Latest Breaking News On - Antoine miller - Page 1 : vimarsana.com
so we could be seeing people getting vaccinated monday, tuesday of next week. >> but as we await the official green light, we cannot ignore the fact that the virus is still raging out of control across this country. the u.s. surpassing records for a second day in a row with nearly 230,000 new cases on thursday. and more than 3,100 deaths. more americans have now died from coronavirus than were killed in world war ii. and there is no sign that this is slowing down. as the crisis plays out across the country and the fda is on the verge of announcing a critical decision, we have special coverage across the network all day and on our website. nbc news.com. it's entirely dedicated to making sense of all of it. how america gave up and how we fight back. this hour, we're going to take you across the globe to cover every angle from wuhan, china, where the virus began nearly one year ago to pennsylvania where they're testing out the best and most efficient way to vaccinate people, and down to florida where nursing home workers are reacting to the possibility of a vaccine in the coming weeks. but i want to begin with morgan radford who is at fda headquarters in silver spring, maryland. and ellison barber at pfizer's largest manufacturing site in portage, michigan. morgan, we heard from the hhs secretary alex azar with that hopeful news that the fda informed pfizer they intend to grant that eua, emergency use authorization, in a matter of hours. what do we know about the timing of how all of this would play out? >> peter, that is the million-dollar question. just this morning, when the fda released that statement, they effectively said that we will, quote, rapidly work to authorize this vaccine, and they essentially told the cdc to get ready to distribute. but then the question, peter, becomes when and to whom. we know if that official authorization comes as early as today, that the first dose of 2.9 million doses of vaccines will go to americans all across the country, possibly as early as this weekend. but the question of who gets it is a little bit trickier, peter. because we know the elderly and frontline health care workers will be prioritized. but one of the most interesting things i heard come of that advisory panel just yesterday was the question of the minimum age. the central question that they were debating yesterday when it came to giving this recommendation was whether or not the benefits outweighed the risks for people 16 and older. 77% of that panel, peter, said, yes, this is a go, but for those who abstained or voted no, they didn't vote no because they believe the vaccine was safe, but they have questions about that minimum age. they weren't sure if there was enough data on 16 and 17-year-olds to really give it a full-throated recommendation. today if that authorization comes out, it will be really interesting to see, peter, if the fda tweaks that authorization and says they'll give it to just 18-year-olds or if, in fact, they'll include the recommendation to give it to 16-year-olds. and one other thing to note, peter, is that advisory panel we heard from yesterday is different from the advisory panel that will determine who gets it after those people are prioritized. that advisory panel does not advise the fda here behind me but, instead, they advise the cdc. so there are still questions ahead of us as we expect to hear that authorization as early as today. peter? >> yeah, certainly a lot of questions. many of those answers we'll be able to provide over the course of this next hour. ellison, to you in michigan, what is the plan to distribute this vaccine once pfizer gets that official green light? will the movement just happen like that in a snap? >> hey, peter. once there is that official green light, we expect to start seeing trucks moving and leaving this facility within about 24 hours. from here, once they put the vaccines in those trucks, those extra cold freezing trucks, we expect them to then go to u.p.s. and fedex distribution centers in memphis and louisville. fed ex expected to handle the bulk of distribution of states west of the minneapolis. u.p.s. among states east of the mississippi. from there, each state has their own plan for distributing and allocating these vaccines. and that's where things can get a little bit tricky and confusing. we visited a hospital and went inside of it not far from this pfizer manufacturing plant where we are. this hospital was in kalamazoo because we wanted to get a sense of how they planned to store this vaccine and what they're planning to do in terms of allocation and actually administering the vaccine. in michigan, health officials are expecting to get about 84,000 doses of the pfizer vaccine in the first allocation. and they plan, in this state, to first distribute and administer that vaccine to health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities. listen here. >> we will receive the vaccine from the state of michigan or from the government. the government owns the vaccine. and then we'll be setting up immunization clinics. fortunately, most hospitals are quite good at that because we do it every year. we immunize our employees against influenza every year. we give them flu shots. and that model, that clinic model, will work for covid vaccine as well. >> we spoke to one doctor with ascension, the largest nonprofit health care system in the united states, and they said right now they are in the process of getting little stickers made, similar to the i voted stickers but instead of "i voted" it will say "i got vaccinated" because they want people to post on social media and share the fact that they got vaccinated so hopefully other people will consider doing the same. peter? >> social media has real power in a moment like this to see what your neighbors and others are doing and try to build that support for vaccination. our thanks to morgan radford and ellison barber as well. joining us to discuss all of it is dr. tom frieden, the former cdc director and president of resolve to save lives. dr. frieden, we appreciate your expertise and time on this hopeful friday as we anticipate that official green light for this pfizer vaccine here. i want your thoughts at this moment. are you satisfied with the processes that have taken place to this point to get to the emergency use authorization that we expect any moment? >> absolutely. what we've seen is a good deal of transparency. the companies made their protocols public. the data is now public. what we know is that it's highly effective, 90%-plus, 95% in all different age groups, which is really encouraging. surprisingly good news. and no serious bad reactions. not uncommon for people to have a headache, fatigue, feel feverish or chills for a few hours or a day or two after the vaccination. all of that is really important information, and that transparency is going to help people get vaccinated, help people have trust. but, peter, one thing we have to know. on the one hand, we need to get the vaccine out as soon and safely as possible, especially for nursing home, long-term care facility residents and staff. at the same time, it's going to be sadly many months before all of us who would like to get a vaccine can get a vaccine, and that's why, in this time especially, as cases are surging and surging, we need to double down on protection protocols so that as many people as possible can still be alive and around to get the vaccine when it is their turn. >> dr. frieden, let me ask you. there were about 20-plus panelists involved in this advisory committee. they voted in support of its authorization, 17-4. a lot of americans are going to say, why did four experts vote against this? and while they don't provide an explanation for their no vote, we did hear the conversation focused a lot about those adolescents. right now the authorization, at least their recommendation, is for those above the age of 16. there's not a lot of study for those between 16 and 18. is there any reason for concern for adolescents to be taking this going forward? >> i actually listened to parts of that conversation and it's important to explain to people what they were concerned about. they weren't concerned that it was unsafe for kids. they weren't concerned that there might be more bad reactions in kids. what their point was, this is an emergency use authorization. and the criteria for an emergency authorization is that the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. and the risks of covid in kids are really quite low. and that was really the discussion. it wasn't, should it be authorized? i think everyone on the committee probably would have voted for a regular authorization. i can't say that for sure. but that was my understanding with the discussion. the question was just, in an emergency authorization, should it cover those younger people for whom there's less data? >> and so what systems are in place going forward once these vaccines begin to be sent across the country, which is its own logistics challenge. what systems are in place to sort of monitor the safety of those recipients? in the uk they reported two allergic reactions which has the reaction of being overplayed even though those with high allergies could van have an imp like this. >> there are quite a few systems and more being developed for this. this is, without a doubt, the most complicated vaccination program in american history. in order to do it right, you're going to have to track vaccinations, make people -- make sure people can get their second shot, and see if -- what kind of adverse events arise. what we do in this situation is project, for every million people vaccinated, how many people would you expect if they didn't get a vaccination would have had a heart attack or a stroke or a seizure or some other serious problem. and then you look at that expected rate and you find the rate after vaccination and you see if there's a difference. that might suggest what's called a safety signal or possible problem. we already know that with tens of thousands of people vaccinated, there's been no serious adverse event. but when hundreds of thousands or millions or tens or hundreds of millions of people get vaccinated it may be that you have a 1 in a million adverse evepts, and it may be that it appears that way and you have to investigate it. some of those can be -- >> dr. frieden, your message in a sentence to those americans debating whether or not to get it is -- >> well, i would say when it's my turn to get a vaccine, i will certainly get one, but until there's a vaccine, be safe because it's not here yet. >> former cdc director dr. tom frieden, we appreciate your time being with us on this friday. thank you. one of the biggest hurdles that health care workers might be up against as they roll out this vaccine is distrust from americans who do not know if they want to take it. nbc's antonia hylton is in chicago this morning where she has been talking to residents who definitely do not want to be first in line. antonia, good morning to you. >> morning, peter. there is a lot of anxiety here, and it comes from current events and also a deep history. i'm standing right in front of mercy hospital. this is a hospital set to close down on a black community here on the south side. and many of the residents say this closure is proof that city leaders do not care about us and our health, and they don't care about our access to things like vaccines. then there's also a critical historical piece to this anxiety. as i'm sure you've heard of the tuskegee syphilis study from the 1900s in which doctors spent a long time studying black men who had syphilis, not giving them the proper care or offering them informed consent. this was a major scandal around the country. in the black community, it continues to be a major fear. something that people privately reference in their own families. my family talks about it. and it leaves back people to wonder, are doctors going to try experimenting on them and give them drugs that aren't real or could harm them? take a listen to this conversation i had with residents who live not far from here. >> everything is about money. i feel like the most disadvantaged folks will be left dry. i mean, and who is to say if they give us the full-fledged vaccine. they may give us a generic version. >> we feel we're the first group they want to test it on, and we're being experimented on. >> i want to address what you heard antoine miller say right there. it is not true that the government is going to try to pass off a generic version of this vaccine to the black community or to anyone and actually generic drugs are just as effective as brand name drugs. what you heard him say there is this fear that someone is going to try to give something lower quality to black people. and that is a deep-seeded fear that public health officials are going to have to try to combat here. it's also important to note that the people you met there, this is not an anti-vaxx community. this is not people who believe vaccines cause autism and they learned this from facebook. some of the misinformed fake things you hear about. this is not that. these are fears based on history, real things that did happen to black communities, and that makes it even more challenging for public health officials as they try to roll out this vaccine here to try to address decades and decades of harm done to people and to get this vaccine rolled out to the people who frankly need it most. >> antonia, you're exactly right. it identifies yet another one of the challenges after the logistics. there is the challenge of that trust factor, particularly within those communities of color. antonia hylton reporting from chicago today, we thank you. on that very topic, one pfizer trial participant, an african-american man, is trying to get the message out that the vaccine is safe. why he says people should not be afraid and why he is sharing his personal story of getting those shots. it's coming up. plus, millions are heading into the holidays without knowing where they'll get their next meal. despite that in the nation's capitol, another breakdown in covid relief talks. we'll break it down. that's all ahead in our coronavirus pandemic special coverage this friday. go to nbcnews.com right now for powerful in-depth coverage of the pandemic. it's titled "how america gave up and how we fight back." i felt like... ...i was just fighting an uphill battle in my career. so when i heard about the applied digital skills courses, i'm thinking i can become more marketable. you don't need to be a computer expert to be great at this. these are skills lots of people can learn. i feel hopeful about the future now. ♪ [ engine rumbling ] ♪ [ beeping ] [ engine revs ] ♪ uh, you know there's a 30-minute limit, right? tell that to the rain. [ beeping ] for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. if you ntry gain flings. to fresh laundry they have more freshness ingredients compared to bargain liquid detergent. they have 3 super powered ingredients that fight stink oxi boost febreze odor remover and concentrated detergent. try gain flings and smell the difference. ♪ ♪ you're all, you're all i need ♪ ♪ you're all, you're all i need ♪ ♪ as long as i got you then baby ♪ ♪ you know that you've got me, oh! yea...♪ ♪ we look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow that lasts, even when you're not working, so you can go from saving... to living. ♪ let's go so you can go from saving... to living. you're choosing to get connected to the most to xfinity mobile, 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. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store. the clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass a new coronavirus relief bill. it's been ticking for months. despite signs of progress earlier this, we there's a new logjam this morning. add to that a senate vote on the defense bill that's been delayed, meaning the possibility of another government shutdown. joining us is politico senior writer jake sherman. if you can help us walk through this, i remember traveling to wilmington last week. i was covering the biden administration, president-elect biden. i spoke to one of the businesses there, and the man who has been waiting for money has already laid off 60% of his staff and said, at best, he can make it a matter of months, but this is urgent for folks and yet from capitol hill, the message at least as we're hearing it right now is we may not be able to get it done. >> peter if you tried to explain the state of play as we do here every day to americans who are trying to get by, they'd be just completely boggled and want to fire everybody in government. so the big sticking point right now, and it has been for a long time, that state and local funding, democrats want a big state and local check for states and localities to make ends meet. republicans don't. republicans want a big shield for liability for universities and schools and businesses. democrats don't. those two things have dragged this process out for a long time. that's number one. number two, this bipartisan group here that's been meeting. mitch mcconnell has pumped the brakes on that. they were making some progress, not a lot, but some progress. and mitch mcconnell said what they were working on would not pass muster with senate republicans. so that's where we are. i will say, i have some new reporting this morning that talks are starting again. i just got a call from a senior administration official who said today is the day if it happens, and if it doesn't happen today, it's likely over. there are beginning to be talks at the leadership level. the so-called four corners. the republican and democratic leader in both chamber on the staff side, not principals, and that's a hopeful sign but time is really, really short, peter. >> for clarity, that source, that senior administration official said today is the day and if it doesn't happen, they think it is over? >> they think it's not going to happen this congress. and i mean that doesn't exactly jive with what nancy pelosi said. nancy pelosi yesterday told us at a news conference in the capitol that she will keep people here as long as it takes to get done and mitch mcconnell and kevin mccarthy have said similar. nancy pelosi reminded us as you will remember well, peter, we've been here through christmases and christmas to new year for many years running now. so we can expect that this time around as well. >> it seems like everybody is going to be holding in place because of the pandemic regardless who were used to being here and this year for a different reason will be stuck here. the need is urgent. can i ask you about the potential for a government shutdown. they still need the senate to sign off on this right now to extend this debate, so to speak. but the fact of the matter is, it's not clear exactly what's going to happen. this would be the worst possible time for that to happen. >> we started this congress with a government shutdown and might end it with a government shutdown. rand paul has a legislative blockade up about an unrelated bill, but the government runs out of money tonight. and congress needs to do something in the next 12 or so hours or 15 hours to avoid a shutdown. not clear at all how it's going to play out. i wish i could predict this better. this is one of those things we'll have to wait until the clock strikes midnight to see where it nets out. >> yeah, all the while americans are waiting desperately for aid at home. jake sherman, thank you. have a good weekend. next up right here, our special coverage of the pandemic does continue from trials to getting a coronavirus vaccine shipped across the country. an exclusive look at a distribution test run. and one trial participant's message to americans. plus, how far are you from one of those distribution sites, and how many americans will be in what they call a vaccine desert? log on to nbcnews.com where you can find ap interactive map that will let you look up where it stands in your county. how far it is from you. part of today's coronavirus pandemic coverage. we're right back. some people have joint pain, plus have high blood pressure. they may not be able to take just anything for pain. that's why doctors recommend tylenol®. it won't raise blood pressure the way that advil® aleve or motrin® sometimes can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol®. welcome back to our special coronavirus coverage here on msnbc live. the fda is expected to approve an emergency use authorization for pfizer's covid vaccine as soon as today. and once the coronavirus vaccine is cleared for use, the next big challenge will be getting it into hundreds of millions of arms. we want to go live to josh letterman in pennsylvania where he took part in a test run of a mass vaccination drive-through. josh, walk us through that, how this is going to work and how rapidly they think they can do it when folks start to show up. >> yeah, peter if you have ever been to a live to-through covid test site or gotten the flu shot, this is like a combination of those. they tried to get a sense of what some of the issues are going to be and to iron out the kinks in advance. one of the things they found out, it's taken them about 35 to 42 minutes to get someone through the process. longer than they anticipated. in part because they're having to spend more time than they anticipated counseling patients about the safety of the vaccine with a lot of people concerned because of the disinformation that they could get coronavirus from getting the vaccine, which, of course, is not the case. and the logistics here are incredibly complicated. in part because of the time crunch they're under, once they take the drug out of the freezer to thaw. take a listen to what dr. joerg who helped set up the test yesterday tell the me about what happened after they take the vaccine out of the freezer. >> you have five days to apply it, and then do the application. so you are going to have the logistics involved that is going to take into account the freezing time, the thawing, the application has to be pretty well determined. and this is the reason why we're doing this testing because we want to know how many people can we move per hour because having a mass vaccination area, we need to know exactly how many applications we have. >> the other reason they need to know exactly how many applications they have, peter, they have to make sure they have enough vaccines on hand to give everybody the second dose three weeks later. peter? >> josh, that's so interesting that you say one of the biggest questions americans are asking is whether when they get this vaccine they're getting a little bit of the coronavirus like when you get a flu shot. are there any other key questions americans are asking? >> well, people are concerned, am i going to have immunity if i just take the first vaccine and not the second dose? of course, the answer is you may have some partial immunity but they really are encouraging people to make sure they come back on a prescheduled date approximately three weeks later to get that second dose so we can get everyone above that 90% threshold of immunity. >> yeah, that's a really good perspective. josh, good reporting on the ground in pennsylvania today. thank you. for more on the vaccine distribution effort, i'm joined by claire hannon, the executive director of the association of immunization managers. claire, i'm glad you're with here. the big question program managers have is this, exactly how much vaccine am i going to get? right now we know the states have identified about 600 different sites where the vaccine is going to be headed right now as we go forward. where are those sites, and how are they determined? >> you're right. states have submitted a little over 600 sites to receive their earliest shipment of the vaccine. most of these sites are hospitals. hospitals that have ultra cold freezer capacity. and these sites were determined by states earlier in the month, you know, after they assessed their ultra cold freezer capacity and after they talked with their hospitals and made sure they are ready to receive the vaccine. >> so fundamentally, what is the biggest challenge right now logistically? this is an enormous logistical challenge, obviously, with the pfizer vaccine. it has to be kept at these extremely low temperatures. a lot of locations, it's going to be a challenge just to get that sort of freezing system in place to deal with it. is that the biggest challenge here, and will that affect the rolling out in phases of this vaccine? >> right. well, it's hard to know what the biggest challenge is right now. there are several challenges that are key. you mentioned the cold storage. the package also comes with 975 doses. and once it's thawed, you have that five-day window to use it that they were just talking about in pennsylvania. i think also we'll see that it takes longer, the through put takes longer. we can't vaccinate people as quickly as we would with, let's say, flu in an hour. that's going to take more vaccinators. i think you just talked about that happening in pennsylvania. and just really looking over who we need to vaccinate in phase one, the pfizer doses that we have, the moderna doses that we may have coming and logistically figuring out where the best place to send pfizer, versus moderna. how do we capture those long-term abilities as well as health care workers. so there are a number of challenges and logistics is just a piece of it. >> no doubt. certainly is. this has a lot of challenges. and that's, i guess, the next one in line. at least we know we're heading that direction and making real progress right now. clair hannon, executive director of the association of immunization managers. we appreciate your time and expertise on this. we wish you good luck going forward. as we await approval for a coronavirus vaccine here in the u.s., thousands of people have already received the pfizer vaccine as part of those vaccine trials. and one of those trial participants is a man by the name of benji. he's joining us now. i appreciate your being with us and sharing your personal experience with the vaccine. you and your family took part in the vaccine trial. i just want to know why you chose to do that, and why you want to speak publicly about your experience. >> yeah, i think my family and myself decided to participate in this study. one, we wanted to be a part of a solution. but more importantly, we wanted to represent the diversity that's needed in clinical trials. and for students, for those that are involved to have a more reflective way so they can actually be represented, especially in the african-american community. >> it's so crucial in the african-american community as we reported earlier this hour, particularly in those communities of color, there are real reservations and a sense of distrust over the way these vaccinations will be rolled out and, frankly, about whether people should be getting it here. so you're our window into this experience. did you or anybody in your family have any symptoms as a result? any reaction? adverse reaction to the vaccine? >> no reaction. you know, there's a two-shot series as mentioned from the previous host. my first shot, i had a little sore shoulder, which is typical for a vaccine. the second shot, of course, three weeks later, i had a sore shoulder. i had a mild headache and a low-grade fever. but each of those were resolved in a few hours from the vaccine. and just to reiterate that you cannot get the covid infection from the vaccine itself. >> even speaking out on this topic, bengy is an act of bravery and courage given there's opposition in this country to people getting vaccinations right now. what have you heard, or members of your family heard, from folks when they find out that you were one of the trial participants, that you got the vaccine? >> they're a little surprised. you know, in regards to it. but i just reaffirm them that this is an important thing. especially to represent african-american male, represent the african-american community, to continue to trust science because this is going to save lives. not only nationally but globally. and especially for the minority community, the african-americans, and unfortunately, the covid has really put a highlight on the gap that's there for african-americans and minority communities in regards to health care. and so this is just a -- such an important opportunity for this to take place. >> no doubt. i was really struck as i was reading in advance of this conversation that others, like yourself, who posted about their experience as a trial participant on social media, have just had this fierce backlash from some corners of the country right now. anti-vaxers and others saying how dare you do that? we appreciate you sharing it. since americans are watching, this is your moment. to those right now, certainly those in the african-american community who are having second thoughts, your message to them simply is what? >> message simply, continue to trust science. continue to protect your family, protect yourself. this is a serious matter. and i recommend, highly recommend everybody take this vaccine once it becomes available. >> bengy, we're glad you're well and your family is well. we wish you all a very good holiday season. we appreciate your being one of those souls to participate in these trials. next right here on msnbc, just over a month from president-elect biden's inauguration and his focus is on domestic policy as some republicans push back on the legitimate election results. we're going to dive into all of it. plus, the politicization of wearing masks has made it hard to speak to friends and family who could be a little bit more careful, right? nbc news.com spoke to experts on the psychology of pandemics and they explain how to have those tough conversations. it's part of today's special coverage on nbcnews.com. we're back in a moment. we started by making the cloud easier to manage. but we didn't stop there. we made a cloud flexible enough to adapt to any size business. no matter what it does, or how it changes. and we kept going. so you only pay for what you use. because at dell technologies, we stop...at nothing. ♪ ♪ oh, oh, (announcer)®! ♪ once-weekly ozempic® is helping because at dell technologies, we stop...at nothing. many people with type 2 diabetes like emily lower their blood sugar. a majority of adults who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. here's your a1c. oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) for those also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. it lowers the risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® is helping me reach my blood sugar goal. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 1-month or 3-month prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. we are just 40 days out from president-elect joe biden's inauguration. today he's set to announce the members of his domestic policy council chaired by susan rice. this as president trump and his allies continue their last-ditch effort to try to invalidate the 2020 election with more than 100 house republicans signing a brief backing a texas lawsuit that is challenging the legitimate results. i want to bring in "washington post" white house reporter ashley parker. also my colleague nbc's geoff bennett who is with team biden this morning in delaware. ashley, let me start with you. there seemed to be a little bit of a crack in the president's framing of all of this. in a tweet he sent out within the last hour or so. he said now that the biden administration will be a scandal-plagued mess for years to come, it's much easier for the supreme court of the united states to follow the constitution and do what everybody knows has to be done. i clue -- i key in on the words the biden administration. for me it's notable because that's the first time president trump, who has falsely claimed he won this thing, acknowledged in some form that he's not going to be the president in just 40 days from now. >> that's exactly right. and people have been sort of looking for those little slips and those little tells, sort of republicans in the president's orbit talking about, for instance, the two runoffs in georgia as being so important because they'll determine control of the senate. well, that's only the case if, you know, vice president harris is the deciding vote in the case of a tie. >> right. >> so you are seeing that here and there but again, also embedded in that tweet is basically the president saying the quiet part allowed, which is he'd like the supreme court to overturn the will of the people and hand the election to him. so it's sort two of deeply inkoi inko inkongruos views. >> what we're witnessing with the president now having more than 100 republican lawmakers sign on to this brief from texas, that frankly constitutional experts on both sides, republican and democrat, all say has no merit, has no chance of going anywhere. but the fact that 100 lawmakers, republicans, would sign on to this, would buy into the president's false claims really does sort of reveal one of the fundamental challenges we're going to face going forward where a new president will be inaugurated in just a few weeks from now and approaching half the country is going to believe it's illegitimate from the start. >> yeah, and part of the reason the president's supporters and as you said nearly half the country will believe it is illegitimate will sort of -- they view biden as an illegitimate president, then stuff that's already politicized like mask wearing or how -- whether or not a vaccine is safe or how to best manage the pandemic. it's going to be very hard for biden to do what he has set out to do which is to speak to the entirety of the nation, even those who did not vote for him. and the reason this portion of the country believes the election is false is because they are being falsely and baselessly told that every single day. not just by the president, but by all of these republican lawmakers, many of whom know better but are unwilling to stand up to donald trump for fear of their own political future. it's dangerous. >> of course, a president who, at the same time, is basically ignoring a pandemic or over the next 48 to 72 hours will hit 300,000, 300,000 americans dead. geoff, you are in wilmington again today. joe biden expected to roll out some new members, some nominees for his cabinet. what should we expect to hear from him today? >> hey, peter. he's picking up the pace of his cabinet selections, and he appears to be putting a premium on personal relationships. this biden cabinet as it comes together cannot be described as a team of rivals. it's really a cabinet of colleagues. so joe biden is elevating people who he knows, who he trusts, and people, frankly, who are deeply steeped in the agencies and departments they've been tapped to lead. today he's rolling out the folks who will have a domestic policy focus to include susan rice, who will be his domestic policy council chair. susan rice will take that job on january 21st as joe biden walks into the white house. you also see on the screen marsha fudge who he's nominating, the ohio congresswoman to lead the housing and urban development agency. also next to her you see tom vilsack who for eight years, all eight years of the obama administration was agriculture secretary. and joe biden is set to nominate him to continue that role in a future biden white house. and on the bottom row, dennis mcdonough, tapped to lead the department of veterans affairs, and then catherine th aye, a hill staffer focused on trade and she's going to be the u.s. trade representative, peter. >> and, geoff, there's some reporting today from axios that it may require some senate republicans' support to help get joe biden the defense secretary, lloyd austin, that he wants. >> yeah, and the reason why this is even an issue is because general austin retired from the military four years ago and the law stipulates he has to have at least seven years of separation in order to serve as defense secretary given that there needs to be, in their traditionally has been, a civilian leadership of the military. but you have the republican head of the senate armed services committee who said he has no issue with granting this waiver to general austin. this has to be authorized by both the house and the senate, but over in the senate, peter, right now you have four democrats. elizabeth warren, duckworth, jigillibrand and blumenthal who say they'll not approve a waiver even though general austsin qualified for the position. this will come down to his public testimony and the make-up of the senate which we still don't know yet. we're still waiting for the georgia runoff p. it's all about the fight over civilian leadership at the department. ashley parker, jeff bennett, thank you. we're going back to where this pandemic began. about a year ago, wuhan, china. since then, the coronavirus infected more than 69 million people around the planet. and it's killed more than 1.5 million. despite that, the city of wuhan is looking busier every day, including the city's famed wet markets. nbc's janis mackey frayer is live in wuhan. give us a sense of what it's like. >> things are strikingly normal here. there's traffic on the streets. people are shopping. kids are in classrooms. life appears to have returned to normal. and it's been like this for the past few months. wuhan officially, according to government data, hasn't had a case since the 18th of may. so that's roughly 207 or 208 days now since they had a locally transmitted case. it doesn't mean that people aren't cautious these days. with the winter months returning, more people are wearing masks, trying to protect themselves during cold and flu season, but around the city, beyond the masks, there's really no visible signs that this was the original epicenter of the pandemic. at the market that was closed down in january, suspected to be the place where the virus made the jump to humans, still hasn't been proven, they've now got permanent walls up around that market. it's decorated. there's some paintings and plants around. and there's absolutely nothing left inside the market. it was cleaned out and scrubbed down long ago. what does still linger here, though, is the questions around how exactly this started, where it started, who knew what and when, and there are still no answers. the world health organization still waiting to get its special team into china. peter? >> that sort of unique view there. janis mackey frayer in wuhan, china. real questions about the transparency of the data in china. thank you so much. next right here, to florida, where our special coverage today is going to focus on the situation there. we're going to focus on nursing home residents and staff. they'll be the first in the state, of course, to get a covid vaccine. why some health care workers, though, say they need more than that to fight this virus. new? -well, audrey's expecting... -twins! grandparents! we want to put money aside for them, so...change in plans. alright, let's see what we can adjust. ♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. okay. mom, are you painting again? you could sell these. lemme guess, change in plans? at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list sales event. sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down, zero due at signing, and a complimentary first month's payment. good morning, mr. sun. good morning, blair. [ chuckles ] whoo. i'm gonna grow big and strong. yes, you are. i'm gonna get this place all clean. i'll give you a hand. and i'm gonna put lisa on crutches! wait, what? said she's gonna need crutches. she fell pretty hard. you might want to clean that up, girl. excuse us. when owning a small business gets real, progressive helps protect what you built with customizable coverage. -and i'm gonna -- -eh, eh, eh. -donny, no. -oh. you're on it. exercising often and eating healthy? yup, on it there too. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. ...i was just fighting an uphill battle in my career. so when i heard about the applied digital skills courses, i'm thinking i can become more marketable. you don't need to be a computer expert to be great at this. these are skills lots of people can learn. i feel hopeful about the future now. ♪ my minute now, the fda could issue that emergency use for the pfizer vaccine. health care workers in florida are standing by to start vaccinating nursing home residents. covid deaths are going up in that state. nearly 40% of them are connected to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. our senior national correspondent chris jensen talked to three nursing homeworkers who fight the virus every day. she is joining us now from outside tampa general hospital. these conversations you have with folks are always sort of informative. what are you hearing from there, how much of a strain is this surge putting on these workers? >> 40% of all deaths across the state are people who live and work in these nursing homes, as you said, and all three of the people i sat down with have lost a coworker to covid. one as young as 37. now, between them, they have 35 years experience. so i started by asking them, how much harder is it now than it was before covid? here is what they told me. >> it's 110% harder. >> you're worried about taking anything inside the facility. >> how am i going to pay my bill? how am i going to put food on the table if i'm sick and i'm the ohm bread winner in the house? >> they live paycheck to paycheck. everyone doesn't have, you know, $1,000 in the bank account. >> you had covid and you had to stop working? >> yes, for about five weeks. >> my whole house got sick so no adult in the house was working. >> so if you all had the chance right now to get the vaccine, how many of you would take it? you would get it? no. >> not at this time. >> no, i wouldn't trust the government, no. >> speaking from an african-american point of view, they have let blacks down a lot. >> that's not unique to these workers. we're hearing it from doctors and nurses. they talk about people of color, the cuss key gee medical experiments, but also we know people who are black or hispanic have suffered disproportionately from covid, died disproportionately and the questions they have are will the side effects of this vaccine potentially affect people of color disproportionately? and one more thing, peter, they're still waiting to know when will they get the ppe they need? florida has done better, but there are still shortages at nursing homes. peter. >> yeah, chris, i'm just struck by that trust in deficits, especially in communities of color as it relates to this vaccine. it's a real challenge that president-elect biden and the next administration is going to have to deal with going forward. excellent reporting, thank you as always. i'm peter alexander in today for my friend, stephanie ruhl. special coverage of the pandemic is next here on mz nbc. e pandemc is next here on mz nbc in a land not so far away, people are saving hundreds on the most reliable network with xfinity mobile. they can choose from the latest phones or bring their own. and choose the data option that's right for them. they even get nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and since they are on the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfation, they live happily ever after. again, again! xfinity mobile. your wireless. your rules. your way to stay closer together. click, call, or visit an xfinity store today. as we come on the air, a major update from the fda on the pfizer vaccine. we may be just hours away from that green light. emergency approval seeming all but certain, according to the ahs secretary. >> we should be seeing t
TampaFloridaUnited-statesTexasChinaMarylandPennsylvaniaWuhanHubeiMichiganAmericansAmerica