all right. breaking news. joe biden won. again. john berman here, in for anderson. actually, it's been crystal clear for more than two weeks that joe biden won the election and was the president-elect. the voters knew it.

the states knew it. the courts knew it. even republican lawmakers, who lack the courage to say it out loud, knew it. but tonight, it's different. constitutes a major development. now, the trump administration knows it, admits it, and crucially, ascertains it. in a story that cnn broke, a short time ago, the general services administration and its much manufactu much-maligned leader, have finally ascertained that joe biden won the white house, giving the president-elect the green light to officially begin his transition. it also means that biden may speak with current officeholders, such as national-security officials, as well as public-health officials battling the coronavirus. as we noted, biden's win has been a fact for weeks, now. but until tonight, the gsa had effectively sided with the trump-campaign argument that the election outcome was still in question, which it was not. tonight, shortly after joe biden won michigan, again, the state

canvassing board certified biden's win there. the gsa had emily murphy had issued a one and a half page statement. most of it, defense of her own actions. quoting murphy now. i was never dlektly or indirectly pressured by any executive branch official, including those that work at the white house or gsa with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. to be clear, i did not receive any direction to delay my determination. in the statement, murphy says she took her role, quote, seriously. and that her decision was not based on fear or favoritism. she also said she's received death threats or threats, i should say, directly aimed at her staff, family, and herself. president trump, almost immediately, chimed in. he claimed credit for the decision, despite murphy saying she came to her decision, quote, independently. so, it seems someone is lying there. he tweeted quote, i am recommending that emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same. the complete sentences and

sophisticat sophisticated verbiage indicate the president, likely, did not write it, himself. but this might be the closest to an actual concession statement from the president we ever get. and even then, he said he will continue to work to overthrow the election in court. somewhere out there, rudy giuliani is burning the oil or melting the mid night grease paint. nevertheless, this is a milestone and tonight the biden team is reacting calling the development, quote, a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation. jim acosta joins us with the very latest. jim, how does the president feel about it? and what's going on here? >> yeah, john, we're still trying to piece together exactly why this is happening tonight. but i think there is a big reason why, in the state of michigan, when you have officials there certifying results of that election. that was one additional signal going to the general services administration that this election is only heading in one direction, and that is in the

direction of the president-elect joe biden. the president did tweet, as you saw, earlier this evening, saying that he's recommended to the people over at the gsa that they can begin what he is calling initial protocols. and i talked to a couple of trump advisers this evening. one of those kwiezers saying, there you go, there at's it, it over. and another described it as concession light. great taste but less fulfilling. at this point, john, it passes prolog. you and i both know all too well, the president can still play games with this. he has, still, a couple months left in office. but for now, this may be as close, as you were just saying a few moments ago, to a concession that we will ever see from the president. >> so what, then, jim, for his president and the legal team, what are they going to do now? because every time they do something, they're just getting baetden down, hardcore, by judges across the country. >> yeah. it's been a beatdown almost from the very beginning. i talked to my sources about

this earlier today. and as one adviser put it, it's the end of the road for the president. he is getting beaten, time and again, in all these challenges. pennsylvania was another challenge that went to the commonwealth supreme court there. and the justices there ruled that absentee ballots can continue to be counted in that state. and places that are favorable to joe biden. so i mean, this -- this has been over so many times. we can't even count how many times it's been over. but, i will tell you, john. another sign that this is over. the president is not only souring on people like sydney powell, some of the crackpots on his legal team who are thrown under the bus. but his longtime personal attorney, rudy giuliani. i talked to a trump adviser about this and asked is the president essentially getting tired of rudy giuliani? and this adviser said we all are. and so, at this point, even inside the president's legal team, they view this election as over. they've viewed these challenges as over. and one adviser i spoke with earlier this evening said the president tweeting about fighting on is essentially a fundraising ploy.

john. >> that's interesting, in and of itself. jim acosta at the white house. thank you very much. perspective now from maggie haberman, "new york times" correspondent. david axelrod, senior cnn political commentator. and david gergen, former presidential adviser to nixon, ford, reagan, and clinton and senior cnn political analyst. maggie, first to you. what's going on behind the scenes at the white house tonight? >> so, there is, as always, john, and you know this very well, a push-pull with this president on getting him toward something. so advisers have been urging him, you know, for a few days but really in earnest this morning. you got to send a signal that -- that you're not blocking transition. this is how we do this in this country. this needs to move forward. you don't have to say the word concede, which you'll note he didn't say, and i don't think he's ever going to say as we've discussed a lot. then, there were all sorts of other conversations he had throughout the day, including with rudy giuliani again. so as much as people complain about giuliani and they almost all do. giuliani still does have the president's ear.

and that is important to know because it's not just a fundraising ploy. you might see a resurgence of some of these lawsuits. but there is a recognition that the dominos have fallen in terms of the michigan certification, that was key, as we understand it, to emily murphy moving ahead with this. but she did write her letter, john, in a way that was clearly designed or seemed designed to not offend president trump. she didn't say the word ascertainment. she did not refer to joe biden as the president-elect, at any point. she talked about threats to herself. so dv so, i think there are a lot of different things going on here. but mostly, what's going on is the beginning of the end. >> right. but the letter, to be clear, was legally ascertainment. it frees up the money for the president-elect. >> no question. no question. but the letter accomplished, legally, something that the biden team has been making the case. it was -- it was outrageous it had been held up this long, in the first place. but that letter was, also,

written with at least another audience in mind. >> just one more thing, maggie. this was, more or less, as much of a concession as we'll ever get from president trump, you think? >> absolutely. and -- and he will probably take a step back, in the other direction, when he watches news coverage because that's how this goes. but it won't matter. because, at this point, the government funding that should be available to the president-elect's team is now moving ahead. >> so, david axelrod, democrats who like being nervous, innately are nervous to begin with. i have to believe a bit of a sigh of -- more than a sigh of relief tonight. look. i think everyone knew that joe biden won the election. they had internalized that already. but this is the end of -- of the fighting. this is when the work finally begins. your reaction? >> yeah. well, i can't speak for -- for all democrats because they are a nervous species. so, there may still be some handwringing until january 20th, at noon. but, clearly, this was a line of demarcation. and, look, it's the most important one. it really doesn't matter what donald trump says. it matters what can be done, in

terms of a transition that allows joe biden to coordinate, and his -- his team to coordinate with people across the federal government. and that's the step that was crossed today. but i do want to point something out. maggie talked about the letter that emily murphy wrote and the -- the -- her -- her legitimate concerns about her own safety. let's be clear who put her in jeopardy. and this is the other element of what the president's doing. by suggesting, somehow, that the election was stolen, without any evidence. by suggesting that this was some sort of soft coup that was going on. the president riled up his base and -- and put her in a position where if she did what her duty required, which is to recognize the obvious fact that joe biden was going to be the next president. that he would -- she would be committing an act of betrayal. and this is the real danger of what the president's doing. he's going to hand joe biden a

country more divided than it needs to be, by trying to delegitimate an election that was clearly won by joe biden. >> yeah. not just emily murphy who received those threats because of the president but election officials in states across the country. secretaries of state. election workers. people doing their civic duty to make sure that the election gets run in the right way have been receiving threats because of what the president's done. and, i should say, david gergen, because of the cover that some republican politicians have given him over the last nearly three weeks. so, what do they do now? we've l we've already seen a few republican members come out and say, oh, now, joe biden's the president-elect. forget what i said before. it's really odd. >> republicans have acted miserably, for the most part. there have been exceptions, like lamar alexander and others, stood up to the president. but they should understand that,

yes, the president has done the right thing by allowing this to go forward. but he has, still, another vital step to take before democrats can feel sorry for him or pleased with him and that is vital that this president tell his base and tell the whole country that he believes joe biden is legitimate president. that he has not been put there by fraud. until he does that, democrats have every reason to resent what he's done, the way he stirred up the base, and they will neither forgive, nor forget, unless he makes it clear that joe biden is the legitimate president of the united states. >> david axelrod, i saw you smirking there. that's because? >> look. i appreciate david's point. and i would defer to maggie haberman, who is one of the world's great experts on donald trump. but he's not going to do that. remember, he still claims that he won the popular vote in 2016. but, for the fact that, 3

million votes were, somehow, fraudulently cast in that election. his makeup does not allow for him to concede defeat. it does not allow for him to -- to take a step of grace or patriotism and acknowledge this moment. he just won't do it. and i don't think we should expect him to do it. and i think it's tragic. but that's -- that's donald trump. >> so, what about that, maggie? i mean, is president trump going to invite joe biden over for tea? is melania going to have jill biden over? are they going to have the limo ride over to the inauguration? >> look. you never say never. if donald trump felt that there was some advantage to himself in doing that, then i think he would do both of those things. joe biden, as we talked about before, unlike most incoming presidents, does not need a tour of the white house. he does not need to be told how grave the threats are globally or domestically. he's been doing this for decades. and served in an administration for eight years. but he does care about tradition. i agree with david that i think

daem kr democrats are going to remain very angry at things president trump won't do. i agree with david axelrod that the president's never going to do it. i don't think that he is taking it personally. i don't think that he considers it to be vital to him whether the president does this or not. he cares more about what he is going to do because joe biden's one of the few people who has been pretty clear for the last two years, to give him credit for this, on how donald trump will act, in most cases. request i don and i don't think he's expecting him to, suddenly, become somebody else. >> you know who should pick up the phone tonight, is mitch mcconnell, david gergen. a guy who's worked with joe biden for decades. >> and they were friends, once. i'm glad you point that out. when beau biden died, there was one republican senator that came and that was mitch mcconnell. so i think joe biden can work with him. but axelrod's point, i agree, it's very unlikely that trump would do such a thing as to say that joe biden is legitimate.

however, i don't think democrats ought to walk away from this issue. millions of americans believe he is coming to office by fraud. it seems the democratic party has a strong interest in pushing back on that theory. i don't think that's acceptable. i think what he is doing is unacceptable. >> maggie haberman, i want to thank you very much for your lorti lo reporting and help tonight. david axelrod, david gergen, stick around. we still is have a lot to talk about. including more on what this breaking news means for joe biden's attempt to set hi s agenda with little than two months left before he is sworn in as president. also, the latest on the day's other, big news. a third vaccine. what this news means as cases skyrocket and americans ignore cdc advisories about gathering for thanksgiving. that's when 360 continues.

give mom the gift of food. of salads or soups or chicken fried steak, or...send good tidings with a slice of cake. gift food for any occasion. new on doordash. or...send good tidings with a slice of cake. (children laughing) ♪ (music swells) ♪ ♪ (music fades) (exhales)

experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list sales event. sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down, zero due at signing, and a complimentary first month's payment. ♪ ah honey honey ♪ ♪ you are my candy girl ♪ and you've got me wanting you ♪ applebee's 2 for $20. it's date night in the neighborhood.

to high quality computer science and stem education. ♪ i joined amazon because i wanted to change education and i am impatient. amazon gives me the resources to change the world at a pace that i want to change it. ♪

we provide students stem scholarships and teachers with support. ♪ i'm a fighter and i'm fighting for all students. no uh uh, no way come on, no no n-n-n-no-no only discover has no annual fee on any card. all right. the breaking news this evening. the trump administration has finally given joe biden's team the green light to begin his transition to the presidency. the leader of the general services administration, who was holding up the decision, emily murphy, finally ascertained this evening this biden had, indeed, won. tonight, the biden-transition team issued a statement that reads in part, quote, today's decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including

getting the pandemic u demic un control and economy back on track. we are joined by cnn's jeff zeleny in wilmington, delaware. and, jeff, first of all, to an extent, i think what happened tonight vindicates the patience that's been shown by the biden-transition team. but in addition to that, they got a whole lot of news with a whole lot of picks now filling this cabinet. >> john, that has been part strategy here. as this transition was being worked out and as the michigan case and pennsylvania case were happening, the biden team had won thing one thing on their mind. that was moving forward. and boy, they showed that in spades today. clearly, trying to keep all of us busy here, quite frankly. putting out a lot of new cabinet members. some are quite interesting. the symbolism, john, is striking. certainly, the substance is different with these cabinet picks over the trump administration. but the symbolism of so many of these. secretary of state nominee. a longtime adviser to joe biden. has traveled around the world with him for nearly 20 years or so. going back to his time in the

senate foreign relations committee. so certainly, they're friends and, you know, he's ready to do the job. but the homeland security secretary, he is going to be the first latino immigrant who could be in charge of the agency that handles immigration policy. so, on and on, as you see the list there. so, clearly, the biden administration had all of these ready to go. they have been seriously working on the transition, throughout, you know, these fall months and certainly over the last few weeks or so, john. but this was clearly by design. they were not necessarily expecting, though, this gsa ascertainment letter tonight. took many of them, i'm told, even by surprise. >> these picks, if confirmed, a lot of them make history, jeff. >> they do, indeed. some history-making choices. and really, they're being elevated from other jobs in the obama-biden administration, into top roles. but let's take a look at some of them a little more careful here. at the department of homeland

security. of course, this was an agency created after 9/11. it is in charge of the nation's immigration policy. but the choice for this is someone who would be the first latino to head the department. he is a former deputy secretary of homeland security. and he is also an immigrant to this country. so he would clearly be sending a very powerful signal here. he was also in charge of daca. that is something. so these are many of the things. they are going to change policies, from the very beginning here, it's clear. now, moving onto the intelligence community. few more important jobs than dni, director of national intelligence. this, also, was a position created after 9/11. to sort of centralize all the intelligence. and this would be the first woman to lead this agency. she is a former deputy cia director, a former principal deputy national security adviser in the obama administration. she has worked, also, on the senate foreign relations committee. so this is someone, again, has deep experience inside the government here.

we're not talking former governors, former senators, who often fill these posts. these are people with deep-government experience. and then, moving onto john kerry. certainly, not a new name. an old name. but he is going to be the -- the climate czar. the presidential envoy for climate change. clearly, trying to shine a light on how important fighting climate change is. also, member of the national security council. that means they have a seat at the table, in very important ways. so when john kerry is traveling around the world, you know that he has joe biden's word on him. they're so close. so this is something symbolic, as well as deeply substantive. finally, we are told this is going to be announced, likely, next week as the biden-transition team is announcing their economic policy team. there will be several other announcements then. but she would be, also, the first woman to lead the treasury department. of course, she was a chair of the federal reserve in the obama administration, back in 2014. she has been confirmed in a bipartisan way. she came from san francisco, of course. was on the -- the san francisco fed.

so she has some progressive support as well. and i noticed that elizabeth warren, who was mentioned for that possibly at some point, she tweeted her support for her tonight. so, john, all of these nominees are with one thing in mind. they think they can get them confirmed in the senate even if it's a republican senate. they only need three republican votes or so with democrats to go with them. so all of these are by design. people who can hit the ground running and they think can be confirmed. so we'll see what comes next. and he'll be introducing all these national security picks here in wilmington, tomorrow, john. >> be very interesting to see that, especially now that we have ascertainment. jeff zeleny, terrific reporting. thanks so much for being with us. back with us, david axelrod and david gergen. axe, i want to start with you. you know a lot of these people. you worked with some of them. just how does this series of picks strike you? >> well, there are three things that strike me. one, is that they are all people with deep experience. they're not political

appointees. but they are people who have grown up in the national-security world. they are people who are close to -- to -- to biden who worked with him on foreign policy issues. when tony blinken travels the world as secretary of state, people will know that he is speaking for the president of the united states because they'll know how close their relationship is. tony's been deputy secretary of state. he's been deputy national security adviser. and for years, he was biden's top staffer on the senate foreign relations committee. jake sullivan, who's going to become the national security adviser at the white house, was -- played that same role for biden in the white house. was a top aide to hillary clinton at the state department. also, deep ties, both, to the -- to foreign policy and to -- and to biden. and all of them share a philosophy of -- of -- of engagement in the world. of strengthening alliances. of using alliances to improve

american security and american prospects. and it was interesting that jim mattis wrote an article. i think was published today. in which he urged the foreign policy of the country to move in that direction. and then, finally, i would say diversity. you know, vice -- then vice president, now the president-elect, has promised diversity. this is an historic slate of candidates. you know, on national security. janet yellin, and so on. in terms of gender, in terms of ethnic background. at dhs, an immigrant. i think it's -- it's a very well-crafted and well-conceived slate that is consistent with what joe biden promised as a candidate. >> depth of experience, depth of relationship with biden, and depth in diversity as well. david gergen, let's stick with secretary of state here. what are the challenges you think he faces as he heads into %-p?

>> i think the main thing is to represent the president around the world. i can't imagine -- i imagine joe biden will want to invite various heads of state to washington. somebody's going to need to go out while he is in his first hundred days and talk to leaders. and blinken is ideally suited for that. he does, as david axelrod points out, he does speak for -- he's not a stranger to biden. that makes it enormous -- it gives him a lot more power and leverage, in addition to the fact he's widely known as a very decent guy. so i think there is going to be strength in this. john, i cannot remember a time when the democrats have had such a -- in foreign policy and national security. two, three, four levels down, you find real excellence. and i think joe biden has chosen from that group thoughtfully. not only is he bringing talent and experience but this diversity point is extremely important. and diversity is not just about having more women, which is terrific. not just having more people of color, whiches terrific.

also, keeping the two wings of his party aligned. i mean, if you bring in john kerry. you got somebody he's close to personally, already. they talk a lot, already. but john kerry has enormous respect within the environmental movement. that movement is -- is very tied in with the progressives of the democratic party. having john kerry in there may help keep things together so that wings of the party are closely united. yellin does much the same. the immigrant coming over to homeland security. i think, overall, especially in contrast to the outgoing administration which has been chaotic, this represents a very professional, thoughtful, first set of steps by joe biden. and i think will be reassuring to people not only in wall street and the financial community, but to groups that care so much about the environment. care about relations. makes him very comfortable, for

the most part. >> it struck me that janet yellin got the endorsement of elizabeth warren there but also a glowing profile in the "wall street journal," today. you're covering a pretty broad range right there. david axelrod, david gergen, great to see you both tonight. thanks so much. >> thanks, john. >> with the biden transition, now, as of pontonight, official underway. rudy giuliani has just made a major admission on his claims of voter fraud. the details, when we continue. when panera's chef claes makes a pizza,

he doesn't just make a pizza. he uses fresh, clean ingredients to make a masterpiece. taste our delicious new flatbread pizzas today. panera. the coronavirus isn't waiting. the economy isn't waiting. america shouldn't have to wait, either. the american people have spoken. the result is clear. it's time to move forward. and get to work.

bliss. an impromptu kiss. mystery. games. crackling flames. perfume. pleasure. cold, snowy weather. ice. spice. naughty. nice. dark nights. pure delight. over twelve thousand authentic, designer fragrances. no knock-offs... except what we knock off the price tag, and the shipping. perfume.com. trusted since 1995.

all right. our breaking news tonight. the gsa has finally allowed

president-elect biden to officially start his transition. the move comes as the trump campaign's efforts to fight the election in michigan and pennsylvania, failing. trying to overturn the election of results in those states, did it didn't happen. rudy giuliani, the same lawyer, who repeatedly claims, with no evidence of ballot-counting problems, admits he's exaggerated some of his comments. >> the only place maybe is michigan and particularly the city of detroit. the city of detroit probably had more voters than it had citizens. i'm exaggerating, a bit. but all you have to do is look at statistical data and you can see that the fraud was rampant and out of control. >> i'm exaggerating a bit, says giuliani. well, that says a lot. joining me now for their take on all this. two of our political commentators. rick santorum. and conservative columnist and host cup unfiltered, i want to

start with you. because over the last like hour, since the gsa did what it did, you have seen republicans, who have been sitting on their hands. they are hiding their heads in the sand. coming out with these statements congratulating president-elect joe biden. they've, somehow, found the courage to speak up and discuss the results of the election. your thoughts on this? >> yeah. i mean, for the past four years, we, especially in the media, have heard republicans, in private, are xyz, disgusted, disturbed, troubled. but publicly, very silent, except in these moments where it really doesn't count. you know? where -- where sort of everyone's doing it. i think, in fact, if i -- if i write another book, i'll call it "in private." the -- the great, you know, the great cowardice of trump's gop. but, i think, the calculus, thus far, has been -- has been twofold. one, i think republicans have been scared that trump is going

to run a bunch of, you know, scam pacs to try and primary republicans who weren't sufficiently trumpy to line his own pockets and soothe his own ego. but still, with a base behind him and some influence. and -- and secondly, i just think republicans have been so emasculated by this president, that they've -- they've lost their identity. and so, they've -- they've almost become like teenagers about to go off to college. for -- for 18 years, their parents have told them what to say and think. and all of a sudden, they're about to go and have to make their own decisions. republicans are sort of waking up to that reality. that, well, trump. trump is going to be gone and they're going to have to sort of rediscover who they are, what they think, what they believe in, again, without someone like trump just telling them, constantly, who they are and where to go. >> so, rick santorum, i know you think -- in feel, there's plenty to celebrate from the four years

of the trump administration and what he's accomplished and the republican party going forward. but what does what rudy giuliani has been saying and sydney powell, the once and former, maybe future, attorney of donald trump. you know, how has their performance affected republican abilities to embrace the president, right now? >> you know, i think most people look at rudy and sydney powell and -- and sort of look at it differently than -- than sort of the main thrust of what the legal team has been doing. you know, i just don't see the republican party the way -- i don't know who you are talking to, essie, because i talk to a lot of republicans across the country and i think most people, most republicans, feel like voter fraud is real. certainly, not on the scale that -- that is being alleged by sydney powell and rudy giuliani. but, you know, there -- there is -- there is a lot of concern about the big changes that were made before this election with mail-in ballots.

and the impact that that had on elections. so, i -- i don't see everybody, you know, cowering away. i think a lot of republicans, most republicans i talk to, are encouraging that we take a serious look at -- at -- at the security features and look at these -- look at this information. so, i don't think anybody's cowering away. i think there's going to be a lot of action, after this election, to talk about if we're -- you know, these changes that we've made and the way -- you know, we have election week and months, instead of election day. and that's -- and that's a security issue. i think -- i think a lot of republicans are actually cheering the president for bringing this to light. so we can actually try to do something after this -- after this election is settled. >> right. but -- but -- but, rick, the -- the -- the election was stolen. it's not the identity, the principal philosophy, the underlying identity of the republican party. i mean, it can't be, if that's what you are saying the republican party is now. well, then the republican party's in big trouble. it had an identity before trump.

that identity included being against raising the debt and deficit. against tariffs and protectionism. pro-family. there were a lot of things that republicans i know, like me, believed in that were completely morphed into whatever trump said they should be, once he got into office. and republicans in congress went along, lockstep, with trump's total reimagining of the gop. when he is gone, they will have to decide who they are, again. they could still be the party of trump even when he's gone. they could, also, though, have this moment of reckoning and remember all the stuff they believed in before he told them not to. >> well, let me just say. as the person who wrote the book back in 2014, "blue-collar conservative." i actually agreed with most of the changes that donald trump made in the republican-party platform. i agreed with his -- his ability to go out there and -- and bring back manufacturing. >> and raising that deficit? >> look.

i said -- i said most of the things. no, i didn't agree with everything that donald trump did. but his focus on working men and women, and actually fighting for -- for middle-income americans and lower-income americans, to me, is something that the republican party should be absolutely all about. and i think that's one of the reasons he did as well as he did. it's not because of who he is. it's because what he stood for. and i think, hopefully, the republican party will learn from that and be the party of middle america, again. >> well, this is the discussion that will begin in the post-trump presidency that we will now enter, in 58 days. and i welcome this discussion from both of you. chris krebs called this the most secure election in american history. so that -- that's out there from a trump appointee. >> it's -- i'm not talking about the secure -- i'm talking about what happened -- security, he was talking about -- >> not cheated.

that's what he was talking about. he was talking about the ballots being counted invalid, which is what an election is. we thank you, both, very much. so, as the pandemic surge continues, americans are ignoring warnings by the cdc and choosing to travel ahead of the thanksgiving holiday, in numbers we haven't seen in months. all this, as another vaccine maker announces results. that, when we continue. before we talk about tax-smart investing, what's new? -well, audrey's expecting... -twins! grandparents! we want to put money aside for them, so...change in plans. alright, let's see what we can adjust. ♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. okay. mom, are you painting again? you could sell these. lemme guess, change in plans? at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan.

(children laughing) lemme guess, change in plans? ♪ (music swells) ♪ ♪ (music fades) (exhales) experience the power of sanctuary

at the lincoln wish list sales event. sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down, zero due at signing, and a complimentary first month's payment.

all right. numbers surrounding the pandemic tonight that could not be more opposite and more alarming. along with at least 767 deaths. this, as the tsa reports more than 3 million travelers went through checkpoints at american-air points, this weekend. a lot of people on the road, all despite the centers for disease control, urging people not to travel for thanksgiving. also, today, news from as ext astrazeneca that its vaccine is at least 70% effective. advising the cdc on distribution of any vaccine and dr. celine gounder, member of the biden/harris transition covid-19 advisory board. i just want to start with you with the breaking news. president-elect joe biden is finally getting the funds to run the official transition. up until now, you haven't been

able to talk to anyone inside the administration. dr. fauci said he still hadn't talked to anyone inside the transition team. has that changed over the last two hours? and if not, when is the first call going to happen? >> yeah. i don't have any news to report, in terms of transition activities, per se, yet. it has only been a couple hours. but i can tell you, we are absolutely relieved. the idea that we can move forward with our work, which is, frankly, work of saving lives. this there is a lot of work ahead of us and so we're happy to be able to move forward with that. >> dr. schaffner, the cdc held a virtual meeting to discuss who will receive the vaccine first. you attended. you were part of this. what did you learn? >> well, they didn't take a -- a -- a formal vote, john. but health care workers, who care for people with covid, are first in line. along with people who work in nursing homes and the nursing home residents, also. and then, the next group is likely to be essential workers. people who keep our

organization, our society, working. the average persons. a lot of those people are people of color, and come from lower socioeconomic strata. and those are people who have been disproportionately affected by the virus. so, that's very important. and then, after that, people who are age 65 and older, more severely affected by the -- by the virus. and people with underlying illnesses. that's likely the way it's going to go. but it will stretch over months. we can't vaccinate 330 million people, in a week and a half. >> so, dr. gounder, to that point. one debate during today's meeting was whether or not residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should receive the vaccine in the first group. and what aone of the arguments t it is that these residents are frail. and maybe, you'll have a higher mortality rate in these facilities, to begin with. and that could erode confidence in the vaccine, early on.

what do you think of that argument? >> well, i think, ultimately, you have to focus on who is truly at highest risk and protect that population. and that, very much, does include the nursing-home population. so i think it's really incumbent on us to do a good job of preparing the public to do the appropriate messaging. we know that, even if we were not in the middle of a pandemic, even if you were not vaccinating people, that some of these people would die of natural causes. and so, we just need to give people a sense of, you know, here's what is -- what we should expect. what would be normal, under normal circumstances. and not to jump the gun and assume that, because somebody gets sick and dies, that's related to the vaccine. >> so, dr. schaffner, i want to talk about thanksgiving. my kids are lucky enough to be in a public school that has hybrid learning, and they were in class today. and they were telling me that half the kids in their school were out because they're quarantining, getting ready for thanksgiving. and on the one hand, i was thinking, oh, they're being care

o careful. but on the other hand, it indicated to me half the families in the school are planning on having big gatherings with, maybe, multigenerational groupings. what are your concerns? what do people need to know as they head into this thanksgiving holiday? >> that's the sort of thank thanksgiving, frankly, john, that gives me heartburn. because i am very concerned people gathering together for long periods of time, very intimately, indoors, is exactly the kind of environment in which this virus likes to spread. so, that's just inherently dangerous. this is a covid thanksgiving. if we're careful this thanksgiving, the people whom we love will be with us during the next thanksgiving, in 2021. this is one time where we really should be showing a lot of restraint and a lot of caution. >> dr. gounder, i see you nodding, in approval, there. you no doubt have seen the pictures of crowded airports the lability f last few days.

people are on the move. >> yeah. it really has me very worried. this is a thank giving you should be celebrating strictly in your household bubble. and that could be family or roommates, whoever that includes. but this is a moment, in which we really do need to make should short-te short-term sacrifices for the long-term benefit for our family, friends, for our communities. >> dr. schaffner, back to the vaccine for a minute. what's the biggest challenge, do you think, in getting this out and convincing people to take it when the time comes? >> john, it has everything to do with trust. people are concerned about safety. they've heard we've moved very fast. they're afraid we're cutting corners. we haven't cut any corners. that the data are going to be examined very carefully by several expert-advisory groups. one from the fda. one from the cdc. and if we, then, release this vaccine and say that it is safe and effective, we're going to

have to demonstrate that. some of us will have to take it to say, yes, we've gotten it. and then, we'll just have to provide reassurance, information, and the most open, direct way we can. >> dr. schaffner, dr. gounder, thank you both for what you do and thanks for being with us >> so it really does sound a a story ought of a watergate dirty trick playbook. for all intense and purposes, phantom candidates. up next, the cnn investigation. since pioneering the suv in 1935, the chevy suburban has carried many things. nothing more important than family. introducing the most versatile and advanced chevy suburban and tahoe ever.

iced chai. pad thai. baked pie. pork chop. soda pop. scallop. kebobs. soursop. hot pot. dumpling. chicken wing. peking. onion ring. we are america's kitchen. doordash. every flavor welcome. ♪ still the one and i can't get enough ♪ ♪ we're still having fun, and you're still the one. ♪ applebee's 2 for $20. it's date night in the neighborhood.

again tonight, president-elect biden has finally received word from the gsa that his transition can formally begin. meanwhile in florida there are a lot of questions about three state senate races. in each of the races there was a candidate who did no campaigning and held no fund-raisers. instead there's evidence to

suggest they were shill candidates who were planted by so-called dark money, nearly untraceable contributions. the allegation is their presence in the races were meant to siphon votes from democratic candidates. more now from cnn's senior investigate correspondent drew griffin. >> reporter: it was the closest of races. incumbent democrat jose javier rodriguez lost his florida state senate by just 32 votes. the republican challenger who won -- >> i'm eliana garcia. >> reporter: eliana garcia, a founder of latinas for trump. but there was a third candidate in this race playing the role of spoiler. his name, alex rodriguez, sharing the same last name as the democrat in the race and promoted as a liberal. alex rodriguez got more than 6,000 votes. jose rodriguez says the straw candidate cost him his seat by pulling away democrat votes. >> have you ever met him, seen him, talked to him? has he been involved in any debates? >> i didn't even know what he

looked like until after the race and investigative reporters tracked him down. >> we have to fight back. >> reporter: in state senate district 9, democrat patricia sigmund lost to a republican by just 2% of the vote. here once again no one ever saw the supposedly liberal third candidate. >> she had no website. she never participated in any of the debates or forums, never showed up anywhere. she wasn't even registered to vote until she filed. >> reporter: in these races and one other, ghost candidates in florida were supported by mysterious pacs which sent out hundreds of thousands of dollars in mostly identical advertising mailers, making those candidates seem liberal. yet cnn has learned the people behind the mailers were all republicans. >> this is a new one for me. >> reporter: ben wilcox, research director of the nonpartisan watchdog group integrity florida says no doubt someone running a dark money campaign impacted at least one state senate seat, possibly two.

>> florida is so loosely regulated when it comes to financing of campaigns that it's probably legal. but, you know, it really shouldn't be. >> reporter: here's what we know. two brand-new political action committees registered on the same date at the same minute, and one day later, received a combined $550,000 in donations from the same company. the paperwork shows the pacs were started by two young men whose social media is filled with pictures of beaches and boats. but cnn could find no evidence either of them or their pacs had ever been involved in politics. then on the very same day both pacs paid the same printing company all of that $550,000 for the fliers. it's their only expenditure. the printing company and one of the pacs are linked to this man, alex alvarado, a tallahassee-based republican consultant and former republican congressional intern.

the printing company is run out of this house owned by his mom and stepdad. the pac started by a friend of his girlfriend's. and despite being involved in ghost candidate advertising with very liberal and progressive ideas, every one of them is a registered republican. that even includes the ghost candidate alex rodriguez, who was registered republican until this election, and none of them are talking. >> we've been looking for alex. is he around? >> no. he'll be back tomorrow, though. >> reporter: that's actually alex rodriguez who lied here to a local miami tv reporter about his own identity. the money flowed into the pacs from one company, proclivity. it's registered in delaware as a corporation under the name richard alexander. what or who is proclivity? the trail ends here at a strip mall in atlanta, georgia. this is where proclivity has a mailbox drop but nothing else. democrats like patricia

signatucigman are calling for an investigation into who paid for all of this. >> they don't run in order to win. they run in order to just try to siphon off votes. and, you know, they don't have a website. they don't campaign. they don't show up. they're ghosts. >> reporter: florida's republican senator campaign committee denies any knowledge. >> drew, what a piece of reporting there. i know you've reached out to them, but when you say no one is talking, you mean the republican strategists, the people who ran these pacs, and even the ghost candidates? >> reporter: i'm telling you, not a one is talking. they all are shunning our questions, and that includes anybody or anything that is behind that half million dollars in dark money, john. >> the silence tells you something. if this is all legal, i guess, drew, what's to prevent it from happening again? >> you know, that is the big concern. that florida watchdog group is really concerned.

this is a trend that's going to spread outside of florida across the u.s. we've seen spoiler candidates before, but we've never seen ghost spoiler candidates supported by this kind of dark money. you know, florida is run by republicans. it will take republicans to find out who is behind this. right now, john, they're not showing the least bit of curiosity. john. >> drew griffin with the reporting and the receipts tonight. terrific work. thanks so much, drew. a reminder, don't miss "full circle," anderson's digital news show. you can catch it at 6:00 p.m. eastern at cnn.com/full circle and on the cnn app at any time on demand. the news continues. i'll hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." i am chris cuomo, and welcome to "prime time." we all have reason to be thankful tonight. the biden administration can finally start the job. the gsa lifted its revenge block that it had on behalf of trump. this is a