went into the decision for the biden transition to issue, you know, a statement on behalf of the son on a purely personal matter. >> yeah. evan perez, appreciate it. a reminder, don't miss full circle. 6:00 p.m. eastern or on the cnn app any time on demand. news continues. >> anderson, thank you very much. i am chris cuomo and welcome to "prime time." 18 state attorneys general from states trump won are now trying to sue other states because they aren't happy joe biden won. brothers and sisters, this is the worst of times. the reference is not a nod to a tale of two cities. we are altogether in a single world of pain. we have never had more starving from a pandemic in modern times. today more died from this virus

than on any single day before. and, yet, it will now get worse. partisans and poisonous intent are trying to create a crisis on top of a crisis. this moment will be remembered for what happens next. and i want to be on record to you and to all as an american, as a journalist and as an officer of the court, trump and his party are trying to kill our democracy with these efforts and i accuse them of this high crime tonight. this is wrong. now, their efforts don't have to come to fruition for the fraud to be a crime against you, the people. this is a power grab attempted that is worse than anything we have seen in modern politics. these men and women are doing it with complete knowledge that

there is nothing worthy behind the claims. their hope is a foul one, that a single body may validate their vindictiveness and nullify democracy. to be fair and to expose the fraud, all of these attorneys general were invited. not one chose to own this argument in person. every statement offered was full of bad feelings and completely absent of any compelling proof of the same. the charge against them must be clear to all. they want to go to the highest court with no proof after the governments of all of their states, of all 50 states, have counted, vetted, recounted in cases, litigated issues of concern in cases and certified

outcomes that produces joseph biden as the winner as the law requires. 18 acting arguably in bad fath a faith and they already exercised law. they already exercised due process. not certainly for the people that put them in power, but for one man, a man who sees this move that could explode society as what it is, the big one. he wants the court that he packed to change the outcomes in pennsylvania, georgia, michigan and wisconsin. all those states passed laws to allow the voting they conducted in the way they conducted it, in full view of and often under the control of republican lawmakers. trump's claim is a lie. his claims of proof to support them had been proven fraudulent

50 times over. and, yet, even before the supreme court on this matter, he just lied. literally in a filing to the supreme court, trump argues no presidential candidate has ever won ohio and florida but lost the election. really? nixon did in 1960. what do you think, they didn't know? no, they lied. and nixon is a fitting analog to trump because not since nixon have we seen someone lie to us for personal gain like trump. his main coconspirator, the attorney general at the head of this travesty is texas ag patterson. he is accused of his own top aids of abusing his office, of bribery, and he has been indicted on securities fraud. just the kind of guy trump likes

to do business with, isn't he? to be clear, he has not been convicted of anything. but there is more proof against him than anything he is offering in his assault on the rest of us. now as for the rest of his dirty dozen and a half, they're filing an amicus brief, it means friends of the court. it couldn't be less so. but the states they represent must be named. alabama, arkansas, florida, india indiana, kansas, louisiana, mississippi, missouri, montana, nebraska, north dakota, oklahoma, south carolina, south dakota. i have been to all. tennessee and utah and west virginia as well. i have been to all. their license plates are filled with virtue. and they should. and all of those states and the people there must now stand up for themselves. all of you in those states, your states validated the election

outcomes, and the result is biden won. same electoral margin that trump called a blow-out in his own in 2016. you all cry for law and order. will you order that law take precedence now? this is done in your name by people you elected. speak out now for hold the peace of this shame. even sadder, 9 out of 10 republicans on congress are on board with this election sabotage. why? because trump scares them. that's why i call them retrumplicans. kevin mccarthy asked today if he would consider biden president-elect after the electors vote on monday. what does he say? why would i do that? i'll wait until it's all over to find out. that is when it's over. and he knows it. he is a living rejection of his own oath, an owner of no code

beyond his own am wishen. he won't rule out holding out until after the electoral college. he's holding a hearing next week on the, quote, irregularities of the 2020 election. asking for proof. the proof of his per if ity is in abundance these days. these same men anxious to go to the grave on an empty accusation, these same men once all about proof. listen. >> cardinal facts there to uphold impeachment. >> that's not how democratic republics behave. elections matter. voters matter. democrats haven't just failed on process, they have also failed on evidence. they want to un-do the results of the last election to influence the next one. >> the charges are pretty thin.

i don't see anything impeachable in that. a lot of damage being done to our democracy right now is what we're not talking about. we can obsess on the impeachment and the trial. but i'm trying to get the american people the truth of what all happens, whether we should drag a completely flawed and pretty weak case on for months and months. >> what changed? nothing. except their own am wish ns. that's it. hopefully then, as now, people will stand up. when was then? mccarthy. this is the inheritance of joseph mccarthy in that republican party. now, that was never taken to the level that trump has. you have to tell them, strong and wrong, he sets a new standard. but just like then, hopefully now, it will end with the supreme court. then it was the warren court. now it's the roberts court.

maybe once again the supreme court will expose them. they just did it 9-0 on very similar issues and accused them and charged them by their actions with the fruit of their efforts, which is national embarrassment. remember this moment. the country will for generations. how does it go? what does it mean? let's bring in david axelrod and john casey. john, i start with you. this is your party. not since the red scare have once good men and women been dragged into this kind of sabotage of our democracy and social norms. what do you say to these attorneys general? >> chris, driving over here tonight i was trying to figure out what i could say because i can't believe what i am seeing in our country. these republican leaders -- and think about this. 18 attorney generals across our country, members of congress. you were just talking about the

republican leader. you know, i've just become convinced that these leaders are morally and ethically bankrupt. i don't know how they can look in the mirror. i don't. i'm flabbergasted about this. i mean, these are attorney generals. these are people who are in a position to be able to uphold the law. and for them to be joining in to something like this, i'm glad to see that the attorney general of ohio did not join this, this amicus brief. and, you know, it's the leadership that's just lost it. like i say, they're bankrupt. and, chris, the reason why my heart is bleeding because, you know, i have been a republican all of my lifetime. but i'm an american first. and what i see happening here are the people who are supposed to be the shepherds and lead the flock in the right direction, these are shepherds who are not

treating the flock right. the flock is scattered. and it's a tragedy for my party and a tragedy for our country that we're seeing this. just morally and ethically bankrupt. i don't know what else to say. it just -- it's just -- it's so upsetting. i have been upset about this from the moment i have heard about it. i have been losing my temper about it. but i wanted to come in here today and not just be yelling and screaming. what i have had to say as long as i could possibly say. and i want to look at that list of republicans in the house who sign on to that. it will be really interesting to see that as well. for those that are watching, you know, stand up for your country. >> axe, even if the court acts as it just did and throws this out because there is no merit behind the claim that we didn't see in the pennsylvania case that was just 9-0, just the effort portends a level of

division that you and i have never lived through before. they never even did this to obama. even all the stuff that happened on the aca, that was about policy. this is about a deeper principal that they don't want to accept anything but their own aids. what does this do for biden? >> yeah. well, obviously, you know, it doesn't portend good things, especially because you know that trump is just going down the street and setting up the resistance from whatever television studio he's going to land in. and he's going to take the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars that he is fraudulently raising off of phony claims of vote fraud and use that to weaponize, you know, his own movement and to menace republican politicians. and they're acting out of fear. let's just be clear about one thing. the president said yesterday, he said let's see who has the courage to do what everyone in this country knows is right. let's talk about courage.

courage are those secretaries of state and election officials who -- who under threat of violence against them and their families and political repercussions did their duty, counted the votes, verified the votes, recounted the votes and proclaimed a winner based on the will of the people in their states. that is courage. that is courage. what these people are doing, these 18 attorneys general, the members of congress, you know representative johnson said the president is eager to see the list of who signs on. what do you think that means? what do you think that means? these people are cowards. they're cowards. so let's be clear of who is showing the courage and who is showing cowardice here. it will be problematic for biden because trump is not going to do what other presidents do. he will try to lead the

resistance from outside and he will threaten republicans who don't do what he wants them to do. >> i think trump set them up for a suicide mission and the lead kamikaze is ted cruz. he wants to argue the case about this man that said horrible things about his own father, his own wife. do you think this is a moment that makes or breaks ted cruz governor? >> i don't know. makes him or breaks him for what? he got re-elected for the senate. i'm not going to be projecting his political future other than to say those people that operated in a morally and ethically bankrupt way at some point will be held accountable. but let me tell you the other thing i worry about chris and david, both of you. when these kind of things happen and you have all these people that are involved in this suit and all these claims going back and forth, they're going to be a big chunk of americans who are going to think this was not a legitimate election.

>> they already do. >> it's already happening. >> it has an erosion. it has an erosion at the base of what we're all about. >> i don't know that that's the right metaphor. i think it's a sink hole, governor. i think this is a sink hole. tomorrow we just got information in my head while you were speaking. the president is holding a lunch tomorrow at the white house with paxton and we don't know how many. but the invitee list are the rest of these attorneys general. axe, they will put it on full display. >> yeah. >> i am not sure. before i came on i was talking to some of my friends. and chris and david, i'm not sure what is going to happen when he leaves. i'm not sure that he's going to command the attention he currently gets. i'm not sure that he's going to have this svengali spell on all these members of the congress and leaders in the republican party. i am not sure that that -- that

might just begin to fade away because i think overtime people will wake up and say look -- i saw a poll the other day that said 85% of the american people want the congress to work together. i am not convinced he will have the power we think he's going to have. part of it will be up to the media as to whether they want to give him oxygen or not. >> i'm with you there. let's get to that place. last word to you axle. >> part of this is where the voters go, john. 83% of republicans say they thought the legitimacy of the outcome of this election. he's already had a corrosive impact. and if these republicans -- there may be some heroes among them. but if these republican members think they're risking their careers by defying him, very few will be profiles and courage. that's why profiles and courage was such a thin volume. >> i will conclude by saying this.

that republican ain't what she used to be. there are a lot of people that left that party that are no longer in that party, and that base has shrunk. how much, we'll have to see. but there are a lot of people that left and helped elect joe biden president of the united states who were republicans. so let's see. >> they like to play with ugly language about what comes next and violence and this and that. no. it's got to be about decisions of membn and women of good will. there are a lot of reasons to believe if you can keep the money, you will be better off with more than two parties. but we are at a moment at history right now that we will see in the coming days what this will mean for our collective history. i am honored to share with moment with you two men of good will. >> thank you. >> look, i know you keep saying you shouldn't have to talk about the election anymore, but this is what happens when people in power are willing to poison a process. i should be talking to you about

the pandemic killing more of us than ever before in a single day. but it doesn't work. we're not moved. we're moved by anonymous and division. and i can't stop it. but i have something you need to hear. the adults, the deaths, the numbers, it's numbing. what about the kids? i heard something today that broke my heart and i didn't think that could happen anymore. but if you want some context of what's happening this holiday season, i want you to hear from some kids. and i want to bring on one of the lawmakers who can still have a chance at making something rational happen when it comes to relief. let's get after it. before we talk about tax-smart investing, what's new?

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it is time to be counted, and i'm not going to watch trump reduce us where lies are as good as truth if they get to where we want to be. he is a toxic twist taking our focus away from where it should be, our kids, a pandemic that may affect our kids most of all. his inaction, our inaction we have stolen from them. school, sports, dances, college life, birthdays, graduations. now comes christmas. may feel more like mismass than christmas for so many. there will be way too many tiny tims this year, families facing want, hunger, hopelessness is going to be a guest in too many insecure homes. and for all we do to shield our kids from often painful realities, they get it. and it cuts deep. it hurts to hear their pain even

in their letters to santa. listen to this kid jonah. he wrote, dear santa. i don't want anything for chriss ma. but i would like to ask you if you could please find a cure for covid-19 and give it to us to save the world. thank you. letters filled with not toys for me, but for ppe, lysol to help keep us safe. can you imagine what these kids are seeing that we're not even understanding is in their head and their heart? the postal service, that's where i got these. they posted all the letters to the operation santa site. the good news is you can go there. the operation santa site and help these kids. help make their dreams come true. somebody should. and many of you will. but what about the people who were supposed to be able to help most, congress? protecting companies from potential future litigation over

covid cases as equal to the emergency of getting these kids the help, these families the money that they need as they starve. the hell does that say about them and us? kids like nine-year-old alane. they know the difference a relief check would make in their home. she writes dear santa. this year has been rough but i was hoping i could get some lego sets because my mom said she can't get anything for me for christmas because she's not getting paid as much so she can't afford anything. too much relief for the unemployed, can't do that. makes them not want to work. really? you believe there is a positive incentive to exist on less than minimum wage? tell that to the 13-year-old girl in texas pleading for gifts for her three siblings and for her parents writing, this year has been tough to all of us due to covid-19. my step dad is the only one

working and because of covid-19, he had to stop working full-time. now he's working less because of covid and all the money he gets is for paying the rent and the bills. covid. it's all over life as a bad thing. and when anyone says that we've done enough to make our schools safe, remember the words of savannah, this girl who included a confession and an apology. p.s., i'm sorry if i have been bad. it's really hard because of covid-19 and online school. i'm trying to be good. hope you understand. nobody does seem to understand anymore. we're all making excuses. we blame the needy. we protect the greedy. trumpers, they just trump. he is their everything. and every day we get closer to too many being left with nothing. i wonder what these kids' pleas will mean. i wonder if they will make any

difference. so what do we know about where relief stands tonight? especially this curiously sticky bit about balancing the interest of the employers of those who are not employed? i'm joined now by katie porter, representative of california. you're a mom. you still got warm blood coursing through there. you haven't been in congress that long. it is hard to feel the hurt of these kids and it is hard to say that better is coming their way. first of all, just what are we supposed to do with that, the fact that our kids are in this kind of place. >> it's incredibly difficult to n future and take care of your kids at this time. so many are worried about keeping their kids fed and keeping a roof over their head. this is a crisis. we also have an epidemic of

hunger, an epidemic of housing insecurity, an epidemic of unemployment. what we do not have is an epidemic of lawsuits. and senator mitch mcconnell is the problem here. it is not democrats. n it is not even republicans. it is coming down to mitch mcconnell who wants to give his big donors give aways instead of helping hungry kids. >> let me ask you a couple of is it trues. forgive the leading nature. is it true mcconnell is saying that the circumstances of hunger and of need for checks is equalled by the needs of employers to be protected from lawsuits that may come in the future from people who get sick at work? >> yes. he's holding up covid relief, and has been holding up covid relief, for months and months. six months, in fact because we -- because we do not want to give big corporations a license

to kill their employees, a license to kill nursing home patients, a license to kill patients. that's what this is about. >> and, you know, it is not like we don't have workers comp. it is not like there aren't already big legislative structures in place to help negotiate these kinds of labor versus management issues. is it also true that mcconnell is at once arguing, i have to do the liability stuff now. i won't get another chance. at the same time that he is arguing, i don't have to do relief checks now because we'll get another chance. >> i think that's a disgusting argument. and to be clear, we don't have to give corporations immunity to knowingly and recklessly put workers and patients in harm's way ever. we have a legal standard that already provides protections. a legal standard that actually grew out of the deaths, the maimings that were occurring with railroad workers about 100 years ago in this country.

we don't have to give corporations anything. but kids, hungry families, they can't wait one more day. >> what happened between the circumstances when you guys agreed on giving checks to people, not just the unemployed and now to justify the argument that you don't need to give checks to people who aren't unemployed but just a check or two away from being broke. things have only gotten worse. >> exactly. there is incredible pressure right now for us to do something, that nothing is not an acceptable substitute. i think there has been an effort to compromise on the number. that's a really important thing for people at home to understand. we're not fighting about this number or that number. we're fighting to make sure that corporations, that employers cannot kill people and have no liability for acting recklessly. the number we can give people some money now and some money next month. but make no mistake. this pandemic is far from over

and we need to be giving people enough not only to make up for what we haven't done in these past months, but we need to give them enough to go forward into spring when this vaccine will be widely available. >> can you respect any of the arguments that are being made for performing a parody exercise here between the needs of these people and the needs of the employe employers? >> no. that's disgusting, and i want no part of it. >> but it looks like people aren't going to get the checks. >> well, listen, people need money. americans need money. but there is no reason to give corporations this kind of excuse to engage in corporate mall fee dance and corporate abuse to put workers lives at risk (. this is not a necessary thing. there is no epidemic of lawsuits. as i said before, there is an epidemic of hunger. there is an epidemic of covid. there is an epidemic of housing

insecurity. we need to pass those programs now. with things like unemployment insurance expiring at the end of the year, we can't afford to wait. mitch mcconnell is in the way. doesn't he wind up being more the mountain than he does the -- you know, anybody getting a pass around the mountain? because even hearing it from joe m mancin, he is saying, look, i'm not going to get the checks to people and this is going to happen, the corporate liability waiver. >> i don't know how you can go to sleep at night and tell yourself that you have to make a tradeoff between feeding children and putting workers, essential workers lives, nursing home patients' lives at risk, literally allowing people to engage recklessly in killing people. corporations and hospitals, they already have protection. let me give you a fact to put this in perspective. as of today, there are more trump-related election lawsuits in this country than there are personal injury or med-mal

practice cases for covid-19. this is not a problem. mitch mcconnell, there is no -- there is nothing to solve here. this is about mitch mcconnell giving his donors something they are demanding, his big, corporate donors. >> what do you say to your republican colleagues who are in alliance with these 18 attorneys general going to the supreme court and say overturn the results in states that we don't like? >> to be honest, i know joe biden won the election. 50 states have certified that. i am really focussed on making sure that people are going to get this relief. you know, last time you and i talked about, i talked about the biggest request for me these days to do things in my community is to load food into people's trunks. it is to call constituents back who have lost loved ones to covid-19. this is what we need to be focussing on. i think it is disgusting that trump is making these frivolous lawsuits at a time when we what

we need to be doing is focussing on helping the american people and he should be leading the way. he's president. >> you don't think this weight may change the outcome from the 9-0 we just saw in pennsylvania? >> no. i don't think so. i think the american people have spoken, and we have to hold firm on this. this is our democracy. it doesn't belong to donald trump. it doesn't belong to democrats or republicans. it belongs to the people. and we voted and the results are in and we all have to accept that outcome, whether we like it or not. >> ordinarily after we talk, i just wish i could match your head. but on this one, i hope i can match your confidence that this comes out the right way. they just went 9-0 on basically the same issue, but we're going to have to wait and watch on this one. this will be a moment of defiance to our collective future. thank you for making the case. you are always welcome to do so. all right. i'll take silence as acceptance. 18 states, that's a lot of

political weight coming to the supreme court in saying listen to us. i have never seen anything like it, never. how does the attorney general of pennsylvania, how does he feel about the legal standing and the political initiative being employed here by other people in his office? we're going to ask him. and we have a republican veteran push v gore election lawyer. he is an expert in this area. what is his take on the stakes and what will control the outcome? next. now is the time for a new bath from bath fitter. every bath fitter bath is installed quickly, safely, and beautifully, with a lifetime warranty. go from old to new. from worn to wow. the beautiful bath you've always wanted, done right, installed by one expert technician, all in one day. we've been creating moments like these for 35 years, and we're here to help you get started. book your free virtual or in-home

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look, i call them retrumplicans for a reason. 18 attorneys general just killed the idea. the absurdy behind these legal

arguments, if you can call them that, doesn't make the threat less. let's bring in a key player. pennsylvania's attorney general and a leading election lawyer who represented the party formerly known as the grand old party, the republicans. let's talk law and then let's talk political implications. counsel ginsburg, you know the area of law. am i being distracted by the political force behind this appeal and missing the overall weakness of the appeal regardless? >> yeah. i think you are. first of all, the content of what the attorneys general have brought have already been litigated in the individual state courts before the election. and that's the key. these are all complaints about laws that could be litigated before the election. it's sour grapes to do it afterwards. and if you will remember in bush versus gore, one of the core

findings was that a court could not change the rules of the game after it's been played. >> that's what this would be. >> that's what this would be. and three of the justices were down in florida, so they would know this under any circumstances. >> oh, right. for you at home, what ben is talking about there is that we have had three justices now working on that bush v gore litigation, so they know it intimate intimately. why do you have confidence this is not different than 9-0 except for the trappings. >> look, i agree generally with mr. ginsburg. the suit filed by texas is uniquely unseriously. it is based on bizarre conspiracy theories, issued that have been litigated and dismissed, issues the trump

campaign has brought up that they have lost on. these issues are not serious. this process is not serious. i'm totally confident we'll win. chris, i will be honest with you. i'm a bit sad that we still have to go through this process and i'm a bit pissed at the same time because the reality is this election is over. joe biden has won. he's been certified by all 50 states. the electoral college will meet and vote on monday and he will be sworn in as president on january 20th. this is a distraction, and this is an attempt by some to speak not in a court of law but to an audience of one, and that is donald trump. >> all right. let's square that with what trump said moments ago about this. >> all i ask for is people with wisdom and with courage. that's all. some very important people, if they have wisdom and if they have courage, we're going to win this election.

>> four more years! >> you can see the faces. i don't want to get into all the masks and the super spreader stuff. ben, wisdom and courage. where is that coming from from your republican perspective? >> certainly it is not in this suit and what they're asking for, chris. i mean, the whole notion that a state doesn't have the power to run its own elections is completely contrary to what the constitution holds, what our practice has always been. if the logic of this suit was carried forward, does that mean if josh shapiro doesn't like the mask policy in another state, he can go in and sue to get that state to change its mask policy, for example? >> that is exactly the kind of question that would be asked if

we even get to that stage. josh, last question to you. what do you say to senator ted cruz who is a legal genius who wants to argue this case because he has such merit? >> he has proven himself to be neither a genius in the law or a genius frankly in terms of an eq. he is a sad sack. and i would say to him and frankly i'd say to my 17 colleagues who have gone along with this circus, you know, i don't know if i need to send you a surgeon to examine your spine or a psychiatrist to examine your head, but something is wrong with you if you continue to follow this president, if you continue to behave in these bizarre ways, if you continue to hold yourself out as a legal expert and yet demonstrate day in and day out with your support of this president and his claims that you don't know anything about the law, either the process or the facts that go into a winning lawsuit. this president will continue to

lose in court, and i believe anyone who sides with him, ted cruz or anyone else, will continue to lose as well. >> and what does it mean to you at home to know that the president of the united states, donald trump, wants the man that he referred to always and almost exclusively as lying ted to argue the case before the supreme court. ben, josh, thank you very much for bringing sense to a senseless time. >> good to be with you. >> and you know what we're not talking about? the most deaths ever in a single day from coronavirus today. hospitalizations, deaths, cases, you pick it. what number do you want to numb you today? what comparison can we make? we lost a 9/11's worth of people today. i hate that comparison. i hate it. but i don't know any other way to get it through. the pain is real. so where are we on this vaccine? are we behind? we need to follow this because

trump in his remaining time wants to speed up the vaccine even more. is there a lesson in coming in second here, a lesson from the u.k.? it has not all gone well. why? dr. sanjay gupta with the facts next. ♪ tonight...i'll be eating cheesy cauliflower pizza with extra broccolini. my tuuuurrrrn! tonight...i'll be eating cheesy cauliflower pizza and yummy broccolini! (doorbell rings) thanks. (doorbell rings) thank you. ♪ is that my leotard? no. yes...

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john wheeler illuminated our ideas of the universe at 70 and roger crouch was 56 when he first went into space your best is yet to come we just shattered the 3,000 lives lost mark today. deadliest single day of covid. another record number are in hospital beds. more than 106,000. chief doctor, sanjay gupta, joins us now. everybody is resting hope on a vaccine. too many believe it is a cure. we keep saying it isn't, you have to do right things before it comes.

now the concern, we weren't fast enough, should have been before the u.k., why weren't we? what's your take on that? >> you talk to people like the commissioner and dr. anthony fauci, you get some version of the fda in this country is the gold standard in terms of regulation. they look at raw data, recreate the studies and get down granular to the level of the individual medical record for tens of thousands of trial participants and it takes a while. i asked dr. fauci about this specifically, chris. >> we here in the united states, the food and drug administration, really is the gold standard of careful scrutiny of all of the data, all the minutia of the data of the clinical trials. that's just the way our fda works. some way say it's a bit too careful or slow but it really isn't. it makes very much the front

burner safety and absolute certainty of efficacy. >> if you wanted to argue they're too slow, fda, more deep state bureaucracy, trying to -- trump. then you have reactions we're seeing in u.k. how does that fit into all deliberate speed? >> really good point. one thing to point ougt, as i look at pfizer data so far, there was exclusionary criteria, people who had had serious allergic reactions in the past were excluded from the trial. could make the argument that should have been exclusionary for the first people to get vaccines. maybe, maybe not. we'll hear from our own fda tomorrow or next day about things like that. potentially concerning things. getting more details on two health care workers in the u.k., both had history of significant

allergic reactions in the past where they carried epi pen with them. and had anflaktoid reaction to this as well. doing fine now, resolved. got epinephrine i think. dr. fauci said people can still get the vaccine even with history of allergic reactions, but you have to be prepared. maybe pretreat with benadryl or have epi pen on standby or they're not part of the first rollout. we'll get details. >> only thing that spreads faster than this virus is panic. if we don't get the vaccine right and some people get it, goes sideways, we'll have crisis of confidence, which we have

already on every level in this country. distribution challenges may play into it. warp speed distribution is ready to go. shipments reportedly are falling short of the need which puts the state that gets it in a bind of picking winners and losers. how big a deal, what is the fix? >> it's going to feel disjointed i think. 2.9 million doses are going out. 6.4 million doses that pfizer has, 500,000 in stockpile and take half of what's remaining because it's two-dose regimen, distribute the 2.9 million, and other half in the refrigerators now. distributed to states in varying amounts based on what states have projected needs to be. but in first group, 1a, close to 24 million people.

we knew wasn't going to be enough vaccine in the first rollout and it's going to feel different state to state. alabama and alaska are going to vaccinate health care workers and long-term care facility residents at the same time. obviously not all in the states but triage. in pennsylvania going to focus on health care workers. you could qualify in one state for the vaccine, cross the border and no longer qualify. hopefully as time goes on and vaccine continues to roll out, you smooth over the edges. but it's going to feel disjointed in the beginning because demand is so much higher than supply, at least initially. >> you know what happens, when they pick winners and losers and make choices, sometimes it's not most equitable criteria, assume good faith but police bad faith. dr. sanjay gupta, thank you brother. covid stuff is too scary on too

many different levels and i don't know what's going to get better anytime soon under this administration. so i called in a favor. we've got to own the problem says dr. fauci. good. come on the show, i asked him to do that and america's most trusted doctor said yes, i'll come back on "prime time." tomorrow night, tony fauci, here. we'll be right back. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur.

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"cnn tonight," big show, big star, d. lemon. my brother we're living through the darkest of days. >> we really are, in so many ways. it's so important right now we call come together, i know it sounds like cumbaya but this is when it's really important. i hear you and john kasich talking. i hung up with him a couple of minutes ago. considering what happened at the white house. we've been talking about this, mew do you reach out, how do you