t>>hanks, 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, essentially, a mirror of us.

the uk regulators and advisers felt that way is a good sign. we, also, will be getting a huge packet of information that we'll review before the meeting of december 10th. but it's -- it all looks good. >> so, here's what doesn't look good and, that is, the next few months because we are seeing cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, all, hitting record levels. cdc director, dr. robert redfield, gave this sobering warning, just a short time ago. >> the reality is december and january and february are going to be rough times. i actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public-health history of this nation. largely, because of the stress that it's going to put on our healthcare system. >> now, redfield, also, said that the u.s. could see 450,000 people die from covid, by february. the pandemic is already devastating families, from coast to coast.

tuesday, the united states recorded 2,597 deaths. and this is an escalation, that we were warned about, but is now here. the one-day death toll is the second-highest since the beginning of the pandemic. it is the largest, since april. but you don't have to tell that to joanna, who lost both of her parents to covid, on the same day. >> the bottom line is my parents went very quickly. i mean, there was not a lot of time from when they, you know, from when they got it to when they passed. and they just -- people -- it's such a simple thing to mask. it -- it's just that easy. and it can save so many people's lives. and no one needs to ever feel this pain that our entire family, you know, is going through. >> the united states, also, reported more than 180,000 new cases. it is the 29th-straight day of

more than 100,000 new cases, per day. and we, also, saw a new record for hospitalizations. i want to bring in tom foreman, to talk about this. tom, there are 16 states that have reported these record numbers of hospitalizations, just yesterday. how has this escalated? >> it has escalated, very, very quickly. and solidly, over the past month. look at this calendar. every place you see a red x on there. that beat the record for the most number of hospitalizations. so, you can see, every day, for a month, except for one, we're not sure about the numbers, has been worse than before. and a new record in hospitalizations. enormous strains on hospital staffs. enormous strains on people needing any kind of medical care, in some places. they may have to travel hours to get that care. if it's not covid related, maybe even if it is, because so many hospitals have been pushed to the brink of their capacity. some cases, beyond. you mentioned those 16 states. just tuesday, these 16 states tipped over the edge. highest number of

hospitalizations there. so, vacations, any kind of time off for already-exhausted medical staffs are being cancelled, everywhere. one analyst put it in a very strong way. said, it's like there's been a natural disaster in every state, all at once, and the hospitals are just swamped. brianna. >> and you know, we were talking, earlier, about this. yesterday, the united states recorded the second-highest number of daily deaths. that is since the beginning of this entire pandemic. take us through those numbers. >> yeah. if you look at the graph of what happened with deaths. yeah, back early on in april, when the country was just trying to get the handle on what was happening and it was exploding in the northeast. you can see, it really spiked up there. but now, we have worked our way right back there. why? because it got colder, people went inside, people got tired of dealing with masking and social distancing. and they started getting loose about it. according to all the health experts. and we are paying a price. ba bear in mind, when you look at all these numbers, we are not,

yet, talking about the thanksgiving effect. that's too recent, brianna. we haven't even had all those cases roll in. that's expected to be somewhere, starting later this week, maybe now just earliest edge of it. and running all the way up into christmas. and then, we will see what those holidays bring on later into january. once again, the rules are simple. stay inside. stay masked. stay away from people. not enough people are doing it. brianna. >> tom, thank you so much for that. the uk is now the first country to approve the pfizer vaccine. they are expecting to have the first doses of that vaccine ready for use, just next week. our max foster is in london. he is actually outside of 10 downing street for us. max, what are you hearing there about the approval and about the distribution plans? how many doses we're talking about? who, all, is going to get them? >> huge excitement, this morning, on this news from the regulator that the vaccine is not only effective, 95%

effective, but also safe. so, the government immediately say masks inoculations will stat next week in the uk. i have to say, this evening here in downing street, the mood is changing, somewhat. an awareness of the challenges ahead and, also, the awareness that people need to stay safe, in the meantime, until the entire public is inoculated. so, some of the issues they're pointing out is that they've got 800,000 doses on order from pfizer. they are coming from the factory in belgium. but they have to get them over to the uk. more than -- minus 94-degrees fahrenheit. that, in itself, is a huge challenge. the top of the list to receive the -- these vaccines are people in care homes. but, how are they going to get into care homes? at the moment, the plan is go to hub hospitals, and start injecting people from there. but do they take people out of care homes, put them into the

hospitals? that's a big complication. we, also, saw the deputy chief medical officer come out and warn people that you have to take this vaccine, in order for it to be effective. a concern that people won't take it if they're offered it. also, he went out and warned everyone that, actually, this -- this -- this virus is never going to go away. it could even return as a seasonal virus. so, everyone needs to be aware there won't be some moment in future where everything returns back to normal. and until everyone is vaccinated, people can't relax. they have to stick to the safety messages. and, you know, keep your distance, keep your mask on, all that basic stuff. they are very concerned, at this point, that people might get overexcited about this vaccine news, even though, on the face of it, it's very positive, indeed. >> a very good point. max foster, live, for us from london. thank you. actor richard shiff is known for his roles in west wing and good doctor. there is something he wants you to know about getting sick with covid. that, it is scarier than you

have read and it is scarier than you have heard. thankfully, both he and his wife, actor sheila kelly, are now recovering from a bad bout with covid-19 and they are here to talk with us about their experience. i want to -- i want to thank you both. i think it's very helpful when people see faces they recognize telling them what they could be dealing with. and i just want to ask you, both, first, off the top, how you're feeling? >> well, thank you, brianna. it's nice to see you. i -- i -- i am feeling a lot better. excitedly better. and it's been a long road for me. but incrementally better, every day. sheila's having a little bit of a different experience. >> yeah. our son and i didn't have a lot of intervention. and so, what we're finding is just you'll have a good day, and then you'll have a bad day of exhaustion. and a couple of good days and

then a bad day. so it's -- it's a long mountain to hike up getting back to health. >> it keeps coming and fighting you. this covid thing. doesn't want to leave your body. it wants -- wants to win. >> and so, how long have you been dealing with this? >> i was -- i -- on november 1st, i remember it was a sunday night because it was just before the election and i was very nervous about that. and we had five hour -- we had five scenes to do, the next day, on monday. and it's very lucky that i got some symptoms on sunday night. 2:00 a.m., i called my manager in l.a., who i knew would be up. and at 5:00 a.m., i started calling the ads, the assistant directors, of the "good doctor" to let them know i was feeling some symptoms. and i was very worried about what it could be. and i shouldn't come into work. and they agreed. had i -- had -- had my symptoms come seven, eight hours later, i would've gone into work and crew members would have been infected. so, it was very lucky that --

that -- that symptoms came when they did. >> incredibly lucky that you didn't bring it on set. and, you actually spent five days in the hospital. tell us about what kind of treatment you received. >> well, i -- i -- i spent 13 days at our home in -- in vancouver. trying to recover. trying to keep my breath going. the doctor, who i was talking to over the phone here, recommended i go into the hospital because i had measuring my oxygen. i had difficulty breathing. had gone down to 88, which is a danger zone and he said go. go to the hospital. i didn't want to go. i thought they would put me right into icu on a ventilator. i just didn't want to go. i was hoping to find breath where i was. but i went. and it was -- it was touchy. very dire for a minute. the first doctor said i'm going to go into the icu, go into a

ventilator, and wasn't sure of the outcome. and that's what he said to us -- to me. that conversation. with sheila. >> yeah. that's actually what i wanted to ask you about. you had to have this conversation, and i was hoping maybe you could both tell us about that. i mean, you said it was touch and go. you came up against the possibility you might not make it. and i wonder if you guys could talk about what that was like to have that discussion. >> yeah. it's -- it's a surreal moment. you know, you read about it. you watch it on the news, for months and months and months. and you read about it. and you're like, oh, this can't possibly be as bad as everybody's saying it is. and, in fact, it's worse. it's terrifying because it -- it -- it really is a moment you don't want to have. where you get a text. that's how i found out is he texted me. >> i didn't want to call. i had to text. >> and then, i -- i was actually talking to allison janie called me and i couldn't talk. i couldn't even speak because i was so terrified and so emotionally distraught.

and then, it -- 24 hours like that. 24 hours of thinking he had to go to icu and onto a ventilator. that -- that just -- yeah. and then, he called me to let me know he didn't need to. he was doing better, the next day. and i just -- i just was sobbing. uncontrollably. >> it's funny how that works. that's when all the emotion came out for both of us. once -- once we found there was a chance it wasn't going to happen. you know, my inflammation markers were very bad. for a couple of days. and that's why the doctor was not optimistic. and then, it turned around. and you asked about the treatment. you know, i had to kind of fight to get remdesivir. the doctors at vancouver general, we convinced him to give it to me and i think that

made a difference. that, and steroids and, of course, i was on oxygen for about four days and it -- it turned around. and i was able to get off oxygen. and i was released a week earlier than the doctors had -- had thought i would be. and i am very grateful for that. >> and, sheila, i mean -- sorry, go on, richard. >> no, i said, at one point in an interview, it's worse than you've heard and worse than you've read. it's kind of a silly thing to say because we have -- we have all read of the, you know, back in elmhurst and queens, the horrible stories, back in march, of -- of what this covid can do to people. and the tragedy of dying alone and -- and of -- of -- of -- of all the lingering effects. it's just that it doesn't stick to your ribs. you read about it and it doesn't stick. >> because you've never experienced anything like this. that's -- that's why it's hard to get through to people's heads.

i didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was. it is not like any illness you have ever had. it is wily, it is sneaky, it is weird. you cannot breathe. even me, who had a mild case, couldn't -- i was fighting for breath at night. so it -- i think that's what you are trying to say. it's not -- it's not something you've ever had, before. >> yeah. it's -- >> i -- i saw you, sheila, kind of turn your head to have a little cough. i mean, you're clearly still having these symptoms that are coming and going. >> yeah. >> and i know -- and so, tell us your -- your message to -- to americans. really, to -- to anyone who may be watching. what is your message to them? >> it is -- it is so much worse than you could imagine because you -- it's -- it's like -- it's almost like you are in quicksand. you are in this covid quicksand and you cannot get out of it. you can't get breath. you can't get energy. you're exhausted. and it's a lot easier to get

than you think. i think -- i think it's a lot easier to get. because we were incredibly protective. >> we were vigilant. we -- we were very -- rarely went out. my son has become a kermit. we have gone nowhere. and a few times you forget to put on your mask or you -- you -- you get too casual with it and you forget for a second. and that's maybe yhow you get i. but it's not -- what sheila says is accurate. you know, the time i spent with covid, my whole body has atrophied. just barely been able to get energy up to go for walks and -- and to do interviews like this. the good news is i'm going to work tomorrow. so i'm -- i'm -- we're going to try to do that and see how that goes. but, you know, but the vaccine around the corner. it -- it behooves everyone to -- to -- to stay away from covid.

and -- and not only help your nation, help your community, help your family, get through this. but there is a light at the end of the funntunnel, from what we understand. so, why? why? why bother messing around? you see these articles with the doctors in the hospitals who are getting reinundated, again, with the -- the influx of all the new patients. it's happening in vancouver general, here. they opened two new floors while i was in the hospital. they are so angry and so mad and crazed about the deniers and the people that don't believe it. and -- and refuse to wear masks. the doctors and the nurses, the healthcare workers, are the ones that suffer the consequences, as well as the people who get sick. because they are overwhelmed. and they're -- they're incredible people and they shouldn't -- shouldn't have to

go through this. it's preventable. at least, some of it is preventable. >> they are incredible people and, richard, i'm so glad you shined a spotlight on them because they are the ones in the thick of this. richard and sheila, it is great to see you. you are clearly still recovering, but you're on the other side of this, it appears. and for that, we are very thankful. and we thank you for joining us. >> thank you, brianna. >> thank you. >> in his final weeks, the president is now considering preemptive pardons for his children. the question is, why, if they've done nothing wrong? plus, he is now publicly floating the possibility that he will run again in 2024. why they may not be welcome news for his party. and democratic leaders caught breaking their own guidance about coronavirus. we'll roll the tape. this is cnn special live coverage. (vo) (sigh...)

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president-elect joe biden is widening his historic lead over donald trump in the popular vote. biden, who is about to address a group of small business owners and workers is now ahead of trump by nearly 7 million votes. harry enten, cnn senior political analyst is here to break down these numbers. tell us what they mean, harry. >> you see that 51.2% and i will just point out, that is the highest percentage for any challenger to an incumbent since fdr back in 1932. so that's a big thing. the other thing i will note is i think a lot of people tuned out of this election once it was clear biden was going to win. but over the past few weeks, as absentee ballots have been counted, especially in new york city, which just reported them yesterday. what we have seen is biden's lead has expanded. so only about two points and now it's up over four points. that's a very clear margin.

even wider than braqarack obama margin in popular vote back in 2012. >> and how does it compare to donald trump's 2016 victory? >> yeah. donald trump went around saying i got the greatest landslide of all time, right? that was what he consistently did. but take a look here. i think this is important. biden's popular vote margin is 6.9 million votes. trump actually lost the popular vote, back in 2016. he lost it by about 3 million. so we have seen about -- it's about a 10-million-vote swing between the popular vote between 2016 and 2020 for the winners. and the other thing i will note is that trump's popular vote percentage was below 46% back in 2016. biden is above 51%. it's just a much clearer win, and a much bigger mandate for biden than trump had. at least with popular vote. >> harry enten live for us from new york. and if the president continues his attack on the legitimacy of the election, he is reportedly

considering multiple pardons for those close to him. very close. including, some baring the trump name. cnn has learned trump is considering pardons for his three eldest children, his son-in-law jared kushner, and as reported yesterday, his personal attorney rudy giuliani. michael d'antonio is a donald trump biographer, and he is also the author of "the truth about trump." tell us, why would the president's adult children and his son-in-law need to be pardoned? >> well, obviously, they are facing both criminal and civil peril. i don't know how much of this is linked to their government service. i doubt much of it is. i think it all relates to their behavior before entering government. ivanka trump and her brother, don jr., both narrowly escaped prosecution, a decade ago, because of their unscrupulous and, some would say, illegal

behavior around the sale of real estate in the trump-soho development. so, this is a family that is familiar with legal trouble, that spends a lot of time in and out of courts. and i think, if the president imagines that his children need these preemptive pardons, there's a good chance that they do. >> and, you know, the president, during a christmas reception at the white house, last night, was talking about spending four more years in the white house. here he was. let's -- let's listen to this, and then talk about it. >> we won an election but they don't like that. we're trying to do another four years, otherwise, i'll see you in four years. >> just to be clear, we know he did not win the election. but what do you make of him? this is him now, publicly, saying that, in four years, he is or is considering or might run, again. >> well, this is all part of the continuous grift that has been

donald trump's entire life. you know, most of what he's done in his career, before the white house, and certainly, i think he anticipates what he'll do after leaving the white house, is to promote this idea of himself as powerful. also, promote the idea of, somehow, giving him money. in this case, it will be soliciting donations for his so-called legal-defense funds or his challenge to the election. but really, it's about grabbing as much cash as he can from donors of any measure of wealth. so, these could be people who are sending him $5 at a time, or people sending him $5,000 at a clip. and they'll get nothing for it. so, they -- he may promise them that he is going to run in 2024. i, actually, doubt that he will. and, even if he does --

>> why? >> -- he'll go through a whole new range of fundraising. you ask why i don't think he'll run? >> yeah. >> i think he'll see that he'll be unlikely to win. you know, harry enten just described, for us, that the last two elections, he lost by an average of 5 million votes, in the popular vote. his electoral college daefefeat this time around, is equal to the one that he claimed was a landslide, in 2016. so, he's not stupid. you know, he sees the handwriting on the wall. he knows that his moment is over. and the other thing that he could face is crowds of people shouting lock him up, in the way that he had crowds shout lock her up, about hillary clinton, four years ago. so, you know, he's created this terrible, political environment. where people say and chant terrible things. and i think he knows that it'll be used against him, in 2024.

>> michael d'antonio, thank you, so much, for your insights. >> thank you. >> is the president deceiving his supporters with those fundraising e-mails? we are going to take a look. plus, as con -- congress pushes for a second stimulus deal before christmas, see the seven-most important relationships president-elect biden will have on the hill. and as the cdc decides who will get the vaccines first, i will be speaking with the one doctor who disagreed with the majority. hear why. r new owners could choose a national or hometown charity. and subaru and our retailers would proudly make a donation. but now, in times like these, companies are having a hard choice to make. but subaru is more than a car company. and as charities struggle, we cannot just stand by. which is why we plan to donate over twenty four million dollars, again this year. the subaru share the love event, going on now.

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even though it hurts the nation, and it undermines american democracy, part of why president trump is dragging out his baseless protest against the election result, other than being a sore loser, is that he is araising cash off of it. a lot of it. since the election, a source tells cnn he has raised more than $170 million. and his campaign and allies have sent more than 400 fundraising e-mails, like this one, to get it. urging supporters to donate to a purported election-defense fund. well, it turns out, that's not where the majority of the money

is going. the requests are being made by the trump, make america great again committee, which shares its funds with save america, that is a new leadership pac. and if you read the legal fineprint here, it will tell you save america actually gets the first cut of any money that comes in. 75%, to be exact. most of it. so the money purportedly being raised for his legal team, is really just a slush fund for trump. >> joining us now, larry noble. he is also a cnn contributor. you know, larry, we look at this. it's, very clearly, deceptive. is it legal, though? >> it's probably legal and -- and good afternoon, brianna. yeah, it's probably legal. look. most presidential committees use joint fundraising accounts to help them raise money for different parts of their -- of the campaign or for the political party. but what's deceptive about this is that he is really selling it, not as helping him but as his defense fund. and -- and most of the money, as you said, is not going to

defense fund. 75% of it is going towards what's called a leadership pac. and a leadership pac can raise money and spend it pretty much on whatever he wants. they can fly him around the country. they can employ his relatives, his friends. they can give gifts to people. they can pay his debts. and so, what i don't think most people realize is that you're not really paying into his defense fund. when you make these contributions. rather, what you're doing is you are putting it into a large account, or 75% of your money is going into a large account, that he can spend pretty much any way he wants. >> so, he can spend it pretty much any way he wants, is what you are saying. and i'm curious what your expectation is because we know, based on his past patterns of, say, the family foundation, which abused its access to money and misused it. what would your expectations be for how this is spent? >> well, i think there may be a couple of ways he spends it.

traditionally, when a candidate has a leadership pac or an officeholder has a leadership pac, what they will do is use that money to fly themselves around the country. ostensibly, to be supporting other candidates but it's really about supporting themselves and keeping their names in the news. with him, that is a very big issue. so, i suspect he is going to be using a lot of the money to travel around the country and to promote himself. and then, beyond that, we may see it become a place for him to, basically, put people who he wants to stay loyal to him. he can pay family members through the leadership pac. i think it's all really going to promote him and the people he wants to -- wants to keep close to him. and as you said, given his history, i think we have to be very careful watching it. watching exactly how they spend that money. the good news is that it's all reported, how he spends it. but are people really going to pay attention? are -- are his contributors really going to pay attention? because this really is equivalent to a slush fund for him. >> wow. larry, thank you so much for

explaining that to us. larry noble with us. next, we're going to roll the tape on democratic officials who are not following their own coronavirus rules. plus, just in. the head of the fda summoned to the white house, again, as the president remains frustrated with the pace of vaccine approval. and the emotional and fiery plea from a georgia conservative to the president, about pushing election lies. >> someone's going to get hurt. someone's going to get shot. someone's going to get killed. 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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a number of democratic leaders, apologizing, or reversing course, after multiple occurrences of do as i say, not as i do. they have been caught, not following their own coronavirus guidelines. in san francisco, mayor london breed, facing backlash, after it was revealed she attended a birthday party last month at the french laundry, the famed and exclusive napa valley restaurant, with seven other people at her table. the mayor a's office says it was an open-air table, which seems like semantics, since it was a partially-enclosed room complete with a ceiling and chandelier, according to the san francisco chronicle. and when this happened, such gatherings were discouraged by statewide guidelines, even if

indoor dining was permitted in napa county. the mayor traveled outside of her own city, which was on the verge of entering its red tier, the second most restrictive for the state. and yesterday, breed warned san francisco may close all outdoor dining because the restrictions have not been working. >> we have to continue to do our part to distance ourselves from one another, and to limit our -- our activities. we are in trouble. and we are sounding the alarm, as i said before. so, that's going to mean some real challenging months ahead. >> now, the restaurant has been quite the draw for democratic officials defying the spirit, if not the letter, of the very regulations they are telling their constituents to follow. the day before breed's dinner at the french laundry, governor gavin newsom, also, attended a party there with at least a dozen other people from different households. he, later, apologized for it. >> the spirit of what i am preaching all the time was contradicted and i got to own that. and so, i want to apologize to

you because i need to preach and practice, not just preach. >> in los angeles county, supervisor voted to close outdoor dining last week, and then dined at a restaurant before the order took effect. while explaining her vote, she said that it's magical thinking to say that people can wear masks, and distance at a restaurant. her office says she felt sorry for the restaurant business's struggles and vowed she would not dine out again until the county permits it. and in san jose, california, the mayor is also apologizing for ignoring state restrictions during thanksgiving when he attended a gathering with his elderly parents, that included guests from five different households. california limits households at private gatherings to three. before his large, thanksgiving dinner, the mayor tweeted this guidance. quote, cancel the big gatherings this year and focus on keeping each other safe. in denver, mayor michael hancock, told residents of his city to skip large, thanksgiving

dinners. quote, stay home and stay in touch with friends, family, by phone or online. he sent that tweet. and then, he promptly appeared at the denver airport and flew to mississippi to spend the holiday with his wife and daughter. the mayor's office, confirming his traveling, and hancock, later, releasing a statement asking his city for forgiveness. he said this, quote. i apologize to the residents of denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all-but-essential travel. i made my decision as a husband and father and for those who are angry and disappointed, i humbly ask you to forgive decisions that were born of my heart and not my head. but to be clear, this isn't a matter of interpretation. he did the exact opposite of what he told everyone else to do. and in new york, governor andrew cuomo, last week, told a local radio host his thanksgiving would include his 89-year-old mother. >> my mom is going to come up,

and two of my girls, is the current plan. but the plans change. >> then, in the very same interview, cuomo told new yorkers that this couldn't be a typical thanksgiving for them. that, they shouldn't have friends and family gathering. >> i'm trying to say to people, now, you know, you watch all these commercials on tv. and they're selling commercial thanksgiving, right? 20 people around the table. pass me the wine. pass me this. that's not happening. that can't happen. it can't happen. >> now, the backlash was quick. cuomo, suddenly, changed his plans. one of the governor's advisers telling cnn that, lgt nethe nex cuomo would now be working on the holiday. the past few weeks, brought into relief a pattern of leaders, failing to lead by example. asking americans to make sacrifices that they, themselves, are unwilling to make. and appearing sorry, only when

they're caught. trust is built slowly but it evaporates faster than reservations at a fancy restaurant. a lot of these leaders. they are looking across the aisle to blame republicans who aren't taking mask wearing seriously. maybe, it's time they, also, look in the mirror and ask themselves if that was really worth it. still ahead. the most important relationships in congress that will be critical to the president-elect early in his administration. we will talk about that. plus, election officials across the country are getting death threats in the wake of president trump's baseless-conspiracy theories. and i will be speaking, live, with one of them. look, this isn't my first rodeo

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this just into cnn. republicans and democrats are now in talks to try to get a stimulus deal passed. steny hoyer telling cnn he and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell have talks scheduled today. he also said the two spoke on monday. time is quickly running out. the current program expires at the end of the year. president-elect joe biden will be needing to rely on key relationships if anything gets done. on the plus side, after 36 years in the senate, he has more experience on capitol hill than any of his predecessors. i want to bring in michael warren in washington, d.c. to talk about this. what are the most important relationships depending on how these runoffs go, a near rupp majorities practices no matter

what happens, it will be a gatekeeper for so many things that biden will want to do early on. cabinet points, anything with legislation will have to go through mitch mcconnell. they have a long standing relationship. and then during the obama administration when relations between mcconnell and president obama were frosty, joe biden came in as sort of a chief goator fors at mir, with a lot of the fiscal cliffs and some of the spending issues. s they have known each other for more than 20 years, and they

also worked together closely in the obamaed a manages, the first couple years like the stimulus and affordsable care act. finally on the leadership front there's james liquidity burg, the number three democrat in the house, the top ranking black lawmaker in congress. without his endorsement in the early part of this year, we might not be talking about a president joe biden. clyburn has putting a lot of pressure on the biden team to increase the diversity of some of these cabinet picks and other advisers around president-elect biden. >> when we look at republicans, it's interesting to point out so many of them have still acknowledged that biden won the election. which republicans been going to be keep people that he will have to work with? >> reporter: let's look at some of those republicans who have in fact publicly acknowledged biden and congratulated him. the first was mitt romney, the

senator from utah, who of course we remember challenged the obama/biden ticket in 2012. there doesn't seem to be bad blood between them. three years ago mid romney invited joe biden out to a summit in utah. romney toweled our colleague manu raju that they had a good conversation at that event. ram any has been willing to cross his party and said he would be willing to give joe biden's nominees for his cabinet some deference to joe biden. the other who has congratulated joe biden is lisa murkowski, a moderate senator from alaska. she's also been willing to cross her party. that's another relationship to watch as we wait for the joe biden administration to begin. >> michael, thank you so much for taking us through that. we'll be watching it with you. there's major new developments in the race for a

vaccine, and they come at the same time that the cdc director is warning the next three months will be the most difficult in america's health history. plus why would the president discuss pardons for family members who may not be under investigation? being a good father is important to me... ...so being diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer... ...made me think of all the things that i wanted to teach my kids. my doctor said i could start on keytruda... ...so i did. with each scan things just got better. in a clinical study, keytruda offered patients a longer life than chemotherapy. and it could be your first treatment. for non-small cell lung cancer that has spread, keytruda can be used... ...for adults who test positive for "pd-l1"... ...and whose tumors... ...do not havean abnormal "egfr" or "alk" gene. keytruda is not chemotherapy...

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i'm brianna keilar. >> the reality is december and january and february are going to be rough times. i actually believe they will be the most difficult time in the public health's history of this nation, largely because of the stress that it's going to put on our healthcare system. >> dr. redfield warning the u.s. could see close to 450,000 covid deaths by february, his comments echoing the white house task force message to state leader. a copy of that report obtained by cnn says the covid risk is at a historic high. it goes on to say we're in a dangerous place, due to the conduct extremely high limited exposu exposu exposure. the task force asked state public