well, the coronavirus will not prevent the annual tradition of watching anderson and his buddy, bravo's andy cohen, ringing in the new year here on cnn. let's just put it that way. in fact, best let anderson and andy describe exactly what's in store. >> you have, also, introduced me to alcohol, which is, i'm not sure, a good development. let's take -- >> nicely chilled, though.

>> gorgeous. >> gorgeous. >> cheers. >> you know what? that felt good. that felt -- >> eh. >> for real? are you kidding? >> cheers, everybody. >> cheers, everybody at home. >> happy new year, guys. >> thank you so much. have a great new year. >> thanks, fifty. come by the clubhouse, soon. >> i didn't want to explode in front of 50 cent. oh. i was trying to seem cool in front of him. >> yeah. >> by the way, that is the tip of the iceberg of what happened last year, because last year really was -- it was nice and balmy out. i just want to say. >> lovely. >> like, the 50s or something. we were very happy. >> do you already have disgusting shots lined up, for this year? >> for this year? >> yeah. >> yeah. tequila. lot of tequila.

last year, we did i believe a yag yagermaiester shot. >> i don't want to do that again. and we're doing it from times square. >> we are going to see what times square is like and we're going to -- we are going to turn this around. >> well, we're just saying good-bye, you know, good riddance. >> exactly. >> yes. >> lot of folks are ready for that. well, the news continues tonight. let's hand it right over to "cnn tonight." >> this is cnn breaking news. and this is "cnn tonight." i am don lemon, in for chris cuomo, who has the week off. no $2,000 for you, anytime soon. president trump claimed he wanted you to have it for stimulus relief. and in the bizarre world that is 2020, even bernie sanders did his own form of retweeting that message. >> we have a very unlikely ally in president trump.

nobody here disagreed with trump more times than i have. >> finally. finally, bipartisanship. what could go wrong? >> here is the deal. the senate is not going to split apart the three issues that president trump linked together, just because democrats are afraid to address two of them. >> well, there you go. no, leader mcconnell, here is the deal. you blew off the house version that might have sailed through, if you put it up for a vote. instead, you pretend the bill can only pass if you placate this president's fantasies of suing social media companies, and investigating mass-voter fraud where there is none. also, from this congress of chaos, republican senator josh hawley of missouri ready to fight the battle, one that is already lost. the 2020 presidential election, that is. he is the first senator to confirm that he is going to

object to the electoral-college certification, next wednesday. something, even mitch mcconnell doesn't want. hawley isn't claiming widespread fraud. just making accusations about a state that he doesn't represent, along with facebook and twitter. it might please president trump but it won't change reality. >> this is just grossly irresponsible, by senator hawley. >> there is no, credible basis for objection. it is simply a political exercise. >> i have no doubt that next wednesday, a week from today, that joe biden will be confirmed. >> well, while some republicans waste time, covid continues to rage. the uk variant, now in california. the vaccine rollout remains drastically behind. and all of that will be true, as 2021 begins. no leaving those facts behind, and no ignoring them on our last program of 2020, by the way. we are covering it all for you, including the breaking news, tonight, on president trump's

travel plans. cnn's kaitlan collins is in west palm beach, florida, tonight. let's check the wind. yeah. still very windy there. phil mattingly is on capitol hill. and with us from la, our senior political analyst, ron brownstein, senior editor at the "atlantic." now, ron and phil's hair blows, i know something's wrong because they're both inside. got to be a very strong fan. good evening, to all of you. and happy new year to ya. so, kaitlan, not sure about the happy new year because the president was planning to have his annual new year's eve party at mar-a-lago. but now, he is leaving palm beach early to return to washington. what's going -- what's that all about? >> this is really unusual. the president, typically, spends new year's eve here because he has that party at mar-a-lago every year. a lot of guests come in town. they did, this year. and they were told the president was going to be there. but now, we have learned the president is actually going to be leaving florida earlier than he was slated to do so. he wasn't supposed to go until

later this week, friday i believe. aides aren't really sure what the president is going back for but they do know what's been going on behind the scenes, which is the president has not stopped talking about january 6th. which, of course, is that date that congress is going to meet next week to certify the results that the president is counting on republicans to disrupt. so, they believe that is what's behind the president's early departure. though, it did catch a lot of his own staff and his guests that are going to be at that party tomorrow night, off guard. >> is -- is -- i mean, listen. i'm sure there is some scheming going on, right? he wants to be in the white house. he feels like he -- he -- that's his protective bubble. his protective shelter. but, does he -- kaitlan, does he just not want to face people, considering what's going on? he doesn't want to be social -- sociable, and answer questions? >> that could be part of it because, you know, typically, you see the president walk the red carpet with the first lady. we know they've been arguing, this week, about the renovations that happened at mar-a-lago. and he likes having the press there. he likes having the camera there in front of his guests so when

they come in, they see this big to do. but the president has been shying away from that. he's been at the club this week. he's been going, mingling with people in between rounds of golf he's been having, like he typically does. but sources have said he's been incredibly irritated this week. he has not stopped fuming about everything from the election loss to the renovations that are happening. and so, i think that it's just of this pattern we are seeing and that's continuing with this trip back to washington, earlier than was expected. so it's not clear what he is going to do when he gets back to d.c. tomorrow, since he is leaving here around lunch. >> ron, you were shaking your head in agreement when i was making the question to kaitlan. why? >> yeah. more unpredictable than ever. i mean, look at what's happening in georgia. i mean, we are days away from two runoff elections that will determine who controls the u.s. senate. democrats have not won a senate election in georgia since 2000. but they are actually very encouraged by the early-voting

totals. republicans need a big, election-day turnout that the president is supposed to deliver with his election-eve appearance. and then, today, he goes on twitter and calls on the republican governor in georgia to resign because he would not -- he has not sufficiently supported the president's disproven fantasies of election fraud in the state. to me, it's just a reminder of, you know, how much of his -- loyalty to president trump is entirely a one-way direction. and the -- the demands on -- the demands that he is going to be putting on the party, not only in terms of -- not only in terms of trying to subvert this election and dessertcertify thi election. this is what republicans have put themselves in for, by refusing to confront, more forcefully, his fantasy that the election was stolen from him. >> phil, more than likely, this is going to be an exercise in

futility but we still have to see how it plays out because republican senator, josh hawley, trying to get fellow republicans with his move. they'll have to side with the president or either the will of the voters. even mcconnell phil, has asked them, his party, not to do this. what is the point? >> so, according to senator hawley, he wants to elevate the issues. the issues you laid out in the open. and this will be the last and best and final opportunity to do so. but i think what goes with that is the ability to elevate the individual as well. and i don't think there is any question about it. everybody knows that josh hawley is paying attention to a potential, 2024 run. he is considered an up and comer in the republican party. and this is an opportunity to address an issue that has become very prevalent in the republican base. >> he thinks he can run in 2024, if trump is still around? okay. >> look. i think, and kaitlan can match me on it one, predicting anything past like the next

three hours is not something i am willing to do right now. but this is important because you make the key point here mitch mcconnell made clear to the conference in a private phone call, do not join house republicans in this effort. if you join house republicans in this effort, not only will it fail catastrophically. he cited a 2005 effort by barbara boxer, a democrat. that vote went down 74-1. and made clear he thought that was an embarrassment for the senator, at the time. but also, it puts his colleagues in a very bad position. and mitch mcconnell, who is willing to accept reality that joe biden is the president-elect of the united states doesn't care necessarily about president trump, all that much. what he does care about is the health and continuation of his republican conference and his republican majority. and he is concerned that those republicans, some of whom have re-election campaigns in 2022 or 2024, will now be faced with the decision of siding with president trump, who is obviously still very popular with the base. still, very popular with the broader party. or siding with reality. it's a position mcconnell doesn't want his members to be in and, don, i can tell you in

talking republicans throughout the course of the day, they are extremely frustrated with their colleague. because they know that is now the position they are going to be put in. >> let's talk about the dynamics, kaitlan, that phil just mentioned because the president demanding these stimulus checks, mitch mcconnell isn't putting it up for a vote. he is still demanding it happens. mitch mcconnell, not putting it up for a vote. talk about that dynamic here. what is happening? >> it's fascinating to see what is happening between mitch mcconnell and donald trump in the last days of his presidency because they are completely at odds with this. because, as democrats made clear today, mitch mcconnell knows how to get something through the senate. he knows whether something is going to succeed, and he knows that by pairing these $2,000 stimulus checks with the two other measures that the president has demanded, they're not going to go anywhere. so, not only is he not bringing it to the floor, he is ensuring that anyone who has hopes of getting these $2,000 stimulus checks to the senate, those are dashed right now based on what he has said today. so, that's something the

president demanded. you heard mitch mcconnell. he's not been saying explicitly but he's been saying the president's team negotiated this last coronavirus package with congressional democrats, congressional republicans. and so, basically, saying there was no chance of these $2,000 checks happening, at this moment, as things stand right now. >> ron, the president. i mean, he really, really has seemed to force mcconnell into a corner. but this situation, the chaos around it, doesn't seem like it has been good for -- for anyone involved in this. >> no, and look. if the republicans lose those two senate seats in georgia next week, i think there will be a verdict that mitch mcconnell was too clever. because, as kaitlan pointed out, he has -- he has killed the $2,000 payment. let's be clear what he has done, by attaching it to these other two anchors, he has ensured that it is not going to go forward. and in that way, he thinks he's allowing republicans to say they're for it without having to divide his caucus by vote on it

and pass it. but what he is also doing, simultaneously, is validating the democratic argument which is that as long as mcconnell holds the majority, there will not be a fully robust response to the covid crisis. either, on the public-health side or the ek conomic side. i mean, he is essentially showing, underlining, the case that democrats, particularly jon ossoff, has been resting their hopes on. so, even newt gingrich has said. so, mcconnell, as always, i think is getting a preview of what a joe biden presidency can expect, if -- if he does hold the majority, he will find clever ways to obstruct the agenda. but this may be an occasion where he was too clever by half. >> thank you. phil, stick around. it may have all changed and might need you guys back. hopefully, not. but if i don't see you, happy new year. >> happy new year. >> i want to bring in now democratic senator, amy klobuchar, of minnesota. senator, thank you for being here. good to see you.

it's been a minute. you know, it -- it is -- it's a huge disparity in this country, between vaccines allocated, versus those distributed. did the last step of this process get overlooked? why the delay in getting these shots into people's arms? because it's supposed to be, as the vice president has been saying, a whole-of-government approach. this doesn't seem very whole of anything. >> well, it's not going to be overlooked, when joe biden gets in. and he's made that very clear. because we've always known we can't just parachute these vaccines in the middle of, say, a rural town in the middle of minnesota in the winter. so, this is going to take a major-distribution network, that i don't think has been adequately set up, yet. that's part of why we were pushing so hard to get the pandemic-relief package signed into law while the president was golfing. the sooner we can get that money, the sooner we put that money into expanded vaccines and distribution. the second thing is some of the

things joe's been talking about from the beginning. it's things like using the defense production act to ramp up the production of these vaccines. it's getting other vaccines approved that we know is starting to happen in places, like great britain, this week. and it's a major, public-education campaign once we get the vaccines out because we still know there is doubters out there. there's people that are, somehow, are afraid of this vaccine. and so, it's going to have to be all hands on deck. and we can't do it with someone who is literally spending his time going through, i don't know, 17 stages of grief on national tv. who's, basically, abandoned what he should be doing, which is leading the country to the end of the pandemic and, of course, a peaceful transition of power to the next administration and he's not doing it. >> well, i mean, listen. you mentioned -- the very first thing you said was the next administration, the biden administration.

but this -- this president is still in office. and so, we have to get past those days in order to get to where you said. the vice president -- the president-elect, excuse me, biden wants a million shots a day. given the mess that this is right now, is that -- is that realistic? how fast do you think he -- he can ramp this up? because it's got -- listen. we -- we have to do better. >> agree. i mean, don, right now, we've got moms and dads going to bed laying awake thinking how can we get that vaccine out there? i think people are tired of -- the government on their own. so, we need someone competent in the white house, and an entire team that is going to be focused on that, from day one. that's going to wake up in the morning, not looking at tweets. not looking at fox news to see what they are saying about it. but instead, saying have we gotten those vaccines out to nevada? what's happening in atlanta right now? what's happening? and that just -- it's what's been missing is that commander in chief that views this pandemic as our number-one

priority, from morning to night. and then, of course, we get through it. we get the economy back to where it is and the like. so, i think it's a really important point. the way we get the economy back to normal, at least to where we can start building on that economy to build back better, is by getting through this pandemic. >> okay. so, you -- you know, you work with -- with mitch mcconnell. i'm sure you know josh hawley, as well, right? >> yes. >> i just -- i -- i want to talk to you about him, then. what he is doing. looking to delay congress in affirming the -- in affirming biden's election win. get his republican colleagues to either side with the president, or the american people. this is just theater. we know the ending here. biden won and trump lost. but can you tell us how you think this is going to play out? what's going to happen? why they're doing it? >> yeah. i'm going to be there. one of the people running this because i'm the ranking member

of the senate rules committee. the highest-ranking democrat. and so, i'm not going to -- dig down into all this works but we're going to prevail. we are going to prevail because we've got democrats and republicans, in the senate, making clear. today, susan collins, i do not think that he will prevail in his quest, talking about hawley. and i question why he is doing it when the courts have unanimously thrown out the suits, right? over 80 judges have thrown out these suits. that's what she is referring to. my plan, at this point, is to accept the votes at the electoral college. so, i am saying this because this is going to be a bipartisan pushback, and people that are, in my mind, just, in hawley's case, i guess he is running for president in 2024. but everyone knows that this was a valid election. we've got republican-election officials and governors, like in georgia, certifying the results. they have been certified, already, don.

all this is, accept the results and under a law from the 1800s, we can -- someone objects from both houses, which appears now it is going to happen. we go and debate for two hours, and then we vote on each state. i guarantee you that democracy will prevail. >> it's something -- every time, it's -- even with a -- a trumped-up scandal. no pun intended but it works, in this situation. let's wait for this report to come out. and let's wait for the durham. and then, nothing ever happens. and then, with this, let's wait for the signatures to be audited and this. and it all happens and they still say, well, let's keep waiting. how much more proof do they need from all the republicans who have certified the election, from the attorneys general to the state electors, to -- and on and on in the supreme court? like, what? >> in the end, you know what's going on, don. they are just messing around

because they're afraid of donald trump. that's what's happening. and there are -- and i keep saying this, not to defend everything they've done but there are a number of republican senators and, of course, governors, who have stood by these results. some of them say i don't like the results but i stand by the result. they are upholding our democracy. we do need people who are willing to stand up to this guy, right now, and say we're not going to be part of a coup. we are not going to go against the democracy that this nation was founded on. >> yeah. >> we're not going to engage in this. so, i just want viewers to know that because that's why i feel good going into this day. it's going to be a spectacle. we know there is going to be these crazy objections. we're going to go in there, calmly debate them, and then joe biden is going to be inaugurated and kamala harris is going to be inaugurated as the vice president, by his side. >> well, we're going to be watching. thank you. have a -- have a very happy new

year. and i will see you on the other side. thank you so much. thank you. well, what will joe biden need to do on day one to fix this vaccination mess? and how did we end up here, in the first place? a former, covid task force adviser to vice president pence says this. >> it comes down to, really, just a lack of a national strategy on this vaccine distribution. and this has been the problem, from day one, on the pandemic response. - neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. (combative yelling) he used to have bad breath. now, he uses a capful of therabreath fresh breath oral rinse to keep his breath smelling great, all day long. (combative yelling) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. nicoreyou get advice like: smoking is hard. therabreath, it's a better mouthwash.

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so, the year is almost over and it's clear the trump administration is not going to reach their goal of 20 million vaccinations, by january. of the 12.4 million doses the cdc says have been delivered, only 2.7 million have been administered. that is not good enough. today, we set a record for hospitalizations and according to a new forecast from the cdc, up to 424,000 people could die

from the coronavirus, by january 23rd. there have been over 341,000 total deaths from the pandemic, so far. so, according to this projection, we could be looking at over 82,000 additional lives lost, in the next three weeks, or so. so, i want you to think about that. more than 82,000. 82,000. we can't afford slow starts. we need to get sthots into arms and we need to do it right now. joining me now is william haseltine, a former professor at harvard medical school and chairman of access health international. and julia, good to see both of you. thank you for joining. professor, i have to start by getting your reaction to the cdc's new projection. 424,000 dead. 424,000 dead, by january. that's about 80,000 additional deaths in three weeks. the numbers are shocking, hard to comprehend.

i think it's hard to comprehend the loss of life because, when you say it with so many, right, it's -- i -- i don't think people can -- it really registers because it's just -- it's so many deaths. >> it's true. it's a real tragedy. it's an american tragedy. it didn't need to happen. it happened because of inattention, denial. and now, we're in a real mess. we're in the winter. people are -- want to celebrate the new year. they're traveling. it's all the things they shouldn't do. and in addition to that, there is a new variant. at least one and probably more. they are increasing the rate of transmission. this thing is accelerating, not decelerating. and we need to take a whole series of actions. vaccines are the long-term answer but they're not the short-term answer. they're not going to save us in the next two to three months. what's going to save us in the next two to three months is government doing its job to help people stay safe. >> i got to tell you.

when you -- you talked about that variant, you know, we'll get back to it warp speed. the first time i've had the covid test, where i've actually been really, really worried because of that variant. and i mean, i got the results back. i just got it tonight. got the results back. it was negative. but i was like, oh, man, what if -- you know, because it -- it's just -- people are -- i think -- i think i'm even more afraid or -- or more nervous than at the beginning of the pandemic. am i -- is there something wrong with me, professor? >> no. it's very much more likely that people can get infected. fewer viruses, shorter time. and children. and this virus and a similar one from south africa is not only more infectious, it is infecting children and it's making more children ill because it can get into children who have lower numbers of receptors than adults do. this virus sticks more tightly to those receptors, so you need -- need fewer. the other thing, if you really

look at these viruses carefully, they are much more tricky than we had thought. we had thought they were relatively stable. it's like saying, yeah, i know that enemy. well, it turns out, this enemy can change. and so, we don't know the enemy as much as we thought we did. we need to know it more, and we have to really surveil it. and we have to be prepared to react to changes. >> yeah. so, juliet, operation warp speed. great, incredible. it was a good job getting it out after, you know, the president was saying, oh, it's not a big deal. can't wear a mask. operation warp speed did get the -- the vaccine out fast. but, this mass vaccination has been dumped on the states to deal -- to deal with and we know that is hard to do. but you say that it can be fixed. what does the biden team need to do? because it's -- it's abundantly clear that the trump folks are not going to do it. >> yeah. and i want to begin with -- with one factor is that, even before biden is president, things will

look better. and i just have -- i have confidence in this because i've seen a lot of the state plans. but also, because this is the nature of a big-logistics campaign. it starts off clunky. day data management is really complicated. you know, person x is not talking to person y. it's hard to get to rural areas. it's the holidays. that will start to smooth out. then, when president biden comes in. two things that the trump white house did not do, throughout this -- throughout covid. it's consistent from testing and surveillance to now. you set a floor for the states. in other words, what's the minimum they need to do? states are different, so you want to give them some leeway. and then, you provide the resources. you make sure they have both the funding and that, you know, you invoke the defense-production act or whatever you may need to invoke to make sure they have supplies coming. that can be done, on day one. it's still going to be a little bit clunky because it will take a while. but i am still -- you know, i

know it feels like the sky is falling. but i -- i've been through this before. it takes a while for things to -- not something like this -- but, you know, h1n1, big disasters, it takes a while for systems to get into place. we are going to have a course correction on january 20th. and then, i'm still holding, and so is dr. fauci, so an idea that we are going to start to get to the general population in april-may. anyone who promised otherwise was not telling the truth and that's true of this white house. and -- and that we will feel general population herd immunity in the sense that we'll feel like the world is different, you know, by early to mid-summer. and i'm still consistent with those numbers. look. you know, a million vaccinations a day seems like a lot, today. if cvs and wall greegreens were them, there is about 20,000 stores in the united states. they would only have to do 50 shots a day. so, that's doable, right? but then, you think of all the other places that are giving shots. so, i'm -- i'm -- hope springs

eternal at the end of 2020. things will get fixed. more money, more resources, more support for the states. and i think, you know, we are going to have a president who doesn't, you know, view this as an ego thing. and i think that's going to make a meaningful difference. >> i hope you are right because it feels like we're in the -- you know, like the nation is in my old vw beetle when i was in high school. we have this momentum. and then, get to the top of the hill and you're inside the car, going come on, just get to the top of the hill. feels like we are running out of power and we are close to the toppin top, right? so, i hope you are right. >> you've grown up, don. you own a fancy car now. just takes a while for it to start. >> yeah. subway. in new york city. thank you. and we lost professor haseltine, his shot. thank you. happy new year to you. >> thank you. you, too. >> yeah. thank you. my next guest lost her job, her electricity was shout off,

she is doing what she can to make ends meet but she is not alone. huge, huge food lines in texas today. that's proof of that. stay with us.

so, take this. americans across this country crippled by the pandemic, through no fault of their own. they have been waiting on congress to send a lifeline and though congress is fighting about the amount, unfortunately, it's just too late for many in this country. food insecurity, soaring. millions of americans, going hungry. families, struggling to put food on the table. take a look at these lines.

look at that. this is the central texas food bank. it's in austin, texas. today, it held its 67th food-distribution event, since the pandemic began. and the eighth, this month, alone. the lines are unbelievable. and i'm not making it up. you can see that, for yourselves. these are hungry americans. the traffic you see here. that's for food. >> it's been very difficult. very difficult. i don't think people have any idea how difficult it is, worrying about how to feed your family, day in and day out. >> hmm. those are your fellow americans. doesn't matter who they voted for, what political stripes, they're fellow americans and they deserve to be able to take care of themselves, their families, and put food on the table. by the way, my colleague, learning today that last month, about 14% of the people who showed up to this food bank were

new. they weren't coming here, before the pandemic. jill, another one of those people who showed up today, said her daughter lost her job and had covid, herself. and now, she is in need and scared. >> i -- i feel like i can't have enough food, if that makes sense. and then, my friend with the six kids. she -- i mean, they -- they never have any food. they never have any food. >> is this something that you used to do, before the pandemic? >> oh, no. this -- this is totally since the pandemic hit. it's like a tumbleweed that starts off small, and it wasn't so bad, at first. and it's just been picking up speed and picking up speed. and i -- it just feels like this is a major depression, at this point. >> america. this is america. the richest nation on earth. it's all a tragedy. there are too many americans in desperate situations, right now. so, let me bring in someone who is in the middle of a financial

struggle. lost her job due to this pandemic. sylvia salinas joins me now. sylvia, thank you for coming on. thank you for sharing your story, and hopefully we can help you and many other americans. i am so sorry for the struggle you and your family are facing right now. tell us what this has been like for you, please. >> thank you so much for having me on, first of all, don. it's been a really big struggle. i've -- i've worked all my life, since i was 12 years old. i have been able to provide for my family all their lives. and with my husband being disabled, i have never had an issue being able to bring food to the table. or even just put -- bring water. just anything, in general. and with being diagnosed with covid, in july, and losing my job, it's really, really hard. and i have -- i have five children. out of those, i've got three of them that are special needs. two are diabetic, and one of them has a chromosome disorder.

so, it's hard. we had to change our lives, 100%. it's -- my kids. we can't -- they haven't left the home since march because they fall under that -- that category for the underlying conditions. so, i don't want to risk it. and i mean, we've gone through food banks. our light has been cut off. we have had to do raffles. i -- i went to school for cosmetology, and i've done raffling of services just to make ends meet. i've -- we've just had to sort through just some creative things, just to make it by. when before, we didn't have to. it's just -- it's been really tough. and our car. our car broke down on christmas eve. so, it's just been -- yeah. >> i'm just -- do you ever just -- because everything that you're telling me. you know, because i'm sure people are sitting at home and they thought they had it bad, right? and you never know what the next

person is dealing with or your neighbor, what have you. you just don't know. how -- do you ever just say, god, what is going on? because i see you got the last supper above you. and as i understand from you, your dad, before he passed, that was a gift from him. so, i think that you are a person of faith. do you ever just say, god, why are you doing this to me? or what is going on? >> i do. i mean, i lost my mom when i was 19. and then, i lost my father when i was 29. and my grandmother passed away this june. so, after a while, it does get to the -- i mean, it feels like you're being squeezed. and you do say, when is it all going to be over? when do i get a break? when -- it -- it is. it does feel tough. and i think what gives me hope is the fact that, thank god my children haven't been touched by this -- this disease. i mean, they have been. but not directly by it. and it's just hard because i

have to do what it takes to protect them. but that, also, means that i can't go out and get a job and physically be out there. i have to find a job that allows me to stay home with my kids. so that i don't bring this disease, this virus, back to them. it -- it -- yeah. you do get to the point where you just feel like, okay. when am i going to get a break? when? >> i'm so sorry. i am so sorry. if i was there, i would hug you. but just -- i don't even know what to say. but i appreciate you coming on and telling your story. i wish i had more time to spend with you. you take care. god bless you. and hopefully, in the new year, things will be much better. okay? take care of yourself. thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you. i appreciate it. god bless you. >> god bless you. so, folks in washington, lawmakers, if you are watching this at home, come on. we'll be right back. today's discussion will be around sliced meat.

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okay. you must watch this. new, tonight. secretly recorded audio of first lady melania trump saying she doesn't care about being in magazines, just as the president lashes out over it online. the president slamming the fashion press for allegedly keeping the first lady off magazine covers. he called melania trump the greatest of all time. new audio, tonight, coming from former friend and aide of the first lady and that's stephanie winston wolkoff. she published a tell-all book earlier this year about working for melania trump and on the trump inauguration, in 2017.

she was fired in february of 2018 and she joins me now. she is author by the way of "melania and me, the rise and fall of my friendship with the first lady." so happy you could be on. thank you so much. we really appreciate it, stephanie. good to see you. >> good to see you, too, and thank you for having me, don. >> you provided new audio that you recorded from a conversation with the first lady, melania trump, in the spring of 2018 about her press coverage. let's listen to it, and then we'll talk. >> i'm glad i -- you know, i -- when "vogue" said like we want to do a profile. profile? f you profile. i don't need profile. came back after like two months ago, they came back. >> oh, they did? >> yeah. it might -- it might be a cover. i'm like might be a cover? i don't need -- i don't give a [ bleep ] about "vogue" and any magazine. i have other stuff they want to do. other magazine.

for what? another photo shoot? >> you're not the september cover? >> are you kidding me? no way. >> could you imagine if you were? like, that would have been -- >> yeah, but they would never do it. >> i know. >> they would never do it. no way. all these people. they're so mad. they are so -- they are so, you know, some people, they say like, well, they're jealous. they want to be you. they -- they cannot believe. all these designers that they, you know, say, oh, we will never dress her. like, almost like i need their help. so much more important stuff. it's, you know, that's why. it's like, do i care? i don't. >> hmm. so, the president, a lot of the

maga-sphere, have been up in arms about melania not being on the covers of magazine. is she really unfazed by it? is it partially her fault, in some way? i don't know the answer. that's why i'm asking. that she hasn't been on these covers? >> you know, don, i think the importance of sharing this audio was to share with everyone that it's really donald, who is more concerned that melania's not on the covers of these magazines because melania was very realistic and upfront about the fact that the fashion-entertainment industry was not supporting-l the trumps you know, from the very beginning. you know, for donald, having melania on the cover of "vogue," originally, legitimized donald. it made melania a cover model. and i think donald now, more than ever, needs for something to make him feel that his brand is still worth what it was then because he was able to talk about how beautiful and wonderful melania is, which she is. but, melania knew the difference

between going into the white house as the first lady, married to the 45th president of the united states of america. versus, being just melania trump. >> okay. i -- i get what you're saying. it's -- it's him. it's not her. he cared about it. she really doesn't, and she understands when you're the first lady, if you're married to the president, a fashion cover or whatever. >> no, this president. if you are married to this president, don. >> got it. got it. got it. >> very different. >> listen. we asked for a statement from the first lady but haven't heard back. previous statement, the first lady's chief of staff blasted you for recording melania saying, secretly taping the first lady and woefully bringing an nda to publish a salacious book is a clear attempt to -- at relevance. and goes on from there, the justice department is suing you for breach of confidentiality. what do you expect to happen, in this case? >> well, we already filed a -- to dismiss the case.

it's really meritless. and it really is the department of justice working, on behalf, donald and melania, as their own, personal lawyers, as opposed to, you know, the country's. so, i'm really not that worried about it. and i didn't break my nda. so, it's complicated but it's not worried. >> let me ask you about apparently what's going on, and you may have some insight into this. sources tell cnn the president was in a foul mood over renovations at mar-a-lago at the resort there in palm beach, not happy with changes made at camp david, both overseen by melania. have you seen that kind of thing before in their relationship? >> i did. when i was -- right after we had finished the presidential inauguration, i had gone to the white house with melania, and i was there while she was in new york, overseeing some of the renovations being done in the east wing as well as in the residence. and there were many things that donald disagreed on. you know, donald likes a darker,

deeper brown. melania likes a softer, cleaner white. so there are definitely things that -- you know, melania is more looking towards more of a modern feel. donald is still into his gold and gilded look, and it's definitely, you know, had its -- played a role within their relationship. we were going to -- melania and i were going to be working on the oval office together. that got discarded. you know, donald has his own taste, but he is involved in every single decision down to the tablecloth tsz of ts of the of the inauguration. >> stephanie, it's been a pleasure to have you on. i'm sorry our time is short because we have so much going on, but we will have you back. it's fascinating to get some insight on the first lady and see who actually care about what, that it's actually the president who cares about her being on magazine covers more than she does. thank you so much. you have a happy new year. >> you too. happy new year. >> let's put the book up.

"melania and me: the rise and fall of my friendship with the first lady." we'll see you soon. the former president, barack obama, releasing an ad for jon ossoff. president trump and joe biden planning rallies. less than a week to georgia's runoffs and the gloves are off. we're live there. that's next. how you wash. so, everyone is right. it's got to be tide. finding the right words can be tough.n it comes to autism, finding understanding doesn't have to be. together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org

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so let's talk about this georgia runoff election just days away, and according to the georgia secretary of state, over 2.5 million votes have already been cast. the runoffs will decide who controls the senate. cnn's senior national correspondent kyung lah joins me now from atlanta. atlanta has been really at the center of all the big election news, kyung. good to see you. early turnout numbers -- >> reporter: yeah, it's been hot, don. >> democrats are bringing out the big guns, campaigning hard to turn out the minority vote. where was the action today, kyung? >> reporter: well, jon ossoff today was out targeting that minority vote that you're talking about.

he was at a get out the vote event targeting latinos. tomorrow he's going to be focusing on asian-americans. but throughout his campaign, throughout reverend warnock's campaign, the emphasis has been on black voters, an absolutely crucial electorate here if they want to flip those two seats in the u.s. senate. control, then, of the u.s. senate would go to the democrats. and speaking directly, delivering the closing message, is a potent voice for the democrats, former president barack obama. >> so, kyung, listen, the stakes could not be bigger for these runoffs, but president trump isn't making it easy for his own party. he's tweeting lies about his election loss. twitter was going -- you know, the twitterverse is going on. he was on twitter, and the twitterverse went crazy about it, but what is happening here? >> reporter: okay.

so it's been a theme throughout all of this, don, and twitter certainly was going off today about it. president trump asked the republican governor of the state to step down, and this is all -- >> he did it on twitter. that's why it was going crazy. >> reporter: yeah this. is because he lost the state of georgia to joe biden. he wants kemp to go away. the governor then assembled reporters at the state capitol basically to say, obviously i'm not going to do that. and he urged republicans to essentially ignore the president's tweets and to focus on trying to win these runoffs. >> well, kyung, you got your work cut out for you there, so be safe. again, you're at the center of the action. i appreciate it. kyung lah in atlanta. so, listen, i just want to say we finally heard back from the first lady, the white house. they chose not to issue any further statements.

so the original one that we mentioned in our piece, that's the one they're going to stick with. we did hear back from them. so thank you for responding at least in some way. republican senator josh hawley says he'll object to the electoral college results. why? probably not because he actually cares about your vote. my take is next. memory supplements- neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. new projects means you need to hire.gers. i need indeed. indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. claim your seventy five dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed.com/home. ♪ ♪ ♪

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