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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, financial help for millions of americans in doubt this hour after donald trump slammed the $900 billion stimulus bill. the u.s. president also using his pardon power controversially. we will tell you about the convicted war criminals and corrupt politicians who now have a second chance. also ahead, chaos, confusion

and frustration. angry truckers stranded at the u.k./france border over covid fears take their anger out on the police . good to have you with us. well, the check may not be in the mail after all. president donald trump is throwing the whole $900 billion economic relief package into doubt by asking for major changes to the bill already passed by congress. the president's video message in which he came out against the could he individual stimulus bill took even republican lawmakers by surprise wednesday. the president did not specifically threaten to veto the bill but called it a disgrace. he urged them to make changes to the amount of money going to americans and he entertained his

post election fantasy of staying in office. >> send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package, and maybe that administration will be me and we will get it done. >> well, the president criticized what he calls wasteful spending in the covid relief bill but several provisions he attacked are part of the omnibus spending bill for the government, not the covid stimulus. so we get more now from cnn white house correspondent john harwood. >> the chaotic closing days of donald trump's administration took another bizarre turn on tuesday night when the president out of the blue posted a video message calling the covid relief bill that congress has just passed and sent for his signature a disgrace. this was the $900 billion bill

that included checks for $600 per person, extension of unemployment bill. it's not clear exactly what the president's purpose is here. he had not been particularly involved in negotiating the legislation though his administration aides had been. this is also not clear whether the president will in fact follow through by vetoing the bill. the last thing republicans need is an intramural fight. the president has been attacking republican readers trying to make himself look good at his expense. he demanded in the bill a change of the stimulus checks for american families from $600 per person to $2,000 per person. democrats in the house said they would.

not clear what this means whether there will be a veto. the bill initially passed with more than enough votes to override a presidential veto, but the picture could change if the president puts pressure on republicans. the one thing we know is it would be unwelcome news for americans looking for that relief and unwelcome news for the economy overall. dow futures went down 100 points after the president released a statement. john harwood, cnn, washington. as john just mentioned, president trump is calling for a larger, direct payment for americans increased from $600 to $2,000. shift, pelosi and all of the democrats stand ready to call mr. trump's bluff. >> if the president didn't like the amount that the republicans in congress are willing to go along with, he should have said something. he's been completely missing in

action and this has been true not since since the election. he's been completely disengaged. why wait until the house passes a bill and the senate passes the bill and say, oh, i'd like the checks to be bigger. the only thing he's ever cared about in the relief package are the checks with his name on them. if he wanted to make them bigger, he could have waited but he's going to put pressure on them, i'm all for it. we can take up a bill too increase it. christmas has come early for some of president trump's closest allies.

a flurry of presidential pardons saving several from jail time and triggering an outpouring of condemnation. among those granted pardons, two men who pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi in the muller probe. and the supporters of the president, the president pardoned four military contractors who killed civilians. we have more on who got them and why these won't be the last. >> president trump announced 20 pardons including george papadopoulos. he is the fourth president the president granted clemency to in the russia scandal. chris collins and duncan hunter

who was sentenced to 11 months earlier this year for misuse of more than $200 thurks in campaign funds will not serve any time behind bars with his pardon. collins was sent to prison for insider trading, activity he enbeginninged in. the massacre of iraqi civilians, including one, nicolas slaten and sentenced to life in prison. there were two border patrol agents as they were heralded as meade yes at the time. nearly half of the pardons are nonviolent drug offenders.

we have 20 pardons and more expected. pamela brown, cnn, washington. cnn legal analyst ellie hoenig said this is all constitutional under the broad pardon powers of the president but that doesn't make it right. >> these pardons fall into three groups. the first is some of the remaj defendants from the muller investigation, to me that's the least offensive. i think they're unjust but the bigger problem is the members of congress. you get on to convicted war criminals. people convicted by a jury through our due process, our trial process of murdering civilians. if that's not an injustice, i don't know what is.

>> important to note while some are commuted sentences generating controversy, some are serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses. france is reopening its border to some travelers from the u.k. with a variety of conditions attached. the border was shut down over concerns about a new coronavirus variant from the u.k. but in eng grand tempers are flaring this hour. they're frustrated they can't cross the border into the united kingdom. we are joined from over seas. talk to us about this. we're hearing about the border and the restrictions being lifted but no plan appears to be in place.

>> that's absolutely right, rosemary. we have been seeking answers. unable to cross. the policemen tell us no truck drivers, even if they have a negative coronavirus test, will be allowed to cross only tourists. since that time we've seen so much tension, so much aggravation that the border is essentially closed. i'll let you take a look, pan over here. because of that rush of drivers, police reinforcements were called in. no one is crossing. we did call french authorities to find out what's going on on their side. they say they have no information. there is no blocking on their side. on the part of the u.k. government, they say they have started coronavirus testing at two sites, a site along the highway. essentially a huge portion of the highway closed off to turn it into a parking lot for $900.

that's starting there as well. there's over 4,000 truck drivers there. that's about 5,000 truck drivers that they need to test not including the ones right in front of me here. so thousands upon thousands of truck drivers who need to get tested. to it efficiently and safely. there appear to be no sanitation, no cafeterias, bathrooms, accommodations. all of them have been living in their vehicles for days. so a great deal of concern about their health. the logistical nightmare how do you get thousands of truck drivers tested. many not from brittain, english is not their first language. you need to go to the airport or get online to book a test. that's a massive task for them.

if you don't come from brittain, you can imagine how difficult that is. not a lot of answers, rosemary. >> crazy situation there. many thanks to you for bringing us up to date on the condition there in dover. ahead here on cnn, scientists say the new covid-19 variant may impact children more. we'll have new research from the u.k. want to sell the best burger in every zip code?

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welcome back. 2020 is on track to be the deadliest year in u.s. history with more than 3 million deaths expecte expected according to preliminary data from the cdc. covid-19 has played a role accounting for 9% of u.s. deaths so far. johns hopkins university reports 3400 americans died from the coronavirus on tuesday and covid hospitalizations set a new record. for nearly a month, more than 100,000 people have been hospitalized in the u.s. for the

coronavirus. but despite these grim numbers, millions of americans have opted to travel for the christmas holiday. america's top infectious disease expert says christmas shouldn't be canceled by americans need to be careful and limit travel. in an effort to dispel fears over covid-19 vaccines, some health officials received their first doses on tuesday. cnn's sarah murray has the details. >> everyone has the opportunity to get vaccinated. >> reporter: the nation's top infectious disease doctor rolling up his sleeves for a dose of the moderna vaccine. >> are you done yet? >> no problem, people. >> reporter: while officials are worried about the vaccine. >> i have complete confidence. >> there are still concerns that it may be more transmissible. the cdc says the u.k. variant

hasn't been identified in the you u.s. but it could already be here. >> we take this very seriously and studying it carefully to see if we can find out any other connections between the mutation and the function of the virus. >> reporter: even so, administration officials tell cnn the white house is considering requiring travelers proof of a clear test. biontech said it's possible to adjust the vaccine to combat this strain. >> we should not forget there is still the opportunity if required to adjust the vaccine to this new virus variant if this is needed. >> reporter: vaccines are already rolling out across the u.s. with more than 4.6 million

doses shipped and shots in arms. it's lagging by days, it's clear it will take beyond december to hit the administration's target to getting the first doses to millions of americans. coronavirus cases continue to climb now surpassing 18 million. >> our hospitals are overwhelmed in many locations. >> reporter: hospitals are under strain as the u.s. reported more than 115,000 hospitalizations monday, a new record. while officials plead with americans to stay home for the holidays, there are already signs air travel is picking up with more than 4 million people flying in the past four days. >> if you're going to jump in a big metal tube, arrow plain with lots of people, a million people every day flying right now, you're going to be sharing a lot of air. people are still getting this wrong even now. it's the air we share. >> reporter: we are now learning there is one familiar face in the u.s. coronavirus response we

will not be seeing in the biden administration, that is dr. deborah birx. she wants the transition to be successful. she's happy to help out the biden team and then she plans to retire. sarah murray, cnn, washington. the coronavirus is once again spreading through countries where the pandemic was once thought to be under control. thailand says an outbreak from a seafood market has now grown to more than 1,000 cases. the government is now testing thousands of people and trying to contain the spread. in australia, covid restrictions are being eased in sydney after reporting of a falling number of cases. from christmas eve residents in the northern beaches will be allowed to have up to five visitors in their homes as long as they're from the same affected area. scientists in the u.k. say a new variant of the coronavirus

spreading through england may be more transmissible in children. it's more than 70% more infectious. that doesn't necessarily mean it's more dangerous. here's more from top scientists speaking at a virtual news conference. >> it has a higher propensity to infect children. we haven't established any sort of result on that. >> now to more covid-19 headlines from europe. germany has just reported 962 coronavirus deaths. it's the highest single day death toll since the pandemic began. ireland is facing tougher restrictions due to rising cases and the threat of the new covid variant. the vaccine campaign is set to begin according to the french health minister.

jim bidderman joins us now. what is the rollout? >> it will be coordinated on a european wide basis, rosemary. as it stands now basically on sunday the distribution will take place in all e.u. countries, the first distribution. the vaccine is coming down from belgium. it's under police surveillance, police patrol but drone surveillance as it comes down and going to 100 secret sites all over europe. the question is why the secrecy, it's liquid gold. and it's already a potential target for the mafia and other criminal organizations as well as anti-vax xers and other terrorist organizations. they're going to survey it and

then it's up to the countries themselves. france, as you said on sunday, they're going to start with senior citizen homes and also with health care workers. they're going to gradually inoculate about 100 -- rather, i'm sorry, a million of senior citizens and health care workers throughout the month of january and into february. after february they will go on to older people and the rest of the population beyond that. the rest of the population will probably get vaccines sometimes in the late spring, early to late spring. rosemary? >> impressive process there. jim bidderman the latest details. appreciate it. some top u.s. military officers getting anxious when it comes to the commander in chief. we have details from the pentagon. cascade platinum. and save water. did you know certified dishwashers... ...use less than four gallons per cycle,

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u.s. president donald trump is looking for support from his inner circle in his final weeks in office. cnn's jeremy diamond reports the president's remaining advisers are telling him exactly what he wants to hear, that he can still overturn the election. >> president trump burrowing deeper into denial. hold up at the white house, trump is surrounding himself with fans talking about overturning the election. lashing out. conspiracy theorist sidney powell is shuttling in and out of the white house.

yesterday he huddled with pro trump lawmakers. the house in democratic hands and senate democratic leadership opposed, the effort is dead on arrival, but vice president mike pence who attended parts of that meeting and is expected to preside over that joint session of congress is still indulging trump's fantasies. >> four more years. four more years. four more years. >> as our election contest continu continues, i'll make you a promise. we're going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted. we're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out. >> reporter: meanwhile trump lashing out at senate majority leader mitch mcconnell who last week acknowledged joe biden's election as president. trump sending this slide to republican senators falsely

claiming credit from mcconnell's easy re-election and accusing him of disloyalty writing sadly mitch forgot he was the first one off the ship. mcconnell isn't alone after dozens of failed court cases. even pat robertson is telling trump it's time to move on. >> i think it's all over. i think the electoral college has spoken. with all his talent and the ability to raise money and grow large crowds, the president still lives in an alternate reality. he really does. people say, he lies about this, that and the other. no, he doesn't lie. to him that's the truth. >> reporter: trump's delusional efforts to stay in power now alarming some top trump advisers as well as senior military officials. nearly a dozen military officers telling cnn there is growing anxiety in the ranks about what trump might do in his last 29

days in office. topping the list of concerns, trump's over all discussions about martial law and military action abroad. president trump signaling he will not sign the massive $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. the president issuing a video that was filmed inside the white house without the press in attendance saying, quote, send me a suitable bill or the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package and maybe that administration will be me and we will get it done. the president is demanding, among other things, that congress amend this legislation to increase that -- those payments to americans from $600 to $2,000 but, again, the president is making these demands despite having been completely hands off in the negotiations leading up to the passage of this bill. you should also note that this bill did pass in both houses of congress with strong veto proof majorities. jeremy diamond, cnn, the white house.

more now on that fear of president trump's next move. pentagon correspondent barbara starr has the details on anxiety within the u.s. military. >> reporter: talking to several military officers around the pentagon, the general climate is summed up something like this, we don't know what he might do. with less than 30 days to go in the trump administration, there is anxiety at the pentagon about what plans the president could potentially have to bring the military into his efforts to overturn the election. i mean, first of all, it would have to be a legal order. there is no legal role for the u.s. military in domestic elections in the united states. it simply doesn't exist. if the president were to order something and it wasn't a legal order, the military couldn't follow it. that doesn't mean they're not concerned about some of the president's language coming out from people who are close to

him. retired lieutenant general michael flynn, fired national security advisor of course, is speaking out publicly talking about using military capabilities to change election results, to rerun the election in some states. not at all clear how that could possibly work. and even now the u.s. army leadership, the chief of staff of the army, the four star general and the army secretary, the top civilians, both of them have put out a statement saying that there is no role for the u.s. military in domestic elections. general mark mills, the chief of staff, hasn't spoken about this in particular but he has repeatedly said what the u.s. military does not do in this country. what they do do is follow the constitution. barbara starr, cnn, the pent

go pentagon. the house foreign affairs committee. >> i don't think it's going to happen, i agree with barbara. the military is politicized. every one of the institutions of the government have been delegitimized. the cia is political, fbi is political, supreme court is political. all of these institutions. the last one that enjoys widespread bipartisan support is the military. this is the last straw. you know twitter is not real life, but i have seen on there people saying things like people are in the pentagon must be in the pocket of the chinese. the pentagon has been planning this overthrow with trump for a long time.

it's really, really frightening i think in the long term for this country. up next on "cnn newsroom" -- >> the next weeks are going to be the darkest weeks in modern american history. >> desperation in hospitals across the u.s. as the pandemic only intensifies. we will take you inside one covid unit in texas and speak to the doctors and patients suffering there. with allstate, you can really save. save for being a new customer. save more for adding drivewise. save even more for driving safely. see how much you can save with allstate. visit allstate.com or contact your local agent today. robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can startom 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.

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you are looking at a snapshot of the pandemic in florida. dark red represents counties with more than 6,000 covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents. you can see some of that red in the bottom right of the state, broward county. broward is imposing a holiday curfew to try to curtail the

spike. the mayor announced tuesday that the nine day curfew will begin christmas day from midnight to 5 a.m. new year's eve is an exception. the curfew will start at 1 a.m. on that day. well, as the u.s. passes 18 million covid cases in total, let's take a closer look at another state, texas. it is seeing record cases surpassing the summer surge and hospitals are feeling that pressure. miguel marquez made a return visit to a hospital that was already struggling during the first wave. >> reporter: houston's united memorial medical center. patient after patient on a ventilator. their lungs devastated by covid-19. >> this is terrible. it's from deep inside the lungs. this is -- this is -- this is covid. this is covid. this is what covid looks inside

the lungs. you can see a lot of mucus. the lungs swollen and red in this elderly patient. the sample will be sent to a lab to find out what else might be happening in their lungs. >> the question is, are they not healthy just because of covid or is there a secondary infection, which is common? >> reporter: we visited the same hospital in late june, then two wings of the hospital had been transformed into covid-19 wards. today prepping for what's to come, there are three. >> the next six weeks are going to be the darkest weeks in modern american medical history. >> reporter: even though the vaccine is being rolled out? >> absolutely. think about it. the vaccine is taking between six and eight weeks to get immunity. people are not listening. >> reporter: about 40% of patients at this houston hospital are from other parts. state reeling from overwhelming illness. across the lone star state,

cases exploding. the seven day average of positive cases hitting records far above where they were in june. walter was transferred here from west tension as, about 500 miles away. he thinks he and his wife picked up the virus at the supermarket. she had mild symptoms. today he's on the mend but when he arrived he was nearly put on a ventilator. >> i went to the store with my wife and her and i are the only ones wearing a mask of the none of the rest of the people, they're not wearing a mask at all. >> reporter: he works with foreign exchange students and recent ri moved to could he lus b columbus, texas. >> it is the worst i think i have felt in my life. >> she wasn't sure she would see her husband and kids again. >> i love you very much and i miss you so much. i can't wait to come home. >> reporter: the staff here from dr. verone to nurses to those who clean up are tired and

stressed. >> reporter: what has 2020 been like for you? >> like hell and back. it's hard. i'm stressed. >> reporter: we met her in june, then she was a patient having picked up covid-19, she thinks while performing cpr on a patient. she got covid a second time. she's not sure how. after nine months of dealing with sickness and death, she's back at work with a message. >> it's like we're nonexistent and it's like you do realize that we're still here taking care of these people putting my life at risk, putting my kids' life at risk, my mom's life. i think we've been forgotten, truly. >> reporter: something else new from june. patients are coming in sicker, having waited longer before seeking medical care. >> our average patient has spent about 20 days with symptoms before they come to us so, i mean, even if i give them

assistance. >> he has a wife and two kids and isn't sure how he got it. he thought he could tough it out. >> i messed up from those symptoms that i got when i got it. i should have went to the er room or the hospital right away but i didn't. i laid in bed thinking it was going to go away. >> for how long? >> for about a week. >> reporter: louise martinez's father, mother, uncle and cousin died of covid-19. the last thing he wanted to do was go to a hospital. >> i didn't want to do it because they put you in a hospital and sometimes you never make it. >> reporter: to listen to anna corona trying to breathe is to understand everything one needs to know. she's pretty certain she got it from her daughter at a birthday party. her 26-year-old niece died.

she says she's scared, like everyone we spoke to, those who could speak, they all hope for one thing, to be home for christmas. margaret evans says ten members of her family got covid-19. she thinks at a birthday party. >> how tough is it to be away from family? >> it's hard. it's hard. it's very, very, very, very hard. >> reporter: she has nine grandchildren she would really like to see. >> this is a fairly small hospital. about 170 beds total. 88 are covid beds. 65 or so are filled. that can change very quickly, but it's not so much the bed spaces at hospitals like this and others, it's the staff. the doctors, the nurses. even those who clean up, they have been, working themselves to the bone for nine months now. they are stressed, overworked, tired. they've had it. and the worst is yet to come.

back to you. joining me now is dr. san jew matthew, a primary care specialist and physician. thank you for talking with us and for all that you do. >> thank you, rosemary. >> dr. anthony fauci says the new u.k. variant of the coronavirus is probably already here in the united states, and he says that's what these types of viruses do, they mutate, but he also says there's not any indication this is more lethal than the original and no indication the vaccines won't be able to fight this new variant. do you agree with him on all points? >> yeah, i do. i do, rosemary. i definitely agree with dr. fauci. this is an rna virus. it is, believe it or not, an unstable virus. does it make it more dangerous? we have no reason to believe that it's going to be more dangerous. it might be more transmissible. we also have no reason to believe that the strak seens won't work which is good news,

right? everybody wants the vaccines to work. also this virus has been in the u.k. since september. that's three months ago so most likely it is probably in the u.s. already. >> right. and how long will it take, do you think, to know if the pfizer biontech and moderna vaccines are definitely able to fight all of the variants of this coronavirus? when might we know if the vaccines can also ensure we don't pass the infection along even though we might be protected because we've been vaccinated? >> right. two good questions, rosemary. i think for the first question we should know in the next two to three weeks. the good news is we actually have the genetic structure of the strain. there are 23 mutations. they're actually doing the studies as we speak. so i think we'll find out in the next two or three weeks. it's going to be relatively easy to do that. the second question is, we know that vaccines work to prevent disease, but will it prevent

transmission? moderna has some data on that. i'm hoping this vaccine does help. not only am i protecting myself, i'm protecting people around me from transmitting the virus. >> and, doctor, the tsa has already seen record high travelers since the pandemic started. more than 4 million passengers screened in the last few days and this is just days before christmas, of course. how worried are you about this? and why is the message not getting through to so many people that staying home for the holidays, wearing a mask and social distancing is what will conquer covid-19 along with all of the various mutations? >> i think we need to change the message and not really talk about strict measures like don't do this, don't do that. it never worked with the hiv pandemic. i think what we need to do is talk about risk reduction. it doesn't necessarily mean that christmas is canceled, it means that if you must travel, i don't

encourage that you travel, but if you do, make sure you are not gathering in large crowds. and the three ws, watching your distance, wearing a mask, wearing a mask. i'm adding two more vs. >> we're all waiting eagerly, most of us, when it is out. we'll have to wait and see what decisions are made on that. thank you so much for talking with us. >> thank you. well, the pandemic isn't stopping holiday travel. u.s. air lines are seeing dramatic increases as christmas approaches. we will hear from some travelers when we return. i tell them, try cascade platinum plus the power of oxi. it breaks down food soils to clean up to 99% of visible and invisible food residue for a hygienic clean you can see and feel. cascade + the power of oxi.

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despite warnings from top health officials, air travel in the u.s. is setting new pandemic records. cnn's pete munteen spoke with travelers heading out for the holidays. >> reporter: plenty of people traveling despite the cdc telling them not to and they're breaking records of the

pandemic. the tsa says they surpassed records on friday, saturday, sunday. nearly a million on monday. we'll have to see what the numbers are on tuesday. it's the 3 day million passenger streak so interesting. we have not seen that before during the pandemic, not even during the thanksgiving rush. these numbers are 40% of what they were a year ago. plenty of people are staying home, but the travelers we talked to say they are taking every precaution they can to stay safe. >> been reading a bit and they're essentially saying with the ventilation it's not going to -- you're safer because it is filtered air and whatnot. the only thing i worry about is the person next to me sitting too close. how do you politely move over. i like aisle seats but i'm not doing that. taking precautions. >> holiday travelers from the united kingdom can still come here even in spite of the new coronavirus strain. no new restrictions from the federal government.

the federal aviation says it's monitoring. delta airlines will soon test passengers for coronavirus as they arrive here from the united kingdom. pete muntean, cnn. a hospital in rome is giving patients an early christmas present, the opportunity to hug their loved ones. the san raphael rehabilitation hospital installed a hugging curtain with sets of long plastic gloves that allow their child patients to hug visitors they haven't seen in montsds. the hospital's director says the children's most requested wish from santa claus was for some way to see their families. the curtain helped make that wish come true. that's lovely. thank you so much for your company. i'm rosemary church. you're watching cnn. have yourselves a wonderful day. when we started our business

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is "early start." thank you so much for joining us. i'm boris sanchez in for christine romans. i'm laura jarrett. 5 a.m. here in new york. 28 days left in donald trump's presidency and you better buckle up. the president has all but stopped governing for weeks, but now out of nowhere he's demanding changes to the $900 billion stimulus bill passed by congress with veto proof majorities. since the measure is linked to a broader spending bill, the