Effort, to prioritize cybersecurity across the board. Ill consult with experts to plan for the steps that my administration will take in order to secure our systems and prove our cyber defenses and to better withstand future attacks that we know will come, and to impose cost on those who conduct them. I fully expect bipartisan support from this based on what weve heard so far. Our adversaries are highly capable. Cyber threats are among the greatest threats to our Global Security in the 21st century. I believe we have to treat them with the same seriousness of purpose that we treated threats of other unconventional weapons. We have to work with our allies to establish Clear International rules and mechanisms to enforce them and consequences for those countries that violate them. I want to close with this. As i look at the first of what will be millions of vaccinations going into the arms of americans after hundreds, thousands of lives lost, Congress Finally passing an Economic Relief package after months and months of delay at a new urgency from bipartisans approach to cybersecurity after years of a president who has refused to stand up to our adversaries and hold them accountable, im reminded of a quote this season from a jesuit priest named alfred delp. He wrote, quote, advent is a time for rousing. At first we are shaken to our depths and then we are ready for a season of hope. As a nation weve certainly been shaken to our depths this year. Now its time to awaken, to get moving, time for hope. Weve gotten through tough times before in this nation and well get through these difficult times as well. And well do it by coming together, by working with one another. Youve heard me say a number of times we are the United States of america. There are certain things that rise way above bipartisan differences that threaten the United States. There are National Security interests that require us to cooperate. And im confident, im confident well be able to do that. After a year of pain and loss, its time to unite, to heal, to rebuild. For all those who are suffering right now, who have had enormous loss, who lie awake at night wondering what tomorrow brings, i say god bless you all, and i promise you were going to continue to push as hard as we can to finish the job. May god bless you all. My god protect our troops. Merry christmas and happy holidays to you all. I would be happy to take some questions. Megan, ill let you tell me who reporter thank you, mr. President elect. President elect biden once called this a time of unrest. President trump said it was well under control. Given what you said about this, that it represents a grave risk, do you think it represents an act of war and will you response in kind if so . First of all, it is a grave risk and it continues. I see no evidence that its under control. I see none. Ive heard of none. The Defense Department wont even brief us on many things. So i know of nothing that suggests its under control. This president hasnt even identified who is responsible yet. Number two, the question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at very closely the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are and what damage has been done. And thirdly, theres going to be a necessity, as president obama and i and our administration talked about. We need International Rules of the road on cybersecurity. We have to bring along our allies and our friends so we hold everyone accountable who will breach any of these basic fundamental rules. And lastly, i believe that when i learned the extent of the damage and, in fact, who was formally responsible, they can be assured that we will respond and probably respond in kind. There are many options which i will not discuss now. Reporter why not lay out those options publicly, though . Isnt part of the issue deterrence, if it is russia, for russia to have done what they did here . We have not done that in other areas where we have faced international crises. We dont sit here and say that were going to strike you with a nuclear weapon. We dont sit and say and so on. Let us determine the extent of the damage, and i promise you there will be a response. Reporter the runoff elections in georgia could well determine whether there is a Democratic Senate in january or a Republican Senate in january. Are you waiting for the outcome of those two races to make some final selections for your cabinet, including the attorney general, the most significant outstanding cabinet secretary yet to pick . No, not based on the attorney general, its just a matter of getting to it and through it and being able to announce them. Theyll all be announced either just before or just after, and were going to make an announcement tomorrow and we may have another announcement between then and christmas and new years. Were just working through all of the efforts to do due diligence. Reporter and lastly, has the issue of the investigation of your son come up in discussions with your team and with potential candidates about the attorney general . No. I guarantee you im going to do what i said. The attorney general of the United States of america is not the president s lawyer. I will appoint someone who i expect to enforce the law as the law is written, not guided by me. Reporter thank you, sir. [ inaudible ] reporter thank you, mr. President elect. There is growing concern today about that new variant of covid19 sweeping across the u. K. Should the United States right now impose a travel ban on flights coming in from the u. K. . As you know, there already is one related to that finding of that new strain, number one. And the question is whether or not, at the very least, it only allows americans coming home to be able to come back to the states, citizens. One of the things im waiting to get a response from my covid team is whether or not we should require testing before they get on an aircraft to fly home, number one, and number two, when they get home, should they quarantine . Thats my instinct but im waiting to hear from my experts right now. Reporter you talked about how you want to propose a new covid relief plan when you do take office. Yes. Reporter it took more than six months for congress to reach this new deal. Americans are suffering at this moment. How can you assure americans that relief will come and come soon . You all ask the most interesting questions. Have you ever known anyone in the history of the United States of america that could be president and assure exactly what the congress is going to do . I cant assure anything, but i can tell you what i expect. I fully expect on those Critical Issues that were facing, number one, being able to get all the work we need done and all the funding to be able to get that vaccine in everyones arm, and thats 300 Million People. Well get that done because youre going to see that the responsibility has already been recognized by the republicans and democrats in the congress, because the constituency is going to demand it, number one. Number two, all those people are out there hurting and lost jobs through no fault of their own, theyve extended unemployment for ten weeks. Simply not sufficient. Necessary to get it done, to get through the holidays, but i predict to you well get cooperation and get that done. Ive been arguing from the very beginning and told how i love it, it makes me sound so much younger how naive i am about how the congress works. I think ive been proven right across the board. The things that are left to deal with from unemployment to people needing unemployment insurance, to the ability to have access to health care, the ability to get the treatment for free, et cetera, all of that is something that the public is not going to stand for us not doing. And i think with donald trump not in the way, that will also enhance the prospect of things getting done. Reporter will your plan include a new round of stimulus packages for the American People, and if so, how much . Thats a negotiating issue, but it will, yes, it will. By the way, i think we owe Bernie Sanders and his republican colleagues a thanks for getting not all the stimulus we looked for, 1200, but getting 600 done. I think youre seeing that there is a clear understanding that these issues go beyond any idealogy. People are desperately hurting. And the republicans are hurting as badly as democrats. There are a few people, and im not shaying theyre responsible for any of this, a few people are doing extremely well in that kshaped recovery and theyre doing fine, but they still need access to the vaccines. They still need access to making sure that we are able to handle crises in the hospitals, et cetera. So i think on the things relating to, a, vaccine distribution, which is going to cost billions more dollars, its simply going to cost billions more dollars. We need National Standards to lay out to help governments discern how theyre going to get that vaccine throughout their communities, number one. Number two, were going to need to take care of those people who, through no fault of their own, are unemployed. Theyve worked like hell but they have no job because of the covid crisis. And thirdly, were going to have to begin to rebuild the country. We cant wait. We cant wait to rebuild the economy. Were going to have to start doing that now on infrastructure programs and a whole range of other things. I think sort of the dawn is broken on the vast majority of people. There are still people who dont want to help. There are still people who are insisting my way or the highway. But the vast majority of the members of congress, i believe, will be able to work out those specific issues that are of national consequence. Reporter thank you, mr. President elect. Thank you. Reporter mr. President elect, thank you. Thank you. Reporter im still not sure if i heard you say specifically, though, sir, what is your ask of the congress . In just one months time, what is your ask of the congress after you have watched over these many months when people in your party as well did not necessarily act as quickly as some americans would have liked . What is your ask, sir . My ask will be laid out there in detail, but it relates to four things. Number one, making sure we have all the money we need to get the vaccine to 300 million americans at a minimum over the next year, the next calendar year, number one. Number two, making sure that all those people who are unemployed through no fault of their own because of the covid crisis, Small Businesses and big businesses, et cetera, are shutting down, that they continue to be able to live day to day. They dont engage in food shortage shortages, theyre not in a position where they get thrown out of their homes. I would also ask for a moratorium to be evicted from your homes from not being able to pay rent, a moratorium on your mortgage getting paid. Thirdly, i think its critically important that we provide all of the ppe as well as direct payments to Small Businesses and others to be able to stay open, to be able to keep the people employed. That is something thats going to increase as time moves. And lastly, were going to need to make sure that were in a position that we can provide for the opportunity for people to begin to go back to work and get new jobs, developing infrastructure. Reporter given the narrow majorities in the house and senate, youve watched many administrations come and go. Do you believe that you will have a honeymoon to get things accomplished . I dont think its a honeymoon at all. I think its a nightmare that everyone is going through and they all say its got to end. Its not a honeymoon. Theyre not doing me a favor. I will ask you a rhetorical question i dont expect you to answer, and that is, do you think that republicans who are losing their businesses, do you think republican constituents out there who cant pay their mortgage, do you think theyre not letting their republican representatives know they got a problem . Do you think the person who just lost a Family Member and is worried about losing another one who happens to be a republican, a staunch republican, isnt telling his or her republican senator or state representative, youve got to help, youve got to get something done . Do you think all those people who are making judgments of whether or not my child will be able to go to school and i have to stay home and cant go to work, therefore, i have no income are all democrats . I think there is been a dawning here. And look, you have a Different Team in town. You have a Different Team in town. Im not going to villainize the opposition, but im going to stand and say this is what weve got to do because they know it. They know it. Its not like im saying what we want to do is we want to make sure that we are going to sign a new trade agreement with a, b or c. This is life and death. Thats why i believe well get it done. Reporter a followup to the attorney general decision. You and president obama selected eric holder on november 1st. Every recent president has selected their attorney general by this point. What is taking you so long to make this critical decision, and do you believe that this is a time in the posttrump era where you need someone who is not steeped in politics, who may have a lifes work above or beyond politics . The answer is, first of all, weve gone faster than everybody in the total cabinet. Reporter not president obama and yourself, sir. The whole cabinet . Reporter the whole cabinet. There were a few missteps on congress, though, if you remember. I do. I didnt want to raise it, though. Were looking for a team who will instill the greatest confidence in the professionals at doj to know once again that there is no politics, there is no politics. As you know, there has been a great debate about, in every single appointment, whether or not there are enough africanamericans, enough hispanics, enough asiapacific americans, enough people who are new and young, so were just working through it. Its not by design. There is not an obvious choice in my mind. Reporter thank you, sir. Merry christmas. Merry christmas. Reporter thank you, president elect. Hey. Reporter you just spoke about your confidence that it will be possible to get things done after President Trump has left office. Excuse me, not just because he left office, because its all becoming obvious exactly whats at stake. Reporter right. But even so, are you concerned about the effects longterm that his presidency and now in the transition his refusal to concede his challenges to the election will have on american politics, will have on the Republican Party, especially if he does take the step of filing for reelection next month or to run in 2024 . Are you concerned about him lingering around . I see you smiling, but i still have to ask it, and kind of a corollary to that, would you consider filing for reelection early next year to show that youre not going to be a lame duck . Im not going to be a lame duck. Just watch me. Ive been saying this in the very beginning. Look, lets just get the work from this point on for the next several years, there is one objective. And its not my political future, its bettering the circumstances for the average american. Thats what its all about. And i want to communicate to the American People what i hope they already understand about me, its about them. Its not about me. Its not about me. Reporter still, do you think the climate will be different after President Trump than it was beforehand . Well see. I dont know. Im not a fortune teller, but i can tell you that the calls ive gotten from city republicans in powerful positions, they know me, they know i level with them, they know i never mislead, they know i tell them the truth, and they know i dont go out of my way to try to embarrass. Reporter in terms of the transition, are there areas where the trump team has not been cooperative that have not been made public . We heard a bit about the issue at the pentagon last week. Are there other areas you think the public should be aware of . There are other areas and im not sure its relevant whether the public should be aware of it. Look, what im trying to do is pull together the Political Parties that are in the congress that know that were facing four serious crises. We have to address all of them. None of us will get all we want, but we can make real progress. So my focus is on uniting, not emphasizing the divisions. Thank you. Reporter thank you, mr. President elect. Russia, as you said, is suspected of carrying out this massive cyber hack. You said it happened under president Donald Trumps watch, but, of course, in january 21 it will then, of course, land on your doorstep lets get something straight what will land on my doorstep. His failure will land on my doorstep. Reporter yes. Okay. Reporter what are the Practical Implications of overseeing a government where it could take years to know where the hackers went and years to remove them . How can you ensure that the system will be safe based on what experts are saying . I cant ensure it, but i can demand of both the experts and our ol liallies what is needed find that out. It may take billions of dollars to secure our cyberspace. It may take a great deal to get it done. First and foremost, it takes people who are knowledgeable and vigilant about what is happening and how its happening. And so im just going to do all that need be done, all that need be done to determine, a, the extent of the damage, b, the nature of how it occurred, c, what i should be doing internally in terms of my administration to protect against it in the future, and number 4, getting together with our allies to try to set up an International System of what constitutes appropriate behavior in cyberspace and get us all to get to the point where we hold all hold any other country liable for the breaking out of those basic rules. Reporter just to be clear at the top of that, did you say you couldnt ensure the systems will be safe when you come into office, then . Of course i cant. I dont know what the state of them is. Theyre clearly not safe now, and between now and january 20, the likelihood of my being able to garner all the information, the extent and depth of all the violations, exactly how the codes were breached, what was breached, what was done, is not within my power to do that. But it will be an overwhelming focus for my administration. Reporter my other question is on immigration. I was just reading about the fact that officials in your transition, jake sullivan, susan rice, they say you wont be immediately rolling back trump immigration policies, and i stressed immediately. There are some immigration advocates who say why not roll back the mexican policy, why not roll back the asylum restrictions. What a what is your timing for rolling back the trump immigration policies . We already discussed this for our friends in mexico and latin america. The timeline is to do it so we, in fact, make it better, not worse. The last thing we need is to say were going to stop immediately the, you know, the access to asylum the way its being run now and end up with 2 Million People on our border. Its a matter of setting up the guardrail so we can move in the direction. I will accomplish what i said i would do. An immune policy based on family unification, but it requires getting a lot in place and it requires the funding to get it in place, including just asylum judges, for example. So its a matter of it will get done and it will get done quickly, but its not going to be able to be done on day one and lift every restriction that exists and find out and go back to what it was 20 years ago and all of a sudden find out we have a crisis on our hands that complicates what were trying to do. Reporter what would you say to immigration advocates who say youre dragging your feet and it may take too long . Look at me. Ive never told them anything i havent done. Im working with them now. Were dealing with some of those very organizations as we speak. I will do what i said. Its going to take not day one, its going to take probably the next six months to put that in place. Reporter thank you so much. Thank you. Merry christmas, everybody. Thank you. Reporter mr. President elect, do you still think the stories about your son hunter is a smear campaign, like you said . Yes, yes, yes. God love you, man. Youre a onehorse pony, i tell you. Thank you. Thank you. I promise you, my Justice Department will be totally on its own making these judgments about how they should proceed. Thank you. President elect joe biden in his final formal remarks of the year talking about a lot of things, right . Number one, of course, the covid vaccine. He rolled up his sleeve right around this time yesterday saying he has total faith in the vaccine but recognizing it is in short supply and wants to make sure all 300 million americans can get it next year. Also applauding congress for unifying, specifically calling out republicans, the bipartisan way in which they were able to pass this covid relief bill to help americans who, as he kept saying by no fault of their own are hurting this year. Called out russia, something this current president certainly hasnt done, and again applauding the bipartisanship in congress for calling them out. Lisa lehrer is with me. Shes a political reporter with the new york times. If there is a word that kept coming back to me, it was bipartisanship, bipartisan. What did you think . Reporter i think thats exactly right. That was a theme throughout a president ial campaign. It was one he was criticized for. As biden himself said, many people called him nnaive. What was striking to me about this speech, he wasnt talking about bipartisanship about some gauzey value. He said he doesnt expect to have a honeymoon period because this is a nightmare. He said republicans have no choice but to work in bipartisanship and get things passed because the country is so dire. He was warning americans that our darkest days are still before us, there will be more deaths even with the vaccine rolled out, that things will get worse. He was really warning republicans that they are going to have to Work Together if they want to put the economy back on stable footing. He outlined a number of priorities, helping Unemployed People with things like a moratorium on evictions, funding infrastructure to help the country, you know, return to normal after the immediate crisis is past, which would presumably involve some kind of funding for state and local governments. He talked about Congress Passing enough money to get vaccines distributed, and he also talked potentially about some form of stimulus checks, additional stimulus checks and support for Small Business owners. He was really laying out his priorities and his expectations for a Republican Congress pretty clearly. Jeff zeleny had that great question about will you have a honeymoon with congress. Not a honeymoon, im not going to villainize the operation. Let me bring in Josh Campbell with us from los angeles. Josh, he also talked about the cyberattack on the u. S. Government believed to be from russia. He called in a grave risk that was carefully planned. Take a listen to what he just said. The truth is this. The Trump Administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity. It did that from eliminating or downgrading cyber coordinators in both the white house and at the state department, to firing the director of cyberspace security agency, to President Trumps irrational downplaying of the seriousness of this attack. Enough is enough. Josh . Obviously you sehe seemed prett frustrated with the Trump Administration. Reporter thats right, and talk about a contrast of two individuals, president elect joe biden coming out forcefully, calling this cyber breach a grave threat to security. Compare that with what we have heard or not heard from President Donald Trump, the two men could not be more different. President trump, despite advice from experts, saying this is the work of the federal government, President Trump defended the russians and raised questions about whether this was actually the chinese. He took a swipe at the media saying we were overblowing this, where when you list ton experen experts, theyre saying this is a massive breach. The second thing is he actually directly laid into President Donald Trump and actually faulting him. Most politicians during the lame duck period try to backtrack. They dont want to be painted as lame ducks. They want to get things done. Donald trump has seemed to embrace that because he doesnt want to be seen anywhere about these threats. President tru president elect biden is calling on the administration to take this seriously. Joe biden said the threat actors from the russian government appear to have been working on this since late last year. So a very concerted effort but also perhaps more troubling, brooke, is the fact that biden is saying his team is not fully being briefed by the Defense Department on the nature specifically of this threat. If you put yourself in his shoes as a person who is now going to have to assume power and respond to this attack, not being fully briefed is obviously something they take great exception to. As he clarified in the end when efhe was being asked the question that it is trumps failure that he is inher tinitin the biden administration. Thank you. Jeff zeleny asked some questions, you got the best answer on your honeymoon question. The word i kept hearing over and over was bipartisanship and republicans and democrats both working together on covid relief and whats happening with the cyberattacks. What did you make of his response to you . Reporter brooke, it was a pretty cleareyed response that, look, theyre not doing this for me. Theyre not doing this because they like joe biden or want joe biden to succeed, looking ahead and assuming that both sides do come together on something. Theyre doing it for their own interests and their own the reality is if youre a republican, senator or Democratic House member, you are hearing loud and clear from your constituents, you are hearing that you need action. Youre hearing from business owners. So there is enough anger to go around at both sides, both houses, both parties. That is what the president elect rk president elect, i think, was saying there. Look, im not going to get a honeymoon just because i was elected. Yes, i won more votes than any other president in american history. Yes, im coming in. Im here for my shot at the presidency. It was just the dire nature of what is going on in the country. So he is pretty cleareyed and sometimes you get the question or you wonder, is joe biden naive . Is he naive about the washington that he is walking into . Brooke, i think over the last 45 days since he stood here in wilmington and accepted his victory, what hes seen play out, he certainly got a preview of what the Republican Party has in store for him and what some democrats have in store for him. Brooke, im struck by one of the things he sees in the very parking lot where he delivered that acceptance speech. This week alone here in wilmington, there were covid lines yesterday, hundreds and hundreds of cars today, food lines, hundreds and hundreds of cars on the very spot where he accepted his victory speech, where he gave that speech. So that is the america that he is inheriting and those are the challenges here. Honeymoon . Thats a quaint thought. The challenges are real and theyre his in 29 days, brooke. I appreciate that. Also, jeff, you got to make a bit of news when you said essentially, mr. President elect, whats taking you so long in selecting your attorney general . What did you make of his response there . Reporter well, look, that has been one of the things that has been certainly slower than most other cabinet members. Its such a critical cabinet position. So i was just trying to refresh my memory earlier when he and president obama selected eric holder for their first attorney general. That was december 1st. In recent transitions it has always been, with the exception of one or so was done on christmas eve, its always been now. So i was asking him about in a posttrump era, was he looking for Something Different . It certainly did seem to me that he was looking for someone beyond politics, no one steeped in politics necessarily for this protrump era. He said he is not going to view the attorney as the president s lawyer. Of course, hes the peoples lawyer, heads the department of justice. So the answer there certainly seemed to me to think that he was leading toward judge merrick garland. Hes one of two finalists. O outgoing alabama senator doug jones is as well. He has taken this long, so we have to leave open any possibility here, but it seems to me he was looking for a cleanup act, someone above the rapp rappoch of politics. Jeff zeleny, thank you so much. I want to bring in dr. William moss. Hes a director at Johns Hopkins university. Dr. Moss, welcome, sir. Thank you, brooke. Thanks for having me. We listened to the president elect about not having large christmas gatherings, hes not doing that with his family, urging others not to do that as well. How important it is to get the vaccine for as Many Americans as possible. Do you think these officials getting the vaccine in public has an impact on the rest of us, making us all more comfortable getting the shot . Brooke, i think its part of the answer. I think it is important for some of the highlevel officials to get the vaccine, but its also going to be very critical for other Community Leaders and influencers to get the vaccine in public and show people that its safe and that theyre willing to take it. I think particularly in some of the communities, the black and latinex communities that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and who have some hesitancy around the vaccine, i think its going to be very important for other Community Leaders to also get the vaccine and do so in public to convince people about the safety and the efficacy of these vaccines. Dr. Moss, the other question i have for you, the story thats really reverberating here in the u. S. Is about this coronavirus variant in the u. K. , and we heard dr. Fauci say, yes, it may already be here in the United States, and for people thinking, gee, i really want to get this vaccine, but if the virus is mutating, which sounds very frightening, will this virus protect me from getting sick . Whats your answer . What we do know is there is this sarscov2 that makes it different from the other one, and we know its transmitted from south england and probably other countries. We know its transmitting widely. What we dont know is whether it really is more transmissible, whether its more contagious. We dont have evidence that it causes severe disease, we dont have evidence that it does, but we learn to learn about that. We also need to learn about. If there is any impact, its going to be a reduction. Its not something we want them to be protective and floss doubt that the Public Health message should be that people continue to get the vaccine. I appreciate you saying that. I appreciate your expertise. Dr. William moss, thank you, and thank you for all your work in the space there at Johns Hopkins. Thank you. Coming up next, more on how president elect joe biden said he would protect the u. S. From serious cyberattacks, and what he will do when it comes to russias threat. Plus, as President Trump continues strategizing his fight against the election, Vice President mike pence finds himself in an odd position. And keep costs down. Lets end the year enjoying more. You are all i need baby baby to get by my job is to help new homeowners who have turned into their parents. Im having a big lunch and then just a snack for dinner. So were using a speakerphone in the store. Is that a good idea . One of the ways i do that is to get them out of the home. Youre looking for a grout brush, this is garth, did he ask for your help . No, no. No. We all see it. We all see it. He has blue hair. Okay. Blue. Progressive cant protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. Keep it coming. You dont know him. When you bundle with us. These days you need more than an education. So thats what we give you. Introducing Career Services for life. Learn more at phoenix. Edu try optum perks. Its a new way to save up to 80 . And everyone can do it. Its from optum, a Health Care Company thats trusted by millions of people. You dont have to sign up for anything. Just go to optumperks. Com. And get a coupon to use at your pharmacy. Thats it. I opted in. I opted in. You can, too. Opt in and save big today. Welcome back. Youre watching cnn. Im brooke baldwin. Moments ago we heard from president elect joe biden and he called out President Trump for his failure to respond or even assign blame to this massive cyberattack on the u. S. Reporter it happened under president Donald Trumps watch, but of course in january 21, it will then, of course, land on your doorstep. Lets get something straight what will land on my doorstep. His failure will land on my doorstep. His failure will land on my doorstep. Russia is suspected of the breach that infiltrated nonclassified data of at least four departments. Multiple companies were also targeted. Lets go to max who is the leader in foreign communications. This breach before christmas, what does that tell you . Brooke, did tells me well soon have a normal president again that will look after american interests rather than his own petty grievances and grudges. It was refreshing to me from a leader who was talking in a rationale, sober way without conspiracy theories or fraudulent claims of various kinds. Just the fact that biden is willing to call out russia, hes willing to say this is a very serious attack represents a huge change from President Trump who began his administration by ignoring a russian cyberattack and ends it in the same way right now. As he was condemning the current administration, he specifically applauded Senate Republicans, giving credit to Senate Republicans for trying to condemn russia, obviously in the face of what their partys leader has said. What did you think of that . I think it was smart to do. I think thats part of bidens pitch which is bipartisanship, trying to bring the country together. That may not be possible because after all youre dealing with a Republican Party that has been radicalized by trump. Many of them refused to acknowledge, in fact, most of them refused to acknowledge publicly the outcome of the election. But nevertheless, what i think biden is doing is smart, especially if republicans keep control of the senate. He has to be able to work with republicans and hes trying to drive a little bit of a wedge between republican lawmakers and trump because there are almost no republicans on capitol hill who share Donald Trumps bizarre affection for vladimir putin. Did you hear jeff zelenys question . Im going back to this because i thought it was so great. There were questions about whether biden was a little naive about the goingson in washington and the republicans and democrats working together. So jeff zeleny said, mr. President elect, will you have a honeymoon with congress . He said absolutely i wont have a honeymoon. This has been a nightmare for democrats and republicans with covid, and he said im not going to villainize the opposition obviously, the counter president. What do you think bipartisanship looks like . A lot of it will be determined by that election in georgia which will determine if they keep their Senate Majority or not. In either case, the senate is going to be very closely divided between republic conditions and democrats, and to get anything done, biden is going to have to peel off at least a handful of republicans and i think that should be possible with republicans like mitt romney and Susan Collins and lisa murkowski. I think there is a possibility of doing deals. I think he understands that most republicans will do Anything Possible to oppose him and have the interest of their party first and foremost, not the interests of their country. He understands that, but he also understands that there is a handful that is more pragmatic and centrist, and by not demonizing republicans as a party, i think hes leaving open the possibility of being able to strike some very important deals with a handful of republican senators. Max boot, great to see you. Thank you so much. Thank you very much, brooke. Coming up next, what weve learned about Vice President pence skmiz roand his role in a house meeting about how to help trump overturn the election. Le woo Vicks Vapocool drops now in honey lemon chill the only thing a disaster cant destroy is hope. Donate now at redcross. Org to save you up to 60 . These are all great. And when you get a big deal. You feel like a big deal. Priceline. Every trip is a big deal. combative yelling he used to have bad breath. Now, he uses a capful of therabreath fresh breath oral rinse to keep his breath smelling great, all day long. combative yelling therabreath, its a better mouthwash. At walmart, target and other fine stores. The strategy meeting to unseat the next president took place at the white house monday. President trump and Vice President pence met with house conservatives to strategize how to challenge joe bidens win when this joint session of congress meets january 6th to formally count the Electoral College votes. Cnns Jeremy Diamond is live at the white house. This is actually the first time were hearing Vice President took part in any planning. And, you know, talk about an awkward spot. Because mike pence has a significant role to play that day. Yeah. Its very interesting to see the Vice President was part of this strategy session which was being led by pro trump republicans, some of the most staunchly pro trump members of the house of representatives who were plotting with the president about this feudal effort to object to the Electoral College votes january 6th. Mike pence will preside over the session in his role as the president of the senate. And we are told the Vice President was walking in and out of meeting. The mere fact he was there is of course interesting. Today we heard the Vice President continuing to indulge President Trumps fantasies about trying to contest and perhaps over turn the results of the election. Listen to. As our election contest continues. Ill make you a promise. Were going to keep fieg until every legal vote is counted. Were going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out. Were going win georgia. Were going to save america. And so you can also hear there the crowd in the background. The Vice President was attending this turning point conference of conservative activists not. Mask wearing. No social distancing. It is just remarkable at this point in december of 2020 that the Vice President of the United States was the leader of the Coronavirus Task force and recently got vaccinated that he is endorsing this kind of behavior by americans who are clearly not following these coronavirus guidelines despite the fact that we are at one of the worst points in this pandemic. Brooke . Their own Health Officials telling, giving the guidance. Jeremy diamond, thank you very much for that update. Coming up next the relief bill making its way to the president s desk definitely provides some help to the those hurting most but it is not everything. Are our next guest t Baltimore Mayor is doing his part to help those within his own community. More on his plan next. Tired of overpaying for your prescriptions . Try optum perks. Its a new way to save up to 80 . And everyone can do it. Its from optum, a Health Care Company thats trusted by millions of people. You dont have to sign up for anything. Just go to optumperks. Com. And get a coupon to use at your pharmacy. Thats it. I opted in. I opted in. You can, too. Opt in and save big today. But come ye back when su mom, dad. Whys jamie here . Its sunday. Sunday sing along. And he helped us get a home and auto bundle. Hes been our insurance guy for five years now. He makes us feel like were worth protecting. [ gasps ] why didnt you tell us about these savings, flo . Ive literally told you a thousand times. 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Especially in our black and brown communitiesem we estimate Food Insecurity has risen from 18 to 21 in baltimore and child Food Insecurity is at 33 . We could not wait. There was a pending federal clip, food clip as we were calling, which is why we decided to commit 5 million to provide for those 20,000 food boxes per week to nearly 1 4u7hundred sit of Home Delivery through families impacted by covid. We are grateful for the package put forth but we could not wait because we know people need help now and we could not put aside all the great work happening with Community Partners in baltimore to make sure our families are getting the food they need across our city. Especially those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. And it is my understanding the program run thus march 31st. So will you have the penny, nickels and dollars needed to extend if you need . Were going to work through march 31st, with federal partners knowing were now going to have a functional president ial administration that understands. Were appreciative of the increase in snap. We also know that plays a key part in food ib security and well work with our folks. We will do what we have to do to make sure that this program continues. But were hopeful that we now have a federal government that wants to help its citizens and cities and places across the country who have been hurt by this pandemic as oppose to the President Administration of donald trump who just ignored this virus all together. Im still back on the number 33 . 33 child Food Insecurity. That is stunning. Mayor Brandon Scott. Good on you sir. Thank you very much there in the city of baltimore maryland. Im brooke baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. The lead starts right now. This is cnn breaking news. Welcome to the lead. Im pamela brown in for jake tapper today. We begin with breakfast in the politician lead. President elect joe biden delivered remarks as we approach the owned of what he calls one of the toughest years the nation has faced. One thing i promise you, about my leadership during this crisis, im going tell it to you straight. Im going tell you the truth. And here is the simple truth. Our darkest days in the battle against covid are ahead of us. Darkest days are ahead of us. That coming from president elect biden who is zeroing in on President Trump, slamming the Trump Administrations response to the russian cyberattack saying it happened on President Trumps watch while he wasnt watching. I know of nothing that suggests it is under control. This p