thanks very much, dan. that's it for this week's show. thanks to my panel and thanks to all of you for watching. i'm paul gigot, we hope so e -- to see you right here next week. ♪ mark: well, president trump is spending -- eric: president trump is spending the weekend at camp david as his legal team keeps fighting to try and overturn the results of the election despite officials across the country insuggestioning there was no evidence of i any widespread voter fraud. and a new report today suggests the prime minister, well, he's already floating plans for husband post-white house political future. hello, everyone, and welcome to "america's news headquarters," i'm eric shawn. arthel: hello, everyone, i'm arthel neville. the trump team was dealt another blow yesterday. a federal appeals court rejected its latest effort to challenge

pennsylvania's election results. with a three-judge panel saying the campaign's claims of voter fraud, quote, have no merit. president trump's lawyers are pushing forward, promising to take their fight to the supreme court. david spunt is live at the white house when. so, david, would this be oral arguments before the supreme court like bush v. gore in 2000? >> reporter: arthel, many people wonder that. not in the traditional sense. in fact, president trump just tweeted about appealing that pennsylvania decision about five minutes ago. his attorney, jenna ellis, tells me that they'll have about ten days from yesterday, that decision from the third circuit court of appeals, to file with the supreme court. that means it's going to be an application. justice samuel alito, he is assigned specifically to that jurisdiction of the third circuit court of appeals, so he has several options when he's looking at that case. he can look at it himself, he can make a decision on his own, or he could potentially bring in his nine colleagues. his eight colleagues,ish say.

what this would do if they decided to rule in favor of the trump campaign, what it would do, it would delay. it doesn't mean it would turn over any results in pennsylvania as biden is ahead by 81,000 votes, and governor tom wolf certified it in pennsylvania. it's also possible that justice alito could just nix the entire thing and tell the trump campaign, sorry, another time. i do want to read part of this opinion from the third circuit court of appeals. this is from the judge who is a trump-appointed federal judge. he wrote in part, quote: charges of unfairness are serious, but calling an election unfair does not make it so. charges require specific allegations and then proof. we have neither here. the ruling went on to read in part: the campaign's claims have no merit. the number of ballots it specifically challenges is far smaller than the roughly 81 ,000-vote margin of victory. >> i think the third circuit

court judge misunderstood the arguments because, look, it's an equal protection argument, the one that we've been making in court, and it says this, that if you were in the seven blue counties in pennsylvania, you were given an extraordinary opportunity to fix your mail-in ballot, to cure your ballot. but if you were in the other 60 mainly republican counties, you didn't get that privilege. that's an equal protection violation. we have a right to ask these questions. >> reporter: the president continues to use the word fraud. tomorrow we will here on "60 minutes" from christopher krebs. he was fired by president trump. take a listen here. >> there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes or changed votes or was in any way compromised. yeah, i stand by that. >> reporter: the president's legal team spent $3 million in

another state, in wisconsin, for a recount in part of that state. that actually gave joe biden, president-elect joe biden, an extra 132 votes. arthel? arthel: at the white house, david spunt. thank you, david. eric? >> reporter: thank you. eric: president-elect joe biden is spending the weekend in delaware. he is expected to announce more of husband cabinet picks -- his cabinet picks this week. kevin corke has more on what we can expect. >> reporter: this, frankly, the horse race aspect of any possible transition, people especially here in washington want to know who will make the team and what their selection really means for the overall policy leanings of a potential uncoming administration. now, we -- incoming administration. we do know the former vice president has made a few presumptive cabinet picks, but there's concern among his key supporters that the team is sorely lacking in african-american representation. south carolina congressman james clyburn, for one, is urging his friend to consider more

african-americans for senior posts. this is supporting, for example, representative marcia fudge of ohio to be the new agriculture secretary. she's a fierce advocate for the food stamps program. he's also advocating for former jacksonville mayor alvin brown to lead the department of housing and urban development. now, we do certainly expect the former e fed chair, janet yellen, to be named treasury secretary in a possible biden administration. that decision could be can made public as soon as this coming week. now, if confirmed by the senate, she would be the first woman to hold that position in u.s. history. the 74-year-old economist has been credited with helping to steer the economy after the 2007 financial crisis, but she's also faced sharp criticism for being too pro-china in her policy perspective. now, the gsa's determination that now is the time for the initial steps for a transition is a very important one, and it's been very important in particular for the biden team

especially given all the court challenges and uncertainty here in the nation's capital. it not only unlocks federal funds, it also grants them access to the all theall-important presidential daily briefing. in washington, kevin corke, fox news. ♪ ♪ ♪ arthel: well, a disturbing new trend in covid-19 deaths as inf/xes keep surging -- infections keep surging across the country. in fact, these nine states highlighted on the map -- south dakota, new york the, new jersey, massachusetts, connecticut, louisiana, rhode island, mississippi and north dakota -- one in every one thousand people has died from the virus. christina coleman is live in los angeles with more. christina? >> reporter: hi, arthel. yeah, we've got, you know, thesing staggering numbers here. the u.s. has topped 13 million covid infections and more than 265,000 americans have died from

this virus. yesterday south dakota became the latest state to have at least one covid-19 death for every one thousand residents. other states on that grim list you just mentioned span from new york to louisiana, to the hard-hit upper midwest in north dakota. as of yesterday, the u.s. saw 17 straight days of record covid hospitalizations. public health officials have been urging people to follow health guidelines during this surge in cases. nearly 90,500 people were being treated for covid, hospitalized across the u.s. just yesterday alone. arthel? arthel: and, christina, new restrictions are set to go in effect in california's largest county. tell us more about that. >> reporter: well, that's right, arthel. starting on monday, l.a. county residents will be banned from public and private gatherings that involve people from other households. also rz dents are advised to

stay home as much as they can and always wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when they're outside. the ban on gatherings does not include faith-based services or protests since they are constitutionally-protected rights. but the new three week order does put new occupancy limits on essential and nonessential retail, personal care services like salons and also libraries, businesses operating outdoors like fitness centers, museums and zoos and mini golf and go-kart racing are capped at 50 per capacity, and restaurants have been ordered to close outdoor dining. also we just learned that san francisco's mayor has announced that that city will also have additional covid restrictions starting on monday. they will also have a limited stay at home order. arthel in. arthel: oh, boy. christina coleman live in los angeles, thank you, christina. eric. eric: for more on the spreading pandemic, let's bring in sam baker with axios. we are seeing an explosion.

sadly, some experts do predict an uptick in 2-3 weeks because of the thanksgiving holiday travel. what are you seeing and what do you expect we could see over the next month or so? >> yeah, i think that's exactly right, and that is the correct timeline. you know, we're expecting the numbers that we get in over the next couple days to look a little bit fuzzy just as fewer people get tested, states will be slow reporting their numbers, so it'll take a while. i think that's important for people to know, maybe two weeks or up to three weeks to sort of know what the effects were of this thanksgiving holiday. but there is, you know, so much virus in all of the country, cases are spreading so rapidly across the board here that if there was really any significant holiday travel, it just sort of stands to reason, experts fear, that, you know, we'll see -- it's sort of hard to call it a surgery because it's already a

surgery, but an -- surge, but an uptuck within that surge. eric: look, you want to go see family, we do have fatigue, it's getting old, you've got to go out, wear your mask. what should people is have done? what should they do as we're entering the dark wasn't months now, dark both tug rahtively and literally -- figuratively and literally, as we enter what could be a much greater increase in this deadly virus. >> yeah. the fatigue that you refer to is, obviously, very real, and it's a big problem, you know? everybody feels it, even the people who are sort of, you know, the public health experts who are out there trying to hammer these points home. they're fatigued as well. and the answer is really it's the same thing, you know? the virus spreads more oozily indoors -- easily indoors, that's why everyone is so concerned about the winter right now, and when people don't have masks on. inside without a mask which, of

course, you can't wear a mask when you eat, so eating inside is particularly risky. the bigger number of people at that gathering, the riskier it gets and then, of course, the more those people live outside your home and have their own networks of contact, that adds another layer of risk. the more of those layers you can filter out, the safer you are. eric: people go, oh, well, you know, we're careful or only with a few family members, then we're maybe with a few friends and then maybe the neighbor down the street, they come over, but we stand 4 feet away. you know, do you think people are lulled into a false sense of not getting it even if they are talking precautions? -- taking precautions? you keep on hearing these stories, i dud everything right. look at richard schiff, the great actor from west wing, who was in the hospital and not doing very well, he and his wife took every precautions possible and still they both were affected. >> yeah, i mean, i think the lesson to take from that is this

is a very contagious virus. it's easy to catch. and, you know, i think it helps to sort of understand why the rules that are in place are in place, to sort of think about this not in term of what are the rules and am i following the rules, right? because then taking your mask off for a little bit can seem like speeding by 10 miles an hour, it's not that big a deal. but if you understand it instead, you know, the virus is going to come out of someone else, and it wants to get inside me, you know, go through the air, indoor our is, it spreads more easily, then you sort of start to, i think, internalize why these particular whether they're guidelines or reductions are in place -- restrictions are in place and maybe sort of makes that easier to internalize and to tolerate. eric: and what about those people who don't follow those guidelines, who are saying it's not anyone's right to until me to wear a mask or that we should open up all the businesses and the restaurants as they are

suffering? they are suffering, but the government should shut them down. i understand it when i hear new york city go by a, quote, new open air restaurant location which is not really, it's like they thought out a new restaurant on the sidewalk, and you have people sitting -- the table is 3 feet, maybe, with no mask, talking, 3 feet, i mean, doesn't that or could that defeat the purpose, and what do you say to those across the country watching right now saying it's my right to not wear a mask if i want, and i'm going to inside and not pay attention to this at all? >> yeah, i mean, that's a great question and, you know, we hear from those folks every day, those readers, and, you know, the only thing i can think of to say is 265,000 americans have died, 90,000 people are in the hospital right now. this is serious. and so, you know, there's maybe another debate to be the had about the government's right to, you know, sort of narrow legal right to impose some of these restrictions, but just on a human level they work.

masks work, social distancing works. it's very easy to get, it's very easy to spread, you can infect other people when you don't know that you're sick, and so just do that to look after your neighbors and your family and your friends. eric: and do you think also that it's kind of abstract, i mean, the beginning of the pandemic we had social media videos made by nurses and doctors. unless you know someone who actually died, unless you see someone, actually a member of your family or a dear friend who is severely sick with this, unless you actually know someone who was hospitalized with this, it appears to be kind of an abstract concept because you go outside and look at the day and everything's beautiful, the neighborhood looks exact through the way it was. -- exactly the way it was. it doesn't seem real, therefore, people don't take the strict precautions that they should? >> yeah. and i think it's important to understand, again, that, you know, you may if you're healthy,

you may be fine. you may not ever need to be in the hospital, you may not even know that you were sick, you may not get a severe illness, but you can feel fine and spread it to someone else. that person might be at a much higher risk of severe illness or death, or they could spread it to one who's at a much higher risk of severe illness or death. the way that we -- the best way to get back to normal is to have less coronavirus. when you have less coronavirus, you have fewer people who are in the hospital and then fewer people who are, you know, in a position where the virus might cull them. so if we all do this together, that is the way to get this under the control. eric: it seems like it's spread secretly. it is a mass serial killer in our country, and we are in for some difficult few months. sam baker of axios, the health care editor there, sam, thank you for what you do, for keeping us informed. >> thanks for having me. eric: of course. arthel: eric, thank you.

very enlightening and, whoo, kind of makes you think. a top nuclear scientist in iran killed in an ambush attack. it comes at a critical time as america transitions to a new president who suggests he may reenter the controversial iran nuclear deal. ahead, who may be behind the apparent assassination. ♪ for some of us, our daily journey is a short one when you drive less, you pay less with pay per mile insurance from allstate you've never been in better hands allstate click or call for a quote today can you tell me the story again? every family has their own unique story. give your family the chance to discover theirs this holiday season, with ancestry.

♪ ♪ arthel: the pentagon has identified an air force service member killed overseas yesterday in a noncombat incident. 30-year-old captain kelly ann lelugh died in a vehicle accident in the united arab emirates assigned to the 60th health care squadron in california. the cause of the event is still underway. eric: iran's supreme leader threatening retaliation after that bold and brazen attack that killed a top nuclear scientist of tehran in that apparent assassination attempt. this as iran continues to defy some international norms. ryan chilcote live in london

with the rest of the story. hi, ryan. >> reporter: hi, eric. iran's supreme leader says israel was behind this attack. israel, for its part, hasn't said anything at all, nor is it a given they will say anything given the way the mossad, the secret service in israel, works. what is very clear is that this was a very well-planned military the ambush. iranian state media says that the scientist convoy was traveling down the road when a bomb went off and stopped. when they stopped, the iranian media says at least five gunmen popped up and opened fire on the scientist's suv. now, israel has long been suspected of employing exactly these kinds of assassinations in iran are, including one of another scientist almost exactly, almost exactly one decade ago. as his funeral got underway, iran's supreme leader referred to the scientist as a prominent and distinguished nuclear and

defense scientist. iran watchers, meanwhile, have compared it to robert open humor, the scientist who led the manhattan project that created the atom bomb in world war ii. in any case, scientists are saying it won't slow their nuclear program which they maintain is for civilian purposes, peaceful purposes only. eric, you'll recall the iranians resumed that program when the u.s. pulled out of the iran deal in 2018. now most analysts says this runs the rusk of escalating tensions, and some analysts are saying it could box in president-elect biden in terms of what he can now do with iran. president-elect biden has said he would like to consider or at least look at returning to that deal with other world powers, but that could be very difficult. just imagine if iran now real yates against israel or the united states -- against -- real yates by, and then the u.s., for

example, retaliates to iran's attack, we could have a situation spiraling out of control, and it could be very difficult for the incoming biden administration to pull back from the brink and get back to the negotiating table. eric? eric: yeah. some say this was carried out so that the biden administration continues the trump hard line. ryan in london, thank you. arthel: we are learning more about how facebook might have changed its operating period yours right after the rex to -- procedures right after the election to control which news sources were featured on its platform. gillian turner has that story. >> reporter: in the days immediately following the november 3rd election, facebook's ceo mark zuckerberg reportedly green lit an emergency change to the platform's news feed algorithm, the mechanism that determines which news stories billions of people around the world see and what senate democrats in a recent hearing applauded the efforts to claim chatter about ballot irregularities and claims of fraud. at least some of it clearly

misinformation. >> you've tried to slow its insidious spread. that's not censorship, that's moral and civic responsibility. >> reporter: now a new report reveals how facebooking execs searched for a quick fix to the swirling claims of voter fraud and irregularities online. they laserred in on the so-called aq score which according to "the new york times" is a secret internal ranking it assigns to news publishers based on signals about the quality of their journalism. according to facebook's sources, zuckerberg agreed to increase the weight the algorithm gives to these scores in order to make reporting of these stories more prominent. the outlets they chose to highlight, cnn, "the new york times" and npr while posts like breitbart became less visible. social media hawk senator josh hawley tweeted: big tech wants to control all news in america and soon will if we don't stop

them. this echoing his views that social media titans do censor voices they disagree with. >> it is time we took action against these modern day robber-barons. >> reporter: the head of facebook says these changes were temporary, they were never meant to be lasting. so now the big question is whether senate regulatorrers will stop in and actually take moves to rein in big tech, that so far they've declined to do. in washington, gillian turner, fox news. eric: well, a high profile republican congressman now in georgia making his first appearance with one of the two republican senators in the critical runoff elections that are going to be held next month. straight ahead, the impact president trump will have on those races that will decide the power, the balance of power in the senate. and guess who's going down to georgia next week? next saturday at this time? the president himself. to help her and hum. ♪ we made usaa insurance for veterans like martin.

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arthel: here are some headlines we're following this year. history at the vatican as pope francis formally installs 13 new cardinals in a socially distanced ceremony. among them, wilton gregory, archbishop of d.c., who is now the first ever african-american cardinal in the catholic church. coronavirus causes forcing the cancellation of another high profile football game in college. today's matchup between number 3 ohio state and illinois called off due to cases on osu's squad including coach ryan day. this puts ohio state inty of becoming ineligible to play in the big ten conference championship game next month. and new york city's bravest won't be required to get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. in an internal memo, new york fire department leadership writes that shots will be recommended but not mandatory for front-lewin firefighters and medics.

one veteran firefighter tells "the new york post" that puts the public at risk. ♪ ♪ eric: well, down south all four of georgia's u.s. senate candidates are hitting the trail this weekend. it's just been a month, over a month to go before the january 5th runoff election that will decide which party controls the upper chamber of congress. president trump set to campaign in georgia for the gop if ticket next saturday. charles watson live in atlanta right now with a from review. hi, charles. >> reporter: hey, eric. both the democratic and republican candidates are trying to shore up as much of the vote as possible ahead of the, ahead of georgia's senate runoff election later next month. the president is now getting involved with plans to hold a rally here in georgia next saturday for republican senators david perdue and kelly loeffler. the two incumbent senators are in highly competitive races respectively with democrat jon

ossoff and reverend raphael warnock. and as the two sides fight for every vote, the pandemic is coming into focus as the senators focus in on their response to the pandemic in a new political ad. >> we lost about 50% of our patients coming in because they were afraid. senator perdue and senator loeffler acted really quickly to ask the ppp legislation of $47 million of business are relief to the state of georgia. >> reporter: and reverend war knock hitting back with an ad of his own appealing to small business owners needing relief in the midst of the pandemic that has clippinged the economy. -- crippled the economy. >> we don't give nearly enough resources to people who make things. ♪ ♪

>> reporter: and while it's clear that every vote matters to each side, both democrats and republicans are end stepping up their ground game with plans to spend millions of dollars on voter outreach in the runup to the runoff elections. and when everything is said and done, more than $260 million is expected to be spent on these very expepsive senate races, eric. eric: the eyes of the nation on that race. charles watson in atlanta by the capitol, thank you. arthel? arthel: indeed, eric. let's bring in emily larson now, political reporter for the washington examiner. so, emily, the peach state stakes cannot get higher, and as you know, we've been reporting president trump is also planning to campaign for the gop candidates in the senate race with a big rally next saturday. all of this while he is calling the republican secretary of state the, quote, enemy of the people. and the georgia voting system flawed. so is this mixed messaging?

you know, you can't trust the voting system but get out and vote for the gop candidate? >> sure. well, this is definitely a message that republicans are latching on to. there was one recent poll this month that found that, from reuters that found that 52% of republicans think that president trump is the rightful winner of the election even though 73% of all voters in that poll think that biden is the rightful winner. and so the concern here is that there's going to be some disillusionment among the republican base in georgia that they need to get out to vote in early january in order to make sure that those two senate seats stay in republican hands. we've already seen some messaging from republicans who are advocating perhaps boycotting or not even voting in the runoff, a very pro-trump prominent attorney lynn wood has said that if the issues that he thinks need to be addressed from

the november election are not addressed, it is likely that he will not vote for the republican incumbents there. and so that's one concern. on the other hand, it's unknown exactly how big of a factor this is going to be because it could have the effect of energizing some republicans to make sure that they do get out the vote there. arthel: okay. you're right, that could definitely happen. listen, meanwhile, as we know, 74 million people voted for president trump. not enough for a win, but his supporters and the president himself, they're still unhappy about the election results. they're grappling with the results of his election with the ongoing lawsuits that we've been reporting about. so will this wear thin perhaps on the republican leaders or the party as a whole? >> well, i think it already is, you're already seeing some republicans at least one of the most recent of which has been pennsylvania senate pat too who

has said that, you you know -- t toomey, who has a said it's time to accept that joe biden is going to be the next president. you know, republicans have things that they want to get done too, but because president trump has, like you said, those 74 million votes, it's very clear that he is still driving the agenda of the republican base. and so especially for a senator like kelly leffler and david per due who are still trying to hang on to their seats, it's not in their interests right now to go against the president. and that's why you've seen some messaging from them earlier this month when they were calling for a recount or looking into analysis of the election results of georgia. arthel: so based on your reporting, what are the expectations of actions president trump might take in his remaining 53 days in office with the military besides troop

withdrawal from afghanistan and iraq, legislatively, personnel, more pardons? and will president trump's final actions be carried out with his legacy in mind, or will it be settling some scores? [laughter] >> well, i think that president trump is very well known for settling some scores, and that's why you have some thought that the director of the cia, gina haspel, and chris wray of the fbi who president trump has been publicly unhappy with, that their jobs might be on the line. so there's some thought that there could be some possessor e knell turnover there. -- personnel turnover there. in addition, i think a lot of the trump agencies are rushing to make regulatory changes that when a biden administration takes over will have to take, will take time to overturn such as the epa and the department of health if human services. -- health and human services. in addition to on the customs

and border protection threats, you know, there has been over 400 miles of wall rebuilt so far, and i think they're rushing to complete as much of that as they can before president, before joe biden takes office because he has promised that he will stop border wall construction. arthel: so much for a smooth transition. it's usually the way of our democracy. hey, i like your christmas garland, by the way, in the background. >> thank you. arthel: emily larson with the washington examiner. eric? eric: well, as president-elect joe biden begins to fill his cabinet, critics now questioning his claims that it it just won't be a third obama term with mr. biden naming several high-level obama officials to top roles. ahead, we're going to take a look at among these three including defense secretary, including tony blinken who is

secretary of state nominee there in the muddle. and you know the guy on the right, john kerry, he's been around the block a little bit. we'll take a look at the biden picks straight ahead. ♪ ♪

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even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see the different types of cancer keytruda is approved to treat at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda can be part of your story. ♪ eric: well, police brutality protests turn violent in paris. officers there firing tear gas and stun grenades after protesters launched fireworks and threw stones at police. the demonstrations were sparked by a news site plushing surveillance video of three officers seen beating up a black music producer. they reportedly stopped hum for not warring a mask. those officers -- wearing a mask. those officers have been suspended and are under information. a a arkansas -- investigation. arthel: back to politics. joe biden tapping familiar faces for his national security team, three of them served under president obama. national security adviser

nominee jake sullivan and climate czar nominee would be former secretary of state john kerry. let's bring in jamil jaffer now, founder and executive director of the national security institute, he was the chief counsel of the senate foreign relations committee when mr. kerry and mr. blinken were confirmed for the obama administration positions. so i know you have a lot to say, but if i could ask you to keep your answers concise so we can get through a lot. okay. >> sure. arthel: all right, cool. i want to start with jake sullivan. he is, again, president-elect biden's pick for national security adviser. he'll be the national, youngest national security adviser, he's 43 years old. he's also a personal friend of yours, which is why i want to start there. what is it about jake sullivan's character that makes him the right person for the job in this current climate? >> well, jake has served in a variety of roles, he's served

senate u.s. senate with senator klobuchar, at the state department and in the policy planning staff; was deputy chief of staff to secretary clinton and then, ultimately, was deputy national security adviser and national security adviser to vice president biden. so he knows a lot of players, has been deeply involved for years, very smart, very sharp guy. arthel: and, you know, things are different than when mr. obama, president obama was in office. how's he going to fare now? >> that's certainly true. four years of president trump, it's been challenging some of our allies. at the same time, president trump's had a much more forward-leaning policy on iran and on china, so we'll see. a lot of people are concerned this might be a obama 2.0 administration, and that's a big worry. arthel: yeah. i want to go now next in line, you were chief counsel at senate foreign relations committee when john kerry was confirmed as secretary of state and anthony blinken was confirmed as deputy

secretary of state, now president-elect biden's climate czar and secretary of state respectively. why does and blinken stand the heat about trade and china during the senate confirmation hearings? >> well, it's a great question. it depends on what his answers are going to be. you know, if he takes a forward-leaning policy on china, he should, i think he'll get through be a third term of the obama administration, however, some criticize the president-hecht for bringing back familiar faces. how do you see it? especially in the area of national security and foreign policy where a depth of experience and extensive foreign relationships matter? >> well, look, i actually think in a lot of ways this is really the biden team.

tony blinken has been with biden for almost a decade, he was with him at the white house. jake was his national security adviser in the white house, so this really is a biden team. yes, they were folks in the obama administration too, but so was joe biden. look, i think they're going to look a lot ofless -- learn a lot of lessons from the errors that president obama made. hopefully, they don't return to that. arthel: well, dan hoffman, a former cia station chief, served in moscow, pakistan and iraq, as you know, he was on earlier, and eric asked mr. hoffman if he believes iran's claims that israel is behind the assassination of iran's top nuclear scientist. here's what he said. >> yeah, i think that, first of all, i would say that, you know, a high level of confidence that israel was behind the attack. as noted, it does fit their

pattern, their m.o. for striking at iran's nuclear program. and i think that prime minister benjamin netanyahu's government was messaging iran, for sure, that they are -- that israel has the capability and the willingness to conduct lethal attacks inside iran against a nuclear program that is an existential threat. arthel: and iran vows retaliation. and as you mentioned, president-elect biden is considering reentering the iran nuclear deal or at least a revised version of that. what kind of predicament does this put the president-elect in? >> well, look, it's really the thing that makes it harder for him with tensions rising. look, these are not tensionings of israel or the united states' creation, this is because of iran's continued pursuit of a nuclear weapon. if they'd give up their nuclear ambitions, if they didn't support terrorism, we'd is a much more peaceful region. unfortunately, they continue both of those things. arthel: well, that's easy to say. listen, finally, i want to ask

you the president-elect and the vice president-elect, harris, they've got a mountain of problems and issues facing them. based on the cabinet picks that we discussed, what's your signal -- what does that say to you about their approach to foreign policy and national security? >> well, look, i think they're going to have a robust foreign policy and national security approach. i think they're going to learn the lessons and mistakes of the obama administration and also from the trump administration in terms of our relationship with our allies. they're going to be more multilateral than the trump administration, but hopefully not give up on things that really matter, issues of china, iran, north korea and, obviously, russia. arthel: we leave it there, jamil jaffer, thank you. see you again. eric? eric: arthel, some new figures showing black friday was a major success at least for online retailers. what about the malls and the small mom and pop stores? straight ahead, we'll have an update on the holiday shopping season which, as you know, is a critical time for many of america's small store owners.

♪

♪ ♪ eric: well, with holiday shopping underway in the middle of a pandemic, black friday online sales set a new record or yesterday. statements say more than $9 --

estimates say more than $9 billion was spent on retail sites. alex hogan is live in new york city outside macy's, the world's largest store. hi, alex. >> reporter: hi, everything. well, shoppers -- hi, eric. shoppers jumping this to start the holiday season. of course, there are a lot of people that you see behind me in harold square, but it's really the online shopping that's creating a lot of ways, but so far what we've seen on thanksgiving, online sales jumped by more than 21%. black friday sales jumped by 22%, and on cyber monday, that's expected to increase by 35% this year. instead of pushing their way through stores, shoppers this black friday snagged deals from the comfort of their homes, and those braving the stores saw far fewer numbers than years past. with more people ordering items online in general, big retailers are ready for a massive cyber monday. ing amazon announced it's hired about 1400 extra workers every

day. walmart launching a holiday program, it's partnering with delivery services like doordash so people can get their order as quickly as the same day. and today is the 11th annual small business saturday. last year about 110 million people poured $19.6 billion into local shops. a google survey found that 66% of people plan on participating this year. today vice president-elect kamala harris urging people to support small businesses in their communities. >> since covid started one in four small businesses are closed. and we know that we're going to get beyond this virus, and we want to make sure that we can save these small businesses and help them through this. >> reporter: it's been already record breaking numbers of online shopping this weekend. so far some of the most popular items are apple watches and hp

laptops for adults, for kids it's legos, barbie tours and scooters, also a big year for pets. all those people who got new dogs this year? according to a suntrust survey, $137, that's the average that people will be spending on their pets this holiday. eric? eric: wow. little don'ts, little booties and -- coats, little booties and all that sort of stuff. >> reporter: exactly. eric: thanks, alex. arthel? arthel: well, with the coronavirus vaccine set to be rolling out in the coming weeks, how will the decision by president trump and come late january president-elect joe biden affect how long this pandemic carries on? the policies we may see from biden that may differ from trump. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ eric: well, on this weekend our country has now surpassed 13 million coronavirus infections. this as the nation continues to deal with a surge in infections across the nation. more than 90,000 people right now across the country spending this thanksgiving holiday in the hospital infected with covid-19. and one prediction has, sadly, predicted half of a million dead within the next three months.

this is a new hour of "america's news headquarters," i'm eric shawn. arthel: and i'm arthel neville. the riding number of -- rising number of cases pushing the health care system to the limit in some states as icu beds become scarce. in washington state coronavirus-related hospitalizations have more than doubled in the past few weeks. let's go to christina coleman, she's live in los angeles with more. christina? >> reporter: yeah. there is a lot of alarming covid numbers right now. there were nearly 90,500 people hospitalized for covid infections on friday and more than 6,000 patients were on ventilators, so a lot of people there who are sick. those staggering figures coming from the covid tracking project. there's been two weeks of

record-breaking hospitalizations across this country. staff shortages and icu beds becoming a major issue, straining some hospital systems. the u.s. has now topped 13 million covid causes and more than 265,000 americans have died from this virus. >> we are at capacity of the hospital, and i just opened two additional wings of the hospital just for covid patients. my staff and myself, we are exhausted. i have personally been working 253 continuous days without a day off, without an afternoon off. >> reporter: washington has seen a spike in covid emergency calls. they report over 4200 cases. ins in the past two days, the huge volume of testing has completed a two week backlog and nearly a three week lag in the confirmed number of hospitalizations. here in california san francisco's mayor just announced they are going to be increasing covid restrictions there starting monday. they are going to have a limited stay at home order, and last night it was announced here in

l.a. county that a temporary stay at home order will be in place here starting on monday as well. arthel? arthel: christina, though, but there is some help on the way, right? because if the fda approves pfizer's covid vaccine, it could go out in mid, and vaccine distribution plans are already underway. tell us more about that. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. airlines and shipping companies worldwide are working right now to prepare for the unique needs of a covid vaccine. as you know with pfizer, it needs to be kept at a very cold temperature. that vaccine. and also the faa is working with united airlines to prepare for a massive shipment of a covid vaccine. so that is all underway. according to "the wall street journal," united plans to fly chartered flights between brussels and chicago to support distribution of pfizer's vaccine which needs to be stored at extremely cold temperatures. the faa is going to allow united to carry 15,000 pounds of dry

ice per flight to keep those vaccines from spoiling, and that's apparently five times what's normally allowed on planes. the world health organization says distribution is key. >> it may be that it will take some very clever vaccination strategies to highly target people in our society who are more likely to carry, transmit and super spread with this virus. >> reporter: getting a covid vaccine distributed worldwide is going to be a massive logistical effort, it's going to take a lot of coordinating between public and private entities. arthel? arthel: indeed. christina coleman, thank you. eric? eric: well, arthel, as christina just mentioned, the wheels are in motion, literally, for a coronavirus vaccine as united starts to preposition some of their aircraft to start distributing the vaccine within a few weeks. and with the presidential transition now in full gear, how does the biden administration plan to keep this ball rolling? joining us is the associate

editor for "the wall street journal" and a fox news contributor. john, first off it seems that the prime minister-elect will benefit -- the president-elect will benefit from operation warp speed to market rather quickly, at least for those people who need it first, fast and the most. >> yeah. well, and the vaccine is very good news. you know, hats off to the private sector, to the scientists at the drug companies that worked to develop the vaccine. they are the ones who get the credit for that. it's going to be some time before it's in the hands of the public. it'll go, as you have pointed out, to some first responders, probably some doctors and nurses, maybe some people who are particularly vulnerable to the disease at first, and it's going to take a while while to produce it in volume and distribute it in volume. so it's going to be months before the public really has an opportunity to get the vaccine. and so what the biden administration does between now and then is going to be

absolutely critical because the next several months you're going to see more of these terrible numbers, eric. you know, 13 million cases, arguably 5-8 times that many cases in reality because not all are recorded. 266,000 deaths, arguably much higher than that because not all are recorded and credited to covid. the management of the national or response has been catastrophic up until now. we're in a very bad place. so what biden does is going to be critical bar the vaccine -- before the vehicle seen's available to everyone -- the vaccine's available to everybody. eric: what do you think the biden administration will do? >> they have a long are list of actions they plan to take. it's been up on their web site, he's been talking about it exextensively. some of it is practical, some is leadership. the practical is to make sure that first responders and nurses and doctors have proper ppe, the protective equipment that they need, masks which they are

running out of again, to build out surge capacity at hospitals, to recute in a national public service medical corps to back up all of these doctors like the one you just had on who says i've been working for 200-plus days, and i'm exhausted. we are, unfortunately, killing nurses and doctors in this country because they have inadequate supplies, and every we have inadequately controlled the spread of the disease. so the biden administration again from the practical standpoint is talking about more testing, more capability to keep people at home if they're sick. that means more support for small businesses, more support for individuals who may need financial protection during this period. but he makes a big ever sis, eric, on leadership d emphasis, on telling the public the truth about the science behind this and what's happening, the need to war masks, the fact that the president, you know, as biden does, wears a mask in public shows the efficacy and thefectiveness and the

helpfulness of wearing a mask. and a broader range of sort of leadership issues such as sort of not misinforming, not misleading the public about possible, you know, cures that, in fact, aren't cures or injecting disinfectant, you know, things like that. impaneling a panel of 13 scientists and doctors who will be his expert task force advising him on what to do. basically going back to the science and adhering to science and communicating regularly with the public about what needs to be done on an individual basis, wearing a mask, isolating one's self if they're sick and not misleading the public. eric: well, you know, the president and husband e supporters say he didn't really mean to put tide inside your blood veins, and the president says that they've had a spectacular achievement and reaction and that millions, millions of americans would have been dead if he had not stopped those flights from china and that he's been on top of this,

basically, from day one. >> yes, that has been the president's argument. 266,000 dead so far, 13 million plus cases in the united states, i'll leave those facts with you, eric, and you can make your own judgment whether or not what the president says is accurate. eric: and do you think that with president-elect biden, he's talked about him wearing a mask, he's talked about a national mask mandate, does he have the power to, you know, force everyone in the country to wear a mask or is that just federal property, federal buildings and coordinating with governors, you know, to try to do that? because we're heading into a dark winter, folks. >> that's right. eric: one study, university of washington predicted 500,000 dead, a half a million dead by the end of february. you think i'm making these numbers up, i'm not. this thing is spreading, we are seeing what's happening. west virginia got to take more control of -- you've got to take more control of your lives in order to try to stop this deadly, silent serial killer that's out there.

>> that's correct, everything. and, no, the president, president biden will not have the authority to mandate that everybody wear a mask. but what he will be able to do -- and this is where he talks about limb and the necessary -- leadership and the necessity of leadership, rather than stand in front of crowds and diss mask wearing and saying, well, you don't have to wear one, it's effective, it's not effective, who knows, which is nonsense, masks are, in fact, effective. sign tufts, doctors say so, that's why doctors wear them. you see biden wearing one, he says what he will do since he doesn't have the authority to mandate a national mask mandate, he will call governors and try to persuade them. he will call mayors and local officials that try to persuade them to implement mask guidelines that encourage people to wear masks. look, you know, the united states has to measure itself against other leaders in the

world. germany has one-fourth the number of deaths per capita that the united states has. it's an industrialized country just like the united states. south korea is also an industrialized country just like the united states. the u.s. has 80 times the deaths per capita from coronavirus as south korea does. that's not because south korea is a smaller country, it's per capita. per 100,000 people. it's because of how we have addressed from a policy standpoint this virus from the beginning. i think you're going to see a change in that with a new administration. eric: john bussey of "the wall street journal", we are in for some difficult months. god bless this country and our fellow americans and hope we can stay safe as possible. john, thank you. arthel? arthel: well, eric, meanwhile, president-elect joe biden is spending the holiday weekend at his beach house in delaware as he prepares to roll out the rest of his cabinet picks.

kevin corke has more. >> reporter: this, frankly, is the horse race aspect of new possible transition, people -- especially here in washington -- want to know who will make the team and what their selection really means for the overall policy leanings of a potential incoming administration. now, we do know that the foreman vice president has already made -- former vice president has already made a few picks, but there's still concern amongst some of his key supporters that the team is sorely lacking in african-american representation congressman james clyburn is urging his friend to consider more african-americans for senior posts. he is supporting, for example, representative marcia fudge of ohio to be the new agriculture secretary. she's a fierce advocate for the food stamps program. he's also advocating for former jacksonville mayor alvin brown the lead the department of housing and urban adopt. now -- development. now, we do certainly expect the

former fed chair, janet yellen, to be named treasury secretary in a possible biden administration. that decision could be made public as soon as this coming week. now, if confirmed by the senate, she would be the first woman to hold that position in u.s. history. the 74-year-old economist has been credited with helping to steer the economy after the 2007 financial crisis, but she's also faced sharp criticism for being too pro-china in her policy perspective. now, the gsa's determination that now is the time for the initial steps for a transition is a very important one, and it's been very important in particular for the biden team especially given all the court challenges and uncertainty here in the nation's capital. it not only unlocks federal funds, it also grants them access to the all-important presidential daily briefing. in washington, i'm kevin corke, fox news. eric: well, president trump is spending this weekend at camp david. that after a pennsylvania federal appeals court dealt his

legal team yet another setback in its fight to try and overturn the presidential election. you know, the trump campaign team has signaled it hopes to take the battle all the way to the u.s. supreme court. that despite the fact that the trump lawsuit had no allegations of voter fraud, something the president and his campaign have claimed in public about the astronaut, but the state has -- the state has said that's not true. dade spunt live on what we can expect next. >> reporter: the trump campaign is trying to take their fight state by state looking at specific states and specific prop problems. they asked for a recount in wisconsin. in fact, they spent $3 million on that recount. it e actually gave joe biden 132 votes in addition to what he already had. but let's talk a little bit about pennsylvania, because yesterday the third circuit court of appeals dealt a blow to the trump campaign. they're spinning it in a positive light saying that now they can take it to the u.s. supreme court which is what they want to do.

but there was a trump-appointed judge on the federal level at the third circuit court of appeals in pennsylvania who was critical of the trump campaign. i want to read part of this. he wrote: charges of unfairness are serious, but calling an election unfair does not make it so. charges require specific allegations and then proof. we have neither. that's coming from the judge who was appointed by president trump. the ruling went on to read in part, eric, the campaign's claims have no merit, the number of ballots it specifically challenges is far small orer than the roughly 81,000-vote marin of victory, and it never claims fraud or that any votes were capped by all legal voters. jenna ellis tweeted: the activist judicial machinery e in pennsylvania continues to cover up the allegations of massive fraud adding on to the supreme court. now el plus says the trump team has ten days to appeal to the u.s. supreme court, and they

fully intend to do it. the president just tweeted about it. since it's only ten days, that means it's likely an application to the court justice alito could rule on the application itself to give the trump campaign more time to argue which essentially could delay the electoral process in pennsylvania -- i say delay, that doesn't mean it's going to overturn any results as biden won by several, several thousand, tens of thousands of votes. he could also get his eight colleagues involved which is leakily to hear what they have to say, or he could nix it altogether. now, this does not necessarily mean oral arguments in a traditional sense meaning what we saw with bush v. gore in 2000. now also on the supreme court dealing with justice awe lee toe, he also has jurisdiction over louisiana, the fifth circuit court of appeals. now, there was a case from louisiana, a pastor outside of baton rouge, eric, that i appealed directly to the supreme court arguing that the covid restrictions for louisiana governor john john bell ed ed es

were too stiff or unconstitutional. justice alito said, sorry, that's not the case, and john bell ed edwards, the democratic governor in louisiana, wins this case. this is significant not to get too much into detail here, but just a few days ago as you know in new york governor andrew cuomo was dealt a blow for his restrictions on religious institutions. eric? eric: yeah, and, david, back for a second on the election in pennsylvania, the margin was 81,000, the president pointing that out. and the president also says in wisconsin that recount was aimed at exposing illegal voting, he says, and he says a suit is coming on that on monday and tuesday. so, i guess, david, the answer is stay tuned. >> reporter: stay tuned. eric: david spunt, thank you. >> reporter: thank you. arthel: well, the nation 's largest county set to go under a temporary lockdown next week due to a spike in coronavirus cases days after a ban on outdoor dining threatened the livelihoods of hundreds of

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♪ ♪ eric: well, now we have an update on the weeks-old conflict

that's happening in ethiopia. the government there saws its military is now in full control of the country's region, rounding up rebel leaders after fierce fighting had sparked a humanitarian crisis, sending tens of thousands of e refugees into neighboring sudan. arthel: president trump says he will be going to georgia to campaign for two incumbent republicans there in the runoff elections that will determine the balance of power in the senate. the candidates are back on the campaign trail as the state underdose a third recount -- undergoes a third recount in the presidential election. charles watson is live in atlanta with the details. hi, charles. >> reporter: huh, arthel. president trump will stump for republican senators david perdue and kelly loeffler next saturday to try to hold on, as the incumbents try to hold on -- excuse me for the loud noise. the president will travel to georgia to try to encourage his voters to get out and vote in

the january 5th elections which pit perdue against jon ossoff and leffler against reverend rafael war knock. the president continues leveling unproven wide spread voter fraud in georgia as the state works to complete a recount of votes cast during the presidential election. >> they are tremendous people. kelly loeffler, david perdue are tremendous people. they're desperately needed in the united states senate. but i told them today, i said, listen, you have a fraudulent system. >> reporter: meanwhile, both democrats and republicans are spending millions of dollars in georgia in hopes of controlling the senate come january. both sides plan to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors to help get out the vote despite the global pandemic and, look, every vote counts in this race. ultimately, democrats and republicans believe the side with the best ground game will come out as the victor in these

expense we've runoff races. arthel: never fails. everything's quiet and right when you go live, then comes the noise. [laughter] >> reporter: what can you do? arthel: just roll like you did, charles. ing thank you, take care. eric? eric: that's for sure. well, whiskey and the walls, sounds like the title of a country song, doesn't it? it's actually what a couple did find in upstate new york when they were renovating their centuries-old home. they found a lot of whiskey in the walls, more than 66 bottles of old is smugglerday dating from the 1920s. one of the home's priest own ors was believed to be a bootleger, so he probably hid those bolts in the wall. each bottle apparently worth $1,000 the each, and the couple saws they'll keep one and sell the rest. how about finding that in your walls? arthel: that sounds good, good, good.

well, listen, the president, president-elect, husband picks for treasury secretary, not official though, all but certain. the tough job ahead for janet yellen amid the pandemic and calls for change in spending from every political sphere in washington. ♪ i'm erin. -and i'm margo.

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♪ eric: here are some to have headlines we're following for you at this hour. sadly, a second teenager has died after a shooting at a mall in california. that happened during black friday while shopping. a 19-year-old died at the scene, and a 17-year-old male died from his injuries at a nearby hospital. police are looking for the suspect who they say is a man in his 20s, but no reason given for that shooting. germany becoming the 12th nation to surpass one million coronavirus cases. that grim milestone comes with the country on partial lockdown. that lockdown set to continue through at least december 20th.

in london more than 150 people were arrested at an anti-lockdown protest there. the demonstrators accused of assaulting officers and breaching coronavirus regulations. ♪ arthel: well, new this afternoon, the mayor of san francisco saying the city will adjust its reopening of businesses and activities due to a continued increase in covid-19 cases. indoor activities at gyms, movie theaters and houses of worship will not be allowed, and retail businesses will have to rereduce capacity. this as los angeles county prepares to impose a new stay-at-home order starting monday. chelsea edwards from our los angeles affiliate fox 11 has more. [inaudible conversations] >> reporter: black friday shopping was at the citadel outlet, but some monday store -- come monday, stores are going to have to further limit capacity. >> it is difficult, but, i mean,

if we really want this to end, do it. but at the same time, too, i'm kind of sad because i haven't seen my mom in such a long time. [laughter] and so it breaks my heart. >> reporter: with no cases and hospitalizations -- new cases and hospitalizations on the rise, h.a. county will require an end to gatherings of people not in your household except for church services and protests. essential and nonessential retails personal if care services, libraries, fitness centers and others, some close, beaches, trails will remain open but with safety requirements in place. >> so, please, stay home as much as possible with those in your household. >> reporter: l.a. county public health director barbara ferrer acknowledged the new measures are asking a lot, but following the guidelines can slow the spread and, quote, acting with collective urgency right now is essential if we want to put a stop to this surge. please remain home as much as possible and do not gather with

others not in your household for the next three weeks. reaction among shoppers was mixed. >> you make me feel -- i'm so angry. they need to take some measure, but i don't know what it is, but they need to be fair to everybody. not only to businesses. >> i i think we need more regulations and more rules, because everyone's hard-headed. >> congress it's really right. -- i don't think it's really right. >> i'd rather be safe on monday. [laughter] eric: well, some of president-elect biden's cabinet picks are still up in the air. fox news has confirmed he is set to nominate janet yellen for the treasury secretary post. what does that mean? john hilljon hilsenrath joins uh "the wall street journal" and a fox news contributor. hi, how are you? she's a familiar name because of her previous role. what type of changes do you expect? man, oh, man, she faces challenges. you've gout krone -- you've got

coronavirus and a lot of economic uncertainty. >> right. you know, the economy can go in one of two directions right now. on the one hand, we have vaccines coming down the pipeline, and they could get out into the public and, you know, if people can get out there and get back to business as usual, the economy could be on really strong footing in, over the next few months. on the other hand, the virus is spreading, and if we have more shutdowns, it could be on very weak footing. she's in a tough environment. you know, i think that the big question that janet yellen and joe biden are going to have to deal with is how much more debt do they think the u.s. economy, the federal government can bear. they want to spend a lot of money to help the economy get through this coronavirus crisis, and there's just this question of how much more borrowing the u.s. can take on. you know, we took on a $3 trillion budget deficit in the last fiscal year, and people are starting to get some indigestion

in this town from all that money we're borrowing. eric, yeah. and one side was sprut, we'll do 1 trillion, the other side wants 3, meanwhile no new stimulus package. do you expect to see anything at all? >> well, from where janet yellen stands, she would definitely be in support of another big spending package to help the economy. you know, republicans in the senate have been wary of doing another big package. they were wary even when donald trump, you know, was running for re-election in the summer when another spending package could have helped him. their sure to be even more wary -- they're sure to be even more warily now when we have a democrat moving into the white house presumably. so i think there's going to be a real fight over this. maybe we'll get something that's scaled back. but, you know, the numbers we're talking about are mind-boggling. you know, we were talking trillions, now maybe we're

talking hundreds of billions. these are still really, really large numbers, and i think government debt is going to be something that hangs over this next administration for quite some time. eric: we haven't heard, we haven't seen the deficit clock in some time. how do you think this administration will deal with that in the ensuing years? or will they at all? >> well, you know, the thinking in economic circles has changed a little bit over the last few years. we used to be very afraid about government debt getting so big that it causes interest rates to rise very much. but like i say, we ran a $3 trillion deficit last year, we've run are up even before -- run up even before the virus crisis we were running up deficits of a trillion dollars or more, and interest rates have remained very low. and so i think -- and wall street really isn't concerned about this. so i think there's a question in washington on wall street about whether they can keep borrowing and kind of push the limits on deficit spending to see how far

we could go as long as interest rates are low, some people say, you can keep, you can keep, you can keep spending. and i think really this is going to be the question that hangs over, the big economic question that hangs over this next administration. eric: and with that kind of sigh of relief from the moderates and some up there in the building behind you that the choice was not elizabeth warren? >> right. you know, janet yellen, i've known her and covered her for many years. you know, the watch words i would use for her is fastidious, cautious, not a risk taker. she's not someone who's going to really kind of take the, try to take this government into some kind of untracked new realm. you know, there's a lot of talk about socialism versus capitalism. janet yellen is kind of middle of the road,. [laughter] of center. but -- left of center.

but she's not going to go for some radical remake of how this government works. yes, in short, i do think there is some sigh of relief certainly in the financial markets. you know, we've seen the markets take off over the last week since she was announced. i think there's a sense that she's a person who is really going to be steady as she goes. and like i say, wrestling with these debt questions but not wanting to go crazy on any front. eric: and in terms of the whole cabinet choice, ron clawn had a -- ron klain had a tweet this afternoon responding to some criticism, well, not that it could be a thursday obama team, but the professionalism and the i've view league status, these are all professionals have been been around. here's what he tweeted, quote: the biden/harris cabinet is going to contain all sorts of people, but if the worst you can say about the picks so far is that they are, quote, too professional, well, you know. what do you expect from the

cabinet, what do you expect from the type of people that the president -- >> well, i find that tweet to be really interesting because, you know, i think in many parts of this country there's a feeling that the professional chat, the ivy league class, the elitists really haven't been serving the country as a whole. you know, they promised us that globalization was going to be good for everybody, and it wasn't. they promised that the financial markets would be, you know, expanding for everybody, and we got financial crises. so i understand, you know, a lot of people in the professional class say, yeah, we've got this, and there's some sense of relief maybe, but i think they have something to prove to the rest of the country that when they say we got this, what really it means is we got this for everybody. i mean, i new one of the things that made president trump popular with 70 million people was the sense that, you know, these professionals really weren't working for you.

and i think, you know, we're going to have to see if the so-called competent professional class is going to come in and really kind of run the government without a sense of arrogance and with a sense that they're working for everybody. i think they have a lot to prove actual. eric: you're absolutely right. and we'll see if they are able to prove that or, as ross reif row said, there'll be another giant sucking sound because it turned out that ross perot was right and those criticisms were justified. john hilsenrath of the "wall street journal," good to see you. >> thanks so much, eric. arthel: the man who led the investigation into the trump campaign's contacts with russia in 2016 set to break husband silence -- his silence. when and where robert mueller will speak. ♪ ♪

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♪ eric: special counsel robert mueller is set to appear in husband first interview since he completed the 2016 election interference investigation. the former fbi director is going to be a guest on season four of a podcast called oath hosted but e the former acting administrator of the drug enforcement agency, chuck rosenberg. mueller on "the oath," a two-part exclusive, we're told, begins on wednesday, december 2nd. we'll have to see what he has to say. arthel? arthel: thank you. well, the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases has put a chill on one holiday tradition, visiting santa claus. how families are keeping spirits up and germs down with socially distanced visits to old st. nick. lauren blanchard has the story. >> hey, buddy, would you like to get a picture? >> reporter: santa up in the north pole has gone distanced and digital to make sure the holiday season doesn't go south.

>> close to christmas, i'm e going to do as well as i can do. >> reporter: 2020 has required people and kids to adapt, keeping safe but also logical. for santa in virginia, this year there may be no hugs. you have to talk toys through a mask, and this is a lot of hand sanitizer, but that santa says the experience still special for kids. >> one more. >> 1, 2, 3! >> reporter: maul santa -- mall santa usually draws thousands of families. they believe over the 20 christmas season there will still be many who want the photo even if it looks a little different this year. >> people really this year are looking for an experience that feels like normal. so by providing santa, we think we're able to do that. >> reporter: for those not comfortable with in-person visits, there's santa joe and his team of hundreds of santas

at it's the real santa.com. >> technology, that's helping at least give us all a better chance at sharing some of the joy. >> reporter: after a little guy e dance from parents, the santa records a personalized video for kids to watch. >> i hear that your friend bear and violet miss you very much. >> reporter: nothing can replace hugs, but the kids can adapt to this new type of visit. >> this is normal to them. this is just the way things are. >> reporter: norad will still be tracking santa as he makes his way across the globe with fewer volunteers this year, and in an interview, dr. anthony fauci says santa is immune to covid-19 and he cannot spread it. good thing, because at well over 1700 years old and with a diet of mostly cookies, he's probably in the higher risk group. >> see you later! >> reporter: lauren blanchard, fox news. eric: i'm so glad to hear that

news. santa is coming, don't worry, despite krone that years. well, it is a critical weekend for mom and pop stores. what you can do to help your favorite neighborhood spot on this small business saturday. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ eric: well, vanderbilt university soccer player sarah fuller make history today as the first woman to play in a football game at the power five conference when she went on the gridiron for the second half kickoff. [cheers and applause] >> you can hear the crowd. everybody in the stands right now, this is pretty cool. [cheers and applause] >> and the kick down at the 35-yard line, and sarah fuller, happy thanksgiving. eric: there's the history as she gets slapped by the, her teammates. well, she took the field in the matchup against the university of missouri. the 21-year-old joined the team because of absences from players who have been exposed to covid-19. but the commodores, despite this

history-making moment, they went on to lose this one. but, you know, this remains historic. how about that? arthel: sarah fuller is, indeed, a winner. well, listen, holiday shopping this year is looking a lot different as with everything else because of pandemic restrictions, forcing wizs to reduce -- businesses to reduce store hours and putting a pack on occupancy on small retailers, and they're feeling the bottom line. let's bring in jean marx, cpa and small business consultant. so with the grim news and the uphill battle facing so many small businesses, i wanted to find out where those small business owners can finder relief. so where is the relief, jean? >> yeah. thanks for asking, arthel. and i apologize for talking so fast, but i do have a lot of information to share. listen, if you're running a small business, you're looking at a few tough months, some difficult cash flow, so i've got five things that you can do, five potential sources of cash for your business.

the first has to do with your taxes. if you expect to lose money this year, which it's been a very tough year, you can for one time only, you can carry back that loss to prior years and get back any taxes that you paid which means i need you to file your tax returns very, very quickly, and i need you to talk to your accountant about your tax loss carryback. ask hum about that. it's -- him about that. @money you can get in your pocket. that's number one. number two, economic injury disaster loans, the program from the small buzz administration is still -- business administration is still open through december 21st. long-term loans, very low interest rates, something that you should consider applying for. number three, the main street lending program. that ends at the end of december. the minimum loan is $1 is 00,000 -- 100,000, so that might be a little too much, but the interest rates are at market race, the payback is four years,

and here's the thing, you can pay it back anytime you want without paying any penalties. so if you think it's going to be a tough few months, borrow the money, stick it in your account and then pay it back in a few months, but at least you have cash. number four, the small business administration has something called section 7a loans. those are loans given out to small businesses of all sizes. consider applying. and finally, the u.s. chamber of commerce on their web site has a great list of grants that are available. that's free money from states, from the federal government and from a lot of private companies and organizations that the you can apply for as well. those are five ways you can go about getting more cash to see you through this very, very difficult winter. if you have questions, by all means, reach out to me on twitter about these things i just talked about. arthel: that's fantastic. and, gene, you know, during the summer we heard so much about ppp. is that a dried-up option for

the short time. [laughter] on the calendar this year? >> right now there are no ppp loans available, but i'm going to go on record on national tv, and i am going to predict that we are going to have some type of a stimulus bill, i believe, by the end of the year. and that will absolutely include some type of paycheck protection program, part of it. it is supported by both parties. just be aware if there is a new round of ppp, it's going to be targeted at specific industries and targeted at businesses that have shown they really suffered, had anywhere from 25-50% of losses. but the good thing about that for people that have ppp, it may make forgiveness a little easier as well. so if you haven't applied for forgiveness on some of those loans, wait a little bit for that stimulus bill. i really think it's going to happen before the end of the year. arthel: i love your on the much. yes or no, is it going to make -- >> i'm sorry? arthel: if it does happen, quickly, will access to the ppp be fatherly easy for -- fairly

easy for business owners? >> yeah. it will be. it will be wide open but, again, you've got to show that you've been specifically affected by covid and that your revenues have declined but anywhere from 25-50%. not everybody can get it, but if you qualify, you will be able to get access. arthel: okay, you said they can contact you. they will. gene, thank you so much. we'll see you next time. thanks a lot. so, eric, the time has come for us to say so long. we're back tomorrow at noon ian though. please join us then. right now -- eric: great information. find gene on twitter. he'll give you great information. have a great night, everybody.

trump legal team promise take election fights to the supreme court. meanwhile operation warp speed is moving ahead as covid-19 cases surge across the united states. good evening i'm jon scott and this is the "fox report." president trump continues to claim widespread vote or fraud as he speans the weekend at camp david. yesterday his campaign suffered another setback, when a federal appeals court rejected its effort to challenge pennsylvania's election results. also high on the president's priority list operation warp speed. "the wall street journal" is reporting united airlines is already preparing to fly pfizer covid-19 vaccine tois