hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom" and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, putting foreign policy up front. president-elect joe biden gets set to unveil key cabinet posts. we will tell you who the front runners are. plus president trump continues to wage battles but now members of his legal team seem to be fighting it out with each other. and astrazeneca says its new

coronavirus is 70% effective. the british prime minister calls the results fantastic, and we will have the details for you. ♪ yet but it's reportedly 70% effective and we will have more on that in just a moment.

but despite the pandemic, the current u.s. president remains focused on his election defeat. and donald trump's legal team is in disarray after a string of courtroom losses. joe biden, meanwhile, is moving forward with his cabinet selections with several names set to be announced on tuesday. we are told one of them will be antony blinken, a long-time foreign policy adviser in the obama administration, who will be nominated to serve as secretary of state. details now from cnn's arlette saenz. >> reporter: president-elect joe biden is set to roll out his first cabinet picks on tuesday and the announcements are shaping up to be foreign policy-focused. cnn has learned that secretary of state is expected to be among the first jobs that biden announces for his cabinet. and the leading contender for that position is tony blinken, somebody who served as deputy secretary of state and has

long-time ties to joe biden, having served as his national security adviser. biden is expected to announce his picks for national security adviser and ambassador to the un. jake sullivan is top contender for biden when he was vice president. linda thomas greenfield would fulfill part of biden's promise to have a diverse cabinet. listen to what one of biden's senior advisers had to say. >> reporter: all have decades of

experience in the sector. biden throughout his campaign has said part of his goal will be restoring america's standing in the world and repairing relationships with allies. so, in the coming days as he is rolling out these foreign policy focused cabinet positions, biden is trying to make it clear how his administration would look and operate in the early days of the white house. arlette saenz, cnn, wilmington, delaware. even as president-elect joe biden forges ahead with his cabinet choice, the incumbent president shows no sign of budging. president trump is still putting up a legal fight against his election loss despite a lack of evidence. but now it appears the president's own legal team members are at odds with each other. cnn's jeremy diamond explains. >> reporter: just over a week after president trump named attorney sidney powell to his legal team in his effort to overturn the results in the 2020 election, the president's legal team now says sidney powell is not a member of his legal team. rudy giuliani and jenna ellis,

two of the attorneys for the president's effort saying in a statement, quote, sidney powell is practicing law on her own. she is not a member of the trump legal team. she is also not a lawyer for the president in his personal capacity. this notion that sidney powell was not part of the legal team is absurd. not only did the president name sidney powell in a tweet but just a few days ago sidney powell appeared right alongside rudy giuliani and jenna ellis at republican national committee headquarters to talk about their legal effort, janngiuliani sayie was over the last week during which she's been a member of that legal team. she has alleged that the cia was somehow involved in rigging the election. she's alleged that the late leader of venezuela, hugo chavez

was involved and she's accused brian kemp of rigging the election in favor of joe biden. unin of these claims have basis in reality. they're not all that far from what the president and his lawyers have also been saying. the president has alleged this conspiracy theory about the dominion voting software, saying that it somehow deleted votes in his favor. no basis in reality. uts something that's been repeatedly debunked by state and federal officials across the country over these last several days. now, as this is happening though, the president is losing in the courts one case after the next, more than two dozen cases have been either dismissed or withdrawn by the trump legal team. and republicans are beginning to increase the pressure on the president, saying that it is time for him to either show evidence that he has in court or to move on and allow this transition process to happen, pressure coming in on sunday

from republican senator lisa murkowski saying that the transition needs to happen right now, others beginning to raise the alarm as well, saying that the delay in transition could cost american lives amid this pandemic. jeremy diamond, cnn, the white house. meantime, a key republican who worked on trump's re-election efforts said it's time for the president to admit defeat. former new jersey governor chris christie told abc that mr. trump should stop trying to overturn the election results. he also had harsh words for the current president's legal team. >> this legal team has been a national embarrassment. sidney powell accusing governor brian kemp of a crime on television, yet being unwilling to go on tv and defend and lay out the evidence she supposedly has. this is outrageous conduct by any lawyer. and notice, george, they won't do it inside the courtroom. they allege fraud outside the courtroom. but when they go inside the

courtroom, they don't plead fraud and don't argue fraud. >> joining me now is cnn political analyst jonathan martin. he's also a national political correspondent for the "new york times." great to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. >> so, donald trump is determined -- joe biden clearly won and needs to put country first. when will he likely do that and stop dividing this nation? >> i wouldn't hold your breath. i don't think it's going to be any time soon. i think that this is going to take a lot more states certifying their results and perhaps even next to the electoral college, you know, making it official before trump sort of acknowledges reality at

all. but clearly his own party, at least when it comes to some lawmakers, are starting to grow weary of this denialism. in large part because the efforts of he and his legal team to push conspiracy theories about the results have frankly become embarrassing for the party. >> yeah, and president trump lost the election, but he is winning when it comes to casting doubt on a free and fair election with, what, about 70% of republicans believing his false and baseless claims? how big a threat is president trump democracy in this country and how difficult will it be for biden to lead and stop the pandemic, for instance? >> well, biden is going to take the helm on january 20th of a very polarized, very divided country. and it's not going to be easy for him to sort of forge a

unified front when it comes to the virus, the economy or anything else because of those differences. and to be candid, president trump has exacerbated the poll zags by his refusal to do what every losing candidate for president has done in the history of this country. and that is when the results are clear to concede defeat. >> and that was my conversation with "new york times" correspondent jonathan martin. more now on the vaccine news out of the uk that we've been telling you about. an interim analysis shows the coronavirus vaccine developed by oxford university and astrazeneca has an average efficacy of 70%. that figure is based on combining data from two dosing regimens with vaccine efficacy at 90% in one dosing regimen and 62% in the other. it's certainly welcomed news to british prime minister boris

johnson, who called the announcement incredibly exciting. he is set to announce a new plan for how england will exit its lockdown later today. let's cover all this. salma abdel aziz is outside 10 downing street, but first anna stewart is following the latest with the vaccine. anna, 70% efficacy didn't sound too impressive at first, but of course the outcome was better than that. what is the whole story here? >> yes, it's a really interesting result really from astrazeneca and the university of oxford. it wasn't necessarily what anyone was expecting. the headline figure, 70% efficacy felt a little bit disappointing, we're not going to lie, compared to moderna and pfizer. it's a combined result. and actually they found on a different dosage level. that's if participants took half a dose initially and otook a full dose. they have phase three trials

ongoing and they are going to shift much more towards this dosage in the u.s. where phase three is carrying on these results from the uk and brazil. >> more good news, safety of course is one of the major things they're testing for in phase three. astrazeneca is really pleased with these results. they are sending them to regulators around the world to try to get the vaccine approved so they can start rolling it out. it's an interesting one in terms of the logistics and the supply chain of making this particular vaccine. it's a different type to the one being made by moderna and pfizer. it's a much older technology. it means that they can actually manufacture quite a lot of this vaccine. they're planning to roll out 3 billion doses by the end of next year. to give you idea of how much that is, that is more than pfizer and moderna's plans for next year combined. pfizer wants to make 1.3 billion, moderna 1 billion. this is a vaccine that can be kept at fairly normal fridge

temperatures as well and it's going to be made by partners and pharmaceutical firms all over the world. this means potentially this is a vaccine that really could be used across all sort of different nations. it doesn't need ultra, ultra cold temperatures and so forth, rosemary. >> great news. 3 billion doses. that's extraordinary. anna stewart bringing us the latest on that. many thanks. salma, let's go to you. how is prime minister johnson's winter plan likely to work especially as britain heads into the dark days of winter? >> well, the prime minister is suppose to lay all of this out in parliament this afternoon today. what we do understand according to the health secretary who was on the bbc this morning is there's two things that's going to take place. what will happen is it will be replaced with a regional three-tier restriction system. that's what was in place before this lockdown and it was

controversial, rosemary. that will now be a tougher system than it was before. each of those three levels will be even more strict, if you will. we don't know the specifics of it yet, but it's already caused a great deal of controversy. we have conservative mps who want to see a cost benefit analysis as to why this is tougher and what the economic consequences of that will be. the second thing that's supposed to take place is around christmas time there will be several days in which social restrictions will be eased. bubbles will be allowed to mix, potentially up to three bubbles, to allow people to celebrate safely. that's been bet with benefits of the month long nationwide lockdown and cause another spike. here's the other challenge the prime minister wants to face. he wants to have all nations of the united kingdom work together to have a unified system during the holidays. that hasn't taken place so far in the last few months. a lot of work to do but a lot of

hope there could be a little bit of joy this christmas. >> let's hope for that. many thanks. the hospitals across the u.s. are reaching breaking point as the country battles a surge of coronavirus cases and heads into the thanksgiving holiday. the latest after this short break. stay with us. oney. 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.

here in the united states, the coronavirus pandemic, more than 3 million infections have been reported this month. that's according to the johns hopkins university, and that is a total of the u.s. cases confirmed since the pandemic began, and covid hospitalizations are at record highs across the country with icus being pushed to their limits. but this troubling spike in cases doesn't seem to be stopping people from traveling ahead of the thanksgiving holidays. over 2 million passengers passed through the nation's airports friday and saturday according to officials. dr. anthony fauci said people who are planning to celebrate the holiday together should

think about the potential consequences. >> as we're getting into the colder season, particularly the situation with the holiday season where you see people traveling, you see the clips on tv, people at airports, i mean, those are the things we've got to realize are going to get us into even more trouble that we're in right now. >> and the governor of california says he's going into quarantine for two weeks after three of his children were exposed with a state highway patrol officer who tested positive for covid-19. gavin newsom says he and his family have tested negative and that they will follow local guidance. the news is latest blow to a state being hit hard by this pandemic. it's seeing some of its worst numbers yet, and as cnn's paul vercammen reports, the outbreak is about to change daily life in los angeles. >> the number of new covid-19 cases in california just skyrocketing. it has tripled since the

beginning of november. and that means more restrictions throughout california. among the most severe here in los angeles county, you will not see scenes like the one behind me anymore where people are dining out doors or even indoors in los angeles county. they are closing down restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining. that starts wednesday at 10:00. you can only pick up and deliver. we talked to the gm at this oyster bar. she is absolutely just shattered. >> it's really truly devastating. it's really upsetting. i just think about all our staff, all of my friends and colleagues in this business. everybody is really hard hit. we're all struggling to get by. this is a real blow for us. >> the economic ripple effects, tremendous. not only will employees hours in these restaurants have to be trimmed or people will be laid off but all of the vendors and everybody else linked to the

restaurant business is also going to see yet another downturn as the pandemic just rages on here in california. reporting from los angeles, i'm paul vercammen, now back to you. joining me now is cnn medical analyst, dr. lena wynn. she is also a former baltimore health commissioner. thank you, doctor, for talking with us and for all that you do. >> always good to join you. >> so sadly, u.s. covid hospitalizations have set records for 12 straight days. we are seeing 3 million new cases and 25,000 deaths in november so far. all of this as donald trump's coronavirus vaccine chief admits no contact has yet been made with president-elect joe biden and his team. what impact might this have on the way vaccinations will be rolled out and on the lives of so many americans. well, we are seeing this unprecedented number of cases, hospitalizations and soon to be

deaths here in the u.s., but we have such amazing news this last week of a vaccine that could be 95% effective. i mean, operation warp speed in terms of drug development has been a huge success if this really pans out in all of the rest of the scientific studies and reviews but now when you can make sure that the warp speed for drug developments translates to warp speed for distribution, because it would just be so tragic if we have this life saving vaccine that for whatever reason is able to reach the hundreds of millions of americans, anything that can be done to expedite the transition so that things are smooth and seamless and americans can get access to the vaccine when it's out, that's going to save lives. >> let's talk about that. we are hearing vaccine distribution should begin 24 hours after emergency use authorization is given. we're still getting mixed messages on that time line,

aren't we, so that will it mean in terms of getting vaccines to front line health workers, and ultimately the general public. >> the initial tranche of the vaccine is going to be given to those at highest risk. different states may be defining in different ways because there is a limited resource. initially the supply of the vaccine is going to be much less than the demand for it. there will be some level of prioritization initially, whether it's health care workers treating covid patients will get it first and residents in nursing homes, et cetera, but by the time the general public gets access to it in the hundreds of millions of doses, we're looking at probably spring to early summer by the time we get that level of vaccinations out. that's the key. it's the vaccination. local and state health departments are strange when it comes to resources. they need to hire additional staff, do the coordination.

i.t. systems, so they can input the individuals and track their vaccination staugs. >> -- status. georgia republicans up for reelection have been sidelined due to covid-19 scares and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the party with the fate of the senate hanging in the balance. we will have the details ahead. don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin gold bond the lack of control whenover my business kai, made me a little intense. but now quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll.

and now i'm back on top... with koala kai. save over 30 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. every minute. understanding how to talk to your doctor about treatment options is key. today, we are redefining how we do things. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. it's seeing someone's face that comforts us, no matter where. when those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. the first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. there's resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. when we understand what's possible, we won't settle for less. the best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. managing heart failure starts now with understanding. call today or go online to understandheartfailure.com

for a free heart failure handbook. call today or go online to understandheartfailure.com with mucinex nightshift you've got powerful relief from your worst nighttime cold and flu symptoms. so grab nightshift to fight your symptoms, get your zzz's... and get back to your rhythm. feel the power. beat the symptoms fast.

time for a recap of some of our top stories. coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging across the u.s. there are bright spots.

an oxford astrazeneca vaccine isn't in the approval pipeline, but astrazeneca says it has shown to be 70% effective on average. meantime, the current u.s. president remains focused on his election defeat rather than the escalating pandemic. donald trump's legal team is also in disarray after a string of courtroom losses, but president-elect joe biden is forging ahead, former obama foreign policy adviser, tony blinken will reportedly be tapped as the next u.s. secretary of state. the two republicans in the high stakes senate runoff here in georgia have stepped away from campaign appearances for now. kelly loeffler is isolating after coronavirus tests came back with mixed results. because she's been campaigning with david perdue at some events, he's isolating as well. ryan nobles has the details. >> reporter: these senate races

in georgia are so important. they're going to determine which party has control in the next congress, and the republicans were forced off the campaign trail this weekend after senator kelly leffler tested positive for coronavirus. it also meant that david perdue, the other republican had to isolate. the two were together on friday at an event with vice president mike pence. they were seen without masked. they were in a confined space. that forced them to isolate, and stay off the campaign trail while leffler was tested again for coronavirus. one of the tests came back inconclusive. they checked again, they say they're negative. now she's waiting for a second test so she could have two tests in a row that show negative before she gets on the campaign trail. this has real implications because on monday, republicans are planning a big event with joni ernst. both perdue and loeffler were expected to be at this event.

on the democratic side, they're not holiding rallies they're wearing masks. he said hello as people passed by in their cars. this race is so important. coronavirus a big part of the backdrop. the voters in georgia will have a second crack at both of these races on january 5th. ryan nobles, cnn, atlanta. the virtual g20 summit wrapped up sunday with leaders of the world's largest economies promising to ensure fair access to covid-19 vaccines. they say they're committed to easing the global impact of the pandemic. and most reaffirms a commitment to tackling climate change. president trump, however, used the event to slam the paris climate accord. >> i withdrew the united states from the unfair and unsided paris climate accord, a very

unfair act for the united states. the paris accord was not designed to save the environment. it was designed to kill the american economy. >> and cnn's john defterios joins us now. good to see you. donald trump was eager to go his own way in the g20, bashing the climate change accord, and touting u.s. supremacy, and oil and gas again. did he seem off message there? >> yeah, it did seem off message, unusual timing, too. and i think it fell on deaf ears, what is this gentleman talking about. i'll tell wrou wyou why, the hf the g20 made two things clear, the distribution of the vaccine when it comes on the market, and climate change. donald trump has never liked the paris climate accord, but why he brought it up again seemed to be really off message for the entire g20 itself, and donald trump seeing this potential advantage here of the transition to solar, wind, hydrogen, and

this is the position of president-elect joe biden. and he took yet another opportunity to bang home the idea that the u.s. is the number one producer of oil and gas. that remains true but needs some nuance, and that's because saudi arabia that hosted the g20 and russia in this apparatus of the opec have been cutting production to stabilized market. during the period, the u.s. took more market share. as a result of the downturn of covid-19 and the drop in demand, we have seen u.s. production drop by nearly 3 million barrels a day. we have had nearly 500 bankruptcies in the u.s. shale basins and we have seen the unemployment rate quadruple over the last year because of the oil and gas shock. why the president thought it was so important when oil and gas was not on the agenda to bang home on this point, and to,

again, attack the paris climate change, made him look like an outlier at the last g20 summit. quite alarming. >> quite the message. john defterios joining us there, thanks. benjamin netanyahu has a message for u.s. president-elect joe biden. don't go back to the iran nuclear deal. mr. netanyahu didn't mention biden by name during his speech on sunday but israeli need medi interpreted his comments as being directed at the incoming president. the prime minister was a vocal opponent of the agreement, calling it a very bad deal when he addressed the u.s. congress in 2015. oren liebermann joins us. was this a message specifically for president-elect joe biden? >> i think that's quite clear that prime minister benjamin netanyahu is trying to address joe biden. he recently acknowledged that

joe biden would be president and now that he's made that acknowledgment, he's putting ahead his priority list or wish list, especially when it comes to iran. he was a vocal critic of the iran leader, and a supporter of donald trump's maximum pressure campaign against iran, and keeping that up with the incoming biden administration. he doesn't want to see the u.s. return to that policy, return to the jcpoa. here's the message he sent at a memorial ceremony last night. >> we will not allow iran to obtain nuclear weapons. there must be no return to the previous nuclear agreement. we must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that iran does not develop nuclear weapons and stops its aggressive behavior, including its support of terrorism. >> what's interesting here is that there's a debate within israel's intelligence committee whether it was beneficial to israel and the middle east to withdraw from the iran deal and

impose the sanctions. those against the withdrawal say it hasn't changed iran's policy, and without a firm jcpoa in place, iran has violated the terms of the deal. that being said, netanyahu's position remains clear, he opposed the deal and continues to oppose it. what is the reaction to release israel's jonathan pollard after 30 years. >> this is another gift handed to him by the trump administration. pollard had been out of prison, and now the trump administration did not renew the travel restrictions. he's free to come to israel with his wife esther pollard. it's not coming at this moment. his wife is undergoing medical treatment in the u.s. and only after that will they threaten co -- then come to israel. a victory for netanyahu, and

many releasing for t many lobbying for the release of pollard for years. joshua wong has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to charges connected to last year's antigovernment protests. wong and two other activists were charged with inciting, and participating in an unauthorized assembly outside hong kong's police headquarters. all three will remain in custody until sentencing. chris chris kristie lu stout joins me with more. how much jail time might they be facing. >> joshua wong, arguably hong kong has been remanded in custody after you reported he pleaded guilty for inciting and organizing unauthorized protests that took place outside hong kong police headquarters in june of last year. his fellow activists, ivan lam,

a agnes chow will face similar charges, sentencing next week. each activist could face a maximum of three years in prison. this case has nothing to do with the controversial new national security law. joshua wong has been face ago slew of charges in relation to his work as a pro democracy campaigner. he has addressed the media talking about the prospects of further jail time, and the future of his campaign. take a listen. >> perhaps authorities wish me to stay in prison, but i'm persuaded, no election bans nor any or power will stop us from activism. we explain the well of freedom to the world through our compassion, the home we love. so much that we are willing to sacrifice the freedom of our

own. >> a note of hopeful defiance from joshua wong, and this is a critical moment for them and for the opposition last week. we reported that three former opposition lawmakers were arrested for their protests in the legislative council that took place earlier this year. the week before that, we saw all of the remaining opposition lawmakers resign on mass in protest to the earlier disqualification of four of their fellow opposition lawmakers after that decree was handed down by beijing. this is a moment of unprecedented pressure and challenge for the opposition here in hong kong, not just for opposition lawmakers but especially for joshua wong who has been a thorn in the side of beijing since he first entered the scene in 2012. back to you. >> we'll continue to watch this closely. kristie lu stout joining us live from hong kong. protesting health care and education and calling for the president to resign.

most protests were peaceful. some demonstrators set fire inside the congress building. a local hospital said 14 people were treated for a number of injuries. the region is struggling to recover from two powerful hurricanes in a two-week period. coming up next, the u.k. prime minister pales the results of the astrazeneca trials after the u.s. lifts restrictions from the recent lock downs. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference.

more now on the vaccine news ouch the u.k. a covid-19 vaccine developed by oxford university and astrazeneca has an average efficacy of 70%. that figure is based on combining data from two dosing regimens with vaccine efficacy at 90% in one dosing regimen and

62% in the other. the u.k. government says it has 100 million doses of this vaccine on order. british prime minister boris johnson says the announcement is incredibly exciting. he is also set to announce a new plan for how england will exit its lock down later today. well, many european countries have been in strict lock downs in an team to curb surging covid cases. now after weeks of tough measures there is cause for optimism. jim bittermann has the latest. >> reporter: here in france and several other european countries where lock downs have been in place for three weeks or more, the efforts are beginning to bear fruit. the covid numbers, the rate of increase and hospitalizations, the number of icu beds needed for covid patients are beginning to go down. the french prime minister said friday we're on a good path, and sent a further signal by saying that president macron will address the nation on tuesday. speculation is already running

high that at least some of the country's tough restrictions, such as closures of on essential shops will be eased and quick to point out that restraints will come only. in germany, a spokesperson said the situation is stabilizing, but there are still worries that medical systems, especially icu beds rema beds remain stretched. nonetheless, authorities are looking hopefully at the coming of vaccines, and ways to distribute them. jim bittermann, cnn. toronto canada enters lock down today for at least the next 28 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus. the country's largest city has seen a rapid increase in new infections. ontario's premier says the move is part of an effort to avoid province wide lock down. indoor gatherings are limited to only those who live in the same home, and outdoor gatherings

cannot exceed ten people. other parts of ontario will be under higher levels of restriction. millions of americans are choosing to head home for the holidays against medical advice. but for others, the decision isn't so easy. >> i'm struggling right now, trying to decide if i'm going or if i'm staying home. >> still ahead, we will hear from a coronavirus survivor about why he's skipping thanksgiving this year. what's inside airborne? a blast of immune support that's more than just vitamin c. stay with us. vitamins, lend of zinc, other minerals, and herbs. take on your day with airborne. your daily dose of confidence. and i'm still going for my best. even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'm on top of that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less

major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? getting out there. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. ask your doctor about eliquis. and if your ability to afford your medication has changed, we want to help.

your medication has changed, 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.

welcome back, everyone. with thanksgiving just days away here in the united states, many americans are ignoring the advice of health officials to avoid traveling for the holiday this year. over the weekend, airports saw some of their highest passenger numbers since the pandemic began. nationwide, security agents screened more than a million passengers friday, and nearly a million on saturday. so the big question facing americans, should they travel for the holidays? medical experts say they shouldn't. but many are making the choice to gather with families despite

the risks. cnn's natasha chen spoke to a coronavirus survivor about why he's staying home this year. >> we know that there are so many people that are going through dark times right now. >> reporter: after almost a year of dark times, there's an understandable urge to be together for thanksgiving. >> my father lives in memphis. he's 85. >> reporter: but the risk is huge. >> i'm struggling with going to see him, because my mother passed earlier this year, so i'm struggling right now, trying to decide if i'm going or if i'm staying home. >> reporter: the centers for disease control and prevention says stay home. cdc experts now say most coronavirus infections are spread by people with no symptoms. and the spread is worse than ever. the u.s. saw more than 100,000 new covid-19 cases every day for the at least the last 19 days. new cases this month already total about a quarter of all u.s. coronavirus cases during the whole pandemic. one of the early cases was

pastor arthur breeland. >> it was the worst experience i ever had in my life. >> reporter: on march 25th, he woke up in a sweat. >> i basically was trying to rush to the refrigerator to put my head in the freezer because i was so hot. that's all i remember and my wife waking me up a couple of moments after that, and then being rushed to the e.r. >> after 12 days in the hospital and another month recovering, he knows firsthand how real the threat is. this year his congregation is having more events outdoors. they will not be having their annual celebration, and breeland says he won't be visiting family across the country. as leigh shockley is fore going the 50 person gathering. that's to protect the family after they already lost her 83-year-old uncle who died from covid-19 in april. >> he wasn't feeling well. he went to the hospital, and he never came back home. >> reporter: shockley runs caring for others, a charity

organization that held its annual thanksgiving food drive saturday. she honored her uncle walter green who would usually be present at the vegetable station. >> and this is the first year in 20 years that my uncle will not be here to help us. >> because that was someone i could pick up the phone and call, but that's someone that is gone. >> reporter: so she says to make sure she can still see her other loved ones next thanksgiving, she won't be seeing them this thanksgiving. >> life is precious. let us try to save each other. >> reporter: natasha chen, cnn, atlanta. >> wise words there. and four years ago, a grandmother and a high school student were introduced over a mistaken invitation to thanksgiving dinner. their story went viral and since then, wanda dench and jamal hinton have celebrated the

holiday together with their families. they kept the tradition going this year despite the pandemic and the empty seat it created. cnn affiliate, kpho has the story. >> dear heavenly father, thank you for bringing everybody here together safely. >> reporter: their tradition lives in the hearts of so many around the world. >> thanksgiving just wonuldn't e the same without wanda and jamal. >> i didn't want to miss thanksgiving with gentlemanal. >> grandma wanda thought she was texting her real grandson but texted teenager jamal instead. out of courtesy, she invited jamal over for thanksgiving d dinner, the two have celebrated ever since. >> this year is different. the pandemic has taken so much, and took the one whose smiles, hugs and warmth, made jamal and his girlfriend feel right at

home. wanda's husband passed away from covid-19, wanda there with him in his final moments. >> it was five minutes later and he passed away, so i'm sorry. >> reporter: she knew her first thanksgiving without him would be hard. but jamal and mckay la decided she wouldn't be lonely. they had an early thanksgiving, wanda her daughter and her real grandson, a seat at the table, knowing even though lonny isn't here, his spirit is. jamal northea jamal knows he'll hear this. >> i would like to say hi, thank you for welcoming me into your home with open arms from day one. >> reporter: lonny would always say grace before the thanksgiving meal. he was wanda's biggest cheer leader. so in his honor, surrounded with family by blood and family by

choice, wanda led the prayer, knowing lonny would be proud. >> thank you for all the blessings and thank you so much for having lonny in my life. i miss him, but i know he's in a good place. so to everybody here i love you and have a wonderful thanksgiving, amen. >> lovely story there. in the middle of all the pain and uncertainty from this pandemic, france is trying to provide a glimmer of hope, both literally and figuratively. in paris, the champs-elysees has been lit up in christmas lights, adding much needed brightness to a dark and somber year. the city is in the middle of a lock down, but officials say there is really to be optimistic. over the past week, infection numbers and hospitalizations have fallen, and the health agency says the current wave of cases may have peaked.

we need all the good news we can get. thank you so much for your company. i'm rosemary church. "early start" is up next. you're watching cnn. have yourselves a fabulous day.

welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is "early start." i'm boris sanchez in for christine romans. >> great to have you this week, boris. i'm laura jarrett. it's 5:00 a.m. in new york, and we begin with breaking news overnight. cnn has learned president-elect joe biden is set to name his nominee for u.s. secretary of state. sources say