bert: one president fight and the next one looks ahead. >> it's all gone too far. robert: t president's baseless claims spark outrage as he refuses to concede. and considers pardons. >> help is on the way. robert: put the predent-elect mostly ignores him and announces nominees to address the pandemic and the economy. on the hill, momentum gathers behind a stimulus compromise. >> the time to borrow money is when there's ad crisis. this is a crisisre >> we a not going to leave until we get something accomplished. robert: next. announcer: this is "washington week." funding is provided by -- >> before we talk about your

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once again from washington moderator robert costa. robert: welcome to "washington week." anothefriday and another week wi president trump refusing to accept joe biden as theen preselect. but this moment is about more than defiance. the president's refusal to concede also has sweeping political implications, especially for the republican party. georgia, two g.o.p. senators are facing many republican voters now nodding along to the president's baseless clas and they could decide to sit out theanuary senate runoff w electionre the senate majority is on the line. here isy trump a lin wood in georgia this week. >> i want you to gohe to governor's mansion. i want you to circle it and riow your horns until kemp comes out and orders a special session of the georgia legislature! and then he can resignd. as far as i'm concerned, lock him up.r

robert: otepublicans such as georgia election official gabriel sterling are ue, the president to stop. -- are urging the president to stop. >> it has to . mr. president, you hav condemned these actions or this language. senators, you have not condemnedrhis language o ness elections. this is the backyeon of democracy and all o who have not said a damn word are complicity in this. stop inspiring people to commit pontial acts of violence. someone is going to get hurt. someone is going to get shot. someone is goin to get killed. and it's not right. robert: let's not forget this comes as the nation is in crisis. han 275,000 americans have died from the coronavirus and we a know a tough winter is ahead. joining us tonight with mor are three plugged in journalists. joe scarborough, host of "morning joe" on msnbc an

author of "saving freedom, truman, the cold war and t fight for western civilization." ayesha rascoe, whi house reporter for national public radio and aie linskey, national political reporter for "the washingtopost." joe, you've been writing about the presidency. you've been studying president trump for years as a journal i and commentator. what isresident trump up to r with thiusal to concede and his continued grievances abt the election? joe: well, i don't think any o us are surprised that the president of the united states has not conceded this race. if you had asked most reporters beforehand if he would claim that the race were rigged, if he lost, then say he was. le becauss face it. he'sade this claim over the past six months. has been setting us all up for this moment.

and so he's going to leave the thout ever million scamming his followers into bieving that the election has been rigged when one local republican official after another local rofublican cial who's actually counted the votes say there's no there there. and yet he continues on. maybe it's for the 2024 race and maybe more just to raise money. robert: what else is going on, ayesha? de this white houseeyond the fight over the election upending personnel at the department of defense. he's installing loyalists like corey lewandowski to a defense d advisory b is this what we should expect in the coming weeks, upheaval inside the federal government? ayesha: well, it's pretty much what we've had at the white hoine from the bng. so i don't think he's going to stop now. i think it's going c totinue on. and so much what -- of what president trump has done has

been about score settling. it's been about, you know, gettin back at people. but also trying to figure out u know, when it comes to o be. defense. you know, he's always talked about how he wanted to pull all the troops out, of the middle east. he wants to be thedoresident to that. and he's faced pushb the defense department and has been behind nerd that and it seems like at the end, he's trying to make moves in that direction over the objections of other people in the defense department but i think that this has just been par for the course. i also think that at this point, a lot of this is about managing president trump's feelings, his emotions. the release of that 46-minute video that they put on facebook, i thought it was very interesting that they put it on facebook. they could have done, you know, a quick scramble, look, the president is going to speak. they would have probably been caied live by mt of the

cable networks if he had spoken live. hat.they didn't do ke it seemed almost that they were putting it out there. but they didn'ter want ne to carry it. it's almost like they were letting him speak.ey but idn't really want to give that message a lot of air. and i think that is -- says something about where thisho white is right now. robert: so annie, joe talked about how the president in his view is scamming s suinorters, raise all this money. ayesha is talking about people h inside this whise perha trying to manage the president's feelings. e, and aninish this sentence for me. the g.o.p. is silent because what? hat is keeping the republicans annie: look, i mean, certainly if i'm the biden folks' perspective and joe biden said this today, they have this belief that when trump leave office, when the electors in mid december et, and vote, that that silence is going to be -- is going to change.

and that they are sort of paying respects torump and hiprocess, that he's going through as he tries to process this loss. and that -- that that is going to be the turning point. and joeiniden is cer counting on that. because he is loong at a -- you know, a -- at best, 50-50he senate i, you know, going to get his agenda through. so he's count g on the republicans to have a real change of heart pretty quickly. robert: quiet until december. it sounds like a holiday song. joe, let's talk about attorneyr ge william barr. some republicans are being quiet. but in an interview with the a.p. this week, barr said the d.o.j., quote, not seen fraud he could a different outcome in the election. my sources tell me that barr is now on thin ice fo simply stating the facts. is he gone beforjanuary? joe: i can't tell you what donald trump is goin tdo when it comes to the attorney

general. but this is just more of the same. tthink of all the peoplet you and i have known since we began covering donald trump in june of 2015, that pledged their loyalty to donald trump, that sacrificed thvaeies, that bent over backward to be as obsequious to him as possible and it was never enough, with william barr, you actually did have the man who answered the call when donald trump asked several years ago where's my roy cone? that'sxactly what william barr wanted to be. and he's followed that through a certain point viously he framed the mueller investigation report in the most w favorab possible to the president. he bought him, you know, several months moving -- moving toward the impeachment. but at the end, william barr is proving to be just as unwilling to break the l for donald

trump asocal officials, republican officials in michigan orns wis or arizona or georgia. at the end of the day, they undetand the consequences, barr above everyone else understandshe consequences of not bendinghe law but breaking the law for the president of the united state and undermining american have -- could make him could criminally liable but most certainly will darkenis name for good in the history books. robert: ayesha, i you to build on that what joe just said. he listed all where local officials are speaking out. and we saw those powerful -- powerful videos from georgia in the opening of this program outraged, a repub about g ca the president's handling. are we seeing a divide out there in th a state local state officials, are willing to speak up, but national republicans to ann point just see -- they're calculating that it's best to just sit on their hands until december?

ayesha: you do see ae div there where, you know, a joe said, that ey have -- the local republican officials have been unwilling to break the law. and they've been unwilling overturn the rightful election results. that is a bridge too far. i think -- but you do see so many national republicans, and you see the basealling for more action. and so it almost seems as ife theyt of step with their own party of the people that are holding this line and saying no, we're going to respecthe election rests e out of step with the rest of the republican party and out tep with the leader of the republican party, president trump. robert: ayesha, what does that mean, though, in georgia? where they have a runoff election for two senate seats on january 5. ayesha: and that is the big question right now. and i think if i was a republican, i would be very concerned. because you have people like

lin wood and sidney powellou need the hold republicans accountable and say that don't ote unless they meet these and president trump himself saying well, if you want ensure that voters come out, you need to make sure that ni he state of georgia when that's -- that's a done deal. and so i ts -- and iught it was very interesting when you heard governor kim speliing i beeve on fox news saying that he's trying to support the presidentwithin the law. i'm trying to do everythingcai . but he's kind of saying but i have to follow the law. d what youe hearing from not enough. and so i don't know if it will go that far. if these elections are close, and you haveampened turnout from republicans, you know, that is a serious concern. robert: well, annie, what about the view in biden world? you cover that so closely. is he gog to head down there to atlanta to try to get that stacy abrams coalition back together aeain? annie: you know, biden was asked that question today int wilmington a

his press conference as sort of the very last question,- somebodyort of yelled as he was walking off the stage. and you could hear him through his mask saying yes, he is going to go to geora. but didn't answer the followup about whether this will be before or after christmas. of course, the president is goingn there this weekend. but, you know, i think how biden plays georgia is going to be super interesti. becaus he's got two different crosscurrents here. i mean, he's trying so har in this moment to be the healer in chief and to be sort of -- you know, a post-partisan almost. he's been talking to republican governors, republican mayors. he talked today to rliepn county executives. and so for him to be pushing that image of himself as this guy who reaches across the aisle and makes deals with the republican party, and then the next day go down in -- engage

in a very partisan fight in georgia is going to be a tricky political maneuver for him. it's certainly something that he is -- has said today that he's willing to do. but i think watching how he's able to do that will be really interesting. robert: and joe, one of the moments that really stuck out to me from that press od conference from biden was when he was coy and he's a talker but coy when ask about whether he is engaged with leader mcconnell. that's the relationship t watch. mcconnell and biden. and on that point, joe turn to the politics of the economy. 12 million unemployed americans will lose federal benefits at the end of the year if congress can't come together on stimulus deal. but things are now fluid this week on capitol hill. let's listen to tm latest f the speaker and the majority leader. >> to come to this place to say there is momentum. i'm pleased that the tone of our conversations is one tha is indicative of the decision >> compromise is within reach.

we know whe we agree. we can do this. let me say it again. we can do this. and we need to do this. robert: earlier this week, biden also intd a diverse team of economic advisors and then friday when he was talking wi reporters, he said the new underwhelming jobs report means a quote dark winter is ahead and he called for, quote, urgent action in congress. joe, are we seeing a revival of the moderates? annie is talking about biden reaching out topu reicans. we also see senats manchin and romney and collins really leading us on capitol hill. joe: yeah.s electiave consequences. and you look at the senate. than it was in 2010 after the tea party members came in. a far different than 2004 or 2006 when lot of progressive democrats came in. and, you know, over the past 15 ye you've seen more division. you've seen a more diverse senate. but this is really the revenge of the moderates. ht in the n is rig

and he's in the middle of things because he now has mark kelly from arizona, kristin sinema who haot with him 90% of the time over the past few years, governor hicken looper who is going to be another moderate to conservative democratic then you got susan collins who won a state in maine by nine points that joe biden also won in -- by nine points. so you got six, seven, eight .moderates on both sid and people like lindsey graham and jornst saying they want to get involved in this covid al and i really would think of everything that's happened this week, theanin coalition expanding out, manchin and romney, expanding out to six, e seven,ht, nine, 10 moderates in the senate, really is a mostmportant development if you're trying to figure out not what happened the last four years,hat's going to happen over the next two years?

of course, bernieidanders has e can't support this bill. people like tom cotton also concerd on the other side they can't support the deal. you're going to have a lot of otogressives and af tea party conservatives, if there still are such a thing in washington, d.c., who areeoing torustrated over the next two years. because they're going to be a lot of deals made byhis -- this manchin-romney coalition. robert: annie, jum i what are you hearing from biden's people? annie: yeah. that's exactly right. that this -- you know, it was fascinating that you picked up on that moment at the press conference todayg biden besked twice if he's talked to mcconnell. both times he wouldn't answe and what's so interesting is that biden has been asked tat act same question. and all the previous times he said no, i haven't. actually, you as -- very human response about -- you know, the sausage making,

that he was in the middle of. and kind refused to answer questions about it. he said look, if i were to tell you what i was doing, and the deals that i was striking rigou now, in't be able to do it again. and so that wouldn't be very smart of me, would it? and so almost a little bit playful today when he was at the podium which is interesting side of him to see. but i think he's really trying to project that he has lot o w comforh that coalition that joe just described., i meis is very much his people and this is type of washington. 's really hoping, this is the hope of his presiden something that will actually robert: right. annie: really work? that's kind of the big question. robert: ayesha, how important is a deal before biden takes officeor everydaymericans who are struggling out there? today. saw the jobless numbers what does this mean? and especially if this is tied to a covidac reliefge, spending bill tied to covid relief, that's how it's being

prosed by speaker pelosi and others, it may not include direct payments to americans. senator bernie sans telling reporters today he can't support this if it payments. e direct local aid and liability insurance, what does that mean for people in this country? ayesha: well, you know, there are a lot of americans who are really struggling. heyou mentioned jobless. you mentioned all of those -- and we've seen the lines at food banks and massive food banks saying that they're having all of this massive outpouring o people who need help. and i think that's one of the co striking dects at this moment. at the white house and with congress. is that yohave an america where you have all of record numbers of people hospitalized with the virus. you have all of these -- you have people dying. and you have peopllly struggling to get by. and there has not seemed to be an urgency until kind of this week to get something done.

people are going to be going into tir christmas holidays not knowing h they're going to, you know, feed their you know, and i know people that -- people who are not -- being put out o their homes. they don't have a place to live. and so these are vy real concerns. and i think that what the american people are lking for is leadership from the white house and from coness to get something done. robert: annie, any quick impressions about the biden economic team rollout and the health team rollout? annie: yeah. absolutely. i mean, i think when you look at that ecomic team, one of the real standout things to me and my sources has been the number of people there who are really focused on the labor s. mark andness a little bit of a wonky thing. but these are folks who spent -- spent career looking at issues of inequality, what can the government do to increaset employm different sectors? what are the -- what aresp ific policies and how you y can they be --

sectors of the economy and various partsou of thery? sort of both geographic diversity and outcomes. and so these are really labor economists. and that'soing to be very different from trump. they were very focused on the capital side of the equation. robert: joe, in less than a minute, what are your thoughts on this cabinet and the team? joe: well, it's a cabinet that you would eect joe biden to select. again, it's not a cabinet that's going to make progressives happy in the ed untates senate. but the election was a sit dcision. you mericans give joe biden obviously a fairly sizable victory in the but in theouse, and in the senate, republicans did much better than anyone expected. that's going to have es consequend joe biden is going to have to select moderates. robert: well, we're going to have to leave it there. many thanks to joe scarborough,

linskey. really appreciate you all taking the time on this busy friday night. and thank you all for joining us here at "washington week." we will keep taking you as close to the news as we can. be sure to checkut our bookshelf series on our social media and website. i'll chat me with joe, one on one, about his new book on i'm robert costa. good nit ghfrom washington. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by --

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broadcasting and by contributions to your p station from viewers like you. thank you. [announcer]: this program was made possible in part by

contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. [tog: the brain is what makes humans human. it's central to everything about us. the ability to learnenhings new, to experi new things. it's all between my rs. [banfield]: e brain is our command center and it's imbued withn incredible gift. it can change its structure and function through a process called neuroplasticity. [moffett]: we used to think that the brain was set up the way it was set up. buit tns out, the brain can adapt also. and if it's given a different set of circumstances, it'll change. so, if we accepted tt we've been able to learn, we probably