and self-isolation, we are now at a crossroads. an end to the pandemic is in sight with hopes of several pending vaccine arrivals on the horizon. the distribution and who will receive them first is a complicated equation casting uncertainty on the precise time frame in which everyone will have a chance to get vaccinated, all while the nation experiences record shattering infections, hospitalizations and deaths which doesn't include the spike from thanksgiving day travel and gatherings which are expected to peak right about now. today's new york headline reads the virus is devastating the u.s. and leaving an uneven toll. the report goes on to say, quote, on friday a national single day record was set with more than 226,000 cases. it was one of the many data points that has illustrated the depth and spread of a virus that

has killed more than 278,000 people in this country. it cannot always relate to the numbers and statistics that we report day in and day out. to them, it's about the individual people for whom they care, living, breathing, human beings having their lives extinguished by something we didn't even know about one year ago. those workers are pleading with their fellow citizens. stay vigilant. do not let your guard down. >> i can tell you there's a lot of people suffering and it's not just about dying. those numbers are the people that are dead. there are countless more that will have lifelong disabilities from this. not just physical or mental but also financial and there's a lot of us health care workers that will never forget the things that we've had to see and do, and i just ask that you try to think beyond yourself and beyond those numbers and really think about the lives and what you can

do to make sure you're not the next number, you're not the next life that we put in a body bag. >> while the outgoing president ignores the remarks, joe biden renewed his calls for president trump and congress to act and act now to help americans in need. >> we're in a crisis. need to come together as a nation. need the congress to act and act now. congress and president trump fail to act by the end of december, 12 million americans will lose their unemployment benefits they rely on. merry christmas. unemployment benefits allowing them to keep food on the table and keep the lights on and the heat on, pay their bills. emergency paid leave will end. moratorium on evictions will

expire. states will lose the vital tools they need to pay for covid testing and public health. if we don't act now, the future will be very bleak. >> the president-elect also made clear that he'll be putting forward another relief package of his own when he takes office next month. as we inherit the public health and economic crisis, we're working on a plan that will put forward for the next congress to move fast, control the pandemic, to revive the economy and to build back better than before. >> this while the outgoing commander in chief travels to georgia to throw his support behind kelly loeffler and david perdue as they seek re-election one month from today. it comes on the same day georgia is set to recertify the recount that shows that joe biden was the presidential winner in that state. in other trump rumblings, new report on an investigation into a possible bribery for pardon

scheme. "the new york times" writing, quote, trump associates said to have been scrutinized in suspected pardon scheme. the department of justice investigated a top fundraiser for president trump and a lawyer for his son-in-law, jared kushner, in a suspected scheme to offer a bribe in exchange for clemency for a tax crimes convict. the sources say san francisco real estate billionaire sanford diller tried to get clemency for a psychologist convicted of tax crimes. he enlisted the help of elliott breudy and abby lowell to get the message to the white house. as part of the effort diller would make, quote, a substantial political contribution. abby lowell's lawyer tells the "times" no bribe was paid. the scheme outlined by prosecutors underscores the transactional nature of mr. trump's term where people leverage connections to him or frame their causes in terms of

his personal or political benefit to influence his decisions. and of course most observers of trump world do not believe we have seen the last pardons of his presidency with him considering preemptive pardons for crimes not yet charged for some of his closest allies, family members, and even himself as his term draws to a close. all the while a natural catastrophe to which the outgoing president appears oblivious continues. yesterday the cdc advised people to wear masks while indoors except in the privacy of their own homes. the washington post noting this was the first time they had urged this type of universal mask use. it comes as cases are surging nationwide. i've been reporting these coronavirus pandemic numbers for ten months now. not to invoke fear but to inform. we've said it before. cases increase. hospitalizations increase then deaths increase. it's unfortunately our reality.

the vaccine is part of our reality. it was not in the spring, it was just a hope. i know you're tired of this. covid fatigue. i'd rather be tired and annoyed and live in six months so please wear your mask, social distance, wash your hands, tough it out. do the things you need to do for a little while longer. we are all in this together and we can get through this together until the vaccine is available to everyone who wants it. turning now to rhode island. while it is the smallest state in the country right now, it is seeing one of the biggest spikes in covid cases in the last week. nbc's valerie castro is in the city of cranston at the site of one of rhode island's new field hospitals. valerie, rhode island hospitals are at capacity now. the state has seen a 36% increase in covid cases from two weeks ago. what are they doing there? >> reporter: good morning, ali. right now rhode island is in the middle of a two-week pause.

restaurant indoor capacity is 33%. any bar seating is closed. houses of worship have been reduced to 25% capacity and fitness gyms are completely shut down. this all went into effect on november 30th, this past monday, and that is the same day that an emergency alert was sent out to residents in the state letting them know that hospitals are now at capacity due to covid. now because of that, two field hospitals that were assembled in the spring but never used have now opened. they opened this past monday. one in providence at the convention center. that is able to hold about 600 people. we're told there are 20 patients there right now. the other one here in cranston, this building behind me, is able to hold about 350 people. the latest update we got from a doctor is there are currently 10 patients there. both of these field hospitals are meant to take care of patients who are not critically ill, not on ventilators but they do need to be monitored and are on oxygen. the cdc just predicted this week

between 9,500 and 19,500 people could potentially die over the week of christmas, just a few weeks away, following that surge after thanksgiving. the doctors tell us they are very worried about that surge, they are ready and prepared. take a listen to what they had to say. >> our rates in rhode island have been climbing since october and thanksgiving, what we anticipate is the next two to three weeks a continued rise and our hospitals are already quite full and so another two to three to four weeks of climbing covid in our state, our hospitals won't be able to handle it. that's why places like our field hospital are being set up. >> reporter: ali, just a few weeks ago there were 250 people hospitalized in the state. the state health department says that number is now above 400 and 45 are in the icu. >> valerie, thanks again for your reporting. valerie castro in cranston,

rhode island. thanks, valerie. all right. i want to bring in carol williams. she's an intensive care nurse at the rush copley medical center in aurora, illinois. at last count illinois had registered 770,088 and 13,782 deaths. a few weeks ago carol williams made headlines when she shared a post on facebook about her unfiltered experience fighting on the covid front lines. she wrote imagine being the nurse crying with your patient when they realize that everything we're doing to help them still may not be enough and death is a real possibility. imagine being the nurse or doctor holding that same patient's hand and stroking their head weeks later while their ventilator is removed because they haven't improved and their family then says good-bye and i love you over face time while they take their last breath. joining me is that nurse, carol williams who works at the rush copley hospital in aurora.

you motivated me to remind people that we're in this together. we will get through it together. but together means doing the right things together, and you wrote a remarkable post in which you contradicted 13 lies that are out there in the public but they're lies that actually make it to you. there are people who tell you things in the hospital that are contrary to medical science because they've heard it in the political environment. >> yeah, and that's why i wrote that, because i think it's important for people to really listen to real health care providers caring for the patients on the front lines. >> what effect does it have on you when you are treating people who you know are very ill, who might die and are resistant to the idea this is a real thing, this is serious, this is a potentially fatal infection?

>> it's unfortunate for those patients that even when they make it to an icu that they're not believing in the virus or what's really happening, but the fact of the matter is is whether you believe it or not, you are a patient in the icu now or in the hospital needing very intensive care so the belief of it's real or a hoax becomes irrelevant because the effects on your body are really taking place and there's a real possibility that you could die from this virus and the complications that it causes to you. >> and you have asked people in your post to imagine what it's like being that nurse. i just read a piece of that. you've asked them to imagine being the covid icu patient, the breathlessness, the pain, the fear, the loneliness, isolation, anxiety, hopelessness, sadness,

the need to use all of your energy just to breathe. the true realization that you may not be getting better and facing your own mortality. the truth is that this post you put in could be as -- is more valid now than it would have been six months ago when we thought we were at the height of this. you in illinois like us in new york saw the first wave of this thing in april and may. we didn't think we'd be here in december. >> we didn't think that we would be facing the same challenges in december that we were facing in the spring with the disbelief and just the not -- the unwillingness to come together for the greater good. so, yeah, that's -- we didn't think that that was going to be an issue here going into the winter months and yet here we are and things are worse, much worse across the country in hospitals, in icus and everybody

is stretched. it's a day-to-day battle with these patients, covid and non-covid, with where everybody is going to go. >> we're nine months into this. we may have six or seven months to go before everybody is vaccinated. how are you going to manage through this? because you did put in your post, and every nurse and doctor we've talked to has said the same thing, we're human. this is hard. you're used to hard. you trained for hard. this is hard at a different level. >> this is a level that no health care provider in this country has experienced until now so we are going to lean on each other, lean on our co-workers because that's who is really understanding what is going on with these patients and just to be -- the amount of burden for the patient, for the

health care worker, for the system. so we are all leaning on each other. >> carol, i hope you can lean on some of us. i hope the public continues to remember the work that you all are doing. i did like in the early months when every day people around the country would open their windows and clap for people like you and front line workers and the people who delivered our goods just to remind you that we are grateful, we really are grateful for the work you are doing and you will be remembered well. we thank you. and this headline from the washington post just popped up an hour ago, quote, just 25 congressional republicans acknowledge biden's win. just 25 of 249 total. this is why the trump white house has been able to pull the shenanigans it has since the weeks of the election. where are you, republicans? democracy is on the line. it's time to stand up and face this losing president head on.

is he really the standard to which you want to hold the republican party? i truly hope that he isn't. hat e is how it can make you feel. but, when used at the first sign, abreva can get you back to being you in just 2 and a half days. be kinder to yourself and tougher on your cold sores. we started by making the cloud easier to manage. 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. ♪ we made usaa insurance for veterans like martin. when a hailstorm hit, he needed his insurance to get it done right, right away.

usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa their laundry smells moremily amazing than ever.in flings, usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. uh, honey? isn't that the dog's towel? hey, me towel su towel. there's more gain scent plus oxi boost and febreze odor remover in every fling. gain. seriously good scent

[what's this?] oh, are we kicking karly out? we live with at&t. it was a lapse in judgment. at&t, we called this house meeting because you advertise gig-speed internet, but we can't sign up for that here. yeah, but i'm just like warming up to those speeds. you've lived here two years. the personal attacks aren't helping, karly. don't you have like a hot pilates class to get to or something? [ muffled scream ] stop living with at&t. xfinity can deliver gig to the most homes.

courage manifests in different ways, physically, mentally, morally, emotionally, but all forms of courage are defined by the willingness to act in the face of adversity. none of those manifestations

seem to apply to what republicans are doing in the face of a president who may be doing more damage to american democracy in the dying days of his administration than he did in the almost four destructive years that preceded them. the check inning begin light in the republican car has been red since early 2016 as trump headed for his party's nomination. the problem was serious then, but now the engine has seized. the tires are blown out. the car is careening towards a cliff and with very, very few exceptions republicans across the country are standing by watching it happen and holding their tongues. for those of you who think that's their problem, it's not. it's actually all of our problem. this past wednesday donald trump released a 46-minute edited video diatribe about the election results that he called, quote, the most important speech he's ever made. it contained nothing about the most important issue we all face, coronavirus, but was riddled with lies many already

debunked in and out of court about voter fraud, rigged vote counts, voting machines and a stolen election. it's bad enough that republicans encouraged this behavior in the early days after joe biden's victory, but it's been a month now and enough is more than enough already. republicans should be objecting to every one of the fake hearings being held to demonstrate voter fraud and every time the giuliani clown car rolls into another stop, specifically at the president of the united states making baseless claims that undermine faith in democracy. i can't tell you how many times over the last four years i've heard people giving trump the benefit of the doubt asking what damage he can actually do. apparently a lot. his supporters are asking legislatures to overturn the will of the people suggesting he somehow cling to power. who would have thought that in 2020 we would be discussing members of the grand old party encouraging a coup. now let's not be poly annish and

imagine that donald trump will con see the defeat. he can do much more damage in 46 days in office as the president of the world's most powerful country. if members of the republican party plan to exist beyond trump, they may want to display a little bit of courage. if not, we will remember them for having failed american democracy when it mattered most. donald trump lost and he will not succeed in stealing the election, not in the actual courts and not in the court of public opinion. the quicker republicans can encourage him to find the door, the better for them and the better for the country. m and th better for the country your faiy godmother alice. and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain! if you have postmenopausal and a high risk for fracture, now might not be the best time to ask yourself, 'are my bones strong?' life is full of make or break moments.

that's why it's so important to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®. only prolia® is proven to help strengthen and protect bones from fracture with 1 shot every 6 months. do not take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®. serious allergic reactions like low blood pressure, trouble breathing, throat tightness, face, lip or tongue swelling, rash, itching or hives have happened. tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen. or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. speak to your doctor before stopping, skipping or delaying prolia®, as spine and other bone fractures have occurred. prolia® can cause serious side effects, like low blood calcium, serious infections, which could need hospitalization, skin problems, and severe bone, joint, or muscle pain. don't wait for a break, call your doctor today, and ask about prolia®. our flight is early tomorrow. and it's a long flight too. once we get there, we will need... buttercup!

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ i got it all from you ♪ i'm always pushing through ♪ i know we'll make it to the finish line ♪ ♪ i know you're waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ i'm like you on-demand glucose monitoring. because they're always on. another life-changing technology from abbott. so you don't wait for life. you live it.

before the break i talked about how the deafening silence to the gop with respect to donald trump's shenanigans. i'm joined by jennifer rubin, opinion writer, msnbc coop

tribtor. she's written pieces. the size of joe biden's victory matters. and with me is rick tyler. the author of "still right, immigrant loving, hybrid driving, composting american makes the case for conservatism." both of you, welcome this morning. jennifer, i'm really dumfounded. according to our reporting at nbc, ten republican senators have acknowledged joe biden's win, 15 members of congress in total according to reporting from the washington post have acknowledged joe biden's win. this isn't -- this isn't partisan stuff. donald trump is unhinged right now, and at some point if anybody ever wants to see another republican party in the future or talk to their children or grandchildren about being a republican, things have got to change. >> one would think so. this is a display of abject

cowardness. none of these people believe his craziness. do we think marco rubio is unaware that joe biden had a very clear-cut victory? i don't think so. and what we're seeing right now is that these people are afraid of donald trump. they're afraid of their own base and this is how they think they're going to get by. and somehow they think, oh, well, it'll all pass. none of this really matters. biden will be president. no one will remember this. in fact, what we're seeing already is republicans, for example in georgia, are saying, what's the point of voting? why should we turn out? it's all rigged. who cares? they're undermining themselves. they're undermining democracy. to the extent they care about history, they're certainly undermining their place in history. it is a mass abdication of responsibility and a betrayal of democracy. >> rick, talk to me about this. i think i have more democrats than republicans, i'm sure i

have some republicans. for those who are not republicans or consider themselves conservatives, explain to me what you believe the motivation is in sitting and watching this republican clown car with a seized engine and tires blowed outgoing off a cliff? why would any republican want this to happen? i get jennifer's point that maybe trump is more popular than some of them are but there is life after trump and shouldn't republicans who have had a political party for a very long time be thinking about that? >> well, ali, what you're seeing is a party of cowards. i don't know if there's rehabilitation for unix, but i don't think there is. this party has self-destructed and destroyed itself, although i would say you under estimate the legal team. i'm looking to give them a contribution, i'd encourage many people to give rudy -- i was tucking in my shirt, as much contribution and money to keep this clown show going because

i've never seen anything like it. they're in georgia now telling people not to vote, to boycott the republican election. where is donald trump saying this? a political first in my political experience, the political first, he's going to have a rally for losers. he's going to be center stage in the loser rally and he's not going to talk about what's at stake in the senate. parlly going to mention the republican candidates. we don't have to wonder about this. we know who he is. donald trump will just talk about how the election was stolen, the grievances and he'll drive away the very voters that perdue and loeffler need to win in georgia. >> jen, i've got my twitter open because i expect it to blow up after i say what i am going to say to you. i don't want to live in a one party state. whether it's republican party or some other party that represents that.

i want to live in pluralism. exactly what happens to save the other party or is there just going to be another other party? it's not going to be useful to have one democratic party and something else in the gutters of politics in america. >> well, that is the $64,000. one is that the republicans eat their own and destroy themselves. as rick said, you have the maga crowd attacking the republican crowd. you may see third party runs. you may see primary runs. you may see them completely devastate one another. frankly, i have always believed, again, my twitter feed is certainly going to blow up, that you really need to level, to look around the existing republican party, that it is hopeless, it is useless. you'll have to reconstitute some type of sound bite that is different, that gives others a choice from the democratic party but nevertheless it adheres to

basic principles of democracy and the rule of law. that's not possible so long as this republican party goes staggering like a drunk sailor through the landscape tearing up the furniture and creating havoc. so i think the quicker, frankly, the republicans finish self-destruktding, the quicker the maga and republican people eat each other alive. then we can get on, as you say, ali, to the business of creating a balanced second party that can offer an alternative and keep democratsen who nehonest. whenever you have just one party -- >> it's never good. >> you want them to be responsive. >> we as journalists can hold political parties to account but there's a better balance. rick tyler, is there any talk of that? is there noise of that? there are enough people who -- enough republicans or former republicans and conservatives

who voted for joe biden this election cycle. are they gathering to say, let's start something new? let's take over? let's take back the republican party? >> there are. i don't know if there's any serious effort underway. what jennifer says is absolutely true. what we have to remember, what you're talking about, ali, these are competing philosophies. when you have competing philosophies, the only thing to do, single word our whole entire constitution is based on, compromise. you have to be persuasive and convince enough people to go in that direction which is why i think joe biden actually has an opportunity because of what jennifer said in the destruction of the republican party and they will not be able to rehabilitate themselves. he could create a democratic party that is a govern mag jort for a nation. that takes a specific skill set to do that.

it's a republican party until it believes in something, we can't have a party that says we have to win. win what? we have more deficits, worse trade deals, more insecure global situation. our situation with iran is worse. with north korea it's worse. with russia it's worse. our trade imbalances are worse. i know jennifer is conservative, too, and she watches those things. we don't have a party that represents those interests anymore. >> it's a thoughtful conversation. i think people who believe in accountability and the kind of accountability the media engages in will respect the fact that there is no better accountability than competing ideas, being in the arena and working your ideas out with the american people. i hope we recover that. jennifer rubin is an opinion writer and rick tyler is a republican journalist.

she's represented one of ohio's main congressional districts for years. this week she was elected the chair of the congressional black caucus. up next i will speak with congresswoman joyce beatty and how she will work with the incoming joe biden congress. min. beautiful. but support the leg! when i started cobra kai, the lack of control over my business made me a little intense. but now i practice a different philosophy. quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll. and now i'm back on top... with koala kai. hey! more mercy. save over 30 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. the easy way to a happier business.

this week the house of representatives made history when it announced who will serve as chairs and ranking members of its committees and caucuses in next year's congress. representative gregory meeks from queens, new york, has become the first black chair of the foreign affairs committee. meeks says his top priority is to work with the next secretary of state to restore morale in the state department. david scott from georgia's atlantic metro area will become

the first black lawmaker to lead the house agriculture committee. my next guest was announced in a new pivotal role, chair of the congressional black caucus. advocating for black americans during a time when so many are facing disproportionate effects from covid-19, economic insecurity and social and legal injustice. in addition, the black caucus will be tapped with working closely along with the biden administration which has promised to diversify the cabinet and administration posts not only to include more african-americans, but other people of color and more women. with me now, democratic representative joyce beatty of ohio. congratulations, representative beatty, on the next chair. >> thank you, ali, for having me on. i'm excited, needles to say, about my appointment and plan to work hard for the people, for our communities and for justice

for all. >> we are going to have much opportunity to get to know each other over the next few years. you have a very heavy lift in front of you. i want to start with the first thing that a lot of people -- a lot of african-americans are talking about. this is an administration that promised great diversity and change and in some quarters there is criticism that people haven't seen that as quickly or as fast as they would like. what is your view on how this administration is forming with respect to diversity in african-americans? >> well, i think we're just starting. one thing that i have been very pleased with and many of my members in the congressional black caucus is that he has done what he said he would do. he said he would -- he would make sure he identified and picked a female as his vice president. so not only did we get a female, we got someone who is extremely talented, great leadership skills in vice president-elect kamala harris, a member of the congressional black caucus.

cedric richmond, who represents a younger group of individuals, quite talented, and he also, member of the congressional black caucus, will have the eyes -- be the eyes for the president and the ears. when you look at the communication team, an all female communication team of some of the best minds and individuals quick to speak and write. simone saunders, very good friend of mine at the table representing the younger folks, the millennials. i'm very pleased with that. when we look at korecorrine jana ear, linda thomas greenfield, ambassador to the united nations. cecelia ross, who as you know, is the chair of the council of economic advisers. she also was very helpful to president obama. and we have wally who is a

friend and was just with us by zoom at our meeting this week of the congressional black caucus will be the deputy treasury secretary. so there's so many more. ashley etienne, president of vice president-elect harris's communications team who comes from the house of representatives and a lot of key staff are going to be on the biden-harris team who are african-americans. so i think we should not be quick to judge. i don't want to start out judging in a critical way when he has done so much in starting up, however, that does not mean that we will not come to the table and challenge or question. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you. let's talk about some of the stuff that president obama was talking about this week. this year has been hot when it comes to social justice and the

equal -- equality in policing. obama warned that there are terminologies that we use like defund the police that may have scared some soeters away into voting for other people. this is a member that is close to you as members of congress, particularly black members of congress representing diverse parts of the country. >> absolutely, ali. we have a big tent. there will be some individuals where that works for them or that is their ideology that we should defund the police department. while words matter, terminology matters the most. the core of it is we need to reform the police departments across the nation. every day you turn on the tv and you see another person who has been shot, and not just shot, shot multiple times, shot in the back, shot while they were lying on the ground. shot while they were lying in the car with their children and there was not imminent danger so

do we need to readdress, reform, reallocate and look at how we are addressing the reform of our criminal justice system, how we're looking at the reform of our police department? yes. you have to remember it was just a few months ago that i was pepper sprayed when i was out peacefully protesting so i know what it's like to have unnecessary force, but that does not mean we get rid of all of our police and our police departments because then we wouldn't have the services we need for those things that are in alignment. but i think we will take a critical eye of how we reform it. and as you mentioned, we have a bill with the jobs and justice bill that deals with a lot of the social injustices. here's the good thing in my caucus. we have a lot of great ideas. we have people who are extremely verbal. we have very talented people that i'll be reaching out to.

many of them are our new congressional black caucus members that i agree with their intent and their focus. we just have to figure out how to shape them. >> well, you've got your work cut out for you. i hope you and i will spend many hours talking. joyce beatty, the next chairperson of the congressional black caucus. thank you for taking your time to be with us. >> thank you. right now lawmakers on capitol hill are pushing a new $908 billion stimulus package that could help millions of americans, but progressive bernie sanders says he can't support it as it stands now. he joins me next in a sweater to explain why the bill doesn't go far enough. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean?

what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry. with 6 times the freshness ingredients, downy unstopables gives you more of what you love. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. to your friends... your family... to your teachers. in that spirit of giving, chevy's proud to give our employee discount to everyone. the chevy price you pay, ...is what we pay. not a cent more. because giving, ...and giving back, is what the holidays are all about. use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get a total value of over eight thousand four hundred dollars on this silverado. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. we started by making the cloud easier to manage.

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. ♪

[ engine rumbling ] ♪ [ beeping ] [ engine revs ] ♪ uh, you know there's a 30-minute limit, right? tell that to the rain. [ beeping ] for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. with sweet potato fries. eating a falafel wrap

(doorbell rings) thanks! splitsies? ♪ oooh...you meant the food, didn't you? lawmakers in d.c. have spent months trying to negotiate another covid bill to help the millions of americans suffering from the pandemic. this week there looks to be some head way. a group of bipartisan centrist lawmakers unveiled a $908 billion stimulus plan that would give aid to hard-hit cities, states and americans. nancy pelosi and chuck schumer said the framework should be use used as a framework. bernie sanders says this doesn't go far enough. joining us is bernie sanders

from vermont. good to see you again, senator. i am worried about this because i'm going around the country every week talking to small businesses and workers, and they're very -- you know, while i'm very excited we'll have a vaccine out soon, these folks don't have six months of money to keep their businesses afloat or to stay in their apartments or to not be kicked out of their homes. they're finding themselves in food lines and food insecure. we need direct payments. >> absolutely we need direct payments. let us be clear, what we have right now are people suffering in a way economically that we have not seen since the great depression. hunger is at an all-time high. in recent years you have tens of thousands of people facing evict shunned and 90,000 people uninsured or under insured. what people want, in the midst of this crisis, through no fault of their own, because of the pandemic. the economy is in shambles.

they are asking the united states congress to help them. at the very least what we should be doing is continuing their $1200 payment to every working class adult in this country plus $500 for their children. their . in addition to that, i worry very much that in this building put together right now there is legal immunity for corporations who have been irresponsible in protecting their workers. so the fact that we are not addressing the economic crisis of tens of millions of people in this bill and they were giving large corporations cart blanche to ignore the safety needs of their workers tells me this is not a bill that should be passed. >> in fact, when the democrats wanted a $2 trillion bill and mitch mcconnell was suggesting a $500 billion bill, it was mostly the $500 million didn't include any direct payments to anybody. it was mostly indemnity to

corporations. i have to ask you, senator sanders, where this is coming from? is it the lies the president has had about coronavirus and its seriousness? is it mitch mcconnell and republicans who are very concerned about increasing debt, which would be like finding god very suddenly in your last week life, or is it this k-shaped recovery in which we've got a dow at 30,000, stockholders doing very well, people like me who can work from home and unaffected if it takes another six months to get a vaccine, i'll do just fine. there's a whole group of people in this country who are in food lines and not able to work from home and getting sicker and potentially exposed to death. >> ali, i think it is all of the above. it is a contempt. now, could you imagine if corporate executives were put into a position where their lives were being threatened and the government said we don't have to worry about that. we're looking at tens and tens

and tens of thousands of working class people, often black and brown working in the food processing industry, working in amazon, whereas i understand it 20,000 people have been infected. and what mitch mcconnell is saying we're going to make sure that none of those corporations, no matter how irresponsible they have been, none of them are going to face any legal repercussions this reminds me of going back to the jungle. remember the book "the jungle" in the early 1900s, we're going back there. doesn't matter what you do to your workers. second of all, the american people don't want a handout, but they understand that this pandemic is now ravaging this country, worse today than everyone before. they need help to get their feet back on, you know, their feet back on -- standing up so they can take care of their kids. we have got to address those. >> where are you in this

process? what levers do you have to push? obviously if the georgia senate run yo runoff goes a certain way on january 5th, it will be a lot easier to get things three you senate. small businesses need grants, not loans, companies need european style pay the companies to keep people employed for longer. >> we're working with colleagues both in the senate and in the house and we're trying to rally the american people. what we are talking about here, al al this is a good idea for congress to listen to the american people, not corporations. we're talking about this georgia election. this may be the best answer for getting things done in congress if democrats have essential control of congress in a 50-50

senate. >> yeah, look, this is enormously important. and to our friends in georgia, please understand that what this election is about, if you want to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, you got to vote for warnock. if you want a strong covid-19 emergency bill you got to vote for these guys. what's happening in in georgia is going to impact the entire country. it will mean whether or not we can bring forward an agenda that works for working people rather than just the wealthy and the powerful. >> you've told me several times over the last few months since i left the presidential race that your goal is to get joe biden elected and then to make him the most progressive president in the history of the united

states. that job comes a lot easier if if you at least don't have republicans controlling the senate. >> absolutely. we're all working as hard as we can to make sure the two democratic candidates win in georgia and that we'll have those two elections, it will clearly have a pro found impact on everybody in our country. >> senator, gold to see you. i appreciate you taking time to join us this morning. independent senator bernie sanders of vermont. thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> that does it for me. tomorrow i am hitting the road again. i'm going to be in portland, oregon for velshi across america, "surviving the next wave." if you are a small business owner or worker facing tough decisions as covid cases surge, send you my question at

mystory @velshi.com. and tiff any cross and jonathan capehart will join us with their new show. they'll have extensive interviews, compelling discussions. these are two people i respect so greatly. i'm so happy to be teaming up with them. tiffany across on saturdays and jonathan capehart on sundays. talk your hat off and stale a while. you are watching msnbc. e watchm. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old bargain detergent. tide pods plus downy free. safe for sensitive skin with eczema and psoriasis. pizza. tacos. pizza! what about subway? it's a good call and everyone loves it. we raised our kids on it. so it stopped the bickering? (mocking tone) "mom, jj's copying me!" grow up. mom! knock it off!

try the new subway buffalo chicken or bbq chicken. ♪ ♪

it's time for aerotrainer, with your weight and health? ♪ a more effective total body fitness solution. (announcer) aerotrainer's ergodynamic design and four patented air chambers create maximum muscle activation for better results in less time, all while maintaining safe, correct form and allows for over 20 exercises. do the aerotrainer super crunch. the pre-stretch works your abs even harder, engaging the entire core. then it's the back extension, super rock, and lower back traction stretch to take the pressure off your spine and stretch muscles. planks are the ultimate total body exercise. build your upper body with pushups. work your lower body with the aerosquat. the aerotrainer is tested to support over 500 pounds. it inflates and deflates in less than 30 seconds using the electric pump. head to aerotrainer.com now. now it's your turn to lose weight, look great, and be healthy. get off the floor and get on the aerotrainer.

go to aerotrainer.com, that's a-e-r-o-trainer.com. the team's been working around the clock.wire, we've had to rethink our whole approach. we're going to give togetherness. logistically, it's been a nightmare. i'm not sure it's going to work. it'll work. i didn't know you were listening.

the promise of the biden presidency and harris vice presidency rest in part on their ability to have a cooperative posture with congress. and to do that, we have to have the two gentlemen who are running for senate in georgia. >> the best way to make sure that trump legacy stays in place is to win georgia. if you want to protect this family from another round of mueller investigations, we need to win georgia. >> good morning and welcome to the final weekend of "am