tonight my conversation with house secretary alex azar, his stunning response, and e plan unveiled today by president-elect biden to get the rollout back on track. >>> it comes as the world surpasses 2 million covid deaths, and the new warning on that highly contagious uk variant. how long the cdc says we have until it becomes the dominant strain in the u.s. >>> chilling, new information about the capitol attack federal prosecutors citing strong evidence rioters intended to capture and assassinate elected officials. and new reporting on just how close the attackers came to vice president pence. >>> inauguration lockdown, razor wire placed on fences around the capitol, the national mall shut down, and state capitols on high alert. >>> president trump just five days left in office, what we've learned about when and how he will leave the white house. >>> and the restaurant hero, the secret note that led to the rescue of an 11-year-old boy. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone five weeks ago tonight, the future was finally looking brighter the

it was earlier this week that health and human services secretary alex azar changed how doses will be allocated. [video clip] effective two weeks from now, we are changing how we allocate first doses among the state. in order to make sure doses are being put to use and put to use for the most honorable. we will be advocating -- allocating them -- based on states and based on the size of the 65 and over population in each state. we are giving states two weeks notice of the shift to give them the time necessary to plan and to improve their reporting if they think their data is faulty. this new system gives states a strong incentive to ensure all vaccinations are being promptly reported, which they are currently not, and gives a strong incentive to ensure doses are going to work protecting people rather than sitting on shelves or in freezers. with case counts we face now, there is absolutely no time to waste. we need doses going to where they will be administered quickly and where they will protect most vulnerable. host: andrew dunn, when alex azar is talking about vaccines sitting on sh

alex azar losing his job anyway because a new administration is coming in. still, alex azar in this letter that he has released, submitting his resignation, both praising the trump administration for the work they did on the vaccine, on "operation warp speed," and on other coronavirus response measures, but also offering some implicit criticism of president trump, writing "the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially this past week, threaten to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this administration." and we've seen this from other cabinet members as well, lindsey, as they try to rehabilitate their own image in the final days of this trump administration. folks who did not resign when president trump was impeached for trying to shake down the ukrainian leader or when he retweeted a white power video or when he exposed potentially dozens of people through superspreader events at the white house. they surfed through all of that, but now in the final days, they are trying to create some distance from president trump as his popularity is

also the third cabinet resignation overnight when health secretary alex azar resigned mentioning the insurrection last week as part of the reason why. i'll read you a part, unfortunately the actions and receihetoric following the elec threaten the administration and he went on to 15i tsay that the attacks were an assaults on the democracy. and that recletter dated januar 12. so the halls wilare emptier. >>> and a stunling rening revel even thought that the stockpile would help boost the lag apparently no longer exists. one governor calls it deception on a national skcale. is now what? >> and we did not know that mike pence and members of his family could have been just seconds away danger during the rye another. ever, that's why the new myww+ is our most holistic weight loss program ever. the app helps you take the foods you have and gives you creative ideas for meals. you can choose any workout you want to fit with your time frame. there are a ton of zero point foods that i love. i never feel restricted. with the new tools, my mindset has completely changed. more holistic. more pers

you into the heart of the frustration and i'll put some questions about all this to hhs secretary alex azar. we've also gotten some disturbing, new insight into the suspected end game of those capitol rioters. it's awfully chilling. we'll tell you more about that, coming up. >>> but let's begin with stephanie gosk and those vaccine bottlenecks. >> reporter: the idea >> reporter: the idea is, open up eligibility so shots get into arms. as it stands, only a third of the vaccines available have actually been used >> if you have a dose, give it, and don't be so rigid as to those early designations >> reporter: local and state officials say the real problem is supply governors angry that reserve doses promised by the federal government are unavailable. >> they were lying they don't have any doses held back. >> we were lied to with plans of the administration to release reserve doses. >> reporter: he says colorado is getting less than half what they were told supply frustration in new jersey, too. >> we just need the supply from the feds to meet that demand and it's become increasingly ready that

the country's health and human services secretary alex azar has announced changes to vaccine distributionoss the nation fortune. well bellow breaks down the latest we're now making the full reserve of doses we have available for order it was an unexpected shift in the plans to speed up the delivery of covid-19 vaccines on tuesday health and human services secretary alex azar announced several new steps to ensure a faster rollout of vaccine doses we're expanding the group's getting vaccinated. because state restrictions on eligibility have obstructed speed and accessibility of administration under the new guidelines everyone, 65 and older and all those under that age with a comorbidity are now eligible to receive the vaccine. >>also the federal government will no longer be holding back doses. azar says this was always the plan but they needed confidence in the supply chain before releasing all of the vaccines every vaccine dose that is sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an armed could mean one more life lost or one more hospital beds occupied because we now have a consistent pac

>>the country's health and human services secretary alex azar has announced changes to vaccine distribution across the country kron four's noelle bellow breaks down the latest details. >>we're now making the full reserve of doses we have available for order. >>it was an unexpected shift in the plans to speed up the delivery of covid-19 vaccines on tuesday health and human services secretary alex azar announced several new steps to ensure a faster rollout of vaccine doses. >>we're expanding the group's getting vaccinated. because state restrictions on eligibility have obstructed speed and accessibility of administration under the new guidelines everyone, 65 and older and all those under that age with a comorbidity are now eligible to receive the vaccine. also the federal government will no longer be holding back doses. azar says this was always the plan but they needed confidence in the supply chain before releasing all of the vaccines every vaccine dose that is sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an armed could mean one more life lost or one more hospital beds occupied because we

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that would be house sector alex azar who submitted a letter of resignation in which he criticized theresident. unfortunately, the action and rhetoric this past week threatened the historic legacy of this administration. then he goes on to say the attack on the capitol were an assault on democracy and the traditions of power that the united states of america first brought to the world. so, christi and victor, the halls a little empty in the last weeks of trump's presidency as he remains behind closed doors and relatively silent. >> sarah westwood, thank you. a and, president-elect biden is making it 100 days strong. what is he saying about how these going to make this happen? >> christi, biden is pledging this massive effort to beat coronavirus. also as you said, to fill that initial plan to vaccinate 50 million people in first 100 days. yesterday in wilmington, biden was really candid with americans about that really lan task. that ambitious goal ahead. take a listen to him here. >> some wonder if we're reaching too far for that goal. is it achievable? a legitimate question to ask. le

we'll speak with alex azar. >>> and you know you saw it, chrissy teigen reveals she's four weeks sober. what led to her decision to do dry january a month early and what you should know if you're planning to go dry in the new year. >>> and matt james joining us live before tonight's big premiere. this guy said he had never been in love and all i could think about is a couple ex-girlfriends being like, yeah, right. >> see? it was news to them. that's what i'm thinking. ginger, i need you to break a tie. so, in this promo we saw of "the bachelor," we saw one of the contestants, she walked up to him and she appears to trip right before she gets up to him. i say that's an opportunity to cut someone early. kumasi, what are you saying? >> i believe there's a lot going on and she can get back up and still win this thing. >> okay. ginger, break the tie. >> reggie, ruthless. >> thank you. >> i will say i did that once before a first date. i walked down the street and he was watching for me. we were getting a coffee. i fully face planted. we went on to have a decent relationship. i didn't marry

health and human services secretary alex azar joins us live this morning. >>> identified. >> no, i'm not letting him walk away with my phone. >> the woman behind this caught-on-camera confrontation. the 22-year-old who falsely accused a 14-year-old of stealing her phone and attempted to tackle him in a new york city hotel tracked down. will she face charges in new york? >>> base jumping from a rooftop bar. >> oh, my god. >> two men leap from 25 stories high, parachute to the ground below causing what authorities say was mass panic. the search for the duo behind the wild incident under investigation this morning. >>> return rush. how the post-holiday bonanza can help you find big discounts on hot ticket items. this morning the auction and reselling sites changing the game. ♪ ain't no mountain high enough ♪ >>> and alex smith leading the washington football team to the playoffs after his improbable return to the field as his wife reveals the trophy he already earned. but why giants players and fans are not thrilled this morning. >>> that could have something to do with the eagles. that

change health and human services secretary alex azar urging governors to vaccinate broader groups ofsing states like that which is begun vaccinating anyone over the age of 65. >> we would rather see states move as quickly as possible and use every possible avenue to meet demand as places like florida are trying to do than to leave vaccines sitting in freezers. >> nationwide 21 million vaccines have been delivered for just 28% have been used. the fact that the vast majority of vaccines in the us are sitting in freezers raising the specter some good expire before being used. pfizer and moderna vaccines can only be stored in commonly available refrigerators from 5 to 30 days and if kept at room temperature vaccines are viable for mere hours. in northern california after freezer broke hospital scrambled to inject 600 shots within 24 hours before they went to waste. all the vaccines for use that someone's to people who were not eligible yet under state guidelines. the cdc recommended frontline health care workers be vaccinated first individual states ultimately decided and the bureaucracy

two things that trump hhs alex azar called for in the past few days but biden would do more. he would deploy the national guard and fema to help states distribute the vaccine, big hurdle for biden in rolling out the program is going to be congress because it is folded into 2 trillion rescue package which has not been popular with some progressives. >> we just rolled out a 900 billion-dollar stimulus package, that really hasn't taken hold yet. this is about nancy pelosi trying to get $3 trillion through and she only got 1 trillion and now she's using the opportunity to try to push these other agenda items. you know, the answer is let's distribute the vaccine, let's get the economy open again. hillary: and, arthel, biden needs 10 republican senators to back this rescue package if he wants to pass it through congress in regular order, but some senators have also already spoken -- speaking out against it, senator pat toomey blasting spending calling it a colossal weight. arthel. arthel: i'm surge people waiting for the vaccine would not call it -- >> eric: arthel, national rifle

joining me now is hhs secretary alex azar. mr.ecretary, why are healthcare workers not getting vaccinated? >> we have seen some isolated incidents, but i have been in the field and seeking healthcare workers get vaccinated and breaking down in tears as they have been so happy. my message to our governors would be as they make these calls you cannot over micro magic these prioritized groups took this vaccine is not meant to be stored. it's meant to be administered and get it out to our vulnerable people, if you need to get it out to those over aged 70. get it administered. stuart: vendor has vaccine dose could be cut in half to administer more shots. are you in favor of that? >> we are looking at the data and if there is science and data and fda's golden standard is it met then absolutely, but it will have to be fda looking at the data to make sure. stuart: when does astrazeneca's vaccine arrive here pick they started giving jobs in england. what about here in the qs medical trials are enrolled and we are hoping it could be any day

from alex azar, a parting shot to the president in a resignation letter. it all comes amid a new warning from the cdc about that highly contagious covid variant first found in the uk and how it could become a dominant strain in the u.s. by march. the president-elect laying out a plan in a race against this new threat. >>> good morning, everyone. it's great of you to get up early with us. it's saturday, january 16th. welcome to this special edition of msnbc live. we have a team of reporters and analysts following the latest developments around the country. we begin with garrett haake in washington, d.c. and msnbc's mora barrett in harrisburg, pennsylvania where law enforcement officials are preparing for potential protests this weekend. talk about the scope of security where you are in washington. >> the bottom line is d.c. is closed. yesterday the mayor held a briefing in which she told anyone who thought they were coming here for the inauguration to just stay home. something like 12,000 national guardsmen and women are stationed all around the district. i

last week's riot is cited by outgoing health secretary alex azar in his resignation letter, who said the attack threatened to tarnish the administration's accomplishments. more only in a moment. trump does appear to still be in contact with those allies who helped amplify the election fraud falsehoods that led to the assault on congress. today he spent some time on his last friday in the white house with michael lindell, the guy on the my pillow commercials. he was seen leaving the west wing. the photographer for the "washington post" caught a shot of lindell's notes, which read in part, quote, martial law if necessary, at first hint of any dot, dot, dot of the then it says move cache patel to cia acting. he is currently a trump loyalist. today mike lindell, the pillow pitch man and conspiracy theorist says he was informing trump about a new election fraud theory that china and other countries helped steal the 2020 election for joe biden. he says white house attorneys promised to look into it and get right back to him. trump is expected to leave the white house for the final time as

today state governments all over the country are reeling once again after trump health secretary alex azar told states they were going to get a whole bunch of vaccine doses next week that they aren't actually going to get. this is at least the second time the trump administration has told the states there were doses shipping out to them, doses that didn't actually exist. which is just frying these already fragile cobbled together systems in all the states as the states have had to try to figure out vaccine distribution programs on their own with no national plan to help them do it. so we're going to have much more on that tonight. and more importantly we're going to have the first national interview with a man who soon to be president joe biden just named as the person who will be tasked with fixing this mess and setting up a national vaccination plan for the first time. under president biden dr. david kessler will be overseeing a whole new multibillion dollar effort that among other things will put the national guard and fema in the field at new mass vaccination sites in every state in th

if all the human services secretary alex azar says that has to change.florida even though there's long lines in frustration, vaccine distribution has been expanded to those 55 and older. >> would much rather see states move as quickly as possible and use every possible avenue to meet demands as places like florida are trying to do. then to leave vaccine sitting in freezers. >> new york, more than half of supplies remain unused, there is disagreement governor andrew cuomo and mayor it' bill de blasio. even though there's thousands of doses on hand, there still not enough capacity for all health care workers and nursing home residents. he threatened to find hospitals for not using all supplies. the mayor meanwhile once high-risk groups to qualify now for the vaccine. >> he could be reaching folks right this minute who are really vulnerable. 75 years old, 80 80 years old, central workers right now. that's the best way to constantly use the supply of vaccine that we have right now. >> other states expanding their eligibility and starting today, firefighters

john: judy, health and human services secretary alex azar announced the changes.inistration will begin to release all the doses of the vaccine. they began by holding back approximately half because these are two-shot vaccines, but officials are now confident the supply is sufficient. it's urging states to vaccinate anyone 65 or older and anyone with an underlying medical condition that could threaten their life if they get covid. it will send more doses to states that are vaccinating people more efficiently and it will encourage states to set up more places to get the vaccine this comes ahead of an expected announcement from president-elect joe biden on his vaccination plans. jennifer nuzzo is an epidemiologist at the coronavirus resource center at johns hopkins university. she joins us now. thank you for being with us. why make these changes? or why was it necessary for officials to make these changes now? and were these the right changes to make? jennifer: i think these changes reflect the fact that people are frustrated that vaccines are not rolling out as quic

the country's health and human services secretary alex azar has announced changes to vaccine distribution across the united states kron four's noelle bellow joins us live in the newsroom with details. noel. >>that's right sanaa's it was an unexpected shift in the plans to speed up the delivery of shots state health officials have expressed concern over the slow start of distribution of vaccines so all of that is now changing as of today, the government will no longer be holding back doses of the vaccine originally the trump administration wanted to hold back the required second doses that's all over now all of the doses available are being sent out to states this aligns the trump administration with the incoming biden administration who earlier said they wouldn't be holding back any doses once biden takes office secondly also announced today azar said states should immediately start vaccinating other groups lower down on the priority scale which includes people age, 65 and older as well as younger people with certain health problems, a local infectious disease experts say they agree with

not only him, also alex azar, who turned into the president his resignation letter, he, too, took theion to task. it says, unfortunately the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during this last week, threatened to tarnish the legacies of this administration. i implore you to continue to condemn any form of violence to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the inaugural activities in washington or elsewhere and to continue to support unreservedly the peaceful transfer of power, john. >> welcome comments from secretary azar and larry kudlow, but we can file those under things that could have been said for two months, but weren't. joe johns at the white house, thanks very much. >>> up next, security precautions this weekend extending far outside the capitol. the mayor of austin, texas, joins us next on the serious protections under way there. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some rinvoq

look, this is alex azar who stood quietly for three months last year in january, february, and marchald trump said oh, it's going to go away, it's minimal, there's only 15 cases, it's nothing, it's the flu. you know, he stood quietly by with that and now, he is going to go out with -- going to leave the administration like a wet fart, nobody is going to be happy with his performance. because it was awful. it was terrible. it was embarrassingly bad and it cost the lives of 400,000 americans. all of the swagger monkey types around trump who have acted like they've done everything perfectly, they're leaving the world in good hands, you know, this is a country that is still in the midst of this pandemic and the impacts of it are by no means even close to being final. we are going to pay the price for their indifference and their incompetence for a long time. and alex azar, who's one of those people that i know he's trying to go back into private industry right now, but i would hope that any company considering hiring him would find like a rabid dog on the street and put him in the office

pompeo, his treasury secretary steve mnuchin, wilbur ross, the commerce secretary, sonny perdue, alex azar i forget the current number but around ten. thank you margaret. bring in david, on that matter of the 25th amendment, margaret said it's early stages of discussion but how would it work? >> way it works, it's usually used in circumstance where a president might be going under anesthesia in a temporary way to remove the president from his duties when he can't perform them for a period of time. but also could be used when the vice president and majority of the cabinet decide the president is unable to perform his duties as president. they transmit a letter to the president protempore of the senate. and until and unless the president submits a letter saying he is able to do his duties and at that point can continue on or they can do another letter, go to congress for vote and need 2/3 of each house, with two weeks to go, it's about the same as perform nerm as a barber, nothing's gonna beat my shave. especially for guys who tend to get razor bumps with ordinary razors. but now there's gil

let's bring in the health and human services secretary alex azar.e always said that is the hardest cabinet secretary position to say out loud. thank you for being here. the american people when the pandemic first started was so upsetting, for many americans was hard for them to get unemployment, they couldn't go to work. it was hard for them because they couldn't get a test and then they had all of this hope that the vaccines were coming and now the vaccines are somewhere out there, but are not being administered into the arms of the rate that was promised. what went wrong? >> first off, congratulations on the new show, excited to be one of your first guests. to make delighted you're here, thank you. >> we have now made available close to 50 million doses of unbelievably effective vaccines to the governors to get out there over 31 million doses have been distributed, 14 million have been as of friday actually administered. it was always going to be part of scaling up the key is having those doses available. this is a concerted effort by the new team

health secretary alex azar says the u.s.g about 700,000 shots per day and is on pace to reach a million daily vaccinations within a week to ten days from now. the new changes would make millions more americans eligible for a vaccine right away but there won't be enough supply, even as all available doses are released at once pfizer's ceo, though, telling us today they have boosted their manufacturing forecasts for this year now expecting to make up to 2 billion doses globally and he says he's comfort they'll be able to maintain a steady pace >> meg, thanks so much. >>> getting shots to seniors can't happen fast enough many are lonely, isolated and certainly more likely to die if they do get covid. as vaccines open up to older americans, a brand new problem, many are having a hard time signing up online. there's no national form, each state has a different process. sometimes each county, and web sites may require uploads or two factor authentication. a lot of virtual hurdles that are very real for some seniors here's cnbc's e

the seetary of health and human services, alex azar, said today that faster production guarantees enough vaccine for first and second doses. >> we can now ship all of the doses that had been held in physical reserve, with second doses being supplied by dosesco ng off of manufacturing lines with quality control. going forward, each week doses available will be released to first cover the needed second doses, and then cover the needec first ations. >> woodruff: federal officials also announced that as oon january 26 aflying to the u.s. will have to have a negative covid test three days of flying. awe'll focus on all of ther the news summary. two n on federal death row have tested positive for covid-19, and a federal judge has halted their executions set for this week. separately, another judge stopped the first federal execution of a woman in nearly 70 years. he ordered a competency hearing. federal executions resumed last year after 17 years without one. president-elect biden is expected to oppose them. >> women must visit doctors or clinicians in person totain an abortion pill. the rule

alex azar explains why he thinks there's been a delay. >>> and we are waking up to rain in the bay area >>> good morning. welcome to monday, january 4th. >> we want to get to mike to see what's going on with the rain. mike? >> all right. thank you very much, kumasi and reggie. thanks for joining us on this first monday of 2021. we're looking up as far as the wet weather goes. we're so far behind in 2020, we were at 28 to 35% of average. this will help. today showers heaviest across the north bay where lightning is possible and winds gusting 30 to 40 miles per hour. this will be on the higher side of a light storm. you can see out there right now everything is pretty much green. there is some yellow up in mndocino county and that and lake county. that will move north away from us. we're focused on 80 right now. vacaville down to vallejo into san francisco is our leading line of lighter rain which you can see in san rafael. it let about 0.04 inches of rain. that's enough to make things slick. rain will increase in intensity and coverage from 7:00 to noon and it will start to decrease head

tonight my conversation with house secretary alex azar, his stunning response, and e plan unveiled todaypresident-elect biden to get the rollout back on track. >>> it comes as the world surpasses 2 million covid deaths, and the new warning on that highly contagious uk variant. how long the cdc says we have until it becomes the dominant strain in the u.s.

among those honored were doctor anthony fauci doctor deborah birx health human services secretary alex azar the president's son in law jared kushner for joining us. a pregnant woman in fresno county says she is thankful to be alive after her battle with coronavirus she spent 7 weeks in the hospital all while while carrying her twins doctors are crediting her survival to a special treatment called ecmo kirsten mitchell has the story. it's crazy how many people were in the icu try to keep life. >>the 39 year-old dallas selling. i started feeling sick around thanksgiving then came breathing problems a trip to the hospital and a covid-19 diagnosis. it was just too much i can do it on my own. >>and on that monday 19 weeks pregnant. >>knowing she was vulnerable doctors transferred her from clovis community medical center. to community regional medical center home to the only ecmo treatment program for adults in the central valley ecmo essentially takes over heart and lung functions, it's a way to put oxygen in the blood while bypassing the lungs doctor crystal ives tallman says dallas was a good

secretary alex azar says distribution isn't the only issue. >> we have too much vaccine sitting in freezers at hospitals with hospitals not using it. >> reporter: in california, more than three million vaccines have already been received, just a quarter of those doses have been administered. help could sooarga sitearenues soon to be rvs vaccinations, like new york's citi field and amusement parks like disneyland. texas opened its vaccine mega site but while 140,000 signed up -- >> we won't get to 14,000. >> reporter: frustration in new york city. >> this web site keeps loading and loading, when you try to secure an appointment, it doesn't go anywhere. >> reporter: in alabama, cases and hospitalizations continue to spike amid what could turn into the largest superspreader event as jubilant university of alabama fans packed the streets of tuscaloosa. the crisis hit an inflection point says baylor university doctor peter hotez. >> we can't make excuses anymore. we can't come up small again. our last hope is to vaccinate our way through this. >> reporter: disneyland will open its parking lot fo

those honored were doctor anthony fauci doctor deborah birx health and human services secretary alex azar and the president's son in law jared kushner. >>as the new administration prepares to take office and democrats prepare to take control of the senate. some are wondering what's next for the republican party as a whole the party does seem to be fractured with key members cutting their ties with president trump kron four's noelle bellow has more. >>the mob bush said lodge. they were provoked by the president. another powerful people with those words the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell explicitly points his finger at president trump. >>for helping spur the deadly attack at the capitol on january 6th. it's the second time mcconnell publicly broke ties with the president in the last month. and it's just another example of the splintering that seems to be happening within the gop. >>i think that our party does need to rebuild vice chair of the bay area region of the california republican party jonathan madison. >>the leaves of the sun sets on the trump administration it's a time for

>>health and human services secretary alex azar said that the federal government would be releasing reserves it turns out the vaccine. reserve was already exhausted when he made that promise. they're reportedly has no stockpile was the state's had been expecting also today president elect joe biden called the trump vaccine rollout a failure. he outlined his plan to take steps to increase vaccine supply and distribution. >>using the defense production act, creating more vaccinations sites mobilizing more personnel says support the effort and a launching a public education campaign to talk about these issues another covid concerns tonight joining us live now ucsf infectious disease expert doctor, peter, chin-hong doctor as always thank you for being with us so what is your reaction to word that there are no reserves being sent out to the states and what does this mean to california and the bay area. >>well it means that returning. life back to normal is going to be a little bit to lead as we had feared, but yet i still think we need to better distribution job of the vaccine be already have sin

health and human services secretary alex azar admits the u.s.oes not have a reserve stockpile of vaccines. >> no, there's not a reserve stockpile. we now have enough confidence that our ongoing production will be quality and available to provide the second dose for people, so we're not sitting on a reserve anymore. we've made that available to the states to order. >> colorado governor jared polis joins me now. governor, thanks very much for your time. so we all want to understand exactly what's happening here, so tell me what happened in colorado, you were told there were reserves, but now we're learning that there aren't reserves, that they have already been released into the system last week. so are you shocked by this? does this affect your ability to vaccinate people? >> i am just, you know, devastated by these flip-flops on life or death items, and the way that secretary azar misled the entire country. there had been this debate over a week or two of whether the reserve, which we were told was a mere dose for every dose, meaning one is admi

health secretary alex azar now threatening to cut doses to states that fail to use all of their allocated vaccines. about one-third of delivered doses have still not been given out. >> the vaccines are like the ammunition. the federal government gave the ammunition to the states and then said, okay, you guys figure it out. it's not going to work like that. nobody would fight a war like that, right? >> reporter: the race to deliver shots reaching even the most rural corners of the country. in alaska doctors and nurses are battling subzero temperatures to deliver doses using planes, snowmobiles and sleds. meanwhile, back in washington at least three members of congress now saying they've tested positive after last week's lockdown with other members not wearing masks. >> it's more than arrogance. it's more than contempt. it is a desire to cause injury to others. >> reporter: members of the house could now be fined $500 for refusing to mask up. in the sports world the nba also enforcing stricter protocols after the celtics were forced to postpone their third consecutive game, and big news for

secretary of state, mike pompeo, the treasury secretary, steven mnuchin, will beross, sunny purdue, alex azarmargaret brennan, thank you for your excellent reporting. i want to bring in david becker because he is a constitutional law expert. david, on that matter of the 25th amendment, margaret, of course, said it is at its early stages of discussion, but how would it work? >> so the way it works, it is usually used in a circumstance where a president might be going under anesthesia in a very temporary way. it is a temporary way, usually, to remove the president from his duties when he can't perform them for a period of time. but it also could be used when the vice president, and a majority of the cabinet, decide the president is unable to perform his duties as president. they transmit a letter to the president, and at that point the vice president becomes president until and unless the president himself submits a letter saying he is, indeed, able to perform his duties. then at that point, the president can continue on, or the vice president and the majority of the cabinet can continue with a

>> okay, eva, thank you so much. >>> let's bring in alex azar.r joining us. i want to get to the vaccine but you are also a member of the president's cabinet so i have to ask you as you know the house is asking vice president pence and members of the trump cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment. that says that the president should be removed if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet declare that the president is, quote, unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. do you believe the president is able to discharge the powers and duties of his office? >> george, thank you for having me. and i just want to be very clear as i was when those events were unfolding last week, that the assault on the capitol was an assault on democracy. it was unacceptable. it can't happen again and i'm worried about these rumors of people gathering again in the capitol and in our state capitols. we have got to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. you know, the inauguration of a new president is something -- this will be the 45th transfer of powe

health and human services secretary alex azar cited the siege in his resignation letter and took a parting president, "unfortunately, the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during this past week, threatened to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this administration." >> donald trump remains a threat to our democracy and will be held accountable. >> reporter: as the senate prepares for an impeachment trial, house speaker nancy pelosi declined to give a timetable for when the article could be handed over. >> so urgent was the matter, we're now working on taking this to trial. >> reporter: tonight, inaugural festivities are officially under way for president-elect joe biden, with more events over the next five days. news has also ld cbs news has also learned that vice president-elect kamala wiln harris will be sworn in by supreme court justice sonia sotomayor on january 20. adriana. >> diaz: nikole killion, thanks. tomorrow on "face the nation," margaret brennan's guests, congressman adam schiff on the upcoming impeachment trial ofç president trump; and governor

the us health secretary alex azar has resigned, describing the storming of congress by donald trump'sto the president, he said actions and rhetoric following november's election had threatened to tarnish the administration's legacy. but mr azar said he would stay in his role until wednesday to ensure a smooth transfer of power during the pandemic. he's been one of mr trump's closest allies. a number of white house officials have stepped down following the violence in washington earlier this month. the authorities in india are beginning a huge coronavirus vaccination programme. efforts are underway to inoculate 300 million people by august, starting with healthcare and frontline workers. these are live pictures from delhi, primus and arena modi speaking. —— prime minister narendra modi. two types of vaccine are being used. critics accuse the government of rushing to approve one of them, covaxin, which was developed in india. 0fficials insist the jab is safe, despite having not yet passed phase three clinical trials. the government believes it's well placed to vaccinate a population of

in what appeared to be a move designed to ease the backlog, health and human services secretary alex azar announced this on tuesday: >> we are releasing the entire supply we have for order by states rather than holding second doses in physical reserve. >> reporter: not true, say the governors of oregon and colorado. >> we were lied to with plans of the administration to release reserve doses. >> reporter: but pfizer, in a statement to cbs news, says, "'operation warp speed' has asked us to start shipping second doses only recently. as a result, we have on hand all the second doses of the previous shipment to the u.s." what do you say to americans who are just worried about getting the vaccine? >> help is coming. more vaccine doses are being made. most americans will start getting access to vaccines late spring into summer. >> reporter: here in new york city, vaccine supply is so low, the mayor says they'll run out next week. mount sinai hospital had to cancel all vaccine appointments scheduled through tuesday.ay. norah. >> o'donnell: really awful. nikki battiste, thank you. today, preside

earlier this week, departing health and human services secretary alex azar saying more doses were on the way. >> we are releasing the entire supply we have. >> reporter: but the reserve second doses he was talking about had already been shipping out for weeks. there is no surplus. governors across the country are outraged. >> this is deception on a national scale. >> we were ready to play it right away, and now we know it simply doesn't exist. >> i have no idea why they made that claim when they knew it wasn't accurate. >> reporter: texas grandmother pam jones describing the tremendous patience and luck it took to finally get an appointment online. >> it was almost a 24/7 operation, really and truly. i mean, i'd wake up in the middle of the night and check things. >> reporter: the online portals cities rely on proving challenging, especially for senior citizens. >> many people who have either limited access to the internet, limited access to technology, or simply don't have the tools, it's next to impossible to figure out how to actually get a vaccine. >> reporter: president-elect jo

health and human services secretary alex azar who helped lead that vaccine rollout hands in his resignation overnight citing the capitol riots. >>> guardian angel. a restaurant manager being haled as a hero this morning after sensing something was wrong with one of her young customers. >> it's just absolutely a miracle and there's no real other way to explain it. >> this morning the brave and ingenious way she saved an 11-year-old boy. those stories plus 850 million reasons to dream. the mega millions jackpot growing even larger overnight with no winner in last night's drawing, but there's still hope with a $640 million powerball drawing tonight. you might just be hours away from getting rich today, saturday, january 16th, 2021. >>> from nbc news, this is "today" with peter alexander, kristin welker and dylan dreyer. >> welcome to "today." thank you for joining us on this saturday morning. >> we are here. just four days away from the inauguration. dylan, you would not believe what the nation's capitol looks like. we have checkpoints everywhere. high security. it's just unrecognizable, frank

health secretary alex azar visited in august, provoking an angry reaction from beijing.ashington of lies and conspiracy theories after the trump administration claims it has new information suggesting the coronavirus may have come from a chinese lab. officials say a state department notice on the virus last week is full of fallacy. in their words, it is the last madness of secretary of state mike pompeo. meanwhile, the u.s. is sending b-52 bombers into the middle east. tensions with iran continue to rise. tehran is stepping up military exercises ahead of the biden inauguration. response will begin tuesday. following surface to surface missile firings in recent days. in other news, the telling prime minister has won a vital confidence vote in the lower house. another test in the senate on tuesday after losing the support of a small coalition party. he will be able to stay in power even if it is short of a majority. he has been under fire over the coronavirus recovery fund and his plan to borrow another 32 million euros -- 32 billion euros. global news 24 hours a day, on a

alex azar blames the sluggish start on the introduction of the vaccine around the holiday.also pointed the finger at overly detailed estate plans. facebook and twitter have suspended president trump's accounts after he encouraged and supported rioters at the capital. twitter told the president to delete three tweets or else he would face an extended ban. facebook band the presidents page for 24 hours. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and on quicktake by bloomberg, powered by over 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. i am ritika gupta. this is bloomberg. francine: thank you so much. looking ae continue capitol hill and the repercussions for the democrat party. we look at the decision on the senate and we look at the future for the republicans. that is coming up shortly. this is bloomberg. ♪ >> at this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault. unlike anything we have seen in modern times. an assault on the citadel of liberty. >> but you have to go home now. we have to have peace. we have to have law and order. we have to respect our great peo

and alex azar told nbc news -- >> no, there is not a reserve stockpile. we now have enough confidence that our ongoing production will be quality and available to provide the second dose for people. so we're not sitting on a reserve anymore. we've made that available to the states to order. >> reporter: pfizer says second doses are ready you and only recently started shipping them. but nationally, there is still a lot of chaos and a lot of confusion among americans anxious to get their shots. this week closed with roughly 39% of vaccines into arms according to the cdc. over 1.5 million people have already received both necessary doses. speaking to the nation friday, the president-elect promised to push harder on vaccinations after he takes office. >> we'll be a part in other words to the states and cities so where things are working, we'll help do more.in other wors to the states and cities so where things are working, we'll help do more. >> reporter: and they will have more pop-up sites. and there is a fresh warning about new variants first detected in t