hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom" and i'm rosemary church. the calgary is coming but the calgary is not here yet. >> a second coronavirus vaccine raises hopes around the world but medical experts say public health experts are needed now more than ever. plus, president-elect joe biden issues a stark warning to president trump, biden says more americans may die if a transition is delayed.

and a cnn exclusive, a look at the deadly toll coronavirus appears to be taking inside russia, a toll the kremlin doesn't want you to see. good to have you with us. well, as covid-19 cases climb around the world, we are following promising news about a second coronavirus vaccine. american biotech company moderna says its drug is nearly 95% effective. it will join pfizer in seeking fda approval, and there's hope the first doses could be available next month. the news comes at a critical time here in the united states. more than 73,000 people are hospitalized nationwide with the virus, the most ever, according to the covid tracking project, and cnn's nick watt reports on

what kind of impact a vaccine breakthrough might have. >> that's one of the greatest moments of my life and my career. >> reporter: because moderna reported early results showing its vaccine is 94.5% effective. >> i think by the end of the year, hopefully we could start to vaccinate people. >> no safety red flags so far, and unlike pfizer's offering, this doesn't need tricky, deep sub zero storage. >> this is a really strong step forward to where we want to be. we project that by the end of december that there will be doses of vaccines available for individuals in the higher risk category from both companies, we hope. >> reporter: and we need a vaccine badly because the death toll is rising because inmates are now moving the dead into makeshift morgues in el paso, texas. because more than 1 million new infections were logged in the united states in just the past

week. because more than a million children have now been infected in all, according to two medical associations, and because for black and latinx americans, rates of hospitalizations are four times the white population, according to the cdc. >> if bombs were getting dropped on the united states and killing a thousand people every single day, we would be actively engaged in defending ourselves and not just sitting around until the next product comes on the market. >> reporter: but in south dakota, both covid and covid denial are rampant, even among those dying of this disease. >> and their last dying words are this can't be happening, it's not real, and when they should be spending time face timing their families, they're filled with anger and hatred. >> reporter: the entire country is a hot zone. two former fda commissioners just wrote in the "wall street journal," it's now up to

governors to slow the spread. kind of always has been, but with a lame duck trump gumming up a transition, it's now more than ever, so michigan just closed movie theaters, indoor bars and restaurants, indoor classes at high schools and colleges and in chicago, a new advisory. stay home. the next 30 days. >> we have seen just in the last month our cases go up five times, our hospitalizations go up three times, our deaths go up three times, and at least here in chicago, we have recommended cancelling a traditional thanksgiving. >> reporter: nick watt, cnn, los angeles. we are about nine weeks away from the u.s. presidential inauguration, and president donald trump's failure to concede the election is hampering a smooth transition

for president-elect joe biden. on monday, mr. trump once again tweeted multiple times, mostly to rail about the election. he also celebrated the u.s. market gains, associated with the moderna vaccine trials. but he didn't seem to do much else on the pandemic front. and president-elect biden says that inaction could have serious consequences. here's cnn's jeff zeleny. >> more people may die if we don't coordinator. >> reporter: president-elect joe biden is raising his voice saying allow his team access to the trump administration's coronavirus planning is not about politics but a matter of life and death. >> if we have to wait until january 20th to start that planning, it puts us behind over a month, month and a half. and so it's important that it be done, that there be coordination now. >> reporter: along with rapidly rising cases of coronavirus, the nation's economic head winds are among the monumental challenges

he and vice president-elect kamala harris will inherit in just 65 days. biden and harris are trying to show they're moving ahead on both fronts, receiving a brief, from ceos from general motors, microsoft and other companies. their transition is being hampered by the trump administration's. >> i find it had more embarrassing for the country. >> reporter: biden hinted how he planned to work, he remained puzzled at those who remained concern about wearing masks or working with the biden administration. >> there's nothing macho about wearing a mask. does anybody understand this? does anybody understand why a governor would turn this into a political statement? it's about patriotism, it's

about being patriotic, about saving lives, for real. >> reporter: some senate republicans have called for biden to receive intelligence briefings, he noted harris is. >> the good news is my colleague is on the intelligence committee. she gets the intelligence briefings. i don't anymore. i am hopeful that the president will be mildly more enlightened before we get to january 20th! biden said he and family members were discussing how to plan for thanksgiving as the pandemic intensifies. he offered guidance to all americans. >> there should be no group more than ten people in one room, i mean, inside the homes. look, i just want to make sure that we're able to be together next thanksgiving. next christmas. >> reporter: joe biden clearly trying to use the mantel of the president-elect trying to talk specifically about coronavirus, holding up a mask and trying to

tell americans and indeed others around the world what they need to do to fight this virus. he also was speaking in stark terms about the administration and how he needs their help as well. no question, in about two months time, he owns this crisis. that's why he's trying to get his arms around it, and work with the trump administration, as he says to save lives. jeff zeleny, cnn, washington. i want to bring in dr. robert walker for more on the moderna vaccine. he is the chair of the department of medicine at the university of california san francisco, and he's also the author of the digital are doctor, hope, hype, and harm at the dawn of medicine's computer age. thank you, doctor, for being with us. >> thank you. >> so amid all the bad news of record covid cases and hospitalizations, some good news at last with moderna's covid-19 vaccine candidate proving to be nearly 95% effective. even better than pfizer's

proposed vaccine announcement last week. what is your reaction to this news of a second vaccine option on the horizon? >> it's staggeringly wonderful. i think as a physician and a scientist, i'm supposed to be calm and dispassionate, but it almost makes you giddy how good it is. as of a month ago, we don't know for sure that any vaccine would work and hopeful they might prevent 2/3 of the cases but 95% is actually unbelievable. >> and moderna says they could start vaccinations at the end f. the year for front line workers and how different is moderna's vaccine different than pfizer's, we saw the different in storage temperatures, that would certainly have an impact on the

distribution. >> that's the main difference. otherwise they're familiar similar. the pfizer vaccine needs to be stored in a deep freeze, different than what you have in your kitchen. the moderna vaccine can be stored in a regular freezer. if you're in an urban hospital or urban setting where there are big hospitals around, there probably will be capacity to store the pfizer vaccine, but trying to get it into less wealthy countries, into rural areas in any country i think is much more difficult. so the moderna vaccine is an option not only increases the amount of vaccine, it will enable us to get more people vaccinated more quickly. it's also going to be easier to distribute. how easy is it going to be to do. well, we'll have to see. i'm more confident about that than i would have been before the american presidential election, this new administration is going to take this matter very very seriously, and i think set up a distribution system, but i'm pretty confident they'll be able to sort out at least in the united states. >> yeah, and i do want to ask

you about that because i wanted to find out how concerned you are about the blocking of the transition of president-elect joe biden's administration by donald trump. could that interrupt the smooth running of any distribution process come the new year. presumably they will get it in motion toward the end of this year. that could make things easier. >> yes, i hope so. it is going to muck up the transition in all sorts of ways. i have to say i have been highly critical of the trump administration's handling of the coronavirus. it's been actually quite awful but on vaccines they got it right. vaccines, they invested early in companies. they made a big bet that vaccines were going to work, and invested in the distribution channels, purchasing vaccines, make them available for free so so far at least they have done this part right. and our thanks to dr. robert

wachter. president trump's refusal to accept the biden victory could hurt the incoming administration, and cnn has learned there are deepening divisions within his inner circle about whether to proceed with legal fights. cnn's jeremy diamond has more. >> reporter: nine days after losing the election, president trump is boroughideeper into a hole of conspiracy theories and lies, and refuses to allow the presidential transition to begin. after briefly and inadvertently acknowledging reality with these two words, the president quickly retreated to his baseless allegation that the election was rigged. a social media barrage of grievances and falsehoods quickly followed. trump's allies say there is no overarching strategy over his refusal to succeed, and people close to the president privately admit lawsuits won't stop president-elect biden from being inaugurated in 65 days.

as trump refuses to acknowledge defeat, he's rushing to complete a draw down of u.s. troops in iraq and afghanistan before he leaves office. two u.s. officials telling cnn the president is expected to issue a formal order as soon as this week, bringing the total n number of u.s. troops in each country to 2,500 by january 15th, but the transition still stalled. >> that transition process that we go through, the time, the period measured in several weeks to months is really important in a smooth handing over of the information. >> reporter: health experts are beginning to sound the alarm, warning that delays could hurt the coronavirus response including vaccine distribution. >> the virus is not going to stop and call a time out while things change. the virus is just going to keep going. the process is just going to keep going, so hopefully we'll see that soon, and transitions are important. >> reporter: while the president is happy to take credit for a coronavirus vaccine developed in partnership with the federal

government, he's ignoring the dangerous coronavirus surge gripping the u.s. right now. in his preferred coronavirus adviser, dr. scott atlas, a radiologist with no public health expertise is urging people to rise up against new coronavirus restrictions imposed by michigan governor gretchen whitmer, the target of a right wing kidnapping plot that was foiled last month. >> we know that the white house likes to single us out here in michigan, me out in particular. i'm not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals. >> reporter: atlas later said he was not advocating violence. in limbo, national security briefings for the president-elect. the white house still refusing to provide biden with top level intelligence briefings, but national security adviser, robert o'brien now admitting biden is likely to be inaugurated. >> if the biden/harris ticket appears to be the winner, we'll

have a very professional transition from the national security council. there's no question about it. >> reporter: as for former president obama, his message to trump, it's time. >> my advice to president trump is if you want at this late stage in the game to be remembered as somebody who put country first, it's time for you to do the same thing. >> and just as we learned on monday that president trump is expected to issue an order as early as this week to begin drawing down more u.s. troops in afghanistan, bringing that number down to 2,500 before he leaves office in january, sources familiar with the matter also telling cnn that the secretary of defense, mark esper, who was fired last week by president trump, that he warned the president and the white house in a memo earlier in month against doing exactly that, warning that it was the consensus of the u.s. military chain of command that no more troops should be withdrawn from afghanistan until specific conditions were met on the grounds in afghanistan and it

was the assessment of that chain of command that those conditions had not yet been met. those sources also saying that they believe esper's memo to the white house warning against a further troop draw down was one of the key reasons president trump fired him last week. jeremy diamond, cnn, the white house. many top republicans are coming under criticism for their refusal to speak out against president trump, and acknowledge president-elect joe biden's victory. but georgia's secretary of state says long time republican senator lindsey graham went one step further. brad raffensperger is also a republican and georgia's head of elections. he says graham implied he should throw out some mail-in ballots with a recount underway. raffensperger shared his side of the story with cnn's wolf blitzer, take a listen. >> he asked if the ballots could be matched back to the voters and then i got the sense implied that then you could throw those

out, really would look at the counties with the highest frequent error of signatures so that's the impression that i got. >> i want to be clear on this, mr. secretary, you say senator graham wanted you to find ways to get rid of legally cast ballots because cnn asked him about these allegations. he denied them. he says that's ridiculous. his words. that's ridiculous. >> well, it's just an implication that look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out, and i think they're looking at that as part of a court case. >> well, unofficial results show joe biden managed to eke out a victory by roughly 14,000 votes. the state flipped from republican to democrat for the first time in decades. right now, we are tracking an extremely dangerous storm. hurricane iota is slamming into central america at this moment, and it's hitting some of the same places still reeling from the last catastrophic storm.

this record breaking hurricane season still going strong. that's next. when we started our business we were paying an arm and a leg for postage. i remember setting up shipstation. one or two clicks and everything was up and running. i was printing out labels and saving money. shipstation saves us so much time. it makes it really easy and seamless. pick an order, print everything you need, slap the label onto the box, and it's ready to go. our costs for shipping were cut in half. just like that. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free.

shipstation. trobinwithout the commission of onfees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood. relief from your worst cold and flu symptoms.le so when you need to show your cold who's boss, grab mucinex all-in-one... and get back to your rhythm. feel the power. beat the symptoms fast.

welcome back, everyone,

well, donald trump has two months left in the white house, and he's evidently looking for ways to make a big impact before he goes. the u.s. president reportedly asked senior advisers last week what options he had for attacking iran's main nuclear site. "the new york times" reports mr. trump asked about potential strikes after international inspectors reported a significant rise in teheran's nuclear stockpile. several top officials reportedly talked him out of it warning a military strike could turn into a broader conflict in the final weeks of his presidency. the u.s. secretary of state is in turkey for a brief visit that notably does not include any meetings with political leaders. mike pompeo will be spotlighting the issue of religious freedom instead and pompeo criticized turkey during a stop in paris saying it recent actions had been quote very aggressive. so let's get more from cnn's

joining us live from istanbul, so the outgoing secretary of state arriving in turkey to meet with no one. what's going on? >> that's the big question. we don't know what's been going on behind the scenes, rosemary. what we know is this is probably the strangest stop for the secretary of state. he is meeting with the political leadership in each of these countries where he's stopping exem except for turkey, where he's not going to the capital, ankara, he is coming here in istanbul. it's very strange when you consider the kind of relationship the two allies, the united states and turkey have. they have a long list of disagreements and issues. they have had a rocky relationship over the past few years, and especially recently you've got the united states criticizing turkey for ass

azerbaijan, for its actions in the eastern mediterranean and its relationship with russia and the purchase of the missile defense system. all of that aside, rose marmary they still do have a good relationship between the trump administration and the turkish government. what seemed to irk the turkish government is the purpose of this visit, that statement that was made by the state department saying that the secretary of state was coming here to istanbul to meet with the patriarch, the spiritual leader of the greek orthodox here in istanbul to success religious freedoms in turkey and the region. we have heard briefly from the turkish government, a strongly worded statement they released last week saying basically that all international leaders, officials are welcome to turkey to meet with anyone they want to meet with when it comes to religious leaders here, but the

united states basically doesn't have the right to criticize turkey saying that quote it would be more suitable for the united states to first look in the mirror and show the requisite sensitivity towards human rights violations in the country, such as racism, islamophobia, and hate crimes: there were reports that turkish officials, the president erdogan, the foreign minister, that they were basically snubbing the secretary of state on this visit. they have not really addressed this publicly. we have not heard from the turkish government other than the statement from the foreign ministry last week, but u.s. officials, the state department officials are insisting that the reason he's not meeting with turkish officials is down to scheduling. it did not work out with his schedule. very tight window, he couldn't go to ankara, and the schedule of the president and the foreign minister, but we have to point out, rosemary, he did arrive in

istanbul yesterday evening, early evening and it didn't seem like he had much on that schedule. >> an interesting stop along the way. joining us live from istanbul, thanks. right now, an extremely dangerous storm is hitting central america. hurricane iota made landfall in nicaragua as a powerful category 4 storm just a few hours ago. it is now a category 2 but still brings strong wind, torrential rain, and life threatening waves. iota is just the latest major storm in a record breaking busy hurricane season. and it's bearing down on many of the same areas that are still recovering from the devastating effects of hurricane eta. let's turn to our meteorologist, pedram javaheri, who joins us now with the very latest.

pedram, what are you seeing. >> this is down to a category 2 but of course iota our 30th named storm of the season, historic season to say the least. 28 being the previous record. 12 being the average number of storms you see in a given year. we're at number 30. 31 potentially in the works over the next several days. this is the landfall, northern and northeastern portions of nicaragua with 155 miles per hour winds. of those 30 storms, this is the strongest right here, came to shore as a strong category 4. 3 miles per hour shy of being category 5, which it had attained earlier in the day. what's most incredible is this precise region, just 15 miles apart and to the north is where hurricane eta made landfall two weeks ago today, and that was a category 4. hurricane iota comes ashore as a category 4. statistically, category 4s hit nicaragua once every 47 years.

14 days apart, and 15 miles apart is where these two storms came to shore. the national hurricane center classifies this as catastrophic. this region is impoverished, coming off the heels of a major hurricane in the last two weeks, and now another major hurricane makes landfall in a similar spot. looking at a category 2 with winds gusting over 125 miles per hour at this hour. the previous storm left behind $200 million in losses in nicaragua, 5 billion to the north with landslides and mud slides in honduras. you'll notice storm surge threats diminishing, down to 10 feet was as high as 20 feet, the height of the storm, and fortunately, the mountains of the region will break the system apart rather quickly. unfortunately to do that, they'll essentially squeeze all of the moisture out on top of these communities. anytime you're talking about the elevates terrain of this region, landslides and mud slides become a concern, and two to three

months of rainfall in the forecast with what is in store request this rainmaker and then beyond this, 40% chance for kappa, the next storm to develop in the next few days. >> they keep coming. thank you so much for keeping such a close eye on all of this. pedram javaheri joining us there. after a series of post election legal losses, president trump is pushing ahead with unfounded conspiracy theories, and rudy giuliani is leading the charge. we will take a closer look at just how dangerous that campaign is. do stay with us. a live bookkeeper is helping

customize quickbooks for me. okay, you're all set up. thanks! that was my business gi, this one's casual. get set up right with a live bookkeeper with intuit quickbooks. unlike ordinary memory want supplements-ter? neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration.

try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference.

for the second time in a week, we are following promising news about a coronavirus vaccine. american biotech company moderna says its vaccine is nearly 95% effective. it will join pfizer in seeking fda approvals and there is hope the first doses could be available next month. however, joe biden warns that president trump's unwillingness to accept the outcome of the election could hamper his incoming administration's ability to rapidly distribute a vaccine and save lives. >> more people may die if we don't coordinate. i am hopeful that the president will be mildly more enlightened before we get to january 20th. >> lawrence douglas joins me now. he is a professor of law and social thought at amherst college in massachusetts. he's also the author of "will he

go" a book on the legal and constitutional consequences of a possible refusal by president trump to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 election. thank you so much for being with us. >> my pleasure to be with you. >> you seem to have a vision into the future. here we are, con fronted with a president who refuses to concede after referee and fair elections and now "the new york times" reveals donald trump had plans last week to attack iran. thankfully he was talked out of it by senior advisers, but he clearly doesn't plan to go quietly. what does that indicate to you about his exit strategy, and what else might he have planned for the next two months? >> right. well, i mean, one thing i think is important is to distinguish between conceding defeat and to submitting to defeat. conceding, i really think of when a loser, a losing candidate recognizes the legitimacy of their opponent's victory.

recognizes that it was a fair fight, and again, just kind of acknowledges the legitimacy of the opponent's victory. submitting to defeat i think is just kind of a real world recognition that any further fighting and struggle is futile. so i do think that trump is ultimately going to submit to defeat. i do not think he's going to concede. i don't think he's ever going to concede defeat. i don't think he's ever going to recognize biden's victory as legitimate, and that does suggest that for the next, you know, couple of months things could be really quite unstable. >> and of course, as you were speaking to us, you were looking at vision there of donald trump out playing golf. he's doing this while people are dying from the coronavirus pandemic, and that is a real concern. what do you think he's trying to achieve by blocking president-elect joe biden's

transition to power and how will this likely end come january 20th? >> right. well, i do think it will end on january 20th. i think biden will be duly inaugurated the next president. that's something i don't think we need to worry about. if i were predicting things, i would also probably guess that donald trump will not be participating in that inaugural ceremony. i would imagine he will boycott it, if you can possibly imagine that he would stage some kind of separate simultaneous event, simply to draw attention away from the limelight being on the president-elect biden. >> professor lawrence douglas, many thanks. former first lady michelle obama is now weighing in on instagram about mr. trump's refusal to concede. she wrote at length about how four years ago she put her anger and disappointment aside in order to bring about a peaceful

transition of power. and she said quote our democracy is so much bigger than anybody's ego. our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election, even when we don't like them or wish it had gone differently. the presidency doesn't belong to any one individual or any one party. a key adviser is stoking president trump's denial of the election results. his efforts won't change the outcome, but they could have a lasting impact on voters' trust in the system. drew griffin reports on rudy giuliani's relentless campaign. >> reporter: it would be laughable if this wasn't so dangerous. >> start doing ballots like this. >> reporter: rudy giuliani on fox sunday spinning his latest false conspiracy theory about an american voting machine company, a bizarre take involving george soros, votes being counted in spain, and dead strong man hugo

chavez. >> a company that has close ties with venezuela and therefore china. >> reporter: false. truth, facts, they don't seem to matter to giuliani who's tweeting, posting on you tube, showing up on far right wing shows spouting wildly false allegations even from the parking lot of a landscaping company next to an adult bookstore. his argument in philadelphia that vote counters were purposely hiding ballots from trump's poll watchers. >> because many many of them were fraudulent. >> reporter: not true. this is the man president trump has just put in charge of his legal challenges to joe biden's presidential win. a stack of lawsuits has already been thrown out or dropped, including nine in one day. >> all of the cases are falling apart. the way he's going about continuing to file cases with no basis in court just makes donald trump a loser more times.

>> reporter: in a pennsylvania lawsuit, a judge asked trump's attorney, are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these disputed ballots? the trump attorney admitted, no. and along with other trump cronies, giuliani keeps feeding the world his debunked conspiracy theories. >> in each state, there were ineligible ballots that overwhelmed the margin of victory. >> reporter: no, mr. giuliani, there weren't. the united states department of homeland security issued this joint statement from its elections infrastructure committee stating there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised. >> rudy giuliani is undermining confidence in the american election system, and therefore undermining our national security. >> reporter: it's a far cry from the man who was dubbed mayor of the world in the wake of 9/11.

ever since giuliani became a vocal supporter of the president's 2016 presidential bid, he's been trump's chief con spe conspiritist. giuliani was the target of a russian influence operation in 2019, according to "the washington post". >> it is very dangerous and it's extremely alarming. >> reporter: former federal prosecutor who specializes in russian organized crime and once worked with giuliani believes giuliani may be unwittingly doing the russian's business in this election. >> what they're doing is completely 100% in the interests of russia, which is to create as much damage and confusion to the u.s. >> reporter: and it's working. the lies and false reports sending thousands into the streets for a pro trump protest

this past weekend. and perhaps convincing millions of americans to doubt the u.s. election system. staunch republican and former trump national security adviser john bolton says it's a damaging strategy that won't end after trump leaves office. >> real distrust in the system casting doubt on the integrity of our electoral system, the constitutional process, the russians and the chinese couldn't ask for anymore. what trump's doing is potentially dangerous for the country. >> reporter: former colleagues of rudy giuliani question whether there has been cognitive decline. they just don't know what happened to rudy giuliani. one telling me that because the president doesn't even pay his attorney, rudy giuliani seems to be destroying his reputation free of charge. drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. the truth matters and trust matters. when we come back, how russia's

response to the coronavirus pandemic is very different than reality. all that uncovered by an exclusive cnn investigation. we are live in moscow, next. robinhood believes now is the time to do money.

without the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood.

i feel like we're forglet me check.ing. xfinity home gives you peace of mind from anywhere with professionally monitored home security built around you. no, i think we're good. good. so when you're away, you don't have to worry. the tent. we forgot... the tent. except about that. xfinity home. simple. easy. awesome.

hey look, i found the tent! get xfinity home with no term contract required. click or call today. . europe is in the grip of a major coronavirus surge as countries across the continent tighten restrictions. in germany, chancellor angela merkel is urging citizens to further limit their social contact with others. >> reporter: contact restrictions are the formula for success. we need to restrict contacts further to reach our goals. we should only have the absolutely necessary minimum of contact with others. private get togethers with friends, relatives and acquaintances should be limited to a fixed additional household. >> meanwhile, in france, the

health minister says country has passed the peak of the pandemic as case numbers decline. but hospitalizations are still at a record high. russia claims to be doing quite well at controlling the coronavirus but a cnn investigation reveals something very different. matthew chance joins us live from moscow to explain. good to see you, matthew, what did you find in your exclusive investigation? >> russia is one of the worst affected countries when it comes to covid-19. it has 2 million reported cases and an official death toll of 33,000 people, which is of course appalling. the kremlin says the situation is under control. but if you look as we have done at the videos that are emerging from morgues and hospitals across the country and speak to front line medical work skpeers listen to their testimony, the reality of the situation seems a lot bleaker.

>> this is the pandemic response russia wants us to see, a vast state of the art field hospital set up to manage the coronavirus surge. >> and we're just about to head into the red zone. >> reporter: it was a world championship ice skating stadium called the ice palace. now the view from the stands is 1,300 beds. and the staff of highly protected medics apparently in control of this covid-19 crisis. we have all the necessary diagnostic equipment including ultrasound and ventilators, the chief doctor on the left tells me. the russian government is taking serious anti-coronavirus measures, he insists, not just here in moscow, but far beyond. but there's another side of russia's raging pandemic, one the authorities here would prefer that we ignore, with shocking evidence of an

overloaded health care system buckling under the strain of covid-19. on social media, there are heartbreaking scenes like this one, of an ambulance medic trying in vein to get a 90-year-old patient admitted to an overcrowded ward. i won't take her home to die, the paramedic shouts, why do i have to weep and beg you to take in a patient. admitting that hospitals in some regions are at 95% capacity. there's mounting evidence of a surging death toll, too. in this video recorded last month, and sent to us by an opposition linked russian doctors union, a dead woman dangles unattended from her hospital bed while other patients gasp for breath just feet away. we lost another 2 in the ward overnight says a male voice on the video. this is how covid-19 is killing everyone, he says.

there are horrific scenes of inundated morgues, too, some too graphic to show. of corporations strewn across floors and stretchers. it's also emerged that official russian covid death figures suspiciously low compared to other badly affected countries may grossly understate the real toll by excludeing people who are presumed to have covid postmortem, even those with preexisting conditions that proved fatal due to the infection. russia's official death toll of over 33,000 people would be higher. much higher, according to a former government statistician who has compiled figures on excess deaths and spoke to cnn. >> i think it's 130,000 people. >> 130,000 people who have died in russia with covid-19. >> of covid.

>> do you believe that the russian government is purposely hiding the real cost of covid death sgls of cour death. >> of course, they need to make people not afraid of the virus. it's very helpful for providing good picture. we are russians, we are proud of our country. everything is good with us. >> russian authorities haven't responded to the allegations they're down playing the figures. but outside the highly organized and spacious field hospitals, the authorities are happy to showcase there are signs russia's pandemic are getting worse. >> rosemary, the daily figures are certainly getting worse. the last 24 hour period records more than 22,000 new case s, officially across the country, and 442 deaths in the past 24 hours. we have seen the real figure could be much higher than that. rosemary. >> and shocking images there. matthew chance with that

exclusive. many thanks to you. and we'll be right back. when we started our business we were paying an arm and a leg for postage. i remember setting up shipstation. one or two clicks and everything was up and running. i was printing out labels and saving money. shipstation saves us so much time. it makes it really easy and seamless. pick an order, print everything you need, slap the label onto the box, and it's ready to go. our costs for shipping were cut in half. just like that. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free. if yothe medicare enrollment up. deadline is only weeks away. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. with so many changes, do you know if your plan is still the right fit? having the wrong plan may cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket. and that's why i love healthmarkets, your insurance marketplace. with healthmarkets' fitscore, they compare thousands of plans from national insurance companies to find the right medicare plan that fits you. call or visit healthmarkets to find your fitscore today.

in minutes, you can find out if your current plan is the right fit and once you've let the fitscore do the work, sit back and enjoy not having to shop for insurance again. healthmarkets' fitscore forever technology will continuously scan the market for the best coverage at the best price. so you can shop once and save again and again and again. rest easy knowing you'll have the right plan at the right price and the right fit for you. best of all, their services are completely free. does your plan have $0 copays, $0 deductibles and $0 premiums? if not, maybe it's not the right fit. does it include dental and vision coverage? well, if not, maybe it's not the right fit. how about hearing aids, glasses and even telemedicine at no additional cost? maybe there's a better fit for you. call healthmarkets now, or visit healthmarkets.com for your free fitscore. they can instantly compare thousands of medicare plans with all these benefits and more including plans that may let you keep your doctor and save money. healthmarkets doesn't just work for one insurance company. they work to help you, and they do it all for free.

having helped enroll americans in millions of policies while earning an a plus customer satisfaction rating from the better business bureau, you can trust healthmarkets. with the annual medicare enrollment deadline coming, go to healthmarkets.com or call right now. your insurance market place. healthmarkets. find your fitscore and get your answers today to get the most out of medicare. call the number on your screen or go to healthmarkets.com call now.

an incoming u.s. house member cory bush said she was

stunned and hurt when some republicans called her breonna, during new membership orientation at the capitol. she tells cnn she was wearing a mask with breonna taylor's name on it. some of her colleagues assumed breonna was her name. earlier this year, breonna was shot and killed in a botched drug raid. taylor's death prompted nationwide protests against police brutality, and systemic racism. she shared the details of her experience with cnn. >> the very first person i just, you know, i looked around a little bit like is there somebody next to me. then when i explained who she was, the person just kind of gave me this blank look. it didn't seem like they were being malicious. they didn't know, and after the next and the next and the next, i really started to feel hurt. i'm like this has been a national movement. the reports are between 15 and 26 million protests up to july

from june into july. how do you not know, and we claim ourselves, we signed up to be leaders. we have to know what's happening in our communities, and not only our communities but what's happening in other communities because that's how we keep our people safe. >> cori bush will be missouri's first black woman to represent the state in congress. four more astronauts are now on board the international space station. there were hugs and keecheers a the crew was welcomed by u.s. astronaut and two russian cosmonauts. they docked with the station earlier. the docking ends the first leg of this landmark mission between nasa and spacex. the astronauts are expected to spend about six months on board the station. and thanks so much for your company. i'm rosemary church, "early start" is up next. you're watching cnn. have yourselves a great day. want to brain better?

unlike ordinary memory supplements- neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood.

a blast of immune support that's more than just vitamin c. it's a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. take on your day with airborne. your daily dose of confidence.

but you can work out anything wowith comcast business.w. get fast, reliable, and secure internet on the nation's largest gig speed network. flexible tools - like wi-fi you control. voice solutions that connect you from anywhere. and expert advice here, here, or even here. be fast. be flexible. bounce forward with comcast business.

get started with a powerful internet and voice solution for just $64.90 a month. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. switch today. welcome to our viewers around the united states and around the world. this is "early start." christine romans is off. i'm laura jarrett. it's tuesday, november 17th. it's 5:00 a.m. here in new york, and we begin this morning with some much needed hope on the horizon for a covid weary nation. moderna joining pfizer closing in on the vaccine finish line. if approved there could be two u.s. vaccines in distribution to people who need it the most in the coming months. >> the cavalry is coming but the cava