good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in washington, as president-elect joe biden prepares to address the nation today ahead of the thanksgiving holiday. his priority continues to be keeping americans safe during this coronavirus surge while building a diverse cabinet. he discussed the current state

of the transition which just got under way during an exclusive interview with "nbc nightly news" anchor lester holt. >> i think we're going to not be so far behind the curve as we thought we might be in the past. and there's a lot of immediate discussion. and i must say, the outreach has been sincere, it's not been begrudging so far, and i don't expect it to be. >> president trump has no events on his schedule after participating in the turkey pardoning ceremony and giving brief remarks on the stock market tuesday without taking any questions from the white house press corps. he has not spoken to the press corps or answered questions since election day. the justice department meanwhile is declining to comment on reports that the president may pardon disgraced and convicted former national security officer

mike flynn. ali have i tvitali, the preside is going to speak later today about thanksgiving, i guess. >> reporter: yeah, thanksgiving address here in wilmington, delaware from the president-elect now. the focus of these remarks is twofold. to talk to americans about the sacrifices that many of them, including us, are making in not going home to see our families, in keeping thanksgiving smaller than usual, and making sure that if they are celebrating thinking, making sure they're wearing masks, distancing if possible, taking all those precautions that we know so well now after months of being in this pandemic. but biden has also spoken in the past about the fatigue so many americans are feeling after being in this pandemic that is just continuing to drag on. we're told that he's also going to make the point in these remarks that americans can get through this if they are able to band together and follow some of these rules. and we know, andrea, that getting the pandemic under control is the key focus of this

biden transition. we're told now that the letter of ascertainment has been sent, that they have connected across the government with more than 50 agencies and commissions, that their transition landing teams are meeting virtually and getting briefings from a lot of these career officials. the mood change is really stunning. you heard it there in that interview biden did with lester holt where he's no longer talking about the life or death consequences of the delayed transition but instead looking ahead and forging forward. that optimistic tone was echoed on a call we just got off of with top transition advisers. the letter of ascertainment also brings to the fore a lot of the informational issues. not only are they talking to people like anthony fauci but now the president-elect and vice president elect will be getting

presidential daily briefings, starting on monday. in addition, we know from the interview that biden has not spoken to president trump. i asked transition advisers if that's something they thought they needed in order to move forward in this transition. they said they didn't think it was mission critical, allowing for the fact that if president donald trump were to want to talk to the president-elect, they would definitely set this up, but they were clear to say there has been outreach from the office of the president. incoming chief of staff ron klain has spoken to current chief of staff mark meadows. we knew we weren't likely to get a concession out of donald trump but it doesn't sound like there will be outreach between these two men at least at this point, andrea. >> and kelly o'donnell, all signals from the white house are that there will be a pardon forthcoming for michael flynn. that is not a surprise.

also other pardons as well. listen to what the president-elect told lester about whether he would yield to democratic pressure in some quarters for him to investigate the trump -- president trump and others around him after january 20. let's watch. >> some democrats want investigations to go forward against president trump after he leaves office. do you support that? >> i will not do what this president does and use the justice department as my vehicle to insist that something happen. >> kelly, i think it's significant that he is saying he's going to reestablish that firewall between the presidency and the justice department, where presidents in the past have not interfered with investigations, pressed for them, or pressed for anybody to be indicted or not indicted. >> reporter: and certainly the

current president has demonstrated both a contempt for government in the sense of often calling our career officials, the kind of people who have been making these transition calls that ali discussed, who are going to be here after january 20 at noon regardless, and at the same time has also used some of his political appointees in a more -- what has appeared more personally driven instead of in the cause of the people's business. we've seen that at times, and there have been occasions where the attorney general has resisted that. but we also saw how the president has often applied pressure to some of his key political appointees on these kinds of matters. so for joe biden, this is really an issue of wanting to use his limited time and political capital when he does take office on matters that are forward looking as opposed to looking back towards the trump years. we'll see how that unfolds. in terms of pardons, it's long been expected and it is standard for presidents as they leave

office after one or two terms to have some pardons. we've seen the president use this authority going back to the early days of his administration. he has both pardoned and commuted a number of people. what would stand out now is would he really go into the areas of those associated with the russia investigation. thus far he's commuted the sentence of roger stone. would he give a full pardon there? would it go beyond michael flynn to other figures like paul manafort? the president has liked the power of the pardon in part because of its unique and sort of unassailable power. it can be politically detrimental. but his power can't be challenged in terms of his ability to use it. one question mark is would he include himself in that. he has spoken about the willingness to use the pardon power, believing he has that, for himself. but it would also imply that he was agreeing that there was something to be pardoned for. and of course it would only apply to federal matters, not anything at the state level,

should those develop at some point down the line, andrea. >> indeed, kelly and ali vitali, thank you both so very much. president-elect biden told lester holt how important it is for people to wear masks and follow cdc guidance for those who might be traveling this holiday weekend. >> as we speak, people are ignoring advice to stay home. they're crowding airports around the country right now. you've called for a national mask mandate. how much power as president will you have to influence people in ways you have not been able to as a candidate? >> i hope as president, and many of the republican governors and mayors felt the same way, i hope that we're going to be able to have a united voice on the need to mask, socially distance, testing, and tracing. >> admiral brett giroir is an assistant secretary of health in the department of health and

human services and leads the testing effort in the white house coronavirus task force and joins me now. admiral, thank you very much for being with us, i know this is a very busy time. our thanks to you, and i wanted to ask you about your guidance, cdc guidance, all the warnings. let's communicate your message once again to the american people. millions of people are traveling out there and ignoring every good advice that is coming from washington. >> so thank you for having me on again. i want to stress that a vaccine is just around the corner. we expect millions of doses to be delivered to the american people in december. so the end of the pandemic is in sight. but right now, we are at a critical and very dangerous part of this pandemic, with cases rising, hospitalizations rising. we had over 1,900 americans die yesterday. i urge america, just for a few more weeks, a couple of more months, you've got to follow the guidance. this works. wearing a mask in public when

you can't physically distance. watching indoor crowded spaces like bars and restaurants. hand hygiene. being tested. listen to the cdc guidance. look, no one's trying to cancel thanksgiving. what i urge americans to do is make a good choice for you. if you can defer travel and have thanksgiving at valentine's day, do that. if you make the decision to travel and be with your family, be on good behavior before you get together. try to physically distance in the home. wear a mask. don't crowd people, 20 people in the kitchen, like we do in cajun land, to cook all day. do those reasonable things, make better choices. we're just starting to see some progress from the mitigation efforts that americans are doing, we need to continue that because we're not out of the woods yet. it's still a very dangerous situation. >> what about these long lines we're seeing at test facilities? people who want to travel seem to think that getting a test is the magic bullet, getting a test

before or after. but there are real cautions there, a test is just a snapshot of where you are at one particular moment. >> you are right, andrea. i'm always supportive of testing and we need to test asymptomatic individuals according to local public health. but what i'm really worried about is people assuming that if they're negative today with a test, that that means you get a free pass and you can go hug grandma and be with vulnerable individuals, and that's just not the case. it is a snapshot. clearly if you're positive, you need to go home and not travel. but the great majority of people will be negative. but that doesn't mean that you're safe. so whatever you do, if you get tested or not get tested, you've still got to wear the mask, physically distance. we can get through this together. but this is a really dangerous, critical time over thanksgiving where millions of people are traveling. we know the risks for spread are going to be higher because of that. we've just got to do our part. make a good decision, make a better choice, that's all i'm

asking. if you don't have to travel, don't travel. if you do travel, use safe behaviors before you get there and do all the mitigation steps we're talking about. the reporters on your show were just talking about them a few minutes ago. >> we still millions of people still going through tsa, so record numbers, at least during the pandemic, not compared to past years. what's the best advice in airports? the airlines are telling us the planes themselves are safe as long as you keep masked throughout, don't eat on the plane, is the advice from our people. but airports themselves, you see a lot of people congregating. >> we're very concerned about that. we're very concerned about that. biology happens whatever place you're in. if you have congregations of people in an airport close together, the risk of spread is higher. again, i'm going to sound like a broken record, but wearing a mask protects other people. we know that very well. it really minimizes the spread of those droplets that can infect other people.

but it also helps protecting yourselves. and particularly, even though the virus is not primarily transmitted by surfaces, when you have surfaces that literally tens of thousands of people touch, that is a risk factor. so wash your hands, use sanitizer. hand washing is great. wash your hands as much as possible, try not to touch surfaces. all those kind of common sense things, they're still our best protection against the virus. and we know they work. we really do know they work. we're starting to see the effects of mitigation in the u.s. we know that in the united kingdom, in france, they've had these simple steps and completely reversed their outbreaks in the last a couple of weeks. so we can get through it. the vaccine is just around the corner. >> do you have any concerns about the cdc shortening the guidance on the length of quarantine for individuals exposed from 14 days to perhaps seven to ten days? is that safe? >> so this is still under

consideration. and i'm involved in that, in working with the cdc. but this is being prepared by career professional scientists and physicians, epidemiologists who study this. we know a lot more about the virus than we did two months ago, four months ago, six months ago. and the accumulating data suggest that we don't have to wait 14 days. we know that the average person will get sick about five days after their exposure. and there's less of a probability. so the cdc is closely examining whether, for example, a ten-day quarantine is as safe as a 14-day quarantine or maybe even a seven-day quarantine with a negative test is the equivalent of a 14-day. and they're not going to advise anything that isn't safe. but look, if you can get out in seven days with a test as opposed to 14 days, you can get back to work, you can go to school, you can protect your family. and i do think people faced with just two weekends and five days or a weekend and five days, seven days, you're much more likely to obey that than 14

days. so it's going to be science and evidence driven. stay tuned, there's no recommendation yet, but i would expect one in the next couple of weeks based on the preponderance of the evidence. >> and would it depend in part on how many viral load you get, how long you've been exposed, let's say you're less than 15 minutes or more than 15 or an hour in a closed space. >> yeah, all that does matter. but what we're really talking about here is close contact. so if you've had a significant exposure, you know, that's who really needs to quarantine now, if they're not a critical infrastructure workers. critical infrastructure, we say, wear a mask, be careful, monitor your systems. for everybody else, that's the 14 days, that's the group of people we're likely to be able to shorten to ten or perhaps even seven with a test. that is not a recommendation yet. we're being very careful. this is being driven completely by the science and evidence, by career people at the cdc. i work with them, i review the data with them. they are really doing a great job. so just stay tuned, that could

be coming in the next week or two. >> and in terms of the gsa now allowing the transition to move forward, have you or your teams, any of your senior staff, had any contact with the president-elect's team? >> so i personally have been contacted by several members of the public health team on the new administration, informally. we have not had formal transitions. but even today, a formal transition between the biden team and operation warp speed is happening. so that's a formal, very important one to get started, because we know that vaccines are the way out of this epidemic. and again, in terms of testing and all the public health measures that i'm involved with, many people on the biden team -- these are public health professionals we work with on a daily basis. during normal times, we're all sort of on the same teams, our positions change. and i look forward to a collaborative, professional, and complete transition. and i really support and hope

that the biden administration can build on what i think is a good foundation of vaccines, therapeutics, and testing that we've been able to build over the past year. >> and you think it can be seamless? >> oh, i do, i really do. i do think we have sufficient time between now and the change in administration to fully transition. and i do believe it can be seamless. what i mean, seamless, there may be different directions the next administration wants to go, and that's fine, that's an election, there are different viewpoints. but i do think we're all going to work together. there won't be any bumps in the road. we are all here to save lives and reduce suffering. that's not political. and i will do everything i can to support and help the biden administration be successful in their efforts against the pandemic. >> and on the operation warp speed's prediction that december 10, as early as december 10, we could start seeing vaccines and

then delivery after that if the fda then approves, finally. how is this going to work? i know the military is supposed to be involved in delivery to the states. have the states started developing their protocols of who gets it first, specific names, who in the population would qualify? are they getting a head start on any of that? >> yeah, they've been working on this for months. remember, director redfield wanted the states to have their plans pretty intact as early as november 1, because we didn't know when the vaccine would come. so as the cdc describes it, they are really in microplanning right now, down to the individuals, down to the locations, how this gets done. december 10 is the fda advisory committee. that is the public facing meeting of experts that will give their stamp of approval, or not, on the first vaccine, which is pfizer. pfizer has said immediately thereafter there are about 6.5

million doses that can be shipped. general perna has this down, warp speed team has this down, in 24 hours it will be shipped and 24 hours after that it will be in people's arms. i'm super excited about this, because this is the way we ended the pandemic. we can get the vulnerable and health care workers and critical infrastructure early, then the rest of america later on in 2021. but we can get a lot of bang for the buck by protecting the vulnerable and the elderly that will reduce admissions to the hospital, greatly reduce the deaths. i'm just excited, and i thank god every day for everyone working together that we can get through this and get through it very soon. >> with 6.5 million doses, does that mean 3 million people, approximately, because it needs two doses a person? what do you think the initial population will be? >> that's right. pfizer has publicly stated they expect 40 to 50 million doses by the end of 2020.

again, those are in pfizer's words, and meet our expectations. and you're right, it's a two-dose regimen. so that would immunize 20 to 25 million people. these will come out sequentially. the 6.5 million is sort of day one, that hits the shipping, that goes on day one to immunize 3 million people. it will go on a population basis to the states. the states are making their own plans. but clearly health care workers and the vulnerable, and i think the vulnerable getting immunized, those in nursing homes, assisted living, is really key, not only will we save lives but that reduces all the burden on the hospitals so we can get our health care system out of the strain that it's in right now. >> admiral brett giroir, i just want to thank you and wish you and yours a happy thinking, a cajun thanksgiving, if you can pull that off. thanks very much. >> thanks, andrea. >> stay safe.

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have you considered for the sake of national unity selecting or nominating a republican, someone who voted for president trump? >> yes, and we still have a lot more appointments to make. i want this country to be united. the purpose of our administration is, once again, uniting. we can't keep this virulent political dialogue going. it has to end. >> president-elect joe biden isn't ruling out a republican in his cabinet but it is not likely that we're going to see either bernie sanders or elizabeth warren in that cabinet, he's counting on them staying in the senate. joining me now, stephanie cutter, a member of the 2008 obama transition team, and former republican congressman david jolly, welcome both.

stephanie, it seemed to me that all the talk about needing them in the senate, while true, it certainly helps get away from any pressure to put them in his cabinet. >> it does. but i do think the point he's making is a legitimate one, and we know that from experience during the obama years, that having strong leaders in the senate can help overcome, whether if we're going to face mcconnell's intransigence again or just sheer strength by numbers. these things are important. a lot of joe biden, president-elect biden's agenda, will require getting it through the senate. and people like bernie sanders and elizabeth warren will be critical for that. >> let's talk about some of his choices. david jolly, he may choose a republican, supposedly, we haven't heard any republicans

named, but certainly janet yellen on the economic side, and his national security team is bridging the divides in both parts of the democratic party as well. david? >> yeah, andrea, you know, joe biden is ushering in, call it establishment democrats or safe democrats in his early picks, and it's early, there's a lot more to go. it's a unique time in history. this is not a president who ran on a strong ideological agenda. certainly there are ideological principles of the party but this was not an election decided over a strong ideological movement. this was a back to normalcy type election. you're seeing joe biden in the early days of his picks affirm that. and the question is, look, is there really a benefit in him bringing in republicans with much substance? i anticipate we'll see some, each of the past

administrations, republican and democrat, have offered a cabinet positive to somebody from the opposing party. but the question for 2021 is, will the joe biden presidency look like the closing days of his campaign, this one america message, or will it incorporate some of the more progressive direction of the party, or both. that is the challenge for a president trying to unite a party and unite the nation. >> stephanie, we're already seeing from the squad, aoc and her colleagues, pressure against, you know, against some of the more centrists, bruce reed, for instance, a long time domestic policy adviser from clinton world, having bruce reed in the white house. does that seen a little aggressive, to be going after one person at the subcabinet level? >> well, i'm a big fan of bruce reed's, let me state that up front, from both our clinton days in the white house together but also during the obama white house.

yes, i do think it's aggressive. we're two weeks out from having this election called for vice president biden, now president-elect biden. there is a lot of support on the left and in moderate segments of the party for his agenda. i think we should be all working together to get it done. it's not about one person who could be appointed to a position, as you said, andrea, at the sub-cabinet level. and let me be clear, i don't know what he's going to be appointed to, however we should look at the big picture. it's not about one person. this is president-elect biden's agenda that we need to work together to implement. >> and it certainly got off to a slow start, i wanted to show a little more of lester holt asking about this transition, and any contact with the white house, asking, of course, joe biden.

>> have you had any conversations with president trump post-election about paving the way for this transition to happen? any back channel communications? >> no. i believe that his chief of staff and my chief of staff have spoken. but no, i have not heard anything from president trump. >> you don't anticipate any harm from this delay in terms of your ability to do what you want starting day one? >> look, it's a slow start, but it's starting. >> david, he's also saying that he's hoping the transition will not be grudging, so far it's not been, he's praising what he's seen in the last 48 hours. what has to happen, what about mitch mcconnell, what about talks about covid, when is the senate going to put one little step forward? >> it's a great question about

the senate, andrea, because look, presidential transitions are always a little unique. this one certainly is. you can look to history, hoover to fdr, and they had a similar relationship where they didn't want to work together, even during the transition, even though the nation and the world economy was collapsing. so certainly the nation is better and stronger if they can coordinate, but it won't be unusual if trump and biden personally don't. but your question about the senate is so important. as we examine how biden brings together a diverse democratic party, and whether he can or not, can he bring the aoc caucus around or not, he may not be able to, but bipartisanship requires two people reaching across the aisle. what we're seeing from the senate largely is a rejection of joe biden's legitimacy. so we do have to look at republicans on capitol hill and say, hey, don't expect bipartisanship from one end of pennsylvania avenue if you're not willing to give it from the other.

>> stephanie cutter and david jolly, thank you both so much. what some michigan nurses are giving up this holiday weekend so their patients don't have to celebrate thanksgiving alone, that report coming up on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. what about subway? it's a good call and everyone loves it. we raised our kids on it. so it stopped the bickering? (mocking tone) "mom, jj's copying me!" grow up. mom! knock it off! try the new subway buffalo chicken or bbq chicken.

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as americans try to celebrate as best they can in this covid thanksgiving, thousands of covid patients are alone in hospitals across the

country. fortunately front line nurses and doctors are sacrificing their holidays to be there for them. nbc news correspondent ellison barber joins us from lansing, michigan, where nurses are giving up being with their loved ones to be with their patients. ellison, you have rare access inside the hospital today, tell us what you saw. >> reporter: andrea, we wanted to try and talk to some of those nurses who we know often give up their times with their families at holidays to treat patients. this year it's arguably even more important and harder. not only do they still have all of the threats that have been there since the pandemic began, but you also have patients inside the hospital, whether they are positive or covid-19 or something else, where they're not able to have any visitors at all. and so what we saw were hospital staff making sure that they were taking care of these people. they were trying to save lives and they were also trying to make sure that everyone there felt loved and cared for.

w within minutes of being in the hospital, we heard one of the nurses asking if it was okay to bring in cupcakes and balloons whose birthday it was. that patient has been in the icu with covid-19 for 31 days. he was one of the few patients successfully able to come off of a ventilator. he was taken off of a ventilator and survived. and he was the first patient to be taken off of a ventilator here, we're told, and survive, in about 2 1/2 months. >> the celebration is a milestone for them. it's a step in the right direction because we see so many of them that don't make it. when they succeed and successfully get through certain milestones with things like coming off the ventilator, coming down off your oxygen level, your labs improve, we want to celebrate those milestones with them. so the fact that it's his birthday and he's here, we're

celebrating. we're his extended family. because they can't be here. >> reporter: when so many patients are scared and alone in the hospital this holiday season, nurses, hospital staff like the ones we met today, are stepping up not only to care for those patients but to make sure they don't feel alone, andrea. >> ellison barber, thank you. and a very happy thanksgiving to you. from delays in testing to hospital bed shortages to those overworked front line medical workers, is our health care system reaching the breaking point on cases as they surge? an answer from the front lines. stay with us. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. us this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. it also turns into an air fryer. bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. [ engine rumbling ] ♪

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the number of coronavirus cases in the u.s. continuing to skyrocket with more than 12.6 million cases now, more than 261,000 people have died. joining me now, dr. vin gupta, critical care pulmonologist and

affiliate assistant professor at the university of washington. dr. gupta, happy holiday to you, but let's start with the crush on testing. people planning to travel, going out, lining up for tests, and delays in testing. what are you seeing out there? >> good morning, andrea. it's good to see you and happy thanksgiving. what we're seeing, i can speak to what we're seeing in seattle, which is delays in drive-throughs that are routinely used for testing for covid-19, delays such that the city has actually stated, only come if you're symptomatic because right now they're trying to create a priority for who should come versus who should not necessarily come. if you've had a close contact, if you're asymptomatic, don't necessarily come to the drive-through, it's hard to get an appointment. if you're symptomatic and are worried about a close contact exposure, you're more than welcome to. that raises the specter of how can anybody feel safe to travel come this holiday season,

andrea. because one of the key parts of any congregation with anybody is making sure you've tested negative. if we're saying you can't actually get testing, we're saying you can't travel safety, you can't mitigate the risk of transmission on an airplane or a bus, nobody should be traveling, unless it's emergent, because we have a testing crisis again. >> and the cdc is now, according to admiral giroir who i spoke to earlier on the program, within another week we might hear new guidelines for quarantining, recommendations of perhaps seven to ten days rather than the 14 days based on, they say, new data they've learned. he's not signaling which way it's going to go, but that was certainly the impression. we've read it elsewhere. what do you think of that? >> i think that hews to the data really closely, i'm glad they're revisiting it. we know that eight days after the onset of symptoms if you have a positive test, we think

infectiousness to others really, really starts to decline. revisiting that quarantine guideline, seven to ten days after either a close contact or if you're confirmed with the virus and you have symptoms, that seven to ten-day window definitely makes sense. i'm glad they're doing it because it gives confidence because a lot of us have suggested the same thing informally. it would be good to have the cdc's guidance here so we can say it formally. if i can quickly say to all your viewers out there who are thinking about traveling for the holidays, in the last few weeks, we've talked so much about antivirus, remdesivir, more data suggest these are not effective in the treatment of covid-19. the only thing effective is tender loving care by respiratory therapy it's isther

nurses. they just put out a call for rapid response icu workers. that should be sobering thoughts. the critical supply therapeutics is not something you can get in your iv except by respiratory therapy it's ists therapists. >> dr. vin gupta, thank you. water. waiter. water we'll be right back. water we'll be right back r you. r you. it also turns into an air fryer. bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. their laundry smells moremily amazing than ever.in flings,

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and your investment in the grayscale funds. go digital. go grayscale. here is a story about friendship. you could call it thanksgiving for service. it sounds like fiction, but it's true. john "chick" donahue was at a neighborhood bar in new york city. it's november, 1967. the vietnam war is under way. on the news there's a big anti-war protest in central park, the bar keep came up with the idea that someone should bring the soldiers a thank you, a beer. the man who volunteered joining me now, john "chick" donahue, the co-author of the book "the greatest beer run ever," a memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war. "chick" donahue, it's great to see you, thank you for bringing the story.

you were a civilian by then. why did you volunteer and how did you get to vietnam and find your friends? >> well, i was in the neighborhood in the inwood section of manhattan. the manhattan. 6:00 news was coming on and they had demonstrators on from central park that day, and i had actually seen them. and the protest had turned around by then. and they were protesting against the g.i.s. and it bothered me and it bothered everybody in the club. and the conversation changed and bring those guys a beer and let them know that we weren't like those guys. we were behind them and all of that. and i happened to be the only guy who could do that, so i volunteered. that i think i could accomplish that. >> and how did you get to

vietnam? >> well, i was a merchant seaman. i went down to the union hall on 7th avenue and 13th street. and looked up on the shipping wall. and there was a ship -- the "great victory." the mission pier in leonardo, new jersey. and it was going to vietnam. so i signed up as an oiler to work in the engine. and that's how i got to vietnam. >> and once you got there, how did you find your friends? >> well, i had the military addresses. for instance, the first persons on the list was tommy collins. and he was in the hummock 27th military police battalion. and the military police to guard the ship had 127 on their helmets. i just assumed it was probably the same battalion.

i asked them did they know tommy collins from new york. they did. they brought me to him. >> and then you hitch a ride. you even chopper up close to the dmz. you got into a fire fight yourself? >> well, after collins. we spent the night, we had a few drinks in a pub, we sang a few songs, all of that. it was great fun. there was a texan there with a big cowboy hat on, and he had the patch on his shoulder, the 1st air cavalry. which ricky dugan was a part of it. i asked him the same question, do you know ricky dugan? he said, no, i know bravo company and they're up in rnk. i told them a story that he was my stepbrother, whatever i told him. he said you be on the tarmac at

0800 hour, i'll take you. he was a crew chief. i did that. the next time i was there. he put me on his plane, i got off there and found out dugan had left there earlier. was up north. they flew me up north, he was out on the field. and i hitched a ride to the truck to the elze where the helicopters were. they took me to where dugan was. he was out on an ambush post when i got there. it was late in the day. they called him in and they told me to go with him. so, i went with him out to the ambush spot. and they had an ambush that night. at that time, i knew this might have been a mistake, trying this. but i got out a day or two that far. >> you think. >> yeah, better late than never. so, then i tried to escape from vietnam. in my attempt to escape, i went

to staigon, my ship had already sailed. i went back to the american embassy. they put me on a plane, it did. when i showed up at the embassy at 5:00 in the morning, it was under attack by the vietcong. and i got stuck there. my plane, obviously, if it took off, it didn't take me with it. so, i was stuck there for maybe eight weeks before i finally got a job on another ship that took me back to seattle, washington. but in the meantime, i kept looking, i found pappas after that, kevin mcclune in between. i brought them all a beer. and the best thing about the whole story is that they're all alive today, and we still get together. >> that is an amazing story. i know after seeing street yam first hand, you also had different views about the protesters and about the war

itself. but that's for another day. chick donoghue, we can't thank you enough. happy thanksgiving. hoist a beer for me. >> thank you very, andrea. >> you bet. >> i limy wife and i are great fans of yours. she's in the other room watching right now. >> we thank you. finally, in the spirit of chick's incredible beer run which i understand is now bought for a movie, a few words about friendship, family and thanksgiving. i join you wanting to be with my family tomorrow. who wouldn't want to be with your family, what's not to love about thanksgiving, it's the parade, my favorite breeds on the national dog show. football, fabulous food, desserts without guilt. think about the front line workers who are sacrificing their family time and potentially their own health to take care of more than 80,000 americans now hospitalized with covid. think of the people we've lost after all of the superspreader

events. remember those you love who are no longer with us because of this pandemic. the end is in sight, folks. hang on for this holiday season. so we can all enjoy our families and friends in many thanksgivings and christmases and new year's to come. let's show the selflessness and sacrifice from our parents that they showed in the world war. follow the cdc guidelines. wear your masks. keep a social distance. stay safe. live for another holiday season. thanks for being with us. kasie hunt picks up our coverage after the short break. happy holiday, everyone, at home. i just stuff everything in. you have to wash on cold, because it saves energy. the secret is, tide pods work no matter how you wash. so, everyone is right. it's got to be tide.

the coronavirus isn't waiting. the economy isn't waiting. america shouldn't have to wait, either. the american people have spoken. the result is clear. it's time to move forward. and get to work.

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♪ good day and happy thanksgiving eve from washington. i'm kasie hunt. as we prepare for a thanksgiving like no other, president-elect joe biden set to address the nation next hour. he's going to focus on the shared sacrifices that americans are making this holiday season as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country. for the first time since the beginning of this pandemic, the united states saw a record 2 million new cases in just two weeks. and deaths are also on the rise in nearly every state. the surge is so widespread that officials are saying contact tracing is no longer effective. and with the promise of a vaccine just around the corner, u.s. surgeon