, surprising his own staff, who had spent weeks negotiating it.

But he finally signed it at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida Sunday night without getting what he demanded, despite promising on the campaign trail to be a dealmaker.

TRUMP: Great deals. We only make great deals. America first.

COLLINS: Trump's signing delay caused two government unemployment programs to run dry, guaranteeing a lapse in benefits for millions of Americans.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Because of Trump's shenanigans, there was a one-week delay.

COLLINS: In addition to funding the government through September, the package provides billions for vaccine distribution, funding for schools and money for small businesses.

Republicans were practically begging Trump to sign it.

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): I understand he wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is, he will be advocate -- he will be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior, if he allows this to expire.

COLLINS: Not all of the president's allies were relieved he gave in.

Referencing his efforts to contest the election, a senior White House official asked CNN: "Why should any of his supporters fight for him, when he quit on trying to get them more than a measly $600?"

Others in the GOP were fearful his efforts could hurt the party ahead of a critical Senate run-off in Georgia, where Republican candidates were already touting the bill.

SEN. DAVID PERDUE (R-GA): And I'm so proud to be able to bring that relief back to Georgia.

COLLINS: Trump announced he will hold a rally for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler next week, though some Republicans are bracing for it to be more about his election loss than their race.

TRUMP: Because we're all -- we're all victims, everybody here, all these thousands of people here tonight. COLLINS: As he vacations in Palm Beach, the White House has insisted Trump is holding many meetings and calls, though he was spotted by CNN cameras on the golf course again today

Given all of his other efforts to overturn the election have failed, sources say Trump is now laser-focused on causing a disruption January 6, when Congress meets to ratify Joe Biden's win. The process is only procedural, but because it's overseen by the vice president, Mike Pence, Trump will be looking for loyalty from his top deputy.

Hinting at a possible spectacle, the president tweeted: "See you in Washington, D.C., on January 6. Don't miss it. Information to follow."

But even the president's allies are growing tired of his efforts. "The New York Post" editorial board, which has been friendly to Trump his entire presidency, is now urging him to -- quote -- "stop the insanity," writing: "You had every right to investigate the election. But let's be clear. Those efforts have found nothing."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now, Jim, on top of all of that, a Republican congressman, Louie Gohmert, has now filed a lawsuit against the vice president, Mike Pence, trying once again in another far-fetched effort to overturn the results of the election, basically arguing that Pence will have that ability on January 6, when Congress does meet, though, of course, the vice president will not have that ability to do that.

Basically, his role in that procedure is just a ceremonial one. But it is this effort again by the president and his allies to try to change the results of election that they have failed to do so far in the weeks since November.

And so, while this lawsuit isn't going to go anywhere, it's incredibly far-fetched, Jim, what it does do is put the vice president in an incredibly awkward position, because, of course, he wants to prove his loyalty to the president, but he has political ambitions of his own.

So what he's actually going to do on January 6 remains to be seen.

ACOSTA: OK, Kaitlan.

Now to president-elect Joe Biden and his new combination of transition roadblocks that he's blaming on Trump political appointees.

[18:10:00]

CNN Political Correspondent, M.J. Lee has more on that.

M.J., Biden says his team is not getting all the national security information that it needs at this point.

M.J. LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jim. We heard Joe Biden expressing real alarm, after meeting with members of his foreign policy and National Security Agency review teams. Remember, this official transition process was already delayed because

the GSA was slow in the ascertainment process. And now we're hearing the president-elect say that he is seeing obstruction from some parts of the Trump government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.

LEE (voice-over): Tonight, president-elect Joe Biden's slamming the Trump administration for what he says has been far short of full cooperation during the transition process.

BIDEN: We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget.

LEE: After getting briefed by members of his national security and foreign policy agency review teams, Biden accusing Trump officials of political obstruction.

BIDEN: For some agencies, our teams received exemplary cooperation from the career staff in those agencies. From others, most notably, the Department of Defense, we encountered obstruction from the political leadership of that department.

LEE: Biden also laying out some of the most urgent foreign policy challenges his administration will confront come January, saying major federal agencies have been handicapped under President Trump.

BIDEN: Many of them have been hollowed out in personnel, capacity and in morale, in the policy processes that have atrophied or have been sidelined, in the despair of our alliances and the disrepair of those alliances.

LEE: This as the country braces for post-Christmas spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country, Dr. Anthony Fauci saying he agrees with Biden's earlier prediction...

BIDEN: Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us.

LEE: ... that the worst of the pandemic is still to come.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID DIRECTOR: We very well might see a post- seasonal, in the sense of Christmas, New Year's, surge. I share the concern of president-elect Biden that, as we get into the next few weeks, it might actually get worse.

LEE: Just a little over three weeks out from Inauguration Day, Biden building out the rest of his administration. The most prominent Cabinet positions still outstanding? Attorney general. The top two contenders for the role remain Judge Merrick Garland and Senator Doug Jones.

Other major appointments still to come, CIA director, secretary of commerce, secretary of labor and SBA administrator.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: Now, as Biden was leaving that speech earlier today, he was asked whether he supports $2,000 in direct payments for COVID-19 relief.

He did say, yes, he does support those payments. He also is going to be giving a speech here in Wilmington tomorrow on COVID-19,this, of course, as there are real concerns about spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country after the holidays. Pretty jarring to see there Biden predicting before the Christmas holidays that he thinks the darkest days may be ahead of us when it comes to the virus -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. M.J. Lee, thank you very, very much for that.

Let's bring back CNN White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, CNN Congressional Correspondent, Phil Mattingly, and along with CNN Senior Political Analyst, David Gergen.

David, President Trump threw a wrench into all of these critical pieces of legislation. And now some Republicans are going to be on the record voting against bigger stimulus checks. And I suppose some of these Republicans will be on the record voting against a defense bill that, as Phil was mentioning earlier, typically passes every year without any controversy or much controversy at all.

What do you make of all this chaos?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, amidst all the chaos, we are facing a really interesting test now of Donald Trump's continuing strength among Republicans, especially in the House and the Senate.

We all thought coming into this weekend, on the defense authorization, he would win the -- his veto would be -- he would win on that, and he would not -- his signature on that bill. With 80 votes in the Senate and 335 in the House, nobody thought that the House or the Senate might override this veto -- I mean, would -- that he would lose this.

But -- so, right now, we're in a situation of trying to figure out, can Donald Trump sustain himself on the defense bill, on the stimulus bill, and on the $200 -- the $600 vs. $2000? Can he win those votes or not?

If he wins them, we're all going to say, wow, he has much more strength than we thought. If he loses them, which I think is still more likely -- it's still more likely on all three that he's not going to come out well -- then he's going to be seen as having suffered stinging defeats.

[18:15:07]

And the argument will be, he checked out of the presidency way too early, and he let these things get past him. So, we will have to wait and see.

It's a night of drama, a couple days of drama, really, Jim, as we go forward.

ACOSTA: Well, 2020 wouldn't add any other way.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Phil Mattingly, it doesn't look good for Republicans to vote against these bigger stimulus checks -- this is a position that the president put them in -- and against the defense spending bill.

What is Mitch McConnell going to do about this? Now he's in a -- now he is in a position where he may have to stand against these bigger checks.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's going to be fascinating to see how he plays this. And I think most people work under the assumption that McConnell, the Senate majority leader, will have some strategic way to thread the needle and do what he tries to do more than anything else, which is protect his conference, protect the 53 members of the Senate Republican Conference, as it currently stands -- or 52, now that Mark Kelly has been sworn in down in Arizona.

I think the interesting element, the most interesting element -- and David kind of gets at a key point here, is, we're all trying to figure out what this means for the Republican Party. Are these votes serving as proxies for where Donald Trump will sit?

Are these votes serving as proxies for how the Republican Party will approach economic theory over the course of the next couple of weeks, when you have a Josh Hawley or a Marco Rubio kind of lining up from a populist perspective.

But I think most interesting at all is the George Senate race. It's the Georgia Senate race. And there's no other way to look at it. You had -- David Perdue was over the course of the last several days crucial to getting Donald Trump on board to sign onto the stimulus.

However, neither he nor Kelly Loeffler have said they would support the $2,000 stimulus checks up to this point. They have had some caveats in there. But where they stand, this is a bad vote for two members of the United States Senate who are up for reelection in a matter of days, given the fact that giving people money, particularly given the economic times that we're in right this moment, polls pretty darn well.

And so how Mitch McConnell navigates this over the course the next couple of days, how procedurally he decides to put this onto the Senate floor, is going to be very, very interesting to see, because, Jim, as you noted, as David noted as well, Kaitlan noted it earlier, the president has put his party in a difficult spot on this very specific issue, because, frankly, it polls quite well.

And there's a very, very important set of run-off elections coming up in a couple days.

ACOSTA: Yes, who wants $600 checks when you can have $2,000 checks? I mean, it's just as simple as that. And, Kaitlan, I talked to an adviser earlier today who was saying that

what the president really wanted throughout all of this was just coverage. He just wanted attention. Where are things headed after these votes? What kind of sway is he going to have over the process in the Senate? Will Mitch McConnell listen to him?

COLLINS: Well, that's the big question. So we will wait to find out.

But the president certainly has been lashing out at Mitch McConnell. One of the reasons for that has not been the size of these stimulus checks and what's in this proposal, but it's been over the fact that McConnell did something that the president does not want people doing, which is acknowledging reality and acknowledging that Biden has won the election.

So, you have seen the president lash out at McConnell. He's lashed out at John Thune, the number two. And so that's what you're seeing the president is, he is more unpredictable than ever. People inside the White House don't even know what his strategy is, if there's one at all with this, because they were just as surprised as the rest of us were, including people on Capitol Hill, when the president threatened to derail the coronavirus bill that he finally signed last night.

So, basically, where the president is, is more unpredictable than they have ever seen, which is pretty unpredictable, if you know this president and how the last four years have gone.

So, they're not really sure what the president is going to do between now and January 20.

ACOSTA: And I suspect, Kaitlan, that's exactly how it likes it.

All right, thanks so much, all of you, for that.

We're following the breaking news up on Capitol Hill, the House just voting to increase stimulus checks to $2,000. And a vote on overriding President Trump's veto of a defense spending bill is under way right now. We're monitoring that.

And I will get reaction from a key House member, Representative John Garamendi. He's joining us live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:22:10]

ACOSTA: We're back with breaking news, the House voting a short while ago to increase stimulus checks to many Americans from $600 to $2,000.

And now a vote is under way on whether to override President Trump's veto of a key defense bill.

And let's get more on all of this with Representative John Garamendi, Democrat of California, member of the Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, Democrats want these $2,000 checks. But does President Trump have the leverage with his own party to get these Senate Republicans to go along? What is your expectation your end?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, I think the people of America not only want, but absolutely need that money.

This is what they're going to need to survive for the next three, four months, until Biden comes into office, and we go to the second step of solving this COVID pandemic crisis.

But they need it. You can't get by on $600 for three months, four months. So, they do need it.

What will the Senate do? I hope that they put aside the bully boy, otherwise known as Donald Trump, who's bullied them for the better part of four-and-a-half years, and come to their senses and vote for their constituents. Vote for America's families.

ACOSTA: And how does -- what do you make of some of your Republican colleagues voting for this defense bill, and whether they're going to now backtrack and vote to uphold the president's veto?

Phil Mattingly was talking earlier about this, how, typically, this bill is not very controversial. Everybody wants to get on board and support the troops and so on.

What do you make of what's happening with your Republican colleagues here?

GARAMENDI: Well, once again, they must do what's right here.

This is a fundamental national security issue. If this veto is not overcome, and we do not have a National Defense Authorization Act, the authority of the military to do almost everything it must do to protect this nation, from cybersecurity, to ships and planes and guns and gasoline and fuel, and all of the other tasks that the U.S. military has around the world, will not be able to go forward.

This is a fundamental stop sign, if the Republicans refuse to override the veto. Now, why did the president do the veto in the first place? Apparently, because he didn't get his way. He didn't get his way putting something that had nothing to do with national defense into the bill, which is called Section 230, which would have given him, had he been -- his way, would have given him the opportunity to sue Facebook and Google and other folks that he believes have not been nice to him.

ACOSTA: And what message does all this send to Americans on the brink of eviction, families going hungry, military families making sacrifices, when they see all of this going on?

GARAMENDI: They have just got to shake their head and say, my God, what's come of America? What's come of the greatest nation in this world?

[18:25:04]

What kind of leadership do we have with the president? It's plain, it's painfully plain to see the way in which confusion, chaos and corruption has overtaken the administration. And it's led by the president.

He's created chaos for the last four years, whether it has to do with Iran or North Korea or China, you name it, or the European Union, or climate change, chaos, confusion. And God knows there's enough corruption to go around to cover the whole thing, with one crime after another.

ACOSTA: OK.

All right, Congressman John Garamendi with some strong words there. We appreciate it.

Good talking to you, and happy holidays. We will see you in the new year. Thank you.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

Be safe.

ACOSTA: You as well.

More breaking news ahead on the race to vaccinate Americans and the growing threat of coronavirus surge upon a surge, as Dr. Fauci is calling it.

We're monitoring that as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

ACOSTA: Tonight, health experts are ramping up their warnings about a post-holiday surge of COVID-19, the soaring death toll and case count, failing to discourage many Americans from traveling and partying.

CNN National Correspondent Athena Jones is following all of the breaking news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think we're going to see a spike.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As America braces for a post-holiday surge in new coronavirus infections, December marks the deadliest month of a pandemic that has seen a staggering death toll, 1 out of every 1,000 Americans losing their life to COVID-19 with no end in sight. This as the TSA says nearly 1.3 million people passed through airport security checkpoints Sunday alone, the number of passengers hitting near or more than a million for six of the past ten days, millions more hitting the roads over the holiday.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I have described it as a surge upon a surge because if you look at the slope, the incline of cases that we've experienced as we've gone into the late fall and soon to be early winter, it is really quite troubling that might actually get worse.

JONES: Concerns mounting as hospitals across the country report more than 100,000 COVID-19 patients for the 26th day in a row, six states setting record hospitalizations Sunday, as the country approaches 20 million COVID infections, an influential model from University of Washington now projecting more than 567,000 deaths by April.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, here we go.

JONES: Meanwhile, vaccinations continue to be rolled out nationwide. So far, about 2.1 million doses of vaccine have been administered out of a nearly 11.5 million delivered, a far cry from the 20 million people Operation Warp Speed estimated would be inoculated this month.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's also less than 1 percent of what we need in order to get to immunity. So I think what we need at this point is not a justification of how well we're doing but rather an understanding of what went wrong. It's expected that there are hiccups, that there are bumps in the road, but what were they? Because without that, we won't have the course correction that's needed.

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: The idea that we going to get to 20 million vaccinations by the end of the year, that's probably unrealistic at this point.

JONES: More vaccine candidates are making their way through the pipeline, Novavax announcing today the beginning of phase three trails in the U.S. and Mexico. This as nursing home residents in New Jersey began being inoculated today, like 103 year old Mildred Clements, who New Jersey's governor said, survived the 1918 flu pandemic.

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): Today, she represents the resiliency and fighting spirit of New Jersey.

JONES: So did residents and staff at the Kirkland, Washington Nursing Home that was an early epicenter of the pandemic.

NANCY BUTNER, VICE PRESIDETN, LIFE CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA NORTHWEST DIVISION: I think healing will take a long time. But to know that it won't happen again is amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on camera): And to put all this in perspective. More than 5.5 million new COVID cases reported this month. That's more cases than France and United Kingdom combined, have reported the entire pandemic and it's likely an undercount since half the states didn't report new case or death numbers on Christmas Day. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right Athena Jones, thank you very much.

Joining me, Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Jha, thank you so much. The TSA says more than 1.2 million people traveled through airports on Sunday, the highest number since March 15th. How bad could this coronavirus Christmas surge get?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. So, Jim, thanks for having me on. You know, those numbers are concerning. And, again, I understand why it's happening. People are tired, they want to see family and friends. But the problem is that we have so much infection in the community, more than 200,000 getting infected every day, and hospitals are really (INAUDIBLE) across the country, hospitals are full. So I'm very worried with those travel numbers and we're going to see another surge in the days and weeks ahead.

ACOSTA: And Dr. Fauci, as you know, he agrees with President-elect Biden, that the worst is still yet to come. How do Americans grapple with that so many months into this crisis? Do people just become numb? Have they become numb?

JHA: Yes. I think most Americans still are paying attention to how bad things are. And when they say the worst is yet to come, I think what we really mean is January. January will probably end up being the worst month of this pandemic. It's going to be close between December and January because December was so bad.

What I am saying to folks is like you can't become numb now. We're so close to the finish line. We've got to get through January and February, we'll start getting better. And by March and April, I think things will be meaningfully better. But January will be a pretty hard month for this country.

ACOSTA: And, Dr. Jha, Admiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House task force, explains the gap between vaccines delivered and vaccines actually administered in arms by saying this is a reporting delay, is that part of it or are there deeper issues here? Because when you look at the numbers, it looks like there's a problem.

JHA: Yes. You know, they have -- even early December, folks from the White House were saying 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of December. That's three days away, and we're at 2 million. And so we're not going to get that number. And now, the -- it's -- well, maybe we'll get 20 million delivered sometime in January.

So I do think we have a problem. I think one part of the problem is that the federal government has thought that their responsibility ends when the vaccine gets delivered to the states. There's a lot of work of getting the vaccine from the state into people's arms and we needed a clear set of plans than we've had on that.

ACOSTA: Yes, it just doesn't make sense to me because when you talk to people, they say, well, I want the vaccine right away and yet here we are with what appears to be some lag time between the vaccines being delivered and actually vaccinating people out there who want to get the vaccine. How do we speed this up?

JHA: Yes. I mean, you know, you're hearing from the manufacturers like Pfizer saying they've got millions of doses sitting around waiting for those vaccine doses to be allocated. And I appreciate that the folks in the Operation Warp Speed are working pretty hard here, but we really do have to ramp this up.

Things are in a crisis and we cannot get into big delays. We're seeing other countries like Israel and Canada and other places moving much, much faster. We can do much better than we're doing.

ACOSTA: Yes, Operation Warp Speed should include more than getting us to a vaccine. It has to be speedy in terms of vaccinating people.

And Novavax announced the start of the phase three trials for its vaccine candidate today, and it also says it's testing the vaccine against the U.K. variant of the virus, which is obviously very concerning. How big of a step is this?

JHA: Yes, it's really helpful. Look, there are two other vaccines that I am optimistic about, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, both of which we're going to hear about in January at some point. Their data should come in. And Novavax should be soon thereafter.

So, look, we need all the vaccines we can get. We have got to vaccinate more than 7 billion people around the world. It's more than 300 million Americans. It will be helpful to have Novavax in that mix as well.

ACOSTA: All right. We're hoping for all those vaccines to get out as quickly as possible. Dr. Ashish Jha, thanks so much for joining us. We always appreciate the expertise.

And just ahead, new bombing of the -- a new video of the bombing in Nashville as authorities hunt for a motive after identifying the suspect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

ACOSTA: This afternoon, President-elect Joe Biden thanked emergency workers who responded to the Christmas explosion that heavily damaged part of Downtown Nashville. Aside from a White House statement Friday morning thanking first responders, President Trump has yet to comment publicly on the suspected suicide bombing.

CNN's Martin Savidge is following the investigation in Nashville for us. Martin, what's the latest?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, authorities were quick to identify Anthony Warner as the suspect in the bombing. It could take them longer to figure out what motivated him.

Meanwhile, CNN has learned of a conversation the neighbor had the last one with Warner just before Christmas, which the neighbor asked Warner if Santa was going to bringing him something good for Christmas, and Warner replied yes, he is going to make me more famous, so famous the people of Nashville will never forget me. Meanwhile, the search for answers goes on tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice over): It's a blast that shook an entire city and captured the attention of the entire country. This new CNN video shows federal agents combing through the rubble days after the blast. Authorities are trying to figure out what motivated 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner to carry out the Nashville Christmas Day bombing.

DOUGLAS KORNESKI, SPECIAL AGENT, MEMPHIS FIELD OFFICE: We're still following leads. But right now, there is no indication that any other persons were involved.

SAVIDGE: Those who knew the self-employed computer guru also struggle to understand. In the community where Warner lived, residents say the first sign something was wrong was when law enforcement showed up at his home Friday night. Neighbors describe Warner as reclusive, a person who might occasionally offer a wave but not much else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know like who your neighbors are.

SAVIDGE: Neighbors also say they knew about the R.V. seen here on Google Street View at Warner's house. It appears to match the one captured by security cameras in Downtown Nashville 1:22 A.M., Christmas Day, hours before it exploded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It started moving here like about a month ago, but before that, it never moved at all.

SAVIDGE: The accounts of the first officers on the scene before the blast only add to the mystery of the man police believe was inside that R.V. watching them, playing a recording.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can hear this message, evacuate now.

OFC. TYLER LUELLEN, METRO NASHVILLE POLICE: There is a large bomb within this vehicle, your primary objective is to evacuate.

SAVIDGE: There was also the music, the 1964 hit single, Downtown, Officer James Wells heard the music, heard a voice inside of him that told him to turn around.

OFC. JAMES WELLS, METRO NASHVILLE POLICE: The music stopped. And as I am walking back towards hopping (ph) now, I just see orange and then I hear a loud boom.

SAVIDGE: Six Metro Nashville police officers are considered heroes for going door to door and warning residents to get out before the blast.

[18:45:02]

Some wonder if there's a significance about where the explosion occurred, in front of an AT&T telephone facility, the blast knocking out or curtailing phone and Internet coverage to much of the region.

Did Warner have paranoia of the new 5G service, something widely talked about online?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not in a position we can speculate on that now.

SAVIDGE: Authorities haven't revealed what type of explosive Warner used to make the blast that damaged at least 41 buildings, and add, Warner was not previously known to them.

DAVID RAUSCH, DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: He was not on our radar. He was not someone that was identified as a person of interest, for the bureau.

SAVIDGE: Somehow, Anthony Warner was able to gather the components and material to make his powerful bomb, without ever triggering warning signs to law enforcement.

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Unfortunately, it's not that hard in this country to assemble the chemicals and the equipment that you need to construct an improvised explosive device. You're not going to catch every single instance of someone going out and buying, you know, fertilizer or peroxide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (on camera): We want to show you again the new video, Jim, that CNN was able to get this afternoon of the blast site, because it is just so striking. The head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says, it is clear that the bomber his intent was more for devastation rather than loss of life. And the devastation is definitely there, Jim.

ACOSTA: That video is extraordinary.

All right. Martin Savidge, thank you so much.

And just ahead, more on the House vote that saw dozens of Republicans defy the president wishes, I'll get reaction from the Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, he's standing by.

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[18:51:28]

ACOSTA: And we've got breaking news. It appears the House has enough votes to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, a key defense bill whose faith has been uncertain in certain days after the president vetoed that legislation. We're getting new Republican reaction to those House votes tonight, but you're looking at live pictures at this very moment of members of the House of Representatives, voting to override President Trump's veto of that defense bill.

The House right now appears to be on track to do that. We're monitoring it. We'll have more of that breaking information as it develops.

But, first, we're joined now by the Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson.

Governor Hutchinson, thanks for joining us.

First of all, what do you make of the fact that the House appears to be on track to override this veto -- president's veto of the defense bill? As you know, we don't see vetoes overridden very often in this town. And we're seeing that happen this evening.

GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R), ARKANSAS: Well, I think it's important, that Defense Authorization Act go into law. Our military families are dependent upon that. It's a pay increase for them, well-deserved.

And so, this is critical, from a national security standpoint, that that be enacted. I hope that that will continue down that path. We don't need a delay there.

It is obviously, whenever you have President-elect Biden coming in, you have a shorter amount of time for President Trump, it's unusual to see this kind of political drama in Washington. But in the end, I'm delighted the stimulus package got signed into law and that's what we're focusing on, getting that relief to Arkansans and Americans that needed so much during this time of year.

ACOSTA: Well, what about the $2,000 checks? We know the stimulus package was passed, that only includes $600 checks. What about $2,000 checks? Would you like to see those passed?

HUTCHINSON: Let's think through that just for a second. You had and I was very impressed at the election, you had a bipartisan group of senators that came together and said, let's reach this compromise. It grew in momentum. The House signed on to it. Speaker Pelosi signed on to it. Secretary Mnuchin signed on to it, speaking for the administration.

They said, this is a good place to be. Let's get this $600 out the door, plus the unemployment enhanced benefits, plus the assistance to the states, in so many different areas that's critical; small business relief as well.

And so, that is what they agreed to as what is necessary right now. Let's look at the rest of it down the road.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: If that's all well and good -- if that's all well and good, Governor, why is it that the president threw a monkey wrench into that situation and essentially put his fellow House Republicans in a jam, when he was calling for this $2,000 checks? Why is the president putting members of your party in such a difficult position? Some of them are now voting against overriding the president's veto on the defense bill, after they voted for that legislation?

You were talking about drama at this stage here in Washington, isn't the president responsible for that drama?

HUTCHINSON: Well, he is certainly responsible for his comments. I'm glad he signed it. We urged him to sign that. That is important. The delay was not particularly helpful.

Right now, we don't need another political theater that we can have for what we need to debate down the road.

[18:55:01]

Let's concentrate on getting these stimulus checks to American that need them, and it's going to take a little while.

I think the stimulus will go out. We got the unemployment benefits to work on as well. So, I don't believe now is the right time to increase that, whenever we just worked a compromise for the package that we have.

Let's concentrate on that. There'll be a further debate down the road, but we'll be better able to judge in March whether there needs to be additional stimulus, whether we've fixed it with what this plan is now.

So, let's stick with compromise that was reached in good faith by all parties and don't get sidetracked.

ACOSTA: OK. Governor Hutchinson, thank so much for joining us. A lot of breaking news this evening, and we appreciate your reaction to.

And we'll have more news, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:25]

ACOSTA: Finally tonight, we share more stories of people who died from the coronavirus.

Robert "Bobby" McCloskey of Indiana was 55 years old. His sister Deborah says he was one of intellectual disabilities, but understood how to be a good person and bring joy to others. Since he was 19, he volunteered for the Salvation Army, dressing as Santa and ringing the bell, every single holiday season.

Rona Aronson of Florida was 78. She was a teacher for over 30 years, a loving mother and grandmother. Her daughter Julie says she was a huge sports fan and a lover of knowledge with a genuine curiosity about people who left her mark on every person she met.

May they rest in peace.

I'm Jim Acosta. Thanks very much for watching,

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.