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. just ahead, breaking news today. the u.k. approves the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine for use. more from london on that in just a moment. this as the cdc firms up its priority list for who gets the vaccine first once it's approved here in the united states. the latest details ahead on that. and attorney general william barr refutes president donald trump and said there is no evidence of widespread election

fraud. good to have you with us. we begin this hour with breaking news from the united kingdom. the government has announced that it has accepted the pfizer biontech covid-19 vaccine for use. the u.k. regulator has concluded that the vaccine, quote, has met its strict standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. a health department spokesperson said the vaccine will be made available across the u.k. starting next week so let's get the latest on this. selma abdel azeez joins us from london. this is such exciting news. all of these weeks, these months we've waited to hear this and it's in the united kingdom that the first vaccines will start getting distributed and by next

week. what more are you learning about this? >> reporter: it's extraordinary, rosemary. i can't over emphasize just how big of news this is. i mean, we have been talking about this deadly pandemic for months saying if a vaccine comes. if a vaccine comes. now we can say when a vaccine comes. for the u.k., that is early next week. just a matter of days. truly exciting news to be sharing this morning, and it couldn't come at a better time after such a tough year for everyone across the world. now the u.k. is excited about this. it's exsuh iting for the world. we'll see this happens next week. they've ordered 40 million doses of the pfizer vaccine. the initial batch will be 800,000. we're supposed to find out in a matter of hours who will get it first. here's what's expected. remember the pfizer vaccine needs to be held at extremely cold temperatures, negative 70, negative 80. that means that hospitals are most likely to receive it first

because they have the refrigeration capacity to hold the vaccine. that means among the first people we could see receiving this will be health care workers, which i know everyone around the world will be over the moon about. everyone has seen the sacrifices doctors, nurses, medical workers have made how they put their lives at risk and now finally a bit of protection. remember, it takes two doses, 21 days apart. the other group is elderly people in care homes and most vulnerable. an expectation they will make an announcement on those people getting it. boris johnson tweeting out the news today, tweeting out the excitement. i'm going to read you what he wrote. it is fantastic that mhr has allowed the vaccine. it will be made available across the u.k. next week.

it is the protection of vaccines that will allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again. that's what we heard from the health secretary. help is coming, rosemary. >> very exciting. it's so nice to have some good news for a change, isn't it? many thanks for bringing us the latest on that. as covid-19 cases surge across the u.s., a committee at the centers for disease control and prevention has voted on who should get the first doses of a vaccine once they're approved for use here in the united states. they want health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities to be first in line since they're most vulnerable to the disease. the advisers say the second wave should target essential workers like those in food production and emergency personnel. it may cover people at high risk of complications and death from underlying conditions. while americans anxiously wait for a vaccine, we have learned the first shipments of pfizer's

drug are to be delivered on december 15th. that is according to a federal document. hospitals are already getting special freezers in place that can store the pfizer vaccine at the required subzero temperatures. moderna's vaccine shipments are expected to arrive on december 22nd. these delivery estimates are based on drug makers getting emergency use approval of course. the u.s. food & drug administration chief says he expects that decision won't talk lo take long, take a listen. should be relatively quick afterwards but there could be issues that come up that we have to address. one thing we can't do is promise something that isn't deliverable because of an issue that comes up regarding safety or effectiveness. but we absolutely have to do this the right way to get this done and get the answer that's appropriate for the american people and the world. >> while we wait on vaccines

here in the u.s., the number of covid-19 cases is accelerating rapidly. on tuesday more than 98,000 covid patients were hospitalized across the country. that is a new record and johns hopkins university reports a big jump in the daily death toll with nearly 2600 deaths reported on tuesday. horrifying numbers there. that is the second highest single day covid death toll ever in the u.s. cnn's erica hill has more. >> reporter: a critical recommendation about who will receive the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine. >> you want to end this pandemic, get back to normalcy you have to use the vaccine strategically. >> recommending front line health care workers and nursing home residents get the first vaccinations. >> we are ready to accept whatever amount of vaccine we receive. we have plans that will start with all 37 chicago hospitals.

>> two companies have requested emergency use authorization for their vaccines. outside advisory fda panel meets to discuss pfizer's application on december 10th, moderna is scheduled for consideration on december 17th. once okayed, states will distribute the vaccine. their plans are due friday. >> there may be certain groups that they tailor specifically, poultry in arkansas, some of the meat packing plants in the panhandle. it will be a balance between one trying to save as many lives as possible but also stabilizing the health system. >> if you want to be part of the solution, get vaccinated. >> reporter: nationwide covid hospitalizations doubled in november. >> we can only handle so much of a surge. the system is only made with so much capacity. >> reporter: all but three states reporting an increase in cases last month. >> this is the worst spot we've

been in since last march. >> daily cases urged from 80,000 to 160,000 in november. an increase of more than 95%. average daily reported deaths rose more than 78%. >> sometimes i'm grieving for my husband and i realize my mom's gone, then i'm grieving for my mom. >> reporter: florida just became the third state to log more than 1 million cases. california crossed that milestone november 12th. as icus fill, the governor is ordering a new stay at home order next. meantime, the economic toll is growing. >> what's the bigger risk, me going to work or us losing our house or like what -- >> reporter: millions of americans struggling as amazon reports record sales, reminder of the sharp divide between wall street's gain and main street's reality. >> go from pantry to pantry trying to get something.

>> reporter: san francisco may close outdoor dining as they deal with the third surge. the mayor noting they're now dealing with the most dangerous period in the pandemic. los angeles county last week. in new york, i'm erica hill, cnn. and when president-elect joe biden takes over the white house on january 20th, he will inherit a country struggling to recover from the pandemic. cnn's jeff zeleny reports on the team biden just unveiled to help rebuild the economy. >> our message to everybody struggling right now is this, help is on the way. >> reporter: with a pandemic deepening and financial pain intensifying, president-elect joe biden presenting his economic team as a new life line for struggling americans. >> from the most unequal job crisis, we can build a new american economy that works for all-americans, not just some, all. >> reporter: biden formally introduced janet yellen to be

the first woman to serve as treasury secretary. >> no one is better prepared to deal with this crisis. >> reporter: a former chair of the federal reserve who also led the council of economic advisers in the clinton administration, yellen promised to help families. >> the pandemic and economic fallout together have caused so much damage for so many and have had a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable among us. >> reporter: yellen offered a stark policy contrast from the trump era saying structural changes to the economy are needed. >> it's a convergence of tragedies that is not only economically unsustainable, but one that pobetrays our commitme to giving every american a chance to get ahead.

>> reporter: they did not mince words about the daunting challenges ahead. >> the american people can do anything when given a chance. >> this is a moment of urgency and opportunity. >> unlike any we face in modern times. >> these barrier breaking nominees face confirmation, which means if republicans maintain control of the senate, at least some bipartisanship support will be needed. >> tanden has been a hard-edged partis partisan. >> reporter: for now at least mitch mcconnell will play a key role on who makes it into biden's cabinet. have you spoken to mcconnell? >> not yet. >> reporter: biden is calling on congress to pass an economic relief bill this year, but he's clearly said that is just the beginning. one of the key parts of the agenda is passing a larger

stimulus bill. he said the american people need it urgently. jeff zeleny, wilmington. from the muller report, leading up to impeachment, donald trump could count on william barr being on his side. now barr has broken with the president. on tuesday barr told the associated press the justice department has not found any evidence of widespread fraud in the presidential election. that statement directly contradicts president trump's claim that the election was rigged. here is the latest from evan perez. >> reporter: attorney general bill barr says the justice department hasn't found any evidence to support allegations of widespread fraud that could change the result of last month's presidential election. this is a notable statement because bill barr before the

election helped spread some of president donald trump's claims that voting by mail was susceptible to fraud. something that trump officials and state officials said simply wasn't true. barr said in an interview tuesday with the associated press that the justice department and the homeland security department have looked into the claims of fraud. he said, quote, to date we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election. the trump lawyers that are still trying to push his baseless fraud claims strictly rejected barr's assessment. they repeated the claim that, quote, ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states happened, which they say that the attorney general isn't privy to. barr's comments came the same day he publicly revealed he has appointed john durham to continue looking into whether intelligence and law enforcement agencies violated the law in

investigating the 2016 trump presidential campaign. that essentially keeps the issue over the 2016 election alive well into the biden administration. evan perez, cnn, washington. there's also word william b barr's justice department is looking for a pay for pardon scheme. they show an investigation into payments made to the white house or political committees for a trump pardon. the documents do not name anyone involved in the scheme. speaking of pardons, sources tell cnn president trump is talking to aides about pardons for his children and his lawyer rudy giuliani. the pardons would be preemptive because none of them are charged with a crime, something that's highly unusual. be sure to tune in to cnn as jake tapper sits down with u.s. president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris. their first joint interview

since they won the white house. you can see it thursday at 9 p.m. on the u.s. east coast. that's friday at 10 a.m. in hong kong and 2 a.m. friday for you night owls in london only here on cnn. a georgia election official has had enough of violent threats and is calling on republicans to put a stop to it. >> all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this. >> more on his emotional plea when we return. 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.

pepto bismol coats and soothes your stomach for fast relief ♪ and get the same fast relief in a delightful chew with pepto bismol chews. a critical senate runoff election is just over a month away in georgia, and a state election official is making a plea to the president and his followers to put a stop to dangerous rhetoric before it's too late. >> it all has gone too far. all of it. joe asked for chris krebs, a patriot who ran cisa to be shot. a 20 something tech in guinette

has death threats and noose put out saying he should be hung for treason because he was transferring a report on batches from an ems to a county computer so he could read it. it has to stop! mr. president, you have not condemned these actions or this language. someone's going to get hurt. someone's going to get shot. someone's going to get killed. >> and with control of the senate on the line, georgia's senate nominees are ready and willing to spend whatever they need to get their message to the public, but as cnn's kyung lah reports. >> reporter: in the hyper partisan battle for the georgia senate seats, there is uniform agreement about this. >> they're on i would think 75%

of the time. every commercial is an ad, campaign ad. >> it's too much. it is too much. >> oh, my god. i'm tired of it. >> reporter: we can't even get through our interview -- >> there's another one. >> reporter: it's all -- it's all -- it's too redundant, if you will. i get tired of seeing people bashing people. >> reporter: they should all prepare for more. >> john ossoff has dedicated his career to fighting injustice. >> reporter: john ossoff introduced this new ad enlisting the help of one of his party's most political resources. >> if we vote because our lives depend on it because they do, we will elect john ossoff. >> reporter: it is the latest of a nuri. his opponent is david perdue. >> if john ossoff wins, they control washington but georgia can stop them. >> reporter: the other

republican incumbent kelly loeffler is attacking her opponent. reverend warnock and alvin the beagle responded. >> i think georgians will see her ads for what they are. don't you? >> reporter: total ad spending including reservations through the january 5th runoff crossed $300 million. spending by the incumbents and republican backers topped democrats by $50 million. the georgia runoffs are far and away the most expensive senate races of the 2020 cycle. >> money absolutely matters. >> reporter: but the campaign's legal office brendan fesher offers this. >> they've just been through a hotly contested presidential race. they just voted in november and they may not be motivated to vote again in january. >> reporter: especially, says waitress kayleigh waters, when she's trying to survive

financially during covid. >> it doesn't make sense to come home from work and watch tv and see that. it's kind of like even more depressing. it's so polarizing. >> reporter: john ossoff is speaking with reporters that he fully expects to be outspent in the ad war but he does intend to win at the ground game. kyung lah, cnn. a new study shows 20% of georgia's votes cast in the presidential election were from people under the age of 29. earlier i spoke with edward aguila who created an organization to get more young people to register and vote ahead of the runoff. >> originally we built this platform because we felt that a lot of students were disillusioned with the entire voting system. people would look at students and say, they're apathetic. a lot of them don't feel that the vote matters. that's why we built the system

that could increase the power of the vote depending on where it is that you chose to vote, right? initially you're going to have a lot of push back. they're going to say it's not worth it. they'll stay at home. then you don't think your vote matters but where the georgia election could be determined by a few,000 votes. a handful of people should be able to decide it. >> it is scheduled for january 5th. just over a month away. still to come, vaccine approval is inching closer in the united states. what do we need to know before they become widely available? in the u.k. approval of a vaccine has taken place. we are live in london for the latest on that exciting news.

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well, we are now finding out who will be the first in the united states to get the long awaited coronavirus vaccines once approved. a group of cdc advisers say health care workers and long-term care facility residents will be first in line. so what will the vaccines look like for everyone? what are the concerns? brian todd tries to answer some of those questions. >> reporter: the anticipation and anxiety surrounding the coronavirus vaccines are unmistakable as pfizer and m moderna prepare to roll out the first doses. >> i think there's anxiety and

great hope because i think people do recognize even if they're hesitant that vaccines are the way out of the pandemic. >> reporter: among the key questions people are asking, given that they were rushed into production, are the vaccines safe? >> yes, we think the vaccines are going to be safe and here are the caveats. these are new vaccines, but they have been rigorously tested in clinical trials and these are not trivial clinical trials. they're 30,000 to 60,000 people. >> reporter: there will be long-term monitoring and safety for years after we've been immunized. another important question, what side effects can we expect? one volunteer talked about his side effects. >> side effects were nausea, body aches, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, chills, slight diarrhea. >> reporter: operation warp

speed said people who get the vaccine will have much less noticeable effects. >> i would classify them 10, 15% of subjects immunized have quite noticeable side effects that last no more than 24/36 hours and resolve. >> reporter: and when can most of us who are not health care professionals or health care workers expect to be able to get vaccinated? those times vary. >> i'm hoping by q2. early spring. that would be our aspirational goal. >> i think we're talking about late summer, fall when the general public will have access to the vaccines. >> how much will it cost the average person? in the u.s., likely nothing. the federal government has promised the vaccine will be free of charge. how many doses of the vaccine will you need? for the pfizer and moderna

vaccines, you'll need, that's a question we don't know yet. >> reporter: which vaccines should you choose? they're so similar in efficacy that either are fine. depending how your state distributes the vaccine, you may not have a choice. another crucial question, if you already have had coronavirus do you need to get vaccinated? >> at this point we would say, yes, you do. we don't know very much about the durability of immunity to coronavirus. we do know that these vaccines can induce antibodies which are important in protection against coronavirus that sometimes are many fold higher. >> reporter: what about after we get vaccinated, how long will we have to wear masks and practice social distancing? we posed that question and they said even though the vaccines are supposed to be highly

effective, we'll have to wear masks through the fall of next year. brian todd, cnn. joining us now is dr. joseph marrone from houston, texas. thank you for talking with us and for all that you do. >> thank you for the invitation. >> i want to bring up this photo. it's of you embracing and comforting an elderly covid patient on thanksgiving day. it went viral. he's crying because he wants to see his wife. so many heartbreaking instances like this. you have worked for 257 days straight. how stressful is this? how are you coping? >> the most stressful situation i have ever encountered in my career. i have been in major situations, bombings, tsunamis, and yet this has been by far the most stressful situation in my entire

life. >> how are you coping with that? and how are the nurses and other doctors coping with it? >> well, you know, nurses are tired. we are all exhausted. some of my nurses will start crying in the middle of the day. they see one patient die and soon thereafter they see another one, then they have three more patients coming from the emergency room. we are all very tired. it's been one building and we don't see an end in sight any time soon at least. >> right. i understand that. at least there are vaccines in the pipe lines, but before we get to that, i want to ask you how angry it makes you feel when so many americans refuse to wear masks and refuse to follow the public health recommendations putting you and your colleagues' lives at risk just because they don't want to basically -- it's a freedom issue, isn't it? that's what it comes down to.

what do you say to those people and some of the patients that come in and see you who have refused to wear masks? >> well, i'll tell you, it's quite simple. first of all, i get it. i get annoyed to the point i would like to slap them in the face but i guess you don't do that. having said that, i have had several of them tell me, hey, i don't want to use a mask. it's my right. that is a right, but it's not a right to kill somebody else. if they want to die because they want to die, that's okay, but the problem is that there are so many people out there that they don't know they are carrying the virus, they are asymptomatic. we have tested over 200,000 people. of those people that are positive, 48% of them are totally asymptomatic. so i get annoyed when somebody tells me i don't need to wear a mask because i'm not feeling sick. that's nonsense. >> thank you so much for your time and you are a hero to all

of us. many thanks. >> thank you very much. we want to bring you the very latest news from the u.k. now. the government has accepted the pfizer biontech covid-19 vaccine for use. the u.k. regulator has concluded that the vaccine, quote, has met its strict standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. it is a big moment of course and comes on the morning that england is heading out of a four-week lockdown. our max foster is live in london outside 10 downing street. he joins us now. good to see you, max. such exciting news on the vaccine front for the u.k. people are heading out of the lockdown and heading into strict restrictions before they get access to that vaccine. what's the late eggs on all of this? >> reporter: well, i think there's a huge implication. the light is appearing in the dawn as we move out of this

pandemic ultimately. he does say it's a six-month process. what's happened today is this well respected, independent regulator in the u.k. has said that the vaccine from pfizer isn't only effective, it's also safe. the government following up saying they're ready to start rolling out this inoculation process. it will start next week in hospitals. 800,000 doses are ordered now on their way from the pfizer factory in belgium. the big first test, of course, is getting it over here into hospitals and into people's arms. of course, this drug has to be held at minus 70 degrees celsius. pfizer developed special packages to keep the doses at that temperature and of course what happens once people are injected. it takes two doses and they're 21 days apart.

certainly high priority individuals in the u.k. will be getting these doses as of next week. >> very exciting news. max foster bringing us the latest on that, appreciate it. earlier i spoke with virologist mohamed vanier if the british news could affect a decision in the u.s. >> although the regulatory bodies are different, even at the national level. in the u.k. we have mhra, that is equivalent to fda in the u.s. so i don't really doubt that the data will be shared between the organizations, between the regulatory bodies because the way it has been looked into for the efficacy, stability and effectiveness and the foundation for rolling out here in the u.k. should be shared with the fda so it can be learned between the organizations so we make sure we don't waste the time while we

are assessing these vaccines on a high scale. this is something that can affect the deployment of the vaccine in the public in a very short time so, therefore, there is a threshold but at the same time they need to make sure it is safe and effective, which it is, but that would give us, you and me, also assurance that when it comes to it, it is safe and there shouldn't be any hesitance. >> that was virologist muhammad munir. cnn got an inside look at a facility crucial to transporting vaccines across the united states. aviation correspondent pete munteen has that report. >> reporter: this is something you typically would not see. this is essentially one big

refrigerator that united airlines will use to distribute the vaccine when it is, indeed, ready. it needs to be especially cold, and that is the big challenge in distribution. airlines could be central to this and maybe transport the vaccine the furthest. 40 degrees fahrenheit in here now. moderna will require it be negative 4 degrees fahrenheit. the pfizer vaccine, negative 100 degrees fahrenheit and it requires a special freezer. this is a key link to getting the vaccine from where it's made, getting it to where it's administered, they're already using special refrigerated containers like this. we saw one like this being offloaded on a flight from brussels here at dulles international airport earlier today. united is already doing charter flights for pfizer. they'll transport this vaccine. american airlines is starting

vaccine trial flights, dhl, ups, fed ex will all get in on this when the vaccine is ready and the faa is actually doing paperwork to keep the dry eyes on board to keep the vaccine cold enough while it is on board. airlines have been struggling during the pandemic. air travel down 60% from a year ago. they cannot wait for this vaccine to come out. it's central. still to come, donald trump says the election was a fraud but one of the president's closest allies is throwing cold water on that claim. we will tell you who undercut the president in just a moment. more than just vitamin c. 's it's a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. take on your day with airborne. your daily dose of confidence.

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of the stories. the final days of the trump presidency. on tuesday trump's long-time ally, attorney general bill barr, broke with the president and said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the election. meanwhile, there's also word that president trump is considering some very controversial pardons before he leaves office for his children and his attorney rudy giuliani. that's despite none of them being charged with a crime. joining me now to help us sort through all of this is thomas gift. he is the director of the center on u.s. politics at university college in london. good to have you with us. >> good morning, rosemary. good to see you. >> you, too. in a very public shaming of donald trump his own attorney general bill barr said there's no evidence of fraud. what do you think triggered trump's rejection of trump's

baseless claims of a rigged election and what are the possible ramifications of all of this? >> this is bill barr saying to the president, you're entitled to your own opinions. this is a story when a high level official who's loyal to the president puts his foot down. he didn't have any choice if he wanted to maintain credibility. trump's allegations have gotten nowhere in the courts. to lend credence wouldn't have seemed like a partisan move, it would have flown in the face of overwhelming evidence. the fact that barr did refute trump's fraud claims so explicitly should add greater force given he's been such a staunch defender of the president. >> enough is enough. there is progress there. the other big revelation coming

from bill barr's department of justice is an apparent investigation into a potential pay for pardon scheme with payments apparently made for the white house in exchange for a trump pardon. what do you make of this money making venture? >> that would be an explosive revelation if there were actually facts to back that up. i think at this point we're still in the early going trying to figure out what exactly is happening there but if there was evidence that was happening, it would be a monumental story. huge story. it's hard to figure out exactly what the fallout would be and all of the ramifications but it certainly would be a very serious charge. >> we understand that he is seriously considering pardoning his three older children and rudy giuliani, perhaps even himself. that's still in the mix. what would be the likely response to that? and how legal is that?

>> well, it would be a preemptive pardon, which is fairly uncommon. i think what donald trump would do would be to frame this as trying to avoid a witch hunt against himself and his family. if he did do that, there would be political fallout. i'm not sure he would face significant consequences. there are legal questions about what this would entail. at the very least, rosemary, it would be considered highly unusual, unprecedented. >> yes. yes, indeed. thomas gift joining us there from london. many thanks as always. >> thanks, rosemary. three pro democracy activists have been sentenced to jail in hong kong in connection to antigovernment protests. joshua wong and ivan lam are seen here leaving for court earlier, wong has been sentenced

to 13 1/2 months in prison after pleading guilty to inciting and organizing a protest outside the hong kong police headquarters last year. ivan lam has been sentenced to seven months in prison for inciting protests and agnes chow has been sentenced to 10 months for inciting and taking part in the protests. a family faces the possibility of losing their home after making difficult choices to protect their daughter from covid. >> every night we cry to each other. if we're not crying, we're trying to make a way, find a way. >> their heartbreaking story next. introducing febreze light. it eliminates odors... with no heavy perfumes... in light scents you'll love. new febreze light. do you have a life insurance

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call or click now to enroll or see how your plan compares. call the number on your screen, or visit healthmarkets.com millions of americans are struggling through this pandemic. they have lost jobs, family members and they're trying to feed their families and keep their homes, and the one family in texas the struggle is even tougher. ed lavandera has their story. >> reporter: exploring a secluded playground is a rare gift for little brandy and her family. a chance for kids to be kids and

a chance for jessica lusk and dillon garcia to escape. the coronavirus pandemic has brought this family to the edge of despair. >> what happens if we lose everything for real, you know? like what really is going to happen? >> i'm a big girl today. >> reporter: 3-year-old brandy was born with an extremely rare metabolic disease, cact. her body is unable to break down the fat and food that her body needs to function. it has caused brain damage and pulverized her immune system. her doctors say any illness brandy catches can be deadly. when the pandemic started she worked as a home care worker, dillon worked in a metal factory. working jobs with a high risk of covid-19 exposure knowing they could come home with a disease that would kill their child. >> is it better off staying at home or is that going to end up getting us put in a homeless

shelter where she's more at risk? i think about that all the time. what's the bigger risk? me going to work or us losing our house? what's the right answer? what do i pick? what's going to work? >> in april jessica and dillon stopped working to keep brandy safe. they hoped the pandemic would end quickly. now the couple says they live off $700 a month in unemployment assistance and food stamps. medicaid insurance provides a nurse to help in brandy's daily care, a schedule that's meticulously mapped out. she can only eat special formula injected every few hours through a tube into her stomach but jessica and dillon say they're $2,000 behind on electrical bills. they owe almost $10,000 on nine months of unpaid apartment rent. they were told their family would be evicted at the end of december. >> that lady told me if i was a good mom, i would be calling around to homeless shelters to ask if they can take me in.

i poured my whole heart out to her and explained to her, just please, don't. don't get rid of me. i have nowhere to go. >> it makes you feel like a failure as a parent, as a man. >> it's like i don't even deserve my own kids. >> jessica and dillon have had to isolate themselves and their three children during the pandemic which they say has made fighting this battle even more lonely and stressful. they live for brief moments of joy, like watching brandy take her first steps. >> you did it! >> every night we cry to each other. we talk. if we're not crying, we're trying to make a way. we're trying to find a way. >> jessica and dillon are haunted every night by the question they can't escape. are they doing the right thing? >> reporter: have you given up hope? >> we can never give up. we have children. it just -- it's a lot. >> only hope we've got is the fact that we still do have her.

she still is here. >> that's all i can do is just pray that it goes away, that things get better. god makes a way. >> what is stunning to think about is that brandy's doctors tell us that most children with her condition don't live past the age of 1. she is now 3 and her parents are following closely the development of the coronavirus vaccine. brandy's doctors say the young child would be able to take the vaccine. her parents tell us they're waiting to get more information about whether or not the vaccine will be safe and effective. ed lavandera, cnn, dallas. >> so many tough stories to tell. thank you so much for your company. i'm rosemary church. be sure to connect with me on twitter @rosemarycnn. "early start" is up next. is now a good time for a flare-up?

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[what's this?] oh, are we kicking karly out? we live with at&t. it was a lapse in judgment. at&t, we called this house meeting because you advertise gig-speed internet, but we can't sign up for that here. yeah, but i'm just like warming up to those speeds. you've lived here two years. the personal attacks aren't helping, karly. don't you have like a hot pilates class to get to or something? [ muffled scream ] stop living with at&t. xfinity can deliver gig to the most homes. ♪ hark for the pets, ♪sweet little pets, ♪ ♪ cute faces say, "spoil us away" ♪ ♪ spoil time is here, perking their ears, ♪ ♪ lapping their tongues, old and the young ♪ ♪ bark, squawk, meow, that's how they sing. ♪ ♪ with joyful ring, so much spoiling. ♪ ♪ oh how they zoom, all through the room. ♪ ♪ so many tails! wag-ging of tails! ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry, spoiling ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry, spoiling ♪ ♪ hark for the pets, sweet little pets, ♪

♪ cute faces say, "spoil us away" ♪ this is cnn breaking news. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, this is "early start." i'm laura jarrett. >> and i'm christine romans. it is wednesday, december 2nd. 5 a.m. in new york. seven weeks until joe biden's inauguration as 46th president. our breaking news, the united kingdom became the first western country to approve a coronavirus vaccine leaping ahead of the u.s. they could start giving people shots as early as next week with a vaccine made by an american pharmaceutical company. let's get to max foster with the details. what do we