very good wednesday morning to you. i'm jim sciutto. >> i'm erica hill. from holding firm to let's make a deal and let's do it fast, right now house speaker nancy pelosi wrapping up a crucial meeting with her democratic caucus as she tries to hash out

remaining disagreementing over president biden's social spending and climate package. democratic sources saying she wants a framework on that plan by the end of the week and hopes they can then approve the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan by the end of the month. this renewed sense of urgency on capitol hill follows president biden informing democrats that to get moderates on board in the senate, there will need to be major cuts to both the spending bill's price tag and programs. more on that in a moment. >> major horse trading under way. also this morning, the white house releasing plans to roll out covid-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11 years old. that's as soon as those shots get emergency use authorization from the fda. it relies a lot on doctors. let's get cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju on capitol hill. they're happening as we speak, manu. you, i, america have been here

many times before. do you get the sense things are coming together now among democrats? >> reporter: it is getting much closer than it has been in months. right now behind closed doors nancy pelosi made that pitch to her members saying this is a bill that, in her view, would strengthen the u.s. economy. they tried to detail how this proposal, even though it's scaled back and not as ambitious as many liberals in the caucus would like, would still have a significant and positive impact on the economy. they tried to make that pitch to their members and acknowledge, the leadership did, the challenge of getting this through. as nancy pelosi described to her members according to our colleague daniella diaz, described it as the childbirthing process. once we have the beautiful baby, we'll forget all of the pain of getting there. it has been a painful process

given how significant some of these divisions have been and the significant compromises folks on the left have made. they're talking about a price tag now of $2 trillion, much less than the $3.5 that the liberals have pushed. they have to swallow some of the compromises. jayapal indicated they're on the right track, but the deal isn't done yet. >> there's no offer on the table yet. nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to by everyone. so the discussions are moving. we feel good, we feel positive it's moving in the right direction. what steny just said is 98% of us agree on even what's before us, everything that's before us. i think he was talking about the original build back better act. so no, there were not specifics in there at all. we're still in the process of just -- i think the thing to focus on is good movement and we're trying to get it done as

quickly as possible. >> reporter: so some of the compromises was to get rid of the idea of tuition-free community college. that is one of the issues that had been pushed in the original plan, also changes to how some of the child tax credit -- a big democratic priority, how that would be dealt with. talking about a one-year extension. some democrats wanted a permanent extension. they're talking about reducing the funding for home health care for the elderly. they're talking about keeping expansion of medicare to include dental, vision and hearing. how do they deal with the sticking point of climate change, still an issue out there? nevertheless, despite all of this, a change and an attitude and belief that perhaps the democrats could come together and get this accomplishment for their party. >> finally the operative word.

joining us is cnn national politics reporter eva mccann. as one of my colleagues described this morning, this is a chainsaw, not a scalpel to apply, getting a child tax credit down to a one-year extension, that's a major concession. transitions from coal-fired plants, et cetera, i wonder if this enough to make a deal, but are democrats satisfied with it? >> likely not. there are likely a lot of progressives angry about this. the longer this drags on, the more tortuous it becomes. it doesn't make the party look good, it doesn't make the president look good. i think it's just the reality of the situation setting in and deems will have to be made. i think even when this is all said and done, if democrats are able to get this together, i think there will be a lot of

hurt feelings among progressives. i remember last year when the coronavirus -- one of the coronavirus relief packages was passed and congresswoman oc ocasio-cortez took to the house floor with the blistering speech -- many democrats were happy to get something passed. she took to the floor with this blistering speech saying this was only crumbs for american families. i see this ending in a similar scenario where there are a lot of people on the left of the party that are not going to be totally satisfied, but will take what they can get. >> to your point, eva, there are a number of concerns. we heard that last hour from congressman torres who broke with congressman ro khanna he thought in terms of the child tax credit, by the time this was in, republicans wouldn't let it expire. there's talk about could they look at another bill down the road separately to extend it. he is very clear that he is not comfortable with that, he

doesn't have faith in his republican colleagues. as we look at this, where is this urgency coming from? is this about the calendar deadlines when it relates to the travel of the president? or is it more, as eva pointed out, the democrats are realizing this has been a really bad look for them? >> it's coming from multiple directions at this point and multiple people. the democrats want to pass something before the end of the year. the current two-track strategy they're going for means until they pass that sweeping social spending bill that just went through these cuts, they don't get the bipartisan infrastructure bill as well. that want to pass at least one of those at this point. the president wants to be able to say these sweeping proposals he introduced with much fanfare earlier in the year, he passed something. that will let him point to something that has passed

through and can have an impact on the american people. it's not just that. the president is going to take a pretty significant trip on the global stage in the days to come. he'll be going -- we've got this climate change summit. what i thought was very interesting is if you look at john kerry's comments from early last week when he said, if we go into that summit -- i'm pair phrasing here. if we go into that summit and have not passed a provision that has to do with climate change, something on climate change, then he relayed it to being as embarrassing as when they opted out of the international agreement on climate change, when the trump administration opted out of that cooperative agreement. you're seeing it coming from multiple places at this point, both the need to show something on the global stage and to the american people domestically. >> it's material, too, for cop26 because it's not clear how the u.s. meets climate commitments if it doesn't have a plan like

this. one thing that struck me, eva, even progressive leader pramila jayapal said she might be open to voting for the infrastructure package with just a framework for the budget deal as opposed to the law on paper. that's been the ultimate tension point here, the progressives wouldn't vote for one without the other. do you see that as a major breakthrough? >> it is a significant term of events. a few weeks ago they were saying both bills or they're not moving forward with either. this illustrates the pressure that they feel, that it has been months and months of basically standing in the same place. so at this point, i think progressives realize they are in a position again where they have to make extraordinary concessions because their moderate colleagues are not going to let them move forward with their original vision. >> eva mckend, zolan cannon

young, good tohave you. anderson cooper moderates a town hall right here tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern. this morning the white house is releasing a plan to rom out covid-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. fda vaccine advisers are expected to meet next week to discuss authorizing pfizer's request for this specific age group. cnn's elizabeth cohen joins us now. this plan relies on different things than previous vaccination plans. no big centers like where i got my shot, for instance, but more relying on doctors, pharmacies, et cetera. explain how it will play out. >> jim, it does rely more on doctors' offices. for the adult rollout, i don't think i know anyone who got

their vaccine at a doctor's office. pediatricians are different. they are good -- the whole system works well. they give vaccines on a daily basis. the ordering system is well established. parents are used to going to pediatricians, so they will be making more use of individual doctors for the children than they did for the adults. the biden administration remembers the rollout for the adults late last year. they remember it didn't go so smoothly. you can remember those horrible lines, so they are trying not to have that happen again, so they are starting planning. let's take a look at where they are planning to give these vaccinations. as we talked about, pediatricians' offices, but also pharmacies allowed to give vaccines to children, also children's hospitals, schools and other places such as rural health clinics. remember the messy rollout from the trump administration for the

adults and they're trying not to repeat that, even though the cdc and fda haven't given the green light. let's take a listen to dr. vivek murthy. >> all this takes time. all the conversations we're having with community organizations, the logistics that have to be said up at doctors' offices and pharmacies. it takes time. that's why this planning has to start so early. it can't wait until a final decision is rendered, although that final decision is clearly up to the fda and the cdc. >> so given all this, i think clear indications that hopefully the rollout for children ages 5 to 11 will be smoother than the rollout for adults last december. >> 28 million children, a big portion of the population. elizabeth cohen, thanks very much. new this morning, new york mayor bill de blasio announcing

an expanded vaccine mandate for all city employees. this does include police officers. already the city's largest police union says it plans to challenge this in court, echoing the battles we've seen between cities and police unions in a number of areas of the country. in los angeles, the county sheriff said he's not going to enforce a vaccine deadline that was supposed to take effect today. >> the issue has become so politicized, there are entire groups of employees who are willing to be fired and laid off rather than getting vaccinated. i don't want posto be in a posin to lose 10% of my workforce overnight. >> l.a. officials announced a delay until december 18th. the city council has to approve this. meantime in seattle, 98% of the police department was either vaccinated or granted an exemption by monday's deadline. even there, the police union president is warning of staffing

shortages. slt pd is in what's called stage three mobilization. that means officers not regularly assigned to patrol are in uniform in case they're needed to handle 911 calls. washington state patrol had 127 employees, quote, separated from employment as a result of that vaccine mandate. among them, 74 officers. one trooper who decided to quit, had some choice words for the governor on the way out. >> i wish i could say more, but this is it. stay 1034, this is the last time you'll hear me in a state patrol car and jay inslee can kiss my ass. >> in chicago, the player and the head of the police union trading personal insults. the police superintendent says 67% of officers have reported their vaccine status into the city's portal. 21 officers have been placed on no-pay status. the superintendent says it's all

about officer safety. >> on a very personal note, just last month i lost my first cousin to covid and her husband and her daughter in a two-week time span. i will say and do anything to save an officer's life. >> coronavirus is now the leading cause of death for law enforcement according to the officer down memorial page. the non-profit group says covid has killed 482 officers since the start of pandemic, that's more than five times the number that have died from gunfire in that same period. >> remarkable numbers there. still to come, president trump moves to quickly prevent documents to be released to committees investigating the january 6th insurrection. why? more on that, and contempt charges for steve bannon. plus, no end in sight for the supply chain disruptions affecting everything from toys

to electronics to cars. secretary pete buttigieg has warned this could last well into 2022. he's going to join us live. the families of the parkland high school shooting victims facing the gunman once more. the search for justice returns to the courtroom today. i don't just play y someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientistst. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain pformance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. ♪ feel stuck and need a loan? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. ♪ ♪ ♪

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to his presidency and, of course, the attack on the capitol on january 6th. >> the move, a last-ditch effort from blocking the national archives from giving those records to the committee investigating the january 6th insurrection. if the federal judge doesn't intervene, the document also be turned over. this comes as the january 6th committee has unanimously voted to hold steve bannon in contempt of congress for defying his subpoena. the feull house votes tomorrow. the house gop leadership is recommending its members vote no. republican congresswoman liz cheney say bannon and former president trump's citing of executive privilege suggests that they were both personally involved in the planning and execution of the insurrection and says the committee will, quote, get to the bottom of that. here to discuss is joshua green, the author of "devil's bargain,"

a national correspondent for bloomberg business week. those comments from liz cheney were direct, to put it mildly, that assessment. those are not words that one would say lightly. there's something behind that. i don't know if it's a motivation, but what do you think steve bannon is taking from that based on your experience? >> based on discussions i've had with him over the last couple of months, i don't think steve bannon is particularly bothered by those comments from liz cheney or anybody in the committee. he doesn't recognize its validity. he doesn't feel as though he's in a situation to be pressured by them, unlike a typical ex-white house official, bannon doesn't have a high-profile corporate job, doesn't serve on boards of directors. he sees this as part of a political fight and believes the contempt charge is only going to enhance his standing in the eyes

of trump and trump supporters. that's what bannon is most interested in doing. >> well, he can think that way just fine, and we saw, by the way, he didn't seem to have much respect for the electoral system based on his statements. looking at cheney, this doesn't come from nowhere. i want to play what steve bannon said january 5th, one day before the insurrection. i want to get your sense, joshua, how this fits in. >> all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. just understand this, all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. it's going to be quite extraordinary different. all i can say is strap in. the war room posse, you've made this happen. tomorrow is game day. so strap in. >> all hell is going to break loose he said. based on your interactions with bannon and what you know about him, do you believe there's evidence he knew about plans for january 6th or perhaps

participated in some way? >> i think that's typical bannon hyper bol lee. his podcast listeners, his posse, are the types of people, the actual people that showed up on january 6th. whether or not bannon knew they were going to storm the capitol and create the insurrection with the violence that we saw on january 6th, john. but certainly he was doing everything within his power to foe moment a kind of uprising that he hoped would make biden appear to be an illegitimate president and somehow find a way to get trump back in power. he was quite open with reporters about that before and after. as you heard in the podcast, he was saying it publicly. not a lot of mystery as to where he stands. >> when we look at what else is hang in terms of january 6th, we have the latest moves by donald

trump's attorneys, which is not surprising. as jim and i discussed many times, this is a well-worn page out of his playbook. that said, steve bannon seems to be following his lead as well, muck things up as much as i can, let's delay, delay, delay. and there's some sense, even some concern that maybe this might work especially given what democrats are facing next year when it comes to midterm elections. >> i think that's exactly right. essentially the pressure you hear from the committee and from democrats is their attempt to try to get bannon to play by congress' rules. bannon's spurning of this subpoena is his rebuttal, his way of saying no, i'm not going to do that. part of bannon's bet is there are enough open legal questions that he can delay these proceedings until next year when a lot of people, including bannon, expect republicans will win back the house of representatives and shut down the committee. kevin mccarthy just said this

morning to cnn that he didn't recognize the validity of the committee. that's a strongest signal that if republicans do take back power, they'll do everything they can to shut this down. >> you can say he doesn't respect it. it exists by law. they can investigate this until november of next year. >> that's absolutely right. also, the department of justice, biden's doj may not be willing to move ahead with criminal contempt, or at least not on a timeline that bannon thinks is worrisome. as you say, this is a gamble he's taking. there's a reason that most people don't take this route and that the other employee people have not openly spurned it to the degree he has. >> joshua green, thanks very much. still ahead this hour, record truck driver shortages. ships stuck in ports. no end in sight to supply chain woes. transportation secretary pete buttigieg joins us live on what the administration is doing to fix things.

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industry is facing a shortage of some 80,000 drivers. the american trucking association tells cnn that the shortage of drivers could double by 2020 if nothing is done in the meantime. truck driver shortage a major factor in the supply chain slowdown preventing all sorts of products from being delivered to all of us all across the country. joining me now is transportation secretary pete buttigieg. thanks for taking the time this morning. >> good to be with you. good morning. >> a lot of measures there. you have the truck driver shortage. you have an unprecedented number, one number, of cargo ships over the california coast. i flew over it yesterday. i took this photo of the bag log there. you say you expect this shortage or bottleneck to last well into 2022. if steps like keeping ports open 24/7 isn't making the difference, what is the administration doing to shorten

that timeline? >> well, look, there are going to be disruptions and shocks to the system as long as the pandemic continues. we know some of the steps we're taking are going to make a difference. remember, there are three factors here. it's about supply. it's about demand and it's about the pandemic. those three factors are interacting. demand is off the charts. remember, it's not that we're moving fewer goods through the system right now. we're actually moving more goods than ever. it's that can't keep up with demand being even higher than that. as you correctly point out, there's a lot more to this than what goes on at the ports. those 24/7 ops will make a difference. sometimes when you see ships waiting at the ports, that may have to do with availability of trucks either inland or moving those containers. that's why we're not only working on the shipping side of things, but engaging with state dmvs to get more commercial

driver's licenses issued and taking other measures to help with the trucking side of things. >> you mentioned a retail sales boom and that was expected. folks were talking about a biden boom into this year. an enormous amount of stimulus money put into the system. i wonder should the administration have been better prepared for this? >> we've been working this issue all year. remember, these are fundamentally private sector systems. the private sector was not expecting the speed of the economic recovery that we've been experiencing. you add on to that the fact that we have issues with our infrastructure as we've been saying every day since we got here. issues that have to do with decades ofunder investment. as they say this is what underinvestment looks like. that's why we have the long-term strategy, getting this historic infrastructure investment through, including $17 billion for our ports and the more immediate steps we're taking and, again, have been for the entire stretch that this administration has been here.

>> you mention the infrastructure package. i don't need to tell you how many fits and starts there have been getting that through. there's now discussions of a possibility of a vote by the end of the month. why should folks listening now that this time that infrastructure plan and the other budget priorities will get through? why should we be confident? >> as you can imagine, nobody is more impatient than me to get going. we are poised and ready to deploy these resources the moment congress passes the bill and gets it to the president's desk. obviously there are a lot of players here. 535 members of the house and senate in addition to the white house in these negotiations to actually deliver something. you can feel the momentum right now, and that makes me very optimistic that we're going to get something done in short order. that's where my department gets to work deploying, again, those dollars that need to get out to every part of the country, whether we're talking the ports,

airports, transit, rail, any other part of our infrastructure that needs work. >> but a heck of a lot fewer dollars than were originally discussed. major concessions under way on a whole host of things. i want to zero in on one and that is climate provisions. it looks like the clean energy plan is going to be taken out of that. given the importance of that to the nation going forward, how can the administration meet climate goals without that being part of this? >> we have to take major climate action. there are several different ways to do it. that's part of what's being negotiated right now. there's no doubt in my mind that the implications of the final package will be historic when it comes to fighting climate change. i can tell you what's already baked in on the transportation side, the part that i work on most, is going to make a big difference. as i speak, we're here at the department of transportation surrounded by demonstrations of the incredible technology for electric vehicles, not just the cars that are most often talked about, but everything from

motorcycles to garbage trucks and the technology to charge them. we are poised to make a historic difference on the surface side as well as working on aviation, shipping and the rest of it. that is going to be a critical part of meeting our climate goals. >> another one where democrats have had to backtrack on is on the length of family leave, discussions cutting it from 12 weeks to four weeks. with an income limit only up to $100,000 in annual income. you, of course -- by the way, congratulations, you welcomed twins and took your family leave. i wonder, four weeks for just that portion of the population, is that enough to make a difference? it's a big comedown for democrats? >> again, we'll see where the negotiations end. what i know is the pro-family agenda of this administration has to do with making it easier and more affordable to raise children in this country. i do have a new appreciation for that as a new parent, having

been able to take time which, by the way, is work, a joyful work but intense work of raising kids and critically making child care more affordable. another thing i want to mention that i think is getting missed on this debate. a lot of pressure on prices and inflation. part of making inflation better is the labor market. >> before we go, southwest airlines says it no longer plans to put employees who request vaccine exemptions on unpaid leave. i wonder, the timing here is key. we're coming up to the holidays. a lot of people planning to travel. did the administration consider with its vaccine mandates the effect that might have on companies like southwest, being able to do all they want to do with their customers? >> the bottom line is everything we're experiencing right now is

issues impacting the supply chain to issues impacting the ability to travel right now. they're all driven by a pandemic that we need to put behind us. the pandemic ends when we get everybody vaccinated. it is our best tool to get that done. it's one of the reasons why these vaccine requirements are so important and they work, and we know from the leadership of other airlines that it can be done. one airline, united, got 99.7%, i believe, compliance with their employees, and they didn't even wait for any requirement. they just went ahead and did it. so we know it can be done. customers -- it's not just a government thing, i imagine customers are accounting on companies, whether airlines or any other company they interact with to keep the necessary steps to keep them safe. >> secretary pete buttigieg, thanks for joining the program this morning. >> thank you. good to be with you. up next, more than three years after 17 people were killed at marjory stoneman douglas high school, today there

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the gunman in the 2018 shooting at marjory stoneman douglas high school pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder. nikolas cruz is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars. he does still face the possibility of the death penalty. he just addressed the families of the victims moments ago. >> i am very sorry for what i

did, and i have to live with it every day. if i would get a second chance, i would do everything in my power to help others. i do not care if you don't believe me. i love you. i know you don't believe me. i have to live with this every day. >> remarkable words there and it must be painful for family members to hear. you'll remember three faculty members, 14 students were killed in that shooting. 17 other people were injured. cnn's leyla sant ago joins us from broward county. quite a moment inside that courtroom there. >> reporter: jim and erica, i was inside the courtroom when this hearing started, and i can tell you what struck me just seeing how everyone is sitting are the family members, the loved ones, victims inside that courtroom supporting one another. when the judge read out all the counts, 34 counts for which he has now pled guilty to, she mentioned every single name

associated as the victims, and when those names were read, you could see loved ones wrapping their arms around each other as eyes were wiped because of tears. these are loved ones, family members that have waited for some sense of justice for three and a half years after that horrific tragic valentine's day in 2018 at marjory stoneman douglas. so, yes, you can imagine the sense of emotion that those families are feeling. one of the fathers, when his child's name was read, he just looked up at the sky and stared. you can only imagine what he must have been saying to himself, to comfort himself in such a tough but long-awaited moment. let's talk legal now as far as what this means. he has pled guilty to 34 counts,

but still on the table is the death penalty or life in prison. something that the prosecution has said they have no plans on taking the death penalty off the table here. >> leyla santiago with the latest for us. thank you. still ahead, a critical issue to the midterm elections goes to the senate floor today. voters rights and protections. why president biden is facing pressure for not doing more to ensure it passes. that's next. ifferently. yeah, it's wireless with unlimited data and if you join a group it's as low as $25/mo. all powered by verizon. 5g included. woo! just get together and save! we look goooood! what's everyone's handle? visible. unlimited data, as low as $25/mo all-in. powered by verizon, 5g included. wireless that gets better with friends.

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today senate democrats will attempt to advance a slimmed down version of their voting rights bill, this despite widespread operation from the gop, and there is mounting pressure, pressure on the white house to get new voting rights legislation passed. yet sources tell cnn they're not quite ready to blow up the filibuster. joining me now, derrick johnson, president of the naacp. good to have you with us this morning. you called the lack of urgency from the white house around voting rights appalling. do you think the biden administration has dropped the ball here? mr. johnson, it's erica hill in new york. i'm not sure if you can hear me. you may be muted. we're going to try to re-establish that connection. as we do, just a note -- we're

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voting rights bill that isn't likely to pass. joe manchin said he could bring ten republicans along. it doesn't seem that happened. you've called the lack of urgency from the white house appalling. do you think this administration and democrats dropped the ball here? >> i think the outcome will demonstrate whether or not the ball has been dropped. for african-americans, we must get legislation to protect our right to vote. it's imperative the senate leadership, members of the senate and the white house make this happen before the end of the year. anything less will completely undermine the legacy of this president. >> what do you see as the path forward? >> the path forward is not allowing a procedural rule to stop the protection of the right to vote. the filibuster was used in the 30s, 40s, 50s to impede progress. we can't allow it to impede progress to uphold our democracy and protect our constitution today. >> do you think that message is getting through not only to

lawmakers but to the president? >> well, i think the president and lawmakers have good intentions, but the outcome is what i'm looking for. it's not the intent, not the words. it's the outcome. at this ninth hour we are looking at states and jurisdictions across the country rejoining -- redistricting the first time without the full protection of the voting rights act since 1960. i'm more concerned about the outcome, not the words, not the energy, but the outcome of voting rights protections. >> in terms of that outcome, why do you think there's been this large of urgency in your words? >> many people want to hold to senate traditions and protocols of the past. we're out of that now. there are no -- realities in the senate. you couldn't get ten senators to establish a commission to investigate an insurrection on this nation, you will not get

ten senators to protect the ri rights of votes. we have to move away from the concept of a partisan reality and look at the hard fact. we must protect our democracy, our constitution and the right to vote. that must be done through legislation. the senate must do their job. >> we'll be watching and checking back with you. drark johnson, thank you. thanks for joining us today. kate bolduan picks up our coverage next. hello everyone. i'm kate bolduan. here is what we're watching "at this hour." ready to make a deal. democrats inching closer to a final agreement on trillions of dollars in spending, but cutting key priorities. house speaker nancy pelosi speaks this hour. huge developments in the fight against covid. new guidance on boosters that could impact millions of americans while the white house prepares for a massive rollout of shots for children as young as 5. >>