joining me, katherine clark, democrat from massachusetts.he is also the vice chair of the democratic caucus and newly elected assistant of the house. with a welcome to you, i first want to talk about the coronavirus belief. this new bipartisan $908 billion proposal, do you support it? >> we don't have a choice but to make sure the american people get relief as quickly as possible. for the last eight months, we have watched american people suffer. one in eight families are now going to bed hungry. 8 million americans have slipped into poverty. 40 million americans are facing homelessness, and 12 million are looking at their unemployment benefits expiring at the end of the month. and those statistics don't tell that story about the suffering that families are undergoing. those statistics, as startling as they are, really tell a tale of heartbreak and of loss of life. we are now losing two americans every minute to the coronavirus and of loss of livelihood in a deep, deep fear of what it means for families going forward. how do we crush this vi

joining us now is democratic congresswoman katherine clark. next week she becomes the fourth highest ranking member of the house as assistant speaker. good morning, congresswoman. >> good morning, alisyn. >> okay. so let's talk about what happened yesterday. the house passed these $2,000 checks for struggling americans. what is going to happen do you believe when that is in mitch mcconnell's hands? >> well, it was a good day yesterday for the american people, when congress and even some of my republican friends across the aisle decided to invest in families that are suffering and offered them a lifeline. these checks can literally make a difference for families between surviving this pandemic and not. so it's up to mitch mcconnell. it is long past time that he schedule a vote on making sure that american families have what they need to get through this pandemic. >> he doesn't seem inclined to do that. do you have any information that there is going to be a vote on this? >> no, not at this time, and that is a pattern that is well-established wi

last hour i spoke with katherine clark who says they have no choice but to act now. >> this package is about getting a bridge to a new administration. that is going to put the focus back on science and creating an even more inclusive economy. but we simply cannot go home for the holidays without making sure that we are getting some relief. >> this comes as the coronavirus pandemic is worsening by the day. even with vaccine approval coming as soon as this week. health officials are urging americans not to let down their guard. >> i want to be very frank. the vaccine is critical but it's not going to save us from the current surge. only we can save us. and we know precisely what to do. so if you have loved ones that you want to protect, you have to follow these guidelines now. >> we want to check in with correspondents and analysts. how are they encouraging georgians to vote in the run off if they're still pushing the claims that the system is rigged. >> that is the million dollar question. i have been on the ground in the last couple weeks, reporting on those runoffs in georgia. anecdot

many of colleagues, including cedric richmond, and he incoming assistant speaker, congresswoman katherine clark, and many of my colleagues in the broader tri caucus have taken a leadership role on issue and legislation. confronting and rooting out the racism that is still rampant in many facets of life requires us to examine the painful truth in it.r to fix it is an indisputable historical fact that many local and state aw enforcement practices in this country grew out of the slavery. racism and and as millions of americans are emanding criminal justice reform and a change in the training and culture of of this passage constitutional amendment would signal.lear bigotry and profits will no longer be used to deny any their dignity. ur criminal justice system and laws cannot be fully respected this injustice that allows disproportionately brown of black and people to be imprisoned and enslaved. congress next m month, i urge my colleagues to this legislation nd urge -- an urgent national priority. america cannot heal and move have really -- ofl equality for all instead just for some. i thank you, m