Of the transition which just got under way during an exclusive interview with nbc nightly news anchor lester holt. I think were going to not be so far behind the curve as we thought we might be in the past. And theres a lot of immediate discussion. And i must say, the outreach has been sincere, its not been begrudging so far, and i dont expect it to be. President trump has no events on his schedule after participating in the turkey pardoning ceremony and giving brief remarks on the stock market tuesday without taking any questions from the White House Press corps. He has not spoken to the press corps or answered questions since election day. The Justice Department meanwhile is declining to comment on reports that the president may pardon disgraced and convicted former National Security officer mike flynn. Ali have i tvitali, the preside is going to speak later today about thanksgiving, i guess. Reporter yeah, thanksgiving address here in wilmington, delaware from the president elect now. The focus of these remarks is twofold. To talk to americans about the sacrifices that many of them, including us, are making in not going home to see our families, in keeping thanksgiving smaller than usual, and making sure that if they are celebrating thinking, making sure theyre wearing masks, distancing if possible, taking all those precautions that we know so well now after months of being in this pandemic. But biden has also spoken in the past about the fatigue so Many Americans are feeling after being in this pandemic that is just continuing to drag on. Were told that hes also going to make the point in these remarks that americans can get through this if they are able to band together and follow some of these rules. And we know, andrea, that getting the pandemic under control is the key focus of this biden transition. Were told now that the letter of ascertainment has been sent, that they have connected across the government with more than 50 agencies and commissions, that their transition landing teams are meeting virtually and getting briefings from a lot of these career officials. The mood change is really stunning. You heard it there in that interview biden did with lester holt where hes no longer talking about the life or death consequences of the delayed transition but instead looking ahead and forging forward. That optimistic tone was echoed on a call we just got off of with top transition advisers. The letter of ascertainment also brings to the fore a lot of the informational issues. Not only are they talking to people like Anthony Fauci but now the president elect and Vice President elect will be getting president ial daily briefings, starting on monday. In addition, we know from the interview that biden has not spoken to President Trump. I asked transition advisers if thats something they thought they needed in order to move forward in this transition. They said they didnt think it was mission critical, allowing for the fact that if President Donald Trump were to want to talk to the president elect, they would definitely set this up, but they were clear to say there has been outreach from the office of the president. Incoming chief of staff ron klain has spoken to current chief of staff mark meadows. We knew we werent likely to get a concession out of donald trump but it doesnt sound like there will be outreach between these two men at least at this point, andrea. And kelly odonnell, all signals from the white house are that there will be a pardon forthcoming for Michael Flynn. That is not a surprise. Also other pardons as well. Listen to what the president elect told lester about whether he would yield to democratic pressure in some quarters for him to investigate the trump President Trump and others around him after january 20. Lets watch. Some democrats want investigations to go forward against President Trump after he leaves office. Do you support that . I will not do what this president does and use the Justice Department as my vehicle to insist that something happen. Kelly, i think its significant that he is saying hes going to reestablish that firewall between the presidency and the Justice Department, where president s in the past have not interfered with investigations, pressed for them, or pressed for anybody to be indicted or not indicted. Reporter and certainly the current president has demonstrated both a contempt for government in the sense of often calling our career officials, the kind of people who have been making these transition calls that ali discussed, who are going to be here after january 20 at noon regardless, and at the same time has also used some of his political appointees in a more what has appeared more personally driven instead of in the cause of the peoples business. Weve seen that at times, and there have been occasions where the attorney general has resisted that. But we also saw how the president has often applied pressure to some of his key political appointees on these kinds of matters. So for joe biden, this is really an issue of wanting to use his limited time and Political Capital when he does take office on matters that are forward looking as opposed to looking back towards the trump years. Well see how that unfolds. In terms of pardons, its long been expected and it is standard for president s as they leave office after one or two terms to have some pardons. Weve seen the president use this authority going back to the early days of his administration. He has both pardoned and commuted a number of people. What would stand out now is would he really go into the areas of those associated with the russia investigation. Thus far hes commuted the sentence of roger stone. Would he give a full pardon there . Would it go beyond Michael Flynn to other figures like Paul Manafort . The president has liked the power of the pardon in part because of its unique and sort of unassailable power. It can be politically detrimental. But his power cant be challenged in terms of his ability to use it. One question mark is would he include himself in that. He has spoken about the willingness to use the pardon power, believing he has that, for himself. But it would also imply that he was agreeing that there was something to be pardoned for. And of course it would only apply to federal matters, not anything at the state level, should those develop at some point down the line, andrea. Indeed, kelly and ali vitali, thank you both so very much. President elect biden told lester holt how important it is for people to wear masks and follow cdc guidance for those who might be traveling this Holiday Weekend. As we speak, people are ignoring advice to stay home. Theyre crowding airports around the country right now. Youve called for a National Mask mandate. How much power as president will you have to influence people in ways you have not been able to as a candidate . I hope as president , and many of the republican governors and mayors felt the same way, i hope that were going to be able to have a united voice on the need to mask, socially distance, testing, and tracing. Admiral brett giroir is an assistant secretary of health in the department of health and Human Services and leads the testing effort in the White House Coronavirus task force and joins me now. Admiral, thank you very much for being with us, i know this is a very busy time. Our thanks to you, and i wanted to ask you about your guidance, cdc guidance, all the warnings. Lets communicate your message once again to the American People. Millions of people are traveling out there and ignoring every good advice that is coming from washington. So thank you for having me on again. I want to stress that a vaccine is just around the corner. We expect millions of doses to be delivered to the American People in december. So the end of the pandemic is in sight. But right now, we are at a critical and very dangerous part of this pandemic, with cases rising, hospitalizations rising. We had over 1,900 americans die yesterday. I urge america, just for a few more weeks, a couple of more months, youve got to follow the guidance. This works. Wearing a mask in public when you cant physically distance. Watching indoor crowded spaces like bars and restaurants. Hand hygiene. Being tested. Listen to the cdc guidance. Look, no ones trying to cancel thanksgiving. What i urge americans to do is make a good choice for you. If you can defer travel and have thanksgiving at valentines day, do that. If you make the decision to travel and be with your family, be on Good Behavior before you get together. Try to physically distance in the home. Wear a mask. Dont crowd people, 20 people in the kitchen, like we do in cajun land, to cook all day. Do those reasonable things, make better choices. Were just starting to see some progress from the mitigation efforts that americans are doing, we need to continue that because were not out of the woods yet. Its still a very dangerous situation. What about these long lines were seeing at Test Facilities . People who want to travel seem to think that getting a test is the magic bullet, getting a test before or after. But there are real cautions there, a test is just a snapshot of where you are at one particular moment. You are right, andrea. Im always supportive of testing and we need to test asymptomatic individuals according to local Public Health. But what im really worried about is people assuming that if theyre negative today with a test, that that means you get a free pass and you can go hug grandma and be with vulnerable individuals, and thats just not the case. It is a snapshot. Clearly if youre positive, you need to go home and not travel. But the great majority of people will be negative. But that doesnt mean that youre safe. So whatever you do, if you get tested or not get tested, youve still got to wear the mask, physically distance. We can get through this together. But this is a really dangerous, critical time over thanksgiving where millions of people are traveling. We know the risks for spread are going to be higher because of that. Weve just got to do our part. Make a good decision, make a better choice, thats all im asking. If you dont have to travel, dont travel. If you do travel, use safe behaviors before you get there and do all the mitigation steps were talking about. The reporters on your show were just talking about them a few minutes ago. We still millions of people still going through tsa, so record numbers, at least during the pandemic, not compared to past years. Whats the best advice in airports . The airlines are telling us the planes themselves are safe as long as you keep masked throughout, dont eat on the plane, is the advice from our people. But airports themselves, you see a lot of people congregating. Were very concerned about that. Were very concerned about that. Biology happens whatever place youre in. If you have congregations of people in an airport close together, the risk of spread is higher. Again, im going to sound like a broken record, but wearing a mask protects other people. We know that very well. It really minimizes the spread of those droplets that can infect other people. But it also helps protecting yourselves. And particularly, even though the virus is not primarily transmitted by surfaces, when you have surfaces that literally tens of thousands of people touch, that is a risk factor. So wash your hands, use sanitizer. Hand washing is great. Wash your hands as much as possible, try not to touch surfaces. All those kind of common sense things, theyre still our best protection against the virus. And we know they work. We really do know they work. Were starting to see the effects of mitigation in the u. S. We know that in the united kingdom, in france, theyve had these simple steps and completely reversed their outbreaks in the last a couple of weeks. So we can get through it. The vaccine is just around the corner. Do you have any concerns about the cdc shortening the guidance on the length of quarantine for individuals exposed from 14 days to perhaps seven to ten days . Is that safe . So this is still under consideration. And im involved in that, in working with the cdc. But this is being prepared by career professional scientists and physicians, epidemiologists who study this. We know a lot more about the virus than we did two months ago, four months ago, six months ago. And the accumulating data suggest that we dont have to wait 14 days. We know that the average person will get sick about five days after their exposure. And theres less of a probability. So the cdc is closely examining whether, for example, a tenday quarantine is as safe as a 14day quarantine or maybe even a sevenday quarantine with a negative test is the equivalent of a 14day. And theyre not going to advise anything that isnt safe. But look, if you can get out in seven days with a test as opposed to 14 days, you can get back to work, you can go to school, you can protect your family. And i do think people faced with just two weekends and five days or a weekend and five days, seven days, youre much more likely to obey that than 14 days. So its going to be science and evidence driven. Stay tuned, theres no recommendation yet, but i would expect one in the next couple of weeks based on the preponderance of the evidence. And would it depend in part on how many viral load you get, how long youve been exposed, lets say youre less than 15 minutes or more than 15 or an hour in a closed space. Yeah, all that does matter. But what were really talking about here is close contact. So if youve had a significant exposure, you know, thats who really needs to quarantine now, if theyre not a Critical Infrastructure workers. Critical infrastructure, we say, wear a mask, be careful, monitor your systems. For everybody else, thats the 14 days, thats the group of people were likely to be able to shorten to ten or perhaps even seven with a test. That is not a recommendation yet. Were being very careful. This is being driven completely by the science and evidence, by career people at the cdc. I work with them, i review the data with them. They are really doing a great job. So just stay tuned, that could be coming in the next week or two. And in terms of the gsa now allowing the transition to move forward, have you or your teams, any of your senior staff, had any contact with the president elects team . So i personally have been contacted by several members of the Public Health team on the new administration, informally. We have not had formal transitions. But even today, a formal transition between the biden team and operation warp speed is happening. So thats a formal, very important one to get started, because we know that vaccines are the way out of this epidemic. And again, in terms of testing and all the Public Health measures that im involved with, many people on the biden team these are Public Health professionals we work with on a daily basis. During normal times, were all sort of on the same teams, our positions change. And i look forward to a collaborative, professional, and complete transition. And i really support and hope that the Biden Administration can build on what i think is a Good Foundation of vaccines, therapeutics, and testing that weve been able to build over the past year. And you think it can be seamless . Oh, i do, i really do. I do think we have sufficient time between now and the change in administration to fully transition. And i do believe it can be seamless. What i mean, seamless, there may be Different Directions the next administration wants to go, and thats fine, thats an election, there are different viewpoints. But i do think were all going to Work Together. There wont be any bumps in the road. We are all here to save lives and reduce suffering. Thats not political. And i will do everything i can to support and help the Biden Administration be successful in their efforts against the pandemic. And on the operation warp speeds prediction that december 10, as early as december 10, we could start seeing vaccines and then delivery after that if the fda then approves, finally. How is this going to work . I know the military is supposed to be involved in delivery to the states. Have the states started developing their protocols of who gets it first, specific names, who in the population would qualify . Are they getting a head start on any of that . Yeah, theyve been working on this for months. Remember, director redfield wanted the states to have their plans pretty intact as early as november 1, because we didnt know when the vaccine would come. So as the cdc describes it, they are really in microplanning right now, down to the individuals, down to the locations, how this gets done. December 10 is the fda advisory committee. That is the public facing meeting of experts that will give their stamp of approval, or not, on the first vaccine, which is pfizer. Pfizer has said immediately thereafter there are about 6. 5 million doses that can be shipped. General perna has this down, Warp Speed Team has this down, in 24 hours it will be shipped and 24 hours after that it will be in peoples arms. Im super excited about this, because this is the way we ended the pandemic. We can get the vulnerable and Health Care Workers and Critical Infrastructure early, then the rest of america later on in 2021. But we can get a lot of bang for the buck by protecting the vulnerable and the elderly that will reduce admissions to the hospital, greatly reduce the deaths. Im just excited, and i thank god every day for everyone working together that we can get through this and get through it very soon. With 6. 5 million doses, does that mean 3 million people, approximately, because it needs two doses a person . What do you think the initial population will be . Thats right. Pfizer has publicly stated they expect 40 to 50 million doses by the end of 2020. Again, those are in pfizers words, and meet our expectations. And youre right, its a twodose regimen. So that would immunize 20 to 25 million people. These will come out sequentially. The 6. 5 million is sort of day one, that hits the shipping, that goes on day one to immunize 3 million people. It will go on a population basis to the states. The states are making their own plans. But clearly Health Care Workers and the vulnerable, and i think the vulnerable getting immunized, those in nursing homes, assisted living, is really key, not only will we save lives but that reduces all the burden on the hospitals so we can get our Health Care System out of the strain that its in right now. Admiral brett giroir, i just want to thank you and wish you and yours a happy thinking, a cajun thanksgiving, if you can pull that off. Thanks very much. Thanks, andrea. Stay safe. And would president elect biden nominate a republican for his cabinet as part of his outreach citacross the aisle . Sse nucala is a oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your doctor about nucala at home. Find your nunormal with nucala. Working, parenting, problem solving. Ask your doctor about nucala at home. At new chapter vitamins weve been busy too. Innovating, sourcing organic ingredients, testing them and fermenting. Fermenting . Yeah like kombucha or yogurt. And we formulate everything so your body can really truly absorb the natural goodness. Thats what we do, so you can do you. New chapter wellness, well done. Have you considered for the sake of National Unity selecting or nominating a republican, someone who voted for President Trump . Yes, and we still have a lot more appointments to make. I want this country to be united. The purpose of our administration is, once again, uniting. We cant keep this virulent political dialogue going. It has to end. President elect joe biden isnt ruling out a republican in his cabinet but it is not likely that were going to see either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren in that cabinet, hes counting on them staying in the senate. Joining me now, stephanie cutter, a member of the 2008 obama transition team, and former republican congressman david jolly, welcome both. Stephanie, it seemed to me that all the talk about needing them in the senate, while true, it certainly helps get away from any pressure to put them in his cabinet. It does. But i do think the point hes making is a legitimate one, and we know that from experience during the obama years, that having strong leaders in the senate can help overcome, whether if were going to face mcconnells intransigence again or just sheer strength by numbers. These things are important. A lot of joe biden, president elect bidens agenda, will require getting it through the senate. And people like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will be critical for that. Lets talk about some of his choices. David jolly, he may choose a republican, supposedly, we havent heard any republicans named, but certainly janet yellen on the economic side, and his National Security team is bridging the divides in both parts of the Democratic Party as well. David . Yeah, andrea, you know, joe biden is ushering in, call it establishment democrats or safe democrats in his early picks, and its early, theres a lot more to go. Its a unique time in history. This is not a president who ran on a strong ideological agenda. Certainly there are ideological principles of the party but this was not an election decided over a strong ideological movement. This was a back to normalcy type election. Youre seeing joe biden in the early days of his picks affirm that. And the question is, look, is there really a benefit in him bringing in republicans with much substance . I anticipate well see some, each of the past administrations, republican and democrat, have offered a cabinet positive to somebody from the opposing party. But the question for 2021 is, will the joe biden presidency look like the closing days of his campaign, this one america message, or will it incorporate some of the more progressive direction of the party, or both. That is the challenge for a president trying to unite a party and unite the nation. Stephanie, were already seeing from the squad, aoc and her colleagues, pressure against, you know, against some of the more centrists, bruce reed, for instance, a long time domestic policy adviser from clinton world, having bruce reed in the white house. Does that seen a little aggressive, to be going after one person at the subcabinet level . Well, im a big fan of bruce reeds, let me state that up front, from both our clinton days in the white house together but also during the obama white house. Yes, i do think its aggressive. Were two weeks out from having this election called for Vice President biden, now president elect biden. There is a lot of support on the left and in moderate segments of the party for his agenda. I think we should be all working together to get it done. Its not about one person who could be appointed to a position, as you said, andrea, at the subcabinet level. And let me be clear, i dont know what hes going to be appointed to, however we should look at the big picture. Its not about one person. This is president elect bidens agenda that we need to Work Together to implement. And it certainly got off to a slow start, i wanted to show a little more of lester holt asking about this transition, and any contact with the white house, asking, of course, joe biden. Have you had any conversations with President Trump postelection about paving the way for this transition to happen . Any back Channel Communications . No. I believe that his chief of staff and my chief of staff have spoken. But no, i have not heard anything from President Trump. You dont anticipate any harm from this delay in terms of your ability to do what you want starting day one . Look, its a slow start, but its starting. David, hes also saying that hes hoping the transition will not be grudging, so far its not been, hes praising what hes seen in the last 48 hours. What has to happen, what about mitch mcconnell, what about talks about covid, when is the senate going to put one little step forward . Its a great question about the senate, andrea, because look, president ial transitions are always a little unique. This one certainly is. You can look to history, hoover to fdr, and they had a similar relationship where they didnt want to Work Together, even during the transition, even though the nation and the World Economy was collapsing. So certainly the nation is better and stronger if they can coordinate, but it wont be unusual if trump and biden personally dont. But your question about the senate is so important. As we examine how biden brings together a diverse Democratic Party, and whether he can or not, can he bring the aoc caucus around or not, he may not be able to, but bipartisanship requires two people reaching across the aisle. What were seeing from the senate largely is a rejection of joe bidens legitimacy. So we do have to look at republicans on capitol hill and say, hey, dont expect bipartisanship from one end of pennsylvania avenue if youre not willing to give it from the other. Stephanie cutter and david jolly, thank you both so much. What some Michigan Nurses are giving up this Holiday Weekend so their patients dont have to celebrate thanksgiving alone, that report coming up on Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. What about subway . Its a good call and everyone loves it. We raised our kids on it. So it stopped the bickering . mocking tone mom, jjs copying me grow up. Mom knock it off try the new subway buffalo chicken or bbq chicken. Try the new subway at aconnected approachtal, to your health and wellness to help you age actively. With Medicare Advantage plans designed for the whole you. We offer monthly plan premiums starting at 0. Hospital, medical and Prescription Drug coverage, in one simple plan. Plus dental, vision and hearing. Aetna Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare annual enrollment ends december 7th. Call today to learn more and well send you a 10 visa reward card with no obligation to enroll. As americans try to celebrate as best they can in this covid thanksgiving, thousands of Covid Patients are alone in hospitals across the country. Fortunately front line nurses and doctors are sacrificing their holidays to be there for them. Nbc news correspondent ellison barber joins us from lansing, michigan, where nurses are giving up being with their loved ones to be with their patients. Ellison, you have rare access inside the hospital today, tell us what you saw. Reporter andrea, we wanted to try and talk to some of those nurses who we know often give up their times with their families at holidays to treat patients. This year its arguably even more important and harder. Not only do they still have all of the threats that have been there since the pandemic began, but you also have patients inside the hospital, whether they are positive or covid19 or something else, where theyre not able to have any visitors at all. And so what we saw were hospital staff making sure that they were taking care of these people. They were trying to save lives and they were also trying to make sure that everyone there felt loved and cared for. W within minutes of being in the hospital, we heard one of the nurses asking if it was okay to bring in cupcakes and balloons whose birthday it was. That patient has been in the icu with covid19 for 31 days. He was one of the few patients successfully able to come off of a ventilator. He was taken off of a ventilator and survived. And he was the first patient to be taken off of a ventilator here, were told, and survive, in about 2 1 2 months. The celebration is a milestone for them. Its a step in the right direction because we see so many of them that dont make it. When they succeed and successfully get through certain milestones with things like coming off the ventilator, coming down off your oxygen level, your labs improve, we want to celebrate those milestones with them. So the fact that its his birthday and hes here, were celebrating. Were his extended family. Because they cant be here. Reporter when so many patients are scared and alone in the hospital this Holiday Season, nurses, hospital staff like the ones we met today, are stepping up not only to care for those patients but to make sure they dont feel alone, andrea. Ellison barber, thank you. And a very happy thanksgiving to you. From delays in testing to hospital bed shortages to those overworked front line medical workers, is our Health Care System reaching the breaking point on cases as they surge . An answer from the front lines. Stay with us. This is Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. Us this is Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. Just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. [ engine rumbling ] [ beeping ] [ engine revs ] uh, you know theres a 30minute limit, right . Tell that to the rain. [ beeping ] for those who were born to ride, theres progressive. And unmatched overall value. Together with a dedicated advisor, youll make a plan that can adjust as your life changes, with access to taxsmart investing strategies that help you keep more of what you earn. And with brokerage accounts, you see what youll pay before you trade. Personalized advice. Unmatched value. At fidelity, you can have both. More than this at fidelity, you can have both. Get their dishes as clean as possible. Olks ask me how to i tell them, try cascade Platinum Plus the power of oxi. It breaks down food soils to clean up to 99 of visible and invisible food residue for a hygienic clean you can see and feel. Cascade the power of oxi. The number of coronavirus cases in the u. S. Continuing to skyrocket with more than 12. 6 million cases now, more than 261,000 people have died. Joining me now, dr. Vin gupta, Critical Care pulmonologist and affiliate assistant professor at the university of washington. Dr. Gupta, happy holiday to you, but lets start with the crush on testing. People planning to travel, going out, lining up for tests, and delays in testing. What are you seeing out there . Good morning, andrea. Its good to see you and happy thanksgiving. What were seeing, i can speak to what were seeing in seattle, which is delays in drivethroughs that are routinely used for testing for covid19, delays such that the city has actually stated, only come if youre symptomatic because right now theyre trying to create a priority for who should come versus who should not necessarily come. If youve had a close contact, if youre asymptomatic, dont necessarily come to the drivethrough, its hard to get an appointment. If youre symptomatic and are worried about a close contact exposure, youre more than welcome to. That raises the specter of how can anybody feel safe to travel come this Holiday Season, andrea. Because one of the key parts of any congregation with anybody is making sure youve tested negative. If were saying you cant actually get testing, were saying you cant travel safety, you cant mitigate the risk of transmission on an airplane or a bus, nobody should be traveling, unless its emergent, because we have a testing crisis again. And the cdc is now, according to admiral giroir who i spoke to earlier on the program, within another week we might hear new guidelines for quarantining, recommendations of perhaps seven to ten days rather than the 14 days based on, they say, new data theyve learned. Hes not signaling which way its going to go, but that was certainly the impression. Weve read it elsewhere. What do you think of that . I think that hews to the data really closely, im glad theyre revisiting it. We know that eight days after the onset of symptoms if you have a positive test, we think infectiousness to others really, really starts to decline. Revisiting that quarantine guideline, seven to ten days after either a close contact or if youre confirmed with the virus and you have symptoms, that seven to tenday window definitely makes sense. Im glad theyre doing it because it gives confidence because a lot of us have suggested the same thing informally. It would be good to have the cdcs guidance here so we can say it formally. If i can quickly say to all your viewers out there who are thinking about traveling for the holidays, in the last few weeks, weve talked so much about antivirus, remdesivir, more data suggest these are not effective in the treatment of covid19. The only thing effective is tender loving care by respiratory therapy its isther nurses. They just put out a call for Rapid Response icu workers. That should be sobering thoughts. The critical supply therapeutics is not something you can get in your iv except by respiratory therapy its ists therapists. Dr. Vin gupta, thank you. Water. Waiter. Water well be right back. Water well be right back r you. R you. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. Their laundry smells moremily amazing than ever. In flings, uh, honey . Isnt that the dogs towel . Hey, me towel su towel. 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On the news theres a big antiwar protest in central park, the bar keep came up with the idea that someone should bring the soldiers a thank you, a beer. The man who volunteered joining me now, john chick donahue, the coauthor of the book the greatest beer run ever, a memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war. Chick donahue, its great to see you, thank you for bringing the story. You were a civilian by then. Why did you volunteer and how did you get to vietnam and find your friends . Well, i was in the neighborhood in the inwood section of manhattan. The manhattan. 6 00 news was coming on and they had demonstrators on from central park that day, and i had actually seen them. And the protest had turned around by then. And they were protesting against the g. I. S. And it bothered me and it bothered everybody in the club. And the conversation changed and bring those guys a beer and let them know that we werent like those guys. We were behind them and all of that. And i happened to be the only guy who could do that, so i volunteered. That i think i could accomplish that. And how did you get to vietnam . Well, i was a merchant seaman. I went down to the union hall on 7th avenue and 13th street. And looked up on the shipping wall. And there was a ship the great victory. The mission pier in leonardo, new jersey. And it was going to vietnam. So i signed up as an oiler to work in the engine. And thats how i got to vietnam. And once you got there, how did you find your friends . Well, i had the military addresses. For instance, the first persons on the list was Tommy Collins. And he was in the hummock 27th military police battalion. And the military police to guard the ship had 127 on their helmets. I just assumed it was probably the same battalion. I asked them did they know Tommy Collins from new york. They did. They brought me to him. And then you hitch a ride. You even chopper up close to the dmz. You got into a fire fight yourself . Well, after collins. We spent the night, we had a few drinks in a pub, we sang a few songs, all of that. It was great fun. There was a texan there with a big cowboy hat on, and he had the patch on his shoulder, the 1st air cavalry. Which ricky dugan was a part of it. I asked him the same question, do you know ricky dugan . He said, no, i know Bravo Company and theyre up in rnk. I told them a story that he was my stepbrother, whatever i told him. He said you be on the tarmac at 0800 hour, ill take you. He was a crew chief. I did that. The next time i was there. He put me on his plane, i got off there and found out dugan had left there earlier. Was up north. They flew me up north, he was out on the field. And i hitched a ride to the truck to the elze where the helicopters were. They took me to where dugan was. He was out on an ambush post when i got there. It was late in the day. They called him in and they told me to go with him. So, i went with him out to the ambush spot. And they had an ambush that night. At that time, i knew this might have been a mistake, trying this. But i got out a day or two that far. You think. Yeah, better late than never. So, then i tried to escape from vietnam. In my attempt to escape, i went to staigon, my ship had already sailed. I went back to the american embassy. They put me on a plane, it did. When i showed up at the embassy at 5 00 in the morning, it was under attack by the vietcong. And i got stuck there. My plane, obviously, if it took off, it didnt take me with it. So, i was stuck there for maybe eight weeks before i finally got a job on another ship that took me back to seattle, washington. But in the meantime, i kept looking, i found pappas after that, kevin mcclune in between. I brought them all a beer. And the best thing about the whole story is that theyre all alive today, and we still get together. That is an amazing story. I know after seeing street yam first hand, you also had different views about the protesters and about the war itself. But thats for another day. Chick donoghue, we cant thank you enough. Happy thanksgiving. Hoist a beer for me. Thank you very, andrea. You bet. I limy wife and i are great fans of yours. Shes in the other room watching right now. We thank you. Finally, in the spirit of chicks incredible beer run which i understand is now bought for a movie, a few words about friendship, family and thanksgiving. I join you wanting to be with my family tomorrow. Who wouldnt want to be with your family, whats not to love about thanksgiving, its the parade, my favorite breeds on the national dog show. Football, fabulous food, desserts without guilt. Think about the front line workers who are sacrificing their family time and potentially their own health to take care of more than 80,000 americans now hospitalized with covid. Think of the people weve lost after all of the superspreader events. Remember those you love who are no longer with us because of this pandemic. The end is in sight, folks. Hang on for this Holiday Season. So we can all enjoy our families and friends in many thanksgivings and christmases and new years to come. Lets show the selflessness and sacrifice from our parents that they showed in the world war. Follow the cdc guidelines. Wear your masks. Keep a social distance. Stay safe. Live for another Holiday Season. Thanks for being with us. Kasie hunt picks up our coverage after the short break. Happy holiday, everyone, at home. I just stuff everything in. You have to wash on cold, because it saves energy. The secret is, tide pods work no matter how you wash. So, everyone is right. Its got to be tide. The coronavirus isnt waiting. The economy isnt waiting. America shouldnt have to wait, either. The American People have spoken. The result is clear. Its time to move forward. And get to work. Youre choosing whento get connected to xfinity mobile, to the most Reliable Network nationwide, now with 5g included. Discover how to save up to 400 a year with shared data starting at 15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. Come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. You can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. Thats simple, easy, awesome. Visit your local xfinity store today to ask, shop, discover the latest on xfinity mobile. Good day and happy thanksgiving eve from washington. Im kasie hunt. As we prepare for a thanksgiving like no other, president elect joe biden set to address the nation next hour. Hes going to focus on the shared sacrifices that americans are making this Holiday Season as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country. For the First Time Since the beginning of this pandemic, the United States saw a record 2 million new cases in just two weeks. And deaths are also on the rise in nearly every state. The surge is so widespread that officials are saying Contact Tracing is no longer effective. And with the promise of a vaccine just around the corner, u. S. Surgeon