it's going to be a very hard thing because we know there was massive fraud. >> if the electoral college does elect president-elect joe biden are you not going to leave this building? >> certainly i will. certainly i will. >> good morning and welcome to "am joy." i'm maria theresa kumar. less than 24 hours after donald trump told reporters he would leave office if the electoral college finalizes joe biden's win, he took to twitter to falsely claim biden couldn't enter into office until his 80 million votes could be proven legal. lucky for trump the courts are doing a great job of that already. on friday a philadelphia appeals court ruled the trump campaign could not stop or attempt to reverse pennsylvania's vote certification. in a blistering rebuke the rule being stated charges require specific allegations and then proof. we have neither here. the president also told

reporters he plans to visit georgia a week from today to rally support for republican candidates ahead of the two senate runoffs. but in the past few weeks are any indication he'll likely be going to georgia to tout some debunked fraud conspiracies. joining me now opinion columnist for "the washington post," shauna thomas, msnbc political contributor, david jolly, former congressman and contributor, and latasha brown, co-founder of black votes matters. thank you for joining me. shauna, i want to start with you. you have followed a lot of these political campaigns and you're what i would call someone who gets into the weeds of political campaigning but also candidates, which what is donald trump right now thinking? there is a lot of telegraphing he wants to promptly announce his 2024 campaign. is this the rabbit hole he's trying to go under? >> well, i mean even in that

presser that we saw after he thanked members of the troops on thanksgiving he didn't even really acknowledge the question of 2024. but i think what -- i can't tell you what he's thinking but i think what we can see is he wants to retain power of some sort, right? he wants to possibly have that 2024 race be something republicans are thinking about, and he wants to make sure that he is actually in control of the republican party and that they in some ways have to continue to kowtow to him. and i think the georgia runoffs is actually a very interesting test of what his power will be. he says he's going down there next weekend. how he speaks, how he behaves, how he talks about the race and these two candidates will help us understand what kind of power he has once we see how that vote actually turns out. is there a large republican turn out, do they vote for perdue and

lofler? do the republicans end up keeping control, and will he be able to take any kind of credit for that? but a lot of that depends on what he says. and if he continues to undermine the electoral process in georgia, which he is still doing. >> and this is it, david jolly. i want to bring you in because listen to what trump had to say about the secretary of state from georgia. >> the secretary of state who is really -- he's an enemy of the people, the secretary of state. and whether he's republican or not this man what he's done. >> david, the secretary of state for georgia he penned an op-ed in the usa today stating not only did i vote for donald trump but my family voted for donald trump, but i'm trying to safeguard the integrity of the elections. as a former elected official speak to how unusual it is that we have a president right now trying to negate an election that's clearly not fraudulent?

>> well, it's exceedingly dangerous, maria. and what i would say is just as donald trump tries to contextualize his loss as though he was cheated it's on us to contextualize as well. what i mean by that is donald trump says the system is broken, the election is rigged. i think the narrative we should embrace is this is america at its strongest. this is how the system works. what we've learned through four years of donald trump is that the constitution is greater than the vanity of any one man, right? we saw the president investigated and actually impeached by the house of representatives for wrongdoing. we saw the senate in its discretion acquit him. we've seen him file these meritless claims about a rigged election, and independent courts have thrown them out of court saying there's no merit. the american people who brought in donald trump in 2016 have ushered him out in 2020. the constitution is working. where the danger is in donald

trump's words is the deception of the bully pulpit and the deception of one man when he amplifies this notion about the secretary of state of georgia or that the election was rigged, that deception can undermine our own confidence. and that's why it's important for us to contextualize the integrity of the elections in this moment, the strength of america in this moment and recognize it is a deception that donald trump is playing right now aross the nation. it is our job to reject it in this moment and properly record for history joe biden won this election and america stood up and with stood the deception of an incumbent president. >> listen to these headlines we saw this week of all the courts basically saying that republicans are suing but they are losing. three minnesota house lawmakers file lawsuit against secretary of state simon and lost. you see the ruling last night

also from pennsylvania also showing that he lost. speak to why it's important for us to not only remind the american people but also folks that are outside of the united states that are looking for alliances in the united states saying can we trust your system. >> right, well i think the key to this is what you started out by saying earlier. what is donald trump thinking? and i think he's not thinking anything at all. he suffered a narcissistic injury and he's reacting out of his gut. that's why he went on joseph stalin on the court georgia secretary of state joining the media as enemy of the people. evidently there are a lot of enemies of the people. so i think we'd be surprised if donald trump were acting in any other way than the way he is right now. but we are seeing the institutions of democracy hold. we've seen court ruling or up to 20 or so he's lost.

he's not won a single one of these cases brought after the election. and i think the world is seeing that we have a very bizarre man in a position of power for another 60 or 90 days, but the institutions are holding. we even see republicans -- few but enough of them -- standing up against what he's doing right now. we see the courts doing it. if only somebody like mitch mcconnell had some integrity we'd be done with this. >> i want to bring you in. your lives work has been to franchise voters. i we saw a harsh rebuke from the appeals court from trump saying, quote, voters not lawyers choose a president. the court declared at one point. ballots not briefs decide elections. why is this important for the work you do? >> i think when we're talking about what happened in this election in georgia it's -- so

what happened to the folks in georgia rejected trump and rejected what we had to offer. so when we're talking about what is at stake right now, when we're talking about people rising up, that's what makes democracy strong, when people actually engage in the process. let's be clear in this election cycle there's been a hand count and he still came out on the losing end. the people of georgia have spoken, and i think they're going to come back out, we're going to do it again. so it's more reflective of people i think and more reflective of the strength of american people. >> let's leave the image of donald trump on his tiny desk and now let's move forward that he's going to go to georgia almost seven days from now. shawna, talk a bit about when race will look like. at the same time encouraging these same voters to go out and vote. which is it for him?

>> i think we'll actually see what comes out of his mouth when he's actually in the state of georgia. but you do rightfully point out the problem with his argument. if he's going to continue to say the vote was rigged and your votes didn't count properly and biden didn't win in the state, then how does he encourage people to go vote again with a system that hasn't actually changed that much and in some ways is even more taxed than it was before. and mind you the vote wasn't rigged. this is the count. biden won georgia. it is what it is. but also if you look at that perdue-ossoff race, perdue got more votes than jon ossoff. so is he also saying that doesn't matter, that none of those votes matter? it's a really confusing argument. so it's interesting to see what is going to be the test of donald trump's coattails? which part of him wins out, and is he willing to modify his message enough to make his coattails mean something?

because if they don't mean anything and democrats end up winning those two runoff races then i think that means donald trump is in the wilderinous. why do republicans have to do what he says or make him show up to events or anything like that if he can't bring these two republicans in a state that is very, very close over the finish line? and right now he's not doing a good argument for that, but i'm curious to see how he makes it work on december 5th. >> so david, asking you as someone who ran as well, is this becoming a referendum on donald trump? are these two senate seats one big race? talk to me about that. >> you know, maria i was elevated to congress in a nationally watched special election. i mean the entire political nation came to town. it's a weird dynamic. it's a very intense dynamic and everyone wants to come help. >> did you want their help?

>> exactly. and without naming names but it rhymes with lot, there was a governor of florida i did not want to come to my race because his negatives were so high. for these two georgia candidates donald trump usually you want the guy who won the state to come to town for your behalf. donald trump was the first republican to win georgia in about 30 years. so the question is why would you bring to town the republican who became the first republican in 30 years to lose the state of georgia? i think this will be an interesting test for today and going forward. can the republican party survive donald trump the man? it will survive trumpism. it's stronger than ever. republicans performed stronger than ever just as democrats have. trumpism has not hurt the republican party by performance. trump the man is suffocating the party. and i think that's going to be a little bit of a myopic or a

little bit of a small example of what we see in georgia. can the republican party survive donald trump the man? it's fine with trumpism, but can it sursurvive the man? >> we know with that in order for joe biden to pass some of his ambitious legislation he's going to need a senate thaworks on his side and it's all eyes on georgia. read the tea leaves for me. >> i think we're going to see a repeat. i think it's going to be an inten intense battle. but folks are really dedicated on voting this next election cycle. i do think part of the loss we saw in georgia is georgia is known to be a red state, but i think he bought a lot of weight in that campaign and he'll continue to do so. so i do believe that what we're going to see is we're going to see a repeat of what we saw in the general election. we're going to see an upset. >> back with us in the next hour

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joe biden can be facing a crisis in iran when he takes office. iran's top nuclear scientist was killed in a daytime ambush friday. the scientist was considered to be the architect of iran's secret nuclear program halted in 2003. while nbc news has not independently confirmed details surrounding his death iran's former minister has implicated israel in the attack but israel has not commented on the allegations. joining me now a former state department senior advisor and host of sirius xm, and colonel lawrence wilkerson, former chief of staff for secretary of state

colin powell. so i'd like to start with you. what exactly is happening right now? what are we hearing? >> the latest that's happening is that the iranian president has come out with a statement essentially saying iran is not going to walked into what he called a trap by the israelis to escalate and create a war because that is in his assessment what the israelis want. but it's not clear that's the view of other elements inside the country. some of this debate is starting to take place in public in which the argument made by the other side is these assassinations continue to take place because in their view it the iranians have not responded harshly enough to previous attacks and the only way to reprevent future attacks is respond really harshly to this one. if that happens, however, there's a significant risk for a major potential escalation of

war. >> how unusual would it be for the united states to not have not bip informed of this? do you believe the white house knew this was going to happen? >> it would be extremely unusual, maria theresa. i have to believe they were informed. trump's whole effort now seems to befoul the recent elections. i don't think he's very attentive to it, but mipompeo t secretary of state is. the saudis are willing to fight the iranians to the last dead american. and i would add b.b. netanyahu. that's what ware looking at here. they want as a major outcome a war. as a middle ground outcome they want a bombing campaign against iranian nuclear facilities. and as a minimum amount they

want any possibility of the new president joe biden reentering the joint comprehensive plan of action and it looks like they're well on that road to success. >> to follow up on that i think what the colonel is stating what implicates perhaps the role of the white house in this, we know that netanyahu has been a very strong ally of donald trump. donald trump has been very clear he's an ally of israel but also was the one responsible for pulling out of the nuclear deal with iran. and the idea that we're hearing possibly is that donald trump perhaps did this, had the israelis do this informing donald trump, but also is this netanyahu's attempt to do something under this current administration that he knows he may not be able to do with the biden administration. >> well, the biden

administration has certainly picked up where the -- we know it was more about eliminating the ability for iran to get a nuclear weapon. netanyahu was opposed, the sod es were opposed but this was a coordinated effort between european countries including russia and the united states. with the united states pulling out that really opened the door for israel and the saudis to look to other avenues to influence the united states. you also had with trump the national security advisor and john bolton who was an iran war hawk. and so some of that still remains, and netanyahu just last week was meeting and talking with mohamed been solman the

crown prince of saudi arabia. that's the key thing is how much can they box in biden's options by engaging the united states under a trump administration or while trump is still commander in chief? >> so the u.s. hasn't officially commented on what occurred. what is your take this idea perhaps what netanyahu is trying to do is box in president-elect biden? >> no, i think that's absolutely correct. and i think it's also correct with what wilkerson said there was probably some sort of implicit green light from the administration for netanyahu to go forward with this. however, it's also important to recognize that netanyahu must also have calculated that biden probably does not have the political will to inflict a cost, impose a cost to netanyahu if he does these things to box in biden. and i think it's up to the biden administration to prove

netanyahu wrong because i doubt netanyahu would have gone down this path unless he felt it was pretty much cost-free from him. not just from trump but also from biden. >> so colonel wilkerson, we know right now the individual that look tuesday be taking over the secretary of state is tony blinken. he's someone that has incredible experience on the diplomatic front. what would you be advising him right now? what should he be looking for as he enters what is going to be incredibly messy on the international front? >> listen to the november talk he gave. he knows the region better than anyone i know from israel. and yosi gave a talk that demonstrated the extraordinary

complexities that are going to confront blinken and biden as they take the reins of power. those complexities have to be taken into consideration, and it's going to take exquisite diplomacy if it's even possible to do the kind of things that need to be done. i don't envy their path because so many are opposed to their action. >> what are you thinking right now as you're looking into the transition of the biden administration? i think you had counseled what the colonel did is absolutely on point. what is going on right now in the joe biden administration is preparing to take this on? we've actually seen an increase in uranium production it seems from iran, but we've also seen a lot of the sanctions have just not helped the iranian people. speak a bit about what happens right now from a biden administration, again, finding this mess in your hands.

>> it is not going to be easy for a biden administration to jump right back into this negotiated agreement that the europeans have upheld. and what tony blinken and the national security advisor sullivan will be facing is a world and region that just doesn't trust the united states to keep its word at the moment. so i think they'll have to be using all sorts of levers of engagement but at least they're coming in with the credibility of having an understanding and a nuanced experience in the region and in europe. and that's been a challenge trump has been very black and white and is dealing with netanyahu. one of the options that is on the table on the diplomatic front for the biden-harris administration to pursue is engagement with israelis who oppose the corruption and the right wing netanyahu regime. he's by no means a solid prime minister in his own domestic situation. similarly, it would require also confronting the saudi and their interests in arms deals and

trading with israel and what they also do in the region. so this really will require deft diplomacy and engaging with all actors including publics directly and the people of the region. but i think the skill set and experience is sternly there to do that. >> one of the things we're concerned with is the iranians may retaliate. but there's also consensus for them to wait it out, wait for the biden administration. what's your take? >> i think everyone is hoping right now that they do so because at the end of the day if there was a harsh reaction right now it would beget the worst of all outcomes. the problem i think that iranians are seeing is they're not seeing enough reaction from the outside world. the europeans came with a state that i think the iranians will read as being too weak and the biden team has not said anything yet. there may need to be a little bit harsher reaction from other

actors in order to signal they do recognize this was an assassination, a reckless act, this was aimed at undermining diplomacy. and it's not just on the iranian tuesday show restraint. others who can impose on other actors and israel should show restraint as well. coming up, millions of americans are traveling again. we'll ask an expert what effects this will have on the coronavirus. will have on the coronavirus. at fidelity, you'll work with an advisor to help you build a flexible wealth plan.

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up next, the surge in thanksgiving travel despite warnings from health officials. we'll discuss what it could mean as a number of covid cases top 13 million. laurie garret jones us when we come back. stale with us for more joy after the break. back. stale with us for more joy after the break. not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right.

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we are at a dire point in our fight with this virus by any measure. we want everyone to understand these holiday celebrations can be super spreader events, so we want them to be smart and as small as possible. >> even with this dire warning the tsa recorded its highest number ofl weekend passengers since the pandemic began in march. over 3 million people traveled to celebrate the holiday this weekend and more are expected to travel today. this as covid-19 continues to rage out of control.

the cdc says the real number could be much higher. joining me now is laurie garret. i want to start with this idea that we have 13 million confirmed cases but when it says it could be more we're talking about potentially eight times more. could you unpack that? >> well, sure, maria. first of all what we know is that most people who are going to get tested are doing it for one of two basic reasons. either they're about to do something where they don't want to endanger others. they're going to travel, go to school, what have you, job. so they're getting a test because of that. or more likely they know they've been exposed. someone called them and said, hey, remember that party you're at, well mary's come down with covid so they've gone to get a test. that means what we're seeing are

people sort of the worry well. they're okay but they're nervous, they're anxious. it's not a general reflection of the whole society because most people who are infected are completely unaware that they are carrying the virus and that they can transmit it to others. so we know we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg to use an over wrought cliché phrase. when you look at the tests coming back right now in america this is to me the scary data point. 9.3% of all tests nationwide yesterday came back positive for infection. so that means even though this is a fairly chaotic effort we don't have some well-designed pattern of testing, it's whoever queues up in the parking lot, right? but it's coming back 9% positive. >> for folks to understand 9% positive, that's almost statistically really difficult

to achieve unless the numbers are much higher and goes back to my point if it is eight times higher we're talking about close to 100 million perhaps cases in the united states. when is it that we get to quote-unquote herd immunity? >> well, we're not. it's not going to happen. not without a concerted national vaccine aim it's not going to happen. and we've seen many places where infection rates are incredibly high. i was going through the data, excuse me for looking at my notes but in idaho yesterday 48% of all the tests came back positive. in south dakota 43% came back positive. so you're getting to a point now where half the population in random testing is coming up positive for infection. if that doesn't start approaching herd immunity it doesn't exist for this virus.

and there are so many states now running over 20% coming back positive that it's really quite terrifying. when you realize that yesterday we had 205,000 new cases, so we're over the 200,000 a day mark, and you just do the math and with no intervention i mean we are months away from mass distribution of a vaccine no matter how optimistically you look at the situation, right? so you just do the math and say 200,000 a daytimes say 30 days and now you're into catastrophic levels of circulating virus in the united states. and i think we're already pretty close to catastrophe here in the usa. we have more than 90,000 people in hospitals right now. and for many this is the capacity the hospital can possibly reach. they may have more beds but they don't have more doctors and nurses. they don't have more intake officers, more ambulance

drivers. they don't have more morgue space. they don't have more people to handle the bodies and do the autopsies and pass the bodies onto morticians. i mean, we are literally breaking the bank in every direction. and nothing shows any signs of a positive retreat from this horrible catastrophic situation. and so, you know, with about 70 million americans traveled over the holiday despite every plea from every public health expert nationwide including myself, my humble voice saying please don't this year, please find another way to show your love for your family members. don't get in a car, don't get on a train, don't get on a plane. but 70 million americans said,eh, we're going. >> that's where i want to dive in a bit more because we do know how many tens of millions of

people that traveled. it was the largest spike since this started. how does this change the trajectory of the covid virus? >> there's only one way and makes it worse. and how much worse depends on where people travel to and from and the likely hood they were in a group that was, you know, contained a super spreader individual. and look at the numbers. take a hypothetical. let's suppose a college kid has been at university in a low incident state, let's say massachusetts. and now goes home to see the family for the holiday in south dakota. well, if there's ten people at the dinner table in south dakota where they are testing 43% positive, then at least four people at that table statistically are carrying the virus. that means this college kid comes home, picks up the virus and now what's going to happen on the airplane back to

massachusetts and once that kid hits the dormitories and so on and so forth? and you take this example and multiply it by 70 million travelers and begin to see we have a situation that's about to absolutely explode. and the problem is -- >> so i want to talk a bit about that because we hear a lot of folk saying, you know, the vaccine is on the horizon, we're going to be okay. talk about where we are at this point in time. because i think sometimes we get lost. we recognize not everybody has the luxury of sheltering in place. we recognize that people have to go to work. so this is not a blame game for some folks, but at the same time there's personal responsibility that we need to take. and when sometimes people read there's a vaccine on the horizon they take that to mean it will be tomorrow. talk about the three vaccines on the table and what that distribution would really honestly look like if we were to have it let's say today? >> this has been a danger all along, maria, that the good news would overwhelm the bad and that

everybody would say, oh, wow, this invention has come out of the pipeline so now i can go back to normal. no, you can't. first of all, none of these vaccines has yet been fully approved by the fda. they haven't finished reviewing the data to determine if it's accurate. in one case the astrazeneca vaccine, the third one that's come out of the pipeline, the data actually looks quite fishy. and the company is now finally admitting they did kind of fudge their data. we could go into details of what happened, but it had to do with a mistake made in which the wrong dose were given to a huge percentage of their test population. and they have now acknowledged over our holiday, the ceo said in england we will redo our clinical trial. so i think we probably have to put the astrazeneca vaccine over to the side certainly for americans. it's unlikely our fda would approve this british made product based on their sloppy

clinical trial. but we do have two in the front line both american made, one jointly german. and they do seem so far to be bona fide and promising. so we're going to stay tuned for more details. we're operating on data coming from press releases, not the kind of data that makes me comfortable. but it looks promising, and most of the people in the field are excited about both of the potentials of these two vaccines. given that let's just assume, let's make an assumption right now the fda under trump's final days rushes through an approval and both these vaccines are deemed safe for the american people. then both companies say they have some already made, many millions of doses already produced and that they will go into high-speed production come january. nevertheless, you have to take both of these are vaccines that

require a booster. so when you hear something like 30 million doses are available, that's actually 15 million human beings getting two doses each. so cut the numbers in half. and what you can see is that on tap ready to do in december assuming approval we have enough vaccine possibly with the two to take care of many of our front line responders, our doctors, our nurses, our emergency personnel and so on. >> laurie, on that point who will get the vaccine first will more likely be as you mentioned a lot of the health care workers. there's talk perhaps of also including teachers there so we can open up schools back safely. i wanted to ask you what you see changes with the biden administration with inauguration? and i ask because according to calculations after this thanksgiving weekend we will see a spike around december 7th, 19th or so regarding fatalities

and hospitalizations and possibly nor one three weeks after that, about a week or so shy of his inauguration. what changes under biden and what can people do today if they were for example to wear a mask, how many lives can they save sph. >> well, first of all, i think we have to realize this huge surge we're experiencing is going to get massive if in addition people travel for christmas. and no messaging is coming in a clear form from the federal government right now. we're waiting for a new administration which would if nothing else speak with a single voice. and we would have, you know, the voice of the cdc or the voice of the coronavirus task force-o ou of the white house consistent, not contradicted in tweets by the president giving out very clear, nonpartisan views based on science and what's going on.

now, that should help, right by itself have a calming impact across society and clear up a lot of the confusion. but we have to get to january 20th. and by that time i mean if we stay on the current trends, maria, we're going to be looking at well over 400,000 deaths, you know, by new year's. >> almost double. and thank you, laurie garret for your incisive analysis, but more importantly reminding everyone to stay home, wash your hands and wear a mask. next up we'll talk with nurses from covid hot spots across the nation. they'll tell us their stories next. ss the nation. they'll tell us their stories next ♪ ♪

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it's incred pkrecred pli us incredibly frustrating. yet because everyone didn't wearing a masks and social distance they are put in a situation getting exposed to this again which could get them exposing family members and it is frustrating. it didn't have to happen. >> it didn't have to happen. welcome back to "am joy."

the number of covid cases tops 13 million with workers among a quarter million among their rates and often fatalities. we think of them as on the front lines but need to level with one another and change the way we describe doctors, nurses and health kcare aides on the front lines. health care workers are the last line of defense against covid-19, because often by the time you see a nurse you're already showing symptoms of covid-19. it's we as individuals who are the first line of defense. and when we comply with the cdc guidelines, we not only protect ourselves and our loved ones but we also protect those who are ricking their lives to protect us every single day. joining me now, dr. bedelia, msnbc medical contributor rick lucas, rapid response registered

nurse at the ohio state medical center and a registered nurse in el paso and an emergency room nurse at providence hospital in chicago and an icu nurse from st. paul, minnesota. thank you all so much for joining me today. i wanted to invite nurses from different parts of the country so folks recognize that this is a blanketed problem. start with you, emily. how are you doing? >> you know, every day is a blush, honestly. it's like nothing that i've ever seen in my career. it's very difficult. i'm a mom, and it's very hard even when i do get days off not to take this home with me. you know, we are these patients' family as well, because the patients can't have family members come visit them and you took the words out of our mouths. we really are a last line of defense. people need to stop saying we're on the front lines, because as

you said, once you see us it's usually too late. it's just actually very heartbreaking what we're dealing with, and it's mentally taxing for the nurses as well. it's -- it's very, very difficult for us right now. >> and el paso has been a hot bed of the covid crisis where we also saw people having to bring in refrigerated morgues to prepare the bodies. can you speak to it and are you doing okay? >> correct. so el paso, we have an upsurge in cases. the numbers keep rising and rising, and as the numbers rise we are running in fear. we've already surpassed 900 deaths due to covid within these eight months of battling the virus and we don't feel safe being short-staffed pt the hospital is overwhelmed. i don't think we can handle sick patients if we continue at this rate. >> dennis what is the biggest

challenge you're facing right now as a nurse, as a health care provider? >> i mean, i think that the biggest challenge is is that we have systems in this country broken for some time, and coronavirus and this disease has shown a spotlight on those things. so you have people who don't have access to quality health care. we have people who have chronic conditions, who haven't been able to manage them so many years. so many families share insulin, take blood pressure medicine every other day. overall health in the country is at a low point because of the way health care is structured in this country. everyone doesn't have access to health care who need it and because of the virus it's shown a spotlight on all the problems. obviously some sufficient than others. 70% of deaths in chicago are african-american. latinx much more likely to the affecteded. the intersection of racism and this virus has had deadly

impacts. it's very difficult to see. >> and the disparities mentioned, dr., bedelia what covid is exposing is absolutely the institutional disbalance of distribution in everything from supplies to eastern nursey s ti. we just saw nurses are paid much more in certain places than other places, and a shortage of nurses because the wealthier areas are able to pay top dollar? >> my heart goes out to nurses everywhere. whether this pandemic or where i've prior worked nurses spend the most a lot of time at bedside and the pull of these long, prolonged struggles they take not just on health and families but the mental psychological -- the inequity, and fault lines, when you have

inequities in terms of both pay or the patient provider ratio in some areas much greater than others, this makes it worse. some of the work needs to have been done before the pandemic starts, but here's where we learn the lessons. where are we breaking? what parts of the system are strained so when we read this, or as we're working through this we work on ensuring that all areas in this country have equitable access. so if access to health care through insurance for patients, so that they're not worried about seeking care when sick and enough providers for patient ratios. ensuring states take medicaid, expansion, for example, many states turned down when available, medicaid expansion, rather to make sure the hospitals have resources they need. i want to end with this. this is the long haul. not the end. nothing happens on january 21st.

the regular population's not going to be completely vaccinateding in spring or summer. we, the health care workers, will do this more months and months on end. i please, implore everybody to take the health met gatien measures to make our lives easier over the next year. >> rick, to follow-up on that, what can we do to make your job easier? >> the biggest thing is prevention. if folks wearing a masks. >> yeah. i can hear you just fine. >> go ahead, rick. >> -- prevention is key if folks follow the public health guidelines. wear a mask. practice social distancing. it's really important over the holidays as folks want to cling to tradition and come together, but our hospitals are overwhelmed right now. so -- this is -- really -- >> so with that, rick, talking not only is, are they overwhelmed, but also seeing so many people just die alone. can you talk a little bit,

emily, about what you're witnessing and how you are next to people's bedsides, and often times might be the last person that they see? >> well, you know, at my hospital we have been able to utilize ipads, but nothing -- is the same as being able to sit there and physically hold the hand, and comfort your loved one. so it's taken on a completely different side of nursing that a lot of us aren't used to, and we have to not only take care of the patient physically and mentally but now really need to be there for them spiritually. something that a lot of us have learned in our learning every single day. it's very difficult for a lot of us not to put ourselves in their positions, being alone. i try to tell myself for my own mental sanity they're not alone. that we are with them, and i've

sat there on several occasions and held hands. i've prayed with patients. i've prayed with family members. i can think of a time where we've done, like, a prayer service over the ipad, and it's just -- i keep going back to, it's unlike anything i've ever seen before in my life, and there are also so many times where i think, gosh, i just, you know, wish that one family member could come in, but then you're instantly snapped back into reality and thinking it's just going to make everything worse for everybody in the world. so it is very, very, very mentally taxing. like i said earlier, it's really hard not to bring it home. when you do have days off, i don't know, i'm sure a lot of you feel the same way. i am still, my head is still back at work and i'm still thinking about my patients wondering how they're doing and their families, too. it's really hard not to get attached to these families because we're talking to them multiple, multiple times a day

for updates. >> with that, i want to follow-up. i think what we're all hearing now through this conversation is also your real pain. seeing humans suffering at the front lines, knowing while we may not have a vaccine, there are's preventative measures. dennis, how do you self-care? how do you recommend folks in your profession to self-care? >> the way i've been trying to do it, me, a specific situation that i'm in, because they're actually reducing the services at the hospital i work at if you can believe it. our hospitals on the south side of chicago, an african-american neighborhood and they're reducing services at our hospital. closing two clinics on the south side. mercy hospital just down the street shut down this coming spring. the way i do self-care is that upsets me, in the sense, and i do something about. it i get active. a part of protests, part of speaking out, part of interviewing with media to talk about these cuts in health care and the impact it will have on people. coronavirus doesn't have a

brain. it's a chain of proteins but we have brains. decision-makers have brains and we can make a difference. every one of us can make a difference and we need to stand up and fight for the kind of health care system that this country deserves. >> on that, what is it you all need to do your jobs? >> we need everyone to abide by the rules, listen to the warning signs. stay home. use the resources that we have. up know, we have curbside pick-up. we have uber eats. we need to stop gathering in large group. we need the community to join us in protecting not only ourselves but everybody around us. it's frustrating when we don't see our patients getting any better. we do not feel like heroes and just as was mentioned, this virus isn't discriminate. we have to take action now. >> how do you recommend individual self-care for folks seeing so much trauma and what can the government do? >> yeah.

i think first acknowledging that this trauma exists. i was part of the west african response for the ebola epidemic and can tell you years after when i talked to colleagues both in west africa and people who responded, it's still there. this trauma will continue. our nation's health care workers will carry this toll for years and one big thing is trying to quantify the impact going through a and afterwards the other, providing services to health care workers. recognize we need this support. we need mental health, we will need mental health support. but right now in the middle of the fight our leaders do not treat us like have disposable workforce. we are here for our communities. but we cannot be, we're not fungible. not completely, you can't keep adding patients, you can't keep adding patients to a certain number of health care workers and you can't invent health care workers overnight. best to ask from our leadership

ensure they recommend public health officials and scientists are talking about. >> for your community, what can your community do to help you make your life easier? >> you know, the biggest thing is, like i said, to follow the health guidelines. our hospitals are overwhelmed. the hospitals can increase beds, but the number of health care workers we have to care for patients are a fixed resource. without nurses and doctors and respiratory therapists and all the folks that make up the health care team a hospital is just a building. we need to be able to provide the care our patients deserve, and that we want to provide. we want to do it safely. we want to have the personal protective equipment we need and we want to have the resources that we need for our patients. >> so i think one of the biggest challenges i have watching this epidemic really ravage the country is that we, gdp, by every measure we are the

wealthiest country in the world. in so many ways there should be outrage as what you have been expressing. something so personal and also something that really gets, hits home. one of the things we've seen, though, too, though is this rise of disinformation. of people actually having covid and not believes they have covid all wait down to their last day. their last breath. emily, have you been witnessing that in your little community? and how can we combat it? >> yes. and -- yes. i've said several times, you know, i wish that people could see what we're seeing. we are not even able to get, you know -- there's a few patients that do get better, and that's great, but you know when a patient passes it seems like we are cleaning the beds as fast as we can and just as fast as we're cleaning them we've got another patient. it's almost not even the patients that have coronavirus. i feel it's the people that haven't had it no

non-believers, that don't socially distance and wear the masks. talking with colleagues the other day, unfortunately until they experience it themselves, whether it be themselves or a family member, i really don't have an answer how to combat that, because i can't change the way anybody feels. i can only change what myself is doing, and i can spread the word. that's a little catch thing that my friends and i have been saying, we're spreading the word, not spreading the virus. >> amen to that! i want to bring in -- >> what i can do. >> no. i think it's going to take every single one of us and i was very sincere when we said that, we as individual americans, we are the first line of defense. and by the time patients get to you, they are sick. and you are doing not only a heroes' work but also doing the job of individuals that could have been preventible. so i want to ask lysette, you

seem to want to jump in a little about that conversation and the question i asked, if you are seeing individuals that don't believe that they have covid, until they're last breath, and how are you tackling that? >> correct. i can understand that it's hard to see when you're not in the our shoes, but this is a pandemic. people are dieing. not because of poor care, but because we currently don't have a cure for this virus. i feel that there's nobody that wants this virus to be a hoax more than nurses do, but you know what? it's not. it's real. it's here. we need to stay safe. we need to remain patient and stay strong and fight back, you know. abide by the rules and take action by quarantining and staying safe for each other. >> folks, you heard it here. what the nurses are asking who are on the last line of defense, asking you all and myself to follow the rules. wear a mask, wash your hands. and be grateful.

thank you to you all. thank you for the work you doened a also for joining us today. coming up, the very real food insecurity crisis gripping our country. that's next. ♪ you can count on me ♪ i'll be home for christmas ♪ if only in my dreams ♪

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begun to wonder if now is the time. if now is the time that protesters finally win. >> announcer: "the last word with lawrence o'donnell" weeknights at 10:00 on msnbc. we've seen probably well over 400% increase in the amount of food we've been giving out during the pandemic, and our fear going forward is that that number's not going to change but actually increase. >> the different pressure placed on families is absolutely unprecedented, and far worse than what we saw in the great recession of 2008 and 2009. as a matter of fact, when we ran our forecast to try to understand what kind of food we would need, we took the 2008 and 2009 numbers and simply doubled them. while that doesn't seem scientific, it's unfortunately been exactly where we find ourselves today.

look at these two very different snapshots of america. this week the dow jones hit a hi storeic all-time high, 30,000 points. meanwhile in texas, thousands lined up to receive food for thanksgiving at a food bank in dallas as covid cases and unemployment continues to climb feeding america expects more than 50 million americans to experience food insecurity including about 17 million children. joining me now, andrew zimmer host of msnbc's "what's eating america" and assistant editor at the "new york times" and author of "troops 4,000" and president and ceo of feeding south florida. thank you all for joining me. andrew, i want to start with you, because you have done the beautiful documentary of how we are fed from the supply chain starting with farm workers. speak a little bit of where you see a lot of our food insecurities are taking place. >> well, i think we're kind of

far from that. you know, distribution issues can be solved. it's engineering. how much sioux keensy planted in different seasons around the country is simply a blocking and tackling issue. you hit the nail on the head during your introduction segment. stock market is up. ob obviously on the news of the president-elect and the election being certified, et cetera. i think there's a lot of -- and his cabinet secretary, some of them being named. people are seeing a little bump there. but the fact of the matter is there's actually two or three americas when it comes to food. and that has to stop. anyone living in america, feeding americans should not be an issue. we need to have the solution and guests at the top outlined the problem. numbers tripled and quadrupled in parts of the country.

we need immediate return of unemployment benefits and extensions and programs like s.n.a.p. increased, need the stimulus money, food box programs end in january. we need those. most importantly, we need an economy redesign that's built to feed the many and not just those at the top. this is -- this problem is going to be exacerbated again and again in every economic downturn, god forbid we don't have another pandemic again, but we have to address these core issues, and i would insist that president-elect biden name a food czar, someone who understands that we need things like universal lunch programs and the like. >> and i think you're underscoring the point that we are the wealthiest nation in the world. we throw away food that is surplus and yet we have millions of children going hungry unnecessarily.

nakita, you wrote a beautiful piece for the "new york times" documenting those feeling insecure but receiving aid and mentioned you growing up were food insecure. i think it made point so much more poignant. can you talk a little about what your witnessing and seeing, and also the joy that these families had in receiving some of their ethnic food? such a beautifully documented piece, nakita. >> oh, thank you very much. you know, i went around the city talking to different people in a lot of different pantries around the city, and, you know, there were so many people who were in the line for the very first time, and all of them were, like, i never thought this could happen to me. i would pass these lines and think, oh, that's for poor people and now they're like, oh, that's me. and there's something very wrong as was stated earlier on where we are in the state of the

country where so many people are going hungry. being in line is very traumatic. there is a lot of stigma associated with it. people are embarrassed. and i cannot -- i cannot put into words the frustration of standing in line for five and six hours, but what i found was, when people finally got their food, there was just this relief, this weight was lifted, and i wondered, what were people doing when they got home? and when they got home, people were finding a joy in cooking. cooking and food is a necessity to all of us, but not only a necessity it is something that gives us comfort in this time of the pandemic, and that's what i found. and everyone should get to experience that joy. >> and one of the things, inni a nikita, you mentioned so moving and just mentioned again, folks

said, i do not stand in line. that's not what i do. having grown up with an immigrant family that was very much the case when i was growing up until one of my aunts actually had to go on food stamps and it was almost a shaming. speak how we're changing this mind-set and how as as a society can destigmatize a need very apparent among millions of us right now? >> so the need right now is incredibly large. so many families are struggling to put food on the table. we have so many businesses who are struggling and they themselves are letting people go on furllow and letting off and people go. you need three things to survive. oxygen, food and water. that stigma should not exist especially when folks just need to put food on the table, survive and continue to go on. right now all of our families are struggling through no fault of their own. they have these needs.

and they're struggle to keep a roof over their head, to keep food on the table, and in order to provide food for older adults, grandparents, themselves, their children, unfortunately, these families go through lines until we can come together as a country and pass some sort of a package to help our families with these resources. >> so andrew, we're finding now one in six restaurants are basically in the red. looks like they may not be able to open by the close of 2020. what kind of support system oftentimes to restaurants and restaurant workers offer a lot of these food banks? >> well i think you have to understand, it's all part of a very noble cycle. i mean, i'm on the board of several food rescue organizations and other groups around the country that help to make sure that waste is the reduced in restaurants, et cetera. restaurants even though -- by waby

the way that one in six number is shallow. even package given today and i've called for months along with independent restaurants group to pass the restaurants act, the independent restaurant coalition is very insistent on that we have to save these businesses. it's a trillion dollar industry, but restaurants do so much in terms of providing food for a lot of the distribution points, and now restaurants have turned into distribution points themselves. because the food chain goes through restaurants in many cases, and it's simpler for them simply to open their doors and give away meals and provide boxes to those that can't afford them. i find it incredible -- restaurant peoplish the greatest people in the whole world. i find it incredible while the entire industry is getting knee-capped they are seeking every day to do what they can it in their communities in their neighborhoods, on their streets, to feed people.

this is a national emergency, and i think those words, we sometimes -- words matter, and we sometimes undersell the situation. i was listening to my esteemed colleagues. i've read nikita many times in the paper, feeding south florida. i've been down there. i will just tell you right now, we cannot keep soft pedaling the impact of this. the numbers of larger than anyone imagines, because not only is the stigma associated with it ut were the self-realization for people they're actually juggling meals and juggling who gets to eat within the family and the fact so many are burning credit card money and other things that that represents food insecurity and numbers that will continue to rise. i do not see a light at the end of the tunnel short term. i see a light end of the tunnel longer term, because i think we have an empathetic and compassionate administration, but if washington, d.c. doesn't realize we are in the middle of a national food emergency, it is

going to get a lot worse before it gets better. >> andrew, we know we're in an emergency a health crisis and short on employment. the only way to address this, for the senate to get back to work and actually pass that temporary status. we know it's about to expire. not just funding for food banks, also for unemployment and so many other things. so thank you so much for highlighting that, nikita stewart, thank you for the work that you do. more "am joy" after the break. the break. but we didn't stop there. we made a cloud flexible enough to adapt to any size business. no matter what it does, or how it changes. and we kept going. so you only pay for what you use. because at dell technologies, we stop...at nothing. ♪

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joe biden is outlining hi agenda for his first 100 days in office but faces an uphill climb if republicans keep control of the senate. after the break, we will discuss a solution from progressives. stay with us for more on "a.m. joy" when we come back. e back. ♪

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tell me about day one in the white house and day one through 100, your first 100 days. what are your price going to be in the first day ss sis. >> some of it depends on the cooperation i can or cannot get from the u.s. senate. i will send an immigration bill to the united states senate with a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people in america. president-elect joe biden is making immigration reform an early priority along with

rolling back donald trump's executive actions on the environment and sending assistance to local governments. heavily impacted by the pandemic. are republicans controlling the senate, will it be difficult for biden to achieve any of this post-inauguration? that's why progressives are urging him to take action without the senate. joining me now, co-founder and executive director of the new consensus. also back with me, dana milbank and mr. hawke. dana, you covered congress and seen a transition of power. have you ever seen so closely a senate already saying they will not be working with the incoming president? >> no. they usually don't say this part out loud. of course, you remember mitch mcconnell saying he wanted to make sure president obama was a one-term president, but -- >> that was after all in grated. >> at least he waited a little while. actually wait add couple of years before he said that, but,

no. i think they've made no secret of it, and we're basically talking about one person here. that's mitch mcconnell. still not recognizing the biden victory. so i think any notion that he's going to suddenly cooperate is very farfetched. in is one language that he understands, and -- yes, there are all kinds of things that biden can and should do that don't require congressional action, but he needs to keep taking the fight to mcconnell. what you've seen is, if he tries to compromise, like he's put forward what he believes will be very reasonable, palatable cabinet nominees but they're going to oppose them right down the line regardless. that's just a lesson that you can't try to compromise. you've got to come right at him and try to sell it to the american people. >> and on that point, one of the things we know is that -- you know, i apologize already to viewers. i'm already going to forecast

and telegraph the mid-term elections after joe biden get inaugurated but work with me, stay with me. oftentimes during a midterm election it's the opposite party that takes control. if there is that type of obstruction where none of the policies joe biden actually says that he wants and that they decide not to confirm most of the folks that he has appointed and that already, let's be honest, most have already passed vetting because part of a previous administration what options do you see biden having right now? >> i think the approach needs to be from the jump a very realistic and pragmatic approach. joe biden was there when president barack obama started, tried to reach out to republicans and effectively lost control of both houses and ended up with a tea party. and ever since then, downhill. while it's nice to say reach across the aisle and bridge divides, the reality, we need to

do hard work on behalf of the american public. the trump administration has shown that it's possible to doable things within the role of administrative law. that's exacts live actitive act. there are loopholing you can drive a truck through. capitalize on the opportunity, capitalize on the fact you have a couple behind you to pass, imp money k impliment that. you might only have two years to do anything. >> a precautionary tale. we know because joe biden is someone from the senate, used to being pragmatic and working on both sides. aisle, but that a mistake? >> yes. you know, mitch mcconnell we know is a master of destruction and obstruction. so the biden team must not only restore faith in our i

institutions but rediscover our power to address this national crisis and make good on joe biden's promise to build back better. the reality is our group with the saying in my family, one monkey can't stop the show. the american people don't want to see our institutions merely work but that he they can work for us. to say wall street, through the kitchen jink the biden administration can do that through leadership to save small businesses on main street. give relief to america families hit hard by the crisis and give relief to black businesses denied ppp funds. through read leadership set the direction country and through collaboration coordinate all systems of the federal government to make it work for the american people. >> suggesting not corrosion but go back and start working together as americans. i appreciate that and i want to bring this letter up that you

actually, your organization penned. a memo to the biden campaign and it says, "it is, of course, possible you'll have both house and senate majorities but it is also possible you will have no more of the advice without much consent from the senate." you dough gone to delineate what the, president-elect biden can do ousts senate. through executive action. you tackle big things. climate, infrastructure, tax reform, immigration, health care, stimulus. speak a little about what that vision would look like if the senate cannot collaborate? >> believe it or not, today, and i'm happy to do this. trump's treasury department has actually been tapping and pumping the brakes what the federal reserve can do for the american people. you saw mnuchin cancel basically everything good coming out of the fed. we're saying the biden administration through leadership, i can't tell a fan what to do through an executive order. that's not the way the system works, but the biden

administration can lead, create an environment for the federal reserve to do what it wants to do. what does that mean? lending more money to state and local governments, counties, cities. lending money directly to small businesses on main street. right? and in doing these things in a way that can correct the failures of the past administration getting money out into the american people and into the real economy. this is a plan that uses the full capacities of our government. again, it's not just about restoring faith in our institutions but recovering the power of our institutions to actually work for the american people. >> dana, one of the things policies and recommendations looks at what we saw fdr do through the new deal. bypassing a lot of the apparatus of institutions and giving money directly to local congressional districts. allowing them to create stimulus, but let's also be real. giving him some political power on the sidelines. is it possible that biden takes a playbook from fdr to give money perhaps to his biggest

adversaries to bring them back into the party into the institutions of governance? >> i think he absolutely has to do that, and it's part of taking the fight to them. saying, look, are you guys in the senate going to vote down x billion dollars for your own constituents with this specific project? and, you know, the house isn't so much a problem, but i think fdr was clever having some of the stimulus going into every single congressional district. you've got to take it to the these red state republicans, or purple state republicans who are up in 2022 and keep making it clear that they are voting down this health aid to their constituents. the structured age of their constituents and just do it over and over again. >> my former life i was a legislative aide and worked on

appropriations. it's amazing how much collaboration when you send money back to these districts. i want to ask you what do you see is a preview of the new president-elect he may be able to use on the international front when it comes to executive power? >> well, first off, jumping right back into the climate paris accord agreement will go a far way to raising the desire for countries to work with the united states on other issues. the not -- i mean, there's almost 600 left in the entire world not part of the agreement. part of the point of having former secretary kerry now as the effective climate czar. a lot can be done on a bilateral basis as well. kind of one of the largest emitters in the world. so having bilateral agreements will also work. there has to be a will and desire to use the united states at its power and authority to make changes back at home and reflect those changes in what

its actions are overseas. it is not longer a world in which the united states can go in and say, oh, you don't practice freedom of religion. you don't practice freedom of press. we'll show you how to do it because we're great at it. the trump years have shown us the united states also has many moral failings and many systems it needs to fix. there will need to be a sense of humility how the united states moves forward ought billions it will help the united states be more effective, realistic and pragmatic about the world we live in now. >> i want to bring in something that we are now getting more reports on, and it's basically, and i quote "the new rules are like bib trap by be traps for incoming biden administration. changing the rules in the middle of the night. changes rules when it comes to executions and apparently now allowing even for fires squads. we believe that this is not only grotesque and cruel but somewhat

evil and a hallmark of the trump administration as being as cruel as possible." what do you say to these new rules and how can we fix them when biden comes in? >> i think it's just an example of how the new administration needs to be just as courageous, just as creative and just as convicted to move this country in a better direction. the trump administration has shown that there is a lot that can be done to move the apparatus of our federal government and our federal systems. to chaos and authoritarianism. with the biden administration, the biden presidency, what it must do is not just respore the institutions but be just as bold, just as courageous while colors well within the lines of our institutions to really restore order and peace in this country, and so i think there could be an example of biden being too cautious. right? i think we are well beyond that

point, and biden must do all that it takes, whatever it takes, to do right by the american people. otherwise i believe the democratic party will have deep electoral failures in mid-terms and in 2024. we saw young voters come out first time and voting in an electoral process. y reason i always say, wanted to give our democracy one more shot. the only way, actually deliver the policies that will actually make sure their lives and lives of their future and parents are better. thank you for this conversation. up next, presidential pardons and who could be next on trump's list? way to live. is that your home? dun, dun ,dun. hold on, stop! you accessorize with a sloth? this is belt. [ chuckling ] great sash. oo-la la!

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[. >> all: lock her up! >> turns out michael flynn needed to worry about being locked up. donald trump's former national security adviser pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the fbi about his contactses with a russian ambassador. this week trump pardoned him adding flynn to a long list of pardons leaves us wondering, who's next? author of the book "american hero." thanks for joining me. jumping right into this conversation, because when we saw the president tweet he had to fire michael flynn for basically lying to the fbi and lying to the vice president, you

didn't really expect him to be so quick to have him be on the top of the pardon list. what does this say about the president and who may be next on his list? >> well, this is par to the pattern of obstruction of justice that we describe in our book "american nehro." president trump sought to silence witnesses in the russia investigation and uses the department of justice to try and undermine not only the flynn case but the case against roger stone, then this last july he commutesed the sentence for roger stone and now the michael flynn pardon's these two men know a lot what happened with the russians in 2016, and they know a lot about what happened during the transition in late 2016, early 2017. both have committed felonies and one had his sons commuted, one completely pardoned in order to buy their silence, and this use of the pardon power is itself obstruction of justice.

it is a crime as a continuation of the crime of obstruction of justice described in part two of the mueller report and donald trump when he leaves office in january can and should be prosecuted by and independent prosecutor appointed by the justice department who are among other things the crime of obstruction of justice. i would not be surprised to see more pardons going to witnesses to keep them silent and also pardons perhaps to his family members, whether it's jared, ivanka and others, see what he doesry pardons. one thing, he cannot pardon himself. >> i wanted to go there next, richard. there is speculation he might be able to, going through all of these shenanigans trying to bring in the people who might know the most back to him and creating a scenario where he could pardon himself. is that plausible? >> no, it's not. i explained that two years ago in an op-ed with norman eisen

and lawrence trod. one of the four most constitutional law experts in the united states at harvard law school. we looked at this. it is clear the president cannot pardon himself. no such thing as a self-pardon. a pardon is an act of one person pardoning another person. the only way he can receive a pardon is to receive it from president joe biden or resign the presidency and receive a pardon from mike pence if mike pence wants to serve remainder of the term. a self-pardon is a no-go. also i pardons are in good in the state of new york or any state. he do not fine the attorney generals general and all of these people working for donald trump could be prosecuted for violating this law. >> leads me to the next question. he's clearly trying to have his legal team come out to say how do i serm uk vecircumvent the cw

york? how do you respond? can he get out of those investigations he has now before him? >> well i don't want to give him advice for his plans, whether vladimir putin wants to extend, you know, a residence for donald trump over there. along with mr. snowden and others. who have betrayed their country, but the bottom line is, if he's in the united states of america or any country with an extradition treaty he is well within reach of the new york attorney general and has serious problems come january. >> thank you for your clear message on that, richard painter. that's our show for today. thank you for tuning in. i'll be back for more "am joy" tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern. for now stay tuned for my colleague alex witt. her guest includes congresswoman barbara lee. ara lee. we made a cloud flexible

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world headquarters in new york, "the" new york. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we begin with the president's ongoing attempt to overturn the elections suffering yet another blow. overnight president-elect joe biden expanding his margin of victory over trump in wisconsin after milwaukee county finished its recount and, in fact, biden adding 132 votes to his total bringing victory to 183,000

votes. this as the coronavirus pandemic is worsens by the day. this morning the number of coronavirus cases nationwide surpassing 13 million. the u.s. adding 1 million new cases in each of the last two weeks. to go over some of the day's top stories a trio of correspondents joining us as well as a panel of experts. welcome. what is next for the trump team now that we have a court of appeals throwing out the request to overturn the election certification in pennsylvania? >> reporter: yeah. a great question, alex. good to be with you and to hear the trump team say it, they're going to the supreme court. we heard from the president's legal team, jenna ellis and rudy guiliani, personal lawyer, calls this decision from the appellate court an activist judiciary machinery trying to cover up allegation