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"cnn tonight." big show, big star, d lemon. my brother, we are living through the darkest of days. >> we really are. and in so many ways. it's so important, right now, that we all do come together. i know it sounds like kumbaya, right, and -- but this is when it's really important. it's -- let's have this conversation. i heard you and john kasich talking, and i just hung up with john, a couple minutes ago. and considering what just happened at the white house, right, how do you -- and i -- we've been talking about this -- how do you reach out, how do you come together, when there is, not even two sets of reality but, one reality and one not?

like, how do you -- how do you have that conversation? is it even possible? i'm not -- i don't know. i don't know if it is, right now. and now is the most important time. we have all these people dying and becoming sick, that we all come together, and stop listening to the bullshit. i don't -- i don't -- i don't know if it's possible. >> it is. it's hard to know, right now, because what has worked, in the past, common enemy. that is what, in recent memory, what brought this country together? well, in pockets, crisis. people hurting in one part of the country, our hearts open up. common enemy. doesn't matter. >> no weapons of mass destruction, it's -- right. >> they did it to us. we're going to get them. was there some flaws in that? yeah.

was that something that a lot of pain in this country, for muslims, the sikhs, those were scary, dark days, also, because of how anger takes aim. but short of that, coming together for good reason, out of division that is spawned by politics, i've never seen it. i've never seen it. >> i was just going to -- i was just going to say but you stopped me. chris, hey, look. that was quaint. that was so five years ago, meaning before the escalator ride. it's all different, now. everyone is so -- it's -- when you cannot get people to even -- when someone tells you that they won an election, that they lost, that's going to a whole 'nother level. and then, you have people believe you -- believing in you, because they trusted in you, and they thought they were doing something that was noble by -- they thought they were standing up for the right thing, when they really weren't. they were -- you were leading them astray.

and the common enemy is not us, it's not the media. i mean, listen. maybe, it's someone else. it's not me. it's not you. i -- to the best of my ability, i tell you the truth, every night. and if i screw it up, i apologize and i correct it. but, these people are being lied to and have been lied to, for at least the past five years. and now, we happen to be coming out of an election that was very contentious, and he actually lost, and he is trying to change the reality on that. we're in the middle of a pandemic, that he didn't handle well, and he is trying to change the narrative and rewrite history, on that. and -- and i don't know how to reach people, who i don't think you're ever going to get the -- the die-hards. the people who are, right now,

saying, okay. maybe it's time to get onboard because, whether you believe joe biden won the election or not, he did. at this point, he's going to be your leader. he is your only hope. donald trump is going to be gone from pennsylvania avenue. >> there is a different play going on. assuming that's right and by the way, i hope that is right. trump is out. he lost. he should be gone. if there's any other outcome, other than that, it will be chaos. >> he's not out, yet. >> but, you know what, even that is living a lie. transition has always been a real thing. lame duck exists as a term for a reason. so, they are playing by the letter of a law they don't even want to follow. but that's -- that's where my darkness comes in, which is my theory is, we are knitted together by the rules. that's our national religion. the rules. the faith in justice and the pursuit of justice. right? they said pursuit of justice for a reason. why? hard to attain, especially in this kind of heterogeneous society, as we have seen

painfully time and again. but once you decide, the rules don't work, brother. they don't work equally. they don't work for me. they don't work for people who look like you. so, why should they work on this level just because you want them to? once you reach that breaking point, which is where trump has taken us, he didn't start the fire. he is the fever of an illness that has been here for a long time. he has people, nine and ten of the republicans in congress, nine in ten of these people, say the rules don't really apply. >> i'm sorry, i blame him. >> you can blame him. i'm just saying it goes beyond him. >> it does but he didn't start the fire, but he is certainly throwing in logs, every single day. he's throwing in accelerant, every single day. >> absolutely. he is gasoline. >> and we cannot forget that he is -- i know we're in a transition, as you say -- he is still the leader of the free world and if he wasn't, we would not be paying attention to him the way we do now because what he says is important, what he

does is important and has consequence. all of it. >> that party didn't have to capitulate, literally, the meaning of the word. give their head to this guy. they didn't have to do that. >> they did. that's why it irks me so much when -- not everybody believes in that. not all those people believe in that. nine out of ten. and that's -- that's what -- because those people are leading the flock, so to speak, astray. those people should be leading. they should be setting the precedent for the people of america, and they're not doing that. they are misleading them, as well. i got to go. i'm going to -- we -- we need to talk about this and figure it out, though. >> this is all we're going to be talking about, for the rest of our lives. this is the story of our present and our future. we don't figure this out, we will never get to a better place than we are, today. >> see you soon. >> but, it all starts with this. i love you, d lemon. >> i love you more. i'll see you soon. let's continue to talk. okay.

so, this is "cnn tonight." i am don lemon. and so, we are going to talk about the news but i really want to say this to you. you got to -- you -- you have to figure this out but you have to -- you've got to be living in reality, people. you cannot go around saying, well, this -- the -- the president won. donald trump won. he didn't win. that's not reality, and i'm not preaching to you, i'm just telling you the truth. and if you want people to come together, if you want to help the entire country, the first step is to live in reality. and then, we'll go from there. if there is some issues with the election that need to be taken care of, and some, you know, inaccuracies, we can take care of that. but, not this crazy, conspiracy-theory way. it's not helpful. it's not helpful. so -- and this is proof -- this

is -- this is -- encapsulates everything i am saying right now. so, let's help each other out here because this is the breaking news that i'm going to show you. this current president is, right now, falsely telling a crowd, or tonight he did, at tonight's white house hanukkah party, that he still thinks that he will win the election. the election, that he already lost. >> all i ask for is people with wisdom and courage, that's all because if certain people certain very important people have wisdom and they have courage, we're going to win this election in a landslide. >> four more years! four more years! >> that's a con. that's not true.

it's not going to happen. it's just not. and if someone really respected you, and you had your best interest at heart, they don't lie to you. they don't give you false hope. they tell you the truth. so, to the point that chris and i just said, what are republicans saying about his doomed fight? well, absolutely outrageous. the most insane thing, yet. simply, madness. i, frankly, struggle to understand the legal theory of it. so, all of those quotes, those are all quotes from republicans. republicans. blasting the current president's latest, doomed battle, and his war on the election. on our -- on our democracy. asking the supreme court to throw out millions of votes from battleground states that voted for president-elect joe biden. so, there's that.

and there is, also, more breaking news, tonight. is that, this president wants senator ted cruz to argue the case for him, if it reaches the supreme court. it is -- this is not even bordering on looney-toons madness. are the inmates really running the asylum, right now? the current president is, still, living in his alternate reality. his unreality. i don't know how -- how many different ways that i can say this. running out of words to describe just how dangerous this president's behavior is. how to break through, how to talk on the show, to all americans, seriously, every night. i sit and -- with my producers and how -- producers, am i lying? maria? every night, how do we talk to

all americans? don't want to offend people because, you know, or we don't want to speak down to people. don't want to let people off the hook. we want to give them reality. all kinds of things, we talk about. what is the best way to do it, to reach the most people? to be the most effective? and, every day, i come to both sides. everyone involved has to be living in a shared sense of what reality is. and if that -- the group -- there's one group that's not, it is impossible. you cannot. one plus one equals two, and someone's, no, it equals four. we cannot agree, and i cannot trust you if you don't live in reality. if you don't understand where you went astray or what

happened, how you got there because, i don't know, in the future, if you are going to revert to the same sort of behavior. that's all real stuff, right? whether you voted for biden, or you voted for trump, or whatever. that the time to take a stand is right now, before it is too late. because it's -- democracy is hanging by a thread, where we have electors, in certain states, and attorneys general and so on, who are really holding our democracy. and it can break, at any moment. if people don't follow the law, if they become too partisan. take a stand for democracy, people. show me that america is about the will of the people, not the grievances of -- of sore losers. if you want to -- if you don't want to take it from me, take it from those lifelong republicans calling this outrageous, insane, and madness.

and i will add crazy, and i'll add delusional, out of touch, out of control. this president has been getting more and more desperate, ever since he lost the election. i mean, even lying, tonight. we're going to win? the election is soefr. over. the votes and the electors have been certified. the supreme court has thrown out. case after case has been thrown out. the process has played out. he lost to joe biden by more than 7 million votes. and now, that all 50 states, all 50 of them, plus d.c., the district of columbia, have certified their results. now that the electoral college is set to meet, in just five days. now that the end of the line is in sight. he's taking it to the next level. do you really want to go down this crazy path? this nut path?

not just tossing around ludicrous and totally bogus claims over voter fraud, claims his own, handpicked attorney general debunked. but actually, calling for the election, the stated will of the people, to be overturned. that's madness. who goes along with that? yes, the president of the united states wants the election overturned, immediately, because he lost. and incredibly, he goes on to ask, how can a country be run like this? well, he is running the country! a lot of people are asking that. duh. how can -- let me turn it back to you, mr. president, how can a country be run like this? how can a country be run like this, with a president who has zero respect for our free and fair election? for democracy, itself? how can a country be run like

this? you are the president. you tell me, how? a president, who threatens to burn it all down, just to get what he wants. power. why don't we just overturn the election? that's the kind of thing you hear from a crazed dictator, not the president of the united states, people. but, he is, seemingly, he's never met a dictator that he didn't like or -- and/or admire. from vladimir putin, to kim jong un. >> i have tremendous relationship with president xi. i get along with president putin. i get along with mohammed, from saudi arabia. president erdogan. he's tough, but i get along with him. >> no accident that dictators were right up there, near the top of the list, when the president refused to meet world leaders while wearing a mask.

>> i think, wearing a face mask, as i greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, i don't know. somehow, i don't see it, for myself. >> there you go. just play the -- just -- in his own words. nobody's going to overturn our election, by the way. not even the current president, which is why it is so crazy that he -- he just keeps trying. now, he is getting personally involved in a desperate hail mary. a lawsuit by the attorney general of texas, trying to get the supreme court to invalidate election results in georgia and michigan and pennsylvania and wisconsin. blocking the votes of millions of americans. it shows you just how desperate he really is. ignoring the pandemic, that, just today, has killed a record 3,034 americans and put ignoring

it to fight a doomed, losing battle, trying to steal our election, while americans are dying. and -- and just to be -- to be really clear about who is behind all of this, the attorney representing the current president. this is what i am talking about, about reality. okay? it's john eastman. recently, pushed a racist, conspiracy theory, falsely, claiming that vice president-elect kamala harris was not eligible because her parents were immigrants. we know that that's false. the vice president-elect is a natural-born, u.s. citizen. birtherism 2.0, here. didn't work on the former president barack obama. didn't work on the vice president-elect kamala harris. but, that is the kind of thing that the current president and his enablers resort to when you don't have the truth on your

side. you just lie. you just make things up, even try to make up your own reality. you would think that the -- the president's republican enablers would be ashamed. but, no. house republican leader kevin mccarthy says that he won't accept joe biden as president-elect, on monday. quote, why would i do that? i'll wait till it's all over to find out. every legal vote has to be counted. every recounted -- recount has to be finished, and every legal challenge has to be heard. hmm. lot of recounts. keep losing, over and over, kevin mccarthy. why would he do that? why would he accept the fact that joe biden -- wouldn't he accept the fact that joe biden is president-elect? maybe, because that's how democracy works. why would he accept? because democracy should work that way. that's why he should accept the fact that he is. and then, there's senator ron

johnson, who says that he won't rule the challenging -- the election results on january 6th when congress meets in a joint session to accept the votes of the electoral college. won't. compare that, with the incoming administration, president-elect joe biden, doing the work of governing. appointing the members of his administration. professionals. today, introducing his choice for defense secretary. retired army general, lloyd austin, who would be the first black man in that position. biden saying this. >> he's loved by the men and women of the armed forces. feared by our adversaries. known and respected by our allies. and he shares my deeply-held belief in the values of america's alliances. >> we, also, saw the partnership of the president-elect and vice president-elect. two grown-ups in the room. taking on the challenges facing this country, and taking them seriously. contrast that, with the fawning

of current vice president mike pence. >> to know president trump is to -- is to know someone, whose word is his bond. >> that's why president trump was so right. >> greatest privilege in my life. it's so serve as vice president to a president who is keeping his word to the american people. >> reminded me of that song. it was like a love song. to know, know, know him is to love. it's like a ballad. by the way, totally awol, in the middle of the president's attempts to steal the election and there is another comparison, there. then-vice-president joe biden presiding over a session of congress, this was back in 2017, when members officially tallied the electoral votes that put donald trump in the white house. >> i object to the certificate from the state of georgia, on the grounds that the electoral votes were not --

>> no, there is no debate. and if there's -- not signed by a senator, the objection cannot be -- it is over. >> interesting. it is over. voting to certify the opposite party's win. when will the current president, final finally, bow to that reality? when will the current president finally show that much class and that much decency? that is the question. so, let's bring in, now, cnn white house correspondent, kaitlan collins. kaitlan, good evening to you. let's talk about all the information that's coming in, the breaking news. ken paxton, who filed the lawsuit with the supreme court to overturn election results will be at the white house tomorrow. what are you learning? >> yeah. this is for a private lunch with the president that, right now, is not going to be open to

reporters. and i'm told that it was already on the schedule, this lunch with a group of attorneys general for president trump, but, of course, it's the most notable that the texas attorney general is going to be there, given it's his lawsuit that the president has been trumpeting over the last several hours. and now, that these other republican, gop attorneys -- or attorneys general have signed on, the president has been pushing that. and there are a few things to remember here, don. one, being that ken paxton is being investigated by the fbi from allegations of his own staff that he misused the power of his office to benefit a political donor. so, keep that in mind. but also, the fact that this lawsuit has been pretty widely dismissed by legal experts. so, while you are hearing a lot about it from the president and his campaign and his white house officials, we're hearing from law experts, they do not think the supreme court is going to take this up. >> kaitlan collins, at the white house, with the breaking news. kaitlan, thank you. appreciate that. the shocking truth is that this president doesn't care about anything, other than his attempts to overthrow our election. he doesn't even care about the deaths of more than 3,000

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head home this holiday with the one you love. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event. since you're heading off to dad... i just got a zerowater. but we've always used brita. it's two stage-filter... doesn't compare to zerowater's 5-stage. this meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. our tap water is 220. brita? 110... seriously? but zerowater- let me guess. zero? yup, that's how i know it is the purest-tasting water. i need to find the receipt for that. oh yeah, you do. president trump is getting increasingly desperate in his attempts to overturn the election results. tonight, telling a crowd at the white house hanukkah party he still thinks he will win the election. the election is over.

he lost, in fact. he keeps losing over and over and over, again. and he is trying to fight reality. i want to bring in now cnn political analyst, john avlon. thank you so much. john avlon, the president says he is fighting because the election system is under assault. but, the truth is it's under siege by him, and the more final his loss becomes, the harder he fights to stay in power. >> yeah. i mean, the -- donald trump is all about projection. he says the election system's under siege. it's under siege, from him and his legal team. the problem is that his delusion is, itself, a virus that seems to be catching within the republican party. and i don't -- i don't really blame the rank-and-file. but i do blame the 17 attorney generals, who signed onto this completely bogus, no-show suit, because they ought to know better. this is more than just a clown-car coup. they are making a mockery of

their oath to uphold the constitution. >> why are they doing it? because hyper-partisanship is a powerful drug and they are letting it overwhelm to be a defender of the constitution. they are afraid to their base, and they are afraid to this president, and they're surrendering their judgment at the door. >> jim, i don't think it is too dramatic to say this is a disaster and a crisis. i mean, do you think that the incoming-biden administration is being forceful enough, given the magnitude of what this president is doing? >> oh, yeah, i do. i think they're doing exactly what they should do, which is governing, right? we are in the middle of a disaster and there is one president on the stage right now, and that's joe biden. and, look, i'm not as -- i guess as forgiving as your other guest, on the rank and file. we have 88% of members of congress, refusing to acknowledge that joe biden is the president-elect. when you have 17 attorneys generals, led by the texas attorney general, who, by the way, is under fbi investigation, himself, and should worry about

his own problems. when you are putting party, before country, when are we going to stop calling them patriots? when are we going to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt? there is this theory in washington, well, they're just playing their base politics and it's okay, it's all going to be okay. it's not going to be okay because, right now, a big chunk of the country thinks they're getting screwed and thinks this is real. and thinks that the president is being honest with them. and if you're biden, you have to walk in and try to bring this together. and it is a herculean challenge. one, i think he's made for. but it is getting harder, by the day, because you have a republican party that's complicit in the middle of this and no one's calling him out. >> well -- yeah, john, he invoked your name. >> he sure did. i think jim fundamentally misunderstood the point i was making. when i say rank and file, i don't mean congress, i don't mean elected officials, i don't mean attorney generals. i mean hardcore supporters

believing the lies he has spewed, because they are echoed among hyperpartisan media. and joe biden, in order to unite the country, is going to have to reach out to those folks. attorney generals who ought to know better, they're directly complicit in this attempt to overthrow our elections, full stop. >> so, okay. it's -- did you want to say something, jim, before i go on to the question? >> no, no. >> okay. so, i hope you guys heard, at the top of the show, about every -- every night, what my -- my challenge is. and what i -- i -- i'm flummoxed, every night. like, how do i do this? how do i do this? how do i not stand at the edge of the pacific ocean or atlantic and just go, ah! am i yelling to the ocean every night? but this is part of the whole we have to live in reality part. president-elect biden is -- is -- is banking that the fever will break so that, you know, he can work with republicans. you know, once he takes office.

is that realistic, though? >> i mean, for america, i hope it is. there's a whole lot of people, on both sides, who have set back for the last four years and not done much. and actually, want to get some things done. and you kind of see little slivers. now, i'm going to be the optimist here, don. and by the way, let me say that you've been amazing. a friend of mine just texted me and said don lemon's the only one out there screaming. so, i get it and i think you've been great. i think, you look at the problem-solvers caucus and what i thauey just did. they kind of, both sides, said to their leadership, we're going to cut our own deal to try to move this thing forward. i think there's a lot on both sides who got elected and haven't done much saying, let's try to make this country better. they unseated only the third president, in a hundred years, and yet they put the republicans in charge of the senate. what they are trying to say is we want everyone to work together.

and i think both sides have to do that, and i think that's the leadership biden's offering. and i think the question is if you're republicans, can you deny that there was an election, up until january 20th, and then, all of a sudden, say let's all work together? that's the question at hand, not joe biden. >> say it one more time, for the people in the back, jim. please, please, please! because that is the thing -- this thing -- hold on, john. >> yeah. yeah. >> this is a total referendum. it's a rebuke on donald trump and he cannot accept the fact -- to him, it's just like it's not possible. it's not possible that i could lose. but all the other republicans on the ticket can win. what were they saying? they don't like you. they don't like the way you govern. they don't like your antics. they don't like any of this. but they do like the conservative message, or maybe the moderate message, of the people who are at the -- on -- on the bottom of the ticket. that's what they're saying and they just can't wrap his head

around the fact that they don't like him, but they still want to be republicans. sorry. go on. >> no, because that's a moral impossibility for a megalomaniac but that is the message, that was being sent, very clearly. it was not a vindication for donald trump. and by the way, there's a reason he never was above 50% approval rating. the only president, ever, to do so. look, that is what needs to be done. but you cannot harness hate for political gain, and then hope, all of a sudden, the fever will break when a new president comes in. normally, it takes a crisis to unite us. i got to tell you something. you said, at the top of the show, we've had over 3,000 deaths, today. that makes us the third deadliest day, in american history. >> in history. >> after the gavlveston hurricae and the battle of antetum. what's it going to take to realize we're all in this together? >> it keeps becoming the most deadly day in american history. thank you, both, gentlemen. i appreciate it. they didn't like you. that's the message. they like the other republicans.

and to the leaders, to the rank-and-file, as you said, john, in wash washinington, tha they might actually like you but they don't like this guy. so why are you going along with everything he says? why are you afraid of him? he should be more afraid of you, that you're not going to back him and support him. that is the truth. now, get with it. we'll be back. see you. did you know prilosec otc can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection. take the prilosec otc two-week challenge. and see the difference for yourself. prilosec otc, 1 pill a day,

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the president openly demanding the election he lost be overturned. as several republican lawmakers aid and abet his ridiculous efforts, cnn learning senator ted cruz has agreed to argue a long-shot election lawsuit if it reaches the supreme court, after being personally asked by trump. and won't rule out challenging electoral college results when they come up for approval, that happens on january 6th. joining me now, former defense secretary, william cohen. it's always a pleasure to have you on, thank you, sir, good to see you. you were fired up about this, last time we spoke. and since then, gop has become increasingly complicit, to the point of some even outright

steps to overthrow democracy. what is happening with your party? >> well, it's not a party, as your previous guests have said. it's a cult. it's not a philosophy, it's -- it's not a platform. it's, simply, the worship of donald trump and everything that he represents. and people who support him, support him because he hates the people that they hate. so, hatred is part of the concoction that he has really put together. but, i'd like to turn the subject just a bit. i want to talk a little about optimism. i saw lloyd austin be introduced today. >> that was my next question, but go on. >> my heart skipped a beat there. a big man with a big brain and a big heart, who comes to the position of 40-plus -- 41 years of service to this country, and has been nominated now to be secretary of defense. and i -- i felt you are now

seeing a government taking place. you're now seeing joe biden and kamala harris put together a team that is going to lift us up out of this quicksand that the president keeps sinking us into. and i like to say, the president, what he is doing, he is putting a knee on the neck of the american people, the democracy, and trying to squeeze the life out of it. and i see joe biden and his team saying, we're going to restore confidence in our ability to govern ourselves. and i would like to just posit or pos -- posture, lloyd austin and you tell me who the leader of this country would be. tell me why this secretary of defense wouldn't send a signal all over the world what it means to have talent and, yes, of color, people who have been denied that opportunity, over the years. i looked at lloyd austin and i said, there's somebody who is going to contribute to the welfare of this country, who is

going to give us leadership, help the president of the united states really restore and renew confidence in our ability to govern. renew our relationships, our alliances, and give hope to the american people that we can govern. as opposed to the current president, who seems only committed to dividing us, along racial, ethnic, and religious lines. and i know, earlier, on this network, the question was raised about, is it going to be a czar for racial justice? there should be and i have a recommendation. mitch landrieu. i think we need someone like mitch landrieu, who has not moved mountains but, he's taken down monuments. monuments, that were standing symbols of a very dark period in our history. so, i would like to have white people talk about racial justice. it's always the question of black people have to come on the television and talk about racial inequity and disparities and what is what's happening, their sons being shot down and killed

and -- for everybody to see. i want white people to start talking about racial justice, and i think mitch landrieu would be a perfect person to initiate that, and try to bring people together. i know him. my wife and i know him. we worked with him. and i think that's another part of the diversity that should be in this administration. have a white czar for racial justice in this country. >> and you've seen all the work that he's done around those monuments. and he's been, i mean, out front and center, before anyone else. and doing about it, documenting it, as a matter of fact. you're not going to get any pushback from me, considering he's my homeboy. louisiana. and, listen. i think a lot of folks can talk about race, but i think mitch landrieu is right up there. and you're right on with that. so, let's see if that happens. i always appreciate having you. by the way, before you go. let me just put up -- i just want to show the joe biden -- joe biden's cabinet and how diverse it looks. there it is. that's what america looks like. right there, on your screen.

>> that's what talent, that's what ethical people look like. those are people who are real patriots, dedicated to making this country not only great but good, again. decent. >> this is what america looks like as well. you and i on the screen together, talking about this. thank you. always a pleasure. i will see you back here real soon. okay? you be safe. thanks. the u.s. reporting its highest single-day death toll, tonight, when we may be on the verge of the fda's approval of pfizer vaccine. but, when could you actually get one? stay with us. we're going to tell you. ♪ ♪ 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...♪ ♪

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meanwhile, we are hours from a pivotal moment in the war against the coronavirus pandemic. a key, fda committee scheduled to meet tomorrow morning, to make their recommendation on pfizer's vaccine, with authorization, possibly, arriving as early as tomorrow. joining me now to discuss is dr. peter hotez, director of the center for vaccine development at texas children's hospital. doctor, thank you so much. so, they're going to have a day-long meeting tomorrow. once they issue the recommendation, cdc will make the final decision. how soon after this authorization, will we see americans getting vaccinated? >> you know, don, it's possible it could even be by this weekend. so, it's a really exciting time because, you know, without a national covid-19 strategy, we put all of our eggs in the biotechnology basket. this is all we have, really, is vaccinations. and so, we urgently need vaccines, and i hope this will

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we're back now with dr. peter hotez. doctor, thank you so much. i'm long-winded, i have a motor mouth sometimes. i went a little long. i had to sneak a break in. thank you for being patient. let's talk about this. today dr. fauci said if the fda says the vaccine is safe the american people should trust them. listen to him. here he is. >> if the united states food and drug administration says that a vaccine is safe and effective, i can promise you that i will take that vaccine myself and i will recommend that my family does that.

so i think the authority should be the united states food and drug administration. >> an axios ipsos poll finding 53% of americans saying they would get a first generation vaccine. how do we get more people on board, doctor? >> we really need to do that. and by the way, i echo tony's, dr. fauci's comments. i'm ready to get that vaccine as well. the food and drug administration has the most extraordinary track record of vaccine safety the world has ever seen, a robust system of approval and also post-licensure or post-release monitoring as well. we've got a few things we have to do. first of all, i think once the vaccine is rolled out and we don't see untoward reactions and the efficacy becomes apparent, a lot more people will sign up and take it. so i'm hoping those terrible numbers we're hearing about, 50% non-compliance, will slowly start to diminish. that's potentially good news. the not so good news is we

really don't have a very good communication strategy coming out of operation warp speed. it's been a fantastic program in terms of scientific rigor and integrity of the clinical trials, but we've left it mostly to the pharma ceos to do the communication, and they've bungled it quite a bit quite honestly. so, we're going to have to put in place a more robust system of communication. and not just public service announcements as being proposed but have government scientists speaking to the american people on a frequent and regular basis because the other piece to this, where america is somewhat unique, is we have one of the most aggressive anti-vaccine lobbies out there and they target specific groups -- >> that's what i want to ask you. let me get this next question in really quickly because i want you to weigh in a little bit more because there's a flood of misinformation about vaccines out there. and people are exploiting that mistrust. so, how do we combat these conspiracy theories? is it what you're saying, having more experts? i think it may need to be even more aggressive than that, doctor.

>> yeah, and i tend to be somewhat of an outlier here. in addition to fine-tuning the message and shaping the message, one of the things i say, that's only going to get us about 30% to 40% of the way there. those messages are messages in bottles floating in the atlantic ocean. the internet is inundated with deliberate disinformation coming from focused antivaccine groups all amplified on social media facebook, if you go to the vaccination group on facebook, it's fake anti-vaccine and covid conspiracy books. on top of the home grown groups that we have here in texas and oklahoma and national groups, we also have the russian bots and trolls, recent information coming out of u.s. and british intelligence shows us how russia is flooding our internet with information designed to sow discord. and fake beliefs about vaccines. so we have our work cut out for us if we're going to do it. it means an intergovernment agency where we're going to have

to take this on. >> i've had a number of people i respect very much sending me information saying is this true and it was all false. and it was all from social media and non-reputable sites. doctor, thank you. i appreciate your time. we'll have you back. be safe. >> thank you so much. >> we'll be right back. last night's sleep, interrupted by pain? tonight, silence it with new zzzquil night pain. because pain should never get in the way of a restful night's sleep. new zzzquil night pain. silence pain, sleep soundly. she always wanted her smile to shine. now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted. (crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores.

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