right now on "america this morning," the electoral college makes joe biden's win official. the new message from the president-elect, his most forceful tone yet taking aim at efforts to undermine american democracy. this morning, the republicans who are still refusing to acknowledge biden's win, plus, what happens now in the wake of attorney general william barr's resignation. a new step in the race to vaccinate america. what we expect to learn today about the second potential covid vaccine and one of the first people to get pfizer's vaccine describes what she was thinking as she got the history-making shot. storm watch. one of the biggest snowstorms in years taking aim at the northeast, 55 million people in the path. the snowfall totals expected and what shipping companies are now saying about holiday package

delivery times. plus, a special salute. one teenager's nightly salute and ritual paying tribute to a fallen marine. new overnight, a monday night football thriller for the ages. the unusual search at sea in a sea of foam. good tuesday morning. today is day two of coronavirus vaccinations across the country. >> as hospitals move forward, president-elect biden is calling for a spirit of unity and healing. he addressed the nation last night after the electoral college voted to formalize his election victory. >> but some republicans are making it clear they're still not giving up their fight. andrew dymburt begins our coverage from washington, good morning, andrew. >> good morning, mona. with his victory now official president-elect joe biden is asking the country to come together and more republicans are starting to accept the reality of his victory. but not all of them.

this morning, president-elect joe biden blasting president trump for trying to overturn the election results. >> the court sent a clear signal to president trump that they would be no part of an unprecedented assault on our democracy. >> reporter: the electoral college formalizing biden's win monday giving him 306 electoral votes. >> the integrity of our elections remains intact and now it's time to turn the page as we've done throughout our history to unite, to heal. >> reporter: fears of a violent response from trump supporters forced arizona's electors to meet in a secret location and there were online threatts made against officials. trump and many of his allies are refusing to accept they lost. >> the only date in the constitution is january 20th so we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify donald trump as the winner of the election.

>> some republicans in congress have also not acknowledged biden's victory. one congressman says he's leaving the party because of that denial. >> this election simply confirms to me that it's all about part -- about power first and that frankly is disgusting and door moralizing. >> reporter: others are starting to face the facts. >> at some point you have to face the music and i think that once the electoral college settles issue today, that it's time for everybody to move on. >> reporter: the incoming white house chief of staff ron klain expressing optimism. >> i was heartened tonight to see a number of senior republican senators even members of the republican senate leadership come out tonight and acknowledge that joe biden and kamala harris had won. i think the dam broke on that tonight and saw people hadn't said anything before finally acknowledged this victory. >> reporter: in the meantime, bill barr is stepping down as attorney general weeks after he contradicted president trump's claims of election fraud. barr's departure was announced by the president on twitter just minutes after the electoral college vote for biden became

official. but barr's resignation letter is filled with praise for the president saying he's proud to have played a role in the many successes and unprecedented achievements saying few could have weathered these attacks much less forge add head with a positive program for the country. jeff rosen will take over for barr for the last five weeks of republic's term. a cyberattack on the government launched by it's believed russia. the state department, homeland security and the national institutes of health were targets of the digital spying operation. that's in addition to the treasury and commerce departments. hacker managed to exploit widely used software, the extent of the breach remains unclear. a $900 billion bipartisan coronavirus relief package has been split into two bills. moderate senators are now pushing for approval of a $748 billion proposal that includes money for small businesses, a federal unemployment supplement and other operations that both

parties largely agree on. a second bill would cover the two sticking points, aid for local governments and liability protections for businesses. >> i think we've had a christmas miracle occur in washington. we have worked night and day for over a month. >> but it's far from a done deal and it's still unclear how leaders of both parties feel about dividing the legislation. now to the coronavirus vaccine. we're hearing from some of the first people to get the shots and we're learning more about the next vaccine up for approval. this morning, another big step forward in the fight against covid. in just hours the fda is set to release details on the safety and effectiveness of moderna's vaccine. >> it feels very surreal. we've come a long way in 12 months. >> reporter: the 35-year-old scientist who led the effort said the finish line is in sight. >> to be on the edge of potential emergency use authorization and knowing that

those doses very soon will get into people's arms is just incredible. >> reporter: "operation warp speed" says it's ready to ship 6 million doses of their vaccine which could come after a hearing this thursday. distribution is expected to follow the same time line as pfizer's. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: health care workers started getting it yesterday, a critical nurse in new york was among the first. >> i've seen firsthand, the suffering, the pain, the deaths and how tirelessly my team has been working so i'm just really happy that we have a vaccine that will provide some relief and that will put an end to this pandemic. >> reporter: also rolling up his sleeve acting defense secretary christopher miller. >> that's it? >> that's it. >> oh, come on. that didn't hurt at all. >> reporter: president trump halted plans to give early doses to high ranking white house staffers but on monday kaley

mcenaney said personnel in the situation room and certain members of congress will get early access. one thing that remains unclear is how long the protection lasts. the fda says it probably offers four to six months of protection. dr. anthony fauci says we won't know for sure for another year. >> we should know by the end of 2021 -- excuse me, yeah, by the end of 2021 as we go into 2022 what the durability is and whether or not we're dealing with something that needs to be reboosted every year. >> shots will be given out at nursing homes in the coming days. by the end ofan 50 million americans are expected to be vaccinated with wider access in march. accused child sex offender ghislaine maxwell is receiving support. words from a previously unrevealed husband. court documents show maxwell has been married since 2016. her unidentified spouse describes her as a loving person.

maxwell wants to be released on a $28 million bond. she's been held since her arrest in july for allegedly providing victims for jeffrey epstein. the northeast is bracing for the biggest snowstorm in years and could delay your holiday packages. not just the weather posing a challenge, there's been a huge increase in online shopping because of the pandemic. and they're also delivering the covid vaccine. bottom line, today's the ground shipping deadline for holiday packages but many still won't arrive on time. >> so you're looking at a more than 40% increase just in online sales. >> just in online, that's a massive increase as opposed to the traditional 15% increase that we typically see. >> u.p.s. tells abc news it's making contingency plans to route packages around the storm. meanwhile the storm also poses a big threat to restaurants relying on outdoor dining? >> a closer look now at your tuesday forecast.

that major snowstorm we menti mentioned heads toward the northeast tomorrow. heavy snow across pennsylvania and into new england. here's the accumulation we're expecting, 18 inches of snow are possible in parts of central pennsylvania. the areas around new york city and boston could see up to a foot by thursday. checking temperatures for today, it's chilly across much of this country but still warm along the gulf coast and in parts of california. 32 in denver, 39 in albuquerque. coming up, the spectacular volcanic eruption in europe. also ahead, the growing backlash over calls for jill bide ton drop the "doctor" from her title. the challenge when it co

darkness came early in parts of south america thanks to this year's only total solar eclipse. people in chile and argentina saw daytime turn into night thanks to the eclipse and cloudy skies. the world's most active volcano is at it again, lava shot more than 300 feet into the air from italy's mt. etna. smoke still seen coming from the top 12 hours later. now to the growing backlash over a column that called for dr. jill bide ton drop her doctor title. the editor is defending the column as more people speak out in support of the incoming first >> reporter: this morning, "the wall street journal" is defending its decision to publish an op-ed about dr. jill biden which critics have called sexist and demanning. in it joseph epstein argues she should drop doctor from her title because she's not a medical doctor. epstein writing a wise man once

said that no one should call himself a doctor until he delivers a child. she earned her doctorate in education in 2007. responses have exploded on social media overnight. former first lady michelle obama writing, right now we're all seeing what also happens to so many professional women, whether their titles are doctor, ms., mrs. or even first lady. all too often our accomplishments are met with skepticisment even derision. the issue of whether first ladies can keep their previous jobs was famously addressed on the tv drama "the west wing." >> mrs. bartlett, i want -- >> dr. bartlett. when di stop being dr. bartlett? when in the campaign did i decide that women would like me more if i call myself mrs.? >> reporter: this morning the editor defending his decision to publish the piece saying the next first lady should not be off limits to criticism. he accuses the biden team of

playing politics, by responding to the op-ed in a, quote, very trumpian manner writing why go to such lengths to highlight a single op-ed on a relatively minor issue adding there's nothing like playing the race or gender card to stifle criticism. the editor says the page for years has only used the doctor title for people with medical degrees. the op-ed page is administered separately from the journal's news page. >> thank you. andrew cuomo is addressing sexual harassment allegations from a former aide. lindsey boylan accuses him of inappropriate comments. she says there were witnesses but cuomo denies it. >> i fought for and i believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has, but it's just not true. >> boylan reportedly resigned

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if you haven't gotten a christmas tree yet you could be out of luck. the pandemic is increasing the demand for trees and cost of shipping them leaving some farms without any supply left. >> what we have is a tight supply rather than a shortage and it has been that way for awhile. >> now, the national christmas tree association says trees are still available. you just have to search harder and be less picky. an reinking won a tony for "chicago" and passed away while visiting family in chicago. a cause of death was not released. she was 71. the first vaccines have arrived just the number of people in the hospital hits a new record. earlier i spoke with dr. laleh gharahbaghian. dr. gharahbaghian, we just passed 300,000 covid deaths in this country. what are you seeing right now where you are? >> it's not great. the hospitals in our region including our own are full.

icus are at capacity. elective surgeries are being canceled. the number of covid positives are increasing every day and the curve has not flattened. so we're in the trenches and we're exhausted. >> that is tough to hear. moving on to the vaccine, how do we know the vaccine is getting to the places that need it the most and how will most americans know when they can get it. >> i have to commend fedex and u.p.s. they essentially split the country into two and they shipped 3 million from the pfizer plant to hospitals, clinics and various distribution points with priority access at the airport to avoid any delays and each of those packages will have high-tech tracking devices for monitoring of those packages to ensure delivery and the safety of the product, and also that the vaccine is being distributed as planned. >> what do we know about immunity after you get the second shot.

>> we know that given the time line of the trials that it at least lasts for about four to six months and as we go through time and test the individuals that are going through those trials in addition to vaccinating more, we'll know that it lasts more than a year. >> how will moderna's vaccine if it's approved later this year, change things? >> moderna is just as effective as pfizer is the good news and the more companies that can develop the vaccine the more we have. it's a two-dose vaccine. we'll need a half billion of them in order to vaccinate the entire population of this country, so the more options, the more supply, the more ability to vaccinate more people quickly and achieve that herd immunity in a timely maner. >> our thanks to dr. gharahbaghian. a thriller on monday night football. justin tucker hit a 5 a-yard field goal with two seconds left giving the ravens a win over the

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for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks ♪ time to check "the pulse" and begin way nightly salute from a texas marine. >> ethan has been playing his french horn every night outside the home of a fallen marine. ♪ >> ethan says he takes heart in knowing that he's been bringing comfort to the marine's family. >> i feel like a lot of people just were surprised that there are still people out there that do this and show great appreciation to people that made

a lot of sacrifices. >> sergeant marty gonzalez died from complications of injuries he suffered in iraq. ethan wants to use music to help people going through tough times over the holidays. next mariah carey has done it again. >> her holiday classic "all i want for christmas is you" took 25 years to hit number one on the billboard chart last year and guess what, one year later she's back in the top spot. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> she says she's eternally grateful. this happened in australia. a woman's dog got lost somewhere in all that foam. >> it was created when waves churned up the water. they eventually found the dog. everyone escaped the foam. finally a nolte to skeptical teachers everywhere. dogs do eat your homework. >> two cousins were sleeping when sam the husky sees their

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san francisco general hospital just hours away from giving away the first doses in the bay area. governor newsom promising safe and fair distribution of the vaccine. his plan to make sure that happens. and we are taking you inside san francisco's historic cliffhouse restaurant. a final look inside as it prepares to close its doors. good morning, everybody. it is tuesday, december 14th. >> we will get to that. obviously, another big day on the vaccine front. we'll start with meteorologist mike nicco. good morning, mike. >> good morning, kumasi, jobina, everybody. santa rosa one mile visibility and you can see from our sutro camera everybody else pretty clear this morning and slightly cooler than this time yesterday. by about three or four degrees. you may notice that when you step outside. winds are calm drifting to the south so that fog will mainly stay around santa