welcome to our viewers, in the united states, and around the world. i'm dana bash in washington. global optimism, today, on the coronavirus, after the british give a green light to a vaccine. the pandemic is marching towards new highs, though, here in the u.s. 98,000 plus americans sitting in hospital wings with the virus, this hour. 13.7 million, total, cases. 270,000 total deaths. the numbers rank worst, in the world. meanwhile, president trump, appears focused on what matters to him, legal deliberations in the white house in recent weeks concern the president's family. sources confirm to cnn that the president is actively

considering pardoning his children, his son-in-law, jared kushner, as well as rudy giuliani. meanwhile, the cdc, today, revising its quarantine guidelines. and advising americans to postpone their holiday travel, once again. and the white house coronavirus task force sent this blunt message to the states. it said, we are in a very dangerous place. still, the vaccine news, today, does offer hope. the start of the end of the pandemic, is how one official puts it. that is the best-case scenario. but, listen to british officials who are leading the way. they are, still, cautious. >> i'm very proud that the uk is the first place in the world to have a clinically-authorized vaccine. ready to go. >> it's very, very good news. but it is, by no means, the end of the story. it is not the end of our national struggle against -- against coronavirus. >> british government approval for a covid vaccine means people can expect shots to be available, as soon as next week.

and when they are, the government will leave citizens little excuse not to get it. england says vaccines should be available at designated sites, seven days a week, frto 8:00 p. including holidays. max foster, max. >> absolutely, i think everyone's been taken aback by how quickly this approval's come through. but the approval authorities here have set up a new system, really. normally, they'd go through the various checks and tests on a vaccine, one by one. but during this process, they've done so, in parallel. and throughout the whole manufacturing process, as well. they've been in close touch with pfizer. so, all the health authorities here are telling us that they don't feel any corners are being cut. and this is a safe vaccine, as well as an extremely effective one. so, we understand the vaccine is being packed up at pfizer's

factory in belgium. it's on its way to the uk. 800,000 doses, which would mean 400,000 people could be inoculated, as of next week. initially, those doses will go to hub hospitals. then, those will be spread around the country, right down to doctor surgery. this is a process, as we understand it, vaccines will be offered seven days a week, including holidays, as you say. a minimum of 975 vaccines will be delivered per week, per center. so, they are really trying to get it out. they are assuming each person will take two doses between -- you need two doses for a course. and the priority will be given to those over the age of 80 and those in care homes. boris johnson, as you say, warning, though, it will take months for the entire population to be inoculated. so, he urged caution. >> i think, at this stage, it is very, very important that people do not get their hopes up too soon about the speed, with which we'll be able to roll out this

vaccine. as we roll out the vaccine over the next few weeks, speaker, we will need to keep that tough testing regimes in place. >> nevertheless, dana, some much-needed, good news, in this pretty difficult year. >> indeed. max foster, thank you for that report. and i want to get straight to cnn's sara murray, who is also covering the vaccine news. sara, the first shipments of pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, scheduled to be delivered december 15th. so, in just about two weeks. what are the biggest concerns that we are hearing from officials? >> well, look. there is a lot that still needs to be worked out. by the end of this week, states need to tell the federal government exactly how many doses that they would like to get, and where they want those doses to go. and then, assuming everything goes well, and that the fda quickly authorizes these vaccines, the pfizer vaccine is set to go out on december 15th, and it would be followed by the moderna vaccine on december 22nd.

again, these are tentative dates because the fda has to authorize these products before they go out. but they're supposed to go out within 24 hours of that authorization. now, with the pfizer vaccine, especially, that's a supercold vaccine. it has to be scored carefully. a and so, in the u.s., they are pretty closely watching the uk to see how this goes. the head of the cdc advisory committee said about that today. >> i think we will learn, principally, is how this transport system works. the dry ice transport system. does it keep the vaccine cold? are there any issues involved in -- in -- in getting the vaccine out from a central point into the public sector? we can learn from that, and -- and adjust our plans, as necessary. >> now, once these vaccines go out, it's really up to states to figure out how to get them into peop people's arms. so they start with health care workers. even then, a lot of states may not have enough in the initial tranche to vaccinate everyone. so if you deal with covid

patients on a day to day basis, you would be at the front of that line. >> and once companies likes pfizer start shipping vaccine doses across the u.s., the process of distributing them. that will fall to the states and they're not all on the same page. i want to bring in senior vice president at kieser family foundation, and she and some of her leagucolleagues analyzed 47 the states' plans for handling the vaccine. you looked at the states' plans they submitted back in october. they are actually due to be updated by this friday. but you say, basically, there are 51 different strategies for making sure americans have access to the vaccine. how prepared do you think they really are? >> right. so, hi, good to be here. we looked at the state plans and what we found is that states are really all over the map, in terms of their preparedness, for good reason. they're struggling to combat covid, at the same time they are trying to ramp up for the vaccine. some states are quite prepared.

others aren't. and like you said, we are going to see a very different picture, depending upon where people live. >> and are there states that you -- you -- you looked at that are, clearly, problematic? you know, big populations but don't really have a good plan that we should be focused on? >> yeah. there were definitely states that you might expect would have better plans than they did. we didn't grade them. i think they all get an a for effort. but there were several that had, you know, really just begun this process. and have a long way to go. and others that were way ahead of the game, relatively speaking. so, i think, though they submitted those last month and hopefully a lot more has occurred, since then, and they'll be better prepared. >> and one of the many logistical questions and challenges is going to be people have to get more than one dose. so, do states have plans, specifically, to track people who get one dose and make sure they get the second? >> right. that's a critical issue. all states were asked about that and states reported that they were putting plans in place to

track that and notify individuals. but i think that's going to be a place to pay very close attention to, to make sure people know they have to come back, that get that information, and do come back. we anticipate that being a challenge. >> yeah. i will imagine. and your report also says the majority of states are still developing ways to calculate the number of people in their priority groups. we know the cdc-advisory committee, just yesterday, said that they should go -- the vaccine should go to healthcare workers, first. those living in long-term care facilities. you say that some states don't even know how many people that is. that they have to do that. >> correct. correct. states were asked to identify the number or estimates of the number of people in these different priority groups. and several said we are just beginning to -- to figure that out. we don't, necessarily, have the models, yet, to do it. or we don't have the census data to do it. and so, that's going to be another area where states have to figure out who they are trying to reach, where they are trying to reach them. >> such good news but so many challenges and actually

delivering on that good news. thank you so much for joining me and for the report that you and your colleagues did to help us understand it. and up next. president trump's potential pardon list, includes some of his closest allies and his family. i felt like... ...i was just fighting an uphill battle in my career. so when i heard about the applied digital skills courses, i'm thinking i can become more marketable. you don't need to be a computer expert to be great at this. these are skills lots of people can learn. i feel hopeful about the future now. ♪

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the first family may, soon, get an extra layer of legal protection, courtesy of their dad. the president, in recent weeks, discussed issuing pardons to his adult children and his son-in-law, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to cnn. also, on the potential-pardon list, the president's attorney, rudy giuliani. plus, a legal mystery was unsealed in a court document last night. a justice department investigation into a possible bribe for potential pardon scheme. let's talk about all this with cnn's kaitlan collins at the white house. and first, kaitlan, what are you hearing from colleagues about how serious these pardon talks are? >> they are serious and they're under discussion. and we know the reporting was that after the president

pardoned michael flynn, we were only told that more people were on the list of potential pardons before he does leave office. and so, now, we have learned from sources that he has discussed potential pardons for people like rudy giuliani, his children, and of course, his son-in-law, jared kushner, as well. and so, of course, the question for that would be what is the reason the president would be pardoning them? what is their criminal exposure? and we know what happened with donald trump jr. and the russia investigation, as well as jared kushner and the talks on his security-clearance forms, that he had to resubmit several times after leaving off contacts with foreigners. and the other thing, the question about, you know, eric trump, ivanka trump, rudy giuliani, potentially. it's not clear but there is basically this fear the president has, after the mueller investigation, that overzealous prosecutors could decide to come after he or his family, after he leaves office. so, whether or not he actually follows through with it is still, to be determined. but it is something that is being discussed right now. >> and, kaitlan, yesterday, at this time, we talked about the fda commissioner being summoned to the white house to meet with

the white house chief-of-staff. you are learning he is back there, again. >> yeah. this is two days, in a row, which normally, you would not they that's that surprising to have the fda chief meeting with the chief of staff at the white house. but it is, because, of course, we know this comes as the chief of staff, mark meadows, the president, several other officials, have been frustrated with the fda commissioner over the timing of emergency approvals for those vaccines that have been submitted. which the fda has said takes time. career scientists are going through the data. but now, we've got dr. hahn back at the white house, again, for a second day in a row meeting with mark meadows after yesterday was a pretty tense meeting between the two. as meadows was basically in charge of relaying the president's frustration. so, where this ultimately lands, we do not know right now. but we do know this, two days in a row for them to meet, given the circumstances and the backdrop is quite notable. >> seeing it approved across the pond, before here, i'm -- it's probably not a -- a big leap to think that's part of the discussion that they're having inside the white house right

now. kaitlan, thank you so much. appreciate that reporting. and joining me, now. cnn legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, elliot williams. thank you, elliot. good to see you. so, let's talk about this pardons report -- these potential pardons. reporting suggests that the president is angling to pardon, potentially, his whole family. his adult children, his son-in-law, even himself. is that legal? >> yes. you know, something that people need to know is that the president's pardon power, every president's pardon power is quite broad and very -- there's very few checks on it. very few abilities to limit it. so, yes, he can pardon his family members and he can pardon them preemptively. we know that gerald ford pardoned richard nixon, broadly speaking, for any conduct that, quote, he might have engaged in while -- while nixon was president. and so, it's very broad. you know, the issue is, is it an b abuse of power? you know, the solution is to elect a president who is not

going to abuse it but no, dana, he really does have that power. >> or write a statute that's more specifically, you know, explains what the power is. but, on this, just even the notion that the president is in these deliberations. i mean, you know, you would think that he -- he would be worried. that it's -- it's an acknowledgment that there's some -- something there. i mean, kaitlan was just reporting that it's about, you know, out-of-control prosecutors and so on and so forth. but, there's definitely another side to that coin. >> it's not even a worry. it's an acknowledgment that some crime would have been committed. the whole point of a pardon is it flows from sort of what you call the date of the offense that crime was committed. so yes, necessarily, by pardoning people, he would be acknowledging that his daughter or sons or rudy giuliani would have committed an offense. now, does that matter to the president? what's probably far more important is exonerating these people. but, no, he would really be admitting, by issuing that

pardon, that they did commit some act of criminal wrongdoing. >> and on the pardon question, just real quick. we talked, earlier, about the fact that there are documents that were unsealed that showed that the doj is actively investigating what they call a secret-lobbying scheme bribe -- potential bribe for presidential pardon that's going on. the consensus is, on legal twitter, which, you know, keep that in the category it probably deserves, but the party has a last name ending with s. can you, further, dissect this, as somebody who looks at documents like this, often? >> you know, honestly, it's just not productive, at this point, to try to divine who might be behind the redactions or whatever. the simple fact is we don't know that any one in the white house, a, was specifically targeted but, b, that they did anything with the information when thaey were approached. what you know is somewhere, somebody thought they could get

to the white house, and would benefit by trying to pay the white house off. now, the president has sort of opened the door to that for the last several years. that people now believe that there is some sort of sense of pay to play. but we should be very careful about not pulling the white house into this, just yet, until we have more information. >> that's very important. good point that you made. elliot. good to see you, as always. >> of course. >> thank you. and up next, an update on who president-elect biden may nominate to the nation's top job when it comes to health care. the hhs secretary. stay with me. beautiful. but support the leg!

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new reporting in to cnn. the biden campaign is now narrowing its list of potential picks to lead the department of health and human services. i want to get straight to cnn's jeff zeleny, with the news. jeff. >> dana. we are learning that new mexico governor, michelle grisham, is one of the final contenders, perhaps the final contender, for that critical rule to be leader of health and human services. and also, has so many other credentials. she, of course, is governor, but served in congress and also is state health secretary. so she brings more to this than most any other contenders being considered. there, also, has been a push by members of the hispanic

congress. 32 lawmakers signed a letter to the biden transition saying they were urging him, imploring him, to nominate her for this post. but i am told by a biden-transition official, that she and her credentials meet this criteria, on their own. she's already been a final ikt f finalist for this post. and we do believe she is expected to be named in the coming weeks. this is one of the big, cabinet positions we are still waiting for. of course, attorney general is one. defense sec are retary is one. and health and human services. so, for right now, we are told she is a leading contender, the final contender, and we will see when announcement is made. everyone expects it to be her, dana. >> jeff zeleny, great reporting, as always. thank you. and a programming note. jake tapper talks to president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris, in their first, joint interview since winning the election. you can see that, thursday night, 9:00 p.m., only on cnn. and up next.

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after months of stalemate, republican and democratic lawmakers are feeling the pressure to pass coronavirus-relief measures for struggling americans, who already lost some federal aid, and are about to lose key benefits set to expire at the end of this month. a bipartisan group of senators and house members, yesterday, joined forces on a nearly $1 trillion plan. last night, the house speaker, nancy pelosi, and senate minority leader, chuck schumer, sent their own proposal to gop leaders. and now, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has his own plan. three ideas and, still, so far,

deadlocked. one of the senators who worked on the bipartisan effort, independent, angus king, of maine, said this about mcconnell, this morning. >> he's got to listen and i am hoping he's going to listen to the members of his caucus saying, look, we need to do something. it's urgent. >> joining me, now, democratic senator doug jones of alabama. thank you so much for joining me, senator. let's start with -- with this issue. where do you see relief negotiations heading, right now? >> well, i'm -- i'm very hopeful. this should have been done, a long time ago. we've known, for months, months, and months, that this virus was not going away, anytime soon. until we got a vaccine. and that's still several months away for the general public. we need to get this relief for the american people. we need to get this relief for hospital workers. we need to get this relief for city and county governments. and it's -- it's never too late but we are getting that way right now and this is an urgency situation. our economy is going to depend on whether or not the congress

can act. and now, that this election is over, i'm hoping people can put that partisanship aside, and get this done for the american people. >> i want to dig in on a couple specific sticking points. my colleague, lauren fox, who covers you up there. she wrote, this morning, that even the bipartisan group couldn't find agreement on things like how much flexibility should there be in state and local funding? and finding a sweet spot on liability protections. what's your sense of those two things? >> i think those -- yeah -- i think those are sticking points. i think there should be some way to find common ground on the liability protections. i think the proposal that was put on the floor a couple months ago was far too extensive. and was really a nonstarter, for so many people. but there's got to be some protections for businesses, fr r hospitals, and others. but i think they can find that common ground to do that. people just have to get to work. we have got a couple more weeks in this session, in this congress, to do this. and i think people are rising up and demanding it. and i really believe, based on what i am seeing and hearing, that folks see that urgency, and

see the need to do something. and they won't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. that's the key here. >> well, that's good to hear. i want to talk to you, more broadly, if i may, senator, about the polarized state of congress. you were defeated by your republican opponent last month. but for almost three years, you have been a democrat in the halls of the senate, representing one of the reddest states in the union. so, given that unique experience, what can you tell the american people who are really worried about how divided america is right now? >> well, you know, dana, i -- i think i've said this, many times. i think america is more divided than washington, d.c. what i see in the halls of the united states senate is a lot of folks talking to each other, trying to find common ground, trying to work together. unfortunately, what the american people see, through the eyes of the media and on senate-floor speeches, they see dueling press conferences. they see political speeches on the floor. they don't see all the work that's going on. like, the bipartisan group of senators who is trying to get

this bill passed for covid relief. there is a lot of that, that goes on. what i am hoping, as we start, i think that it comes from the top. and i think you've got a leader, in joe biden, who can lead by example. he's done it his entire career. and i think when you've got that president that can do that, and i do not believe donald trump has done that, has set that appropriate example, joe biden can. and i'm very hopeful the next congress and for this administration. >> i notice, you often voted your conscience, even if it could get you in trouble with constituents back home. you voted against confirmation of justice brett kavanaugh. i say this respectfully because my question was, was that because you saw that you could likely be a short-timer there, given the fact that you were representing alabama? what -- what went through some of your thought processes, during those tough votes? >> well, you know, look. i -- i never, at the end of the day, quite frankly, saw those as tough votes. i looked at qualifications. i looked at the evidence, in

those particular instances, and i voted according to my principles. and i think some people, really, more people up here, ought to put the politics aside. this is not about winning elections. this is about doing your job for the american people. living up to obligations. and that doesn't mean taking a poll. it doesn't mean putting your finger to the political pulse. it means doing what you've learned to do, all your life. and that's follow your conscience, your moral compass, to try to do what you believe to be the right thing. and if folks did not appreciate that, there were a lot of folks in alabama that did not. but at the same time, there were a lot that did. and so, i think having a voice for those in alabama, that needed a voice, for a long time, has been very important over the last three years. and so, i have no regrets on any of those votes, at all. >> i want to ask about your party. you are a democrat from the deep south. are you worried that the party is too focused on the coast, too

focused on the big cities, and are being driven -- is the party being driven, too much, by progressives? how do you see the party going -- going, in the future? >> well, i -- i hope and i believe that the party will continue to be a big-tent party. you know, being a big-tent party is, both a blessing and a curse. on the one hand, you got people in either extremes of that big tent, who like to fight with each other a little bit. but, at the end of the day, we all want the same things. we all want good health care for the american people. we all want good jobs and good-paying jobs, and try to -- try to lower, you know, to narrow the income gap that we got out there. we want to keep america secure, both in our elections, as well as our national secure. how you get there is, i think, is -- is the issue. and i believe that we can do that, and i -- i'm really hopeful for the democratic party. they see the problems that we've got in some of the rural areas. they understand that. and i believe as we go forward, they are going to see the messages because it was -- it was the democratic party that brought social security, medicare, medicaid, all of those

issues that those rural areas need and that they want. >> before i let you go, i have to ask you two, quick questions. one is attorney general william barr, appointed u.s. attorney durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the russia probe. his investigation will continue into the biden administration. some of your colleagues say he is manipulating special counsel law to continue a politically-motivated investigation. what's your take? >> well, i don't know the answer to that because i don't know all the facts and i don't think anybody up here knows all the facts. i do know john durham. i have known him for a long time. he is a well-respected prosecutor. i think he follows the law. so, i think we'll have to see, as this investigation continues. i think it -- it appears, to me, that it was inappropriate to go ahead and name a special counsel. it's kind of insulting to the incoming administration to do that. to try to get protections that should be protected, anyway. if there is investigations there, it should be continued. if not, it should be shut down. it's just that simple.

>> and there has been reporting, as you know probably, that the biden-transition team is considering you for the role of attorney general. would you like that position? or any other in the biden administration? >> well, you know, dana. i've known joe biden for 40 years. i know kamala harris well and i want them to succeed. and i have said, all along, if i can help in that, any way, i'm more than happy to look and consider what ever may come my way. i just want them to succeed, and i have been very pleased with the picks that he's had, so far. he's doing -- he's fulfilling his promise. to america. to be an inclusive president, have an inclusive cabinet, have an inclusive administration. and i think that's incredibly important, as we go forward. >> doug jones, thank you so much for coming on. i had the -- the honor of being with you on one of john lewis's civil rights pilgrimages and i got to talk to you in your home state of alabama and that was really, really a treat. and, you know, i think everybody will join me in saying thank you

for -- for your service and we'll see what's next. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. it's good to be with you. >> you, too. up next, the first two shipments of two covid-19 vaccine shipments are set to go out, this month. what that means for the general public. managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. staying fit and snacking light? yup, on it there too. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, ...genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems.

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a major break, today, in the race to approve a coronavirus

vaccine. the uk is now the first country to approve emergency use of pfizer's vaccine. here, in the u.s., the fda meets next week to discuss its approval. and according to an operation warp speed document obtained by cnn, pfizer's first shipments will be delivered december 15th. now, all this, developing as a cdc-advisory committee voted to vaccinate health care workers and those in nursing homes, first, once the vaccine is approved. a virologist and co-leading the vaccine testing program for the covid-19-prevention network. doctor, thank you so much for joining me. first, your reaction to the fact that the uk has approved this vaccine? >> well, it's a wonderful moment to be able to see these highly effective vaccines, especially, in preventing hospitalizations, start to come to the people. and we seem to -- for the

american people, very shortly. >> and, doctor, i want to ask you about the shipments coming out or going out in the u.s., here, in the u.s., in december. according to the operation warp speed document that i just referenced, that's when it's going to happen. when do you think that happens, overall, for the timing? >> well, i think we anticipate, by the end of december, that both the pfizer vaccine and the moderna vaccine, which are essentially the same vaccines, in the sense that they use the same part of rna, will be available. i think the hardest thing for us to, now, come to grips with is that there is not going to be enough vaccine to vaccinate everybody who deserves to be vaccinated. it's going to take a little while to build up the supply. >> and do you have any sense of what that timing is? >> well, i think we will'll see vaccine scarcity till the end of april. i think we only expect to see about 20 million doses in -- in december and that will be, just as you said, to medical workers

and to persons in nursing home. but the advisory committee and immunization practices, also, essential workers. that's 90 million people in the country. the elderly and those with comorbidities, another 90 million people in the country. so, that's -- that's a lot of people and a lot of doses and we won't have nearly that much until much later in the year. >> and before i let you go, i have to ask. there was one vote against the cdc recommendation, yesterday, from dr. helen of vanderbilt and she told the meeting, we hope it works and we hope it's safe. that concerns me, on many levels. is she right to be concerned that we don't know enough, yet, about the vaccine and its impact? >> well, i think there is some things about the vaccine we don't know, which is does it relieve mask wearing? could you just -- we do know, with a lot of very good data, that it will prevent hospitalizations and severe disease. we do know these trials were very large.

30,000 and 44,000. and we didn't have any short-term side effects, so it's safe. i would give it to myself. i'm recommending that my relatives who -- who qualify and my colleagues in the medical field receive a vaccine. >> that is so important to hear. that you would take it, yourself. you would recommend it for your -- for your loved ones. extremely important. >> absolutely. >> dr. larry, thank you so much for joining me. appreciate it. >> pleasure to be here. >> and coming up. georgia voters are getting inundated with ads for the two senate runoffs there. we're going to dig into the messaging wars, next. you inspired us to make your humira experience even better... with humira citrate-free. it has the same effectiveness you know and trust, but we removed the citrate buffers, there's less liquid, and a thinner needle... with less pain immediately following injection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. and you can use your co-pay card to pay as little as $5 a month. humira can lower your ability to fight infections.

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former astronaut and retired navy captain, mark kelly, sworn in as u.s. senator, this hour. after defeating republican incumbent, martha mcsally, in a special election. he will finish the remainder of late senator john mok caccain's. in fact, paid tribute yesterday by visiting his grave with his wife. a hero of mine, since i was a young pilot. he left a legacy to arizona and country that can't be matched but that we all should strive towards. meanwhile, georgia's airwaves are being flooded with ads. total ad spending, already, surpassed $318 million. and when it comes to messaging,

there is no one-size-fits-all approach. listen to this from the contest between senator kelly loeffler and reverend raphael warnock. >> police power. the kind of gangster and thug mentality. >> warnock attacks our police. >> somebody's got to open up the jails. >> raphael warnock is dangerous. raphael warnock, the radicals' radical. >> when people have no vision, they revert to division. while she is busy calling me names, let me tell you where i stand. i believe that, in the greatest nation in the world, people should have affordable health care. >> joining me now to discuss this is cnn's manu raju and, manu, labeling democrats too radical is about as classic a campaign message as it gets. particularly, in a swing state, in this case, kind of a -- a -- a republican state. what do you take away from those

messages that we just heard? >> yeah. one thing that has happened in that race, in particular. the republicans believe that raphael warnock has really not been defined much because so much of this race, up until november, was focused on the fight between kelly loeffler and doug collins. remember, this is an unusual state. a runoff state. and in this particular race, there was no primary. it was just a special election. so, both -- both, kelly loeffler and doug collins, were fighting among themselves to try to get into the runoff to face raphael warnock ahead of that january 5th runoff. so a lot of attacks have not been focused on him, so that's why you are seeing this onslaught of attacks. as you mnentioned, a very classc attack about democrats being too liberal for the state. at the end of the day, this is going to turn out to be a base election. the republicans believe they need to drive up their base. that's why donald trump is going there, to help both loeffler and david perdue on saturday. the democrats, though, believe that republicans are

miscalculating here, in large ways, because of just the growth of voters, particularly in the atlanta suburbs. one reason why joe biden carried that state and one reason why they're hopeful. but of course, at the end of the day, who comes out and votes on january 5th, when there is no president at the top of the ticket, still, anyone's guess here. >> january 5th is not a typical day to go out and vote. but obviously, there is a lot of attention there. and on that, i want to play a snippet of ads from the other runoff going on in georgia. perdue and ossoff. let's watch. >> chuck schumer, nancy pelosi, and jon ossoff, want total control. they win georgia, they'll have it. what does that mean for you? illegal immigrants voting. police, defunded. taxes, sky high. >> since covid, we had to close our main dining room. we lost all of that business. david perdue knew what was about to happen. he was getting classified briefings about the pandemic.

but, instead of him being concerned about us, he off selling stock. >> what's your take on those dueling messages, manu? >> yeah. jon ossoff has been trying to make this case -- this race about covid, not just response by republican leadership and the white house, but also david perdue's stock trading and reports, very damaging reports, about david perdue getting involved in potential -- potentially trading on inside information that he's had. now, he's denied that. he's said that he's been cleared by the investigative bodies. but he has, also, not answered a lot of questions. and david perdue, himself, not agreeing to debate to jon ossoff. he is taking this almost exclusively to the airwaves. appearing in rallies. not answering questions from reporters and not engaging in debates and hopes -- and he hopes that will be enough to carry him in a traditionally-republican state. >> it certainly is going to be a base election. before i let you go, i want to turn to another issue i know you

got some reporting on. and this is about the fact that president trump is threatening to veto a massive defense-spending bill over social media. what are you hearing from members of congress? >> republicans are ready to defy the president on this. i just spoke to the senate arm services committee chairman, who said they will not listen to what the president is saying. the president is demanding a l rollback of protections for social media companies, including twitter, to be included in that massive, $740 billion defend-spending bill. inhofe said that will not be part of this bill. he said it is too important to get this bill through because of how important it is to the military. adding that provision will only complicate the matters. he told me he talked to the president about this a couple nights ago. and also, he said they are going to defy the president and include a provision that would lead to renaming of military properties that are named currently after confederate leaders. remember, the president threatened to veto this bill over that, as well. so, on two key issues here, the republicans are signaling they are not going to listen to the

president. they are going to move ahead. and inhofe is a very close ally of this president. but what's more important to members on both sides, as you know, dana. this bill is so essential. it's been passed every single year for more than half a century in congress. and despite the president's threats to veto it overunrelated matters, over the social media issues, they are basically saying it's not going to happen. they are going to move their own way here. >> it's called section 230. it is about social media. it's the president's way of trying to kind of retaliate for ways that he doesn't think he was treated fairly. on -- on social media. but as you alluded to, the fact that he is choosing to do this on the defense bill, which is must pass and so important to so many of his fellow republicans, is, you know, kind of mind-boggling. but, as you also know, it's -- it's tough when you're in a lame-duck session, and there's not a lot of other -- there aren't a lot of options, other vehicles, to pass it. manu, thank you so much for that reporting.

appreciate it. >> thanks, dana. >> thank you and thank you for joining us. brianna keilar will pick up our coverage, right now. hello, i'm brianna keilar and i want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. as the world is grappling with the devastating effects of the pandemic, this is a ray of hope that vaccines are on the way. the head of operation warp speed, just moments ago, saying 100 million americans may be vaccinated by february. this is coming, as the united kingdom has just given approval to a vaccine which is the first, western nation to do so. the pfizer and biontech vaccine will be available, in the uk, next week. and next week is, also, when the fda-advisory board, here, in the united states, is expected to vote on approving emergency use of the pfizer vaccine. >> it's very promising. i mean, the uk regulators are,