need. >> and they will have more parties in las vegas, new jersey and orlando. he has a philanthropic heart. >> it is great. shaq a krclause, giving is bett than receiving. all about the joy of kids and that spirit. and i love that he is leveraging his celebrity for something more important than celebrity. beautiful. all right. thanks, carolyn. thanks for joining us. i'm john avlon. "cnn this morning" starts right now. good morning, everyone. so glad you're with us. i'm poppy harlow with phil mattingly. it is december the 22nd. detroit news reporting then president donald trump was recorded personally calling and pressuring two michigan canvassers to not certify the 2020 vote just after the

election. here's why this is so crucial, especially right now. the efforts to overturn michigan's election results are a significant part of the special counsel jack smith's federal elections aversion case. smith is now pushing the supreme court to decide immediately whether trump has presidential immunity from alleged crimes committed while he was in office. the high court could decide whether to take up that case as soon as today. the united states is now ready to support a united nations resolution to provide aid to gaza. the vote was delayed several times over the course of the week. it's now scheduled for today, as israel has proposed a new hostage release to hamas. aaa is expecting record holiday travel numbers. "cnn this morning" starts right now. we do begin with a new trump

tape, this time in michigan. it could be powerful evidence for special counsel jack smith as pursues felony charges against the former president for efforts to overturn the election. the detroit news this morning reports there is a recorded phone call of trump personally pressuring two republican election officials in wayne county, michigan, telling them they would look, quote, terrible if they certified the results in their county. >> trump reportedly made that phone call after this meeting back in november of 2020, during which the same two officials initially voted to block the certification before changing course. >> name. >> there is no reason under the sun for us not to certify this election. i believe that politics made his presidency today. >> "the detroit news" reports in

the phone call after that meeting, trump told the officials, quote, we have to fight for our country. we can't let these people take our country away from us. rnc chairwoman mcdaniel was apparently on the call and said, quote, if you can go home tonight, do not sign it. we will get you attorneys. trump added, we'll take care of that. >> following that phone call two officials refused to sign the official certification paperwork and publicly admitted they received a call from trump and mcdaniel. here is how one of them described the call to reporters when asked about it a few days later. >> i received a call from the president. it was after the meeting. and he thanked me for my service, asked me how i was doing. there was a genuine concern for my safety with the threats he heard coming in. >> are you saying the president's call had no influence on you recanting your vote? >> absolutely. >> it's fair to say based on the reporting there was a little more to it than that.

cnn has not heard the recording of the phone call. here's what's trump's campaign spokesperson is saying about it. all of trump's actions were taken in furtherance of his duties as president of the united states to carefully ensure the laws and election integrity. sara christophe, to people who say, we've heard him on tape before, how that's possible, i have no idea, but what does this mean bigger picture given the fact he's already been indicted in this seems to funnel directly into what the special prosecutor is looking at. >> this is going to be very useful evidence for the special prosecutor. this is the type of evidence juries like. they're going to love it, actually, if they get to hear it. i think this is -- having this recording to supplement any witness testimony is really a useful piece of evidence for the special prosecutor. >> will the courts look at this because the trump defense, as we read, this was official act, in

furtherance of the duty as president. mark meadows says that doesn't hold water. the same here, a presidential defense, to that effect? >> yeah. their statement here really ties into this argument they're making in the appellate court and probably the supreme court soon about the immunity. they're trying to put this activity within the core of the former president's presidential responsibilities to try to get that immunity. >> one of the questions i had when this broke, beyond phone calls, does jack smith have this tape? if he doesn't, could he get it? we don't know, but to the latter point, if he doesn't have it, does that mean he could get it quickly? >> yeah, wunt thing the department of justice has is the ability to basically get whatever they want. they have access to information in a way the rest of us don't have access to. to the extent they don't have it, i'm sure it will be in their

hands very shortly. >> sarah, stay with us. we have a lot more to get to this morning. the supreme court watch continues. the big question, how will justices handle cases within enormous political implications just weeks before the iowa caucuses? special counsel jack smith asking the court begin to decide immediately if donald trump has presidential immunity for alleged crimes committed while in office. we're all kind of waiting on pins and needles for this. do we have any idea when the court will weigh in? >> they could decide at any moment, phil, because the briefing is all in. the question is will the supreme court agree to leap frog the lower appeals court and hear this case quickly concerning whether or not the former president is immune from criminal prosecution in this january 6th case. trump's team have been arguing the former president was operating, they say, within his official duties on or around january 6th. because of that they say he can't be prosecuted and because

he was acquitted by the senate in his impeachment trial. the lower court said trump is not immune, the district court judge. trump's team in the meantime have appealed to the d.c. circuit court of appeals. the special counsel is really asking the supreme court to leap frog them, jump in now, not wait for the appeals process to play out and to immediately hear this case. this is how jack smith's team is arguing it. they're saying, the public interest in a prompt resolution of this case favors an immediate definitive decision by this court. the charges here are of the utmost gravity. so, now that it's all been fully briefed, all of the papers are in, we'll wait to see if the supreme court agrees to hear this case and put it on the fast track maybe to be heard in the next several weeks, a decision potentially before the end of their term in late june, and then of course, poppy and phil, we're also expecting trump's team to appeal that colorado supreme court decision that said he should be taken off the ballot in that state because of the provisions of the 14th amendment. trump's team have until january

4th, really, to appeal to the u.s. supreme court in order to stay on the ballot at least for the primary. we'll see about the general election if he's the nominee, guys. >> before you go, turning to another case, trump is trying to delay the civil trial. it is set right now for next month. this is in a lawsuit by carroll. what are his legal options? >> they're asking the federal appeals court to pause this defamation trial. they say they want time to consider other ways to challenge the basis of this case. they lost recently when trump tried to claim immunity in that defamation case. now the legal team wants to go back to the drawing board. they want to determine other avenues of appeal. they need time because the clock is ticking here. it's a january 16th trial date that's set. this would be the first of what's really scheduled to be a long list of legal proceedings over the in exyear that will cascade into the election year. so, it's a lot for trump's legal team to tackle. we have the defamation case

beginning in january. and then the special counsel's cases could start as early as march 4th and may for the classified documents case. so, really trump's team in this particular e jean carroll case, they're looking to delay here as much as they can. they're asking the appeals court to put a pause on things so they can figure out how to maneuver now legally, guys. >> jessica schneider, thank you. >> we're joining by emily no and errol louis. i want to pivot back to what the "detroit news" is reporting. there's the georgia call we know about and now this michigan call from 2020. we haven't heard the tape, which is interesting. in georgia we heard it. we'll have the reporter on next hour. what's your big takeaway in terms of the political impact or nonimpact? >> i think there will be political impact. what we're hearing from the president on the campaign trail, he's starting to bring up the question of the future of

democracy and whether or not donald trump is a threat to democracy. it's not an attempt to disqualify him. that's what hillary clinton tried. that's what we saw in 2020 to great effect joe biden saying, listen, we have seen what this means. this isn't just kay cross. this isn't just unfortunate statements. this is somebody who's striking at the heart of democracy. all of the polling shows that once the january 6th hearings took place, the viewership across all kind of media, people were riveted by it. the polling changed right away. people started to realize, hey, there's something really serious about this, about undermining our democracy. people like their democracy. they like their votes to count. they came out. i mean, really interesting jocelyn benson, the secretary of state, had a really interesting tweet just in the last day or so talking about what made the difference in her opinion is that hundreds of people in wayne

county, the detroit area, all came out and demanded that their votes be counted. so, you know, i think politically that issue then starts to rise to the top. the polling says -- suggests it's really high up there, right under the economy, which is always the number one issue when people are picking a president. >> i'm glad you made the point about jocelyn benson. so much has happened. a lot of people have forgotten things or moved past things. in the timeline here is critical. these two individuals, canvassers, voted against certifying. then after significant public pressure that errol was setting, they change their votes. then the phone call happened. when they were asked about the phone call, monica palmer said she felt no pressure to change their vote. and then they sent in affidavits trying to change their vote, which they couldn't. this all matters. >> if they had been successful, that would have resulted in a

significantly different 2020. there's a pattern that's been established here. it's not just georgia and michigan, but donald trump tried to pressure an official in arizona as well. those three swing states absolutely crucial to the electoral path that he thought he had to the white house. it's treasure, it's cajoling, coercing, and leads to the investigation by jack smith. i want to shout out to the "detroit news" exposing this phone call we have yet to hear and also implicates mcdaniel who remains the chair of the rnc. we'll see if she plays into a prosecution ultimately. >> to that point, what kind of legal jeopardy could she be in, if any? just looking at the michigan penal code, talking about bribes. i don't know if this would be seen that way or not. you would know better than i. should disqualify or from holding any office under the constitutional laws this state. that won't apply to her.

legally, could she be in per rel? >> it's hard to know without listening to that whole recording and understanding the context of it. i suspect not, frankly. i think things were probably worded softly enough -- >> offering lawyers? >> yeah. it's pretty common, frankly, for folks to pay for legal counsel for others. it's not an unusual thing. it happens in criminal cases, it happens in civil cases. sometimes the very fact of paying for lawyers becomes part of the case. >> can i push back and ask, if this did play out the way we hear, the way the reporters heard in that reporting, and if the context doesn't change thing, the offer for lawyers is if you do this, we will give you a lawyer. isn't that different than on the back end saying legal representation? >> it still doesn't bother me

that much. i think there is concern on the part of the michiganders. i think it was their liability given their vacination and i think trump and the chairwoman would come out with, we'll protect you, that doesn't surprise me. >> put it in context of what the supreme court is weighing right now. people trying to operate like they operate in a vacuum. does this add pressure? >> for sure. listen, they have to do some work. listen, the supreme court, they're sort of very hands off. they only get a handful of cases. they look at lofty constitutional questions. that's the norm at least. in this case you've got 20 states all going down this path of trying to decide whether or not the 14th amendment disqualifies donald trump from even becoming a candidate. they now have this question in

front of them. they have jack smith asking, is there presidential immunity or is there not? they're going to set is the table. they're going to create the frame in which this next election takes place. i think they're all very aware of it. it would be cheap and shallow to assume that because several of them were appointed by donald trump, they're going to go his way. they have lifetime tenure for a reason. they have a lifetime of history behind them. they have the eyes of the world on them and frankly, the future of democracy very much on -- in their inbox right now. >> i'm glad you said that, ear r eroll. how today's much delayed vote could help thousands of people at risk of starving. also this chilling photo shows college students hiding on a ledge during that mass shooting in prague. we have new details this morning, next.

later today the u.s. is expected to support the u.n. security council vote on gaza after four delays. u.n. ambassador spoke to cnn after a closed-door session last night. >> i won't share how i will vote, but it will be a

reso resolution, if the resolution is put forward as is that we can support. >> israel has proposed a new deal for 35 hostages in exchange for one-week pause in the fighting. hamas says any hostage exchange release depends on a complete cease-fire, but officials still believe there is a pathway. jeremy diamond joins us from shalom crossing. there have been intense negotiations behind the scenes. seems the u.s. is there now. what change the dynamic? >> reporter: it appears the u.s. had concerns initially over that monitoring mechanism specifically, concerns that having the united nations oversee the entry and checking the aid going into gaza when israeli officials want to be conducting those security checks. this could perhaps add an extra layer of red tape that could slow the delivery of aid into gaza rather than speeding it up. it seems those issues have been addressed and the u.s. seems to

be in a position where they could potentially, though they won't say it explicitly, support this resolution if it comes up for a vote later today. we're at the karem shalom crossing where they will go directly into the gaza strip. this is the first week israeli officials have allowed aid to cross directly from israel, undergo the packages here into gaza. the need is enormous. the world foot program estimates half of gaza's population is now suffering from severe or extreme hunger. today colony moshe tetra said there is no in food shortage. i pressed him on that. listen. >> there are tens of trucks loaded with food entering the gaza strip every day.

there are thousands of tons of food entering the gaza strip every day. >> reporter: but you deny the reality on the ground? the reality on the ground is people are hungry, people are skipping meals every day? >> the state of israel took a lot of measures in order to increase the amount of aid entering the gaza strip from day to day. we are more than ready to operate this operation in much larger scale. the challenge right now, as i told you, is the capacity of the international organization to take those supplies into the gaza strip. >> reporter: before the war in gaza began, about 200 trucks, commercial and aid trucks, went into gaza every single day. right now less than half of that is actually getting into gaza. humanitarian aid officials concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in gaza and very much say that more aid

needs to get in desperately. phil? >> jeremy, striking last week, your interview with jake sullivan saying that crossing where you are right now needed to be open. it now is. we'll see if it has an effect. jeremy diamond live for us, thank you. we're learning much more this morning about the deadliest peace time attack in modern czech history. a gun man open fire, killing 11 people and injuring 25 others. students were barricading themselves in rooms, some even hid on the ledge of a building to escape the attacker. melissa bell is covering this and joins us with much more. good morning, melissa. do we have any more information about the shooter or motive and also the condition of the 25 people injured? >> we're hearing the 25 injured are in stable condition, but we've been learning more the identities of many of the 14 victims. they were students, you might expect on that time of day on a

busy city center campus. there were staff as well. some of the staff at charles university lost their lives in what was a particularly brutal attack. what we understand about the events of the day is this shooter, the young 24-year-old philosophy student having killed his father, made his way to his campus, targeted the students and staff there, then took his own life. there had been some doubt as to whether he had been taken out by police or shot himself. in fact, we've now learned from police that he shot himself. so, terrible scenes and a day of national mourning that will be held on saturday. these are relatively rare in europe compared to the united states, these sorts of killings. for now in items of his motive, to your question, we don't know what might have prompted him to act in such a deadly way yesterday. we do know he had no criminal

record but did have legal access to firearms. the czech republic where the proportion of firearms ownership is relatively high compared to the rest of europe. >> thank you very much. here's a live look at laguardia airport in new york city. aaa expects this holiday travel season to break some records. we'll share some tips before you head out. plus -- >> i want to support you. i also want to hear from you that you also think you're in danger here. >> that's nikki haley confronted by a voter who says donald trump is, quote, a grave danger to the united states. we'll show you how she responded ahead.d.

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the faa said it expects holiday air travel will peak today. okay, but what do they mean expect? we all bought our tickets a long time ago. you can just check? is anybody showing up to the airport on december 21st on a whim? i came out to eat at chili's and

decide to fly to orlando. everybody else is doing it. >> chili's is amazing, for the record. >> egg rolls. >> there's a live look at l.a.x. not chili's. it's 3:00 a.m. in los angeles. fairly calm, but not for long. aaa expects record air travel this holiday season. polo joins us from l.a.x. airport. what do we expect heading into a very busy time? >> reporter: phil, i. suppose you could arrive at the airport a couple days before christmas and try to get on a flight. there will be an increase in travelers. so good based on what we're seeing. though it's still relatively early here. i have aaa numbers to share with you on what we expect as what american airlines is describing as the busiest day of the travel season. about 7.5 million people will be

traveling this weekend through new year's day. a lot of people, a lot more will be choosing to drive. about 104 million choosing to get in their cars to actually drive to their destination. overall the wider picture in terms of the number of people that will be on the move this holiday season goes to 150 million per aaa. that's up nearly 3 million just from last year. we all remember the meltdowns of years past, which is why legislators and the federal government have strongly been urging airlines to really invest in some of their infrastructure and develop plans to make sure that they can avoid some of the absolutely disastrous delays and cancellations we experienced just a couple years back here. in terms of what aaa is predicting compared to previous years, this will likely be one of the busiest ones -- travel seasons since before the pandemic. a couple of tips and recommendations we're getting from travel experts. there is always that one you hear about, getting to the

airport a little bit earlier. also, reserve your parking spaces, especially if you're leaving your car behind when you head out to visit with friends and loved ones for christmas. >> we almost missed a flight. who knew you have to reserve parking spots on the internet before you go to the airport? >> according to aaa, number one, and polo, because he's been telling people. >> i had no idea. a new campaign memo obtained by cnn revealing details about donald trump's strategy heading into '24. knee-deep floodwater filled the streets of santa barbara after an atmospheric storm dumped 5 inches of rain. 27 million people across southern california and southern arizona are under flood watch. we'll be right back.

new this morning, we are learning that president biden's re-election team plans to make donald trump's threat to democracy a central focus of the 2024 campaign, according to a memo obtain by cnn. it reads in part, the choice for the american people will be about protecting american democracy and the very individual freedoms we as americans enjoy. the threat donald trump poses in 2020 to american democracy has only grown more dire since then.

back with us, errol louis and emily. you were indicating earlier in the program, if i read you right, this is a really strong political carve for biden. is it the strongest? >> after all others fail. he's tried to use bidenomics. the polls show that isn't going over very well in part because of inflation, maybe some misperceptions, maybe an unfortunate lag. sure, the economy might be getting better but if voters don't perceive it in time, he'll lose. i think they moved on to the next thing and polling shows defensive democracy is very high. there are split decisions over what to do about it, and that's where the art of the campaign is going to start to really take precedence. as a starting point, it worked for him in 2020. it was his origin story, right? he said what he saw of the march in charlottesville, the hate march, and he associated that with donald trump and said, we've got to do better.

that was kind of his core political message. because he won, you have to assume it worked. >> i think it's important to note, these aren't separate issues, right? this isn't what trump did in 2020, where democrats are and republicans are. yesterday was a fascinating day on the republican campaign trail. ron desantis weighing in on how this has sucked all the oxygen out of the room and nick haley confronted by a voter. >> i want to support you. i also want to hear from you that you also think we're in danger here because this is not good for the country and not good for the church. i want to be able to support someone who agrees with that. >> i wouldn't be running if i didn't think that he's not the right person at the right time. i have said multiple times, i don't think it's good for the country for donald trump to become president again. i've made that very clear. >> it was the question, because

it's not the ma either jo of the republican party, but the answer as well. what did you make of it? >> it's interesting. what errol has been saying is people are starting to take notice. we've strayed very far from democratic norms and something should be done to bring us back to the center, the country we once were. nikki haley goes on to say something to the effect of anti-trump republicans think she's not critical enough of the former president and pro-trump republicans think she doesn't love him enough. that underscores the spot she's in, right? where she can't -- one, she has a problem because the anti-trump vote in the gop is split among several primary candidates. two, she can't sway trump supporters. there's not too many, as you noted, that feel the way that voter does. >> the thing is, this voter said, errol, i also want to hear from you that you think he's a danger. >> yeah. >> she diplomat say that. she reverted back to her point, i don't think he's the right person at the right time. >> she's a very skilled

politician who spent several years as a diplomat. she was speaking diplomatically. i've said he's not the right guy at the right time. >> which is quite different. >> right. and she's trying to get to the bottom line which is, she's a couple weeks out from the first caucus and she needs people to come out and vote for her and she wants them to feel good while doing it. that in some ways is the same difficulty joe biden will have. politicians instinctively because they know that it works, they like to make voters feel good. telling people, if you don't do this, we're going to lose democracy, that's -- it's a tough message. it's not what people want to hear when they're at the state fair with their kids. if you have to do that, and i think joe biden feels like he has to, that's one thing. if you can get around it, i think that's what you're hearing from nikki haley. look, if you like me enough to l like my pleasant demeanor and difficult words, come out for me in the caucus as opposed to, if you vote for the other guy, we can lose everything.

>> is that a remotely plausible winning strategy? >> i want to note interestingly the person who will say what nikki haley hasn't, which is that donald trump is a threat to democracy, is chris christie and he won't get out of haley's way, even if she's polling better than him. he has a way of words, and can make it into tweets and they haven't been able to work together to face off against trump, who is their common enemy. >> he rejected again the idea of dropping out. thanks so much, as always. harvard president has asked for more -- after more plagiarism. and for some reason, 33 years later, the internet is shocked by how rich the family from "home alone" was. everyone is talking about real life economies, they did the math. we've got a breakdown ahead. >> the best movie ever.

>> kevin's not here. kevin's not here. >> kevin's not here. >> kevin's not here. >> what? kevin!

this morning harvard university president claudine gay is asking for corrections to her 1998 dissertation. this is the second time this month she's asked for changes. now a house committee is expanding its investigation into the university to include those claims. cnn's danny freeman reports. >> reporter: harvard university's president, claudine gay, back in the hot seat. >> thank you, congresswoman. >> reporter: after the elite school said it found two more instances of inadequate cry tags in the embattled president's writings. now a u.s. house committee, already investigating anti-semitism at harvard, says it will also look at the plagiarism allegations. in a new letter to harvard's highest governing body, the committee's chair cites harvard's honor code that states, members of the college

community must commit themselves to producing academic work of integrity, ask asks, does harvard hold its faculty and academic leadership to the same standards? last week gay submitted corrections to a pair of papers she wrote as a professional academic in 2001 and 2017. a cnn analysis of her writings documented other examples of plagiarism from the '90s when gay was studying for her ph.d. at harvard. gay's 1997 dissertation lifted one paragraph almost verbatim from another source without citation. jonathan bailey is a plagiarism professional. what bothered you about this dissertation more than others? >> it showed a length of text that clearly could not have been produced any other way than through copying, was not quoted, and was not properly cited in the paper. that's what made me worry about that one. >> reporter: a harvard spokesperson told cnn thursday, the university reviewed more of her writings and gay plans to update her 1997 works to correct

these additional instances. gay said it was regrettable but were not research misconduct. in a previous statement about the earlier allegations, gay defended her work saying, i stand by the integrity of my scholarship. throughout my career, i have worked to ensure my scholarship adheres to the highest academic standards. the latest development coming a week after harvard's top governing board unanimously stood behind gay following intense calls for her to resign on her congressional testimony over anti-semitism on college campuses. >> so, the answer is, yes, calling for the genocide of jews, violates harvard's code of conduct, correct? >> again, it depends on the context. >> reporter: the allegations against gay, who is the first black woman to serve as president of harvard, have largely originated from conservative activists but the question persists, is the school holding its president to the same standard as its students? >> plagiarism really exists on a

spectrum between completely original writing and completely copied and pasted and trying to pass off someone else's work. and right now, the best we have on claudine gay is sitting somewhere in the middle between the two. >> reporter: phil, despite this increase in scrutiny over these plagiarism allegations, harvard is still standing by its president. that being said, this house committee is moving along. they requested troves of documents related to the new issues. this story not likely over yet. >> danny freeman, thank you. still ahead, more on this reporting this morning from the "detroit news" that then-president trump was heard recorded pressuring election officials not to certify the 2020 vote in michigan. we'll speak to the reporter who broke that story. shean mcdermott talks

playoffs, football safety and hamlin. >> if it was my son or daughter in that situation, i would want the coach to care enough to go there and put that, his health and hihis care ovever the gamem thatat point..

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>> announcer: sports this morning brought to you by sling. the tv you love for a price you love. a hopeful footballers are awake and watching because the buffalo bills are fresh off back-to-back wins against the defending super bowl champions, the kansas city chiefs and the dallas cowboys. it's putting them in pretty good shape to reach the postseason for a fifth consecutive time. head coach sean mcdermott has helped transform the culture of

the franchise since he took over. >> he has been in the news recently for using the 9/11 terrorist attack for good teamwork. he apologized and his team is rallying behind him. coy wire sat down can coach mcdermott about his journey and prioritizing the safety of his players africa march hamlin went into cardiac arrest last season. >> i believe as a coach, when you coach a player, that you care for them, not only when they're on the field but off the field. and when a player is going to the hospital -- >> i don't like how he went down. >> i'll call. i'll call. >> the condition damar was in, i felt strongly i needed to be there because if it was my son or my daughter in that situation, i would want the coach to care enough to go there and put his health and his care over the game at that point. >> reporter: even as his team dealt with damar hamlin's cardiac arrest during the game, deadly winter storms and a mass shooting in their community, all

within the span of a year, sean mcdermott is one of the winningest coaches in the nfl the last several years. an nfl coach who is not the norm. while navigating difficult times, he's figured out a way to unite his team and transform the culture of the franchise in the process. >> what kind of effect have you seen leading with compassion, your focus on mental health, have on the team? >> it's huge. it is. you know, when people come to buffalo and in our facility in particular, we always want to say they play their best football here. they become the best version of them here. >> that's a heck of a win! heck of a team win! >> years ago it was very macho, very, hey, you make it to the nfl or you play college ball or you're a football player o overall, man, you're an alpha male, you don't need anybody else's help. stick your chest out, pull your shoulders back, you must be a tough guy. i think that's changed ten-fold. >> we stick together. not only in football but in

life, you stick together. >> one of the things we try to do here is provide for the mind, body and spirit of a player. we're all here to win games, but if you serve the person first, you get the player you're looking for. >> reporter: i've heard you say before how going to get help or to see someone, to talk about your feelings isn't a sign of weakness. it's a sign of strength. >> absolutely. yeah. it's probably looked at, especially years ago, the other way, as a sign of weakness. a lot of people not wanting to disclose that, hey, i go and see this person for help or i go and see a counselor. and i feel strongly that it's really a sign of strength and that vulnerability is huge. >> reporter: growing up in the philadelphia suburbs, mcdermott says he was introduced to the game of football as a young age. >> i grew up in a football family. my dad was a coach. coached at the college level and high school level also. i just kind of grew up around the game. so, when i was about 6, 7 years

old, i was like, i want to start playing. and i've loved it ever since. >> reporter: do you find yourself, seeing what you've seen, maybe being more concerned about your son playing as a dad? >> man, yes, i do. i love my son and my kids like anybody else. i let my son play football. and i do that because i want to give him the experience that i had and give him the things that i learned and i took from the game that now he can experience. and there's risk -- inherent risk in any sport you play in. there's going to be injuries. in this case, i allow my kids to play. >> reporter: 2007 i was playing on that field and my teammate, kevin everett, we were covering a kick together, and -- he was paralyzed, you know, same scene

as damar, guys crying and huddled around him in prayer, the ambulance came on the field. and -- but the difference was, he got taken away and they said, all right, buckle up, pat you on the butt, time to go. how much change have you seen from days of the past? >> yeah. it's significant. significant. every year the nfl puts in so much time into researching things that can make the nfl better. and one of those areas they spent a lot of time in is player safety. and as we saw executed that night on the field with the medical team, but you're also seeing it in the way that there's advances in equipment, advances in sports science, making it safer and making it better. we were not perfect. there was no playbook for us in that moment. it's a physical game we play and we're a part of. but by trying to put player safety at the forefront of every

decision, we're doing it right. >> one of the many reasons why we love coy wire so much. >> fascinating piece. fascinating series, by the way. "cnn this morning" continues right now. a couple days early on after election day when trump seemed to be aware he lost according to multiple people, and a short time after that he dug in on the idea he had not lost. in fact, he was going to make sure that the transfer of power didn't take place. and this is part of that effort. >> good morning, everyone. happy friday. it's december 22nd. go ahead and dispatch with the notion of a slow holiday week on the news front. this morning, inside donald trump's pressure campaign in michigan and on democracy itself. the 45th president recorded urging election workers not to certify some 2020 results. national gop chair mcdanie