Some Holiday Events are adapting to the coronavirus, including here in manhattan. The 94th annual thanksgiving day parade was still as festive as ever. The streets were largely empty thanks to planners adapting the program to prevent crowds. And Los Angeles County urged residents to cancel all plans, even outdoor gatherings. California is struggling to get its cases under control. Officials say theyre seeing the, quote, most alarming metrics weve ever seen. We begin with our current and future president s. Each with a different approach to those metrics and each spending thanksgiving differently. Today, president elect joe biden is spending the holiday in delaware with his family. Meanwhile, President Trump is golfing at his club in northern virginia. He canceled his annual trip to maralago in south florida. Joining us from washington are nbc News White House correspondent cara lee and with us in rehoboth beach, delaware, is nbc political reporter allie vitaly. It seemed like President Trump was going to let the Election Results, denials die down, focus on the pandemic. Now hes refocusing on the results in pennsylvania. Tell us whats been going on. Reporter yeah, hes not letting those denials die down at all. If anything, hes really continuing to ramp them up, even tweeting already today about the Election Results saying that he had looked estimate vote tabulations and challenging the fact that joe biden received some 80 million votes that the president writing on twitter theres no way biden got 80 million votes, this was a 100 rigged election. Thats obviously not true. President trump lost this election. But hes continuing on this path. And as you mentioned, said yesterday in this call that he made into this event told in a ballroom at a hotel in pennsylvania with Pennsylvania Republicans and the president s personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, where the president repeated a number of false claims about the election, alleging fraud without any evidence of that. And said it multiple times that this election needs to be, as the president put it, turned around, this Election Results need to be overturned. So the president s really digging in on that publicly. While we know privately from our own reporting and other news outlets reporting that the president is thinking about the future and his next steps, whether thats how hes going to make money after leaving office, considering a run for presidency again in 2024. And then hes taking other steps that show that he is actually conducting himself like a president whos in the last weeks of his presidency in that he pardoned his former National Security adviser Michael Flynn, something that president s typically use a pardon power that president s typically use in the closing weeks of their time in office. So he allowed also this week for the biden transition to move forward. At the same time, as you note, he is not giving up on these public claims of fraud in the election which just has not been proven and isnt true. Yeah. I do want to come back to Michael Flynn in one second. The president elect spoke yesterday warning of a long, hard winter, as he put it, because of the pandemic. And also calling for unity. What else stood out in his remarks . Reporter well, weve heard biden give that warning before, and what was striking is the focus that he placed on the coronavirus in his prethanksgiving remarks before heading from wilmington up here to rehoboth beach, delaware. We also heard him, though, talk about the death toll. But as it relates to families potential emotional toll, sitting at a table at thanksgiving dinner this year with one chair empty. Biden said unfortunately thats something he knows how to deal with all too well. I see wife, jill biden, echoing the sentiment. In a video this morning listen to what they said so many people are celebrating this year knowing that someone they love will never again take their seat at the table. Joe and i know the pain of that empty chair. If you are one of those families, please know that our hearts are with you and that you know that you arent alone. We might not be able to join our hands around a table with our loved ones. We can come together as a nation. Reporter to me, joshua, more than anything else, those remarks yesterday as well as the remarks that they delivered via video on twitter today were showing a president and a first lady in waiting that were going to step into the empathy gap that has been lacking from the white house in the midst of this crisis. You compare the way that joe biden has spoken about the coronavirus over the course of the last few weeks to the way that weve heard President Trump talk about it over the course of the last few months, trump has had a tendency not to dwell on how bleak it sometimes feels, but instead to put a rosier picture on it. Biden yesterday really leveling with the American People, speaking to the frustration that many of them have because of this ongoing pandemic and the fact that now were getting into the holiday season, and a lot of people are being forced to scale back. Thats also true for the bidens. Biden referenced that he should be or usually is in nantucket with lots of family around. This year thats not what theyre doing. Theyre doing a much smaller thanksgiving here in rehoboth beach. And very briefly before weve got to move on, how much is the Pinellas County thi president elect thinking whether the pandemic is the dominant force given the cabinet picks. Reporter it is overarcing for his transition. And this is going to be the reality and the top issue that hes contending with. At least over the first year, year and a half of his presidency. But theres also the ability for it to be a real legacy moment. Theyre not looking past it yet. They are very much focused on how you can combat it. At the same time, this is something thats very similar in some ways to the crisis that barack obama stepped into with the economic crisis in 2008. Joe biden involved this that response this. Has an economic component because certainly biden has said that you cannot get the economy back on track without first focusing on the coronavirus. So clearly its of top importance to him. But also on the staffing front, consider some of the people that hes put up here. His Incoming White House chief of staff, ron klain, was Barack Obamas quote unquote ebola czar. And the head of the department of Homeland Security was also involved in dealing with the zika crisis as well as the ebola crisis. Hes starting on a personnel level to show that this is a policy priority, but also that hes putting a premium on experience. Well talk more about the Coronavirus Response and about Michael Flynn as the hour goes on. For now, Nbcs Carol Lee in washington and ali vitaly at rehoboth beach, delaware. Thank you both. The pandemic continues to infect members of President Trumps inner circle. Most recently another lawyer for his campaign. According to the new york times, that makes at least 45 people closely connected to the white house who have tested positive. Meanwhile, 13 states still do not have a statewide mask mandate. Each is run by a republican governor. So even though the election is over, the politics of this pandemic may be around for some time. One Washington Post reporter who endured covid19 wrote about her experience. Jackie alamani noted the differences in what some of her gop sources were saying publicly and what they told her privately. Jackie writes the Washington Posts power up newsletter and joins us now. Also dr. Vin gupta, assistant professor at the institute for Health Metrics and evaluation. He is also an msnbc medical contributor. Good to see you boeith. Jackie, you wrote in percent that one hill one hill staffer encouraged you to share your experience with covid19 because according to the staffer, their boss still doesnt think its real . You also wrote that a Trump Campaign staffer told you, quote, its pretty incredible that even when people do get it, it doesnt change their behavior very much. If anything it just emboldens them that they made it through the virus. It blows my mind, unquote. Jackie, i dont mean to put too fine a point on this, but it sounds like theyre calling some folks in their party hypocrites. Thats exactly right, joshua. Happy thanksgiving. Thank you so much for having me. I just have to say, im so thankful for all of the doctors and frontline workers who are keeping everyone safe, especially after having experienced this firsthand and being completely flattened by it. Thankfully i wasnt hospitalized. But i was really struck by the dissidence between my private conversations with my republican sources and what were seeing in terms of the public rhetoric and continued politicization of the pandemic from Republican Leaders and governors. And what i was hearing from my sources was frustration with their bosses behavior. And with their colleagues behavior, as well. I was talking this through with a source. I was laid out on the couch, i spent the majority of my time recovering sleeping. But when i wasnt sleeping, i was trying to work the phones to the best of my ability. And as you noted, you know, they really encouraged me to talk about this because, again, their boss didnt believe in it. And you know, were seeing that rhetoric continued in places like south dakota and oklahoma and missouri. Governor noem and oklahomas governor, as well, who are actively encouraging behavior that is against the warnings that were hearing from people like dr. Fauci and our nations Top Public Health experts as our death count and cases are hitting highs that we were seeing at the beginning of the pandemic. And you know, its not going unnoticed by republicans who work for these people. Before i get to dr. Gupta, its clear the biden administrations approach is different than the Trump Administrations approach has been. Whats your sense of how mr. Biden might move past the politics to put forth an Effective Response . Yeah, i think as weve seen with a lot of the public opinion, americans do overwhelmingly support masks and are are moving albeit slowly past sort of this partisan warfare that masks have become in our public dialogue. That being said, i do think that, you know, the president elect has to tread lightly in terms of what sort of National Federal mandates he might impose. But as ali noted, he has selected a number of cabinet members and leaders, already assembled a Coronavirus Task force, people who are experts in dealing with this, epidemiologists, and who have managed global crises and domestic crises before. That is something were working on day in and out, especially in terms of think willing about the consequences of trying to scale back on the politicization of a Public Health crisis. Dr. Gupta, let me ask you about where we stand now. The u. S. Reported 2,000 more deaths yesterday for the first time in months. That is something that your institute predicted. Deaths are climbing, but according to cdc data, the share of cases that result in a death has dropped steadily from 6. 7 in april to 1. 9 in september. What does that tell you about where we are right now . Were in a very, very precarious situation, and none of what were expecting after the holidays is preordained, joshua. Let me say that right now. Let me just let me speak to the American People and say, first of all, its not too late. If youre planning on a thanksgiving dinner with individuals that you do not live with in the same household, you can cancel. Its the right thing to do for your health and the health of your loved ones. Thats one. If youve traveled recently or youre going to convene with somebody that you dont live with, mask in their presence to the extent possible. Try not to gather round one dinner table, just do what you can to maintain social distance and masks in their presence. Thats going to be really vital. Then clean hightouch surfaces in the kitchens, in bathrooms, on tables. Make sure youre using some disinfectant wipe. Thats vital to do that, especially if youve decided to convene with people you dont normally live with. Thats going to be vital. Lastly, two points here number one, ive seen unfortunately people just wear face shields in the absence of masks. You want to wear masks absolutely, that is sides. Face shields is an additional layer of protection if you want that. Dont think face shield is a absolute for a mask. Lastly, a question i get all the time because testing to your initial question is so constrained right now, and a lot of places, testing is only available if youre ssymptomati. Check your pulse, your oxygen level a few times a day. If its less than 94 these arent hard and fast guidelines call your doctor, get some sort of medical attention. Thats one thing to look for, High Temperature above 104. These are things we want to keep an eye out for. An oximefer oxive im oximeter, those at your desks. And theres been a manufacturing error that raised questions. A group of volunteers who got a lower dose of the vaccine. The lower dose seems to be more effective than two full doses. Briefly, doctor, before we got to go, what more do we know about why that happened . What do you make of that . We dont know a lot. They only put that data into a press release. And so the big question here is, is the astrazeneca vaccine actually effective in older individuals . I think the initial data in the press release format draws some concern about whether its truly effective in the older population. So more to come. Dr. Gupta, and jackie of the Washington Post, good to see you both. Thank you so much. Covid19 has food banks struggling to keep up with unprecedented Food Insecurity among families. Were live at a Distribution Center in one of the nations wealthiest counties. Its second in unemployment behind las vegas. Well take you there just ahead. When i was in high school, this was the theater i came to quite often. The support weve had over the last few months has been amazing. Its not just a work environment. Everyone here is family. If you are ready to open your heart and your home, check us out. We thought for sure that we were done. And this town said not today. A new buick . For me . To james, from james. Thats just what i wanted. Is this a new buick . I secret santaed myself. I shouldnt have. But i have been very good this year. Wow wow wow this year, turn black friday into buick friday all month long. Now during buick friday, pay no interest for 84 months on most 2020 buick suv models. Pay no interest for 84 months heres another cleaning tip from mr. Clean. Cleaning tough bathroom and kitchen messes with sprays and wipes can be a struggle. Theres an easier way. Try mr. Clean magic eraser. Just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum. And cakedon grease from oven doors. Now mr. Clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. Theyre perfect for icky messes on stovetops. In microwaves. And all over the house. For an amazing clean, try mr. Clean magic eraser, and mr. Clean magic eraser sheets. If only coronavirus would take thanksgiving off. The u. S. Reported another 177,000 cases in the last day. Lets check the facts at this hour. The Supreme Court is siding with religious institutions over restrictions on gatherings. Last night, justices blocked new york state from enforcing limits on the size of religious services. The court split 54. Newly appointed Justice Amy Coney barrett voted in the majority. Chief Justice Roberts dissented. Hospitals nationwide are increasingly worried about having room for coronavirus patients. Many may iran orun out of fwhed weeks. In the first part of november, hospitalizations increased 70 . The u. S. Is hardly the only country dealing with outbreaks. South korea reported more than 500 new cases today. This is the biggest daily caseload since march. In germany daily infections remain high despite a threeweek lockdown. Angela merkel announced tighter restrictions through november. Some protests against germanys measures have turned violent. A growing number of families dont know where their next meal will come from. On thanksgiving or beyond. Covid19 is deepening what we now call Food Insecurity across the country. The Nonprofit Group feeding america projects that as many as one in six americans and one in four children do not know where their next meals will come from. This pandemic is forcing groups that provide free meals to meet a demand that just keeps growing. Nbcs Megan Fitzgerald is live in anaheim, california, with more. Tell us more about where you are and whats going on. Reporter joshua, were in orange county, here, anaheim as you mentioned, is the city. This is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, and organizers say they have not seen the numbers like theyre seeing people in need for food. To give you some perspective here, i want to show you whats happening here. Theyre expecting some 7,000 cars to roll through here at the honda center. So what were seeing here, were going to continue to see for hours. What these vehicles are doing is they are making their way to the distribution location which is just here, theyre pulling up. These volunteers will then put three boxes of food in the trunk of their car. Before these folks will head out. Now over here we have for you exactly what the food is that theyre going to be getting. The fir