fraud appears to be the one they're perpetrating themselves. joe biden is president-elect of the united states. but president trump and the people around him who are too afraid to tell him he's lost are casting doubts on the process in ways that are certainly transparent and kind of -- well, sad. the thing they're trying to say that it was stolen in the dead of night, we all watched up close. ballot by ballot, moment by moment, day after day for five days. we saw video of democratic and republican observers in the counting rooms, we got bulletin after bulletin from officials in both parties, in red states and blue states as votes were being counted. not a single one reported any widespread irregularities. >> at the end of the day we are counting eligible votes cast by

voters. the controversy surrounding it is something i don't understand. it is people making accusations that we wouldn't count those votes or people are adding fraudulent votes or coming up with all sorts of crazy stuff. >> that's alex schmidt in philadelphia talking about the baseless accusations he's hearing and in some cases references along with our second amendment and death threats. he sees no fraud nor does georgia's republican lieutenant governor. >> you have not seen any evidence of any widespread systematic voter fraud or irregularities? >> we have not seen any in our office. we'll make sure that every sort of legal opportunity to make sure that, if there is an issue out there, we'll make sure we understand it and investigate it. and make sure we're able to rectify it. >> but there hasn't been any,

yet? >> we have not had any issues yet. >> georgia was transparent keeping the public up to date on how many ballots were counted and how many remained and where the outstanding votes still were. they let all of us seen democracy in action and they weren't alone. yet that in a nutshell is what the president and his enablers are calling into question. those enablers include david perdue and kelly loeffler. those two senators calling on the boss to resign. both republican senators in georgia are up for re-election, and both want president trump to continue to back them. as for pennsylvania, the president claims, and i quote, "pennsylvania prevented us from watching much in the ballot count." twitter flagged it, calling the claim undisputed. it's not even that.

take a look. there is video observers looking on as ballots were counted in philadelphia. we saw this day-in and night after night and day after day. and so did the president. remember in the first debate, we talked about having poll watchers carefully watching and watching as it is happening in philadelphia. nevertheless, the trump campaign went to federal court about this. the judge heard the arguments, and by the end of the hearing, the trump campaign admitted that there were observers present. the judge noting this appeared to be an appeal of a state issue, making it inappropriate for a federal court to handle. similarly, the same judge in michigan dismissed the lawsuit of ballot counting. and georgia the campaign sued over late mail-in ballots allegedly being counted and the judge dismissed it for a lack of evidence.

as for the pennsylvania ballots, the number at stake isn't even enough to change the outcome, even if they all went for the president. and moments ago, "the washington post" had this, richard hopkins claimed in pennsylvania said they instructed employees to backdate ballots mailed after election day. republicans latched onto it as evidence of widespread fraud. quoting now from "the washington post" reporting. hopkins told u.s. postal office that is the allegations were not true and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims. no matter what you see alleged online or social media posts when evidence presented in court, it is either thrown out or in cases are still pending of the number of potential votes affected are small and would not impact the final outcome. so there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or flaws

in the mail-in voting process and little evidence that courts are buying into the president's fantasies. just like when the president said millions of immigrants votied in the 2016 election pushing hillary clinton to win the popular vote. there is no evidence of that. his own commission set out to find it disbanded because they found nothing. this time all we've got is a lot of corrosive allegations by the president and rudy giuliani. republicans and senators are not trying to stop the president, they're egging him on. listen to lindsey graham, chairman of senate judiciary. >> it would be insane for president trump not to look at all this stuff. i don't know if it will flip the election but i do know it deserves to be looked at. and this election is by no means over. >> he does know it won't flip the election. lindsey graham is an air force

j.a.g. let's be real, he has to reason to risk the eye of the president or his followers or the senate majority leader. >> let's not have any lectures of how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept the election results. from the same characters who spent the last four years trying to say the last election was illegitimate. so let's have no lectures on this subject. >> just a point of fact, hillary clinton called donald trump to concede the night of the election. and the government service agencies administrator that same night allowed them to get to work that next day. permitting the trump's team to get to work the next day to have office space to pay staffers and security checks so they can get

people hired and security briefings and use secure communications. right now, because the current administrator, emily murphy, have not given the go-ahead and the biden team have not been able to do none of that. that's not normal. nor is it normal for the attorney general to make the move he did. lindsey graham called the memo reassuring. the director of the elections crime branch resigned. also, the secretary of state had this to say. >> is the state department currently preparing to engage with the biden transition team? and if not, at which point will it delay a smooth transition and pose a risk to national security? >> there will be a smooth

transition to a second trump administration. we are ready. the world is watching what's taken place here. >> the world sure is. it seems serious, and a little sad. on another level it is kind of a low comedy. it is the same that brought us trump university, the trump charity, and trump steaks. for days the trump campaign have been blasting out emails and sending people to this website to help defend the integrity of the election to pay for recounts. that's what they say. you see that fine print, small ordinary donors, the money goes elsewhere. only after $5,000 does a single penny of that go towards any recounting efforts. any other money is split between the republican national committee, and a new political

action committee set up to fund the president's future political ventures. in short, it's another bait and switch. on this day, former barack obama welcomed trump to the white house. looked awkward but they did it. that's the tradition. it helps the continuation of our democracy, which lasted as long as it has because people upheld the norms and traditions. just like president bush did for president obama eight years before. as for joe biden, here is a photo of him and mike pence, the message reads, i just met vice president-elect to offer a smooth transition of power. four years ago today. more now on the breaking news from "the washington post," jacob, explain what you have learned through your reporting. >> anderson, this video of this

postal worker richard hopkins has been kind of circulating online for a few days now. one of my colleagues, who shares a byline with me got a tip that some of these allegations did not add up. this is how we learned through a combination of postal sources and sources of congress that the inspector general's office said these allegations don't stack up. and in fact the postal worker, richard hopkins, recanted these allegations on monday. >> so just to be clear, the claim of election impropriety from a postal worker, he's saying the claim is entirely false. is it clear why he made the claim in the first place? >> that's not clear. what we are able to report is

the inspector general's agents first interviewed him on friday in erie, pennsylvania, had a long, three-hour one on monday which he made statements recanting of allegations he made. and speaking with sources today, the kinds of words they used to describe the conversation was overly embellished or totally made up these allegations. they said he completely walked back the idea that he overheard his postmaster or other supervisors talk about manipulating the ballots in any way. i should mention mr. hopkins with project veritas has put

out a video where mr. hopkins denies denying the allegations. but we also know through credible sources that he did the exact opposite with the inspector general agents. >> okay, that's weird. is there a gofundme page for this person? do you know the circumstances around that and what happens to him now? >> yeah, i haven't looked closely recently. but it was tens of thousands of dollars raised for this man, who was supposedly going to be under legal duress or could lose his job for being a whistle-blower. we've been told it's been deactivated. >> appreciate it.

thank you for your reporting. i want to get to the latest of the biden's transition team, jeff zeleny is joining us. what has president-elect biden and the transition team been saying about their next moves? >> reporter: president-elect biden is moving full steam ahead. despite all of this republican resistance that we have seen all day long from the white house to the senate. we saw mr. biden holding a news conference for the first time since his election and had a confident smile as he talked about all of this. he said. look, he's not in favor of any lawsuits at this time. he wants to keep moving forward. yes, they want access to intelligence briefings, and government agencies, but they're going to keep moving forward. this would be different if he's not familiar with washington. of course, he spent his whole life in washington. he's up to speed on a lot of things. watch this response when joe biden was asked today what he thinks the country is thinking of this.

>> i just think it is an embarrassment, quite frankly. the only thing that -- how can i say this? i think it will not help the president's legacy. i think that i know from my discussions with foreign leaders thus far that they are hopeful that the united states' democratic institutions are viewed once again as strong and enduring. but i think, at the end of the day, you know, it is all going to come to a good fruition on january 20th. >> reporter: and when asked right after that if republicans will accept this, a big smile broke out of his face and he said, they will, they will. so he's confident.

the question is, at what cost? he's trying to fill his administration. but there are national security implications and interests here. we'll see how this plays out. but no question joe biden is trying to cool the temperature and trying to play it cool and not engaging with republicans and president trump. >> and what have they been able to do as part of a transition effort? >> reporter: well, a big part of his day today, he was not busy with republican leaders. i asked mitch mcconnell, he said they have not spoken yet. he was talking to world leaders, the british prime minister and german chancellor and we asked him what his message was. he said, my message was, america's back. joe biden as someone travels around this globe constantly, again had a smile on his face as he's been talking to world

leaders. he believes these republicans will come around. talking to a variety of people today, republicans in washington, one thing that came clear, they're not afraid of president trump, they're afraid of his voters, particularly the georgia senate race. joe biden says he would campaign in georgia if necessary, if they asked him. so that is one more chapter here. for joe biden's point, he's moving forward and setting up his transition. he'll be president in 71 days. anderson? >> jeff, appreciate it, thanks. >> the president, president trump, has not been seen much. jim acosta is joining us. so jim, the president refused to concede and many republicans are backing him up. parroting the misinformation and lies. where does it go from here? what is the end game? >> we are in a battle between denialism and reality. it is difficult to see who's going to win at this point. you have the president tweeting out things like we will win. but you have republicans saying the president may not have lost this race. it's not time to congratulate joe biden or talk to the president-elect because he may

not have won the race. they're living in a different reality now inside the republican party. i talked to a trump adviser this evening who says they're still pending their hopes that one of the court challenges in these battleground states, former battleground states, basically decided for joe biden will somehow reverse outcomes in certain states. it is such a hope against all hopes that this is going to work out in the president's favor that even people inside the campaign believe it is over. you had secretary pompeo saying they're going to make a smooth transition to a second trump administration. at this point, it is just extraordinary to hear the secretary of state sounding like baghdad bob at this point to president trump's saddam hussein.

>> republican senators who have been around, they know what the deal is. a lot of his supporters may not realize what's going on. but they're coddling him. they don't want him to turn against them because he's capable of doing that. they don't want his supporters to be motivated to turn against them. and so they are taking their cues from him. if he wasn't pushing this, it is not like they're republican senators would be saying, no, keep the election alive. there was probably fraud. it is all he's the president, is it? >> reporter: it really is, anderson. i think what the republican party is starting to behave like, it is starting to behave like a party that knows that donald trump is going to remain on the scene for another four years and obviously there are people up on the hill or inside the white house who believes the president is going to lose his race. but there is already talk that the president will be running again in 2024. and people like lindsey graham is not going to jeopardize their

relationship with this president if he's the odds-on favorite to win the nomination just four years from now. that's why you start seeing rumblings of donald trump jr. trying to take over at the gop. that's why the president is establishing a super p.a.c. so he can continue to flex his muscle and raise money that way. this party knows they're not going to rid themselves from donald trump. they're stuck with him another four years and they're living in his alternate reality just like the rest of the country and the rest of the world when your foreign leaders so on talking to president-elect. the rest of the world is moving on. the republican party is becoming resistance at this point. >> the president is actually doing presidential duties. where is he? is there anything he's working

on with coronavirus, given the huge numbers we are now, every state, essentially 44 states going in the wrong direction on this? >> reporter: aside from being on the golf course, he has not seen since the briefing room last thursday. that's when i asked if the president is behaving like a sore loser. we'll likely see the president tomorrow recognizing veteran's day. that'll be a carefully choreographed photo opportunity where reporters will not have a chance to press the president on any of these issues. he's staying out of sight and laying low and tossing out grenades on social media and talking to his base. the base is listening and right there. anderson? >> jim acosta, appreciate it. now our abby phillips and our dana bash and van jones.

dana, what you are hearing about how this is playing out to congressional republicans? correct me if i am wrong, the senators know the deal, don't they? >> absolutely they know the deal. what you were saying to jim acosta is exactly right. they're worried about retribution from the president, which equals retribution from his supporters who are the same supporters that got each of these republicans elected. there is no other way to see it or put it. and privately, that's what republicans on capitol hill admit. in a candid way, that is the reason why this is happening, full stop. as for the biden transition, what's interesting is i have talked to sources there who say the air of calm that the president-elect put out today is really reflected inside the transition. they're not getting funds from the gsa for now, it is okay.

they're not getting briefings on the presidential daily brief about the intelligence situation, that's okay for now. if that's the case for the next few weeks then maybe the biden transition will have to get more aggressive. but i am told they believe if they did that now, it would only backfire for a lot of reasons. the other thing i am told that they feel is really working for them is this air of inevitability. the fact that the president-elect talked to world leaders today, that helps to kind of get ingrained in the american people and people around the world that this is going to happen. and when the states all begin to certify joe biden as the official president, that's also going to help tremendously. so for now they feel comfortable and confident in just being patient. >> and abby, it is also the

senate race, the two races in georgia that, you know, all republican senators want the two senators in georgia to get re-elected because they want to maintain control in the senate. is it that are they afraid that president trump, that they're going to move along, attacking the senator in georgia? >> i think that's a possible that president trump can turn on republicans if they were to turn their backs on him. but i also think that they're concerned of demoralizing his supporters. one of the things that's happening because these baseless accusations that it is creating an enemy for the president's supporters to rally around. it is causing them to have something to fight against. that has always worked in the president's favor. not because he personally needs somebody to punch back against. but i think his supporters side with him when he's aggrieved.

republicans want to harness that energy in georgia. but this is about power. politics may be about principle for some people. but for a lot of politicians it is about power and remaining in power. that's why we see mitch mcconnell taking the stance that he's taking. he understands what's at stake and it is not just the next couple of weeks but the future of the republican senate. he wants to remain majority leader and he'll do whatever it takes just like he did what it took when it came to a supreme court seat that became open under president obama, he held that seat open for a long time knowing there could be consequences but wanting to get that seat under a republican administration. i think you are seeing the same kind of power politics that mcconnell does very well play out here as well. >> both sides of the political isle, the parties that are beholden to others, we are

talking about republican senators being holden to president trump, when you look at the biden administration, how beholden are they going to be to the activists who turned and got a lot of new voters to come in and who helped them -- put them over in some of these states? >> well, they should deliver for the people that voted for better access to health care and criminal justice reform and police reform. the thing is, those things would be good for americans. but where we are right now is dangerous. a transition of government is very, very tough to pull off. you can imagine a trapeze artist. you throw up america's government up in the air and somebody has to catch it. it is unbelievable, more than 24 hours a day, an unbelievable task and to be able to pull this off term after term is a miracle. it is tough to do.

these guys are shortening the runway and holding money hostage, which jeopardizes the health and safety of every single american. everybody overseas. all of our soldiers and sailors and marines and coast guard, are at risk and the whole world is watching this and our enemies know that we are making ourselves very vulnerable. anybody who thinks they believe in an ideology called america first needs to raise their hands and put america first, not trump's first or republicans. america is in danger right now. >> i want to play this from saturday from biden, if that is all right. >> it is easier to be a parent this morning, it is easier to be a dad. it is easier to tell your kids character matters. it matters. telling the truth matters. being a good person matters.

and it is easier for a lot of people. if you are muslim in this country, you don't have to worry about the president not wanting you here. if you are an immigrant, you don't have to worry about the president having babies snatched away or sending dreamers back for no reason. this is vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered. you know, the i can't breathe. that wasn't just george floyd. that was a lot of people that felt they couldn't breathe. >> i mean clearly, you know, very emotional for you. i'm wondering, over just the last few days, with the administration trying to take that back, how you've been thinking about it. >> well, i hope -- it is terrible for a new generation of

americans for this to be their first election to be paying attention to. and for them to think this is how grown folks or america is supposed to act. this is not. if you are a kid or a young person and watching this right now, the person that you should act like is joe biden. the guy who shakes your hand and the guy who's kind even when he wins. the guy you should not be like is a sore loser who won't shake the winner's hand and who only cares about himself. as a parent, it is horrible to watch this happen to america. it has been difficult for teachers and parents and guardians to explain to children why someone who acts like a bully and who is so mean to people is our president. i will be very glad when he's no longer our president so we can get back to raising our kids the right way. >> abby, there was all this talk

of a reckoning in the republican party and after president trump losing and is trumpism still there or do they return to something? it doesn't seem like there will be much of a reckoning at all. seems like trump will remain in mar-a-lago with a megaphone, and they're going to be beholden to him with that hanging over their heads that he might run again. he'll be fund-raising for them if they do what he wants. >> i don't think there will be a reckoning. at least not anytime soon. the president even while he's claiming that he's won this election is telling people he may run again in 2024. and if he doesn't run again, his son or children or any number of them may do it. you are already seeing the president's children pressuring

other 2024 hopefuls, saying if you don't back us up now, what business will you have running for president in four years? it clear who has the power in terms of this republican power right now. and i want to say one other thing in response to what van was saying. one of the things about this election is that it highlights a lot of the things that we have taken for granted in terms of the passing of the torch from one administration to another. in terms of people conceding gracefully close to the day of the election, we can't take those things for granted anymore. for the younger people who are paying attention for the first time, it is a reminder that a lot of things in our system are not written in stone. they are not written in our laws and they are customs and traditions. and they only work when we all agree to act in that way. and i think we are seeing the consequences of what happens when people deviate from those traditions.

it can upturn the apple cart. >> and anderson, let me just say about your comment and question about the president and the reckoning that clearly is not happening with the gop. the fact that he won almost 71 million votes nationwide, in the popular vote, republicans who i talked to see that and know that this is trump's political party and will be for a long time, whether he is president or not, whether he runs in 2024 or not, he has a platform. as you said at the top of the show, he wants to continue his political situation with a p.a.c. and a lot of people who i talked to say they're worried or they believe he's going to start some television network where he's going to have another place for that megaphone besides twitter and elsewhere. >> dana bash and abby phillips and van jones.

more votes are coming in, where does this stand? >> the interesting element is pulling back. we have been paying attention to counties and potential legal challenges. but pull back and look at where the map is now. i want to start with pennsylvania. obviously cnn is calling this for joe biden. but look at the margin. joe biden's margin is going to grow by a couple, tens og thousands of votes. flip back to 2016, joe biden already surpassed that total of trump's. and it's going to grow. georgia, you and i were talking about this, joe biden is up by 1,500 votes. he's up by 14,000 votes right now. for comparison, let's go to

michigan back in 2016. donald trump won michigan by 10,000 votes. right now, joe biden is winning the state of georgia by 14,000 votes, but it's a recount safe margin. the reality, president trump in arizona is going to have to win somewhere between 61% to 68% of the outstanding ballots. the biden team feels comfortable about arizona. it's a pretty tall hill for president trump to climb in arizona. putting together the margins, that'll get joe biden, if he wins georgia and the state of arizona, 306 electoral votes, that's what president trump had in 2016, so there is a lot of talk about challenges and how tight races have been within the margins they are sitting in right now. but if you pull back from popular vote on down, joe biden is in a good place historically

and if you want to compare it back to president trump's victory in 2016, anderson. >> phil mattingly, i appreciate it. coming up next, conversation with jon ossoff, whose runoff could decide who controls the senate. a hopeful word from dr. fauci of a new vaccine and what the country need to do to save lives before it becomes widely available. we'll talk to dr. sanjay gupta ahead. moving. and at fidelity, you'll get planning and advice to help you prepare for the future, without sacrificing what's most important to you today. because with fidelity, you can feel confident that the only direction you're moving is forward.

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control of the senate may rest in a pair of senate races in georgia. both seats republican held and likely headed to a recount. as we mentioned, the president's desire to inflate claims of voter fraud has inspired both senators as well. now, despite biden's lead in the state, at least one republican strategist tells cnn a battle within the party may give the democrats the window they need. joining us now is mr. jon ossoff. appreciate you being with us. a lot at odds in your state, both you and the other need to win and with vice president

harris being the tie-breaker. how do you expect to make up for lost ground? >> hey, anderson, good evening and call me jon and thank you for having me. and that doesn't worry me at all. democrats in georgia are invigorated like i have never seen. this is the combination of ten years of voter registration, and organizing. a lot of this hard work led by stacey abrams. we have a lot of momentum in this state right now. and the georgia's gop is in disarray. they're not even willing to confront the reality of what has happened in this election, let alone prepare for these high-stakes runoffs for control of the u.s. senate. >> but isn't the republican voters in georgia also probably motivated in a way they have not been before if they are being told there was fraud in the last election? >> an overwhelming majority of georgians want the

president-elect have the chance to govern. to lead us out of this crisis. joe biden had the most significant electoral votes since fdr in 1932. they are in denial right now. but the longer this temper tantrum drags out, and the more that it disrupts this transition of power in the midst of a crisis, the more support the gop here in georgia will continue to lose. the people of my state need leadership out of this pandemic, a strong public health response, a strong economic response, not indulgence of donald trump's denial that he has lost the election. >> obviously getting people out to vote in a runoff election is more difficult than the general election. does it favor one side or the other? i know you said democratic

voters are highly motivated but in terms of a turnout organization, how are things on the ground? >> we just had a huge and by the way public health compliant rally. there is a massive sense of enthusiasm and momentum. and not just opportunity but also obligation here in georgia. we are keenly aware that for the biden/harris administration to be able govern and to be able to enact the policies that they got a clear mandate to pursue to empower public health experts, to jump start this economy with a strong jobs package, or in order for them to do those things, they have to be in beyond this pandemic for us to pass voting rights laws, criminal justice reform, and make investments in clean energy, all of these things require the capacity to govern, the people of the united states

and the people of my state don't want two months of donald trump kicking and screaming on his way out of the white house while politicians like david perdue pretend that he won. what we need is a focused response to this national crisis and that's motivating georgia democrats to get out and vote and finish the job in january. >> there were reports that it was the president and his allies who pressured perdue to make that statement. perdue's spokesman denied it. how scared do you think republicans are of the president turning on them before the runoff in january? >> the level of cowardice is astonishing. they don't want this guy to tweet on him. he's a lame duck that's just been defeated by a commanding margin. they're worried about maintaining his favor when people are dying and losing their jobs. as the dust settles on this, we can't lose sight of the fact that we are in a midst of a

pandemic taking nearly a thousand lives per day. some folks in the gop are going to need to stand up and say we were just sent a powerful signal by the american people that what donald trump offered is not working for us politically. and did not serve the public interest. we have an obligation to the country now to ensure that there is an orderly transition, to stand up to the trump family and support policies that will help us out of this mess. >> jon ossoff, appreciate your time. trump's last public appearance where he alleged without presenting any evidence that his opponent is trying to steal his election and as he put it as a corrupt ballot system. saying there was tremendous corruption and fraud. bob woodward is joining me now. president trump has kept a low profile since the election. you said the day after the race

was called, you think he's lapsed into self-pity. do you think there is a strategy or is this all just about setting up his post presidential afterlife of grievance and retribution? >> i think trump's presidency has been strategy-free from the beginning. the theory of the case for trump is to do what he wants on the latest impulse. he's obviously wounded here. i was struck by what secretary of state pompeo said today. i don't know if it was as joke. i think he starts to be a serious man. but he said he's preparing, they're preparing at the state department for the transition to the second trump administration. now, i know for a fact that pompeo really thinks one of the

president's jobs is to bring the country together. and what's going on here with trump and the republicans, one of pompeo's favorite expressions is that in washington, there is lots of stray voltage. it's like in the movies, you see the sparks arcing, and you think, oh, my god, we're in for trouble. i think all of the shenanigans here and the brooding and self-pity by trump and the legitimate fear republicans have from him is really stray voltage. >> it is remarkable how many senators are going along with this. republican senators who know better and who know the reality of the results of the election, and know there isn't widespread

voter fraud. the president has alleged it for years, and his own commission was disbanded without finding evidence of it. it is alarming and i am not sure that just how president trump has set this up really kind of masterfully. i don't know if it is a strategy or chaos theory. but he has the republican party still beholden to him. there is no reckoning of the republican party. >> yes. but think of those 71 million votes and step back a little bit. that's not just 71 million people thinking, well, i will take trump over biden. that's a devoted group, as we know, and a very potent group politically, as trump has demonstrated just in this election in losing the way he did.

it was close to a certain extent, but indeed it is over. but think of yourself as a republican senator who wants to have a future in politics, you are not going to publicly cross the president. and as your correspondents have accurately reported, and i find from talking to some republican senators, they know, they get it. that this is going nowhere unless there is something really unexpected that happens, but they are in a survival mode. and again, i think the theme here, it is all straight voltage. it may be arcing away and making a lot of noise and people are nervous for weeks or months.

but i don't think it is going to go anywhere. >> you know how republicans confronted nixon, some people talked about how some of that is happening. it is clear that does not seem to -- do you think something like that is how this ends? it is hard to imagine that. >> it is. who would go? they all would have to wear three or four masks so trump would not figure out who's sending that message. it was a different time and it was goldwater who led the charge there and went to nixon, look, you are going to be impeached. charged in the house. if there's a senate trial, you -- and he said, i've counted the republicans, and you have four votes. and one of them is not mine.

and the next night, nixon announced he was resigning. i don't think that's going to be replicated here. and we're just doing to have to report it out and let it dissipate, as i think it will, naturally. >> there are still 71 days left in president trump's term. how much, he still can do really what he wants to do. we've seen, you know, secretary esper being terminated, others in the pentagon are gone. his schedule is empty, he doesn't seem engaged with the coronavirus task force anymore, he played golf twice this weekend. is he doing the job of president, or is his focus this, 100%? >> well, it's this. which is him. as it has always been. unfortunately, i mean, this is a catastrophe with the virus now.

and as i reported going back to january 28th, which should have been a day that changed the trump presidency when he was warned that it was coming, that it was airborne, that hundreds of thousand of people were likely to be killed and he did nothing and went into this denial which he's replicating now with the election. and it is denial and avoidance and it's very sad for the country. happily, i think the strategy and the impulses that biden has are, okay, let's just move ahead. we won. we're going to point people. we're going to talk to foreign leaders. it's extraordinary the foreign leaders have called biden. they see the writing. >> there's a book in the final

days of this administration -- i don't know if you're already writing it but somebody is. the last 71 days, it's -- once the story is told, it's going to be remarkable. bob woodward, i appreciate your time as always. thank you. just ahead dr. sanjay gupta join uss to discuss the latest about pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, just how soon it may be ready for everybody, for most americans. also new numbers to underscore just how dire the situation has become for our nation's hospitals. we all have our own journey ahead of us. our own hopes and dreams. we'll pass many milestones. moments that define you. and drive you. to achieve even more. so, celebrate every one. because success isn't just about where you want to get to. it's also about how you get there the all new 2021 cadillac escalade. never stop arriving.

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anthony fauci today in what is becoming day by day the darkest moments of coronavirus, discussing the positive results for pfizer's vaccine. dr. fauci mentioned a possible end to the virus. >> with a vaccine that has this potential, this together with the continuation of the public health measures really should get us out of this very difficult situation we're into. so, the vaccine is a very, very important tool in ending this pandemic both domestically and internationally. >> so, saying that and the other tools, mask wearing, social distancing. he said a very, very important tool in ending this pandemic. late word tonight of just how dire the pandemic's become, a record number of hospitalizations now being reported. according to the covid tracking project, almost 62,000 people are currently hospital othized l the u.s. with covid-19. the exact number is 61,964. the first time it's been over 60,000 over the course of one

day at any time in this entire pandemic. you can see from the chart that all previous days were in the 59,000 range during previous spikes in april and july. just moments ago we learned that just today we've recorded more than 128,000 cases and more than 1,300 deaths just today. joined now my cnn chief medical ceant correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. so, the thought that the vaccine might be coming relatively soon, it's obviously incredible. we all remain hopeful. how long could it take if this is effective and it can be distributed to enough people to gain control of the virus? >> well, it's going to take some time still, anderson, in part, you, know, because by the time this starts getting distributed to the general public is spring or summer next year. part of the concern of the surge in cases we're going through is

people are primarily inside because the weather is cooler, very hard to be outside. that's the problem. and the vaccine's not going to come during this time period when the weather is cold and we're having this surge. so, we're going to go through this, this apex. and i was modeling this out over the weekend with a few different epidemiologists. i think it's pretty clear that the numbers are going to continue to go up, 61,000 you just cited almost for hospitalizations. we're still very much in the upward part of this curve. those previous peaks were the peaks. we're still on the upward slope here. it's going to go on for some time. after the vaccine comes out, i think within seven days after you get the second shot you have immunity but it's going to take months for us to have enough immunity within the country to ensure this is behind us. >> in terms of the distribution, what's complicating it is just the sheer volume or number of people who need to be vaccinated. it's also going to be two shots and also the refrigeration is not just normal refrigeration, right? >> yeah, this is going to be a

really complicated distribution. it is super cold storage and negative 100 degrees fahrenheit, two shots. there's football fields full of refrigerators across the country in certain cities. it's going to be quite laborious. there are vaccines that are coming behind. johnson & johnson, for example, has a type of vaccine that does not necessarily require the supercold storage. it's one shot. so, there may be other options that come up behind. but for this one, the pfizer one that's out of the gate pretty quickly, it's going to be challenging. and by the time we can get to, again, that general public vaccination, you're talking, you know, april/may sort of time frame. >> and just convincing people, and dr. fauci said people may need to be convinced to get the vaccine. that's going to be an issue as well. >> yeah, you know, i will say this though, anderson, you tell people something's 90% effective and the metrics change in terms of how they evaluate it.

there's a lot of reward here. >> sanjay, appreciate it. thank you. good information. let's hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." >> i'm chris cuomo and welcome to "prime time." president-elect biden once warned trump would become even more irrational when the walls closed in. he was right and then some. but the real problem, your real focus for your outrage, and you should be outraged, isn't just trump doing what he does worst but all the republicans motivating the madness like this guy. >> senator, have you congratulated vice president biden yet? >> no. >> why not? >> senator johnson, i'm just a businessman trying to get things done. boy did he learn the game fast. remember him and all those who stand by and watch the trump ri firing the head of operation warp