♪ 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 general is pleading

with americans to just hold on a little longer. but people are fatigued with the pandemic. and many people to be ignoring the cdc's advice to forego travel over these holidays. and we are going to start right there. with the millions who are traveling for the holiday despite the cdc warnings. nbc's ron allen is at laguardia in new york city. and nbc's valerie castro is at the one of the nation's busiest rest stops. also joining me dr. vanita patel in the obama administration. ron, let me start with you, the tsa say their agents screened nearly 3 milli5 million travele between friday and tuesday. that is, of course, fewer than the number last year but still more than we're seeing through the pandemic. i think we can show everybody what the skies look like right

now. and my question for you -- yeah, there it is. all of the planes that are up in the air right now, across the country. does the airport feel to you like a normal busy travel day? or does it still feel like we're in the middle of a deadly pandemic? >> reporter: honestly, kasie, it feels like we're in the middle of a deadly pandemic with a busy day of travel. it's nothing like it would be if this pandemic were not happening. there's about 1 million people a day traveling, according to those numbers that you gave. but normal times are the numbers will be many, many times that. here at laguardia, it's been people coming steadily through. every fight i looked at on the board is on time. but, it's not nearly what it would be otherwise. and we spoke to some travelers about why they're traveling. and interestingly, many of them almost feel guilty about the fact that they are defying these advisories and these pleadings, if you will, from public health officials to stay home. here's what a couple of them had

to say about why they're still traveling. >> just for family for thanksgiving. >> i'm not going anywhere. my son is actually going to montana to meet his father. >> reporter: okay. >> yeah, it's nerve-racking, though. >> reporter: but everybody, of course, has their hand sanitizer. people wearing masks. this is the new laguardia airport terminal so it's wide open and cavernous. there's social distancing going on, except in line. there are plexiglas barriers between workers so there are precautions in place. we don't know if this is too much travel or what for several weeks until the numbers start coming in. if the numbers are up, just like any other holiday, we will know, in fact, there were too many people out there. here in new york, there are restrictions, if you fly into new york, there's a mandatory quarantine if you arrive without

a negative test from one of 48 states. there are sheriff's deputies out there trying to enforce that and contact tracers trying to hand out travel -- to get travel information from people coming into new york. it's a very difficult thing to do, of course. there are so many people moving about, but the point is that there are fines in place if you don't follow those restrictions. follow those mandatory restrictions to quarantine. but the bottom line is, you know, people are traveling. people are coming. people are going. and the numbers, again, we'll know in a few weeks, based on where the covid numbers are, about whether it was too much or how much of an impact is makes on this still escalating situation. kasie. >> well, the community spread just so intense right now that it's not even possible to track a lot of those folks which pretty nerve-racking. valerie, let me go to you, because so many people are opting to drive instead of flying this year.

i will say, i'm not sure any of us envy you spending a day at a rest stop at a highway. i don't think any of us want to spend a few minutes there. we're all forced to driving down the turnpike. what are we hearing from folks spending this holiday on the road, perhaps, traveling to see family? what are they saying about the calculations they're making? >> reporter: well, kasie, i think people actually heeded some of their advice from aaa and that's to limit their stops because there aren't really too many people in the rest area. here on i-94, you can see the traffic is moving. 90% of travelers are expected to be driving this holiday season. we spoke to one man who decided to drive to st. louis rather than fly. he said he flew twice this year for business but this time he didn't want to take a risk with his family. and we also spoke to a woman

traveling with her three sons she said she and her oldest son actually recovered from covid earlier this year. they know what it is like to be sick. they still plan on going to see family. they say the gathering will be smaller in size and take a listen to what she had to say. >> we got covid in may. we recovered, thank god. we had to go to the hospital. now, we went through it. we don't want to go through it again. and we'll take our measurements to be safe. so, to all of the families and everything, just try to keep safe. it's really hard, but it's for our own health. >> reporter: so, again, people are still traveling, calculating their risks. you heard her, she said they're still taking their temperature. they plan to keep wearing their masks. same with the gentleman i spoke to earlier.

they are still traveling but trying to mitigate the risks they might run into this holiday season, kasie. >> so, dr. patel, let me pick up there. we were talking through with bothch our reporters what could happen because there are so many people out on the road, people not abiding by the cdc guidelines here. how is the virus spread? we had talked a lot about small family gatherings. people letting their guard down, taking off their mask maybe in an indoor space. what is for everyone in the car, listening on their way, what would you tell them to make sure they try and limit this as much as they can? >> yeah. great question, kasie. thanks for having me on thanksgiving eve. it's clear as the numbers are going up all across the country that it's now, even beyond where we can say, oh, it's in bars or restaurants or small gatherings, even if they're outdoors.

we do know that there is kind of a very large increase in people who have said i'm wearing my mask. i'm primarily sticking to my own patterns at home. but when they look back, kasie. they realize, well, i did go to one small party. but we were all social distancing. and i think that speaks to what we know that this is an incredibly sticky virus. and it's asymptomatic in a lot of people until it's too late. they've tested positive and others around them have tested positive. and to your point about advice while driving or flying or thinking about it, i think people have gotten confused and thought if i can get in a car safely, i can then goed me my loved ones. but as you heard from reporting, you still have a risk, even when you get there, if you feel fine that you could still give it or get it from other people. so the safest thing to do is to try to keep social distancing. have the gathering outside if the climate allows for it.

at a minimum safety. open windows, open doors. i realize that's not feasible in many parts of the country. moving air does matter. wearing masks will matter. just as a final reminder, if anybody is sick or starting to get sick and you're on your way and you don't want to disappoint grandma or a special loved one, step back and isolate yourself. even in a visitor's home. create a bedroom in a bathroom where you can isolate yourself and not potentially spread it to others. >> that's absolutely critical advice. i think one thing that's worth reminding people who are -- we're all exhausted. we're all demoralized. we all have been struggled with this for so many months now. there is hope. there is light at the end of the tunnel with these vaccines. and our public health officials are now reminding us, just hold on, we've gotten this far. don't let it fall apart now. my question for you, because i know you worked on this, each

state is being asked to come up for a distribution plan for vaccines when they get here. we think the pfizer vaccine is going to be here, perhaps in a matter of weeks. what have you 19 terms of those plans? are you confident in that where it stands? and what are you seeing to get the vaccine out to people so they can take it? >> every state has had plans ready, and by the way, been practicing what we need to do to make sure vaccines get to people. to your point, we know we're not going to get hundreds of millions of doses right ware. what we're doing, in maryland try to identify the highest priority health care workers. kasie, we're going down to levels of specifics. e.r. doctors, techs and nurses first. and we're even thinking from advisory groups, especially workers, kasie. we're talking about people who operate public transit.

i think the ideal method is going to be through trusted vaccination sites. people in clinics who you trust. i think there's got to be a strong emphasis of communities of color and those offering guidance and advice on a vaccine. and having -- just to be blunt because i had to live a policy role in my life, we need money. states and local jurisdictions and tribal territories, we need money to make sure this goes off without a hitch. because the promise of science has given us an opportunity to get a vaccine. but vaccines don't save lives, vaccinations do. we need to have programs, distribution points. the fact that we need two doses, kasie, makes it logistically more complicated. you got to make sure it comes from the same manufacturer, the second dose. and we're going to need to know about vaccine hesitancy and people that don't understand what vaccines do.

and then here's the really hard news for americans. the vaccine doesn't prevent from you getting the coronavirus. it prevents you from hopefully getting sick from the coronavirus. but we still need to take precautions like washing our hands and probably wearing masks for the near future. >> that's an important reminder. but i think it's good for the holiday season, i think this is all what we were hoping for, no matter what holiday you happen to celebrate. ron allen, valerie castro, dr. kavita patel. we want to go to quick breaking news. we have just learned that covid-19 is forcing one thanksgiving day football game to be postponed. the baltimore ravens/pittsburgh steelers game set tomorrow night on nbc has been moved to sunday afternoon after abundance of caution for ravens players. no word on game time for sunday.

just ahead here, lester holt's exclusive interview with president-elect joe biden how he plans to take on the coronavirus from day one. and later, the next 99 days. a closer look at the biden administration's ambitious goals for the first 100 days in office. you're watching msnbc. how much you'll need, and build a straightforward plan to generate income, even when you're not working. a plan that gives you the chance to grow your savings and create cash flow that lasts. along the way, we'll give you ways to be tax efficient. and you can start, stop or adjust your plan at any time without the unnecessary fees. talk to us today, so we can help you go from saving...to living. this was the theater i came to quite often. the support we've had over the last few months has been amazing. it's not just a work environment. everyone here is family.

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♪ welcome back. in an nbc news exclusive, president-elect joe biden sat down with my colleague lester holt for his first one-on-one interview since election day. the wide-ranging conversation began with the latest developments on the president-elect's transition team, as well as plans for how covid-19 vaccines will be distributed to the public. >> some key members of your cabinet today, a very experienced group, a very diverse group. clearly, you were trying to send a message. you can articulate what that

message is? >> america's back. we're at the head of the table once again. i've spoken with over 20 world leaders and they are literally very pleased and some are excited america's going to reassert its role in the world and be a coalition builder. >> this lineup, those you've selected so far, a lot of familiar faces among them. what do you say to those if you're wondering if you're trying to create a third obama term. >> this is not a third obama term because there's -- we face a totally different world than we faced in the obama/biden administration. the president, president trump, has changed the landscape. it's become america first, it's been america alone. we find ourselves in a position where alliances are being frayed. it's a totally different -- that's why i found people who have joined the administration and keep points that represent the spectrum of the american people, as well as the spectrum

of the democratic party. >> have you considered for the sake of national unity, selecting or nominating a republic republican? >> yes. and we still have appointments to make. i want this country to be united with purpose of our administration, once again united. we can't keep this political dialogue going. it has to end. >> do we expect an announcement? >> no. >> not ever, or not soon? >> no, not soon. >> okay. what about former rivals from your own party, bernie sanders, elizabeth warren. have you talked to them about cabinet positions? >> i talked to them, because i said, we already have significant representation among progressives in our administration. but there's nothing really off the table. one thing is really critical. taking someone out of the senate. taking someone out of the house. particularly a person of consequence.

is really a difficult decision that has to be made. i have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda. and it's going to take really strong leaders in the house and senate to get it done. >> the head of the gsa yesterday unlocked the mechanisms for there to be a formal transition of power, recognizing your status right now. is that happening on the ground, are people talking right now -- >> yes. >> -- who weren't talking yesterday? >> yes. immediately we've got outreach from the national security shop. from -- just across the board. and they're already working out my ability to get the presidential daily briefings, we're already working out and meeting with the covid team in the white house and how to not only distribute but to get from a vaccine being distributed to a person being able to get vaccinated. so, i think we're going to be not 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. so, yes, it's already begun. >> did you receive the presidential daily brief today? >> not today. but we are -- it will be starting very shortly. maybe as early as tomorrow. >> have you had any conversations with president trump post-election about, you know, paving the way for this transition to happen? any backchannel 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? >> well, look, it's a slow start. but it's starting. and there's two months left to

go, so i'm feeling good about the ability to be able to get up to speed. and i fully expect, based on what we've heard so far, we'll get full cooperation of each of agencies in question. >> the day you take office there could be two, maybe three vaccines out there. >> yes. >> we understand that health care workers will be first in line. what about the rest of us? how will it roll out? will we go to our doctor's office, will we line up at a stadium to get them? who will determine the recipients? >> first of all allegedly -- i don't mean that in an accusatory way, allegedly, the administration has a rollout when they think it should occur, when it will be available and how. we'll look at that we may alter that or keep the exact same outlet but that's in train right now. we haven't gotten that.

secondly, i've had a zoom with the meeting governors in the country. five republicans, five democrats. we talked extensively about the need to cooperate and get the vaccine in new places where you can actually get vaccinated. and their ideas of who they think should go first. i think we should be focusing on, obviously, the docs, the nurses, those people who are the first responders. i think we should also be focusing on being able to open schools as rapidly as we can. i think it can be done safely. so there's a lot to work out in the next two months as to exactly how it will be distributed. now, maybe the hope is, we can actually begin to distribute it, this administration can begin to distribute it, before we are sworn in to take office. and so, it's all in train right now. i'm feeling good, though, that now we'll be able to get all of the hard data we need which has been unavailable to us now. >> and we're going to have much more to come from lester's exclusive interview with the

president-elect, including how he plans to try to keep kids in school during the pandemic. plus, one of his biggest legislative priorities. we'll be right back. whoo. i'm gonna grow big and strong. yes, you are. i'm gonna get this place all clean. i'll give you a hand. and i'm gonna put lisa on crutches! wait, what? said she's gonna need crutches. she fell pretty hard. you might want to clean that up, girl. excuse us. when owning a small business gets real, progressive helps protect what you built with customizable coverage. -and i'm gonna -- -eh, eh, eh. -donny, no. -oh.

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for his first 100 days in office. >> we know the vaccine is going to happen. but as we speak, people are ignoring advice to stay home. they're crowding airports around the country right now. you call for a national mask mandate. how much power as president will you have to influence people in ways you've 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. they're critical, critical pieces to dealing with bringing down this virus in a more manageable place. the words of a president matter. and i think it's critically important, i think it's a patriotic responsibility, to wear a mask, to socially distance. >> a moment ago, you mentioned schools. i want to ask you. new york city recently went back

to at-home learning only. other big cities have made the same choice. what will you do to get kids back in school? how much will you be working the phones and working with governors and mayors? >> well, it takes a lot of money to get it back. estimates are 150 to $200 billion a year to safely reopen our schools. for example, we know we have to change everything from ventilation systems in schools. we have to make sure -- everyone from sanitary workers right through to the bus drivers, they have to be clued in. they have to be protected. they need the ppe. they need the gear. they need the ability to have smaller modules of classes. >> you've got schools closed right now in places where restaurants are open. are our priorities correct? >> i think we should be able to do both. look. i'm very concerned about the schools. i -- for example, i was on a call yesterday, it was mayor de blasio, the largest school

district in the country. he is in a position where it costs tens of millions of dollars to be able to safely open the schools. so, there's a lot we can do, but it is the single best expenditure of our dollars we can engage now is to provide for these kinds of protections. not only the protective gear, but the ppe, meaning the ability to allow businesses and other operations to be able to open and have the wherewithal, the financial aid to open safely. >> tell me about day one in the white house, day one through 100. your first 100 days. what are your priorities going to be in the first days? >> some of it is going to depend on the kind of cooperation i can or cannot get from the united states congress. i'm going to make a commitment in the first 100 days. i will send an immigration bill to the united states senate with a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people in america.

i'll also be moving to do away with some of the, i think, very damaging executive orders that have significantly impacted on making the climate worse. and making us less healthy from methane, to a whole range of things the president has done, in my view has eviscerated the epa, the environmental protection agency. there are also things i want to do that relate to the ability to make sure we get immediatal assistance to state and local governments, to keep them from basically going under. so, it's going to be, instead of what in a normal circumstance, you'd set your priorities, there's multiple things that are going to have to be taking place at the same time. but the most important thing, i think, is, while i do -- while we try to do all of this, focus on those folks who are always, when crisis hits, the first one hit. and recovery comes, the last one

in. that's basically minute majority communities. going to hurt very badly. making sure we get the aid that was voted on in the house and passed by the senate, in some cases, and much of which is not passed. get the kind of help to keep people afloat. people, i mean, i remember -- i remember my dad being restless. i remember one night, i could hear my dad. you could just hear the bed moving. i said, mom, what's wrong with dad? she said, honey, he's worried, we just -- had moved jobs and he lost his health insurance. he doesn't know what to do. think of all the people, all the people, who are laying at night, awake at night, staring at the ceiling thinking, god forbid, what happens, we have to act.

we have to act, to guarantee access to affordable health insurance. this is more than just a financial crisis. it's a crisis that is causing real mental stress for millions of people. millions of people. and it's within our power to solve it. and to grow the economy at the same time. the same time. >> 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. there are a number of investigations that i've read about that at a state level. there's nothing at all i can or cannot do about that.

but i'm focused on getting the american public back in a place where they have some certainty, some surety, some knowledge that they can make it. and the middle class and the working class people are being crushed. that's my focus. >> 2020 is not only the year of covid, it's the year of breonna taylor and george floyd. if something happens with a response, how will the biden administration approach that? >> first of all, the way we approached it in the last administration, and that is not hype it up. look at the facts. make sure it is determined what happened. have the agency, the police agency have to be investigated if in fact it were, get all the detail. look, the only thing i know, all the years i've worked with both the community as well as police, is that the only people that

dislike bad cops more than the community are cops. the vast majority of them are straight, honest and responsible. and the last thing they need is bad cops. cops who act out. and so there has to be accountability. and we're going to be working with police chiefs, with the community, with civil rights organizations. and convening conference in the white house. in the white house. to determine how we move forward. it's about bringing people together. and joining me now to talk more about what we've seen from the president-elect over the last day or so, los angeles times writer eli sokos. eli, let me start with you, the introduction of biden's national security team or at least a sizable portion of them all underscores that main campaign

message that he ran on, which is a return to normal. there's part of me that watched that event, that just watched this interview with lester holt and thought, oh, right, this is what politics typically is. it is such a contrast to what we have been focusing on for the last four years, quite frankly. how do you think we evolve from here? what's the next move for the biden transition? especially now that they actually do have the resources that they need to move forward and actually work with government agencies. >> well, i think they'll continue working on filling out the cabinet and they'll continue to focus on what they're going to have to do as soon as they take office in mid-january when it comes to vaccination distribution and focusing on the pandemic as well as trying to settle a legislative calendar. kasie, you've seen every move that biden has made, since declared the president-elect really aligns itself with the

campaign trying to represent himself for all americans. and to really lower the temperature to take down the partisanship and pettiness of politics that we've seen metastasize over the last four years. it's a big job. you're seeing that with the nominee, where the president-elect is opt ing not o complain about the food-dragging. not to denigrate the trump administration as far as their plan for the vaccine distribution. and he's really trying to present the problem that the country faces in human terms, in terms of how it's affecting real people. i think it reflects an understanding how great the challenges are. how calcified the partnership has become. and to try to take that message down a little bit. and if he does that, i think the thinking is that he will perhaps create a little bit more room for his administration to move in terms of advancing a agenda

that they want to move on the hill. >> you know, i think we haven't spent enough time focusing on that reality. while biden's team was angry how far it got to the transition itself, biden himself held steady. really gave space to american senators to make their own peace with what was going on and used that strategy. that said, it hasn't been smooth sailing with republicans in congress. annie, we saw marco rubio tweet about biden's team, talking about how they were basically going to see america's decline. it will be a polite and orderly caretakers of america's decline. it seems like a bid for rubio's populist takeover in the future. and as we see that opposition play out among republicans.

the challenge i have with this, you know, america built the post-war economy, the global economy, that has really carried freedom, you know, determined our way of life, defended democracy across the globe. and many of those alliances that under girded that, nato, probably most critical at the forefront, have been really tested at the trump administration. how do republicans square this -- they want to criticize biden's foreign policy, if they've ever divided with trump on anything it has been on this issue. >> yeah, and i think we're seeing biden struggle with the foreign policy team as well. the people he rolled out yesterday are a lot of familiar faces. a lot of friends, a lot of people who have been -- and i heard from a few republicans yesterday looking at the stage and saying, wow, that looks like the deep state. and biden tried to present these as fresh faces, not a third term

of obama. not the same foreign policy that would have defined obama's third term. and this is going to be a tension for him, too. how does he look at the stage now four years later with bigger competitive threats from china. he said in the lester holt interview that he sees this we're in a very different place than four years ago, in a large part because of president trump's foreign policy. so, he has his own tight rope walk to walk here. trying to present this as a bunch of fresh faces when this is and does look in many ways like a continuation of what we saw before. in terms of moving forward, i think that what -- sorry, did you -- are you interrupting me? >> no, no, go ahead. >> oh, i think eli is exactly right that the biden campaign held a press conference today on zoom where they reiterated again

how prepared every agency has been to start the transition, now that the gsa is allowing them to. how, from the career workers to the chief of staff mark meadows who has talked to incoming chief of staff ron klain. there's coordination and it's welcome. they're separating the president out of this saying we don't need to talk to him. biden has no need to speak to trump to get this going. we're 36 days going, but we're really not that behind. they want to be optimistic and positive about this working out. they're kind of giving kudos to everyone, except the one person, the president who is still saying he didn't lose the election and that it's not determined yet. >> still refusing to concede. and it is a remarkable break with tradition, because ex-presidents as they have come and gone have typically had those private conversations. it's a very small and loney

club. eli stoklos and annie kearney, thank you very much. we heard president-elect biden talk about his first 100 days in office is it achievable with the congress? and later, the front line workers who are giving up their holidays to help those who need it most. t. you can even order on the subway® app! did i just get picked off by deion sanders? you sure did! now in the app, get a free footlong when you buy two. because it's footlong season™!

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welcome back. joe biden's stated plans for his first 100 days are pretty ambitious. he promised to take quick action on covid relief. has said he'll move on immigration reform. and vouch for president trump's rollback on environmental policy. but biden's path forward will largely depend on whether he has cooperation in what's likely to be a divided congress. joining me is politico senior washington correspondent anna palmer. anna, you and i both know that list right there is more like a

year than two year's worth of work than a 100-day project. and some of the environmental stuff is likely things that, perhaps, biden can do on his own or through government agencies. the reality is, no matter who wins control of the senate, i want to get to that in a second. let's assume for a minute, mitch mcconnell hangs on to the senate. we're in a divided government and the house, as we know is retained by the democrats but by an incredible margin. they lost majority in many many years. that means democrats don't have room for division in their own ranks or they're not really going to get anything done. biden has hung on a lot to the fact that he's a dealmaker and has relationships with the other side that he's going to be able to work under those kinds of constraints. you've covered a lot of this. i think you and i both know there may be something to that, but also all of the lessons we've learned in the last couple years say that would be going a

lot against a lot of recent history for the gridlock to just break that way? >> yeah, i think biden has been very optimistic, and they've been optimistic about the way he's going to change the way washington works. as you and i both know it's been gridlocked in basically a congress that's been shuttling towards, you know, economic destruction when there's a government funding fight. just case after case, very little has gotten done. i'm one that is skeptical that, you know, joe biden's relationship and knowledge of senate majority leader mitch mcconnell in a divided congress is going to make a huge impact. we've already seen this. it's not like mitch mcconnell and joe biden call each other, you know, over coffee and talk how they can work together. i think it's going to be very difficult. you've already started to see some of the signals among senate republicans questioning some of his cabinet picks. but those big issues, immigration, for instance, we both covered the last time there

tried to be a bipartisan deal and it broke apart. and the parties have never been farther apart on this issue than today. >> that's a good point. and that issue so incredibly difficult and emotional and divisive in congress. if that's the way it's going to go down, it's going to be the one major policy effort they'll be able to undertake. and covering congress is like covering a crisis management agency, they lurch from one agency to the next, instead of doing the bigger policy bills. you also mentioned the cabinet. i want to talk about that for a second because that is still my big question. if mcconnell is majority leader, if seems like there are a handful of republicans willing to work with joe biden to look at what have been pretty mainstream cabinet choices. and say, okay, the president should have a cabinet. that's part of the rights of the office. that's certainly what republicans said voting in favor of president trump's picks. but there's still question whether mcconnell is able to

move through that with any speed, et cetera. how do you think the cabinet picks are going to play out if mcconnell is running the show? >> i think that is a big question mark, to your point. you have seen the trump campaign -- or excuse, me, joe biden's transition team call for the cabinet process to move forward. typically, a lot of those hearings happen before inauguration. both trump and barack obama had several of their nominees actually confirmed beforehand. so, when you think about this process, the question is, mitch mcconnell has not said what he is going to doful he agrees with that or not. certainly, the biden campaign administration would be aided and benefited by the fact that having some of those vetting, having some of those hearings done in advance of the inauguration. >> all right. anna palmer, thank you so much for being here with us as always. i hope you have a very happy thanksgiving. just ahead here, we're going to meet the front line workers who are giving up time with

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to find some comfort this holiday season. joining me now is alison barber. good to see you on this thanksgiving eve. talk to us about these health care workers and the heros that are frankly preparing for thanksgiving. many looking after patients that can't even see their own families because they're battling with covid. >> yeah, that is the thing to remember this holiday season. this is the first major family oriented holiday and the start of a very family oriented holiday season for so many people where you have thousands of patients across the country in the hospital. for the first time certainly in my life the vast majority of them are unable to have any sort of visitor because of covid-19. in many ways the nurses are having to step up and take on that role of being family members for these people so they're not alone.

the nurses and staff here are doing exactly that. i met one woman this morning on the critical care floor. she works as a technician. she is someone tasked with making sure that the critical care flow is clean. going into the rooms of patients with covid-19 taking their trash and making sure they have everything they need. so asked to work on this floor. she has been working here every day since. here is a little about what she told us. >> we're more than caregivers. we become their friends. we become, you know, that shoulder to cry on. we become that person to laugh with and talk to. i'm known as the talking housekeeper. i love to talk. the first thing i ask is how are you spp the you? is there anything i can do for

you? if they cry, i cry with them. they talk, i talk with them. everyone knows how many children i have, my children, what i do, that's just, the conversation is amazing and we just make sure they're never alone. >> ashley, along with all of the other nurses working on the floor this morning paused for a moment to separate the birthday of one of their patients. he is a covid-19 patient who had been in the hospital in critical care here for 31 days. he was on a ventilator. he is one of the few patients to be successfully taken off of a ventilator with this virus. one nurse told me he was the first patient they were able to take off of a ventilator in about two-and-a-half months to successfully take him off in about two-and-a-half months. they are celebrating a milestone like this one today.

one nurse that went into that room said his extended family cannot be here. we're going to be that for him. kaci? >> alison barber, thank you so much. and also thanks to the nurses everywhere. we're so grateful for all of you. thank you for being with us this hour. katy tur picked up our coverage after a quick break.

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good amp, i'm katy tur, it is 11:00 a.m. out west and 2:00 p.m. in the east if is the day before thanksgiving and in just a moment we're expecting to hear the first address, the first thanksgiving address by the incoming president and it will not be like any other we heard in the past. officials all over are warning that it is the small gathering inside of your home that's are the most dangerous right now. we're expecting joe biden to address that and the shared sacrifices that americans are making this holiday season. he will also remind us, we're to told, that we will get through this. officials are begging american to stay home as cases surge all over the country. for the first time since the start of this pandemic the